The Mech Touch

5806 Psychological Bottom Line

The atmosphere, metaphorical of course, in the upper hall of the auction house had become a lot more charged.

The presentation of an extremely dangerous tier 3 Destroyer mech spear excited a lot of people.

Many of the guests were leaders or high officials of major powers. From the leaders of different states to the patriarchs of old family organizations, each of them relied pretty heavily on the strength of their armored forces to project their power and maintain their high standing in society.

Now that the Red War exerted an increasingly greater pressure onto red humanity, the importance of relying on military might as opposed to leaning upon the protection of greater institutions had increased dramatically.

It was not as if people had lost faith in the might of the Red Two. Their last major offensive operation had proved that humanity's best could still deal a painful blow against the greatest of the Red Cabal.

A war that spanned an entire dwarf galaxy was not as simple, though. So many pieces danced across the board that it was normal for the mechers and fleeters to overlook a few threats.

Plenty of colonists who had taken the risk to settle in the border regions personally learned this painful lesson.

A lot of forces therefore invested a lot more resources into building up the quantity and quality of the mech forces at their disposal.

They not only needed to fortify their key strongholds in order to repel any possible incursions, but they also had to form more offensive units in order to participate in the crucial New Elites Program.

The former served to secure their current gains while the latter fueled their future ambitions.

One of the lessons that many players learned over the course of deploying their mech forces to the frontlines was the importance of fielding expert mechs and ace mechs.

The opposing aliens experienced great difficulties in defeating these powerful human champions. Many expert mechs and ace mechs possessed so much combat power that they could defeat alien warships or even entire fleets by themselves!

Their value and strategic importance increased enormously as a result. Relying on high-ranking mechs was the best and most efficient way to secure plenty of victories while reducing casualties to a more sustainable level.

The Red War was already shaping up to become a long and arduous war of attrition. The loss of experienced personnel, valuable mechs and irreplaceable starships took a toll on many mech forces.

High-ranking mech pilots served as the bright spots in this conflict. Their superhuman skills, their condensed willpower and their amazing machines always enabled them to pull off victories in impossible situations and at least guarantee their survival if the enemy forces proved too much.

It became clear to an increasing number of powers that their reliance on high-ranking mech pilots would only increase as the war dragged on. Not only did they need to produce as many of them as possible, they also had to pair them up with the strongest possible machines.

This was why the Destroyer weapon put on auction had become such a prized item to many of the gathered high-tier galactic citizens.

The Terrans had always used Destroyer weapons as a means to emphasize their superiority. It set them apart from other groups who lack the ability to infuse melee weapons with extremely finicky Destroyer particles.

The Terrans clearly recognized the desirability of their unique weapons, which caused them to employ these rare and coveted armaments for another purpose.

Diplomacy.

Everyone aside from the Rubarthans desired Destroyer weapons. They were the premier melee weapons that could cut through nearly anything. Every other object that managed to withstand the initial blows would not be able to maintain their resistance for long.

The Terrans recognized this huge demand. They made the strategic decision to selectively gift or sell their weaker Destroyer weapons in order to establish alliances, bribe important leaders and deprive lucrative business opportunities from other rival first-raters.

Of course, the Terrans weren't stupid enough to hand away their most powerful Destroyer weapons to outsiders.

Even though many people suspected that Destroyer weapons may magically malfunction once they were used to attack Terran assets, it was still important for the original masters of this offensive technology to maintain their competitive advantage.

This was why most of the Destroyer weapons that ended up in the hands of other parties amounted to tier 10 to tier 6 Destroyer weapons.

They were only suitable to be wielded by ordinary mechs. While they conveyed huge advantages to any third-class, second-class or first-class mech, handing out these relatively cheaper Destroyer weapons did not damage Terran interests.

It was much rarer to find Destroyer weapons of higher tiers in private hands.

They held much greater concentrations of Destroyer particles, making them a lot rarer and more difficult to produce. The Terrans almost always kept these weapons in their own possession because they had a lot of high-ranking mech pilots that could make fantastic use of these weapons themselves.

Demand always outpaced supply, especially now that the Red Ocean got cut off from the Milky Way.

Rumors had started to swirl around that the only human left who could produce Destroyer particles was a certain cat-

loving god pilot from the Rubarthan Pact, but the Terrans vehemently squashed all talk that came even close in this direction!

Whatever the case, the Terrans had almost ceased to give away any of their coveted Destroyer weapons since the start of the Age of Dawn.

This was why Ves and many other leaders almost couldn't believe that the Dermont Ancient Clan was willing to give away a tier 3 Destroyer weapon.

Even if the weapon came in the form of a spear with a rather small and slender tip that was clearly designed to lower the amount of Destroyer particles needed to construct the weapon, it was still the real deal!

Combined with the fact that the Terrans rarely auctioned any tier 3 Destroyer weapons during the Age of Mechs to begin with, this was probably the only time that outsiders could get their hands on a melee weapon of this caliber!

