The Mech Touch

After getting apprised of the current developments related to the famous Sparrow Storm line, Ves felt intimidated by this obstacle.

Although the market for second-class drone mechs encompassed many other models, the Sparrow Storm line accumulated so many advantages that it was practically unassailable.

Though his Fey Fianna was never designed to compete directly against the Sparrow Storm, other people might not think this way. The public would definitely engage in direct comparisons and competitions to determine the worth of his product.

Alexa Streon knew this as well. Due to her background, she had become much more familiar with instances where upstart mech companies attempted to topple the dominance of highly popular mech lines from well-established megacorporations.

"The situation that you have fallen into is almost unprecedented." The clever Terran mech designer stated to her mentor. "A mech designed by a Senior should never have the qualifications to challenge a mainstream mech designed by at least 5 Masters that enjoy the support of a complete R&D infrastructure. Even if SKL only treats the Sparrow Storm as a low-priority mech line, its standards are still high enough to turn it into an unquestionable market leader."

"If that is the case, then we shouldn't even be talking about this." Ves spoke with a frown. "Do you really think my Fey Fianna has the qualifications to challenge Sparrow Storm?"

"I do." Alexa earnestly replied. She did not hesitate to convey how much she believed in his work. "I still recall the time where you became so engrossed in the spontaneous development of what you call the Elemental Lord. Somehow, this mech that you have made with your own hands had become so special that it single-handedly called down a strange and unusual E energy-infused lightning storm. Even if it ended up vaporizing your work, the fact that it had managed to provoke these responses in the first place is unquestionable proof that your work is good."

Ves' expression turned ugly as he recalled his recent failure. The pain had lessened due to the passage of time, but he still felt he had let down the greatest living mech that he had created up to this point.

It did not matter that it had been doomed to fail as soon as he attempted to bring it to life.

What mattered was that he bestowed the gift of life to a very special mech that he felt enormously attached to, only for it to crumble apart before it could fulfill its purpose.

What Ves had been doing after this was basically an attempt to atone for his sin.

He strangely possessed a much better understanding of the mind state of the Penitent Sisters.

He used to think this group of former Hexers were sick in their minds. There was no reason for them to be penitent anymore because they had long divested themselves from their original state and people. This group of female soldiers should have recognized that they had turned a new leaf as soon as they joined the Larkinson Clan.

Yet to the original members of the Penitent Sisters, their entire group still became burdened by the sins of the past. Such a stain on their honor could never be erased that easily, so they continued to live their lives as sinners looking to redeem themselves!

While that already sounded ridiculous enough, the Penitent Sisters even spread this burden to all of their new recruits!

This was insane!

Even though their belief in collective punishment was very much an undesirable form of superstition, the Larkinson Clan had never really addressed it because it was part of the core tenets of their culture.

It also helped that the Penitent Sisters derived so much motivation from the perception that they needed to atone for their 'sins' that they fought like hell!

At this moment, Ves realized that he had fallen under a similar compulsion.

He thought about his recent vacation.

What should have turned into a time of leisure instead became a partial work vacation.

Though he managed to restore his mood during the time he spent on Ocanon VI, he also engaged in a lot of discovery and learning.

His gains from that trip were massive. All of the insights he gathered during his hunting trips and his flute playing sessions were just waiting to be transformed into stronger mechs!

All of this happened with a clear direction in mind. Ves consciously focused on improving his understanding and his ability to apply the powers of water because he wanted to remake the Elemental Lord once again!

Right now, Ves questioned whether he was being affected by an external influence, or whether this was a desire that came from the bottom of his heart.

He firmly believed that the latter was the case, but he could not rule out the possibility that the Iron Resonant Crucifix Crown may have given him a subtle nudge.

It would be typical for a symbol of authority that originated from the Five Scrolls Compact to encourage Ves to master the five elements!

However, Ves did not really mind this. The five classical elements formed such a big part of E-technology that it was unreasonable to ignore them over the course of becoming a better creation cultivator.

Alexa spoke again after she saw that Ves had fallen into his own thoughts.

"Think about it, sir. The brief existence and potential shown by the Elemental Lord should be proof that its root must be remarkable. The Fey Fianna has great potential, especially if we can learn how to develop its various traits to produce greater advantages in the field. If we can showcase its amazing potential during the upcoming product reveal, your work has a serious chance of overtaking a well-established mainstream mech model!"

