The Mech Touch

Ves had spent so much time dealing with both friends and allies that he almost forgot that he was supposed to teach a class again.

He felt quite strange about resuming his teaching duties.

He had become a tier 3 galactic citizen. That put him on the same leaders as the heads of first-rate states and highly regarded Master Mech Designers. His status had leapt so far ahead that returning to an ordinary lecture hall and teaching a mundane class seemed like an enormous waste of his time!

Ves shook his head. He did not agree with the interpretation that he had become too 'good' to undertake mundane duties. He was not that big of a snob.

Besides, it went against his principles to leave a job or commission unfinished.

Unless a situation arose where it became untenable for Ves to teach his classes any further, he intended to stick to the original agreement.

The need to counterbalance his growing ties with the Red Association by deepening his relationship with the Terrans and the Rubarthans also played a factor.

His personal assistant had already scheduled a meeting with the Inferno Spear.

This would be the first time that Ves spoke directly with an actual prince of one of the largest human empires to exist.

Even if the New Rubarth Empire had been castrated by the Big Two, that did not stop it from becoming a major player!

Its cultural norms had spread far and wide. Many people admired the Rubarthans for their proactivity and their commitment to meritocracy.

Unlike the Terran Confederation where one's birth decided one's station in life, every Rubarthan could theoretically rise to the top no matter their starting point!

While the infamously large and expansive Rubarthan Imperial Household served as a notable exception to this rule, even its many princes had to compete amongst themselves in order to prove they deserved to wield actual power.

The Inferno Prince was one of the descendants that the Star Emperor was most proud of, and that was a major accomplishment considering that there were thousands more princes that were vying for the same honor!

Ves frankly felt horribly underprepared to talk directly with such a powerful leader. Minister Shederin Purnesse and his team were doing the best they could to prepare for this important undertaking, but they were woefully ill equipped to do a proper job.

Still, Ves did not really worry too much that he would commit a faux pas or cause unnecessary offense during the upcoming virtual meeting.

What truly mattered was his relationship with the Destroyer of Worlds. So long as he retained her favor, the other Rubarthans would not dare to mess around!

This was why he did not feel unnecessarily weighed down by the time he moved down to the Hyper Chamber.

Once he passed through the entrance of the high-tech compartment, he wondered whether it was worthwhile to upgrade it yet again.

"Nah. There is no urgency to upgrade its capabilities."

Ves threw the thought out of his mind and engaged the connection to the Eden Institute of Business & Technology.

Nothing unexpected happened. Despite falling out of contact for over a week, the permissions hadn't changed, so the Hyper Chamber soon built up a remarkably precise and high-fidelity simulation of an office environment.

A familiar woman dressed in a noticeably dressier business outfit awaited by the side.

"Welcome back, professor!"

"It's good to see you again, Miss Striker." Ves nodded in her direction. "Before we begin to go over my upcoming class, I'm sure you Terrans want to talk to me about other matters. Has Master Laila Rebecca Devos requested for me to meet with her once again?"

"That is not the case." Alexa responded in a more formal and officious tone. "The Terran Alliance is deeply interested in starting up a dialogue with you, but it takes time to ensure the best possible outcome. For now, I shall act as the point person between you and my colonial state. If you wish to make a request that isn't large enough to require the input of a senior leader, we can fulfill it without any unnecessary delay."

"That sounds great. I don't have any particular requests at the moment. Well, that might not be true. I can guess that my courses have become a lot more popular than before. I don't want my newfound popularity to disrupt my classes and interfere with the teaching process. Those kids signed up to learn how to navigate the frontier and design living mechs. They should not suffer any setbacks in their attempts to become the best possible mech designers."

Ves still cared a lot about passing on his knowledge and did his part into preparing the next generation of mech designers for their future duties and responsibilities.

Seeing the Red Kingdom emerge from the original Kingdom of Mechs had a profound effect on his attitude towards his profession.

He especially felt pained by the fact that the Polymath had come close to corrupting its pure essence!

Ves gained a whole new respect and appreciation for the profession of mech design and all of the people who endeavored to keep it alive and vibrant over the centuries.

The teaching process was a sacred and necessary ritual that played a vital role in keeping the kingdom alive. Ves felt more fulfilled at the prospect of being able to take part in it. He wanted to unlock the potential of as many aspiring mech designers as possible in order to honor the sacrifices of the Progenitors of Mechs.

His teaching assistant nodded in understanding. "We have received an excessive amount of requests to reconsider the enrollment of your courses. We are even receiving requests for transfers from students outside of the Eden Institute just to be able to get into your classes. The dean has already tasked me with asking you whether you are open to holding all of your classes in the same auditorium where you conducted your first lecture. This way, you can pass on your teachings to thousands of earnest students at once."

