The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1138

Throughout the week of interviews and celebration, Ves also received a very important call. As soon as he read the name of the person calling him, he immediately took a break.

"Ves Larkinson. Congratulations on your successful advancement to Journeyman."

"Thank you, Master Olson."

Although his Master hadn’t been very present during his formative years as an Apprentice, he still enjoyed some of the halo she bestowed on him. Ves was very cognizant that Master Olson didn’t pay too much attention to Apprentice Mech Designers like him unless she nurtured them to inherit her design philosophy.

It was different when it came to Journeymen. Even in the prosperous and highly-populated Friday Coalition, Journeymen were valuable resources that could be employed in many areas as long as their loyalty could be assured.

The problem that Master Olson faced in this situation was that she probably did not expect Ves to advance to Journeyman so fast!

This threw her calculations on him completely out of whack, though she did her best not to show any of her doubts to Ves in this comm call. By all appearances, Master Olson genuinely looked pleased at his turn of fortune.

"Now that you have become a de facto Journeyman, it won’t be long before you receive recognition from the MTA. Are you aware of your obligations once you reach that point?"

Ves nodded. "I’ll have to travel to the MTA’s sector headquarters."

"There are some important ceremonies and rituals that you have to go through. Advancement to Journeyman not only means your ability to design mechs has matured, but it also means you have become a true galactic citizen. The MTA will outline all the benefits a Journeyman like you is entitled to. They will also reveal some very important secrets about the true meaning of our profession."

That sounded as if his impending visit to the MTA’s headquarters in the Komodo Star Sector wasn’t just a regular meet and greet.

"I look forward to my upcoming visit." Ves said, even though he felt anything but enthused.

His relationship with the MTA was admittedly mixed. Ves flagrantly broke their rules and ran roughshed over their taboos several times. Like a crook visiting a police station, Ves didn’t want to be close to them at all, especially considering that his body was marked by gene optimization treatments from the CFA!

Even so, as far as Ves was aware of, every Journeyman went on a pilgrimage to one of the bulwarks of the MTA. The Mech Trade Association might possess an innocuous name, but they were very adamant on keeping every mech designer in civilized space under their control!

"Your visit to the MTA’s headquarters come first." Master Olson emphasized. "After that, I would like you to pay a visit to Leemar to inspect you on your progress and impart some knowledge to you. I will also be offering some opportunities to you that are well worth your time. I advise you to clear your schedule and arrange matters at home before you embark on your visits."

It sounded like Master Olson already wanted to put Ves at work. "What are these opportunities you talk about?"

"Do you know the meaning of the word Journeyman?"

"A Journeyman is a craftsman who has matured. They are competent in their craft and can be trusted to deliver a sound product by themselves."

"One of the historical customs of journeymen in ancient crafts was that they traveled from place to place after graduating from apprentices. This allowed them to move beyond their hometowns to experience different approaches to their own craft. A Journeyman Mech Designer is not obligated to travel around, but it is generally a good idea to broaden your horizons."

This sounded rather big to Ves. "You want me to travel around?"

Master Olson smiled. "Have you ever traveled beyond the Komodo Star Sector?"

"I have." Ves admitted. "Several missions brought me to the Faris Star Region."

"Then you must be very much aware that different customs exist for mechs depending on the region they operate. A resource-poor region like the frontier cannot sustain the existence of high-quality mechs. Each star sector exhibits their own nuances when it comes to the prevailing mech doctrines. I’m very glad you’ve already taken a step to expand your horizons, but it would do you well to explore what more prosperous star sectors have to offer as well."

It seemed to Ves that Master Olson was trying to encourage him to accept the opportunities she wanted to present to him during his visit to Leemar.

Since he was quite intrigued by the prospect of travelling to another star sector, he expressed some enthusiasm.

"I look forward to what you have to offer."

In any case, he could neatly fit a possible excursion in his schedule as long as it didn’t take too long.

After he designed his fifth original mech design, he wasn’t under very much pressure to design another mech.

With the next generation of mechs about to arrive in five years or less, any mech he designed in the waning years of the current generation would quickly be devalued. While his Aurora Titan model exceed its initial sales projections, Ves would not be able to spiritually empower his other mech designs with something as strong as Qilanxo’s spiritual fragment.

Without possessing the critical element that allowed him to elevate the X-Factor of his design to A-rank, his subsequent mech designs would never match the Aurora Titan’s splendor. Rather than spending his time on designing lackluster mechs, Ves would rather go on an excursion to expand his horizons and improve his ability to design mechs for the upcoming mech generation!

After a bit more chatting, Master Olson finally ended the call. While she wanted to impart a lot more information to him, he would visit her soon enough at Leemar anyway.

"A Journeyman really receives different treatment from everyone." He sighed.