The Mech Touch

The MTA branch took up an entire city district in the capital city of Cinach VI. Stretching on for several kilometers in each direction, it was a piece of territory that was completely outside of the control of House Evenson!

No one objected to this arrangement. While the MTA took over a lot of valuable land, the presence of its branch massively enriched the surrounding territories!

Not only did the branch provide a lot of safety, but it also offered a lot of valuable services to the local mech designers and mech companies.

Transport vessels arrived and departed from its expansive landing zone every day. The vigorous mech industry of Cinach VI sent all of their mechs and mech design to this branch in order to receive the MTA's stamp of approval.

Despite the huge crush of mechs passing through the branch, the MTA employed enough advanced technology and experts to keep up with the workload.

Ves admired the productivity on display. If Ves or anyone else in the star sector attempted to test and inspect so many mechs, they would quickly be drowned by the growing backlog!

"It makes sense for the MTA to be good at this kind of work." Gloriana commented. "At the heart of it, it still holds true to its name. As a trade association for mechs, how could the MTA focus all of its resources on mechs and warships? Unlike the CFA, the MTA actually bothers to participate in society!"

"We're almost there. Let's compose ourselves and make sure we present ourselves at our best."

Since Master Willix's summons couldn't be ignored, Ves might as well try his best to make a good impression.

Both of them decided to wear their new clan outfits instead of something fancier. They both wore their red-and-white Larkinson Clan uniforms. Though Ves had prudently left the Larkinson Mandate behind, the emblem of the Golden Cat still marked their backs, giving him a bit of reassurance.

His uniform was devoid of any frills such as medals or ribbons. Ves purposefully wanted to come across as modest, diligent and dutiful. He wanted to convince Master Willix that he was a man who was burdened with responsibilities!

As for Gloriana, she wore her slimmer uniform because she wanted to use this opportunity as an impromptu publicity stunt. Significant portions of the MTA branch was accessible to the public, and she was sure there would be lots of people around to record their appearances.

What better way to build up the prestige and legitimacy of the Larkinson Clan than to wear its uniform to an upcoming meeting with a great Master?

The fact that this was not their first, but second meeting with Master Willix should be all the more significant to the public! The amount of attention that others directed towards Cinach VI must have reached an explosive height!

The pair of Journeymen weren't the only people in the clan who recognize the golden opportunities that Master Willix presented!

Gavin also rode on the shuttle. Half of the time, his attention was spent on communicating with the headquarters of the LMC. A lot of new developments took place ever since the Ubiquitous Force arrived at Cinach, and the mech industry already suspected that Ves and Gloriana were involved!

"Our company has been flooded with requests to attend our upcoming product reveal! We can't figure out how to respond to them. What are your instructions?"

"Trillion Hall can fit more people, right?"

"Yes, though we'll have to talk to its operators."

"I'm sure that they will acquiesce to our expanded demands. As for who to accept, make sure to pull in as many bigshots as possible. Those with money and those with power are the primary buyers of my products!"

"If I may suggest, we should also invite some influencers. While they aren't our target audience, there are still plenty of people who can spread the word about our Doom Guard!"

"Do that. I'll leave it up to you guys to decide who to invite. Make sure that they meet all of the requirements. Don't let in anyone who is too young, too old, too unhealthy or mentally unstable. No pets or animals either!"

Ves didn't want to risk anyone in his audience dropping dead due to a heart attack or something! Even if Ves had already specifically ordered extra medical services to be on standby at Trillion Hall, he didn't want to take the risk at all!

As Gavin buzzed like a busy bee, Ves mused that Master Willix's unanticipated visit wasn't entirely detrimental.

Her involvement in the Doom Guard design would likely drive up its interest to a stratospheric height! Though Master Mech Designers would never do something as crass as endorsing an individual mech design, it was already obvious she expressed a lot of interest in his upcoming product.

If the people of the mech community weren't stupid, they would definitely conclude that the LMC had developed something exceptional! Anything that gained the illusion of attracting interest from the MTA would definitely be a product to watch!

Ves didn't need to ask Gavin how much free publicity they stood to gain from these developments. Master Willix possessed a very great reputation in the industry, and by visiting Cinach VI in order to inspect his latest work, she was in effect rubbing some of her considerable fame off to the pair of Journeymen!

To the LMC, this was a dream come true! Though his mech company wasn't bold enough to use Master Willix as a marketing prop, there were plenty of ways to build up hype without breaking any boundaries!

As the shuttle finally neared the MTA branch, the escorting mechs of the Avatars and Glory Battalion slowly halted. They weren't allowed to proceed any further.

The shuttle arrived at the designated landing zone by itself. When Ves and Gloriana stepped out, they left everyone else inside.

Ves knew that even before they reached this site, they were already under intense observation. He had made sure to put on a mask and exert as much control over his body as possible!

