The Mech Touch - Chapter 7033
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Chapter 7033: High-Level Technological Assistance
Gloriana shook her head in disappointment.
“If you still have two opportunities to ask for a minor favor from a Star Designer, we could have used them earlier and persuaded Ketis to turn the First Sword Mark III into an archemech. Resources are meant to be used, Ves. I thought you understood that considering that you have been making a lot more decisions as of late that prioritized our short-term interests over our long-term ones.”
Ves shook his head. “That may be true, but that doesn’t mean we should use up everything right away. Ketis has more reasons to object to your inclusion in her mech design project. Besides, it is a bad habit to run to a Star Designer in order to solve our most challenging problems. It may take two years for you and your research associates to figure out how to combine archetech with superdimensional tech, but the lessons and insights you will learn on the way will expand and enrich your problem-solving skills. That is incredibly valuable to your long-term development as a mech designer.”
“We cannot wait that long.” His wife said with a scowl. “I am aware that we are currently designing the Riot Mark III with an archemetal interior that is clad with a superdimensional alloy armor system, but this is not a genuine solution in my eyes. Out of all of our current and future high-ranking mechs, the Riot Mark III is most prone to enduring heavy damage during combat. The absence of superdimensional reinforcement in the internals will cause the machine to collapse too easily once he has suffered a single armor breach.”
She admittedly raised a good point. Ves did not think this solution was perfect either, but it was the best they could come up with given their current limitations.
Just as with the First Sword Mark III, Ves hoped that the Riot Mark III would be able to rely on her energy defenses and superdimensional shell to prevent incoming attacks from penetrating any deeper.
However, as soon as a greater phase lord armed with a Saint Piercer or another dangerous superdimensional weapon managed to punch through all of these tough shells, the internals would not fare well as their ability to cope with damage fell far behind!
Granted, this was nothing special. Pretty much every other mech including high-ranking ones possessed this common weakness.
The issue was that the Red War and the new war against the mutated voribugs drastically increased the number of deployments of any frontline military force.
These days, many mechs fought in more battles in a month than they had in decades in the past!
The heightened frequency of combat encounters combined with fatigue and inadequate repairs drastically increased the probability of mechs suffering an armor breach.
This was also the instance where these machines were most prone to falling in battle. Their survival rates were much better if they were still relatively fresh.
In short, strengthening the internals of a mech drastically increased its fault tolerance and longevity, especially during wartime.
The downsides of difficult and more costly maintenance was trivial so long as archetech was only reserved for the expert mechs and ace mechs of the Larkinson Clan.
Right now, superdimensional technology was on the rise, and the Larkinson Clan happened to sit in the front-row seats of this powerful new trend.
Not even the rise of the Cybernetic Empire could overshadow the brilliance of superdimensional matter.
The new superpower may have developed clever ways to get more out of their existing materials, but so long as the latter remained constant, there was only so much they could do to raise their strength.
Superdimensional matter was new and still underdeveloped. It had amazing potential that was just waiting to be tapped by anyone who was smart and capable enough to exploit its multi-dimensional traits.
All of this meant that the Larkinson Clan could not afford to miss out on this promising development.
That was bad news for Gloriana who already committed heavily to archetech. She not only sunk years of her time into developing this exotic alien specialization, but also shifted her design philosophy around archemechs.
She had even discovered an opportunity to becoming a Master Mech Designer through her new specialization. So long as she advanced her understanding of archetech so much that she could reinvent it into a tech base that got rid of its alien weirdness and converted it into a version that was more compatible with human technology, then she believed that her breakthrough was just around the corner!
Ves briefly narrowed his eyes.
If he wanted to sabotage his wife’s progress and make sure she continued to experience delays and setbacks in her difficult research, then he should resolutely refuse to use up his remaining favors to her benefit.
After all, these were the favors that the Red Association extended to Ves for his massive contributions to red humanity.
If Gloriana wanted to enlist the aid of a Star Designer, then she should figure out how to help red humanity become stronger in her own way.
Why should Ves use his own precious reward to facilitate her progress?
If he helped her with this problem, then the probability that she could become a Master Mech Designer before Ves rose drastically!
However… there was more at stake than Ves’ own selfishness and ego.
The Riot Mark III Project, the Lionheart Mark II Project, the Promethea Mark II Project and the future refit of the Dark Zephyr Mark III all depended on whether Gloriana could combine superdimensional tech with archetech.
Without a practical enough fusion between the two techs, the Larkinsons would remain stuck in an awkward position where they were forced to resort to inferior means and solutions for an uncomfortably long time.
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This was also the wrong time to hold back on this front. The wars against the native aliens and the mutated voribugs would only grow more heated over time.
Even if it looked as if the native aliens had no good answers to the more basic forms of superdimensional mechs at this time, Ves did not expect that to remain this way.
