The Mech Touch

The examination of the Quint officially ended.

Of course, the raiders from the MTA did much more than ascertain whether the Quint was a masterwork mech and that Ves and Gloriana deserved credit for its creation.

Under the lead of Master Willix, the MTA delegation systematically studied every single part. Not even the gems escaped their scanners!

Fortunately, Lucky's gems truly didn't emanate any unusual emissions. By all accounts, they were useless pieces of decoration that served no purpose other than to make the mech a little prettier.

Among the millions of different components and subcomponents, they attracted no attention at all! Even Master Willix completely disregarded them in favor of more important parts!

As the advanced equipment and tools all lifted in the air and exited the underground hall by themselves, the MTA envoys began to depart without another word.

Only Master Willix and her bodyguards lingered for a moment. After continually failing to replicate Ves' design philosophy, she did not look discouraged in the slightest.

Instead, she smiled and looked up at the Quint in admiration. She looked completely at ease, which was out of his expectation.

As Ves and Gloriana stood quietly a few steps back, they waited for the Master to issue her final words.

"Each masterwork mech is a treasure." The old woman finally spoke. "The value of a masterwork is indescribable. While I'm not able to reveal why they are so great, don't treat them lightly. Just because you were able to make one at your young ages doesn't mean you can create them on command. Relying on external help is a crooked way to become a masterwork mech designer. While it is true that your affinity for mechs have increased, you only deserve partial credit for this accomplishment."

"We are aware, ma'am." Gloriana modestly bowed her head. "We will do our best to be able to develop the capability of building masterwork mechs on our own. My design philosophy and our ambitions hinge on them! The Quint will not be the last time we make a masterwork mech!"

Over the week, Gloriana had become increasingly more comfortable in Master Willix's presence. The two got along quite well.

"The two of you are still too far from that point." The Master shook her head. "Journeymen aren't supposed to make masterwork mechs. The fact that you belong to the rare group that has breached this rule doesn't mean that you are better than your peers. Unlike you, many other Journeymen are diligently deepening their practice and developing new methods. The most solid and talented among them may be able to overtake you in the future when they embark on their road to Master. Your prior experiences and accumulation all affect your chances of bridging the impossible gap that stands between Senior and Master."

She sounded very serious about this. She was essentially warning them not to be blinded by the glory and glamour of making masterwork mechs. Becoming a Master Mech Designer was much more important than increasing their ability to create masterwork mechs!

"We are always dedicated to progressing our design philosophy, ma'am." He affirmed. "We are still committed to designing mechs the regular way."

"Good. I hope to see you reach Senior before your first century. As for reaching the rank of Master, even I can't calculate your chances of success. You will have to rely largely on yourselves to realize your design philosophies. No matter how much the two of you support each other, don't forget that you will need to be able to design Master-level mechs on your own if you want to reach my rank!"

This was another pertinent warning. Lately, Ves and Gloriana collaborated pretty much nonstop. They hardly wanted to return to the days when they designed their mechs alone.

Both of them had come to depend on each other. Ves wasn't very passionate about technical mech design while Gloriana lacked the capability to engage in spiritual mech design. By allowing the other to cover their weaknesses, they formed a win-win arrangement where their mech designs only contained the best of both!

Yet as great as that sounded, the pair risked distorting their practice. By constantly failing to address their shortcomings, they lacked the practice and experience to cover for their weaknesses when they went back to designing mechs by themselves!

Both Ves and Gloriana were smart enough to realize this hidden danger. They both nodded in acknowledgement at Master Willix's simple but sage advice.

The Master proceeded to provide them with further advice. The pair received tailored hints and suggestions that would doubtlessly make their advancement trajectory smoother.

This was the benefit of receiving guidance of an older and more advanced mech designer! The value of a Master Mech Designer was far more than their personal design capabilities.

What was just as valuable about them was their ability to elevate other mech designers around them! Just like how expert pilots perpetuated the strength of the original Larkinson Family, Ves hoped to serve as the same kind of pillar for his Larkinson Clan!

Master Willix eventually said goodbye to the Quint and hovered towards the exit. Her bodyguards silently kept up with her while surrounding her from all sides.

While Ves and Gloriana matched her pace, they patiently listened as the Master sporadically made some general remarks.

"There are several reasons why I awarded your partnership with 1 million merits." She noted as she appeared outdoors. "Part of it is what you deserve for bringing glory to the Komodo Star Sector's mech industry. While it is a rather minor accomplishment at the galaxy level, creating a masterwork mech at your ages is still a feat worthy of recognition in the Yeina Star Cluster. Not even the Winged Serenade Star Sector can boast of a Journeyman who can beat your record!"

"We are happy to raise the standard of our local mech community, Master. Even if we're just a frontier star sector, our mechs aren't any worse than those designed in other star sectors!"

