The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1192

"I’m aware of what has transpired." Calabast said over the comm.

As soon as the friendly high inquisitor finished his inquiry, Ves immediately called his partner over his comm.

Both of them knew that their conversation wasn’t secure, so they restrained themselves from discussing any sensitive matters. The high inquisitor might in fact be listening in right now!

"Who is he, exactly?" Ves asked.

"High Inquisitor Xefin Lin Poxco is a renowned figure in the Poxco Dynasty." Calabast calmly answered. "Born as a commoner, he joined the Attendants of Ylvaine and became an adopted member of the dynasty. He worked as a priest for some time before finding his true calling as an inquisitor."

"So he enjoys hunting heretics for a living?"

"I know that secularists like you think of all kinds of horror stories as soon as you hear about an inquisition. The Ylvainan Inquisition is preoccupied with more than hunting heretics and blasphemers. They act as the investigative arm of the Ylvainan Faith. Their mandate extends to everything related to the faith. They particularly pay a lot of attention to anything that can threaten the supremacy of the Ylvainan Faith in the Protectorate."

This explanation sounded very vague to Ves. If the inquisitors twisted their interpretation to a certain extent, then anything that transpired in the Protectorate fell within their mandate!

"Is our business partnership under threat?" He asked.

She shook her head. "This is my problem, not yours. Our business relationship is still solid. The high inquisitor may have a lot of power, but the only reason he can be involved is due to the recent terrorist attack. Regardless of what the media says, it is a stretch to lay the blame on our feet."

"What about.. your position? Is it secure?"

"My directorship is secure." Calabast firmly stated over the comm. "I enjoy the support of the highest elders in the Curin Dynasty. They know what is at stake and they will not let the Ylvainan Inquisition run roughshod over us. If my guess is correct, then the inquisition is actually trying to dig into something else. For now, these waters are too deep for you to wade into. Don’t inquire any further about this topic."

Calabast revealed a lot of information to Ves with her reply. He didn’t believe she was a native Ylvainan at all. He always wondered how she smoothly managed to gain an identity in the Curin Dynasty.

It made sense that she enjoyed insider support. Otherwise, it would have been too outlandish for her to adopt the identity of a notable Curin.

What Ves didn’t know until now was that the leaders of the Curin Dynasty was aware of her true origin!

This possible conclusion implied that Calabast’s true background was a lot stronger than he imagined! If her true origin warranted the personal attention of the highest elders of the Curin Dynasty, then her former employers must be a force to be reckoned with in the region!

At the very least, Ves suspected that she may have struck a deal with them in order to acquire her current identity.

It concerned him a bit that Calabast’s shady associations might spill over to Ves. He still didn’t feel comfortable about their partnership yet. The information disparity between the two always put him on the defense.

While Calabast investigated his record and knew one of his greatest secrets, he knew almost nothing about her! Aside from the fact that she was a spy and she worked for a powerful organization, Ves didn’t even know her real name!

"It has dawned upon me that I know very little about you." He pointed out. "For a supposed business partner, it is really disconcerting that you’re not willing to share anything about yourself to me. A good business relationship is based on trust, you know."

"I know, but now is not the time, Mr. Larkinson." Calabast smiled at Ves. "As I’ve said before, it’s sufficient for us to rely on mutual interest. Don’t concern yourself about my matters and instead focus upon your own. The commission won’t complete by itself and you have a lot of expectations riding on your shoulders. The success of our subsequent ventures rely on how well you design your next mech. How much progress have you made up until now?"

"Not much. I’m still working on developing my vision for my upcoming mech. It’s important for me to gain a good understanding of Ylvainan culture. If I get it wrong from the start, I won’t be able to design anything significant no matter how much time and effort I put into this project."

"You’re the mech designer. I trust in your abilities." She confidently said. As the holder of the Metal Scroll, any mech he designed was remarkable! "This is a delicate time. Keep your head down for now and don’t get involved in anything that riles up the Ylvainan Inquisition."

Ves held up his hand in innocence. "Hey, who do you think I am? I’m just a mech designer. I don’t have any other stake in the Ylvaine Protectorate besides designing and selling mechs."

"I’m just reminding you that you can’t act with impunity here. High Inquisitor Xefin Lin Poxco may have paid a casual visit to you this time, but he won’t hesitate to come at you hard as soon as you make a single misstep, especially if you profane the Ylvainan Faith. This is not the Bright Republic."

"I know. Don’t worry. Since my movements are restricted, there’s nothing I can do besides designing mechs."

They ended the call shortly after. He found it rather insulting that Calabast kept looking at him with a shifty expression, as if he was a naughty kid who couldn’t help but pull of a stunt that would land them both in trouble.

Who did she think she was? She should look after her own conduct before accusing him of anything shady!

"I’m completely innocent!"

Just then, a slim metallic form phased through the wall.

"Meow!"

"Ah, Lucky, you’re back!"

A small ECM field surrounded his incorporeal cat. This enabled him to move in and out of the tightly-guarded guest compound without arousing the attention of the Protectors of the Faith.

"Come closer. What did you manage to retrieve?"

Lucky clutched a small bag of assorted junk. As Ves took the bag and looked inside, he dug up several small objects.

He first lifted up a small suit button that purportedly came from one of the Grey Martyr’s formal suits.

"Fake." Ves declared.

"This bears further study." _{ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom}