The Mech Touch

The visit to the Life Research Association already paid off as far as Ves was concerned.

He hadn't even met an actual biomech designer yet but already gained a bit of useful inspiration.

The idea he had just generated held a lot of promise. In the history of mechs, Ves had never heard of any designer creating a human-sized expert mech.

The possibilities were endless.

High-ranking expert pilots bent and broke the rules of reality. They were fearsome presences in any open battlefield and could substantially change the course of a battle between thousands of opposing machines.

Yet one of the most regretful shortcomings of expert pilots was that they needed a mech of a certain scale in order to exert their power. The resonance abilities they were able to evoke not only required a certain amount of resonance exotics, but also had to channel it in a mech that was large and sturdy enough to bear the stresses of bearing these extra forces.

Had people attempted to develop an expert mech-like suit of personal combat armor before? They did, yet the outcomes always led to failure.

Ves didn't have access to the confidential research conducted by the big shots such as the MTA and the first-rate superstates, but there were more reasons behind the inability to turn an expert pilot into a devastating infantry soldier.

Still, wouldn't it be different if the internals of a miniature mech consisted of actual mech parts rather than the flesh and bone of a human body?

The dynamics would be entirely different! The biomechs that Dr. Navarro put on display may look like armored humans, but they were still 100 percent pure mech despite their diminutive size!

Although it was impossible for any expert pilot to become tiny enough to fit inside the tiny cavity that was supposed to represent their cockpits, Ves may not be subject to that problem.

Aside from bonding a mini mech with an incorporeal expert pilot, Ves may also be able to use a spiritual network to enable them to be piloted by remote.

Of course, Ves didn't really put much stock in the latter because any signal, even a spiritual one, could be interfered with. It was not that wise for him to rely too much on any network until he gained more confidence in their resilience against inference.

"What are you thinking about, Ves?" His wife asked as she walked alongside him. "You're thinking about some crazy but impractical idea again, am I right?"

Ves hesitantly laughed. "You know me too well. These miniature mechs are truly fascinating. They hold all of the potential of their real counterparts, but they are scaled down to the size where they can enter structures. Think of the damage they can unleash if they can be piloted in a practical manner."

"If it was that easy to make mini mechs workable, then we wouldn't be bothering with all of these human guards." She gestured to all of the guards accompanying them on this trip.

Due to the constant threats on their lives, the Miracle Couple never thought about remaining discrete. Their ostentatious guard force consisted of heavily-armed Battle Criers, Glory Seekers and Infinity Guards.

Yet infantry was still limited in the power they could exert against threats. They could do precious little against even a single mech. It was not just a difference in scale, but also a difference in utilization of capacity.

Ves shook his head. These were very complicated problems and no doubt caused a lot of discussion within the upper echelons of the MTA. A mere Journeyman like him was too weak and incapable of affecting this issue.

Just the thought of trying to merge the spirit of an expert pilot like Venerable Foster to one of these miniature biomechs sounded crazy and reckless to the extreme.

There were too many problems to count, and even if he solved all of the issues, would he even be able to control the results?

The thought of inadvertently reviving Venerable Foster in an artificially-cultivated super body only for her to go out of control and go on a rampage sounded like a more complicated way to drop a stone on his foot. Didn't he stumble upon a story like that once?

Whatever the case, he might as well shoot his head with the Amastendira! At least then he wouldn't have to go through so many steps to ruin his life!

After passing through the long exhibition hall, they finally emerged on a large and expansive balcony. It was situated close to the top of the massive tree complex so it provided an impressive and expansive view of the outskirts of Veoline.

Ves spotted more tree-like structures and organic vehicles in the distance. The view of Prosperous Hill VI was truly something else. The integration of biotechnology in human society presented a much more profound shift in how a society functioned. What he had just glimpsed on this first day was only the tip of the iceberg.

Now, he was about to meet one of the proponents of this alternate human society.

"Ah, Mr. Larkinson. Thank you for accepting my invitation." A mature mech designer wearing a colorful green and yellow robe stood up from his chair and approached with a smile. "I have heard that you have encountered quite some difficulties during your journey. I deeply regret the hardships that you and your fellow dependents have endured."

Ves brushed aside the issue. "It's fine. We are not afraid of suffering hardships. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger."

Dr. Frederico Navarro exuded a mature demeanor. He was already a Journeyman for some time and possessed the confidence of one who was assured in his station of life.

When Ves cautiously probed the biomech designer with his spiritual senses, he encountered a mind that was solid and stable. This suggested that while Dr. Navarro hadn't made any radical breakthroughs recently, but he still improved at a satisfactory pace.

All in all, the man looked like someone who Ves envisioned himself in a decade from now. The Lifer mech designer even boasted a face that was partially covered by a neat and carefully-groomed angular brown beard.

Ves and the host shook hands. Neither bothered with pointless power games such as trying to overpower the hand of the other.

They were mech designers. They let their skills and mech designs do the talking.

