The Mech Touch

After Ves concluded his meeting with Gloriana and Harry, he gained a much more solid direction on how to contribute to the Amaranto Mark III Project.

His wife already handled much of the assignments related to the project. She had become incredibly invested in trying to design a mech frame that successfully incorporated a much greater proportion of offensive-oriented hyper materials than normal.

If she succeeded, then the Amaranto would become one of the boldest and most interesting high-ranking marksman mech in the Red Ocean.

The design of the latest incarnation of the Instrument of Vengeance was on the right track. Now that Ves devised the Two-Step Execution Crystal, all he needed to do was to realize it step by step until it turned into a viable and working Ultimate Module. In contrast, he still did not have a good idea on how to augment the Instrument of Doom. Since his wife was growing more and more impatient about his delays, he decided to address this issue as soon as possible by scheduling a meeting with the recently promoted Commodore Zonrad Reze of the Red Fleet.

Before he met with the RF officer aboard his flagship, Ves decided to spend more time catching up with the other mech designers in the design lab.

The mech designers he sought out first were Maikel and Zanthar.

It had been years since he last tutored them in person. He had let the two young mech designers go in order to let them find their own path to success.

Ves could have given them more help. He could have guided them for a few years more. He could have sent them off for EdNet training. He could have assigned other lead designers to teach them their craft.

He did none of that. Instead, he let the two trueblood Larkinsons to fend for themselves in the Design Department, putting them on the same starting line as all of the other low-ranking mech designers who mainly performed assisting work.

However, it was the trajectory that launched the careers of many mech designers that eventually became successful.

It was difficult for a mech designer to learn the right lessons from all of the grunt work while also devoting much of their free time for additional study and private design work.

Ves had confidently thrown Maikel and Zanthar into this harsh but fair work environment in order to test them and prevent them from getting spoiled.

He wanted to avoid that last outcome at all cost. A spoiled mech designer might be able coast along pretty easily at the start, but they would hit an insurmountable wall by the time they sought to realize their design philosophy.

It was not until Journeymen and Seniors had to rely on their own initiative, ingenuity and problem-solving capabilities that the unworthy began to suffer for their inadequacies.

If Ves continued to give Maikel and Zanthar handouts on a regular basis, then the two mech designers would never be able to develop the right attitude and skills related to solving difficult problems by themselves.

It was better for them to struggle with overcoming the relatively low-level design problems that low-ranking mech designers typically encountered during this stage of their career.

That was how Ves managed to climb his way up as well.

Of course, Ves was well aware that he could not be used as a proper example as he depended a lot on the System to improve his Skills and Sub-Skills.

He actually felt tempted to give Maikel and Zanthar access to the System for this reason, hoping that they would be able to follow a similar trajectory to his own and achieve success in a remarkably short time.

Ves eventually rejected this proposal.

The reason why he chose to withhold the System from the two young mech designers was not because of lack of trust.

Maikel and Zanthar were Larkinsons through and through, and they had never exhibited any signs of rebellion or wanting to become independent.

The issue was that Ves ultimately did not think it would be conducive to their growth, at least at their current stages.

They at least needed to be able to advance to the rank of Journeyman Mech Designer by relying on their own power and prove they possessed true passion and the willingness to work harder than ordinary mech designers to realize their ambitions! While this sounded like a healthy plan, the problem was that this phase was taking an awfully long time.

That caused Ves to harbor doubts about whether he had made the right decisions for the two Apprentices.

On the surface, Ves shouldn't really have any complaints. Not every mech designer was a prodigy or a lucky bastard who was able to become a Journeyman before reaching the age of 30.

It was pretty normal for Journeymen to arise at the age of 50, 60 and maybe even

More.

While breaking through at a later age granted the mech designers less time to advance to Senior and Master, late bloomers were actually incredibly common in the

Mech industry.

Besides, with the onset of systematic cultivation, age had become even less of a

Concern.

People gained easy access to free curated cultivation methods that could easily double their current lifespans if they devoted enough time and effort into their practice.

As long as the Red War and subsequent conflicts did not collapse all of human civilization and turned red humanity extinct, then Maikel and Zanthar would have all the time they want to find a way to become Journeymen and higher.

Yet... was Ves really satisfied with allowing these two brats to take their sweet time to advance to the next rank?

As a highly celebrated mech designer who managed to become a Senior at around 40 years old while being married to a woman who managed to make a similar accomplishment, Ves grew increasingly less satisfied with the slow progress of his two once-students!

While he was on his way to the section of the design lab where they could be found, Ves tried to make up his mind on what sort of stance he should take.

Should he be lenient and patient with them for doing their jobs at their own pace, or should he express anger and disappointment at their lack of notable accomplishments

Over the years?

