The Mech Touch

Ves had been keeping an eye on Master Moira Willix, both visually and spiritually.

To host an august Master from the MTA was a supreme honor to any mech designer. Gloriana certainly looked as if she was having the time of her time!

Such supreme existences occupied the upper echelons of the mighty organizations. From what Ves had read, not only did they enjoy access to some of the best resources the trans-galactic organization could provide, but also possessed real decision-making power!

The higher ups of the sector branches of the MTA often influenced the local trends in mech design. While Ves wasn't aware of how much say Master Willix possessed, he bet that she must have certainly made many decisions that steered the Komodo Star Sector in different directions.

No Master from the MTA was average!

The senior leadership and the best mech designers of the MTA not only augmented themselves to outright superhuman levels, they had access to the largest and most extensive body of knowledge in humanity's possession!

The MTA was a hoarder of knowledge. Anything related to mech design inevitably fell into its hands. The knowledge and expertise that Master Willix possessed was probably considerably more than 'native' Masters such as Carmin Olson!

What made Master Willix even more formidable than Master Olson in his perspective was the disparity in their ages.

While it wasn't polite to ask the age of a lady, Ves definitely picked up the sense of wisdom and timelessness he was used to seeing in centuries-old monsters.

Compared to an old fossil like Senator Tovar, Master Willix exhibited a bit more vitality, so Ves estimated her age to be around centuries, give or take fifty years.

This range was already pretty scary to Ves! In his experience, the older someone became, the more they saw through the truth of many matters!

That wasn't all.

Master Willix appeared to belong to a special and rare breed of professionals that happened to be one of his worst nightmares.

She was a rational mech designer.

Oh, she wasn't completely emotionless. Master Willix smiled and indulged Gloriana with the attitude of a teacher checking up on the progress of a favored student.

Yet there was no doubt that Master Willix possessed a calm, controlled and rational mind.

Now that Ves knew what to look for, he noticed that her potent spirituality was both tightly-controlled and very stable.

No matter what mechs came into view, Master Willix studied the Blackbeaks, Crystal Lords, Desolate Soldiers and Deliverers with measured eyes.

It was as if she was dissecting all of his mech designs on the spot!

The notion that a Master possessed the ability and aptitude to decipher all of his works and designs down to the intangible was extremely unnerving to Ves! How could he possibly outwit a mech designer who was older and better than him in almost every aspect? The amount of mechs she designed or examined must have probably reached five or six digits, if not more!

When Gloriana showed off the Bright Warrior design to Master Willix without any scruples, Ves almost had a heart attack.

When his girlfriend mentioned the dreaded P-word, Ves knew he couldn't avoid the elephant in the room any longer.

Inwardly, he sighed. It looked as if he needed to put on the crazy hat again. Why did he constantly end up in situations where he was forced to pull the wool over the eyes of the Big Two?

At least he came prepared. Ever since he learned that an MTA delegation was on its way to examine their purported masterwork mech in person, Ves took the time to construct a meticulous mask and infused it with a considerable amount of spiritual energy.

This mask was very similar to the one he wore when he paid a visit to Halcyon Citadel and espoused his misleading views to Professor Kastel Oodiv.

Of course, this one was much more thorough. The extra time and attention he put into constructing this mask would hopefully make it foolproof enough to deceive one of the most observant individuals he had met so far! Just the thought of trying to fool a Master who was high up in the Association's hierarchy sent shivers through his spine!

Fortunately, Ves was a Larkinson! Courage and boldness in the face of overwhelming danger was a congenital trait as far as he was concerned!

The moment he donned the mask over his mind, much of his apprehension and uncertainty disappeared.

One of the defining traits of his spiritually-empowered mask was that it preferred action over hesitation!

If Ves had to lie or speak misleading statements, then he needed to do so with absolute confidence! As long as he came across as a true believer, it would be hard for others to get past his defenses!

Ves could only hope right now that Master Willix would become just as perplexed as Professor Oodiv back then. As a rational mech designer, it was virtually a given that she was a secularist!

The MTA despised religion, dismissing it as outdated superstition!

Yet humanity and human civilization was far from done with faith! A significant chunk of humans still believed in something greater, and that made organizations like the Big Two extremely helpless!

"Proto-gods is the term we've come up with to describe the life we have birthed in our mechs and mech designs." Ves answered smoothly.

Now that he donned his latest mask, he straightened his back and exuded the demeanor of a true believer!

Ves took a lot of inspiration from fanatics like Dr. Jutland, the worshippers of Haatumak and Gloriana!

The best way to sell his act was to believe in his nonsense wholeheartedly!

"Interesting." Master Willix responded as she turned her full attention to Ves. "On the surface, I see much of Gloriana's design style in the Bright Warrior design. Her technical mastery is admirable for someone of her age. Yet you are also credited as the lead designer of this particular design. What exactly do you bring to table?"

"Since you have read my record, you must have read up on my design philosophy, right?"

The Master nodded. "The record concerning your design philosophy is.. not very helpful. The Senior who received you during your pilgrimage to our sector headquarters has been remiss in cataloging your specialization. Since I am already here, I might as well correct this shortcoming. Please tell me more about these.. proto-gods."