She was not exaggerating when she said that! Though the Fey Fianna likely wouldn't be able to poach too many long-term customers who had become invested in the Sparrow Storm, the LMC's upcoming product was so easy to get started with that it could single-handedly break open a new market!

Though Ves personally believed that it was not possible to draw out the Fey Fianna's amazing potential in a short amount of time, it was still worthwhile to aim a bit higher.

Even if the Fey Fianna ended up short, there was no shame in becoming the second or third most popular mech model in a specific market category!

In any case, Ves was just a Senior Mech Designer, so it was normal for him to fail in this sort of competition.

"Alright. If this is the case, then we should play into this confrontation. We should alter and expand our game plan for the upcoming product. I think we should arrange a few exhibition matches. We must show that we are not afraid to deploy our Fey Fianna against the Sparrow Storm. It is better for us to sei up these matches ourselves, though it will be harder to convince our audience that the matchups are fair."

Alexa looked troubled. "Exhibition matches are indeed a good way to demonstrate the superiority of a new product over older ones, but the premise is that the Fey Fianna is truly superior enough. Also, one of the issues of challenging the Sparrow Storm is that it has existed for so long that many of its mech pilots have years if not decades of experience with them. They have mastered its use to an excellent degree. In contrast, our Fey Fianna is so young that even our most experienced Larkinson mech pilots only spent a few weeks with their new machines."

The difference in skill was too great and could massively affect the outcome.

Even if the Larkinson Clan deliberately sought out less experienced drone mech pilots, these supposedly inexperienced rookies still benefited from many decades of accumulated knowledge!

A mech line as popular as the Sparrow Storm probably spawned a lot of manuals, textbooks, video guides and even specialized tutoring courses!

All of these learning resources could save many years of trial-and-error for any new mech pilot hoping to master this niche but very useful drone mech model.

Though the Larkinsons could find a bunch of less-qualified mech pilots to make up for this difference, that might cause the exhibition matches to turn into a giant farce.

That was not the effect that Ves wanted to see.

He already started to experience a headache due to this issue. These sorts of events had to be planned out extremely carefully in order to legitimize his claims.

Wait.

Why did he have to torture himself over these issues?

He was a leader nowadays. There was no need for him to address every issue in person.

Though a matter as important as this should not be delegated so easily, Ves was fortunate enough to have an excellent subordinate at his side.

"Alexa."

"Yes, professor?"

"I have a feeling that you probably know your way around these kinds of events a lot better. You should take charge of this. Work together with my assistant Gavin to make the necessary changes. If you need anything directly from me, just ask. Does that sound agreeable?"

The young woman looked surprised that he would shift so much responsibility to her. The importance of this product reveal could not be overstated.

The upcoming event is not just about introducing a new commercial mech.

It also served as the formal debut of a newly promoted tier 3 galactic citizen.

If Ves did not display the strength that came with his status, it became a lot harder for other people to take him seriously!

Ves raised his hand and patted Alexa on the shoulder. "I trust you. Not many people in the Larkinson Clan are good at this kind of stuff, but I think you wif do fine. Can you do this for me, or should I look elsewhere?"

"That will not be necessary, sir. I am fully capable of organizing this. What will you be doing during this time?"

"What else? I will be working on developing a few improved fey models." Ves grinned. "I have gained a lot of ideas as of late, and a few of them should be easy to implement. It won't take more than a week for me to whip up a batch of more powerful fey that can be sold as supplemental products."

"Are you sure that is the case? A week is not much. It should normally take longer than that to develop and test a new product."

"I am not going to tinker with the hardware too much. Much of my work is related to E-technology. Just trust me. I will be able to present you with a more solid overview of my work in a few days. I still need to make a few inquiries and conduct a few experiments. I believe that as long as my ideas work out, the Fey Fianna should be at least 50 percent more attractive to potential buyers!"

All of the time he spent on deepening his comprehension of the water element had not been in vain.

Even though it was a little too premature, Ves possessed enough confidence in his ability to design a revolutionary new set of water fey that could produce amazing results!

He just wasn't sure whether he could produce concrete results in time for the product reveal.

Ves and Alexa continued to talk a bit more. The Larkinsons had already spent weeks on preparing for this event, and now they needed to make a lot of changes due to changing whims.

This was quite disruptive to say the least, but Ves fully believed this was for the better.

"Tell me the truth, sir. How much of an impact will your water fey make according to your estimation?"

"If my wildest dreams come true, they should be powerful enough to turn the Fey Fianna into an essential component in any second-class mech force! As long as the price is not too excessive, it is bound to become more popular than the Pacifier!"