The Mech Touch

So this was the real reason why Ves invited Ketis to become a user of the Mech Designer System.

That did not mean that the other reasons became invalid all of a sudden. Ketis fully believed Ves that he had the best intentions in mind for her. The System was not harmful to her unless she failed to resist her temptations.

However, Ketis was under no illusion that Ves was a good samaritan who wanted to spread the bounty. If not for the pressure that the Dimension Observatory exerted on his limited ability to earn AP, he would have continued to hide away the Mech Designer System in order to satisfy his paranoia about how much he could get in trouble if its existence ever got exposed!

Ketis understood Ves quite well and knew that he had taken a very courageous step by sharing the System with her. He rightfully felt concerned that revealing this enormous secret to just one person could compromise its secrecy. It should not be common for him to set these feelings aside and seek out cooperation.

Whether he did so because he wanted to borrow her AP, it didn't matter. He did not restrict her from making use of everything the System had to offer to its users.

Gaining access to facilities like the Divine Bazaar and the Tree of Possibilities already put her at an enormous debt to Ves!

As a woman of honor and integrity, Ketis fully intended to repay all of the boons she received today.

That did not mean she was eager to take on the role of a scapegoat.

Ketis looked at Ves with a look that showed she caught on to his scheme.

"The ability to create tears between dimensions that can allow humans to harvest rich resources in places that are normally inaccessible is a game-changing ability of the highest order. Not even god pilots can do this I think. So long as I show up and reveal this ability one day, a lot of powerful people will pay attention to me. Once they figure out that my 'ability' is the real deal, they may decide to stuff me into a gilded cage just like you. The bigshots may even do worse and stuff me in a literal cage somewhere in the rear. This is highly detrimental to me. As a swordmaster, I must actively seek out conflict and danger in order to hone my blade. I won't be able to elevate my swordsmanship when I am not actually in a fight."

Ves sighed. "I admit that there is a risk that the mechers will swoop in and restrict your freedom of movement like they have done with me, but… as long as you are creative with your wording, you can give them the impression that your ability to create more powerful dimensional tears is related to your cultivation as a swordmaster. The stronger you become, the larger and longer lasting the tears. If you can claim that you can create a permanent dimensional tear once you advance to the rank of sword saint, then I am sure that they are willing to escort you to enough battlefields where you can give your swordsmanship full play."

That sounded like a dubious plan to Ketis. Even if it worked out as he predicted, she still wouldn't be able to go where she wished. She would gain her own 'Bluejay Fleet' that stuck to her like a barnacle and acted like an overprotective mother whenever she attempted to travel anywhere that posed a slight threat to her life.

How would she be able to build up her courage and face true life-threatening challenges when the mechers refused to hold back from saving her? She hated the thought of getting coddled all of the time!

"You don't have to accept this request of mine." Ves earnestly said. "You are by far the best candidate to expose the ability to create dimensional tears, but you are not the only one. I just need to spend 10 AP in order to induct another mech designer to the System. Most people in our profession actually like it when they stay as far away from danger as possible, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find a trustworthy partner who is willing to bear this particular burden."

Ketis looked a bit guilty after hearing this. "I do not want you to feel as if you have invited me in vain. I would hate it if you think I am being ungrateful."

"There are more ways for you to contribute aside from creating dimensional tears. If you truly want to repay me for giving you access to the System, then make good use of it and earn lots of AP so that you can make the Dimension Observatory stronger and more useful to us all. The sooner we unlock the ability to create permanent dimensional tears, the better."

That made Ketis feel a bit better. Now that she had almost completed her tour through the System Space, she had a pretty good idea how difficult it was for a user to earn AP.

If the descriptions of the Dimension Observatory were accurate, then it clearly possessed a huge amount of potential. However, it cost a huge amount of AP to draw out its greater potential and elevate it to the point where it could relieve red humanity's persistent resource shortages in a more permanent and sustainable fashion.

At this moment, Ketis' mind began to sway.

This was because the call of duty beckoned to her. It was clear that Ves was too much of a coward to make use of the Dimension Observatory himself. He would try his best to shirk this duty and pass it off to someone else in order to prevent his heat from increasing any further.

How long would it take for him to find a willing and trustworthy candidate? It had already taken him a lot of guts to invite Ketis into the Mech Designer System.

If he chose Ketis over Gloriana, then Ves clearly had major trust problems!

Ketis recognized the incredible value of the Dimension Observatory. In a time where red humanity suffered one setback after another, any delay in making effective use of the Observatory's functions could lead to the defeat of human civilization.

