The Mech Touch



Ves got what he wanted for the most part.

As long as he managed to convince the Survivalist Faction to take his Carmine System seriously, he could continue his research on it without too many concerns about outside factors coming to disturb his progress.

His big brothers and sisters would take care of the trouble!

As much as Ves felt proud and confident about the clan he had built out of his own hands, he knew that he could never challenge the status quo by himself.

His clan and his allies might have become a force to be reckoned with in a regional environment, but his ambition threatened the interests of much more powerful groups of people!

This was why Ves leaned so heavily on the Survivalists. Instead of trying to fight this uphill battle by himself, why not let the professionals do all of the hard work?

Ves should only be responsible for conducting the necessary research and developing a working application!

Once he had completed his goal, he would ideally hand over his end results to his buddies within the Association and let them sort out all of the mess that his creation provoked.

As Ves gained a more thorough understanding of the division of responsibilities between himself and the Survivalists, Master Goldstein finally concluded the discussion on this subject.

"My authority is limited and you have only just begun your research. It is not appropriate to award you with MTA merits for an idea of a design application that has yet to prove its viability. Each transfer of MTA merits is also tracked. Given the enormous implications of your idea, it is best to avoid generating unnecessary attention. You must be patient and prepare to present your proposal at our upcoming conference. You shall not leave empty handed as long as you are able to back up your assertions with at least a small amount of proof."

That was fine. Ves already managed to secure a substantial upgrade to his Spirit of Bentheim out of this talk.

Ves understood that it was unrealistic to make the entire Survivalist Faction move just because he talked a big game.

Master Goldstein may be willing to take a bet on the Carmine System, but that was because he had studied Ves extensively and knew what he was capable of. Not all mechers could be expected to do their homework.

All of this meant that if Ves wanted to ensure that he would have a smoother ride when he conducted his research on the potential of the Carmine System, he had to impress a group of very important MTA mech designers!

He inwardly gulped. Anyone that Master Goldstein considered as his 'buddies' were almost certainly fellow Master Mech Designers! He might even be able to pull in a Star Designer to preside over the secret meeting!

"Don't forget that the Carmine System can also enhance the piloting experience of existing mech pilots." Ves felt the need to emphasize its value to more skilled and gifted warriors. "It was originally designed to give mech pilots who are deeply attached to their existing mechs an extra edge. According to my theories, bonding the mech and mech pilot with a stronger and more permanent bond will help the latter break through a lot easier."

Master Goldstein nodded. "I understand. It is a good idea to explore as many angles of your new tech as possible. Even if one of them does not appeal to a panel, another one may save you from dismissal."

The potential of blood was almost limitless. Half a year was not enough for him to develop a full solution that was ready for mass adoption, but Ves was sure he could cobble together a few demonstration prototypes that emphasized the different strengths of his Carmine System.

Now that they set a plan for the future, the conversation eventually drifted back to Ves' prior request.

"Now that you understand what I am working on, do you think I have a better chance of obtaining a teaching position at a first-class mech design university?"

"Hmmm…" Master Goldstein did not issue an immediate answer. "Your teaching qualifications are still dubious, but your professional skills and accomplishments are much more impressive. The latter cannot completely outweigh the former, but there is a variable that may tilt the scales in your favor to an extent."

Ves' eyes lit up. Any extra measure could make a crucial difference in his life! He did not want to squander his time on teaching a bunch of second-class brats when he could indoctrinate first-class geniuses instead!

"What do you have in mind, Master?"

"The answer is simple. I shall write a referral letter for you. The form and the specific wording of the letter is not important. It is simply a message that conveys my trust in your competence and abilities. You can treat it as a form of verification that you are as good as you present yourself as. Mech designers such as myself do not issue them lightly, as we put our own credibility and reputation on the line. If we hand a referral letter to the wrong individual, then we will not only damage our standing in the mech industry, but also cause unnecessary harm to the institution that based its decision on my action."

All of this meant that Vayro Goldstein did not easily issue a referral letter. Ves was not sure whether he qualified. The two were familiar with each other, but they were not that close to be honest.

"Will you…"

Fortunately, the older man did not keep Ves in suspense.

"I shall transmit a letter to your account as soon as you have left this ship." Goldstein smiled. "Your existing accomplishments and research results are already sufficient to write this letter for you. There is no need to mention anything with regards to the Carmine System. Be careful about what you say if you are invited to an interview session. A sharp school administrator will not let a single letter of recommendation decide whether to hire you. There are many competent and brilliant mech designers in the mech industry. Many of them are able to obtain letters as well."

