The Mech Touch

Ves inspected the beasts residing in over thirty different biomes. Trisha brought him through an expansive tour through Wexal Park. Each time, she pointed out different beasts ranging from giant reptilians to tiny bugs that had once produced a mutated specimen.

Yet after sweeping his spiritual senses until he ran it ragged, he became more and more disappointed at the results.

None of the exobeasts and designer beasts he inspected possessed any remarkable spirituality. Not even the creatures whose bodies had grown in an abnormal fashion possessed any unusual traits that caught his interest.

Ves felt disappointed. As he swept his eyes and spiritual senses through a biome that consisted of stacked layers of soil, he dismissed the giant worm species that burrowed through the ground like it was their own playground.

"All of these species which once produced mutations are quite random. There are hardly any patterns aside from surpassing a certain level of complexity."

The dutiful attendant assigned to him by Wexel Park nodded. "That is correct. There are theories in circulation that claim that mutation can occur in even the most rigid, immutable organic species. Of course, there are also experts who disagree with this notion and developed other theories to explain this phenomenon."

That was all Trisha said about the matter. She was very careful not to say anything that put Wexal Park in an awkward position. Even though it was one of the most famed exobeast preserves on Prosperous Hill VI, its owners did not wish to spoil their relations with half of the beast designers working in this region.

As Ves continued to observe the different beasts on display and for sale in the park, he combined his observations with the information provided by Trisha. He developed some theories of his own after he drew from his own knowledge and experiences.

The most important one was that the reason why he hadn't encountered any mutated here was because the biomes did not provide the ideal conditions for them to emerge.

The one that Trisha had brought him to next was a good example of that. It simulated an arid environment where the temperature at daytime never fluctuated beyond 42 to 53 degrees Celsius. Even the timing of rainfall and other weather phenomena was put on a fixed schedule!

The plump, furry rats that scoured through this dry environment never had to worry about dying from thirst. They only had to wait until rainfall finally replenished all of the watering holes.

"We have perfected the climate cycle of every biome." Trisha proudly stated. "It is impossible to preserve the life of every beast that is put into a given environment. Whether it is natural or artificial, creatures can lose their lives for all sorts of reasons. Outside of death by predation, mating rituals or old age, every other cause of death or infirmity represents a severe loss of value. We have spent decades accruing experience so that we have minimized unnecessary waste as much as possible. Many beast designers feel assured with putting their prized designer beasts in our care as we are able to guarantee the lowest rate of avoidable attrition on this planet."

So that was why. Wexal Park was not set up to cultivate mutated beasts, though it didn't mind if it gained any. However, its main business was the exhibition and sale of ordinary beasts. This was the bread and butter of the company and everything its operators did served to maximize their revenue while minimizing their losses.

Relying on mutated beasts to generate a profit was an incredibly unstable business model. The rate of mutations was low and very few measures were able to increase it. While the value of a mutated beast could be a hundred, a thousand or even a million times more valuable than a regular animal, they showed up so infrequently that it was no different from playing the lottery!

Ves realized that Wexal Park was far from the ideal site to look for a beast with active spirituality. The biomes maintained by the company were so comfy and cozy that the beasts didn't have too many worries. The goal was to keep them happy and alive. Even the prey whose presence served to keep the predators fed didn't have to worry about running out of food, getting infected by strange diseases or seeing their usual haunts broken up by mudslides or other disasters.

Life in these stale and supposedly 'perfect' biomes was not really a life at all. It was all an illusion. The wild and ferocious beasts living ignorantly inside their own invisible cages did not even know they were nothing more than free-range cattle.

Anytime these beasts wandered to the edge of a biome, a handful of hidden modules came online that exerted gravitic and electromagnetic pressure to the curious animals.

The beasts quickly learned that wandering off was a bad idea. Over time, they no longer developed any thoughts of exiting their designated territories. After all, why abandon their ideal living conditions for something completely unknown?

The lack of hardships never drove these beasts to desperation. Just like mech pilots who spent their entire careers in harmless simulation battles and live training sessions, they never experienced the full inconveniences and threats of true war.

Ves found it ironic that while the Lifers of this state obsessed so much about living organisms, they did their best to turn every application into another form of commodity.

The exobeasts of Wexal Park were all treated like products instead of lifeforms that could turn into something greater if they weren't subject to so many artificial arrangements.

Ves began to think he would be better off with gathering the ingredients he sought by visiting an untamed planet. At least the exobeasts living on an alien planet untouched by humans wouldn't have all their needs taken care of as if they were nobles!

"This park is quite nice, but I am accustomed to environments that are larger and wilder. Are there any places where beasts live in a more expansive area or where people such as myself can hunt them down?"

"Why certainly, Mr. Larkinson. PQT Management, the parent company of Wexal Park, also managed an even bigger nature preserve on Prosperous Hill IV. Semross Park divided in several large territories where a large variety of exobeasts and designer beasts live in environments that more closely match the conditions of wild planets."

