The Mech Touch

This unassuming meeting was one of the most impactful events of the Larkinson Clan.

It did not look like it, but the gathering of the patriarch along with the leading figures of the Larkinson Army would determine the future direction of the clan in its entirety!

What was at stake was the Larkinson Clan's entry into first-class society. Many clansmen wanted to fulfill their lifelong ambition to become first-raters, and now they finally had an actual chance to become one of the foremost humans in their society!

Yet the requirements to become a first-class citizen were so harsh that Ves could only bring along a limited number of people.

This created a lot of tension as only a tiny proportion of Larkinsons would be fortunate enough to grasp this opportunity in advance.

Everyone else either had to wait their turn or forgo this opportunity entirely, dooming themselves to remaining as second-raters for the rest of their lives!

No one wanted to be the ones to decide who got to accompany Ves to the upper zones. There were so many possible candidates that it was inevitable for them to disappoint plenty more.

Ves did not like this either, but as the leader of his own clan, he had a duty and a responsibility to make this determination in a manner that was as fair as possible for the Larkinsons.

Perhaps sensing the growing tension over the dilemmas posed by this issue, The Golden Cat decided to make an appearance in person.

"Nyaaaaaa!"

Stationed a short distance behind the position where Ves was seated, Nitaa remained unmoved as the Larkinson Mandate attached to her armor began to glow bright and warm.

The tension in the conference room quickly faded as the Golden Cat playfully soared above everyone's heads before landing in the middle of the table.

The cat laid down as if she was relaxing and started to lick her own intangible fur.

"Nyaa- nyaa- nyaa-"

Ves and several other people couldn't help but smile at the sight. The ancestral spirit of the Larkinson Clan seemed to convey that there was no reason for them to tie themselves into knots over this issue.

They should just follow their heart and make the decisions that they thought was necessary to bring the Larkinson Clan to a greater height.

Venerable Joshua twitched his lips into a smile. "1 don't think that any other clan in human space can keep its members sane by bathing us in the presence of a cute cat."

"That's the Larkinson Clan for you. Sometimes I wonder if our clan is actually run by cats."

"I don't think your guess is too far off the mark."

Ves coughed. "Stop joking around, please. Let's get back to business. 1 have put a bit of thought on this issue, but before 1 lay them out, 1 would like to add a few additional circumstances that will complicate this decision. First of, the EdNet is an accelerated learning simulation program, which means that it is an extreme application of conventional technology. However, no matter how realistic the mechers have made their simulations, it is ultimately limited by the same constraints that afflict all virtual reality simulation programs. The degree of realism is never completely perfect. It lacks all of the novel and unique features that make our MSTS so much better."

That disappointed a lot of mech pilots. They had grown so accustomed to training with the MSTS that they had eschewed conventional virtual reality simulation training programs entirely.

It was still necessary to dip into the latter once in a while in order to set up fights against mechs that weren't programmed in the MSTS and so on, but otherwise the Larkinsons completely disdained the inferior tech of virtual reality!

Ves already predicted this reaction from his clansmen. "I do not consider the EdNet to be a full-fledged training device that can replace live training sessions and actual combat entirely. Far from it. However, the single greatest advance that the Neuromancer created and the Polymath improved upon is the accelerated learning system. That is a capability that the MSTS cannot match. Therefore, when it comes to training and educating people to the standards of a first-rater, the EdNet is by far superior because it simply provides its users with lots of time to learn all of the complicated sciences, theories and basic skills if applicable."

The people around the conference table nodded in understanding. This was easy to understand now that Ves pointed out this defining advantage.

"When it comes to mech pilots in particular, the EdNet is good at shoring up their theoretical knowledge and their basic piloting skills. They can train as much as the virtual reality simulation scenarios are able to accommodate, and no more. What is important to note is that it cannot accommodate true resonance of any kind."

"What does that mean for expert pilots such as ourselves?" Venerable Jannzi asked with concern.

"The mechers do not recommend high-ranking pilots to make use of the EdNet at all." Ves straightforwardly answered. "Not only will expert pilots such as yourself get frustrated by the lack of realism, you will also be forced to fight like standard pilots for an extended amount of time. None of you will be able to meaningfully exercise your resonance strength. This is extremely counterproductive to their progression as momentum is important to your kind. If you don't make actual progress, you will lose your warrior's heart. The amount of times it takes for this to happen varies among different expert pilots, but think how much your willpower can regress if you spend 20 years doing nothing but book learning and play fighting with awful virtual mechs."

The expert pilots all frowned, but they did not remain upset for long. It was already clear to them that they had transcended their mortality and evolved into a different kind of existence.

The EdNet was largely reserved for ordinary mortals who possessed limited capabilities to promote to first-raters on their own. Expert pilots were much stronger and more capable. It was not impossible for them to learn the skills of first-class mech pilots by relying on their own efforts!

