The Mech Touch

Once his lecture came to an end, he assigned a bunch of assignments to his students.

He wanted them to write an essay on the phenomenon of X-Factor which could be considered as the precursor of living mechs.

Just like how Ves eventually excelled at designing living mechs by starting out with this more limited concept, he believed it would be helpful for his students to undergo a similar journey of exploration.

Of course, the Eden Institute imposed high demands and expectations on its students, so Ves had to drastically increase the difficulty and workload of this assignment!

It was challenging for Ves to keep all of these augmented brats sufficiently occupied! His initial lesson plan may have been rather challenging to keep up for high-performing second-class mech design students, but Alexa Striker told him that it was way too light for his current audience!

It was actually his teaching assistant who took the initiative to compose the bulk of all of the homework assignments.

She used to be a student in a similar university herself half a decade ago, so she knew exactly what it took to exercise the research and analytical capabilities of these growing inhuman monsters!

It all looked a bit too excessive to Ves, but this was what first-class educational institutions were like.

The additional studies might not make a huge difference in furthering one's understanding of living mechs, but it definitely helped with broadening the knowledge base of every mech design student!

If every course taught by the Eden Institute was like this, then it was no wonder that first-class mech designers were able to overpower second-class mech designers at the same level!

Most students left the classroom as the lecture came to an end. They all had busy schedules and could not afford to squander their time on idle chatter.

Ves was a little disappointed that none of them was willing to stick around a little longer in order to ask additional questions, but the school semester had just begun. There was plenty of time for him to plant his seeds into their minds during future lectures.

As long as one of those seeds took hold and bloomed, he would already be satisfied for having indoctrinated at least one gullible Terran student!

"Good performance." Alexa commented to Ves as he was about to leave. "This class was not as bombastic as your first one, but that is not what is expected from you. 1 think you can be more forthcoming about introducing subversive ideas to your students. Their tolerance for unusual and counterintuitive concepts is greater than you think. Your existing products already provide sufficient hard proof that your theories have real merit."

The hyper-realistic projection of Ves smiled at her. "I'm sure you are right, but a subject like this is still a part of a Class IX design philosophy. I would rather err on the side of caution than risk the possibility that my audience will get lost."

"That is understandable. Now that you have gotten to know your students in a personal capacity, is there any among them that has caught your interest for whatever reason?"

Ves nodded. "Two of them have indeed caught my eye. I would like you to dig a little deeper into the background and personal circumstances of Klaus Robar-Fulton and Gabriel Sekkar. 1 can't make a definite judgment on this, but as long as either of them are willing to make a serious commitment in this field, they have a good chance of developing the capacity to design a basic living mech."

His teaching assistant looked surprised!

"How are you able to determine that when you have only spoken to them for two hours?"

"Let's just say that I can feel it. Anyone who boasts a similar specialty can do the same."

"How can you perceive a person's qualifications when you are only able to study them through the projected interface of a Hyper Chamber?" Alexa asked as she started to look a little suspicious. "I do not believe the data transmitted by the relevant systems is extensive enough to enable you to perceive those variables."

Ves chuckled. "Technology can do way more than what they are initially designed to do. When you develop a greater understanding of the concepts of life and E energy, you wouldn't have to ask such a question. Every high-ranking mech designer has their own little tricks. Just take my word for it that those two fellows have greater promise than the rest. Can you share your own views on the two names that I have mentioned?"

"I do not have much to say about Klaus Robar-Fulton. There is not much to tell about him in the first place as he is a rather ordinary Terran citizen. His implants and genetic treatments are basic, and while he has attained relatively good results in his school despite this handicap, he does not have what it takes to attract the soliciting of headhunters like his friend Polina Devonshire. To be honest, if you did not mention his name, I would have never taken a second look at him. By any objective measure, he is mostly... average."

This did not surprise Ves. The student body of the Eden Institute was not representative of the larger Terran Alliance. It attracted a considerable proportion of young elites who were bound to occupy higher positions in their later careers.

Nonetheless, it was not healthy for the school to cater entirely to this specific market. The Eden Institute also had to fulfill a societal responsibility, so relatively poor and average students like Klaus received a chance to transform their lives as well.

The problem was that it took a lot more talent and results for ordinary citizens to successfully make this leap. The results attained by Klaus were just below the threshold that made it worthwhile for organizations to invest in his education in order to get another genius young mech designer in return.

While other organizations might disdain this kid, the same might not necessarily apply to Ves.

His vision was different from everyone else's. The early development of spiritual potential most certainly denoted that an individual possessed a particularly stronger talent towards any form of cultivation, which also encompassed mech design.

