The Mech Touch

He was like a greedy kid that knew no restraint. Though he tried to remain as polite as possible, there was no way to hide his desire to learn more about what the MTA figured out about masterworks.

As the mech designers ascended into the air and flew up to the Phobos, they continued their discussion even as Cavendish commenced her personal inspection of the expert stealth mech.

"There are indeed differences between mech designers." Cavendish said as she gazed at the sensor readings of her sophisticated multiscanner. "There are tnose who can fabricate masterwork mechs while they are still Journeymen such as the two of you. This is a highly promising indication that you will one day be able to fabricate masterwork mechs with only a moderate amount of effort."

Both Ves and Gloriana agreed with this sentiment. It became easier and easier for the both of them to make their mechs surpass the masterwork threshold. The two were still young, so they had plenty of time to attain better results.

"What of the other extreme?" Gloriana questioned.

Professor Cavendish looked contemptuous. "There are mech designers who ascribe to the interpretation that they must solely excel at design. Most of my compatriots in my faction do not agree with this idea. It is extremely helpful to develop your fabrication skills. Not only will you be able to gain a greater understanding of mechs and technology by coming into more direct contact with them, but once you advance to Master and try to make any further progress, the ability to make masterwork mechs can accelerate your research."

"The reason why that is the case is because masterwork mechs can come into contact with greater and more hidden manifestations of reality that you have mentioned before, correct?" Gloriana asked. "You have also mentioned that Master Mech Designers must explore those same manifestations in order to advance to Star Designer."

The MTA Senior nodded. "That is a broad description. Let me give you a few statistics. Only 4 percent of the total population of Master Mech Designers can produce masterwork mechs on a consistent basis. Only 23 percent of all Master Mech Designers are able to produce masterwork mechs intermittently. The remaining Master Mech Designers have never produced a masterwork mech in their lives, and not many of them intend to remedy this shortcoming. Of the Star Designers that have risen up to this day, the majority of them used to be Masters who were able to produce masterwork mechs with ease."

Both Ves and Gloriana began to think hard after receiving these highly illuminating pieces of information!

"The amount of Masters in the first group is a lot less than I expected." Ves remarked. "The amount of Masters in the third group is a lot higher than I previously thought as well. This is weird. Since so many Star Designers used to excel at this, why is it not necessary to develop this competency?"

"Not every mech designer possesses the talent or the inclination to make their mechs in person." Professor Cavendish shook her head in disapproval. "However, it is undoubtedly convenient to be able to make masterwork mechs if you have any ambition to become a Star Designer. The reason for that is that you can fabricate your own high-value research objects by yourself. Other Masters that lack this capacity must approach others and commission the masterwork mechs they need to prove their theories and gather essential data."

Gloriana smirked. "I think that the mech designers who have never invested the time to improve their fabrication skills will find it much harder to obtain the high-quality products they need. Not every masterwork mech designer can meet their highly specific product criteria. The masterwork mech designer that can best fulfill a difficult commission can demand a high price, and may still not be able to deliver a completely satisfactory product."

"Only the mech designers themselves are able to make the products that suit them best." Ves agreed with his wife.

For example, Ves was able to fabricate mechs with strong and exquisite spiritual foundations.

If he needed a masterwork mech that was strong in this area, then it would be difficult for other mech designers such as Gloriana to satisfy his requirements!

"If this is the case, then why are most Master Mech Designers still content with lacking the ability to produce their own masterwork mechs?" Gloriana furrowed her brows.

"They have their own advantages. Their theoretical and analytical skills are stronger." Professor Cavendish replied. "They can visualize an entire mech in their own minds much more effectively due to persistent practice. If the research they are engaged in is heavily reliant on advanced theories and unlikely deductions, then they can make more progress in their studies. If they ever need a high-quality mech to facilitate their research, they can obtain one as long as they have developed a good relationship with a competent supplier."

"I see." Ves understood the story. "So mech designers who put a lot of effort into improving our fabrication skills can essentially service the practical needs of a larger group of peers, but that will come at the cost of diverting the time we spend on our research."

"You can say that. The actual circumstances are more complex than that. Many Master Mech Designers have formed their own groups where they have worked together for many years. It is customary for each of them to divide their responsibilities and specialize in different fields."

That sounded like a more advanced form of the synergy that Ves established with Gloriana. Both he and Gloriana looked inspired after hearing this. The Design Department already had the potential to morph into such a cooperative group.

Ves wanted to obtain one more answer about high-quality mechs.

"I have heard that one of the requirements for a Master Mech Designer to advance to Star Designer is to make a mech that surpasses masterwork in quality..."

That caused Professor Cavendish to pause her examination of the Phobos and turn around.

