The Mech Touch

Ves gazed at the badges placed on the chests of all of the attendants.

Most of them possessed a good collection of dots. They all had dark green dots without exception, and many of them had dark blue dots as well.

This meant that many of these scientists were well-versed in both biotechnology and phasewater theory. They had to be in order to be recognized as an authority in the study of phase lords.

Yet for all of their considerable knowledge and expertise, few of them possessed the purple dot that denoted that they were versed in 'traditional psionic power manipulation'!

This was probably the root cause why all of these biotech researchers had failed to find the right direction after so many years of study. They wasted billions of MTA credits on failed research projects that only produced marginal results at best, all because they worked on a set of assumptions that they never properly questioned!

Although Ves had most definitely made these researchers upset by telling them that they were wrong, he didn't care. It was not his job to soothe their egos.

"Let me give you a basic explanation of what I tried to do to myself." He continued to speak. "Much of this may sound puzzling or completely new to you, but that is because my expertise is different from you all. To be honest, I don't completely understand the process that has resulted in this accidental outcome either, so don't expect me to provide you with all of the answers."

Ves proceeded to give everyone a brief recounting of his attempt to create a ritual sacrifice altar.

He had put a lot of thought behind the decision to expose this particular secret. He ultimately decided that it was best to be a little more forthcoming.

Not only would he be able to increase his value in the eyes of the mechers by making a greater contribution, but he could also get all of these obsessed bioresearchers off his back.

His previous experiences with biotech researchers had not been good for the most part! They were among the most extreme and crazy scientists that he had ever met. As long as their ethical boundaries were less than stellar, then they could resort to all kinds of measures in order to fulfill their goals!

Besides, it didn't do him that much harm if he revealed these particular secrets.

A new projection came to life. It depicted a document that described the process of a strange alien religious ritual.

"What you see before you is the key to my process. This text explains how the higher caste members of the orven create their own ritual sacrifice altars in an attempt to 'ascend to godhood' as the natives understand it. Whatever you may think of their superstition, this ritual is not a total fabrication. It can actually work, but the risks are exceedingly high. Most orven leaders who attempt this ritual have to make peace with the fact that their chances of dying are high."

"How high, Professor Larkinson?"

"Beats me." Ves casually shrugged. "You will have to ask a xenoanthropologist for the statistics. All 1 know is that a lot of orven leaders who are full of themselves end up dying. The reason why is difficult to explain. I will give you a brief summary of what I have been able to figure out on my own, but if you do not have a background in cultivation, you will probably be unable to realize the significance of this information."

He briefly explained his thoughts on what it meant to create a divine artifact from one's Divine Core. He deferred any further questions on Divine Cores by advising them to sign up to a crash course on cultivation science. It was not his job to explain the basics of this field to these bioresearchers.

"Now that you roughly understand what it takes to complete this ritual, you should know by now why it is so fatal. You have to dance on the edge of a night in order to survive and complete all of the steps in the way you are supposed to do it. However, once you have passed these dangerous tests, the rewards that you can gain are massive. This is how I accidentally became a human phase lord. It was not my intention to become one, but I guess it was a bonus reward given how I employed a method that was adapted from a ritual devised by ancient orvens."

Another expert raised his hand.

"Can you tell us your original objective for subjecting yourself to an adaptation of this dubious-sounding alien ritual? Are the rewards truly worth all of the risks, or was there a factor that has greatly mitigated the chance of a fatal outcome? From what you have told us so far, no sane person would risk their entire life and everything they have built up to this point just to reach a higher life state. What are you withholding from us, professor?"

Clever. None of these people were stupid. It was not that difficult for them to notice that there were plenty of holes in Ves' story. It would be a lot harder and most costly for them to experiment with this strange alien ritual if they lacked the clues needed to produce a positive outcome!

However, that was their business. Ves had no vested interest in their studies.

"lam not going to answer those questions as they are related to my trade secrets." He bluntly told his audience. "I have already pointed you all to the right direction by pointing out that you can use this admittedly janky alien ritual as a proper starting point for your research projects. There are multiple ways for you to solve the various challenges. My own solution is tailored to my unique and abnormal conditions and cannot be applied to other cases. That is all I will say about this specific subject."

Master Wintress decided to offer additional clarification at this point.

