The Mech Touch

5831 Reasonable Ves

When Gloriana proposed to connect her brain to that of an arche, Ves strongly disapproved of this notion!

It was a harebrained scheme that had a high chance of producing an accident!

"Do you know what you are getting into?!" Ves spoke to the virtual projection of his wife. "Interfacing with the minds of other humans has always been dangerous, even with all of the advancements that have been made in neural interface technology during the Age of Mechs. There are good reasons why everyone rightfully remains on guard against this crazy action. Even in the best of conditions, there is still an unavoidable chance of accidents. You would be lucky to come away with a headache or other temporary affliction. What I am really worried about is if the reactions are more severe. Don't you understand that you can lose your memories, enter into a coma or outright die?!"

His Gloriana's expression turned serious as she faced her husband's rebuke. That indicated that she at least hadn't lost her rationality.

"I understand your concerns, Ves, but I have to do this. I have made a commitment to master archetech for the purpose of integrating it into my design philosophy. I am tired of learning about it from tertiary sources. None of the sources that I have consulted so far have displayed any measure of true comprehension. There is far more to archetech than is obvious on the surface. I strongly feel that my proposal is the correct way to approach this alien tech base. Doesn't it make sense that to understand technology that is intrinsically designed to interface with the shells of a turtle-like race, we should explore what takes place in their minds?"

"That is some of the most idiotic logic that I have ever heard! Even if it is plausible, that is no excuse for you to interface with the mind of an arche! Everyone who has a slight familiarity in this field knows extremely well that interfacing with different species is much more dangerous than usual. There are fundamental differences between the biologies and thinking patterns of different alien races. On top of that, newly discovered alien races are usually a lot less understood than the ones our biotech researchers have dissected for thousands of years. Not a lot of time has passed since humanity first discovered the arche. I seriously doubt that anyone understands them well enough to reduce the danger factor of interfacing with their minds."

"I will take the necessary precautions." Gloriana said in a voice that did not give Ves a lot of confidence. "I am not as reckless as you. I know how to conduct a proper experiment. I will invite experts from the Larkinson Biotech Institute and the Red Association to assist and supervise my attempt to peer into the mind of an arche. We still have a number of prisoners locked in one of the biomes of the Dragon's Den. Granted, many of them have turned almost catatonic due to their traumatic deshelling, but that should make it safer to interface with their minds. As long as my initial attempts have concluded without any serious issue, I will look into repeating this experiment on a more healthy arche specimen. I need to borrow your MTA merits to redeem a healthy arche from the mechers."

"ABSOLUTELY NOT! YOU ARE CRAZY, GLORIANA!"

The two argued for several more minutes!

Ves found it deeply disturbing that their roles had been reversed this time. It was usually his wife that acted as the voice of reason, and she frequently raised her voice in order to drill through his stubborn mindset.

The fact that he was resorting to the same methods as his wife right now was deeply ironic.

Alas, just as how his Gloriana often failed to persuade her stubborn husband to change his mind, this time Ves failed to get his wife to change her mind.

"I need to go, Ves! There is so much that needs to be done before I can make my first interfacing tech. We cannot fully understand archetech unless we understand the species who created it. One way or another, the secrets of archetech shall be laid bare!"

"Do you know how arrogant you sound?!" Ves frustratingly asked. "Alien technology of this complexity can never be figured out in a matter of months! I have been working with luminar crystal technology for years, but I still don't understand all of its fundamental principles. You are crazy if you think you can solve this issue by poking into the minds of a few aliens. If archetech truly has obscure principles, then the Xenotechnician would have discovered it by now. He is much smarter and more capable of getting to the bottom of this issue than a Journeyman Mech Designer like yourself!"

His wife shook her head. "I am disappointed in you, Ves. Every Star Designer is amazing. I have no doubt about that. They are anything but infallible, though. Star Designers do not possess unlimited attention spans. They have not mastered every tech that is out there, and they cannot devote so much effort on every interesting research topic. You have never allowed the likes of the Polymath stop you from pursuing your own innovations. It is only logical that I do the same. At worst, my research will produce results that are identical to that of the Red Association. This is not a waste of time as conducting experiments in person will allow me to master existing theories more extensively."

"If you truly insist on this crazy endeavor, then at least allow other people to try it out first! There is no way to know whether interfacing with the mind of an arche is safe. If an accident occurs, then at least you have prevented a catastrophe that would have caused our children to grow up without their mother. You don't want to make them sad, right?"

His wife suddenly directed a furious glare at him. "Do not bring our children into this conversation! You have no right to deter me from making essential progress in my quest to create the perfect vessels when I have supported you every time you come up with your dubious ideas! I need to go, Ves. Do not attempt to stop me in any way. The secrets of the arch shall be mine!"

