The Mech Touch novel Chapter 90

Ves toed a dangerous line. He worked faster than ever before using a machine he never touched. If he tripped up even once, he’d fall down the precipice. He made risky maneuvers left and right, all in the name of maximizing performance in the least amount of time.

"I can feel my skills are integrating. There’s no better way for me to master my new gains than to push them to the limit."

Despite being one step away from ruination, Ves felt truly alive at that moment. He was made for this. His performance went past a hundred percent as he reached a peculiar state of zen. Only his massively empowered concentration allowed him to enter this special state. Under this remarkable influence, he worked as furiously as a ritually empowered demon, which even managed to attract the attention of the commentators.

"Who is that foreigner? He’s working remarkably fast! While he’s a little sloppier than the talents from Leemar, he’s crushing them in terms of decisiveness!"

Some of the audience even started to divert their attention to Ves. While he had no impressive background or reputation to speak of in the Coalition, his frantic pace still marked him out as an unusual contender.

"According to my files, this dark horse here is Ves Larkinson, a native from the Bright Republic. He doesn’t have any achievements to speak of. He graduated from a third-rate university from a third-rate state with average grades. The only two things to note is that he founded an independent mech workshop without outside investment and that a mysterious charity from the New Rubarth Empire has gifted him a couple of lastgen production licenses."

Everything the spectators heard so far failed to impress them at all. Only the involvement of the New Rubarth Empire took them aback. Even if only a tiny and obscure influence from the massive first-rate superstate took interest in Ves, the news was still sufficient to shock the crowd.

Under the rule of the ruthless Emperor, those who lived and thrived under his rule had to possess a certain amount of strength. If not, their wealth and possessions would have been snatched a long time ago. It had to be said that even the most banal powers from the New Rubarth Empire possessed enough might to crush the Komodo Star Sector a dozen times over.

Elsewhere on the stage, Barakovski’s smile turned intrigued. "Interesting. Seems like my meeting with him was fortuitous. I always knew there was something fishy about him. The Bright Republic can’t possibly nurture a mech designer like him. If there’s the shadow of New Rubarth behind him, it all makes sense."

Meanwhile, Patricia’s eyes remained tranquil as she steadily built up her design. She took no special note of her former classmate from the Republic. The only thing she had in mind was her design. Her subdued way of working drew no eyes from the audience even if her fingers operated the QuickForge system in a masterful way.

There were also some on the stage who treated the news contemptuously. One graduate from Leemar snorted offhandedly when he heard the commentary. "Truly worthy of the Rubarthans to invest in a random ant from the most backward place in the star sector. Hah, if that influence is truly legitimate, then we’d all heard about it by now."

Though Ves attracted a brief spike of attention, the short-lived excitement died down quickly. In the eyes of the insiders, he was merely a talent who got a lucky break. Whether he could transform the gifts he received into his own strength was another matter. Many dazzling talents who graduated from the LIT and the other elite schools of the Coalition possessed much more substantial track records. Their many accomplishments awed the people present.

The heritage of the various partners in the Friday Coalition could not be belittled. Despite their intense rivalry, they unceasingly produced successful talents year after year. Only a comprehensive education system could pump out an unceasing amount of talents. The Coalition also nurtured them properly by putting them under the wings of more experienced designers.

"Speaking of remarkable designers, who do you favor?"

"Is that even a valid question? There’s only one person on stage who deserves to be called an emperor of their generation. If you lived under a rock for the past couple of years, then lo and behold the radiance of Carter Gauge."

No one disputed the commentator’s assertion. Even the illustrious household names such as Mortimer Presutti and Cynthia Barakovski had to bend the knee in front of a genuine powerhouse like Carter Gauge.

"As a descendant of the ruling Gauge Dynasty, there is no question Carter will inherit the role of chief mech designer from his father."

The Gauge Dynasty was the strongest partner of the Friday Coalition. They were the first to arrive at the desolate Komodo Star Sector. With their innumerable assets and power, they blazed a trail and colonized the juiciest star systems. If not for the entries of rival powers like the precursors of the Konsu Clan and Hexadric Hegemony, the Gauge Dynasty might have firmly grasped the entire star sector.

Nowadays, their immense strength and unruly behavior often invited universal condemnation. Though the Dynasty could overpower any other partner, even they had to halt if the rest of the Coalition combined together in opposition.

Militarily, the Gauge Dynasty unquestionably occupied the throne. The Konsu Clan was only a distance second. The almost evenly-matched Vermeer Group hounding at their heels, not content with their third-place position.

In comparison, the Carnegie Group’s core strength did not even come close. The Group pursuit an economic and diplomatic path to dominance. Their industrial power matched the Gauge Dynasty while their connections spread beyond the star sector. No one belittled the Carnegie Group even if their strength was fairly weak on paper.

"That is interesting! Carter Gauge is disregarding the usual strategies and is calmly designing a medium mech for the late-game! If anyone else is doing the same, I’d call them a loser. If it’s Carter, then he surely has a sinister plan in mind."

"His mech will surely be a peerless killing machine, though I wonder how he will gather enough coins. Even if the spawn rate increases bit-by-bit, it still doesn’t give him a lot of opportunities to catch up. His mech will also be outplayed by the higher ranking pilots."

There was a remarkable disparity between the top ranking pilots and the ones who ranked beyond the hundreds. Those who dwelled in the bottom ranks still possessed a certain amount of strength, or else they wouldn’t be present. Still, they’ve all exhausted their potential, so it was incredibly difficult for them to grow stronger.