The most direct way to solve this problem and minimize the negative consequences was to accept the duty that Ves had thrust upon her. So long as she accepted the consequences of bearing this important burden, she would not only be able to help red humanity gather more resources to fuel its hungry war machine, but also take personal control over a power that others might abuse for their own purposes.

Ketis closed her eyes for a moment.

As Ketis tried to come to terms with this responsibility, she felt as if Sharpie had grown a little sharper and stronger.

A swordmaster never shirked her duty.

A swordmaster did what was necessary in order to fight for her people.

A swordmaster should not let the consequences of her own actions keep her sword in its scabbard.

As the woman opened her eyes once again, her steel had subtly become stronger and more condensed. This may be just a simple mental test to others, but to a swordmaster like Ketis, it had served as an important reminder of how a true transcendent warrior should behave.

"I will do it, Ves."

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me. I did not misspeak. I will go further than spend a part of my AP income on upgrading the Dimension Observatory. I shall 'wield' the Dimension Blade and pretend it is my own sword as I use it to create openings to other dimensions. I do not entirely approve of the deception in your plan, but I understand that revealing the truth will do more harm than good. I shall keep your secret, Ves. In exchange, please allow me to take charge on how the Dimension Observatory's functions are used. If you want to shirk your responsibilities, then be consistent. So long as I am in control, I will ensure it will only be used for the good of red humanity."

Ves blinked. He did not expect his former student to make a counteroffer and add an extra demand of her own to the deal.

He did not entirely like it. He had wasted one of his precious System Upgrade opportunities on Dimension Breach Creation. Why should he relinquish control over it and allow Ketis to decide when and where she wanted to open new holes in the dimensional walls?

However, Ves only briefly held these thoughts. Ketis would never deliberately disadvantage him and the Larkinson Clan.

As far as he was concerned, Ketis just wanted him to delegate this matter properly. As long as he was willing to give her a chance to prove herself, the swordmaster would go on and hopefully live up to his expectations.

The most important part about this was that Ves needed to be able to let go. The Dimension Observatory was incredibly valuable to him, but it held a lot of value to others as well.

It was impossible for the Larkinson Clan to monopolize the ability to create dimensional breaches.

Letting Ketis take charge over this matter would make her responsible for maintaining a careful balancing act.

Hopefully, she would still be able to grant preferential treatment to the Larkinson Clan.

Ves did not expect to be able to take sole possession of every portal into another dimension, but as long as his clan gained control of one or two permanent dimensional tears, that already put the Larkinsons ahead of most of their rivals!

Besides, he already noticed how much good it would do for Ketis to take on this greater responsibility. His sharp senses could not possibly miss how her companion spirit grew a little stronger and more driven after she had made a decision in her mind.

Ves extended his arm.

Ketis reached out and shook hands with the man who brought her into the System.

"It's a deal, then."

Both of their lives had changed forever because of this, but it would take time before either of them understood how much their trajectories had shifted.

One thing was for sure. Ketis was definitely bound to become as famous and prominent as Ves after she revealed her latest miraculous 'ability'!

"I truly appreciate it, Ketis. You are the best person I can think of who can fulfill this particular role. I know it will cause you to attract a lot of unwanted attention, but you can leverage that to win a lot of concessions from the powerful groups that want you to create breaches from them. Try and ask for stuff that can advance your cultivation as a swordmaster. You are already on the right track as a mech designer, there hasn't been a natural sword saint among humanity for centuries if not longer. I think it may take more than training and combat to refine your willpower. Perhaps the mechers have a nifty material or elixir on hand that can help you get closer to the threshold of the next rank. I am not sure how strong a sword saint actually is, but as long as you become one, your ability to protect yourself and resist coercion will become a lot stronger. You will need this strength in order to hold your ground when you begin to interact with the leaders of red humanity on a more frequent basis."

Ves helpfully gave Ketis more tips on how to deal with the upper echelon of their civilization. He had learned a lot of lessons in the past few years. It was best if he could impart much of his accumulated wisdom to his former student so that she wouldn't repeat the same mistakes.

"Whatever you do, do not neglect the importance of diplomacy. You need to form alliances with other powerful groups. I am on really good terms with the Survivalist Faction and the Transhumanist Faction of the Red Association, and I am pretty chummy with a few Terran ancient clans and so on. It may be possible to shift that favor to you since we are part of the same clan, but it is best if you go out of your way to forge direct relations with different powers. Only when you have a solid enough support network will you be able to avoid the worst outcome."

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