Damn. Goldstein was right. Perhaps a referral letter from a Master Mech Designer of the Mech Trade Association carried much greater weight than normal, but Ves did not know whether that was enough!

Wait, if one letter was not enough, what about two? Master Goldstein was hardly the only impressive mech designer that Ves came in touch with! Perhaps the other ones might be willing to write letters as well!

"I can ask other notable mech designers to write letters for me as well." Ves eagerly said. "That should make me more attractive compared to the competition, right?"

"These letters are only icing on the cake, Mr. Larkinson, but more is certainly better. You must take care not to obtain them from individuals that possess insufficient weight in the industry. You should only collect them from other Master Mech Designers. A first-class mech university will not take the recommendations of Seniors seriously."

That was a shame. Ves knew a lot Seniors as well, but his hopes of increasing his pile of recommendations were dashed.

Ves actually met with a good number of Master Mech Designers, but whether they would be willing to write a referral letter for him was another matter. He did not actually know them well enough for them to issue this favor.

"Alright. I understand. I will try my best to collect as many serious referral letters as possible before I start my job search. Can you point me towards specific mech design universities that you think would be a good fit for myself? You should already understand my needs. I am a frequent traveler, so I won't be able to teach any students in person. The Hyper Chamber in my flagship should help with enhancing my remote teaching ability."

The MTA Master had already been thinking about this. "The hiring requirements of first-class mech design universities and similar educational institutions are still too strict. There are no backdoors that can allow an unqualified Senior to sidestep them. The better and more renowned the school, the harsher the criteria."

Ves frowned. "If what you say is true, then I can forget about getting my foot through the door of all of the good schools."

"Every mech designer with teaching aspirations wishes to become a professor at an established university that has built up their reputation and alumni networks over multiple generations. What you need to do is set your sights lower. It just so happens that the opening of the Red Ocean Dwarf Galaxy has not only added many new territories to human space, but also led to the formation of many new universities."

That was right. Just as Davute invested a lot of funding and resources to prop up the Davute University of Technology, many other states and organizations had done likewise!

This applied to third-rate colonial states as well as first-rate colonial states!

"What do I need to pay attention to if I choose to apply to a newly founded mech design university?" Ves carefully asked.

"Not all of them will succeed." The MTA Master responded. "This is a highly competitive sector. Many parties understand that as as long as they enter this market and turn their schools into an established name in the region, they can turn their investments into self-perpetuating cash cows that can also function as continually expanding influence networks. The financial and strategic value of successful universities are unimaginably lucrative."

As an entrepreneur, Ves understood what that meant. A lot of players had entered the game, but not all of them would be able to win it in the end.

If Ves became a professor at a crappy school, then he would only be able to add a few years of teaching experience to his record.

The rewards for teaching at a school that managed to survive its most difficult years and establish a footing in the education sector were much higher!

Not only would Ves be able to boast that he taught at a more prestigious institution, but he would also gain access to much higher quality mech design students that possessed much brighter futures!

This option suited him quite nicely now that he thought about it. Getting hired by a first-class heritage institution was impossible due to his low qualifications, but it was still possible to attain a similar outcome by obtaining a job at a school that could eventually become just as impressive!

All of the universities in the old galaxy that had centuries if not millenia worth of heritage may possess a lot of advantages, but the problem was that their structures were already fixed in place!

None of them were flexible enough to quickly adapt to changes such as the opening of the Red Ocean or the introduction of phasewater.

The mech design universities founded in the new frontier should possess much greater advantages in this regard!

Although Ves was a bit disappointed that Master Goldstein did not recommend a specific first-class mech design university to him, this was not that big of a deal.

If Ves wanted to secure a better teaching position, then he needed to fight for it by relying on his own strengths. Those referral letters should only be used to buy him an opportunity to make his case.

After concluding a few more matters, Ves finally ended his long and informative meeting with Master Goldstein.

The teleporter brought him straight back to his office in his Royal Mansion.

It only dawned upon him now that the spatial interdiction measures built across the Cat Nest had been active all this time.

None of these expensive high-tech devices managed to make any difference!

Ves began to scowl. "If the MTA can do it, then so can others. I need to get my hands on better tech."

The problem was that he and his clan obtained all of their spatial interdiction field generators from the very same Association!