The Mech Touch

Gloriana's third and final test consisted of a fairly standard mech design challenge.

Every mech designer who made it through the earlier tests were tasked with designing the best possible mech they could manage in two hours.

Projections emerged in front of their faces. Just like the first test, they had to work while standing, which wasn't easy after the gruesome bloodbath they just witnessed!

With their nerves frayed and their patience running out, hardly any candidate managed to hit their stride. They haltingly manipulated the design interface with shaky fingers and uneven breaths.

Even though the pervasive smell of blood had long disappeared, many of them still had the illusion that they were under threat!

This hall wasn't safe!

The Journeyman they dreamed of working under were completely mad!

With all of these psychological hits, it became considerably harder for them to perform this common task.

Just like similar examinations of this nature, Gloriana had already picked out an extensive library of outdated components and modular parts for them to put together their mech.

There wasn't much they could do in two hours anyway. Every mech designer had to race against time to cobble up a mech design that was functional enough to fight!

"Two hours ought to be enough for you to design a complete mech." Gloriana sternly announced as the mech designers frantically sorted through the catalog of parts. "You can pick and choose any mech type of weight class you want. Just make sure to do your best and finish them within the time limit. I won't accept any designs that are incomplete!"

A test like this reminded Ves of the old days when he frequently took part in competitions. Designing a mech in a day or in a matter of hours was a steep challenge to any mech designer.

However, as long as they worked quickly enough, they should be able to design something that could perform all of the basic functions expected of a mech.

They just needed to cut as many corners as possible while retaining the best possible quality.

This was a lot harder than it sounded like, particularly when the mech designers themselves needed to judge how much time they could afford to invest in something!

All in all, around 900 candidates who mercifully avoided getting chopped frantically worked to deliver the best mech they could design under the circumstances!

Gloriana stood silently while she constantly observed the ongoing design processes with the help of her implant. No one knew which candidate's work she was observing at any time.

In truth, she didn't need to see their finished work in order to get an accurate impression of their capabilities!

A half hour in, it already became clear from their work whether they worked quickly or meticulously.

She encountered a lot of mech designers who tried to cram as much work in two hours as possible. They brazenly skipped a lot of essential steps in order to put something functioning together as fast as possible!

There were also those who took the opposite approach. They did not display a sufficient amount of expedience. Unless they planned to rush their work considerably at the end, it was doubtful whether they could even finish their designs!

Only a modest number of mech designers displayed both. They possessed superior skill and ability or were far less impacted by the stress and trauma that they acquired in the previous test.

These people attracted Gloriana's attention. What made her happy was that a significant number of mech designers who worked briskly but not too sloppily had also performed well in her previous two tests!

Those with superior capabilities always stood out no matter the challenges they faced.

Granted, there were a lot of mech designers among this group who performed exceptionally poorly in the tests cooked up by Ves. Of all of the mech designers that Gloriana had marked out for their satisfactory performance, there were a lot of clever-minded people among them who opted to decline her boyfriend's challenges!

Though their decision to conserve their energy and avoid unnecessary damage had paid off at this moment, she wasn't sure whether she should value them. She was a bit more inclined to hire mech designers who performed a little worse right now but made a decent showing when confronted by the Doom Guard or Ketis!

Soon enough, two hours went by. The projected design interface automatically disappeared regardless if the candidates were done or not! A lot of regretful groans immediately filled the hall as everyone felt that they could have done better if they just had a little more time!

"That's enough." Gloriana spoke. Everyone instantly fell silent. "I have continually observed all of your efforts. I have already determined your scores for this test and compiled it with your other scores. After much consideration, I have made my choice."

Lights appeared around twenty-five individuals.

"Congratulations! All of you who are lit up have earned my appreciation. Please confirm your decision to join the LMC and work under me by stepping to the side. If for any reason you wish to withdraw, then say so now so that you won't be wasting my time any further."

Though a handful of selected candidates showed some reluctance, in the end they didn't decline this hard-fought opportunity!

Now that Ves and Gloriana filled up their respective quotas, the final selection process finally came to an end.

A lot of regret and remorse appeared on the faces of the candidates who remained. They lost their opportunity to join a very promising mech company and work under a pair of mech designers who might very well advance to Master in the future!

The ones who strategically withdrew from the challenges posed by Ves looked especially sour. Many of them thought they performed well enough to earn Gloriana's appreciation, but it turned out that there were twenty-five other mech designers who performed better!

Perhaps they could have gotten into the Larkinson Clan if they exerted themselves in the tests conducted by Ves. Losing a limb or getting frightened out of their wits didn't sound so bad at this time!

Ves and Gloriana along with their cats stood together at this time. They observed the mix of emotions on the faces of the crowd with interest.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this selection process has come to an end." Ves announced. "My partner and I set out to recruit fifty mech designers for the LMC's Design Department, and we are happy that we have managed to do so. As much as we are tempted to expand our quotas, we have decided to stick to our plan. There are no more chances for you to join our design team."

A lot of candidates looked crushed. Hardly any of them believed they were inferior to the fifty mech designers who passed!