Ves his hand all around the interior of the Avatar base. "Many of the mechs you see here are different from other mechs. I believe a mech designer as astute as you must have noticed what makes them stand out. Each of them exhibit one of my famous glows. These glows are generated by the life that I have created and infused in my mechs!"

"Go on." Willix smiled at Ves as if she completely bought into his story!

"Mechs are more than just machines." Ves spoke with true meaning. "They can be vessels of something great! To me, mechs are different from starships. The fact that high-ranking mech designers and mech pilots are able to warp reality by exhibiting all manner of extraordinary abilities means that it isn't too much of a stretch to believe that a lifeform exists which can wield these powers with much greater prowess!"

The intriguing notions that Ves put out successfully attracted the Master Mech Designer's attention.

"Even if that is the case, it is still a stretch to conclude these powerful beings are gods."

"This is why we merely call them proto-gods for now! According to both hexism and the Ylvainan Faith, life and death are two sides of the same coin. Life can persist beyond death, and the dead can rise back to life. There is even the possibility that life exists that has never stepped into the material realm! When I initially embarked on my career, I always felt that mechs are special beyond a reason. I slowly developed a theory that mechs aren't lifeless machines, but it was not only until I became exposed to the Ylvainan Faith that I had truly obtained the answers I sought for my entire life!"

"You.. became inspired by the local religion?"

"Yes!" Ves grinned like a street prophet! "I am extremely grateful to the Ylvainans for enlightening me with the truth of how reality works! The Great Prophet that is central to their faith has never truly died! He is still alive! As the Bright Martyr, I personally designed the Transcendent Messenger, Holy Soldier and Deliverer mechs to prove that Prophet Ylvaine is still watching over his people from the realm of death! His divine presence still graces his believers every day through the mechs I designed with his blessing!"

"That is a rather unusual tale." Willix replied with a mildly shocked expression.

"I know, but the truth cannot be denied, ma'am! The proto-gods that I have come to make are truly gods in the making as far as I'm concerned! While they start off weak and powerless, they have the capacity to grow and come into power as the gods they deserve to be known! What I have witnessed and experienced on a planet called Aeon Corona VII has been another inspiration for me. The bestial gods that roamed this unique environment each demonstrated what my proto-gods might be capable of once they grow into their powers!"

"What does this have to do with mech design?" Master Willix frowned.

Ves spread his arms wide. "EVERYTHING! Don't you see, Master Willix? My mechs contain a component that is intrinsically unique to my designs! As a mech designer, I call this addition a 'divine component'. So far, I have not been able to discover any other mech designed by another colleague that contains this essential component. This means that my mechs are more complete than every other mech designed by every other mech designer! I believe that I am on the right path to revolutionize the entire mech industry! I will prove every skeptic and naysayer once I've reached Master and realized my design philosophy!"

His exuberance didn't seem to scare Master Willix at all. Instead, she crossed her arms and maintained a very keen interest in what he had to say!

This was not what Ves wanted to see! He wanted to evoke disgust! He wanted Master Willix to feel repelled by all of the superstitious nonsense he spewed from his mouth? Why did it seem as if Willix fully accepted his outlandish claims?

"You have developed a very peculiar theoretical framework. That is very bold of you." She praised. "The mech community normally isn't very tolerant towards exotic theories that rely on more.. esoteric assumptions. Class IX mech designers such as you often face intense difficulties in trying to gain acceptance."

"That is.. true. Professor Oodiv certainly didn't express much understanding towards my design philosophy. Only Gloriana has accepted my views! I am extremely grateful for finding a partner who is able to see mechs the same way as I do! We both believe that we can turn mechs into gods as long as we combine our powers! The mechs you see around here is nothing compared to the miracles we'll bring to life!"

"Ves is right!" Gloriana chirped as she helpfully played along with his act! "My boyfriend might sound strange, but I fully believe we are capable of designing mechs that are more than mechs. Gods exist. Not only that. Gods can be created! The key to making this possible is to use the medium of mechs to anchor their existences and channel their godly powers into the material realm!"

"What is your ultimate aim? What are the two of you working towards?"

"Ves grinned even wider. "Why, we are aiming for nothing less than to mass produce gods in the form of mechs! We plan to make god pilots completely redundant! Our distinct brand of mechs will become known as the true god mechs in the mech community!"

The mere thought of trying to supplant god pilots with his distinctive mechs sounded crazy! God pilots were one of the most exalted existences in human civilization, yet Ves claimed he wanted to do nothing less but make them obsolete!

Any other mech designer or mech pilot would throttle his neck right now! Master Willix's entourage certainly looked as if they were tempted to do so! If not for their superior's presence, they would have taken action by now in order to punish Ves for his heretical remarks!

Yet.. the most powerful individual among the MTA delegation didn't share their reactions. Not a single shred of repulsion had ever shown on her face!

Instead, she looked more and more interested! Far from scaring her away, Ves just pulled her into his story further!

This was not part of the script!