The Mech Touch

4992 Grand Convergence III

Ves had a long and fruitful discussion with Master Leila Rebecca Devos.

The dean and highly respectable Terran Master Mech Designer not only talked about his specific teaching responsibilities, but also explained the circumstances of her school.

"The Eden Institute is a minor component of a larger revival plan of the Devos Ancient Clan." She patiently explained to the young second-rater. "It is not a secret that the ancient clan that I am a part of is in decline. We have always ranked low among all of the other leading Terrans, but the opening of the Red Ocean has presented us with the possibility of improving our standing."

This was a familiar story to Ves. Many of the losers of the old galaxy invested heavily into the Red Ocean in the hopes of catching up and surpassing their old rivals!

"I see. Is the Devos Ancient Clan serious about supporting the Eden Institute?"

The old female Master nodded. "That is correct. Our ancient clan has invested heavily to acquire a claim to the Riston Territory in the Agamemnon Upper Zone. The New Constantinople System is the preeminent port system of our territory, and it is undergoing constant expansion. The Eden Institute is a business and mech design university that we have founded with the explicit intention to enrich and diversify our regional mech industry."

That explained a bit more why the Eden Institute possessed such a strong focus towards the commercial sector.

"Our ancient clan does not have any inherent advantages that can make our mech industry more competitive than that of our rivals." The old Master continued. "It is for this reason that we cannot blindly afford to follow the established formulas. We must think laterally, and hiring you is one of the possible solutions that can help our students attain better results once they graduate."

Ves took this to mean that the Eden Institute was desperate to succeed despite receiving so much support from the Devos Ancient Clan.

The competition must be really stiff if Master Leila Devos still expressed so much concern!

"That is a clever approach." Ves remarked.

"The Eden Institute is named after the mythical Garden of Eden. We founded it in the hopes that it can become a paradise for many of the future leaders of our regional mech industry. We hope to plant a rich variety of fruit trees in our academic garden. Each fruit can satiate the intellectual hunger of all of our students."

That... was a rather coincidental use of symbolism.

"I see." Ves responded. "Are any of those fruits forbidden?"

Master Leila Rebecca Devos looked amused. "Every Garden of Eden hosts at least two trees. There is the Tree of Life whose fruit grants eternal life, and there is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil whose forbidden fruit are declared taboo."

.. ' '„ ■ . r—t . . .. .

"Well, my fruit definitely leans towards the former. Life is my specialty, after all." Ves briefly grinned. "Are you sure my fruit tree will have a place in your garden?"

"I did not reach out to you merely because one of my acquaintances has given me your name. Your record shows that you have high potential. Three different esteemed MTA Master Mech Designers are willing to vouch for you by giving you their letters of recommendation. That is an exceedingly strong endorsement for a second-class mech designer at your age. Their shared Judgment gives our school confidence that you can not only become a positive addition to our university, but may one day become its pillars."

It turned out that it had been worth it to collect so many reference letters!

Ves leaned forward. "I am deeply honored by your consideration that I have a place in your school. I am confident that I can meet your expectations by teaching the courses that you have proposed. Am I to understand that I will be pioneering these courses in your virtual classrooms?"

Master Devos tapped her feeble against her desk. "You understand correctly. Only three years have passed since the Devos Ancient Clan founded this school. Our staff and administration have worked hard to establish a complete core curriculum for our mech design students. It is only recently that we have the capacity to expand our curriculums with a large number of elective courses."

"It sounds as if your school places a high degree of importance on the latter." "If we only teach the core subjects that every first-class mech designer must learn, then our graduates will not only be homogenous, but also lack the advantages that enable them to compete against rivals educated at more prestigious mech design universities. In the absence of other solutions, the most effective solution to address these adverse conditions is to offer a large variety of elective courses. It is the selection and combination of elective courses that will help our students differentiate from their peers. Once they enter the commercial sector, they have a greater chance to find their place in a niche of their choosing."

The mech industry was highly competitive no matter whether it was in a third-rate state or a first-rate state.

In fact, the competition was more extreme in the latter because the profits were simply greater!

Ves heard that the amount of money bags entering the market made it difficult if not impossible for grassroots mech designers to succeed in their own businesses.

It couldn't be helped. The expense of operating a first-class mech business was so insanely high that only the descendants of rich families and powerful organizations could successfully get started!

Even then, these young but ambitious mech designers had to possess their own advantages in order to keep their companies afloat in the long term!

It all started to make more sense to Ves. While he was just a second-rater, he was a wildcard. He could truly enrich the perspective of many potential students due to his unique experiences and notable successes.

If Master Leila Rebecca Devos happened to be wrong about Ves, then the Eden Institute wouldn't suffer that much harm. It would only have to drop a handful of relatively minor elective courses.

