The Mech Touch

A grand work.

It had only been a short time ago that Ves had begun to dream about fabricating a product that exceeded the scope of a masterwork.

That did not mean that Ves actually thought he had a chance of making anything close to a grand work this soon!

It was incredibly unrealistic to think that a relatively young and inexperienced Senior Mech Designer like himself could match the works that could only be attained by the most brilliant Master Mech Designers and Star Designers!

Yet today, he had somehow defied conventional wisdom again.

He should have felt proud for breaking such an astonishing record.

It should not matter too much that his attempt to create a grand work had crashed and burned in a spectacular manner.

Just the fact that he managed to come into contact with the third rung of the Craftsmanship Ladder was enough to surpass almost every mech designer at his age!

Perhaps not even the Polymath had managed to touch the threshold of a grand work when she was as old as his current self.

The implications were enormous, both to Ves and the Red Association.

Yet why couldn't Ves summon any joy or pride at this near-legendary feat?

It was because the bitter taste of defeat overshadowed everything else. How could Ves possibly be in the mood to take joy in the death of one of his most promising creations?

He had developed a close emotional attachment to the Elemental Lord since he initially came up with the idea to create a five elements mech.

He poured so much of his heart into this amazing living mech that its complete and utter annihilation wounded him on an emotional level!

Every masterwork carried a piece of himself.

It was conceivable that a grand work likely carried a greater piece of his soul!

Perhaps this may be the reason why Ves felt so... hollow.

His entire reality grew bleak as he could not bring himself to feel any joy about his other accomplishments.

The only outcome that mattered to him was that his Elemental Lord lost its struggle for survival and suffered a complete death as a consequence!

Ves experienced this trauma similar to a parent who had lost a child shortly after birth.

This was one of the most painful and devastating suffering a father or a mother could go through!

Before today, Ves could never imagine what it would be like for Aurelia, Andraste or Marvaine to die in his arms.

He would probably go crazy with grief!

Though Ves would always prioritize his own children over a grand work, that did not lessen the impact of one of his greatest failures as a mech designer!

Jovy did not rush to resume the conversation. He calmly sipped his drink while constantly observing his friend's depressed state.

"Lightning tribulations are strange phenomena." The mecher eventually continued. "I cannot explain much about them. I am not authorized to come in touch with secrets of this nature. I can only supply you with the small amount of details that the Xenotechnician and the Polymath have seen fit to share."

Though Ves could hardly muster any interest to pay attention to anything else aside from his incredibly painful loss, he harbored a special kind of resentment towards the lightning tribulation that denied his magnificent work a chance to live.

Everytime his thoughts strayed towards the lightning tribulation, Ves grew pissed at how it showed so much malice towards the Elemental Lord's existence.

It was as if its existence personally offended the powerful authority from Messier 87!

The Elemental Lord was a completely innocent existence as far as Ves was concerned. It did not deserve to die because of factors outside of its control.

If anyone deserved to get punished for violating a taboo, it should be Ves who should account for his crime!

Even though it was absolutely crazy for him to think about it, Ves actually wished he could have been the subject of the lightning tribulation instead of his precious creation.

In his current mood, Ves irrationally preferred to die if that was what it took to bring the Elemental Lord to life!

Only the most passionate and obsessive mech designers could understand his current sentiment!

Perhaps that was why Ves and Jovy were not in complete alignment at the moment. A sense of alienation existed between the two as Jovy could not fully understand why Ves took this loss so badly.

The RA mech designer sighed. "Objectively, you never had a chance of success. Your intention was too ambitious. Your mech possessed too much promise, far more than you can bear at your current ability. You sought to produce a battleship when you are only truly qualified to make a frigate. You tried to fly when you should still be learning how to walk. If you toned down the scope of your highly inventive work, you might not have been able to produce an astonishing result, but the resulting mech would have provoked a much weaker reaction from Messier 87."

His explanation made sense. That was one of the reasons why Ves became so filled with regret. It became clear that he had crossed the line far too much.

Perhaps Star Designers such as the Polymath had many ways to cope with an exceedingly powerful lightning tribulation, but Ves was far less capable of handling such a situation!

The outcome that happened today made that abundantly clear to him. His failure taught him a brutal lesson about the dangers of unbridled hubris.

"Is it unusual to attract a multi-modal lightning tribulation that strikes as much as 81 times?"

"It is one of the most severe responses that a mech designer can provoke." Jovy straightforwardly answered. "For whatever reason, the number 9 has great meaning to the source of these tribulations. It is usual for highly notable accomplishments that far exceed the scope of an ordinary masterwork mech to trigger at least some variation of a lightning tribulation. Depending on how extensively the work defies the rules, the tribulation will strike in multiples of 9. For example, if you had attempted to create a mech that was much less ambitious, then it would have been able to survive this test if it only lasted for 27 strikes at most."

