The Mech Touch

General Ark Larkinson looked incredibly satisfied when he finally emerged from the cockpit of his new expert mech.

Compared to the brilliant light show that the Lionheart had produced before, the brand new expert command mech had finally entered a state of rest.

Even though Ark had withdrawn his mind and will from his fantastic new machine, the Lionheart still exhibited a few signs of activity.

As a living hyper mech that had been programmed to automatically cultivate the Lesser Larkinson Metal Guardian Mantra, the Lionheart should always be in a state of permanent cultivation.

The constant attraction of light-attributed E-energy caused the surface of the Lionheart to exude a soft white glow. It made for a good light source if nothing else.

Ark looked back at his new expert mech with clear yearning and affection. He and his Lionheart still had a lot of fight left in them. The relatively brief spar against Saintess Ulrika Vraken and her Macharia Excelsia provided a good amount of exercise, but ended far too quickly for his tastes.

He wanted to fight all day if possible!

The more practice he got in, the more extensively he would be able to master his new expert mech's strengths and weaknesses. Ark clearly comprehended that he needed a lot more intensive practice if he wanted to get accustomed to a much better expert mech.

He needed to build up the mech-specific skills and 'muscle memory' that enabled him to employ all manner of powerful moves and techniques in the heat of battle!

Ark might be able to bully weaker opponents at his current state, but he knew in his heart that he would quickly fall into a disadvantage against a stronger and more experienced enemy.

The differences in fluency and proficiency may be subtle, but they could make a substantial difference in a high-level confrontation!

As Ark thought about how much training he could squeeze into his schedule for the next half year, he finally met up with Ves and the rest.

"Your new expert mech is so cool!" Andraste squealed as she held Lucky in her arms. "It is so strong and it looks so heroic whenever it launches a big attack. Your mech is like a roaring lion that never lets up once it goes into action. The Lionheart is definitely the most awesome mech on this planet!"

Ark directed a proud and indulgent smile at the little girl. "Let us not get ahead of ourselves. There are lots of powerful first-class multipurpose mechs on this planet that can overpower my Lionheart. Granted, it will become a lot harder for them to do so if I break through yet again, but it is taboo for mech pilots to assume that they are already the best. There are always stronger rivals and enemies in the cosmos."

"Ohh..."

Ves smiled and ruffled his second daughter's hair. "Your uncle is right. Once a mech pilot thinks that he is the strongest, there is much less pressure to seek further improvement. I have observed many mech pilots throughout my life, and it is always the ones that believe that they are too inadequate that demonstrate more progress. This is why the proportion of high-ranking mech pilots is actually the lowest among first-raters."

The situation was a lot more complex than that. The first-raters made up for this inadequacy by concentrating on training the most talented potentates that are blessed with A and B-grade genetic aptitudes.

However, it was quite remarkable how third-rate and second-rate mech pilots were able to rise from mediocrity with just a fraction of the resources enjoyed by their more superior counterparts.

In any case, the previous testing session confirmed that the Lionheart precisely met all of Ark's demands.

Aside from a few shortcomings that were difficult to remedy, the new masterwork expert mech was fully capable of accompanying Ark in the foreseeable future!

Ark and the mech designers exchanged a few words about the Lionheart's performance.

Even though the Lionheart was a fantastic mech, there were still areas that could use a few tweaks in order to complement its pilot to a greater extent.

"The Cleansing Light's emitters have sustained serious damage." Gloriana pointedly noted to Ark. "You became so engrossed in your spar against Saintess Ulrika that you failed to control the heat output of your plasma sword. We will have to replace the damaged components with fresher ones in order to restore the condition of your weapon again."

"My apologies. I let my joy get the better of me. I have repressed my desires for a new mech for such a long time that I could not hold back anymore."

Ves did not think it was a big deal. "It is okay. We managed to gather more comprehensive data on the performance of your plasma sword. Whenever you are locked in a challenging situation, don't hold back. I would rather see you coming back with your Cleansing Light in a mess than see you harmed in any way."

"There is no cause for concern. I know my way around a battlefield."

The first expert mech design project of the new generation had formally come to an end after this day.

Once the mech designers handled all of the remaining affairs, they took a well-deserved break for a time.

With Ark and Benjamin visiting Diandi Base, there were plenty of opportunities to enjoy a bit of quality family time.

Once the Larkinsons had recovered from their previous exertions, they gathered together at the mech workshop a few days later.

One of the reasons why Ves and Gloriana decided not to start their next fabrication run so quickly was because they wanted to digest the gains from making their latest masterwork mech.

Both of them had gained a huge amount of insights during the last fabrication run.