With that understanding in mind, Ves and Master Devos had a harmonious talk. The huge generational difference between them did not seem to matter in the slightest.

Though Ves should have taken his time to mull over his options and properly consider whether it was a good idea to teach at a Terran university, he did not show any hesitation once he was able to express his intention to accept the offer and sign the employment contract!

Who knew whether the Eden Institute would retract its offer after this meeting. Ves did not want to leave anything to chance and quickly went over the contract negotiations just so that he could set everything in stone! Master Devos did not exhibit any surprise at the younger mech designer's behavior. Scenes like this happened many times on many different occasions. Becoming a teacher at a serious first-class mech design university was a fantastic boost to the careers of any Senior Mech Designer!

The old woman reached out with her virtual hand. "Congratulations for your entry into our academic family. You may adopt the title of professor as soon as the contract comes into effect. Remember that the Eden Institute of Business & Technology will not just become your workplace, but also your support circle. You may need to work hard in order to exchange for greater benefits, but our channels are always open to its teaching staff. We merely expect you to teach your upcoming students well."

Ves reached out as well and gently shook the virtual limb. "I will not fail my obligations, Master. Eden is the first school that has extended a serious teaching position to me. I like what I have heard, and I look forward to adding more variety to your course offerings. So when can I start to prepare my courses?

"You may begin as soon as the Mech Trade Association registers this contract, which should not take too long. Once that is in order, you must plan and organize your courses for the next semester that will commence in several months. Please take note that you must ensure that your courses must comply with strict Terran regulations. In order to assist you in composing your syllabi, I have assigned one of our teaching assistants to you. It is not necessary for you to be too familiar with Terran laws and culture, but I highly recommend you to deepen your familiarity with our customs."

"I will make sure to do so, Master."

Once Ves finished his conversation with Master Devos, he wanted to withdraw and share the good news to his wife and his clan!

He had already spent more than half a day on this fantastic employment opportunity, and he invested a lot of concentration and effort to do well in the virtual tests.

Before he was able to withdraw, he received a notification from his new teaching assistant.

"Hm, I might as well get this over with." He grumbled.

He arrived in a new virtual office. It slowly dawned upon him that it was not only a mirror of a real office room at the campus of the Eden Institute, but that it had also been marked by his name!

[Professor Ves Larkinson]

Ves liked it. He had always dreamt of becoming a Senior and becoming a serious teacher, and now his dream came true a lot sooner than expected!

"Ah, you must be my new assistant." Ves reached out in order to shake the younger woman's virtual hand. "I am pleased to meet you, miss."

The blond woman wearing a plain black professional outfit looked a bit taken aback. It seemed that she had not expected to just come out and shake her hand all of a sudden.

Though she eventually played along and pretended that nothing was amiss, this little incident reminded Ves that he really ought to familiarize himself with Terran customs!

Who knew what other faux pas he might commit once he started to get into contact with arrogant and insular Terrans!

"I am honored to meet with you, Professor Larkinson." The young woman bowed her head. "I have only recently familiarized myself with your exploits, but I am highly impressed with your attainments, at least those that are known to the public."

Ves chuckled. "What makes you think there is more to my story, miss?"

"No third-class mech designer is able to become a tier 6 galactic citizen unless he or she can supply the Mech Trade Association with technology of great importance."

"Good deduction."

"There are too many clues in your public record, professor."

The two sat down in the virtual office, though it was a lot more real for the teaching assistant.

The young woman immediately started to brief Ves on the most relevant regulations.

"The Greater Terran United Confederation is an old state." She began. "We are proud of our heritage, but there are times where it has weighed us down. You must pay attention to many different rules..."

Ves quickly grew dizzy when the sharp Terran teaching assistant began to bring up a dozen different laws, all of which contained extremely dense legal terminology.

He raised his palm. "Stop. Please. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but take into account that I am not versed in Terran law or anything legal for that matter. I am a mech designer, not a lawyer."

The blond woman looked apologetic. "Oh, I apologize for that, professor. I am... not... accustomed to working with foreign mech designers."

"It is okay." Ves responded with a smile. "We will just have to be more careful and figure out how we can best work together. By the way, I haven't caught your name. What may I call you, miss?"

The young teaching assistant straightened her back and proudly presented herself to Ves.

"I am Alexa Striker. I am an Apprentice Mech Designer who once studied and graduated on Old Earth itself. One of the reasons why I have applied to become your teaching assistant is because I have developed interest in your design philosophy. Living mechs. I have never seen or heard anything like it in my life. Would you like to introduce this subject to me, professor?"

Ves always loved it when other mech designers showed a genuine interest in his design philosophy!

"Why certainly, Miss Striker. Since you are assigned to assist my work, it is only natural for you to understand my subject more thoroughly than the students who will sit in front of the benches in a few months. Let's see. Where should I start..."