Ves failed to make up his mind by the time he reached their workplace. He decided to withhold his judgment and hear them out in person.

"Sir!"

"Patriarch!"

"Good afternoon, Apprentices. I am here to check up on your progress. I hope you haven't been wasting the time I gave you since our last proper meeting. You might not be my direct disciples, but I still consider myself responsible for your education and progress. Let's sit down and have a good talk"

"Very well, sir."

Maikel and Zanthar both looked fairly young and tender, just like how they appeared back when they were still studying under Ves.

However, their temperament had changed considerably. If Ves had to describe it, it was that both of them had lost their immaturity that they still possessed during their adolescence. They had grown calmer, more weathered and more prepared to face the realities of their difficult careers.

At least the two had grown up to the point where they appeared to possess the right mindset of a Journeyman.

Then why had they failed to attain their breakthroughs? What was holding them back?

Once the three sat down at a nearby work table, Ves steepled his fingers and gazed at the Apprentices with a critical expression.

"Neither of you are stupid, so you must have guessed why I have come. Let me state in advance that I am not prejudging you. Every mech designer is different, and you are still in your thirties, which is still a prime age for Apprentices. What I care about more is whether you have spent your time fruitfully. If you are lingering in your current ranks because you have been messing around and not employing your advantages to the fullest, then I am questioning whether you deserve to stay in the Design Department. After all, I do not want you to stay here if the work environment is making you too comfortable and complacent. Mech designers rarely tend to make good progress if they feel too fulfilled. It is the absence of fulfillment that produces the strong motivation that we rely upon to create works that surpass the normal

Standard."

Both younger mech designers nodded with serious expressions.

"We have not been wasting our time, sir." Maikel spoke first. "To be honest, the main

Reason why we are still Apprentices is because we chose to pursue more difficult and ambitious design philosophies. We could have settled for more modest goals, but... if we did so, we would never be able to reach your level of success and contributions. We don't want to end up as average mech designers. We want to become a pillar of the Larkinson Clan and a legend of the mech community like you. Both of us are aware that we can never get close to reaching your height if we choose to commit to narrow and less ambitious design philosophies."

Zanthar echoed his fellow trueblood Larkinson's intent. "This is why we deliberately set our targets high, teacher. We decided that if we wanted to pursue our careers to the fullest, we either try to rise as blazing stars, or fail to get off the ground at all. We don't want to settle for becoming another average or faceless mech designer in the crowd. We would rather fail outright and admit that we are not as talented and lucky as you. So far, I think our progress will surprise. We have not yet managed to reach our first goal, but I think we have gotten rather close."

Ves did not know how to feel at the moment. He distinctly felt it was his fault that his students had chosen to enter a high-risk, high-reward trajectory when they did not necessarily have the qualifications to pursue such a difficult career direction. Not everyone was suitable to become the stars of the mech industry. For every massive success story like the Polymath and more recently Ves, there were millions if not billions of unexceptional mech designers that failed to achieve galaxy-wide

Renown.

That did not necessarily mean the latter were failures. These quiet and unassuming mech designers were able to achieve modest successes that were more than enough to make them content.

What was wrong with becoming a humble Journeyman or Senior?

Even if they managed to work their way up to becoming a Master Mech Designer by

Pursuing a fairly low-grade design philosophy, there was no reason to belittle their accomplishments.

Any contribution was helpful no matter how small or modest.

In fact, Ves knew that many mech designers ended up getting stuck and failing to

Attain any further progress not because they were selfish or lazy, but because they bit off more than they could chew.

Cases where overambitious mech designers such as Maikel and Zanthar aimed too

High, yet failed to live up to their inflated expectations were distressingly common in

The mech industry!

Right now, it remained to be seen whether the two former students had what it took to become a legend in the making like Ves.

Ves adopted a stern expression as he faced the two dreamers.

"Every mech designer has a right to dream. Choosing a design philosophy is a deeply personal choice that is tied into your passion. If you are not satisfied with more modest goals, then it is indeed a valid choice to chase after a more ambitious idea. Far be it for me to dissuade you from doing what your heart thinks is right. However, reality rarely accommodates your personal desires. Don't forget that both of you must all earn your keep in the Design Department. So many mech designers want to work in this design lab that I cannot justify the decision to keep you around when there are more deserving professionals around. In order to establish whether the two of you are still worth subsidizing, I want to hear what you are trying to accomplish."

The two mech designers did not look too surprised after hearing this. They already

Made the psychological preparation to account for what they have been doing over the past few years. "That is fair, teacher."

Ves gave them a cold smile. "Now that we are on the same page, let's start with you,

Zanthar."

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