Before their depression could sink in, two-hundred of them suddenly discovered that they were being lit up as well!

Gloriana suddenly smiled. "That is not all, though. After a brief discussion with my boyfriend, we decided to provide some of you with a different opportunity. While none of you managed to measure up against the fifty who met our expectations, Some have come close. We would like to extend an offer to two-hundred of you to join the Larkinson Clan in a different capacity."

"Our Larkinson Clan currently requires a lot of technical expertise in areas outside of our design lab." Ves explained. "For example, the LMC's Production Department requires higher-level technical supervision and quality control that only a qualified mech designer can provide. The Maintenance Departments of our various military troops such as the Avatars of Myth and the Living Sentinels also require the assistance of those who can perform work beyond a typical mech designer. Think of individually modifying a particular mech or restoring a wreck to a completely functional state."

A lot of mech designers suddenly looked hopeful, though there were also those who looked disdainful at these positions!

The difference between working in a design lab and working in some mech hangar or mech workshop was completely different!

Gloriana addressed those concerns. "We are aware that these employment offers do not match your qualifications. However, before you decline, please be aware that you will become fully-fledged members of the Larkinson Clan if you accept. In addition, as long as you perform well and keep improving your skills, there might come a day when you are invited into our Design Department whenever there are vacancies."

A lot of mech designers, particularly the common-born Sentinels, reacted very positively to this announcement. To them, becoming a Larkinson was pretty much the same as becoming a noble, so that was already enough to win them over!

"This is also a reminder to the fifty of you who will soon be joining us in our design lab." Ves turned to the group of chosen candidates. "You must make sure to work diligently and follow our orders. We don't tolerate any deadweight in our design teams. As long as you slack off and take your position for granted, we won't hesitate to kick you out and put a more deserving mech designer in your place!"

The chosen candidates barring the missing Rina Orion all looked concerned. Just because they passed these arduous tests didn't mean they were allowed to relax! It gradually dawned upon them that their hard work had just begun!

Though the work offers didn't sound impressive, the incentive of joining the Larkinson Clan and enjoying the many benefits it brought had attracted a lot of candidates!

Around 170 of them decided to bite the bullet and accept the offer. The remainder declined, which was well within Ves and Gloriana's expectations.

They didn't extend any offers again. As far as the pair was concerned, it was already generous of them to add more than a hundred of them to the Larkinson Clan!

The process finally ended for real. A lot of disappointed mech designers left the hall and walked back to their transit shuttles.

A number of clansmen showed up to process the 170 mech designers who were slated to take up lower-ranked positions.

Ketis meanwhile personally led the chosen candidates to another part of the base in order to process them separately! Due to their importance, Ves personally wanted to induct them into the clan with the help of the Larkinson Mandate.

When the hall emptied out, Gloriana turned to Ves and placed her hands on her hips. "I really didn't believe you went through your barbaric tests. How could you allow your student to chop so many mech designers up! While I understand that you wanted to see how they performed in a crisis, there are much safer and less egregious methods to perform this examination?"

"You wouldn't understand. Simulations and other crap just aren't real enough." Ves definitely crossed his arms. "While I admit I could have refined my tests, what I have arranged today is already sufficient. As I have already stated yesterday, I don't believe in all-rounders. I want specialized mech designers who excel in certain areas."

He selected five mech designers at the start because of their amazing potential. Ves didn't need them to possess exceptional willpower or courage because their talent already made them useful.

As for those who failed to meet this standard, they needed to make up for it with hard work. To ensure that they were willing to undergo all sorts of hardships, he pushed them to their limits in order to reveal their true nature.

It was always in the darkest of moments when people threw away all pretenses. This was the best situation for Ves to evaluate their fit within his design teams!

Unfortunately, Gloriana didn't see it that way.

"You didn't have to act like a brute to get what you want! All of those traumatized mech designers will definitely leak what has happened to the media!"

"That's great!" Ves grinned and spread his arms. "The more this story proliferates, the better!"

"Are you crazy?"

"I'm afraid that all of the latest publicity surrounding me has toned down my eccentric image. A stunt like this will definitely remind the public that I'm not entirely sane, haha!"

Gloriana looked gobsmacked. "Aren't you afraid of getting in trouble?"

"Who will arrest me?" Ves casually shrugged. "The MTA won't bother with low-level matters like this. The Hexadric Hegemony can't tell me what to do. The Bright Republic can screw themselves for all I care. As for the Sentinel Kingdom, they're too scared to act! As far as the local authorities are concerned, we are essentially above the law!"

With his Hexer backing and the six-hundred second-class mechs of the Penitent Sisters under his command, Ves could probably shoot a random person on the street and get away scott-free!

This was the privilege of power!

"Besides, it's not as if I inflicted any permanent damage. All of the cuts made by Ketis can easily be remedied." Ves added.

"What about their mental trauma?!"

Ves shrugged again. "As far as I'm concerned, they have learned an incredibly useful life lesson."

"You're sleeping on the couch tonight!"