Whether it was all of the hands-on experience with handling hyper materials or exposure to the ancient methods related to making better artifacts, the Miracle Couple had definitely improved substantially compared to before!

This was why they gained significantly greater confidence in their ability to complete the next fabrication run.

The Blood Star Mark II Project was not as easy and straightforward as the last project.

Not only was it partially organic in nature, it was also based on an existing Carmine mech.

Ves could disassemble the Blood Star Mark II to an extent, but he could not 'destroy' it in its totality!

In fact, upgrading the organic parts of the Carmine System was a huge ordeal as these fleshy bits still had to remain connected to the rest of the mech frame in a fashion.

It was incredibly troublesome to upgrade this kind of mech, but Ves did so without hesitation because his grandfather maintained an active Blood Pact with this humble machine!

Gloriana went off to pray to the Superior Mother yet again at this time.

Ves did not even know why his wife bothered with it. He was pretty sure that his mother did not get involved from beginning to end. The only benefit Gloriana received from this ritual was that she self-hypnotized herself into thinking that she carried the blessing of a Supreme.

Oh well. It was fine as long as she could produce a better result.

Venerable Benjamin Larkinson stared wistfully at the partially disassembled Carmine mech that he had been piloting in the last few months.

Due to the need to open up the mech frame so that Ves could upgrade the Carmine System in advance, the Blood Star looked like the carcass of a cyborg that had been desecrated in order to perform an occult ritual.

It was not a pleasant sight!

"Do you think you can turn my Blood Star into a masterwork mech like the Lionheart?" Benjamin asked his grandson.

Ves shrugged. "Normally, I would say yes, but your expert mech is a special case, as I am sure you already know. My craftsmanship has made a lot of strides during the last week, but the Blood Star Mark II Project is such a mystery box that I cannot make any predictions about the outcome. I can only say that my wife and I shall do our best. It is not a disaster if your expert mech falls a little short in the end. The second generation god body solution will gradually improve its quality over time. You will also be able to spend more time rebuilding your foundation and set yourself up for success."

"I suppose that will have to do." Benjamin agreed.

As an old man that had spent decades as a crippled and retired soldier, his patience was a lot more considerable than that of his descendants. He understood the value of taking it slow and steady.

A few minutes passed by before Gloriana returned from her latest praying session. Her mood betrayed her enthusiasm.

"I am ready to begin."

"Before we start, my grandfather here has a question about your work." Ves spoke.

The old man turned to his grandson's wife. "I just wanted to ask whether your god body method can also take effect on the Carmine System. Will my Blood Star still be able to evolve into a masterwork mech if this is not the case?"

That caused Gloriana to frown. "I have been puzzling over this scenario for months. My honest answer is that my second generation god body method has yet to be applied to biomechs or any sort of organic tissue. Unlike my husband, I do not minor in biotechnology and biomech design. In order for my god body method to be effective, I need to have at least a solid idea on how these organic parts can be perfected. Suffice to say, I am unable to visualize a more perfect version of a Carmine System. I cannot apply my solution without direction. The most probable outcome is that nothing will happen, but there is a serious chance that my inappropriate actions will produce dangerous mutations. We cannot afford to make this gamble."

Though Ves liked to take a gamble every now and then, the Blood Star Mark II Project was already riddled with bets. He could not justify another action that would only raise the risk profile of this fabrication run even more!

"It will be fine." Ves tried to reassure his grandfather. "The Blood Star Mark II will be able to cultivate on its own, especially once it becomes a third order living mech. I have tweaked its cultivation method so that it will consciously try to improve the power of its blood and flesh. I think this may be a way for a cyborg mech to increase its overall quality over time."

"What if you are wrong?"

"Then I will figure out another solution. One of the downsides of biomechs is that it is much harder to turn them into masterwork mechs. Their production method contributes a lot to that. It is hard for production based on organic growth to maintain consistency at a high level. However, it is possible to turn biomechs into masterwork mechs after the fact by purposefully modifying and correcting the mature products. I can try to do this in the future once I have developed the third generation Carmine System."

Ves had already begun to think on how to improve the latest iteration of the Carmine System.

Even though Ves still needed to explore the expanded possibilities of the second generation Carmine System, all of this work would only refine its applications at best.

If Ves wanted to fulfill one of his ultimate ambitions, then he needed to refine the Carmine System even further.

He not only had to expand its power and capabilities, but also work towards making it cheaper, smaller and less dangerous!

Only when he was able to transform the Carmine System into a module that was suitable for mass production and mass adoption would he have a chance to realize his design philosophy!

This was his main goal as a Senior Mech Designer, so he would never stop working on the Carmine System in one capacity or another.