The Mech Touch

Chapter 1883 Placing Ladders

There was no precise, numerical measuring stick for quality. Just like the much-despised mech performance index, it was a bit simplistic to boil down the quality of mech by a single word, number or description.

Mech designers developed both a theoretical and instinctual understanding of quality when it came to mechs. Their judgement might differ from each other depending on how they ranked the aspects they cared about the most, but in general their opinions didn't diverge too much.

The quality of the Bright Warrior and the four sets of add-ons that made up its modular configurations were quite good. Ves would even call the end product fantastic.

Yet that was still separate steps too far from the insanely high standard that was called masterwork.

Implicitly, a masterwork was a work that was worthy to be called the magnum opus a master in a respective craft.

What this meant was that Ves and Gloriana both had to fabricate a mech that was so good that a typical Master Mech Designer on a very good day could not deliver anything better!

This was simply an unreal standard! It reflected how rare it was to create a masterwork mech when a mech designer was still short of reaching Master.

It reflected the exceptional nature of masterworks and ensured that they remained rare throughout the mech industry. So many mech designers attempted to achieve this stellar goal, yet few ever did! The few Seniors who managed to reach this standard always relied on exceptional circumstances and random chance to hit the jackpot and luck out!

For a Journeyman like Ves to assume that making another masterwork mech was just a matter of time was very arrogant.

No other Journeyman would possibly hope for creating a masterwork because the foundation of a mech designer at this stage was simply too shallow!

This was also the reason why Ves pursued an unusual strategy. The only way for him to realistically make a masterwork mech was to rely on one of his strange but exceptionally potent moods that always seemed to supercharge his fabrication run.

As far as Ves could ascertain, he always seemed to have a lot at stake each time he entered into those productive moods. He theorized that he could increase the chance of grasping an exceptional mood if he kept raising the stakes.

Adding more meaning to his mech design while adhering to a strict and cramped schedule all served to raise his sense of urgency and increase his emotional investment in the success of his project.

Did all of this work?

Ves would argue yes. Compared to the first attempts of fabricating the Deliverer and the Desolate Soldier, the first production model of the Bright Warrior clearly took the crown in terms of overall quality.

Yet the mech that Ves and Gloriana finished today was still within mortal limits. Its quality failed to get close to the unreal level where masterworks and other great works reigned!

For this reason, Ves really didn't want to do what Gloriana was pushing him for the last five minutes. She kept shouting and haranguing at him, but it wasn't until she started crying and pouring out her wounded heart that Ves really couldn't remain impassive anymore.

He cared about Gloriana! He didn't want to see her in this sad and tear-stricken state!

After a bit of consideration, he decided to shove aside his doubts and bury his hesitation. Even if what he was about to do was doomed to fail, he at least owed it to Gloriana to make an attempt.

"Okay, okay. I'll do it!" He said, interrupting her unhinged tirade. "Just stop crying, okay? It's not the end of the galaxy here. Come on, Gloriana. Please don't be sad."

He kissed her on the lips, causing her to calm down from her hysterical mood. Though tears still streaked across her cheeks, she began to look at him with a hopeful expression.

"You'll do it, Ves?"

"I'll try."

'TRYING IS NOT ENOUGH!" She warned him while pounding her fist against his chest. "YOU HAVE TO SUCCEED! I WON'T ACCEPT ANY OTHER OUTCOME THIS DAY!"

"I get it, Gloriana! You don't have to harry me any further!"

Ves walked up to the finished mech with Gloriana following right behind him like a persistent barnacle.

He first paused at the base platform and admired its form. Since this mech was meant for the Avatars, he coated it in a brilliant gold-and-black color scheme with a dash of navy blue to accent its overall contours.

The third eye enveloped by a hexagon sat prominently on the forehead while the emblems of the Larkinson Clan and the Avatars of Myth proudly adorned its upper left chest.

The Golden Cat and the Vitruvian Mech both marked the allegiance of this mech! This was a mech that was solely made to serve the Larkinsons, not the market!

Yet as impressive as the base platform appeared, it was still devoid of many essential elements. It lacked a complete armor cover and distinctly possessed no arms.

Ves turned towards the sets of modular parts that formed the different configurations. Each represented a different role, and each consisted of different parts and gear.

He studied the different configurations before deciding to start off with the Illuminating Warrior.

The rifleman mech configuration consisted of the smallest sets of parts. This was because the configuration did not add any additional armor plating onto the base platform.

Ves and Gloriana wanted to preserve as much mobility as possible in order to allow the Illuminating Warrior to reposition itself quickly and evade pursuit.

Both a laser rifle and a ballistic rifle had been added to the set. The Illuminating Warrior could opt to bring either or even both weapons to the battlefield.

"This is a pretty powerful configuration." He said. "The Breyer alloy we've incorporated in the construction of the frames of these rifles has done much to strengthen them and increase some of their parameters."

Gloriana snorted and placed her hands on her hips. "Why are you babbling about something irrelevant, Ves? STOP STALLING AND GET TO WORK!"

It seemed like his girlfriend was not in the mood to reflect on their work!

He helplessly withdrew a pouch he made out of a portion of Synthra Umbra fabric.

"You always carried that in your pocket." Gloriana noted with an intensely focused expression. "I always wondered why you never left it in the vault."

Ves shrugged but refrained from explaining. He didn't want to tell her that Lucky was the source of the gems he was about to use.

She would definitely pamper his cat silly if she found out he was the source! This meant that Ves would continue to receive gems revolving around gaining the affection of women!