The connection abruptly ended, leaving Ves alone in his office aboard the Tarrasque.

Ves did not feel reassured after hearing his wife's insane rationale. He actually grew even more afraid that she would do something stupid and get herself killed!

He stretched out his hand and transmitted a silent command.

The Larkinson Mandate which had been resting quietly on an ornamental book lectern rose in the air and flew towards his hands.

The ancestral heirloom had clearly grown a lot more powerful in the last year-and-a-half.

Even though Ves hadn't been aware of it, his approach towards its creation had turned it into a genuine artifact.

A sloppy one that did not conform to any of the conventional approaches employed by cultivators, but that did not change the fact that the Larkinson Mandate already came to life as an extraordinary vessel.

Whatever flaws and inadequacies that it originally possessed shortly after its creation had gradually faded as Goldie grew stronger.

Its evolution mirrored that of the Larkinson Clan. It was no surprise that the current iteration of the Larkinson Mandate had become many times stronger than before.

It had turned into a true relic that was intrinsically tied to the clan. Everytime a clansman thought or acted upon anything related to the Larkinsons, they fed the Larkinson Mandate and the powerful life form resting within.

In turn, the Larkinson Mandate and the Golden Cat watched over the Larkinsons and helped them in their own ways.

Ves actually did not know whether the Larkinson Mandate and the Golden Cat were separate entities. They were undeniably connected to each other, but that did not necessarily mean they were two aspects of the same existence.

He decided not to puzzle over this difficult question. He had more important concerns at the moment.

"Goldie."

"Nyaaa!"

The compartment instantly grew warmer and brighter as a radiant spiritual cat emerged out of the purple tome.

Goldie looked as cute as ever as she flew towards Ves' head and nuzzled her cheek against his own. Strong feelings of love and family soothed his nerves and suppressed his fears.

"Alright, that's enough, my dear. I did not call you over so we can cuddle with each other. I called you because I want to tell you that you need to keep a closer eye on Gloriana. I am sure you are already aware of what she has in mind, so I don't need to tell you how dangerous it is. Watch out for her, okay? If her actions lead her to danger, then I need you and your fellow design spirits to step in. You may even need to protect her against herself."

"Nyaaa…"

"I know it is difficult to judge whether her actions are right or wrong, but I don't want her to risk her life when it isn't necessary. You have my permission to employ your full power to pull her back if you deem it necessary. Do you understand my instructions?"

"Nyaaa!"

"Good. I am counting on you. In the meantime, how are my clansmen faring?"

"Nyaa nyaa nyaa!"

"Have you noticed anything weird or different?"

"Nyaaa nyaaa nyaaa nyaaaa."

While Ves possessed a decent grasp of the overall state of his clan, Goldie was much more connected to it than anyone else. The ancestral spirit knew so much about the Larkinsons as a whole and as individuals that she could easily figure trends that eluded others!

"I see."

"Nyaaa nyaa nyaaa!"

"That is good to know."

"Nyaa nyaa!"

"Of course you are the bestest girl! Oh, come over here and let me scratch your head."

"Nyaaaaa~"

The Larkinson Clan was undergoing rapid changes once again. Ves' latest stunts had once again increased its profile and made it more popular than ever.

The Larkinsons keenly took advantage of this by hiring a lot of talents and negotiating better deals.

Everything seemed to be getting better, but Ves did not dare to let down his guard. Red humanity was still in a precarious state. It only took a few major setbacks to drastically worsen the clan's position.

Ves would feel a lot better if his clan gained a few ace pilots and formed its own first-class mech fleet.

"Okay, that's enough scritches for you. I need to get back to work again. Stay vigilant and make sure to spend more time on monitoring the activities of first-raters."

"Nyaa!"

Goldie dove back into the Larkinson Mandate again. The big tome grew warmer and radiated a soft glow that made it look sacred.

Ves briefly studied the decorated cover of the relic and thought about whether it was time to update it again.

"It's too soon."

The Larkinson Mandate acquired a lot of significance. The conscious and unconscious rituals conducted by the members of the Larkinson Clan had caused the item to become more than just a really fancy book.

It had become the symbol and the physical representation of the Larkinson Clan.

There were many interesting implications to this state.

Any changes to the clan reflected back onto the Larkinson Mandate.

In turn, any changes made to the book also radiated to the Larkinsons, if only slightly.

This meant that Ves had to be a little careful on what he wanted to add or remove to the Larkinson Mandate. The stronger it became, the more it affected his clan in a mysterious fashion.

Ves wondered whether this two-way relationship applied to the Sacred Scrolls and their worshipers as well.

This was a highly plausible idea. Perhaps the shattering of the Metal Scroll had utterly broken its hold over all of the cultists that it held under its thrall.

"Interesting theory."

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