The Mech Touch

5794 The Beacon of Evolution

After ending an exhausting call with his wife, Ves quickly chatted with a few other important figures before he finally cleared his immediate schedule.

He only had minutes to go until his appointment with the Evolution Witch commenced.

It did not surprise him that there were protocols to contacting god pilots by remote.

Their dignity should never be affronted, and it was bad form to keep them waiting for whatever reason.

The choice of venue where Ves wanted to establish a connection was important. The Ector V Branch of the Red Association had offered its most stately secure communication center, though he could always fall back to the Tarrasque as well.

The planetary headquarters offered much better facilities, but Ves plainly did not trust the place.

He chose to get teleported back to the Tarrasque without hesitation as the flagship as well as the Bluejay Fleet had been under the effective control of the Survivalist Faction for the most part.

Even if a god pilot was capable of establishing total information security on the other end of a communication line, it was best not to tempt fate.

Ves freshened up a bit. He donned another uniform and made sure to go over the topics he wanted to discuss with the Evolution Witch.

An opportunity like this did not come every day. Not only had he managed to arrange a personal meeting with her, he also did so just after completing one of his greatest coups in his career!

The halo from his astonishing attempt to reform human society had not only lifted up his spirits, but also earned the appreciation of almost every god pilot in the new frontier!

Most of these ultimate soldiers and warriors appreciated bravery in others. Ves had always tried to be more proactive and take greater risks than other mech designers precisely because it would endear him more to mech pilots.

While the dangers were myriad, the payoff was worth it. He doubted that he would have been able to secure a meeting with a powerful god pilot so easily if he had not proven his mettle through other deeds!

While Ves expected the upcoming meeting to proceed cordially given that he already cooperated intimately with the Transhumanist Faction, he still grew concerned about what its leader might impose on him now that they met in person.

It was quite difficult for Ves to resist any direct instructions from the Evolution Witch. He might not be a direct subordinate of hers, but their power disparity was so high that it was not feasible for him to reject any orders as long as they were reasonable enough.

The only way he could counter such an event was to invoke the Destroyer of Worlds and hope that his most supportive ally among the god pilots would put an end to any tyrannical behavior.

Ves took a couple of deep breaths in order to calm himself down and reset his mind. God pilots possessed razor sharp intuition and were extremely good at reading the intentions of other people. It would not do for Ves to entertain any negative thoughts.

A signal sounded across the secure chamber deep inside the Tarrasque.

That prompted Ves to straighten his back and inspect his appearance one more time. He had defaulted to wearing his usual Larkinson uniform again. His Oceancaller, his Hammer of Brilliance and his Hammer of Melody all hung on his trusty toolbelt. He wore each of them proudly even if few people understood what they actually represented.

Actually, that was not true anymore. Ves had shown off the Oceancaller in such an astonishing manner that inquiries about it had already exploded on the galactic net!

He hoped that revealing and showcasing a high-level artifact might spur the growth of the traditional blacksmith community. Their crafts could produce feats that could not be replicated with modern technology, at least for the time being.

Once cultivators became more common in society, each of them needed the appropriate tools and weapons to enhance their individual capabilities.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with equipping them with modern equipment as well. Who said a cultivator couldn't wear a suit of combat armor?

The Tarrasque's secure communication systems soon began to establish an encrypted connection with the Evolution Witch.

A strong presence descended into the entire compartment.

Ves had already endured the presence of multiple powerful personalities before, but this was different.

Not only was this taking place in a much smaller setting, but the Evolution Witch clearly paid a lot more attention to Ves on an individual basis.

He could clearly feel that the god pilot took her time to explore the immediate surroundings. Just the barest hint of her God Kingdom extended through the communication channel, but that already granted the Evolution Witch plenty of power to inspect the entire chamber and muffle any hidden sensors and other unpleasant surprises.

Not that Ves expected her to find any. From the moment he booked this compartment, the crew of the heavy cruiser would make sure it was swept totally clean. No mecher wanted to bear the guilt of attempting to eavesdrop on a conversation involving a god pilot, no matter how futile it was for the attempt to even succeed!

The fact that the Evolution Witch took her time showed that she showed enough care towards this concern. It also signaled to Ves that she probably intended to address a number of sensitive topics herself.

Once she was done, the god pilot continued to maintain a light energy field that was sufficient to block and detect practically any remote listening attempts.

Unfortunately, it also had the effect of blocking or dampening Ves' existing connections with the Golden Cat and other entities, but he had already taken this possibility into account.

The physical projection of the god pilot floated imperiously before Ves. The woman who appeared in her human guise wore a purple robe with glowing green accents.

Despite her name, the Evolution Witch consciously maintained a relatively normal human appearance. She did not display any obvious inhuman mutations, though her body was certainly anything but normal.

The only personal touches she made to her human form was to turn her eyes yellow and her hair midnight blue.

Her human appearance was ultimately a trivial part of herself. Ves knew enough about god pilots that they had effectively transcended the barrier between the material and immaterial.

They were willpower made manifest, which was another way of saying that they were extremely powerful energy-based life forms.

It was her God Kingdom that truly gave Ves an understanding of her fundamental personality, conviction and psyche.

The descriptions that people made for the Evolution Witch were exactly on the mark. Anyone who had the luxury of getting in touch with her God Kingdom would feel their body, mind and spirit become more stimulated.

Ves almost couldn't resist the urge to close his eyes and bask in the woman's presence. He felt that every part of himself had become a little looser, priming himself for any form of evolution.