After briefly rummaging through his pouch, he pulled out the gem he wanted.

[Remnant Supernova]

The remnants of a supernova that wiped out an entire alien race is contained within this gem. Increases the damage inflicted by directed energy weapons by 25 percent.

Though this gem only favored energy weapons, this wasn't a big deal for Ves. The current mech generation was already being called the laser generation due to the strength of lasers over many other damage types.

Of course, this mainly applied to third-class mechs. Higher classes of mechs utilized a much greater variety of weapon systems which made it difficult for laser weapons to dominate the conversation.

Regardless, for a mech like the Illuminating Warrior, Ves clearly favored its laser armament over its ballistic armament. He only included the latter to the design as a backup option in case they encountered another foe like the sandman race that was immune to energy weapons.

He needed to decide where to mount the gem. Ordinarily, he embedded the gem in the cockpit of a mech, which was ordinarily its most safest place.

That wasn't possible. His choices this time basically amounted to the left arm or right arm.

Ves chose the left arm because this limb was the closest to the emblems painted to the chest of the base platform.

He partially disassembled the arm portion with the help of some tools and bots. Gloriana assisted him when she saw what he was trying to do. With her help, it didn't take long before Ves reached a well-protected portion of the mech.

He mounted the gem and fixed it into place.

Nothing immediately happened, but Ves already expected that somehow. He withdrew from the innards of the mech arm and put it back together.

"Alright, let's go to the next configuration." He told Gloriana.

He repeated the same steps for the other configurations, embedding a different gem in similar locations.

For the Shining Warrior, the lancer mech configuration, he used the Fist of the Faithful.

[Fist of the Faithful]

The memory of a punch that changed the course of the galaxy resides in this gem. Increases the impact damage inflicted by a mech by 30 percent.

For the Solar Warrior, the space knight configuration, he used the Horned Devil's Visage.

[Horned Devil's Visage]

The echo of an extinct alien race is captured within this gem. Increases the sensor range of a mech by 40 percent.

Finally, for the Nova Warrior, the swordsman mech configuration, he used the Furnace of Regret

[Furnace of Regret]

The anguish of a forgotten terror is encapsulated in this gem. Increases the output of a power reactor of a mech by 30 percent.

Ves winced at some of the choices he made. The handful of greater gems he possessed didn't entirely fit the primary needs of the respective configurations.

He felt most pained by the decision to add the Furnace of Regret to Nova Warrior instead of the Illuminating Warrior.

He didn't have a choice, though. The Remnant Supernova was practically useless to every other configuration, so it had to be paired with the Illuminating Warrior.

Once Ves finished planting the gems in the arms of each separate configuration, he took a step back and looked at the resting base platform and the pile of parts.

As expected, he failed to attain his goal.

"..That's it?" Gloriana frowned. "Your secret weapon.. was just a bunch of gems?"

"They aren't regular gems. They're special!"

'WELL CLEARLY THEY AREN'T WORKING!" She burst out and kicked his shin!

"I-I don't know why! This was our best chance of making it work! I really don't know what is going on or why it isn't working! Maybe we need to mount a configuration on the base platform to make it mesh together!"

They attempted to do just that. They utilized the assembly system to mount the parts for the Illuminating Warrior onto the base platform.

Nothing happened. Outside of Ves' expectations, he saw nothing that indicated that the Remnant Supernova had set in! It was as if the gem had become inert!

"What!? How can there be no effect?!" He puzzled.

Ves decided to remove the Illuminating Warrior configuration and mount the other three configurations in turn.

The same result happened each time. The Bright Warrior turned into a different mech type, but Ves saw no indicator that proved that the gems had magically improved its attributes.

The expected increase in overall quality didn't occur either!

What was going on?"

"I don't know why it's not working!"

"If four gems aren't enough, what about five?! You added those strange gems to each of the different configurations, but you left out the base platform!"

"I already told you it doesn't work that way! The gems conflict with each other! Either one or the other takes supremacy!"

"This mech is different! Whatever you just did, you need to tie them together somehow. The base platform is the one common element that ties them all together. Just try it! I won't forgive you if you don't!"

Gloriana continued to pelt him until he did what she wanted. He helplessly approached the base platform and climbed up and entered its cockpit. With Gloriana squirming her way inside, they both squeezed inside the cramped space surrounded by consoles and other gizmos.

Ves sat down on the seat and held a multitool. He looked at the startup button and pried it off before taking out his pouch again.

Not a lot of gems remained in the pouch. He felt extremely pained at how Gloriana forced him to bet all in on turning this Bright Warrior into a masterwork! He gambled so much that even he couldn't stomach the thought of failure anymore!

As he contemplated his choice, his intuition nudged him towards a gem that Ves had always looked down upon.

[Accumulation of Spirit]

Allows a mech to bear a small quantity of spiritual energy.

He retrieved the small, opaque white gem and mounted it to the start button position.

As soon as the gem took its place, a reaction finally took place.

A profound spiritual glow seemed to form within the gem!

Soon enough, more reactions took place after the gem became active. Ves somehow felt the other gems embedded in the different configurations coming online as well!

It was as if the Accumulation of Spirit was all that needed to start a chain reaction! One that both activated the other gems and connected them all together!

"What is happening, Ves?!"

"I don't know, but there is something very familiar about these reactions!"

Through some indescribable sense, both Ves and Gloriana felt as if the mech they were in was undergoing a very profound transformation!