The Mech Touch

Ves returned to the Spirit of Bentheim in low spirits.

They both had different reasons to be pensive. Ves not only failed to make Calabast open to him, but he also had to deal with an enormous latent problem.

Not a single ship built by others was secure. No matter where he bought his ships, there was simply no way to guarantee they were free from tampering and listening devices.

While it was possible to overhaul smaller vessels such as the Barracuda and the Scarlet Rose, the Larkinson Clan lacked the time and capabilities to do the same to the Spirit of Bentheim.

"We need shipbuilding capabilities of our own." He muttered as he boarded a lifter platform that would bring him to the design labs.

Lucky had scurried off somewhere else. Now that he had been roped into acting as a sniffer device, he was probably trying to enjoy his last day as a freeloading bum or something.

The fact that Calabast had to make use of his cat of all things was absurd in itself. It highlighted the lack of adequate tools and means.

In other words, he really had to get his hands on some good MTA tech. He already received the Darkbreak module. He should be able to obtain something else as long as he paid the corresponding price.

Of course, Master Willix wasn't interested in ordinary goods. The prices she charged would definitely make him bleed!

After a lengthy transit, Ves finally finally reached the entrance next to the production halls.

This was the section of the ship that corresponded to everything related to R&D, including the design labs and the mech workshops.

The design labs of the Spirit of Bentheim were not only larger, but also contained much better lab equipment. Combined with access to the formidable processing capabilities of the ASTERA AI core, the assistants who had just settled in all looked incredibly eager to play around with their new toys!

"Welcome back, sir." Miles Tovar greeted near the entrance to the only occupied lab.

The other two labs remained unused for the moment because the Design Department wasn't big enough to occupy them. Ves needed to hire hundreds more assistants before these extra spaces became useful.

"How are the design teams settling in?" He asked as he looked around.

Every Brave and Erudite looked happy and impressed with all of the advanced equipment they had at their disposal. It was impossible for mech designers to dislike upgrades to their working environment.

"As you can see, we're all ecstatic to move into a real design lab, sir. That is not to say that the labs at the Scarlet Rose and the Stellar Chaser are inadequate. It's just that the upgrades, in particular the vastly-improved simulation and data processing capabilities, massively speed up our workflow."

Speeding up the workflow not only meant that mech designers could complete their assigned task fasters. They could also explore alternative solutions and compare them side by side in order to select the best options.

In short, the new working environment vastly improved the quality and quantity of output from the design teams!

Ves smiled in satisfaction. "Don't gawk at our new stuff for too long. We still have a lot of work to do. The six design projects aren't going to complete by themselves. Now that we are in a better facility, I expect better end results than before."

"Don't worry. With these excellent facilities, we'd be stupid if he aren't able to make good use of them. The only issue is that we aren't accustomed to the new functions. It will take some time before we get accustomed with all of the new options. The more advanced features will still be out of reach for us if we don't receive some tutoring."

"Let's see what happens when you get to that point. Perhaps the lead designers and I will hold some classes in order to get you all up to speed."

He briefly discussed his personal progression as a mech designer. Just like Ketis, he was getting closer and closer to becoming a Journeyman, but this was not a linear process. No one could predict whether he could break through in a month or in a couple of years.

"I feel confident in my chances." Miles spoke with confidence. "Gloriana has given me some crucial guidance in the past several months. I have designed plenty of mechs, so my accumulation is definitely good enough. I just need to achieve a breakthrough in my design philosophy."

Unlike Ketis, Miles had fallen under the Erudites. He was not an exceptionally brave or intelligent mech designer, but his inclinations aligned more with the Erudites rather than the Braves.

Ves found that to be a little disappointing, but that did not hinder him from looking forward to welcoming another Journeyman to the Design Department.

No matter how close he was towards any of his subordinates, as long as they managed to make this pivotal crossing, they deserved to be treated as equals.

"How have you developed your specialty further? You initially specialized in designing aerial mechs, but that is too broad. How have you narrowed it down?"

The former member of the Tovar Family spread his hands as if he was simulating a pair of wings.

"I have taken a lot of inspiration from the Valkyrie Redeemer and the Ferocious Piranha designs. While they aren't exclusively aerial mechs, their flight characteristics are quite interesting. I also consulted a lot with Juliet recently. Her specialty shares a great resemblance to mine."

Class VI design philosophies mainly centered around mobility. The mech designers that adhered to these philosophies always sought to make mechs faster, more agile and so on. For example, Juliet excelled in high-mobility flight systems, but what that actually meant was still unclear.

Regardless, design philosophies couldn't be too broad. Miles needed to focus on a specific goal in order to make measurable progress.

Ves issued a warning. "Be careful about taking too much advice from a mech designer that shares the same interests as you. A good mech designer must develop his own ideas instead of borrowing them from someone else. At some point, sincere advice can turn into mental shackles that restrict your perspective in a specific direction."

"I'm aware of that, sir. I have been thinking very carefully over my options in the past year. I have decided to specialize in low-powered flight solutions."

That caused Ves to be taken aback.

"That sounds.. quite modest. That's not to say that I disapprove, it's just that you could set your sights higher. It's easier to motivate yourself if you grow your ambitions."

"That is what Gloriana has told me as well." Miles replied with a depreciating smile. "It's just that I am nowhere near as good as the two of you. As someone who has been around the block, I know what I am capable of. If I hadn't joined the Larkinson Clan with my other relatives, I wouldn't have been able to make it this far. It is mostly due to receiving a lot of help and resources from you and the rest of the clan that I have been able make such rapid progress."

"That doesn't discount your value, Miles."

"Perhaps, but I am different from Ketis, who is a decade younger than me and is just as far ahead. I'm just a regular mech designer who happened to take advantage of superior circumstances. Even if I break through to Journeyman, I don't have the confidence to reach Master if I adopt an ambition that is as radical or difficult as the rest of you. I just want to set a more achievable goal so that I can do my part for you, the Larkinson Clan and the MTA."

It all came down to confidence. Miles believed he wasn't as talented as Ves and Gloriana. He was so afraid of overestimating his capabilities that he deliberately chose an underwhelming design philosophy.

There was no right or wrong answer to this issue. Ves could not tell him that he should aim higher, but neither could he state that he had made the right choice.

He patted the assistant mech designer's shoulder. "You can only make this choice once in your life. As soon as you determine your exact specialization, you should commit to it with all of your heart and soul. Doubting yourself at this moment of time can be extremely fatal to your progression."

Miles looked anything but conflicted. "If there is one lesson that I have learned from you, it's that I should always do my best to move forward. I am not changing my mind. I am serious about pursuing the limits of flight systems that enable flight with the lowest possible drain to the mech. As long as I flesh out my specialty further, my solutions can provide a lot of help to both our aerial and landbound mech design projects."

"I will look forward to that." Ves chuckled a bit. "For a long time, it was only me and my wife. Now, I might be getting close to obtaining the services of two different mobility-oriented Journeymen. Our future mech designs will doubtlessly score better in terms of mobility than before."

"You also have Ketis. She will give us a sharp edge whenever we design a blade-wielding mech."

This was already a luxurious lineup. Many mech designs that the Design Department developed in the future would no longer score 'average' in many key performance metrics.

With a collection of Journeymen with different specializations at hand, LMC mechs might finally begin to excel in the areas that many customers cared about!

That was not to say that Gloriana's specialty was useless. The problem was that her Class I design philosophy was barely noticeable to those who didn't study LMC mechs in detail. She mostly boosted their quality in a holistic but dispersed fashion, and it was difficult to see the difference sometimes.

Of course, Gloriana hadn't been able to leverage her specialty up to this point. Once they begin to design some expert mechs, she should definitely be able to showcase her full value!

Unfortunately, his good mood didn't last long when Miles asked a very sensitive question.

"By the way, sir, if I ever reach Journeyman, will I be able to receive some shares in LMC?"

Ves almost tripped.

"Uhm, let's not get ahead of ourselves." He coughed. "We can talk about acquiring a stake in the LMC when you actually succeed in breaking through. Don't forget that there are no guarantees. Plenty of Apprentices have remained stuck at the threshold for the rest of their lives."

That situation didn't apply to Miles, though. Ves had already confirmed that the Tovar descendant possessed spiritual potential.

Miles didn't give up on his inquiry.

"It would help if I get to know what benefits I might be able to get. Neither Gloriana or Juliet has been clear about this. They told me I had to go to you for clarification."

Ves felt troubled by this matter. There were special reasons why the other two Journeymen didn't need any ownership in LMC.

This was different. Miles used to be part of one of the founding families of the Bright Republic. He knew the industry standards and he knew his rights.

Even though it was extremely unlikely for Miles to resign from the LMC and go his own way after becoming a Larkinson, he could still build up some resentment if Ves tried to brush off his demands.

"You will get your rightful share, have no fear of that." Ves tentatively said. "However, don't expect too much. Your rewards are commensurate to your contributions. If we compare each other's design philosophies, then it's very clear that my contributions will always be greater than yours. All of our customers are buying our products because they have glows bestowed by me. I doubt that any of them will get excited to buy an LMC mech because it consumes 5 percent less energy during flight."

"I can do much better than that, sir."

"You get my point."