The Mech Touch

5798 Blocked

Ves exited the secure communication chamber half an hour later.

The powerful God Kingdom that had reached across the communication channel and imposed an isolation field around the compartment had finally disappeared, much to the crew's relief.

Every mecher stationed on the Tarrasque tried to fulfill their routine duties as diligently as possible. None of them dared to relax, joke around or act less than impeccably.

Jovy Armalon and Vector Loban waited outside the corridor for the entire duration. Both of them kept their backs ramrod straight even though it was clear that the Evolution Witch never paid them any mind from beginning to end.

Ves did not look like he had experienced a dream come true by speaking at length with an actual god pilot.

Countless people would have given up everything just to receive a little bit validation from one of the most powerful humans to exist, yet Ves looked as if he had lived through an arduous battle!

"Has your meeting with the leader of my faction concluded to your satisfaction?" Professor Vector Loban inquired.

Ves tiredly rubbed his face. "I suppose so, but… she didn't make it easy for me. It's been a long day. So much has happened that I need to take a lengthy break."

"Your quarters are always available to you. For security reasons, it is best if you and your entourage remain on this flagship. The Red Association has already confirmed that reinforcements are on the way to bolster the Bluejay Fleet. We will soon be joined by 3 light cruisers and 2 combat carriers."

"Combat carriers?"

"Yes. They are urgently needed. The ship class selected for the Bluejay Fleet can only hold 20 first-class multipurpose mechs each, but they possess robust repair suites and can carry an abundant amount of supplies. Additionally, the carriers also hold 1 elite infantry battalion each. The availability of additional mechs and infantry will substantially improve your security whenever you are indoors or on the surface of a planet."

"Well, I guess anything helps." Ves shrugged.

He should have been more pleased that the mechers had seen fit to ramp up his security, but he was too mentally fatigued to show a stronger reaction. Trying to keep his wits and maintain his composure in front of the Evolution Witch had drained him a lot more than he expected.

Jovy made an awkward remark.

"The additional reinforcements are welcome, but they fall short of the standards of a full escort fleet for a tier 2 galactic citizen or higher. Given everything that you have accomplished today, there should be enough justification to raise your galactic citizenship tier. However, I have found no such change in the records."

Ves grimaced when Jovy mentioned this painful point.

There was a time where he would have rejected such a high-

profile move, but that had passed now that he had painted an even bigger target on his back!

"I politely requested the Evolution Witch about this subject, but… I did not receive a favorable response."

"For what reason?"

Both mechers looked genuinely puzzled. Ves was already being called the Father of the Red Collective despite the fact that the organization had not yet formed at this time!

Since the Red Collective was meant to become an equal partner to the Red Association and the Red Fleet, it would be a travesty if Ves still did not receive the promotion he deserved.

His current level of fame and influence over red humanity was much greater than before the start of the public inquiry!

There were many tier 2 galactic citizens that had not come even close to changing the course of human history as much as Ves!

However, the lack of satisfaction on his face made it clear that he did not gain the official recognition that he sought.

"To be fair, it is not the Evolution Witch's fault. She actually expressed a willingness to file an application, but when she did so, she received an instant rejection. It turns out that a certain powerful figure has implemented a block on any further promotions. My citizenship tier can only be raised when I have advanced to the rank of Master Mech Designer. Nothing else can remove this block. Her Holiness… came around and agreed with this measure."

"I see. That is… inconvenient."

All three knew what was going on more or less. Whoever originally implemented this block wanted Ves to stay on track and prioritize his mech design activities first. This was not only for his own good, but also helped to limit the amount of time he could spend on other priorities, such as trying to run the Red Collective or such nonsense.

Ves was not a politician. He was a mech designer.

There was nothing more that Jovy could say to that. This was indeed a clever way to encourage Ves to stick to mechs.

If not for this measure, Ves might have felt tempted to put his original vocation aside and spend a lot of time and energy on becoming a more traditional cultivator!

This was not a good outcome to many people. They preferred it if Ves remained preoccupied with designing mechs as opposed to concocting forbidden horrors!

Though Ves resented the obvious manipulation, he did not have the power to push back against it. He could only accept the current reality and play by the rules.

"I'm heading back to my stateroom. Is there anything else?"

"We are curious what sort of agreement you have made with the Evolution Witch. Is there anything you are willing to share?"

Ves thought for a moment. "Nothing immediate comes to mind. One of the most important changes is that a lot of initiatives related to my contributions are slated to be transferred to the Red Collective at the appropriate time. Before you ask, the Carmine System and its derivative products will remain under the Red Association."

