The Mech Touch

The crumbling of a portion of the city wall happened slow enough for plenty of people to process their unwillingness and eventually accept the truth of what was happening.

The Kingdom of Mechs was splitting into two separate pieces.

From what it looked like, the original kingdom did not stand to lose too much of itself. While the damage definitely set its growth back by a few decades, the active mech community in the Milky Way should easily be able to fix the gaps in the same amount of time.

Once the damage was repaired, the original humans should be able to move on with their lives as normal. They wouldn't even notice the absence of all of the displaced people after this time!

The situation for the red humans was much less certain. No one knew how much of its original functionality the splinter kingdom would retain. The proportion of damage was not only a lot more severe, but this rejected piece also looked a lot less strong and functional in every way!

Still, Ves might be wrong about this. The projected image was merely a partial visual representation of what was actually taking place.

He truly doubted that the Polymath would be okay with this entire venture if the splinter kingdom was woefully deficient and incomplete.

It was much likelier that this separated portion contained enough comprehensive features to function as an independent kingdom in itself. Perhaps it might become a lot weaker for a while, but persistent exposure to E energy radiation should quickly enable it to grow stronger and mend all of the damage from the separation.

Ves and everyone else could sense that the separation process was about to reach completion.

No one had many moves at this time, and it seemed unlikely that a savior would come and put a stop to this dramatic event.

When the separation finally happened, every single mech pilot and mech designer froze for a moment that seemed to stretch on to eternity.

The people of the Milky Way Galaxy did not experience anything too serious. The more sensitive among them briefly experienced a painful snap that caused them to wince and hold their heads in pain, but that was all. They easily shrugged off this occurrence and were able to return to their daily lives without any major repercussions.

The damage to their original kingdom was relatively minor all-considered. It helped a lot that the Mech Trade Association did everything in its power to downplay the situation and encourage everyone to stop asking any further questions.

Only the most knowledgeable insiders in the Milky Way understood the full significance of what had just occurred.

None of them expressed the intent or willingness to expose the true magnitude of what had happened. Everyone was willing to abide by the current covenant that had remained in force for a long time. The common folk needed to remain as docile and uninformed as possible.

The situation was much different in the Red Ocean.

A large number of mech pilots and mech designers experienced a tear in their inner selves that induced a greater spike of pain than anything they experienced before!

Everyone with the exception of the firmest ace pilots and so on couldn't help but cry out in pain while nursing their aching heads!

Ves had paid close attention to his flaming design seed at the critical time.

While he hadn't been able to perceive much, he briefly noticed that the flames had abruptly spluttered as if it was on the verge of running out of fuel!

It was only moments later that it had reached a slightly different equilibrium than before.

His design flame felt... weaker somehow, though he couldn't exactly explain what had changed.

As Ves and many other people in the assembly hall took a minute or so to recover from the unforgettable trauma generated by the separation event, their eyes gradually focused on the projected image of the Kingdom of Mechs.

It had changed.

Much of it had gone missing. The much larger portion that represented the original kingdom had been removed from the picture as it was no longer within reach anymore!

What was left was just the sad piece of city wall and a small portion of ground as well as ancient stone structures.

This was the splinter kingdom that the original humans had graciously bestowed to the red humans as a farewell gift.

Every single person connected to the splinter kingdom felt an incredible sense of loss when they beheld its state.

Few if any of them fully understood how much they had actually lost, but that did not stop the part of them that sincerely loved mechs from becoming intensely affected by this tragic event!

It took a great amount of will and effort for Ves to draw his attention away from the sorry-looking splinter kingdom and gaze at the three leaders floating above the podium.

The Mace of Retaliation looked visibly ashen, but the peak ace pilot showed no sign of calling in his ace mech to give the Polymath her well-deserved beatdown.

This was strange.

The Xenotechnician's lack of action appeared even stranger to Ves. There was no way this old and wiley Star Designer should be any weaker than the Polymath! He had several centuries worth of accumulation to fall back upon. Why hadn't he pulled out his superpowerful pinnacle work alien antimatter beam annihilator blaster or whatever?

Out of everyone in this massive hall, only the Polymath looked as if she was actually taking subsequent action.

A new Star appeared above the poor splinter kingdom.

Its signature matched precisely with the Polymath's domain.

"What... is she doing?"

"She is about to commence her takeover, If I have to take a guess."

Thirteen more Stars appeared in quick succession. Each of them possessed vastly different signatures as they embodied entirely different domains.

It was immediately clear that while the individual Stars might disagree with each other on many matters during ordinary times, they had set aside all of their disagreements in order to rally around a common purpose!

The eight god mechs of the Red Ocean acted in coordination as well. They menacingly sped forward towards the sole dissident Star that had played a major role in what had come to pass.

The Polymath appeared to be so badly outnumbered that there shouldn't be any way for her to hijack the vulnerable splinter kingdom!

However, nobody thought that she could be stopped so easily. The physical body of the Polymath still conveyed a sense of certainty and confidence that did not fit the image of someone who was about to suffer defeat.

"Stop it, Clair." The Xenotechnician abruptly spoke in the clear. "Our former brothers and sisters have done enough damage. What we need to do is to set aside our disagreements and do our best to recover from this event. Any further conflict will only exacerbate our disadvantage and set us back even further. Are you truly content to reign over red humanity when your new empire has crumbled into ruins?"

The Polymath slowly shook her head as she maintained a determined expression.

"I have only just begun to enact my plan. There is nothing you or anyone else can do to stop my ascension. I dare not claim that I have calculated for every possible variable, but I did not proceed with this action unless I was certain that I can account for your means of resistance."

"What gives you the confidence that you will prevail? We outnumber you! There is no one left by your side! I have already corresponded with the handful of Star Designers and god pilots who were initially sympathetic to your cause and successfully convinced them that it is unwise to elevate a tyrant into power."