The two stepped forward and followed the projected directions entering their view.

As the two slowly walked to another section of the base, they walked past plenty of people. Most of them wore various work uniforms. Ves and Gloriana didn't stand out too much from them despite their different origins.

There were also plenty of visitors who wore all kinds of fashion. The Sentinel Kingdom's predominant fashion was highly segregated by rank and class, so it was easy for Ves to figure out the origins of these people.

At least some of them paid a lot of scrutiny to the pair. They didn't even hide their attempts to record footage of them with their comms and dedicated recording devices.

"Smile for the recorders." Gloriana linked her arm with his. "All of the industry publications will see us like this! I hope Master Willix meets us at one of the public areas of this base. We'll definitely show up in the general news portals if we are seen in the presence of a great master!"

The public wouldn't pay so much attention if Ves and Gloriana were visiting a regular Master. People like Master Olson and Master Huron may be great figures, but they only made up the upper echelon of a second-rate state.

In contrast, Master Willix was a truly influential individual on the galactic scale! She could change the course of history of several star clusters with the power and knowledge she had at her disposal!

And right now, two young Journeymen were about to meet her once again!

They slowly entered the entrance of an enclosed section of the base. Once they passed through the mandatory security checks, they finally encountered the powerful woman right inside!

The Master maintained a polite expression on her face. Ves was aware that she was a rational mech designer, but one that made sure to exhibit at least some emotion to abide by social norms.

How much of her smile was authentic and how much of it was simulated, Ves didn't know. He would be a fool to let her disarm his suspicions just because she came across as polite!

This was an individual who not only specialized in gravity systems, but also mastered an untold amount of other design philosophies!

And now, she apparently set her sights on his secrets.

Both Ves and Gloriana bowed. "We are honored to enter your presence, Master Willix."

The older woman's smile grew wider. "The two of you are pretty remarkable. While our MTA possesses plenty of Journeymen who are more talented than you, none of them can arouse my interest quite like your combination!"

Gloriana immediately transformed into an eager puppy who yearned for her owner's approval. "We have taken your lessons to heart and applied our new insights on our latest work! Our Doom Guard design wouldn't have been so good without your helpful advice!"

"Oh, don't discount your own contributions. It is your effort and dedication towards our profession that has enabled you to design such a remarkable mech. I have taught plenty of bright mech designers who are smarter than you, but their works aren't nearly as inspiring!"

As Gloriana gladly babbled with Master Willix, Ves tried his best to maintain a bland smile and blend into the background as much as possible.

Just like last time, Ves wanted to interact with the great Master as little as possible. The more he spoke, the more he gave away!

Sadly, his plan completely failed. Master Willix wasn't the kind of person who exhibited too much favoritism. As soon as her piercing eyes turned to Ves, his entire body seemed to be pinned into place.

"Ves Larkinson. You are quite a surprise. I was already intrigued with what I have observed from the Quint and your other works, but your latest mech design is very different in several ways. Did you know that your sample mech has alarmed the mech evaluators of our base? They have never encountered a mech like it before!"

That meant the MTA branch probably contacted headquarters for help. As soon as Master Willix caught wind of it, she probably volunteered to inspect the Doom Guard design in person!

Ves tried his best not to show any irritation. Did this Master set an alarm or something that notified her whenever he or his girlfriend did something notable?!

How would he ever get rid of her if that was true!? Perhaps his only chance of shaking her off would be to flee to the Red Ocean!

With the Master's attention squarely focused on himself, Ves had to offer a response.

It was time to put on his crazy hat yet again!

"I am honored to receive your acknowledgement. Our Doom Guard design incorporates an innovative new application of my design. Through divine inspiration, I have conceived of a new method of soliciting multiple proto-gods at the same time! The principal reason why our latest mech possesses such a disconcerting presence is because I have managed to transform it into a battlefield where two rivalling proto-gods are locked into an eternal struggle!"

Before Ves could disgorge more nonsense from his mouth, Master Willix calmly raised a palm.

"While I am very interested in the mechanics behind your unique design, let us discuss this further at the testing facility. The Doom Guard you have developed is far too interesting to explore it at a distance."

With that, she gestured for them to proceed forward. They walked for a time until they reached a large, indoor hall that contained a very lab-like atmosphere.

It wasn't long before Ves felt the familiar pressure impacting on his mind. His mech gradually came into view.

Outside of his expectation, his mech attracted quite a lot of mechers!

Off-duty mech pilots, scores of mech technicians and a host of researchers who had probably been brought by Master Willix all surrounded the Doom Guard at varying distances!

Despite the mech's active glow, a considerable amount of people withstood the glow without any sign of fear or discomfort!

Naturally, Master Willix was also among them. She steadily strode forward as if the mech's fearsome glow was nothing more than a gentle breeze!

This magnitude of spiritual pressure was nothing to a Master Mech Designer!