The Larkinsons needed to accrue as many advantages as possible before conditions deteriorated even further.
Ves had a vested interest in making all of the high-ranking mechs of the Larkinson Clan stronger and more survivable.
If he could use up one of his remaining favors to help Gloriana solve this critical technical problem, then that would leave him and the clan with more room to demand other concessions from the Cybernetic Empire.
“Perhaps your proposal is feasible.” Ves eventually concluded. “The likelihood that the Polymath and the Cybernetic Empire have conducted extensive studies on archetech is too low. We may as well turn to the leaders of the RA for help. Which Star Designer do you think we should approach for this problem? The Resonance Smith is the strongest materials scientist in the Red Ocean, but the Xenotechnician excels at exploiting and reverse engineering alien technologies. Perhaps I can use both of my favors at once in order to get them to work together, but I have a feeling that is overkill.”
It would also be an excessive waste of a precious favor. If he could get what he wanted with one favor, then it would be stupid if he expended two of them at once.
His wife frowned at the mention of the two Star Designers.
“Both of them are… men.” She spoke with a hint of distaste.
“So?”
“Female Star Designers are underrepresented in the Red Ocean. Out of the 14 known Star Designers, only 6 of them are women.”
Ves adopted a weird expression. “What does that have to do with the subject at hand? I am not going to approach the Web Mistress or the Leyline Seer to request their help on a problem that other Star Designers are clearly better qualified to address.”
That sounded as stupid as approaching the fleeters for advice on mechs.
His wife was smart enough to know that as well, but her stubbornness prevented her from making the obvious conclusion.
Fortunately, she was not in charge.
“This is my favor that I am using up, so I will be making the arrangements.” He told her. “Resonance Smith or Xenotechnician, which one do you prefer? The former is more likely to possess an in-depth understanding of superdimensional matter, and should offer more advanced solutions to transform it into more usable alloys. The other should be able to figure out how to expand the scope of archetech to incorporate superdimensionality, though this may be a bit too much for a single favor.”
Gloriana scowled but did not argue the point any further. Being told to choose between the two male Star Designers was like trying to choose between two unpalatable meals.
“If I am forced to choose between the lesser of two evils, then I think it is better to solicit the help of the Resonance Smith. I admit that Xenotechnician may be able to alter archetech to accommodate this new tech, but… I do not want him to solve this problem. I want to do it myself. The solution offered by the Resonance Smith may be inferior compared to the alternative, but it is not a heavy request, nor one that promises to solve all of our problems at once. There is enough room for improvement on our end.”
That was a thoughtful response. Ves thought about it and felt it made a lot of sense.
Gloriana just wanted to solve the immediate short-term problem that prevented superdimensional materials from blending in with archemetal.
The most superficial and basic solution would do. She did not want a Star Designer to solve the problem as completely and comprehensively as possible. That would turn into a form of overreliance that could ruin her ambitious breakthrough plan.
“I agree with your reasoning.” Ves said in an approving tone. “Our proposal to the Resonance Smith shouldn’t take up too much of his time. In contrast, if we ask the Xenotechnician to expand the possibilities of archetech, he may need to work on it for multiple days if not weeks. That is not a good use of a Star Designer’s time. I am sure that his time is better spent on more important projects.”
He approved of her decision for more than one reason. Ves had already contacted the Xenotechnician in the past, and his impression was not entirely positive.
For all of the accomplishments made by this old Star Designer, the Xenotechnician came across as weird and even alien at times.
People also suspected the Xenotechnician for maintaining an ambiguous relationship with the Cosmopolitan Movement.
It was only because no one could prove this relationship existed that the Xenotechnician could escape blame, at least in the open.
Despite his apparent innocence, Ves would prefer it if he did not deal with this particular Star Designer.
Most of the cosmopolitan cells would love nothing more than to claim Ves’ head and earn a rich bounty from the Red Cabal!
Ves also had other reasons to seek out an audience from the Resonance Smith.
If he was able to speak with him in person, Ves may be able to bring up a few other interesting problems. A simple guiding answer from the Star Designer could help a lot.
“The Resonance Smith it is, then.” Ves said and smiled. “I will contact Jovy shortly afterwards and let him make the necessary arrangements. Hopefully, the Resonance Smith will be able to talk within the week.”
Now that Ves thought about using up one of his two remaining favors, he began to think about what he could do with the other one.
After all, it was better to use it up now than later. There were many more problems that could be solved by the RA as opposed to the Cybernetic Empire.
Both superorganizations excelled in different areas.
The RA definitely accumulated a lot more expertise in hyper technology and superdimensional technology.
The Cybernetic Empire most probably built up a formidable lead in almost every other field of conventional technology.
This should guide his decision on what he should use his last favor on. The Red Association may have fallen behind in most technological disciplines, but it was not a pushover, especially when it still retained the services of 9 Star Designers, each of which excelled in different areas!
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