Blinky's constantly active cultivation also became a bit more effective than before. His efficiency increased a little further. The Blinkyverse filled up a little faster, speeding up the expansion of its internal space into a sizable star system.

This was the power commanded by god pilots. Their God Kingdoms formed the basis of their power and exposed their true selves without any obfuscation.

Right now, Ves gained a more thorough understanding of how much the Evolution Witch obsessed about improving her life essence.

This actually reassured him a bit. Not only did this make her more predictable, but he also happened to be quite compatible with her. His design philosophy was based around Mutual Growth, which meant that his principles and ideals were bound to be similar!

Both of them smiled at each other. They both understood without saying anything that they probably shared a few goals in common with each other.

The female god pilot finally broke the silence.

"<nullb>YOU ARE AN INTERESTING PERSONALITY. I HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO INVESTIGATE YOU. I STUDIED YOUR RECORDS, WATCHED YOUR PUBLIC FOOTAGE AND INTERVIEWED A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE INTERACTED WITH YOU BEFORE. MY INTEREST IN YOU HAS ONLY GROWN AFTER THAT. YOU MAY NOT LOOK LIKE IT ON THE SURFACE, BUT YOU ARE FAR MORE THAN WHAT YOU APPEAR ON THE SURFACE."

Ves tried his best to remain calm. "I may have developed a few special talents and abilities, but I always consider myself a mech designer first and foremost. Everything that I do is for the purpose of empowering my mechs and serving my customers in better ways."

The Evolution Witch did not hide the fact that she was judging him at this time.

"<nullb>I AM RELIEVED TO FIND THAT YOU ARE BEING SINCERE. IF YOUR MOTIVES AND METHODS WERE IMPURE, THEN WE WOULD BE HAVING A DIFFERENT CONVERSATION. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU ARE OFF THE HOOK. THE KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES THAT YOU POSSESS CAN INFLICT UNTOLD DAMAGE TO OUR SOCIETY. DO YOU AGREE, HOLY SON OF THE METAL SCROLL?"

Ves resisted the urge to gulp. This was a pretty direct threat and warning.

"I am a mech designer. I won't be stupid enough to forget my fundamental purpose. I may get distracted from time to time, but my research always ties back to my primary vocation in a way. As for that Holy Son stuff… that is completely irrelevant to me. I am more than aware that the Five Scrolls Compact is a thing of the past. We aren't even in the same galaxy anymore. I have always considered myself to be a member of modern human society."

The Evolution Witch smiled and slightly let up on her pressure. "<nullb>IT IS GOOD TO HEAR THAT YOU HAVE A PROPER PERSPECTIVE. I WAS BORN LONG AFTER THE TIME WHERE THE FIVE SCROLLS COMPACT TERRORIZED HUMAN CIVILIZATION. I DO NOT HARBOR ANY ILL WILL TOWARDS THE FACT THAT YOU CARRY A FRAGMENT OF THE MYTHICAL METAL SCROLL WITH YOU. I EVEN CONSIDER IT TO BE A BOON FOR RED HUMANITY. YOUR ECLECTIC INVENTIONS INDICATE THAT YOU HAVE A WILLINGNESS TO TRANSLATE YOUR GAINS FROM THIS ANCIENT RELIC INTO MEANINGFUL CONTRIBUTIONS TO HUMAN CIVILIZATION. IT IS ULTIMATELY THROUGH DEEDS, NOT WORDS THAT YOU HAVE DEMONSTRATED THE CAPACITY THAT YOU ARE A TRUE MECH DESIGNER."

Though Ves was most definitely frightened about the fact that the Evolution Witch openly addressed the Metal Scroll, he already knew that it was impossible to hide this secret from the likes of a god pilot at this point.

The Red Association knew too much. The mechers tracked everything. They spied on almost every move he made. They calculated and analyzed his progression to such a fine detail that it was obvious that he definitely benefited from extraordinary help in order to produce so many groundbreaking innovations!

"I… cannot deny that there is an element of self-enrichment in my usage of my… gifts, but no human works for free. I like to think that I have been a remarkably responsible user of my fragment of the Metal Scroll than most."

"<nullb>I AM INCLINED TO AGREE, BUT DO NOT EXPECT EVERYONE TO EXPRESS THE SAME DEGREE OF UNDERSTANDING. THE SURVIVORS OF THE AGE OF CONQUEST HAVE A MUCH WORSE IMPRESSION TOWARDS HOLY SONS THAN THE CHILDREN OF THE AGE OF MECHS. THE FIRST FLAME'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS YOU IS ESPECIALLY CONCERNING."

Damn! The First Flame was over 600 years old, which meant that he most certainly occupied a senior position when the Big Two rebelled against the Five Scrolls Compact!

The god pilot not only knew a lot more about the Compact and its Holy Sons than anyone else alive today, but he had likely lost a lot more friends,comrades and subordinates during this tragic war!

How could Ves possibly react to this reality?

"My mother may be culpable for any past crimes the Five Scrolls Compact has committed, but it has nothing to do with me. I hope the First Flame understands at least that much."

"<nullb>HE DOES, WHICH IS THE MAIN REASON WHY HE HAS NOT EXTENDED HIS FLAME AND BURNED YOU UNTIL THERE IS NOTHING LEFT BUT ASHES. YOU ARE PLAYING A DANGEROUS GAME SO LONG AS YOU CONTINUE TO HOLD A REMNANT OF THE DREADED COMPACT. DO NOT GIVE MY OLDER PEER AN EXCUSE TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST YOU. NOTHING CAN SAVE YOU FROM HIS CLEANSING FLAMES."

This time, Ves could not stop himself from gulping.

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