The Mech Touch

\"It’s a masterwork! Don’t you see, Lucky! Just look at it! Don’t you feel jealous of it’s magnificent form?\"

\"Meow!\"

Lucky angrily phased out of his arms. Who was a masterwork! A magnificent gem cat like him was already a masterwork!

\"Hahaha!\"

Ves brushed off his cat’s reaction and continued to admire the subtle but unmistakable presence of a masterwork in his latest mech!

All of the money, time, effort, resources and favors he expended to make it to this point had all been worth it! He had no doubts about this entire venture anymore! In fact, due to the amazing value of this accomplishment, he wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice the LMC and almost all of his entire network in order to form another masterwork!

Even now, his design seed underwent a small but seemingly pivotal evolution. Though Ves had no idea what it was doing, he nonetheless sensed that its transformation would doubtlessly strengthen it further in a certain direction!

Ves suspected that this change was related to what happened to mech designers once they created their first masterwork mechs.

Once they made this achievement, their affinity for fabrication mechs had grown! This resulted in a comprehensive improvement to any mechs they personally crafted!

To Ves, this meant that he could produce genuine gold label mechs with a much higher average quality level than before!

Another way of putting it was that the gap between his high-quality mechs and another masterwork mech had narrowed!

The reason why a mech designer who produced at least one masterwork mech would eventually be able to produce another was due to this very reason! They required a little bit less effort in order to repeat this accomplishment!

For this reason, Ves considered the creation of his first masterwork mech to be a seminal moment in his life!

A new door opened up for him now that he had surpassed this crafting threshold!

An immense sensation of pride washed over him as he lovingly admired his Devil Tiger over and over again. Through his exceptional efforts and his wondrous state during the fabrication process, Ves elevated its menacing form and its powerful capabilities to a higher standard, completely surpassing the potential of its original design!

Ves rubbed his chin as a question came to his mind. \"Is the Sin of Altruism responsible for turning my Devil Tiger into a masterwork?\"

The discrepancy that disturbed him a short while ago must be due to his subconscious perception that his Devil Tiger fell just short of becoming a masterwork. Only after he added the Sin of Altruism did he manage to get his Devil Tiger over the line!

Ves derived two conclusions from this deduction.

First, without the Sin of Altruism, his Devil Tiger almost met the standard of a masterwork mech through his own efforts.

His skill, experience, principles and personal inclinations all led him to attach great importance to adopting a craftsman’s approach to his works.

Second, he could not depend on Lucky’s gems alone to turn another into a masterwork.

If this was the case, then the Shield of Samar should have turned into his first masterwork mech when he added in the Ardent Wish!

He sighed. \"It’s not so easy for mech designers to produce masterworks.\"

A masterwork mech was the culmination of a mech designer’s dedication to their craft from a practical approach.

Pure theory had nothing to do with it. A masterwork never emerged by mech designers who purely relied on their brains.

It was the application that mattered. The more romantic mech designers described the creation of a masterwork mech as infusing their love and devotion into the crafting process.

In a way, whenever Ves personally fabricated a mech, he already did this without the intention to create a masterwork mech. He just cared a lot, and it was this unconditional affection for mechs that led him to this threshold.

\"Even so, only a tiny number of Journeymen ever get to create a masterwork at this stage in their careers!\"

Generally, only Seniors started producing masterworks. While exceptions existed where a minute number of Journeymen managed to achieve the same feat, they were almost always very advanced in their careers!

\"If you aren’t over a century years old, you can forget about it! It can’t be done!\"

Yet Ves stupendously managed to produce a masterwork just a short time after he advanced to Journeyman! The circumstances boggled his mind, but the Devil Tiger did not lie!

Any Journeyman, not just Ves, could instinctively tell that the Devil Tiger was definitely a masterwork!

Ves clapped both of his cheeks with his palms as if he wanted to wake up from this dream.

The Devil Tiger was still there!

It was still the same!

\"This is unbelievable!\"

In truth, Ves already admitted to himself that he did not produce a masterwork mech through legitimate means.

He cheated.

The Sin of Altruism that strengthened the Devil Tiger’s armor by a substantial degree addressed the only deficient factor that prevented the mech from becoming a masterwork!

How many mech designers possessed the same privilege of using such a reality-defying gem? As far as Ves knew, Lucky was unique! No one could buy another gem cat like him no matter how much money they were willing to offer!

He sighed. His professional integrity forced him to admit that he did not deserve to be counted among the ranks of mech designers who went above and beyond to produce their own masterwork mechs.

\"If I don’t have the luxury of using one of Lucky’s best gems, then it might have taken many decades before I’m able to surpass the masterwork threshold through my own capabilities.\"

Frankly, he disrespected the accomplishments of other mech designers by counting himself amongst their ranks.

Yet... did he feel guilty for taking a shortcut where others poured blood, sweat and tears to reach the same height?

Nope.

\"Who cares how I got to this point! The important part is that I’ve reached it! Every mech I fabricate from now on will forever benefit from the gains of this project!\"

Ves successfully concluded the Devil Tiger project with numerous gains. Not only did he develop a multitude of new spiritual techniques, he also progressed his career by creating his first masterwork!