"What makes the beasts sold at Semross Park different from those on offer here?" Ves asked.

"Prosperous Hill IV is the true center for beast design in our region, so all of the most remarkable exobeasts and best designer beasts developed by our local beast designers are put into places like Semross Park first. They are more savage, more unstable but also more beautiful if you prefer this sort of charm. Many Lifers appreciate these powerful beasts, so Semross Park especially caters to their demand."

In other words, Semross Park was where all of the local Lifers traveled to in order to obtain a ferocious beast. Tamer and more regulated places like Wexal Park packaged their organic products with so much protective wrapping that foreign buyers were unlikely to endanger themselves or end up with uncontrollable beasts!

Ves inwardly sighed. The sixth planet from the sun was no good. He needed to gain access to the fourth planet in order to gain access to all of the good stuff that Lifers largely kept to themselves.

"Is there any way that your company can arrange access to Semross Park to me?" He asked. "I am in the market for more impressive beasts than the ones I have just viewed."

Trisha shook her head. "My apologies, sir, but we cannot overcome the rules set by the state and the local government. Foreign guests are ordinarily restricted from entering Prosperous Hill IV unless they are vouched by a prominent Lifer or have earned passage in some other fashion. We are unable to provide any assistance with regards to this issue."

He expected this answer. Everytime a local talked about Prosperous Hill IV, they always mentioned that it was a restricted planet. That made Ves want to step foot on it even more!

As Ves started asking several questions about Semross Park, he briefly paused for a moment.

He felt a presence tingling against his spiritual senses.

He subtly paid more attention to his current surroundings. Trisha had led him to a rocky environment that featured lots of cliffs that were host to an extensive cave network. Numerous projections showed off eight-legged mammals scurrying about in dimly-lit caves that were illuminated by bioluminescent plants.

"What are these odd little octopods creatures?" He curiously asked.

"They belong to an exobeast species called arganid clisenta. The arganids are relatively short-lived mammals who prefer to live in dusky conditions such as this. What is interesting about them is that they are rather clever despite their diminutive size. They know how to set up traps and corral their prey in unfavorable terrain in order to catch them while expending less energy. This is quite important to them as they originally lived in an environment where their prey is scarce. They have to live the equivalent of weeks without the opportunity to fill their stomachs. Their digestion systems are highly-developed as well."

The arganids were roughly the size of hand, which caused them to look like eight-legged rats or kittens. Their grey to tan fur also gave them the impression that their species would make for suitable pets.

Yet that was not why he paid attention to them. He set his sights on a projection that depicted an arganid that was a bit smaller. According to the accompanying text, the exobeast in question was male and suffered some sort of disease on his native planet prior to his capture and transportation to Prosperous Hill.

The beast that Ves was eying was supposedly 7 years old. Since Arganids were recorded to live up to 17 years, the specimen should be in the prime of its life.

Yet as Ves observed the arganid further, he noted that two of the creature's eight limbs were not responsive. They were lame or damaged to the point where they were crippled. Not only did they not support any weight, they also caused the arganid to drag them across the cave soil. This caused the creature to generate noise and vibrations, which did not help the exobeast whenever he wanted to hunt!

This was exactly the kind of pressure that could cause an exobeast to mutate!

Ves did not dare to inspect or pay any special attention to the arganid in question any further. He knew what he felt. The small and weak-looking exobeast somehow surpassed his fellow arganids by developing a decently-powerful spirit, thereby breaking into the ranks of the extraordinary!

So far, he wasn't sure what powers the mutated arganid gained. The creature wasn't doing anything special aside from digging holes to prepare his next trap.

The arganid's spirit was also a lot weaker than that of Zeigra's when the latter was still a living cat. Whether this was due to differences in size, intelligence, territory or other factors, Ves didn't know.

All he thought about was that this wasn't the time for him to be picky. He did not want to leave Wexal Park empty-handed. After all of this touring, he finally found a potential ingredient. Ves was not about to let it slip from his grasp.

Ves turned to Trisha. "Please show me another biome. Do you have any fish or aquatic beasts?"

"We do maintain a number of underground aquariums. The nearest entrance is a short distance away."

He quietly followed Trisha as she brought him to a sloped tunnel that led into a chamber that featured transparent walls that showed breathtaking sights of aquatic biomes.

As Ves pretended to admire the sealife inside, he never forgot about the arganid that caught his attention.

He did not dare to buy it outright at the moment. Ves did not want Wexal Park to catch on that he might possess the means to detect a mutated beast. He also did not wish to let them know that the arganid he chose was special.

What if the caretakers working for Wexal Park found something out when they inspected the arganid?

If Ves wanted to maximize his chance of obtaining a mutated beast, then he had to give everyone the impression that he was only vaguely interested in owning an exobeast!