"I agree." She nodded. "Though most beg to differ. I hope you can maintain your current attitudes towards mech design, because your competitors from Winged Serenade and other developed star sectors are able to create works that are much more exotic than what you are accustomed to competing with! Never lose confidence and never forget that no matter where you are, you will always represent your star sector in the galactic stage."

Though Ves dutifully nodded at her words, inwardly he wanted to roll his eyes. Now that his Larkinson Clan transitioned into an independent entity, he was pretty much done with the Komodo Star Sector.

He couldn't wait to leave this poor and rotten star sector behind!

Whether it was the sandmen, Friday Coalition or Hexadric Hegemony, Ves was eager to distance himself as far away as possible from them! There was no possible advantage in continuing to remain within their reach!

Additionally, the looming arrival of the mysterious envoy from the Ruined Temple also weighed heavily on Ves. While he planned to leave the Milky Way Galaxy within the decade, there was no harm in securing a head-start!

When the group finally arrived at the parked MTA frigate, Master Willix turned to face the younger mech designers with a stern expression.

"There is another reason why I took the initiative to increase your merit award." She spoke. "As the youngest masterwork mech designers in our star cluster, your value has increased considerably. If you lack confidence in your current abilities to protect yourselves, then I highly suggest you spend those merits on solutions that increase your security. There are many possible options to choose from, but know that the most effective ones demand a considerable amount of merits."

Both Ves and Gloriana shared a look with each other. Neither of them exhibited any willingness to waste their merits!

While Ves was aware that many essential goods and services offered by the Rim Guardians and the MTA required merits, he didn't want to delay the start of his grand expedition!

If Master Willix caught their unspoken intentions, she didn't take note of it. As a representative of the MTA, she stood above the petty squabbles and conflicts that took place in ordinary space.

She was not allowed to grant the pair any overt favors in order to maintain her Association's neutrality!

"Do you have any suggestions on how to earn more merits, ma'am?" Ves boldly asked.

Master Willix pursed her lips. "According to your record, you have recently become an associate of the Rim Guardians. That is already the best step you can take. I am unable and unwilling to help you on this matter. As far as I am concerned, earning the merits required to redeem a beyonder ticket is a critical qualification test. If you are unable to obtain a beyonder ticket within a reasonable timeframe, then that shows that you are not competent enough to do well in the Red Ocean. Only if you overcome this difficult challenge will you be able to obtain a chance to be part of the ten percent of pioneers who succeed in their endeavors in the dwarf galaxy."

That sounded like a bummer to Ves, because so far Master Willix had been quite generous in other ways!

Even as she stole some of their valuable methods and insights, she made sure to repay the favor!

"Will we be seeing you again?" Gloriana suddenly asked.

It was as if she didn't have enough of Master Willix's guidance!

The older woman shook her head. "That is unlikely. While I have enjoyed studying your work, I have other projects to attend to. There should be no further intersections of our lives, so this should be the last time we meet each other in the flesh."

After that, the pair formally bid farewell to Master Willix as she finished her final say. The final envoy from the MTA floated to the open hatch of the frigate.

Once she entered, Ves and Gloriana hastily distanced themselves from the ship as she began to hum and come online. With the grace of a bird, the starship easily ascended from the ground before blasting off towards orbit!

"Well.." Ves spoke after a few minutes. "That's that. We finally got rid of the Master."

Gloriana frowned. "Master Willix isn't as bad as you make it sound. She's been nothing but helpful throughout our stay. She mentored us for an entire week! Do you know how many mech designers would kill to attract so much attention from a Master?"

"While I admit her tutelage was helpful, don't forget that she took advantage of us as well! With how extensively the MTA delegation crawled over our Quint, they probably understand our masterwork mech better than us! Master Willix openly copied your design philosophy! Aren't you upset that she stole all of your earnest efforts?"

Gloriana blinked and smiled. "Not at all. I take it as a compliment, actually! It's flattering to see that Master Willix can work with my design philosophy. As an innovator, you should always maintain confidence in your ability. No matter how much others try to imitate your works, they'll never be able to surpass the original!"

Though Ves somewhat agreed with her statement, he wasn't entirely sure if Master Willix would find a way to crack the code some day!

She might have failed so far, but just a few days had gone by. What Ves feared the most was that she wouldn't give up and continually to experiment until she finally achieved success!

Still, if the MTA truly managed to break his spiritual component monopoly, then Ves would just have to work with this new development.

As the only pioneer in this field, Ves would always possess an edge over the imitators and copycats! He could even benefit from the MTA's proliferation of spiritual components to expand his reach and make his products more mainstream!

Though this outcome didn't sound so bad, Ves actually didn't want to see this outcome.

He was much more selfish than that! He wanted to keep all of the gains from his spiritual component monopoly to himself!