That was a sobering realization to Ves. He had acted completely without any awareness of the forces he had been toying with. If he possessed this information from the start, he would have definitely reined himself in and given his Elemental Lord a much greater chance to live past this day!

Ves lowered his head in regret. He hated the fact that the Red Association denied this crucial information to him, but he did not really blame the mechers for withholding it in the first place.

No one could have imagined that Ves actually needed it at his current stage!

People often learned the most profound lessons when they suffered a massive failure. Ves was in the same position now as the death of the Elemental Lord scarred him to the point where he would never want to make the same mistake again!

If he ever entered a position where he could trigger a lightning tribulation once again, he was determined to hold back until he was able to guarantee the survival of his most promising works!

There was no doubt in his mind that Ves would be confronted by lightning tribulations yet again. He had already triggered it three times over the course of his career. There was no way he would allow this setback to deter him from challenging this powerful force yet again!

"Tell me more about these lightning tribulations." Ves spoke with greater steel in his voice. "You said that this one originated from Messier 87, right?"

"Messier 87 is one of the largest galaxies in the cosmos as far as we can tell. It has assimilated so many galaxies that its influence on its surroundings is massive. A significant concentration of E energy radiation is able to reach the current location of the Red Ocean. This essentially means that we are all operating on its territory, for a lack of a better description. When we are able to make use of its power, we become subject to its terms and conditions."

Ves was pretty sure that he had never signed such an agreement, but then again, a supremely powerful galaxy had no need to waste its time on paper!

"Are those four-armed aliens native to that distant galaxy?"

Jovy nodded. "Normally, this is a secret that shouldn't even be shared outside of the halls of the Red Association, but since you have already seen their manifestations with your own eyes, you are allowed to know this much. You have done us a massive favor by giving us a glimpse of the possible alien adversaries that we might face once our two galaxies come into contact with each other. The previous lightning tribulations have produced similar alien manifestations, but... they were not as weak as the ones that appear today. You have made a large contribution by giving us a glimpse of the low-level combatants of the greater galaxy."

Ves couldn't help but twitch his lips. Low-level. According to the model constructed by the mechers, the four-armed alien swordsman likely ranked at the bottom of Messier 87's hierarchy of power!

"Since I have made such a valuable contribution, I am due for a reward, is that correct?"

"That is naturally the case. Any intelligence related to Messier 87 can directly improve our chances of surviving contact with the natives that reside over there. You have also given us valuable insights on the evolution of a human phase lord. We will not be stingy about any help you can give us in this regard. The personal azure energy shield generator is a part of your reward. The Association has also seen fit to award you with 750 million MTA merits. Oh, before you ask, we are aware of how much you care about the EdNet, so we have also awarded you with 10 permanent EdNet quotas. We hope that you will not let your ambitious attempt stop you from breaking the limits of what is possible in the future. The mech industry needs more rule breakers like you. Red humanity would be in a far better position if there are ten more mech designers who possess the same attitude."

Those were hefty consolation prizes!

"Hehehehe..." Ves couldn't help but chuckle when he heard that. "You mechers are quite rule-abiding as far as I am aware of. Well, I can understand your interest. Only the craziest of mech designers are brave enough to pursue the greatest of ambitions."

The Red Association was a bastion of order and rationality. That came with many advantages, but it was often the case that outsiders managed to shake up the foundation of mech design the most!

The mech industry needed both in order to prosper. Centuries of continuous growth and prosperity had proven this assumption!

"We would like to provide you with another benefit." Jovy said. "As an honorary member of the Red Association, it is our duty to assist you with your needs. Whenever you suspect that you are on the verge of fabricating a mech that is likely to attract a lightning tribulation, you can contact us for help. Our available esteemed experts will be happy to provide consultation to you. They can estimate the severity and the mode of tribulation so that you can make the necessary preparations and adjustments. You are not alone, Ves. The addition of any work that is able to survive a baptism of lighting is a boon to our civilization. The more wonders you can produce, the more you can strengthen the foundation of our race. We are all hoping that you will eventually succeed in your venture."

Ves could hear the sincerity in Jovy's voice. The mechers might be bastards at times, but when it came to the design and creation of fantastic mechs, they could be his strongest allies!

There was no reason for Ves to reject this assistance. If he wanted to succeed in his attempt to defy the supreme authority of Messier 87, he could make a lot more progress if he was able to borrow the expertise of the Red Association!