"Practitioners are generally intensely protective of their own cultivation methods. It is taboo to ask questions about it as that will reveal too many weaknesses that can be exploited by their adversaries. You will have to offer major concessions in order to persuade a more receptive cultivator to divulge detailed information."

"What she said." Ves concurred. "Anyway, if you want to continue your studies in how to turn humans into phase lords, you should team up with an expert in cultivation. Don't try to brute force this transformation by relying on biological experimentation alone. You will be leaving out a mysterious factor that secretly helps mortal beings ascend into physical powerhouses. In other words, the process of becoming a phase lord is essentially a form of body cultivation. The native aliens deliberately subject themselves to transformative processes that alter their physical body on a fundamental level."

"Does that mean that there are more methods to become a phase lord?"

Ves nodded. "I cannot say for certain, but I highly suspect that this is the case. Many native races should have their own distinctive methods. If you think the method employed by the orvens is not suitable, then maybe you should look elsewhere and adapt the methods of other races. Of course, you should first find out whether they are authentic and that they can actually produce a positive result."

He continued with his presentation. There was only so much he was willing to say about the ritual. He did not even mention a word about what sort of divine artifact he ended up making. None of the mechers could force him to divulge this critical piece of information.

"There is one more thing 1 have to say about the ritual that you should know." He said. "I know it sounds crazy, but I think my fellow cultivators will back me up on this. The Red Ocean is alive. The dwarf galaxy is alive for a certain definition of this word. It has its own cognition that I cannot even begin to describe. All I know is that the Red Ocean is the primary cause of my transformation into a phase lord. The implication here is that you need to earn its approval in order to receive the crucial factor that only this immensely powerful but fairly abstract entity can provide to get started in this alien form of body cultivation."

This time, the audience couldn't stay calm anymore. These scientists knew a lot about biotechnology and the incredible biodiversity of both the Milky Way and the Red Ocean.

They never considered that an entire galaxy could actually be alive! The entire notion was completely incompatible with the theories that formed the foundation of your own careers!

"That is impossible!"

"Are you certain you were lucid as you went through this process of yours?"

"Can you back up your assertion with proof, or is this another one of your unsubstantiated guesses?"

The controversy that erupted after his remarks was considerable, but it ultimately died off when Ves did not even bother to deal with all of the skepticism.

He had already shared his own perspective on what happened to him back then. It was up to these bioresearchers to accept or eject his testimony.

After that, he explained what it was like to become a human phase lord.

It was not as exciting as it sounded.

"Let me be honest to you all. I have no idea what to do to strengthen my body cultivation." He told them all. "I never intended to become a phase lord to begin with, and I know far too little about this method of physical evolution to take the next steps. My phasewater concentration has remained stagnant at 0.01 percent for this reason. This is also why I haven't gained additional phasewater organs and such. My actual body mass and volume aren't actually that much bigger than their prior values."

"Have you developed any special abilities related to your state as a phase lord, professor?"

"I did. I figured out a few cool tricks in my free time. As I have said before, I am unable to demonstrate them due to the security measures in place. I can tell you that my techniques are relatively basic and instinctual. I think they sort of come with the package. I do not have the time to experiment any further. I am a mech designer, so I don't really care how much progress 1 can make as a phase lord."

That sounded blasphemous to many of these biotech researchers!

Becoming a human phase lord was one of their greatest dreams!

It was a completely new method of empowerment that was not limited to the professions of mech pilot and mech designer.

These scientists all hoped that once they deciphered the secrets of what it took to become a phase lord, they could pioneer an entirely new method of augmentation that could turn ordinary humans into combatants that were powerful enough to fight against mechs with their bodies alone!

To hear that Ves squandered this unique and valuable chance frustrated them beyond belief!

Master Xena Wintress reacted differently from the rest. She was a mech designer, so she understood this sentiment well.

Nothing mattered more to their kind than designing mechs.

Any mech designer that started to prioritize other pursuits over their primary purpose did not deserve to make any further progress in this field.

"Thank you for your testimony, Professor Larkinson." Master Wintress eventually spoke. "You have been remarkably forthcoming about your own experiences and understanding. My fellow researchers and I have gained more than enough information to correct our studies. We should be able to produce a positive result years in advance with your input. We have taken note of your contribution and will provide you with the reward that you are due by the end of this conference. We cannot determine this right away because we require additional time to verify your claims."

That brought a smile to his face. This was one of the main reasons why he had been cooperative.

"It is my pleasure, Master."