The Mech Touch

Ves had an undeniable connection to the possible rise of human phase lords.

He gave an insightful lecture about it during the Survivalist conference.

He provided follow-up feedback to the Transhumanist Faction over the span of multiple months after he had revealed his unique expertise on phase lord cultivation.

The Transhumanists oddly became a lot less interested in listening to his feedback after the conclusion of Operation Night Jazz.

This was understandable as the Evolution Witch and the other forces participating in this bold operation had managed to capture a huge amount of data as well as enormous amounts of phase leader remains.

By then, Ves had already provided most of the theories and insights that he could squeeze from his mind. His understanding of phase lords was ultimately limited to his shallow personal experiences. There was only so much information that he could provide to the Transhumanists.

His role by this time had been reduced to providing reference data. Jovy and the researchers assigned to the Bluejay Fleet could easily take care of this chore, so Ves had been unable to obtain any useful hints from any of the core researchers who were working on this massive project.

Regardless, Ves still felt that he had contributed enough to this effort to feel responsible for the spread of human phase lords in human society.

If they ended up causing damage to red humanity, then Ves would undoubtedly carry a lot of blame for their actions!

To be honest, Ves did not know what the mechers were thinking by focusing so much on turning humans into phase lords. Was it truly because they wanted to increase their connection to the Red Ocean, or did they have another purpose in mind?

The Transhumanists had always focused on mechs as the ideal means to achieve transcendence. Focusing too much on phase lord cultivation was not only a distraction, but also a huge drain on resources.

Perhaps the only compelling advantage was that all of these studies demystified the existence of phase whales and phase lords. They became a lot less inscrutable. Perhaps all of the gathered information may lead to the development of specific countermeasures that targeted the weaknesses of these powerful native gods.

"Let us get back to your personal performance." Jovy said as he summoned a projection that displayed a model of Ves' true body. "We have gathered a large amount of interesting data on your physique. It is still recognizably human, but it is also so much more. The overall state of your body has improved far beyond what is possible. The only exception is your left leg."

The projection zoomed in on Ves' left leg. It did not look different from the other leg at first, but Ves could see that the flesh was a little less dense and robust. The bones over there also looked wrong.

"Ah. That is due to my cybernetic leg." Ves spoke. "Part of the process that turned me into a phase lord has forced me to sacrifice a part of my body. I previously thought that this sacrifice was permanent, but after my most recent lightning baptism, my true body grew explosively in size while correcting a lot of flaws. The lower left leg of my true body has regrown for the most part, but there is still a bit of weakness that I can't make up for. It's a weird interaction that I cannot fully explain."

Jovy accepted this explanation. "The ritual that you have used has metaphysical components that impose greater consequences on yourself. It is hardly perfect, and it is still too dangerous to be put to use. I can be sure that we will devise our own method of transforming humans into phase lords. Any soldier we choose to undergo this treatment cannot afford to possess these vulnerabilities. They can become a deadly weakness in battle."

The orven ritual sacrifice altar was not that bad. Ves may have come away with a clear physical vulnerability, but he also gained Veronica in the process, which proved to be incredibly useful!

"If I have this weakness, then the orvens most certainly have it as well." Ves surmised. "That is unless they have switched to a different method."

"We shall investigate further. Anyway, we should talk about your future as a phase lord. I do not think I need to convince you that your combat effectiveness is terrible. You have so much power, but you have not developed it in the slightest. Any trained soldier or mech pilot who has gained your physical gifts can easily defeat at least four of you at the same time, and that is only a conservative estimate."

Ves' expression turned ugly as he became reminded by his awful performance once again.

"I know I am bad at this. Are you suggesting that I should undergo combat training?"

Jovy nodded. "Our trainers and mech instructors can assist you in training the basic combat skills of hand-to-hand combat. If it is possible for you to effectively wield transphasic weapons that are scaled to your true body, then that is even better. It may take 3 to 5 years of weekly training for you to turn into a somewhat competent fighter. As for your spatial abilities, we cannot assist you in this, but our biotech research teams can help you upgrade and develop your organic hardware further. You will probably be unable to defeat a typical alien phase lord in a duel after these improvements, but you can rest assured that you will no longer be a liability on the battlefield."

The mechers truly weren't mincing their words here. Though Jovy's judgment sounded harsh, Ves knew it was fair. There just wasn't any possibility for him to gain the combat consciousness of a professional commando or mech pilot in a short amount of time, especially when he was just a mech designer.

