The Mech Touch

6087 Another One

Now that Venerable Lanie pledged herself to the Mace of Retaliation and was set to become a mecher, Ves had very few concerns anymore.

Sure, the Mace would definitely not be lenient on Lanie in order to strengthen her as quickly as possible, but this could be regarded as a form of atonement for her crimes.

The only concern that annoyed Ves was that he needed to reshuffle his schedule and allocate more time on the examination of the Elegant Rage and the development of his first Woodsap mech.

"I will have to postpone a few design projects." He sighed.

Just as he was ready to turn in for the night, he received another high-priority communication request.

Ves raised his eyebrows as the physical projection of another powerful ace pilot appeared into view.

The Inferno Spear Prince chose to initiate a direct conversation with the patriarch of the Larkinson Clan!

"Well met, Professor Larkinson. You clearly lived through a short day, but I am afraid I must impose on your time. The—"

"—Stop." Ves raised his palm and brazenly interrupted the Rubarthan prince. "I'm too tired of this crap. Let me guess the reason why you insisted on speaking to me at this time. The Rubarthan Pact learned about the very public trials conducted by our clan. Now that our court has decided to exile two of our new expert pilot, you have developed an interest in one of them. Instead of approaching the exile in question directly, you decided it would only be polite if you gave me a courtesy call. Am I close to the truth?"

A few awkward seconds passed as the only peak ace pilot among the Rubarthan princes was taken aback by this unconventional response.

"You are indeed close to the truth." The prince stiffly responded. "It appears that I have been late in contacting you. Who managed to solicit you first?"

"The Mace of Retaliation has decided to employ Venerable Lanie Larkinson on behalf of the Red Association."

Understanding dawned on the Inferno Spear Prince eyes. "I see. That is an inspired choice. I approve. Are you aware of the reason why the Mace of Retaliation wishes to take your exile under his wing?"

"It is well-known that the Mace has remained stuck at the junction of peak ace pilot for over 5 decades." Ves cautiously responded. "He is continuing to grow older without having made any progress. I figure that he has lost too much momentum and no longer possesses the indomitable courage that can encourage him to step onto the road of no return. His progression… has come to an end. Since that is the case, he may as well turn Venerable Lanie into his heir and help her succeed where he has failed."

A difficult expression appeared on the Inferno Spear Prince's face. The road to no return was an exceedingly intimidating test for peak ace pilots. They were exceptionally sensitive to this heavy subject and never dared to take it lightly.

The reward of reaching the end of this road was massive. Which ace pilot did not want to ascend to a much greater height and become a god pilot?

However, a growing pile of dead and almost forgotten ace pilots proved without any doubt that only the greatest of them all had a chance of passing the most difficult test imaginable!

Every ace pilot that had reached the limit of their resonance strength needed to undergo careful preparations before they could even think about making the next step.

These preparations could easily take several decades!

However, there was a contradiction that peak ace pilots had to face. The more they prepared for the tough challenges ahead, the faster they began to lose their momentum.

Their willpower still remained as strong as always, but the person that drove it inevitably started to grow weaker and more measured.

This was always an adverse development as ace pilots who became plagued with doubts and worries no longer possessed the qualifications to become a god pilot.

This was why everyone who was able to step onto the road to no return had to spend their time carefully. No one else could make this decision aside from the god pilot candidates themselves.

In fact, one of the fastest ways to commit suicide was to taunt a peak ace pilot about how they were too afraid to step onto the road to no return!

As far as Ves was aware of, the Inferno Spear Prince should still have a chance, but it was dwindling with each passing day. The powerful Ruburthan had his own problems and considerations that stopped him from stepping onto the road of no return.

"That is his primary motivation, but it is not the extent of his plans." Prince Antonius spoke with a coy smile. "He has more reasons for taking Venerable Lanie Larkinson under his wing, but this is not my secret to share. His full intentions shall be revealed in time. Only when his latest protege has met all of his expectations and reached the limit of a halfgod that the truth shall be revealed."

Ves had a bad feeling about this. "Will Venerable Lanie be in danger?"

"Let me state that it is not without risk, professor. However, I can assure you that the Mace does not harbor any malice towards her. The lineage of the Fist of Defiance is among the most honest and honorable in the Red Ocean. It is regrettable that His Divinity harbors very little interest in the intricacies of keeping a civilization together."

Everyone knew that the Fist of Defiance was a blunt instrument. How this man managed to thrive in an organization as refined and sophisticated as the Red Association was a mystery.

Ves stared deeply at the physical projection of the Inferno Spear Prince, but the latter did not volunteer any further information.

How mysterious.

"Let's get back to the original topic, then." Ves proposed. "Since you don't sound upset that the Mace of Retaliation took the first step and headhunted Venerable Lanie Larkinson first, I take it that your target is not her. You should be eying Venerable Taon Melin instead."