It turned out that the Xenotechnician had managed to produce actual results during this time.

As the main backer of the Diplomacy Plan, it made sense that the man was good at interpersonal communications.

For him to successfully convert the Polymath's sympathizers into opponents was a major diplomatic achievement!

Unfortunately, all the Xenotechnician managed to do was to elicit a sneer from the Polymath. "They shall come crawling back to me soon enough once I have fulfilled my plan. I never truly counted on their cooperation to secure my objectives. There is nothing you can do to hinder my advance. Your acts of resistance are irrelevant."

"We shall see whether your confidence holds true this time."

It gradually dawned on them that this top-level conflict had taken on another dimension.

By arguing in the open, they were attempting to sway the people around them. The Star Designers were warring for everyone's hearts and minds.

It was clear what the Polymath wanted to do. She sought to reinforce the impression that her ascension was inevitable. Instead of trying to oppose her, people should start to think about how they could best serve her in her new administration.

The Xenotechnician on the other hand wanted to keep everyone's hopes of resistance alive. The last thing he wanted to see was for the Polymath to get away with usurping power and legitimize her reign!

A momentary stalemate emerged. The Star representing the Polymath did not attempt to overcome the blockade set by the other Star Designers as well as all of the god pilots.

Ves thought that these powerful figures could do more than to prevent the Polymath from claiming her kingdom. Why weren't they going on the offensive? Why hadn't the Xenotechnician and the guards around them not taken any concrete action to restrain the rogue Star Designer?

"If they haven't made a move, it is because doing so will set us back even further somehow." The neighboring Master Mech Designer helpfully provided his own analysis. "Look at the state of the kingdom that has been left to us. It is in a catastrophic state. It is so fragile that any damage that might result from heavy fighting may lead to an unstoppable cascade of collapses that can bring it all down. Once that happens, everyone will lose. This is the worst case scenario that everyone must prevent at all cost."

"Doesn't that mean that the Polymath is blackmailing everyone at the moment? She's using the fragility of our splinter kingdom against us! That should make her even less desirable as our ruler!"

Surprisingly enough, the Survivalists around him disagreed with that last statement.

"On the contrary, young man. You do not understand our faction enough to know what is truly taking place. This is not a civil war. This is an ideological dispute. No matter what the Polymath is doing, she has made it clear that she is doing what she thinks is best for red humanity. She fighting on our behalf in her own way. The fact that her actions are overbearing is difficult to stomach, but... it is not unacceptable in our eyes. She is not a traitor. As far as we are concerned, she is still a Star Designer, a leader of our faction and a leader of the Red Association."

Another nearby mecher added her own clarification. "One of the tenets of our faction is that the ends justify the means. Our overarching goal has always been to secure the survival of our people, no matter the cost. The Polymath may have broken the rules and acted in a less-than-acceptable manner, but if she can actually fulfill her claims and make red humanity stronger by assuming the role of a tyrant... then all is forgiven. We can work with her if she has demonstrated enough strength, calculation and cunning to lead red humanity to a better future."

"That... that's madness!" Ves reacted with shock for the umpteenth time! "Aren't you afraid of subjecting yourself to the rule of a Star Designer that has shown that she is all too willing to disregard our opinions? Perhaps it is better to accept the risks of greater damage if that is what it takes to stop her and punish her for her transgressions. We can't keep holding ourselves back like this! Doing nothing will play right into her hands!"

The Survivalists did not exhibit as much rejection towards this idea as they should.

"You still do not understand, Professor Larkinson. This... this is how the game is played at this level. It may very well be possible for the Xenotechnician and others on this ship to possess the means to stop the Polymath in a permanent manner. However... we do not want to kill her. That is why an ace mech has yet to appear. Barring the appearance of a god mech that can exercise the right amount of power and control to subjugate a Star Designer, our hands are tied."

Ves looked around in incomprehension. He had a feeling that he was hanging around with the completely wrong crowd. Why couldn't he be hanging out with the Transhumanists instead? He bet that they weren't nearly as extreme as the Survivalists!

"So you're just going to sit around and let her complete her plan without interruption?"

"That is exactly what we are going to do." The Master Mech Designer said in a clear tone of resignation. "We only have 14 Star Designers to begin with. The loss of our most comprehensive mech designer and researcher will set us back in ways that you cannot comprehend. Escalating this conflict is the worst possible outcome. It takes serious hardware to even begin to harm a woman as powerful as the Polymath, and that is far too much. The collateral damage alone will tear apart the Khamatar Reign and everyone within her hull."

It was at this time that the Polymath no longer stuck to talking anymore.

The Star Designer lifted her arm and began to manifest a crown out of nothing.

The gunmetal gray metal crown immediately attracted most people's attention. It possessed a clear and obvious transcendent quality that radiated its own power!

The Polymath proceeded to lift the relatively thin-looking crown and placed it over her head.

Nobody moved to stop her from crowning herself.

From the moment the metal headdress perfectly adorned her head between her elaborately braided hair, A pulse of power surged from the confident Star Designer!

The splinter kingdom seemed to respond to this pulse. It started to radiate more power as it somehow established a weak but escalating form resonance with the source of the trigger!

Ves couldn't help but grow stunned at this time!

As his eyes settled on the mysterious crown on the Polymath's face, he had a strong guess that this was probably the symbol of authority that was associated with an authentic Holy Son or Daughter!

How could she possibly get her hands on an actual crown?! Didn't she possess a mere fragment of the Metal Scroll?!

Ves had never attained anything close to a crown in all of the years he owned the Mech Designer System.

Either his fragment was a lot weaker, or the System had somehow scammed him by depriving him from his rightful possession!