Ves' cognitive abilities were only a fraction as strong as that of the Terran student at the same age, yet he managed to advance to Senior in his forties!

While it was true that Ves relied on several advantages to speed up his progression, he could easily provide comparable benefits to Klaus if he chose to invest in this student.

Ves made a decision.

"It is far too soon to consider private tutoring and apprenticeships, but I would like you to monitor him more closely in the next few months. I want to obtain as much information as possible about Mr. Robar-Fulton. If there is truly an opportunity to build a closer relationship with him, then I am inclined to give him my support throughout his studies and initial entry in the market."

"You will have to convince him to accept you as his mentor." Alexa skeptically replied. "Your chances of doing so are not great. I am not questioning your ability to design mechs, but you are ultimately a second-class mech designer who is still far removed from our Terran society. Compared to other professors, you ate unable to convey much benefits to him. You cannot assist in his advanced studies nor offer to pay for his tuition. Your current works and projects do not cover first-class multipurpose mechs at all, and that will not change in the near future. You do not have a strong and extensive network that can help him enter the mech industry with a running start. Do I need to mention any more, Professor Larkinson?"

Ves had a simple response to this description.

"All of that sounds great... if Klaus actually has a choice. He's a fourth-year mech design student who has yet to receive any attention from a professor or mech company as far as I am aware of. Once he graduates, his job prospects aren't all that great. I can offer him a better alternative if that is the case. Any solution is better than no solution."

"If you put it that way, then you may have a chance, but that is dependent on whether Mr. Robar-Fulton is willing to drop his pride and settle for a 'lesser' mentor. His reputation within the Terran mech industry will be tarnished if this happens. He may be treated as a failure and an outcast by associating himself with a 'lesser' mech designer."

That was indeed a serious problem, but only if Ves continued to remain 'inferior'.

"Let's leave the decision up to Klaus if I am ready to make the offer." He eventually said. "1 see no need to push too hard on him. It is best if he is eager and willing to study my craft despite the difficulties that you have mentioned. This can serve as an excellent test of his commitment. Enough about him. What about Mr. Sekkar?"

Alexa frowned at the mention of this name. "I do not recommend you to associate yourself too closely with Gabriel Sekkar. He is not an average descendant of a clan. He is its leading offspring and heir. His entire life and career are already set by his parents and elders. He may have permission to choose his own specialization and mentors given that each individual has their own unique preferences in the field of mech design, an atypical young second-class Senior Mech Designer like you is most definitely not on his list."

That sounded rather excessive!

"It's that serious?"

"There is more to it than that, professor. The Sekkar Clan is deeply embedded in Terran society. While our isolation from the Greater Terran United Confederation has made many old entanglements irrelevant, the Sekkars are still surrounded by an elaborate network of allies, enemies and more complex relations. Rashly entering this web will expose you to powerful threats that you are not equipped to handle."

"I'm a tier 6 galactic citizen. That has to count for something, right?"

The young woman threw a contemptuous glance at him. "Higher tiers of galactic citizenship may be rare in the middle zones, but they are considerably more ubiquitous among the upper society of our Terran society. The more powerful clans and organizations are often helmed by higher tiered galactic citizens. While they are subject to a specific set of rules that imposes extensive constraints on what they can do to each other, they can still be frighteningly effective at plotting the downfall of those they regard as obstacles."

The machinations at the higher echelons of power were not comparable to the games that people played in second-rate or third-rate states. The stakes were higher and the ripple effects spread a lot further!

"If it is like this, then maybe it is best if I don't do anything extra with Gabriel Sekkar." Ves concluded.

His standing in the Terran Alliance was still too shaky. Ves did not want to risk his gradual infiltration of Terran society by getting tangled up into exceedingly dangerous affairs that did not matter to him in the slightest.

"Treat him as any intelligent student." Alexa advised him. "Be professional to him. That is all the Eden Institute and the Sekkar Clan asks of you. You can indulge him if he takes the initiative to ask more questions about living mechs, but you must always have a sense of proportion. You must constantly keep in mind that he belongs to the Sekkar Clan. He has no other choice in his life."

That sounded remarkably depressing to Ves. It prompted him to look back at his own clan. Did he treat his children in the same way?

When Ves shut down the Hyper Chamber's connection to the Eden Institute's campus, he thought a little more about this issue but eventually shoved it aside.

His children were all genuinely happy as far as he knew. They were doing just fine, and he wouldn't particularly mind if they chose to take a different course in their lives when they grew older.

"Let's prepare for tomorrow's class."