The Mech Touch

As the new Doom Guard model rapidly rose to prominence, Master Moira Willix quietly left the Cinach System.

There was nothing at Cinach that interested her any further. The Ubiquitous Force simply generated a portal and zipped straight back to Centerpoint without any notification.

Ves was extremely glad to see her gone. He had felt a bit constrained ever since she arrived. With the MTA frigate looming over Cinach VI, he felt constrained in many ways.

He knew quite well that an advanced MTA warship not only possessed formidable weapons and near-impervious armor, but also amazing scanning and observation capabilities!

Sure, anyone could easily detect a powerful active scan that peered straight through kilometers of soil and structures. However, Ves suspected that the MTA developed plenty of ways to spy on people without eliciting their notice!

He wasn't sure whether the Ubiquitous Force possessed such means or if she even activated it while she orbited about Cinach VI.

Just to be sure, Ves tried to act as normal as possible. He spent a lot of time discussing regular business topics with Gavin and Raymond. He also refrained from interacting with any spiritual entities or engaging in spiritual manipulation. He also kept himself as far away from the vault as possible, hoping that all of the sensor-blocking materials built around it provided at least some measure of resistance against powerful passive scanning.

Still, he was very glad for the ship to be finally gone. With no one powerful enough remaining in the Cinach System, he finally transmitted a signal that caused a single vessel to return.

Soon enough, the ship that went on an unknown errant landed at the base rented by the Larkinson Clan. A number of Vandals including Captain Rosa Orfan-Larkinson exited from the vessel.

Aside from shipping in a couple of rare trade goods, the Vandals also brought a very special container.

The large container was the size of a room and had to be lifted to the Scarlet Rose that was parked a small distance ahead.

As soon as the container reached its final destination, Ves calmly went about his day. He waited all the way until he finished his work before paying a visit to his personal ship.

Along the way, he invited Major Verle-Larkinson and Dr. Ranya Wodin of all people.

They gathered inside an enclosed and isolated chamber within the vessel's mech workshop. It was one of the most secure and bug-free places on the Scarlet Rose other than Compartment G-13.

After passing on a command, Lucky diligently scoured around the compartment and tried to sniff out any errant spy bugs and microscopic observation equipment that had made its way inside.

Meanwhile, Ves calmly received the Larkinson Mandate from Nitaa. The book thrummed with warmth, bringing a smile to his face.

He turned to Major Verle, who stood right next to the container. It actually resembled a prison cell of sorts by how thick and strong it looked.

Ves had cobbled it up himself some time ago! It not only consisted of thick and highly-resilient Breyer alloy, but also contained layers of sensor-blocking and sensor-dampening materials that he bought from various material suppliers on Cinach VI.

The big advantage of staying on an industrial hub planet was the large availability of raw materials! Resource providers throughout the Sentinel Kingdom and beyond all funneled valuable ores and processed metals to Cinach VI without pause!

"Are you ready?"

The major and newly-appointed mech coordinator nodded. "I have brought my codes and keys. When Rosa retrieved the package, she reported no signs of intrusions or tampering. No one should have touched it while it remained hidden."

"Good." Ves nodded at Verle before turning to Ranya, who slowly understood that something very significant was taking place. "Doctor, I've invited you here for a reason. I have recently come into the possession of something of incredible value."

"What is it?" She asked.

"I can't tell you exactly." He responded slowly. "Suffice to say, it is something extremely valuable, and it is more related to your profession than mine. The object that is hidden inside this container is of such great value that it is easily more valuable than all of the ships of the Larkinson Clan and the Penitent Sisters put together!"

Ranya widened her eyes. Though she used to believe in the absolute superiority of Hexers, now that she was perennially begging for money, she no longer dismissed the worth of Ves and the Larkinsons any longer.

Gloriana didn't hitch her wagon onto Ves for nothing!

Aside from that, even Ranya knew that the Penitent Sisters made use of some very valuable hardware! If she could sell them all off and use the proceeds to fund her research, she'd be able to make some incredible gains in the next few years!

She grew curious at what was stored inside, but the situation in this enclosed compartment made her feel a little apprehensive.

"If you don't want to tell me, why am I here?"

Ves stretched out his hand. "I need your help. You are the best biotech expert in my orbit. While there are plenty of adopted Larkinsons in my fleet who are exobiologists and geneticists, their qualifications pale in comparison to yours. It is troublesome for me to obtain the services of someone like you. Before I search for someone suited to research what I've obtained, I thought I might as well invite you first. Would you like to study what's inside?"

Dr. Ranya frowned. "You're not being very clear with me. I can't even determine whether the valuable sample you are talking about even falls within my research field. Mind you, I'm a specialist in plant-based organisms. I'm not an all-knowing biotech expert."