"That is not a topic that a Journeyman and a Senior should be concerned about." The older woman sternly said. "Since you are familiar with Senfovon\'s Ladder of Craftsmanship, I can speak a few words. What you heard is not correct, at least not entirely. It is not necessary for Master Mech Designers to produce a grand work in order to advance. However, every mech designer who has done so has become a Star Designer without fail. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

"It does!" Gloriana happily replied! "Thank you for giving us hope. I have greater confidence in my ability to become a Star Designer than before!"

Ves also became profoundly impressed by what he heard.

Although he had no way to know for sure whether he could become good enough to fabricate a grand work in his lifetime, he believed his chances were much greater than most mech designers!

The research benefits associated with grand mechs must be enormous if it enabled Masters to advance on the spot!

One possible explanation was that their accumulation had grown massive enough for them to already qualify for advancement. A grand work was the icing on the cake and the culmination of a lot of hard work.

Another possible explanation was that the improbable creation of a grand mech provided critical data that could help with completing crucial theoretical frameworks. The grand work was the final piece of the puzzle that enabled a mech designer to complete his research.

Ves did not know which of these two possibilities were true. It could be that both of them were viable.

Whatever the case, Ves could do no wrong if he tried his best to make his own grand work one day.

Compared to his peers who were content with borrowing the services of masterwork mech designers, Ves would rather rely on himself and make sure he could always satisfy his material requirements!

This matter was even more crucial to Gloriana considering that her specialization revolved directly around high-quality mechs.

"You are pursuing a difficult direction of research, Madame Gloriana." The MTA Senior remarked. "Our faction has always considered it to be more difficult to master the skill of fabricating masterwork mechs by primarily leaning on excellence in physical craftsmanship. If you are able to progress your design philosophy and succeed in your research, then you will most likely become one of the most desirable mech designers that other Masters wish to collaborate with. This is because you can become a fantastic enabler of other excellent mech designers, your husband chief among them. Not all Star Designers have attained their ranks purely by relying on their own merits. The help they received from other mech designers has also made a difference."

The biographies of many Star Designers indeed mentioned that they received a lot of assistance from other Master Mech Designers.

The problem was that the biographies usually only centered on a single protagonist. The \'side characters\' ot those real accounts rarely managed to become Star Designers themselves!

Therefore, it was not enough to become a desirable collaborator. Gloriana still needed to progress her own design philosophy by completing her own difficult research projects.

"What about myself?" Ves asked. "I have always thought that my design philosophy can turn me into a more desirable collaboration partner as well. Much of my work does not depend on any rare or expensive materials. I can easily make a mech more effective without increasing its production cost."

"That is a prized advantage in the development of mass production mechs." The Mech Supremacist said in appreciation. "However, your advantage is less pronounced in the design of high-end mechs. The clients and customers of such products are willing to spend immense sums to obtain the most powerful mechs."

"I see."

"If you are able to deliver more mechs that possess the same set of features of your Phobos, then you may be able to increase your desirability. It all comes down to competition, Mr. Larkinson."

That was fair.

An hour went by as Professor Cavendish explored many different facets of the newly fabricated expert stealth mech.

The mechers eventually had to wrap up their work. They were busy people and they had many other responsibilities.

"You must be eager to hear our verdict." The older woman smiled at Ves and Gloriana. "I am happy to say that despite the fact that your latest masterwork is an expert mech that cannot be transferred to our Association, it has presented us with a greater amount of new data that has substantial research value. The differences between the Mars and the Phobos are so great that it is clear that you have made real progress, Mr. Larkinson. You deserved most of the credit this time. Here is the exact award distribution."

Professor Gina Cavendish projected a small list that immediately made it clear how many MTA merits she awarded this time.

[Ves Larkinson: 3,000,000 MTA merits

Gloriana Wodin-Larkinson: 250,000 MTA merits

Miles Tovar-Larkinson: 50,000 MTA merits

Cormaunt Hempkamp-Larkinson: 50,000 MTA merits

Master Benedict Cortez: 250,000 MTA merits]

"Only 250,000 MTA merits?! I deserve more than that!"

Cavendish remained unmoved. "You have certainly contributed to the formation of a new masterwork mech, but it is undeniable that your husband has been the main driving force behind the current state of the Phobos."

While Ves was more than happy to receive 3 million MTA merits which he could use to offset his wife\'s prized cranial implant, he felt a little sorry for his other two collaborators.

"Miles Tovar and Cormaunt Hempkamp may not have played a substantial role in this mech design project, but isn\'t 50,000 MTA merits a little too meager? They have learned a lot from this fabrication run."

"Our merit awards are based on contribution, not gains. What you say is true, but that is not how we operate, Mr. Larkinson. I am well within my rights to deny them these MTA merits. I have issued them anyway because I can justify the decision to grant masterwork certificates to your minor collaborators."

"Ah. I see. Thank you for the favor, professor."