Ves felt relieved when he saw that his announcement did not impact the confidence of his expert pilots.

"I intend to make separate arrangements for you all." He spoke to Joshua and the other expert pilots in attendance. "We shall talk after we have concluded this meeting."

"Understood, sir."

Ves turned back to the rest. "Anyway, the mechers have conducted extensive studies on the kind of people who make use of the EdNet and what they have gained after they have finished their tours. What I can tell you is that genetic aptitude is extremely important for mech pilots. The lower your genetic aptitude, the lower the time acceleration that you can bear. The EdNet places so much chronic strain on the brain of a user that brain damage is inevitable. The only difference is the severity of the sequaela. Pilots with A and B-grade genetic aptitudes don't have anything to worry about. Pilots with C-grade genetic aptitudes have to reduce the time acceleration in order to remain within the safety band."

Everyone knew what that meant. The vast majority of mech pilots who signed up for the Larkinson Clan weren't particularly talented.

Even if the Larkinson Clan's recruiting standards made it difficult for pilots with D-grade genetic aptitudes and lower to join up, that did not change the fact that most pilots were either average or just slightly above average in terms of aptitude!

No one in the clan really cared about this before because second-class mechs weren't too burdensome to pilot.

While they were definitely more difficult and demanding to pilot than third-class mechs, most machines remained pretty reasonable. Ves always paid a lot of attention to the complexity of his mech designs due to his many Mastery experiences.

This was not as easy as it sounded as he possessed an overactive imagination. He often had to restrain himself from overloading his design with marginal features.

While second-class mechs hit a comfortable sweet spot between power and ease of use, it was different for first-class mechs.

The complications related to the EdNet was just the first of many different barriers that discriminated against mech pilots with average genetic aptitudes!

Suffice to say, General Verle and the other mech officers looked deeply concerned. If the selection was solely based on genetic aptitude, then they were afraid that not many Larkinson mech pilots would pass the requirements!

"There are good reasons why most first-class organizations only take mech pilots with A and B-grade genetic aptitudes seriously. Pilots with C-grade genetic aptitudes can only become reservists and serve in rear guard units at most." Ves spoke to them all. "That said, our Larkinson Clan is different. We are family. I do not want to denigrate the value of most of our pilots just because they aren't able to make the best use out of the EdNet. I will let you in on another secret. The Red Association has been working on loosening the limitations imposed by genetic aptitude for a long time. It is not impossible for average mech pilots to be able to bear the burden of piloting a fully equipped first-class multipurpose mech in the future!"

That gave the gathered Larkinsons a bit of hope, though this was not the first time they heard such rumors. Whether Ves' words were credible or not, it would probably take a long time to make this dream come true.

At least that was what they thought. Ves couldn't outright tell them that an experimental solution already existed, but that he had been the one to develop it in the first place!

Although the Carmine System was bound to become public knowledge in the future, Ves wasn't sure how long that would take. He could only apologize to his clansmen in his heart and limit the spread of this secret for the time being.

"Does this mean that a Larkinson mech pilot with a C-grade genetic aptitude can obtain an EdNet quota?" General Verle asked.

Ves nodded. "Yes. I do not intend to bar their way, but I do not want to waste the quotas either. Much of what the mech pilots will be doing when connected to the EdNet is to learn an expansive amount of knowledge and master multiple sets of basic skills. The study load is extremely high, and the new first-class augmentations provided by the Red Association can only do so much in increasing your learning efficiency. What I am saying is that only mech pilots who have demonstrated a high degree of intellect and study effectiveness are eligible to earn a quota."

"So... are you saying that we should hold exams throughout the Larkinson Army and award the EdNet quotas to the top scorers?"

"Yes." Ves confirmed. "Well, we should add a few other criteria as well in order to refine the selection, but in general priority must go to the smartest mech pilots of our clan. I don't care whether a pilot has an innate talent for combat or is a crack shot with a rifle. If that person is an imbecile when it comes to theoretical studies, then he has no business occupying an EdNet quota."

That would doubtlessly disappoint a lot of Larkinson mech pilots, especially the more veteran ones who were originally third-raters. They had already struggled to promote to second-class mech pilots, but that was probably their limit.

Ves did not look too upset at this, though. "Don't worry too much. The Ednet is not the only way for mech pilots to attain greatness. You can still fight as a second-class mech pilot and try your best to break through. As long as you evolve far enough, the distinction between second-class and first-class becomes increasingly less important."

That was true. Ace pilots such as Patriarch Reginald Cross and Saintess Ulrika Vraken had become so good at their jobs that they could meet the standard of a comprehensive first-class mech pilot in record time if they wanted!