"Even if you aren't well-versed in this specific topic, I'm sure you can learn what you need. With the success of the Doom Guard, I have much more leeway now. Whatever you need, I can buy it for you as long as your requests are within reason."

That sounded very attractive to the Wodin, but that only caused her to grow more reluctant.

She had learned a very important lesson while she was staying with the Larkinson Clan.

Nothing came for free!

"What do you really want from me?" She crossed her arms. "Gloriana told me that you offer favors to someone without getting something in return. I also don't believe you would let me access something that is purportedly more valuable than all of your tangible assets put together!"

Well, she was certainly clever, Ves supposed.

He held out the book in his hands. "You're right. The truth is that I require some.. guarantees. What I have just obtained is of extreme value, which means that I'll attract a lot of unwelcome attention should the news leak out. I can't afford you opening your mouth to anyone, including Gloriana or your relatives back in the Hegemony. This is of extreme importance to me, and I cannot trust you to remain discrete if you are not a part of the Larkinson Clan!"

She widened her eyes. "You… you want me to become a Larkinson? Are you serious?"

She was an honored descendant of the Wodins! While her dynasty was subordinate to the Evern Matriarchal Dynasty, she was still a part of one of the ruling powers of a mighty second-rate state!

To pledge herself to an upstart clan with third-class origins made no sense! Even if Ves and Gloriana were able to sustain their current growth trajectory, she did not believe she shared much in common with the Larkinsons!

They were a clan which treated boys as men! As a Hexer, she still couldn't accept this false notion!

Ves understood that his offer didn't sound very attractive to Ranya, but he wasn't done yet.

"You've been with us for a while. You have received sufficient funding to keep yourself busy, right? Has the Wodin Dynasty ever given you the same regard? How well did your own dynasty treat you? Have they ever given you as much money as I did in these past few months?"

"The Wodins raised me!" She defiantly placed her hands on her hips. "I may not belong to a prominent branch, but that doesn't mean I'm worse off than most Hexers!"

"Yet the fact remains that the Wodins don't seem to see any promise in your work. With their means, they can easily hire a team of senior professors to research a new product or something. It will take decades, if not centuries for you to reach the level where you can actually provide more value to your dynasty."

"And you're different?"

"Our clan is not as good in obtaining talent, at least for now. While I'm confident that we'll be able to surpass a local dynasty like yours in the future, I need someone of your capabilities today. All I need is for you to pledge your loyalty to the Larkinson Clan. You may still call yourself a Wodin, but I expect you to put the needs of the clan first."

This was a very serious demand, one that would affect Ranya's life in a permanent fashion!

She knew that she would instantly become something of a pariah if she became a part of a clan that wasn't ruled by a woman! She could effectively kiss her future in the Hegemony goodbye!

Yet.. was that really so bad?

Ves studied the Hexer carefully and smiled. "Think about it. While I admit that the Wodin Dynasty is large, it has pretty much remained stagnant after it gained control over the Scimitar System. Our clan may be smaller, but our growth trajectory is unconstrained. You have seen how well the market has received the Doom Guard that your cousin and I designed! The amount of money we are able to earn will keep growing over time. I can easily afford to expand your budget every year so long as you provide me with good results."

"I'm an expensive girl." Ranya defiantly remarked. "Just like Gloriana and you, I have very big ambitions!"

"2 billion hex credits."

"Pardon?"

"As long as you sincerely join the Larkinson Clan, I will immediately increase your annual budget to 2 billion hex credits." Ves continued. "You have almost complete discretion on how to spend this money. You can purchase any advanced lab equipment you want or you can spend it all on rare lifeforms. In fact, this is just the start. As long as the LMC earns more money, there will always be room to expand your budget!"

The sum of money that Ves mentioned temporarily stunned Ranya. Even in the Hexadric Hegemony, hardly any researcher could play with that much money! If she followed a regular career trajectory in the Hegemony, then she would have to join a company and start off as a junior researcher while earning less than a million hex credits a year.

To a young graduate like her, obtaining 2 billion hex credits at once was a massive windfall! She could research the integration of various exoplants with the human physique to a much greater degree, especially if she could get her hands on some of the astounding exoplants she observed at the Peacekeeper trading halls!

She knew that she would never be able to obtain such a generous budget back at home. The Wodins may be wealthy, but ordinary descendants like her were a dime in a dozen in the dynasty!

From an objective standpoint, she stood to gain much more benefits if she attached herself to the Larkinson Clan.

Just like how Gloriana unhesitantly inserted herself into Ves' life, perhaps it might not be bad for her to follow suit!

"What.. do I need to do?" She cautiously asked.

Ves smiled wider. "Just put your hand on this book and make an oath. Once you commit, you'll become family to me. I have great plans in store for my clan, and your role is indispensable to some of them. A magnificent future awaits."

Ranya placed her palm on the cover of the book and felt a sensation that warmed her heart like nothing else!