The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1318

Fe Nitaa was so low on the totem pole that she knew nothing about the intentions of the Five Scrolls Compact in the region.

"I’m just an experimental subject to the Order of Fl’xix, and a failed one at that." She raised her eyes. "However, if you wish to avoid detection from others like me, perhaps I can help."

That caught his attention. "How so?"

"There are ways to interfere with my special sense of smell."

The two began to dive in deeper on the nature of her so-called special nose.

From what Nitaa could tell, the experiment performed on her messed with her olfactory senses. Her nose had been modified to sense smells that ordinary people could never sense.

At least that was the intention. For some reason, this ability came online months after the Compact researcher declared his experiment to be a failure.

"What is the nature of the new smells that you’re able to sense with your empowered nose?"

"I don’t know. All I know is that I am not smelling something in the air, but something that exists in another medium. I know this because I’ve smelled something unusual even when I’m wearing an airtight vacsuit in space."

It might be spirituality that she sensed!

Ves decided to put this assumption to the test. He flared out his Spirituality, causing him to be surrounded by a nearly-perceptible aura.

"Do you sense anything different about me right now?"

She frowned. "No.. I do sense something, but not with my nose."

Then how did her special nose even work?! If she didn’t smell any physical or spiritual scents, then what was it about him that triggered her olfactory senses?!

"Your Holiness, although I am unable to explain how my special nose works, I can tell you that other objects trigger it as well. You may be able to mislead those with similar senses like me by masking your ’scent’ with other overpowering smells."

Ves easily understood her suggestion. It was just like jamming a sensor by blasting it with noise and junk data. The only difference here was that the jamming happened through a mysterious medium instead of conventional signals.

"What kind of smell can mask my scent?"

He eagerly needed to know the answer in order to take steps to avoid the Compact’s sweeping search!

"Spicy Nyx dogs."

"...What?"

"Spicy Nyx dogs. It’s a variation of the classic hot dog, and it’s a specialty in the Nyxian Gap. After I developed my special nose, I began to explore all over Bloodstone in order to see what triggers my smell. Aside from sensing something unusual from a small amount of random, seemingly unconnected people, I also encountered a number of anomalous smells from other sources."

"What makes these spicy Nyx dogs so special to you, then?"

"Their scent is overpowering. Although I would have to be close to detect them, once they enter the range of my nose, I’m hit with a burst of intensity that is unlike anything else I’ve smelled! Anyone who eats one will continue to carry its scents for days!"

While Ves never heard of spicy Nyx dogs before, it was a prevalent snack in the Nyxian Gap. So much so that it even spread throughout the ’lower’ half of the Komodo Star Sector.

"After I began to investigate this snack, I found out that only a small number of them triggered my special nose. The majority of the spicy Nyx dogs sold on Bloodstone elicited no reaction."

Ves chuckled. "Because they’re fake, right?"

"Right. The most authentic recipe calls for using a blend of spices native to the Nyxian Gap. One of the spices responsible for adding most of the heat happens to be geril spice. It’s difficult to come by in the Kinner Tribe, and it’s so expensive that most food vendors resort to substitute blends that are sourced locally."

"I see. So the key is geril spice. As long as I eat a spicy Nyx dog or something else flavored with geril spice, I can mask the scent of my ’Sacred Scroll’?"

"That is my guess, Your Holiness. I am unsure whether it works, but even now, my memory of the intensity of its smell is significantly more powerful than your current scent."

Though Ves was unsure if her special nose worked that way, it was worth a try!

If her suggestion worked, then Ves had a very effective way of misleading the Compact’s efforts to track down the Metal Scroll.

Unfortunately, while it might delay detection, it did not solve the problem entirely. People who came in touch with geril spice and other substances that overpowered the special nose they developed would definitely attract closer scrutiny.

If the Compact ever performed a follow-up investigation, then eating a dozen spicy Nyx dogs a day might not be enough to keep him out of their reach forever!

However, that was a problem for another day. Right now, Ves focused on avoiding the initial sweep. As long as he did not get caught immediately, he would have plenty of time to figure out how to avoid the subsequent investigations!

He turned his gaze back to the kneeling woman. Despite being taller and more physically imposing than him, Fe Nitaa utterly showed no hint of dominance towards him. In fact, Ves happened to be the one that loomed over her like a master inspecting a slave!

"Oh, stand up already."

She did so, forcing Ves to crane his neck upwards in order to meet her eyes.

He never considered himself to be too short or too tall, but in this instance, Ves felt very insecure about his height for some reason!

He liked it a lot better if Nitaa kept kneeling!

Still, it would be awfully petty of him to order her back to her knees.

A sigh of exasperation escaped his lips. "Alright, that’s enough for now. This isn’t exactly the most secure place to talk. Let’s resume this discussion for another time."

"If that is your wish, Your Holiness."

"Don’t call me that! Exercise some prudence, please! Either in public or in private, it’s unacceptable to refer to me as the Holy Son. No one except myself, Lucky and a handful of other people know the truth. Everyone else is in the dark, including my closest companions."