The Mech Touch

Three hours later, Ves and his colleagues returned to the Spirit of Bentheim. They arrived with much fanfare as the Larkinsons were worried sick about them. Suspicious of being replaced by clones or well-trained spies who underwent a complete makeover, the guards firmly insisted on marching them to the medical bay in order to inspect that everything was in order.

This was just an extreme precaution, as some things couldn't be faked. Ves, Gloriana and Ketis all exuded strong and unique demeanors that every extraordinary being possessed. Juliet was a bit more low-key but any Penitent Sister would be able to recognize their own kind.

Most importantly, the Larkinson Network fully recognized them as authentic Larkinsons. This was the most definite test of all, so the ship no longer maintained its heightened alert status.

For this reason, the extensive medical examination focused more on trying to identify any hidden tampering. From changing the chemical balance of the brain to installing a secret microscopic listening device in someone's hip bone, there were an endless amount of ways to mess with people without ever letting them know.

The doctors didn't find anything unusual, not that they expected to in the first place. If the MTA actually did something, then there was no way a bunch of second-raters would be able to find anything with their current tech level.

"I don't think anything has happened." Ves said as he swept his entire body with his spiritual senses. "Nothing is amiss or misplaced. I feel completely like myself."

"Miaow." Clixie concurred as she circled around Ves' ankles and sniffed his body.

Though they still had to undergo more extensive checkups later, for all intents and purposes everything was back in order.

When Ves gathered the three Journeymen together in an office in order to discuss what happened, he received a surprising announcement from Ketis.

"You did what?!"

"I bought a PP for myself." Ketis calmly stated to Ves. "When I first heard about them, I always wanted to obtain one myself. I want to give back to the Heavensword Association for guiding me to the true path of swordsmanship, but I can't do that if I am moving away from Majestic Teal. Now that I earned the merits for it, I decided to spend 1 million on a new PP so that I can thrust it in the middle of the Yeina Star Cluster while the costs are still reasonable. I would have to exchange a lot more merits if I want to do the same thing when I'm already in the Red Ocean as it costs a fortune to transport it back."

Ves didn't know how he should feel about this. He considered her merits to belong to the Larkinson Clan's collective pot as she only played a marginal role in the creation of their latest masterwork.

Nonetheless, the merits were deposited in her account and it would worsen his relationship with her if he demanded her to spend it on another cause, such as helping the Golden Skull Alliance obtain a fleet beyonder ticket.

"Very well." He sighed. "If this is what you want, then it's alright. It's just a million MTA merits anyway. We've got more left to spare as they seem to rain down on us lately."

The merits he obtained from teaching the MTA how to make enhanced luminar crystals and making a masterwork expert mech completely alleviated his MTA merit shortage. With one more mission in progress, Ves was completely confident that the Larkinson Clan and its allies could afford to exchange a fleet beyonder ticket by themselves.

"Hey, I'll do my best to contribute as much as I can in our subsequent projects." Ketis promised. "The Decapitator Project is doing well and after the Amaranto I have a lot of new ideas that can make it better. I will also do my best to strengthen the Vanguard Project and the Chimera Project as much as possible."

Ves waved his hand. "I expect the best from you regardless of any conditions. As mech designers, it is natural to have favorites and to be more passionate towards certain projects, but don't neglect those that fall outside of your interest. We are professionals. If you don't like a project, then make that clear from the start. Once you are onboard, you must always endeavor to do your best until you finish the job. This is what it means to be a service provider."

Ketis rolled her eyes. "I already understand. You don't need to remind me. By the way, do you want to see what I did with my sword?!"

"I do."

"Look."

When Ketis grabbed Bloodsinger and unsheathed it from its new and more robust-looking scabbard, a slightly slimmer but still heavy and substantial blade entered into view.

The weapon exuded the sharp and distinct presence of Sharpie, lending the weapon a magnified sense of threat. Ves did not even dare to reach out with his hand to touch the flat side of the smooth and polished surface.

Though Bloodsinger did not appear to have changed all that much compared to before, Ves was able to detect many different changes that made the weapon more sleek and streamlined. tweaks. The original CFA greatsword that Ketis obtained from the Starlight Megalodon was already an excellent weapon, but it had become a lot heavier and more unwieldy after he and Ketis covered it with a thin but crucial layer of Unending alloy. This allowed them to turn Bloodsinger into a prime weapon that paired well with Sharpie.

From what it looked like, Ketis retained the Unending alloy but pared back the materials that made up the original blade. He could see that Ketis also changed the hilt in certain ways. It looked a lot stronger and more specific as the swordmaster made use of the stock of quality materials the MTA had on hand to accomplish a better fit with her hand size, arm strength and preferred fighting style.