It was no coincidence that Yelkin inadvertently led the visitors through Dr. Navarro's exhibition hall. The wordless tour was meant to impress Ves in a way that projections could never equal.

Even though Ves was aware of Dr. Navarro's intention, the tactic still worked. Ves was truly impressed with the mechs that the Lifer was capable of designing.

The only snag was that Ves didn't possess a foundation in biotechnology. He was unable to comprehend all of the intricacies and nuances of the products sold by Adaptive Solutions.

After they went through the initial greetings, they all sat down.

Both Ves and Gloriana sat together while Yelkin personally served tea to the guests.

Ves didn't really think it was necessary for the young student to do something like that. It was a pointless gesture and one that did not make much logical sense. It was much more convenient for Dr. Navarro to call in a bot or whatever organic equivalent he possessed.

If that was too inconvenient, then Ves could just grab the teapot himself and do the job himself, but that may be an artifact of his lower-class background. He was still unaccustomed to all of the rules that people in his station took for granted.

Unlike Ves, his wife felt more at ease with the setting. She comfortably settled on her chair while Clixie climbed onto her lap to ask for pets.

Dr. Navarro's eyes gazed appreciatively at Clixie. "That's a lovely Rubarthan Sentinel Cat you have got there. Where did you obtain her, if I may ask?"

"She's a gift from the MTA." Gloriana modestly smiled back. "A distinguished mech designer over there appreciated my potential and gifted me with this lovely companion. She's been with me ever since. We love each other so much."

"Miaow~"

Clixie luxuriated in her owner's praises. She swished her tail back and forth while arrogantly lifting up her head.

"I see her intelligence is quite developed as well. The Rubarthans have quite a knack for engineering pets. I would love nothing more than to take some tissue samples from her exquisite body, but I do not believe that will not result in any meaningful gains. The genetic programming of bioproducts like your cat are encrypted through very sophisticated means. Even if I manage to crack the code, I do not have the necessary resources and lab equipment to replicate a product of her caliber."

Dr. Navarro eyed Clixie as hungrily as Ves did whenever he opened one of his souvenir nutrient packs.

Naturally, the Rubarthan Sentinel Cat in question was sensitive enough to pick up the biomech designer's intentions. Her tail lowered and her hair slightly raised.

"Miaow…"

She hissed a warning at the host.

"Hahaha, have no fear, little one. I do not have a habit of touching other people's possessions." Navarro tried to reassure the vigilant pet. "Besides, I am very much aware of how lethal you can be. I doubt this day will end well for me if you feel the need to lash out."

"Meow?"

Lucky had been wandering about the balcony while ignoring the humans sitting at the table. He padded over when Clixie started hissing.

Despite the gem cat's remarkable appearance, Dr. Navarro did not even spare a glance at the other pet. Even though Ves was pretty sure that Lucky was at least a hundred times more valuable and advanced, the biomech designer held too little appreciation towards any purely mechanical products!

After a bit of idle chatting, Dr. Navarro finally steered the conversation towards mechs.

"Mr. Larkinson, as a native of the Komodo Star Sector, you must be new to biomechs, am I correct?"

Ves nodded honestly. "I have only read about them in certain textbooks or seen them in virtual form. Before today, I never had the opportunity to gaze at a biomech up close. No one in my past and current circle makes use of biological machines."

"That is unfortunate to hear. Komodo is directly adjacent to Majestic Teal, yet our Life Research Association has failed to export any of our well-regarded products to one of your two second-rates."

"The Friday Coalition and the Hexadric Hegemony are both larger than the Life Research Association. Their mech industries and mech markets are several times larger. They are already capable of fulfilling most of their mech-related needs by themselves."

"Yet you have been able to interest them with your products. The Friday Coalition has already tried to kill you several times while the Hexadric Hegemony enthusiastically embraces your product despite being the opposite of a female Hexer mech designer. How do you do it, Mr. Larkinson?"

Ves offered his host a modest smile. "It's quite simple, really. While I am not well-versed with the variety of features that biomechs can offer, so far I have not encountered any advantages that classical mechs are unable to replicate. Biomechs may be built in a vastly different manner, but why should customers bother with them if they do not offer anything different? My own products are different. Even if the quality of our mech designers fall short of those designed by distinguished Masters, none of them are able to offer anything comparable to my glows. Not only is my specialty unique, it also conveys immediate and obvious advantages to my customers and clients."

It was hard to argue against this logic. Dr. Navarro bent his head. "The biomech community is very cognizant of this reality. Even though we do our best to pretend we are ignorant, it is indeed true that our biomechs are not yet capable of offering selling points that truly makes them more desirable than classical mechs."

This honest assessment was a very shameful admission! Both Ves and Gloriana looked a little astonished. They thought that someone like Dr. Navarro would mindlessly defend the superiority of biomechs no matter what evidence to the contrary he heard!

Ves couldn't help but alter his perception of Dr. Navarro. A mech designer who was self-aware was much more worthy of his attention than someone who was too self-absorbed in his own assumptions.

He had a suspicion that this invitation was not that simple.