Though the costs were high, the benefits he accrued absolutely surpassed his wildest expectations!

However, once his jubilation and euphoria mellowed out, a very obvious practical problem popped up in his mind.

\"I can’t submit the Devil Tiger to the MTA to get my masterwork certificate. I’ll turn into a fugitive if I do so!\"

There was no way he could ever let himself be tied to the Devil Tiger, masterwork or not! The exceeding amount of discretion he employed in securing the materials and the mech workshop already demonstrated his extreme concern in his role in designing and creating the smart metal tiger mech.

Even now, Ves shuddered at the thought should a mech pilot begin to interface with his creation. Its exceptional quality did not make any difference concerning its lethality to its very own users!

Ves bopped his head with his palm in frustration!

\"In the end, no one will recognize my achievement!\"

More than that, Ves also felt frustrated at the reality that he wouldn’t be able to sell his Devil Tiger to someone deserving enough to pilot such a grand machine.

If he had a choice, then he would not hesitate to bestow the mech to the Larkinsons!

He considered the Avatars of Myth as well, but it was too selfish to keep his masterwork mech to himself.

As long as the Larkinsons had a mech pilot who was proficient in piloting tiger mechs, then the Devil Tiger would have been a perfect fit!

Sadly, it was not to be. He had to stick to his original plan and find a way to sell his Devil Tiger to some scummy pirate commander who would doubtlessly use the masterwork mech for deplorable ends.

\"I suppose I can overhaul the Devil Tiger to take out its controversial parts, but it won’t be the same mech anymore.\" He muttered morosely.

It was immensely difficult to create a masterwork mech, but incredibly easy to ruin them. Each time Ves attempted to upgrade or modify the Devil Tiger, he risked breaking the qualities that turned it into a masterwork.

Of course, now that Ves had reached this point, he became very sensitive to what he should or shouldn’t do in order to retain the Devil Tiger’s masterwork standard.

This was why he quickly concluded that the expensive overhaul plan he formed in his mind was way too intrusive to keep the Devil Tiger exceptional.

Ves shook his head. \"I don’t want to change my mech anyway.\"

The Devil Tiger partially became a Masterwork because he poured his love into its design and creation. How could he betray his love by butchering and mutilating his own child?

\"No matter what kind of nasty properties it possesses, it’s still my work!\"

He was even tempted to call his Devil Tiger a perfect mech, but he thought better of it. He wasn’t Gloriana!

\"She’d probably be ecstatic when I show off my mech to her!\"

Sadly, he wouldn’t be able to show off his Devil Tiger to her up close. The most he could do was to make detailed recordings of his mech so that she’d be able to enjoy at least some of its grandeur in high-fidelity projections.

\"There’s no way the Devil Tiger can remain in my possession for long. I have to get rid of it as soon as possible!\"

He called up Nitaa, who had been observing Ves getting absorbed over his amazing accomplishment by himself.

\"Is your new mech really that good, sir?\" She asked.

\"Yes. It’s a genuine masterwork mech!\"

She scratched her head. \"I can’t see that. It’s just a mech to me. Are you really sure about your judgement?\"

\"My judgement is always right when it comes to mechs! Trust me, I’m a mech designer! I know my craft!\"

It did not surprise him that a laywoman like Nitaa failed to recognize the splendor of his masterwork mech. In truth, most low-ranking mech pilots and mech designers would fail to see its exceptional quality as well.

Only the more perceptive and dedicated insiders in the mech community were capable of recognizing the Devil Tiger’s true charm.

This was also what the MTA’s masterwork certificate aimed to address. As the ultimate arbiters of everything related to mechs, their judgement was inviolable. If they stated that a mech was a masterwork mech, then no one held any doubts.

As for his Devil Tiger... Ves could only hope that the mech appraisers of the Circle of Mota would be able to recognize its true value when he submitted it for exchange or auction.

That reminded him of his next step. He still needed to pass his mech to a customer in order to complete the System’s Upgrade Missions!

\"How are you in your attempts to gain entry in the Circle of Mota?\" He asked his bodyguard.

\"I’ve already made a lot of headway, sir. I’ve used the credentials given to Lady Miralix to contact a middleman with ties to the Circle of Mota. It’s been difficult to gain his trust despite Lady Miralix vouching for us. Because you wanted our identities to remain hidden, it’s taken a very long time to get his agreement.\"

\"Are there any hold-ups?\"

She shook her head. \"I had Gavin pass on a message to Lady Miralix to explain our difficulties. She recently intervened to sort out the middleman’s issues. There’s no problem now. We can depart to the temporary marketplace the Circle of Mota has set up whenever you want.\"

\"That’s great! Where is this clandestine site located?\"

\"Cinach VIII. A lot of shipments of classified goods enter and exit the planet due to its many research and educational institutions. It’s also a trade hub for high-value goods.\"

That made a lot of sense, though Ves suspected that the Cinach authorities weren’t completely blind to the smuggling that went on. How securely would he be able to smuggle his Devil Tiger to the surface of Cinach VIII?