The 2016th Prince made a dignified nod. "That is so. We would appreciate it if you consent to allowing us to take Venerable Melin in our service. We can promise you that he shall be treated according to his strength and potential. He may be rough around the edges, but expert pilots are not as fragile as ordinary mortals. They have an excellent capacity to rebound and regain their optimal fighting condition. We are born for warfare. A few good battles should pull him out of his slump and shift his focus to more immediate matters."

Ves narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "You know, if the Rubarthan Pact or just your principality really wants to recruit a single freelance expert pilot, it is already enough to send out one of your many envoys or diplomats. It is overkill to dispatch a high-and-mighty prince like yourself on such a trivial errand. The only reason why it makes sense for you to step forward and make this request is because the Destroyer of Worlds has developed an interest in Venerable Taon Melin."

The Inferno Spear Prince frankly admitted the truth. "It should not be too difficult for you to infer the truth based on the information you possess. You are correct. The Destroyer of Worlds is unable to approach you directly due to strategic obligations, but she has maintained a limited degree of awareness of current affairs in civilized space. Her Divinity has expressed an interest in training Venerable Melin into an excellent heavy artillery mech specialist. It is too premature to turn him into her protege, but the Rubarthan Pact is more than willing to cooperate with her and assist with the training and development of your exile."

He knew it. Ves knew it. Since the Mace of Retaliation went out of his way to recruit Venerable Lanie, it was not that big of a leap for the Destroyer of Worlds to take Venerable Taon Melin under her wing.

What a lucky bastard!

Lanie only had a small chance to get in direct contact with the Fist of Defiance, while Taon would most certainly be able to develop a mentor-student relationship with the Destroyer of Worlds in time!

Ves almost felt sick at the thought that a Larkinson who had abandoned all of his principles and killed a precious third order living mech had won one of the greatest lottery imaginable!

Plenty of mech pilots would kill their own mothers and fathers in order to receive a single chance to obtain guidance from a genuine god pilot.

Now, Venerable Taon would most definitely be able to receive repeated guidance as long as he progressed further and displayed whatever qualities that caught Divine Irene Mox's attention!

Given how much more of a scumbag Taon had become after his breakthrough, Ves did not agree as easily as he did in the previous case.

Although the two deviants received equal punishments from the Larkinson Clan, Ves personality felt that Taon deserved harsher punishment. The former Ylvainan not only killed his own living mech, but also harbored open hostility towards Ylvaine and other design spirits.

He would definitely become a troublesome obstacle if he grew any stronger!

The fact that Taon no longer expressed any sort of kinship or affection towards the Larkinson Clan also bothered Ves a lot.

"Can you tell me why exactly the Destroyer of Worlds wants to pull Taon into her orbit?" Ves asked the physical projection of the Rubarthan prince. "You Rubarthans have a lot of mech pilots among you. The Pact should have no shortage of expert pilots, and there are definitely those who excel in artillery warfare among their kind."

"That is not the case, professor. First-class mech pilots break through at a lower rate than their lesser counterparts. Mech pilots with an artillery focus also find it more difficult to break through for obvious reasons. This is why our superstate is more receptive towards poaching second-class expert pilots who specialize in piloting heavy artillery mechs. They are harder to produce, but they also have a higher survival rate. It is not a waste of time for me to go out of my way to recruit Venerable Melin. I am more surprised that your clan is willing to let him go with such ease."

Ves twitched his lips. He began to harbor a bit more regrets after hearing that, but he ultimately did not change his stance after hearing how desirable Taon had become.

"Venerable Taon Melin has broken through under extremely adverse circumstances. His traumas have become too deeply rooted into his psyche and willpower. He is no longer a good fit for the Larkinson Clan. I don't know how it is for you Rubarthans, but we value harmony very highly. If his continued presence will just make a lot of other Larkinsons upset to the point of breaking their sacred bond of trust with each other, then it is better to cut him off. If your Pact thinks that it can handle this ticking time bomb in human form, then you are welcome to take him out of our hands."

The Inferno Spear Prince grinned. "No matter what problems your expert pilot may have, we can handle them. Have faith in our ability to train him into a productive member of society. If our normal trainers are unable to keep him in check, then the Destroyer of Worlds will most certainly be able to suppress him in an instant. No expert pilot is able to defy the will of a god pilot."

Since that was the case, Ves had a strong feeling that Taon would not be having an easy time among the Rubarthans!

The Rubarthan prince patiently gave more assurances to Ves. The Rubarthan Pact intended to put Taon through an intensive regime that was similar to what Lanie would be going through. The purpose was similar. Taon needed to speed up his growth and become a powerhouse as soon as possible.

"Expert pilots and even ace pilots are not enough to shift the balance of this war or the next. We need god pilots, the more, the better. Since Venerable Melin not only favors the same mech type as Her Divinity, but also possesses a companion spirit that is similar to her own, he should quickly be able to replicate some of her feats. That will put him far ahead of other heavy artillery mech specialists."