The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1284

After rambling for five straight minutes about her fantasies, Gloriana abruptly halted.

"Ah, sorry there Ves. I didn’t want to overwhelm you with my aspirations. Irene warned me that I shouldn’t get carried away in front of you. I hope I haven’t frightened you too much with my forwardness."

That was the least of his problems with Gloriana!

"...It’s okay."

"That’s great!" She grinned. "I should probably get going now, but know that you will always be in my heart! I’ll be in touch again. In the meantime, I hope you keep thinking of me. I’ll definitely help you overcome your anxiety. Bye bye!"

The comm call finally ended, leaving Ves behind with two conflicting emotions.

One part of him deeply wanted to grow closer to Gloriana. Another part of him strongly urged him to do the opposite!

Neither side could eliminate the other. Both maintained a tenuous balance.

"Am I overreacting or am I being prudent?"

No matter how much Ves wanted to repress his attraction towards Gloriana, his heart was not that easy to deceive. He still possessed a crush on her. Even her confidence that she could make her relationship work was attractive to him. He felt deeply flattered that she still wanted him after he stiffed her on their first date!

"Yet this woman is really something else."

Her background and her extreme opinions wouldn’t have been such a big deal for Ves if she did not believe in them so earnestly.

He wasn’t specifically against religion. It was more in how fanatic she became when she expressed her ideals.

Ves met a lot of fanatics in his life. People like Doctor Jutland, the Vesian rebels, the Bentheim rebels, the worshippers of Haatumak, the True Believers and so on all turned into unhinged extremists due to the strength of their beliefs!

"At some point, devotion turns into madness!"

He had many awful experiences with fanatics who believed in their own cause. They couldn’t be reasoned with and common sense was dearly in short supply. How could Ves ever be comfortable in their presence when they were one step away from insanity?

Yet... was Gloriana as bad as the others?

"She’s smart and not that all close to going out of control." Ves admitted. Sure, she was a little too eager to chase after him, but a part of him felt very happy about that. "I can’t put Gloriana in the same box as the likes of the Bentheim Liberation Movement and the New Ylvaine Dynasty. When it comes down to it, she’s just a strong-willed mech designer, kind of.. like myself."

Every Journeyman held strong beliefs. It was part of what elevated them from Apprentices. Their design seeds not only solidified their deepest desires and ambitions, but also amplified them in a way that helped them stay on track as they worked to realize their design philosophies.

Ves himself knew that his true beliefs already sounded very odd even to himself. Even if he left out the hyperbole and exaggerations he used to mislead the MTA, the thought of making mechs come alive already sounded very controversial.

Perhaps calling Gloriana crazy was like the pot calling the kettle black.

He turned around on his bed and lazily picked up Lucky.

"Who do you think is crazier, me or Gloriana?"

"Meow."

"Pff! Why me?!"

"Meow!"

"Only a crazy person would run away from a pretty woman who’s totally into me? Pff!"

Ves tossed Lucky away, who halted himself in the air after engaging his flight ability.

"Meow!"

Lucky’s objections fell on deaf ears as Ves blanked out. Too much had happened today and the emotional rollercoaster he had ridden left him completely put out. He really didn’t want to deal with anything else today.

Sadly, duty demanded otherwise. He still needed to meet with the guest that the Rim Guardians had dumped in his lap. Keeping this mech pilot waiting for so long would doubtlessly prove detrimental to his chances of fulfilling this already impossible task.

"By their own account, this mech pilot is a coward. How can they ever expect a wimp to become an expert pilot? It simply can’t be done!"

The only way to remedy this fault was to inject the mech pilot in question with a lot of courage. Yet the Rim Guardians had years to do so but completely failed.

Why?

"I bet they can probably turn the biggest coward in the galaxy into a hero as long as they brainwash the individual in question."

Naturally, using forceful methods came with their own costs. Ves even suspected the brainwashing might even hinder the advancement process.

He would meet the mech pilot in person soon enough, so there was no need for him to make any judgements before that. Hopefully, he would at least have something to work with. Every man should at least possess some pride.

After half an hour of relaxing, Ves slowly rose from his bed. The brief break allowed him to regain his composure and put Gloriana out of his mind.

Though the female mech designer still popped up in his thoughts every now and then, Ves no longer as if she had taken over his life.

"I’m a mech designer, not a love-drunk teenager. Even if she’s fascinating, I’m better than this! How can I call myself a Journeyman when I constantly allow myself to get distracted?"

The difficulty was that despite all of his protests, he truly felt attracted to Gloriana. Her call earlier invigorated the desire in his heart because he realized he still had a chance with her. Her forgiving attitude towards him was so lovely that the romantic sap in him wanted to turn the Barracuda around!

"I can’t do that!"

Ves vigorously shook his head. Once he became sure he scrambled all of his distractions, he stood up and left the stateroom while calling Gavin.