Many parties believed that this may be the only time that they had an opportunity to obtain a coveted tier 3 Destroyer spear in an auction.

The Terrans would most certainly cease to part with them for any other reason because they were so damn difficult to produce.

This practically ensured that the upcoming round of bidding would become heated!

More and more heated eyes stared at the dangerous weapon. It had been safely encased in a reinforced transparent cage. Its Destroyer speartip occasionally flared with destructive power, but the Terrans safely managed to contain these outbursts to prevent the weapon from killing everyone in the auction hall.

Ves had no doubt that Estaban Leeds prepared a lot of other security measures such as azure energy shields and first-class multipurpose mechs to take action if the Destroyer weapon ever went out of control.

The fact that the weapon was almost too powerful to contain did not reduce people's enthusiasm for this object.

It enflamed their desires because they often associated dangerous Destroyer weapons with invincibility on the battlefield!

Orion Leeds smirked as he let the facts sink into everyone's minds.

"Now that you have been introduced to this unimaginably powerful weapon that can amplify the lethality of any ace mech strong enough to control its unruly might, let the bidding begin!"

It took less than a second for a wealthy shipbuilding magnate to break the silence.

"1000 kilograms of phasewater!"

Several gasps erupted from the submerged room.

That was not the highest bid that had been placed during the grand auction. There were many people who had access to more disposable wealth.

Yet to start with this enormous sum right away signaled that the Destroyer spear would probably get sold for a much higher sum!

Ves understood this rationale very well. Tier 3 Destroyer weapons were only two steps removed from the most powerful Tier 1 Destroyer weapons that were exclusively wielded by Terran god mechs.

It was the best that any third party could obtain. Its value already exceeded that of a first-class fleet carrier as far as many people were concerned.

In fact, Ves wouldn't be surprised if it ended up costing more than a first-class ace mech!

"1500 kilograms of phasewater." Another first-rater announced a bid.

"1700 kilograms of phasewater."

"1850 kilograms of phasewater."

"1900 kilograms."

Despite his desire to compete for the Destroyer spear, Ves hesitated when he heard the astronomical amount of sums.

This was far more money than he ever dealt with in the past! Ves truly gained an understanding of the extravagance of a grand auction today.

Despite the fact that the bids were already approaching 2000 kilograms of phasewater, there were plenty of players that still looked determined to claim the weapon for themselves.

While the pace of the bidding war was remarkably slow, the progressively more ridiculous sums made every new bid more impactful.

"2000 kilograms of phasewater!"

"2100 kilograms of phasewater. The Knights of Res Perdance shall claim this righteous tool."

"2200 kilograms of phasewater. I have never heard of your knights! Go away and play with your swords. This spear is a real man's weapon!"

"2300 kilograms of phasewater! Who says this weapon can only be wielded by a woman? Our dynasty has birthed a new female ace pilot. This spear shall propel her to greater heights."

The amount of people who actively placed their bids showed that the price still had a lot to go before it reached their psychological bottom lines.

The problem was that the current bids already exceeded Ves' own psychological limit!

"What is wrong, Ves?" Jovy asked. "You are clearly interested in this spear. Don't you have a high-tier expert pilot who excels at spearmanship? This tier 3 Destroyer spear can serve as the perfect complement to her expert mech. As long as she manages to break through to ace pilot, she will become unstoppable at closer ranges."

Ves grimaced. "I know, but… is it really worthwhile to invest so much money in a single mech weapon? Venerable Rosa Orfan has not yet broken through to ace pilot yet, so acquiring this weapon is a little premature. I suppose I can save it up for another Larkinson ace pilot, but it wouldn't be as good of a fit. I… don't like to waste so much money just to improve the combat power of a single machine."

"You are still thinking like a second-rater, Ves. You ceased to be one a long time ago. This is the world you live in now. You should get used to it as soon as possible. You're not only a first-rater, but one that has become wealthy and influential enough to attend a grand auction. Your recent successes should have given you the financial strength to bid on this Destroyer spear."

"Maybe. Just because I can doesn't mean I should. I will probably be able to earn a lot of money and concessions back when the LMC's shares get sold, but is it really a good idea to forgo other strategically important acquisitions for this single spear?"

"No one can make that decision except for you, Ves."

Ves turned to Jovy. "What do you think, then? Would you bid on the spear if you were in my place?"

Turning this question back to Jovy threw the mecher off-

guard.

"My perspective is different from yours. The Red Association has mastered a huge variety of powerful offensive high technologies. While there are limitations to all of them, some of the better ones come close to matching the impressive performance of Destroyer weapons. They are also considerably cheaper and more accessible."

Ves nodded. "I believe you. What concerns me is that 'almost' is not good enough. I have no doubt that my clan will confront many powerful enemies in the future. The difference between victory and defeat can hinge on our champion's ability to penetrate through the thick spatial barrier and flesh of a powerful phase lord. I don't know if I can stomach the idea of failing my troops just because I wanted to be a cheapskate."

He still remained conflicted over this decision.

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