While it was incredibly beneficial for Ves to strike while the iron was hot and start building up his influence among so many mech design students, he knew that the majority of these kids probably weren't that interested in the contents of his courses.

They would have applied for his courses a lot sooner if that was the case!

Ves shook his head. "I don't want to turn every class into a massive spectacle. That will add too much stress and distractions in my life. I just want to keep this simple for the time being. No new enrollments and no additional visitations, please."

"Very well. I shall notify the dean and the relevant personnel and make sure that you will not be disturbed."

With that out of the way, the two could proceed to talk about a more general topic.

"Is it true that we can all start to cultivate by swallowing one of your new fruits, but only if we possess the right 'talent'?"

Ves directed a curious look at her. "You are remarkably well-informed."

"I have my connections."

"Well, what you have learned is true, but only up to a point. E energy radiation will ensure that everyone will develop the same 'talent'. The only problem is that uncontrolled mutations induced by exotic radiation might also produce other changes that are less desirable. Personally, I think that acquiring a companion spirit might be able to prevent these mutations from happening, but I don't have any solid proof to back up this theory. The Red Association has also rejected any possibility of turning my companion spirit fruits into a universal good. Only warlords and warfighters are supposed to be eligible to earn these valuable fruits."

That was not entirely true, but there was no need for Ves to inform her that the Larkinsons could consume the fruits without limit.

The young lady looked disappointed. "I see why the mechers are confident that everyone will cooperate with the New Elites Program. Does that mean that I cannot obtain a companion spirit fruit directly from the source?"

Ves firmly shook his head. "The mechers expressly forbade all trades. Don't even think about it. You need to follow the same rules as everyone else. The only way you will be able to earn a precious fruit is to volunteer for a deep strike operation. In fact, I am thinking about taking part in a deep strike operation myself in the near future. I'll try my best to sign up for the first possible opportunity to pass through the greater beyonder gate."

"What?! That... that is dangerous!"

"It is. 1 am no stranger to danger. You should know the curriculum of my Frontier Wisdom course well enough to understand why I have to do this. The rights and privileges bestowed to proven warlords are amazing. I can't even tell you about all of the possible rewards that I have heard about because they are just that amazing."

Alexa still looked shocked and abhorred at Ves' casual revelation of his intention to actually lead a force into the depths of alien space.

The tier 3 galactic citizen took the risks way too lightly! The man was bound to attract a huge amount of hostility from the alien defenders due to his reputation alone!

Unfortunately, Alexa also knew him well enough that he was extremely unlikely to reconsider this decision. The man rarely backed down from challenges, especially when there were huge rewards on the line.

In hindsight, the Fist of Defiance's Deep Strike Plan was a natural fit to this brave but reckless pioneer!

This was both his charm and an enormous source of frustration.

"Professor Larkinson, we are always available to help." Alexa quickly spoke. "If you are in need of bolstering your deep strike fleet with additional first-class multipurpose mechs, the Terran Alliance is happy to oblige. We are willing to discuss greater cooperation with you, such as assigning our expert pilots or even ace pilots to your fleet. You can never be too careful when you only have one chance to survive this dangerous operation."

That sounded like an incredibly generous offer!

The Bluejay Fleet was already a force to be reckoned with even if Ves removed the formidable warships from the picture.

What could Ves do with several hundred Terran first-class multipurpose mechs at his disposal?

He could launch attacks on much more fortified alien holdings! He could fend off considerably more powerful alien retaliation attacks! He might even be able to hunt down an actual phase whale!

Of course, the Terrans probably wouldn't provide all of that assistance for free. He might have to give up a huge share of the spoils. The Red Association would also assign a much more challenging mission to his coalition in order to make it fairer for everyone.

Still, the benefits far exceeded the downsides. It was better to have too much firepower than not enough of it. The risks of conducting a deep strike operation would become significantly reduced if there weren't as many defending aliens that could threaten his safety.

"You know what? I might take you up on your offer." He responded. "We can talk about this later when the Red Association has published more information about what is in store for everyone who is thinking about signing up for a deep strike operation. As long as it is acceptable for us to join forces, I would be happy to fight alongside Terran mechs."

"That is good to hear, professor. I will need to bring this proposal up to my superiors in order to confirm whether they are willing to make this arrangement with you, but I do not anticipate that they will say no. Both of us can mean a lot to each other."

Ves was already thinking about whether he could form a similar arrangement with the Rubarthans. They certainly wouldn't want to be left out of the party once they heard about this deal.

Perhaps Ves might be able to rope in the fleeters as well!