Vestriedto think whether it was worthwhile for him to devote a few hours every week on basic combat training.

He quickly shook his head. "There's little point in this. If I am ever forced in a situation where I cannot rely on the protection of others, my best course of action should be to get away as fast as possible. If I truly have to fight, I would prefer to adopt a fighting style that matches my Inclinations the most. I would much rather develop my spatial manipulation skills than my physical combat skills. The former is not only more suitable for an intellectual such as myself, but it will also help me understand phasewater theory and deepen my familiarity with this powerful substance."

In other words, Ves wanted to fight like a wizard instead of a warrior.

"That is not a bad idea, Ves, but according to our intelligence, learning how to utilize your true body in combat is the most cost-effective use of your limited time. It may not be to your liking, but you can drastically reduce your chance of getting beaten within half a year of training. As for improving your ability to manipulate space, we have heard that it can take decades, centuries or even millennia to develop powerful enough techniques that can pose a threat against equally strong opponents."

Ves straightened his back when he heard that. "What?! How come it takes that long? I don't feel it should be that difficult."

The RA Senior Mech Designer shook his head. "That is not what we have heard. Every alien phase lord must slowly familiarize themselves with the power of phasewater. They must also delve into the potential of their phasewater organs and improve them step-by-step. No matter whether they rely on self-experimentation or guidance from a more powerful mentor, it takes a long process of trial and error to develop truly useful spatial abilities." a 1,

That was way too much time for Ves. He could not dedicate so much of his valuable time on developing a few redundant spatial tricks.

"How can the native aliens tolerate such slow progress?"

"They do not mind this slow pace because they have all of the time in the cosmos." Jovy replied with a sardonic smile. "The transition from a normal alien into a phase lord is a life changing event. Any body cells that are elevated and saturated with phasewater have become much more powerful in many different ways. One of the more obvious consequences of this is that your body does not really decline with age anymore. No matter whether the original lifespan of an alien phase lord is 100 years or 1000 years, it has become at least two orders of magnitude greater than before. It is even possible for phase lords to become biologically immortal as long as their phasewater concentration has become high enough."

What?

Ves had never really thought about how becoming phase lord affected his lifespan. He was only a little over 40 years old, so he was far from reaching the age where he needed to worry about running out of days anytime soon.

This was why his reaction to this benefit was less dramatic than normal.

If a 500 year old geezer learned that becoming a phase lord enabled them to live for many generations more, then they would probably go over the moon!

Ves suddenly sharpened his gaze.

"Is this why you mechers are so interested in devising a successful method to turn humans into phase lords?"

His friend had no solid answers to that. "I cannot offer any clarification on this topic. I do want to note that we are short on high-level professionals. There is a modest group of Master Mech Designers, ace pilots and galaxy-renowned academicians that our society is heavily reliant upon. Many of them have contributed enormously to our civilization, but their ability to do so is running out due to the fact that they belong to generations that were born before the Age of Mechs or shortly after it has commenced."

It made a lot of sense to turn them into phase lords just to advance their lifespans.

However, Ves was not certain whether their chances of becoming one were high enough. The weaker their bodies, the lower their success rate. Their advanced ages also held them back to an extent.

"There isn't enough phasewater in human space to turn all of them into phase lords." Ves said in a disapproving tone.

"Then it is a good thing that more and more groups are preparing to assault the native aliens that we are at war with." Jovy smiled. "The indigenous alien races have been in control of the Red Ocean for many years. They have amassed plentiful phasewater reserves, much more than we can extract from our own territories in the few years that we have resided in the new frontier. While you may look down on the benefits of becoming a human phase lord, what about your family?"

Ves had not thought about it from that angle!

"My family..."

"Your wife and children may not be as exceptional as you, Ves. If they can become phase lords, their drastically improved longevity will ensure that they can accompany you for many more years. They will also become much harder to kill, and they will become virtually immune to all diseases and physical afflictions. If there is any need, we can help them acquire bodies that will allow them to withstand the test of time. The endless lifespan of powerful phase lords is one of the many reasons why the natives consider them to be their gods. They are immortal and immune to the ravages of time."

Though Ves became enormously attracted by the prospect of upgrading the bodies of the family he cared about the most, he soon rejected this possibility in his mind.

There were more ways to attain transcendence than by copying the methods of the native aliens of the Red Ocean.

Gloriana's goal was to become a Star Designer, and Ves could grant his children their own suitable means to achieve transcendence.

So long as they managed to become a True God, their longevity would no longer be an immediate concern!