This was a logical division. Vector Loban mainly cared whether he could still conduct research on Carmine mechs. Hearing that the upcoming reforms would not deprive him of this opportunity relieved his most immediate concern.

Ves answered a few more questions until they arrived in front of his stateroom.

"By the way, is the grand auction still on track to begin in two days?" He asked.

"It is, but it has received much more interest among high society than before." Jovy reported. "Estaban Leeds has capitalized on your surge of popularity and the vast amount of increased attention on Ector V. There is not enough time for wealthy groups across the new frontier to dispatch their representatives to this port system in time to attend the auction in person, but there are still plenty of local magnates who have decided to attend this event. Are you still committed to auctioning 25 percent of the LMC's outstanding stock? Its estimated value has increased by a large margin, and that is not just because your living mechs have escaped sanction."

Ves needed to think more deeply about this matter. "I can probably attain the same results as before if I only auction 10 percent of the LMC's shares, but… I don't want to go back on my word. It is not necessarily a bad idea to stick to the original plan. I can gain much more out of this than I initially estimated. Whoever is willing to invest in my mech company will also be a lot stronger as well. That is going to be important for me and my clan as we could use more friends in high places."

His latest talk with the Evolution Witch reminded him of the importance of power.

While it would be best if he became a Star Designer and could single-handedly earn the allegiance of many willing groups, Ves was way too far from reaching this point.

The only way he could quickly increase his power base was to expand his network of allies.

It had already demonstrated its value once before, so Ves had high hopes of strengthening it further.

Having a lot of powerful friends did not necessarily secure his position, but it made it a lot harder for enemies to dislodge him. Ves just needed to make sure that he continued to remain a valuable ally.

"The auction can go on as planned, but I would like to add one more rule." Ves said after a brief moment of thought. "I have made a lot of new enemies today. I don't want these guys to outbid others and take partial control of my company just to hinder my work. I should retain the right to reject a winning bid if I don't like the highest bidder for whatever reason."

"That is understandable. I will inform Estaban Leeds on your behalf. I am sure the company will not object to this change. Anything else?"

"Captain Zonrad Reze most definitely wants to meet with me. Tell him that I will be ready to talk to him in private. Make sure to arrange a secure meeting location."

"Very well…"

Ves finally retired for the day.

There was a lot of stuff that he needed to catch up to, but he needed rest more than anything else.

A turbulent night passed in Charvey as the ripple effects of the infamous public inquiry still reverberated across human space.

When Ves woke up again, he no longer worried too much about what his words and actions had wrought upon human civilization.

Even if he had initially set off the formation of the Red Collective, the Evolution Witch and many other leaders had gotten their hooks on it. This relieved Ves of the burden and the responsibility to baby over this initiative as if it was his child.

With that out of the way, Ves tried to narrow his scope and focus on his more immediate concerns.

He was more than eager to get back to New Constantinople VIII and do his best to help his wife complete the challenging Dark Zephyr Mark III Project, but he still needed to complete a few chores.

"Let's see what I have on my plate." Ves murmured to himself as he shoved his breakfast into his mouth.

"Meow." Lucky echoed as he buried his metallic head inside his food bowl.

Aside from preparing for the grand auction, Ves looked forward to finally making actual progress in completing his Supply Missions.

He could afford to wait half a year before he could obtain his precious Yondu Milk. He just had to make sure that his mother continued to cooperate with the Evolution Witch.

Ves still needed to do more in order to secure a batch of EE-343F-00334R. He was not sure whether he could satisfy the Red Fleet's demands at his current level of competence, so he was eager to make the attempt.

In order to do that, he would have to make a detour and journey to one of the Red Fleet's powerful dreadnoughts so that he could gain access to the powerful vessel's AI core.

Ves had no idea how the Red Fleet took the revelation that ARCHIE had inadvertently turned into a living deity cultivator.

Revealing this uncomfortable truth had been a reckless move, but Ves did not regret it. He used it to gain more momentum and forestall any attempt for Fleet Admiral Amelie Jameson to make a comeback.

Still, Ves worried whether the fleeters could live with their current reality. What if they violently lashed out against ARCHIE? What if ARCHIE went mad in an attempt to defend its right to live?

Ves needed to make contact with Sigrund again in order to gain a better understanding of the current affairs of the Red Fleet.

Now that the latest events had made parts of the Red Fleet more open towards unconventional solutions, Ves was eager to explore additional forms of cooperation.

He might not like everything about the fleeters, but they were just as wealthy as the mechers, if not more!

There were bound to be a lot of opportunities for Ves to sell his services to the Red Fleet!

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