"I see you also ripped out every remaining electronic module from this weapon." He said.

"I don't need all of those functions." She nodded. "Sharpie and I can take care of the rest. Bloodsinger just needs to be a solid, timeless sword that I can rely on in any circumstance no matter what is going on. Electronics can fail or become compromised, but a naked blade made out of good-quality materials is always reliable."

He could see that Ketis truly poured her heart and passion into reforging the Bloodsinger.

She took a lot of cues from Gloriana and focused a lot more on fit and made sure that each gram of metal served a useful purpose.

At the same time, she also made sure to imprint her own identity and swordsmanship into the weapon as she reshaped it so that it belonged to her even more. He could sense how the weapon had become a bit more alive. By taking so much care of her weapon, it had become even more integrated to her. Over time, Bloodsinger would continue to bloom like his living mechs, especially now that Ketis added extra personal touches to the weapon.

"Did you attempt to create a masterwork out of it after hearing Master Willix's lecture?" Ves asked as he looked up at his student.

She let out a sigh. "I did my best, but… I still fell short. I didn't have enough time and I wasn't familiar with all of the advanced tools and materials that the Hesserian Bardine's manual workshop had to offer. If I could just spend a week planning out a design based on all of the resources I had at my disposal, I could have done a better job."

Ves reached out and patted her firm shoulder. "Those tools and resources aren't yours. For jobs like these, it's better to rely on the stuff you earned yourself. If you're not ready, then you're not ready. As someone who has made a few masterworks myself, you can never make one when you are underprepared and in a rush. Also, don't think that you are a failure if you haven't been able to meet your goal. My wife and I tried several times and didn't achieve any success for a relatively long time."

It was a long time to the couple but an extremely short time to a normal mech designer! A lot of mech designers would beat Ves in the face if they heard that he was complaining about not being able to make another masterwork after just one or two rounds of mech design projects!

Ketis was a strong-minded woman, so she did not take the failure too badly. She sheathed Bloodsinger back into its floating scabbard and allowed it to fly freely.

"I never imagined that I would strongly agree with the MTA on anything, but I am fascinated with this so-called Ladder of Craftsmanship theory. I've heard much about legendary swords back when I was in the Heavensword Association. I think the Heavensword itself ought to be a masterwork. There are tales how every successive Heavensword Saint that gets to wield the weapon is able to break through to sword saint."

Part of that was undoubtedly due to the fact that the state selected the most talented and qualified swordmasters to assume the highest office. The new people in charge already possessed a high chance of advancing once again. Once they got to wield the legendary Heavensword which was a weapon of a quality beyond compare, their talent and capabilities were no longer constricted by their inferior weapons, allowing them to take a powerful leap forward!

In fact, considering the exaggerated stories surrounding the Heavensword, it shouldn't be a normal masterwork. It was either a blade with a lot of unusual properties or it might be a grand work!

Ves inwardly shook his head. It was too soon for him to think about making grand works when he was so far away from consistently producing masterworks. He needed to learn how to walk before he could run.

"It's nice to know about how we can refine our craftsmanship, but don't get too obsessed about it. Don't think the end results are worthless when you have fallen short of your goal. A product is always useful even if it only reaches the first rung of the ladder. What I don't like about the Ladder of Craftsmanship is how it degrades everything that sits at the bottom. There are so many things around us that are considered trash in this model, but I don't think that simple products are bad at all. As long as they do their jobs within reason, they are still fine. The same goes for your sword. A better-quality blade might serve you better, but your current one can cut someone apart almost just as well."

Ves did not completely buy into Senfovon's Ladder of Craftsmanship. No matter how well it described the phenomena of masterworks and grand works, it was just an attempt to describe reality from a human perspective. Who knew what this Senfovon guy had overlooked when he initially proposed this theoretical model.

After talking a bit more with Ketis, they eventually separated and went their separate ways. With everything that had happened today, they were in no condition to head to the design lab and start another routine design session.

"I need to gather my team and figure out how to go from here." Ves muttered.

The MTA made a big movement and he was sure that he had become a definite person of interest to the organization as a whole. It was no longer just Master Willix and her faction that had eyes on him and his capabilities.

The only reason why the Association did not press any further was because they mistakenly thought that Mr. S. already laid claim on Ves. If the mechers thought that this mysterious person was merely a Master, then that wouldn't have been a big deal, but now that they had 'proof' that they were likely dealing with an elite and exalted Star Designer, then that was a different story!

Ves was glad that it all worked out for him somehow, but he was not happy with his precarious situation. Only he knew that Mr. S. was a complete fabrication and that the MTA were basically making fools of themselves by believing in his existence.

"Perhaps.. I should go on another 'vacation' when my current round of projects is done…"