The Mech Touch novel Chapter 968

The three most honored Vandals remained in the guest area for three, boring days. The immense wealth and luxury on display in this section of BuSecA’s headquarters formed an immensely stark contrast against the bare, utilitarian interior of the Shield of Hispania.

Some of them simply couldn’t get used to decadence and pampering on offer. Many other citizens and foreign officials resided in the guest area as well. Some gathered in the bars and lounges in the common section to socialize.

Ves attempted to pass the time by lounging at a courtyard balcony, but the medals and ribbons pinned to his chest immediately attracted a lot of stares.

Due to the regulations of the Mech Corps, Ves was obligated to wear his dress uniform in this context. His dress uniform was a slightly more impressive version of his standard dark green mech designer uniform.

Normally, that wouldn’t have drew much attention from the other guests. Even a couple of ribbons didn’t seem so special.

Yet the regulations stated that three big awards he earned needed to be in full display.

The Darkness Eater and the Torchbearer medals drew immediate attention from the citizens of the Bright Republic. They all recognized the medals and knew how rare it was to be awarded with them. The main reason why they stared so long at Ves was because he earned those awards as a mech designer!

How could a noncombatant win two of some of the most coveted decorations of the Mech Corps?! It didn’t make any sense! Mech designers generally never fought on the battlefield, but both the Darkness Eater and the Torchbearer could only be earned by earning supreme merit in battle circumstances!

In the history of the Bright Republic, the military awarded most of those two awards to mech pilots. Sometimes, members of the auxiliary regiments such as infantrymen or tank operators received these honors as well.

Yet a mech designer? Absurd!

It was like some field surgeon suddenly went berserk, picked up a machine gun and stormed into an enemy Vesian base and wiped out all of the hostiles by himself!

The addition of the Golden Mech proved to be the clincher. The addition of the Golden Mech reinforced the fact that Ves was a mech designer and contributed enormously to the state with his expertise.

Yet to someone like Ves who already carried the Darkness Eater and the Torchbearer, the addition of a supreme award that was almost never seen because of how rare they popped up reinforced the fact that he was a genuine mech designer and not some supersoldier in disguise!

The Golden Mech was an award designed by mech designers of the Republic to be bestowed under extremely stringent conditions relevant in their field of expertise. This was also the reason why the Golden Mech looked so ostentatious and thereby attract so much attention.

When these curious people walked up to Ves and asked how he earned those medals, Ves of course couldn’t reveal any classified information.

"I’m not allowed to say." He responded, and that usually ended their questions in that direction.

Yet the lack of information continued to fuel their curiosity regarding him. When they asked who he was, Ves couldn’t very well refuse.

"I’m Ves Larkinson, a mech designer in the service of the Mech Corps."

The people he talked to would instantly light up in recognition and say something like, "Ah, a Larkinson!" or "No wonder, you’re a Larkinson!" or "As expected of a Larkinson!"

Ves didn’t know whether to laugh or cry that they could instantly accept that he earned these attention-grabbing awards because of his family name. Nonetheless, a lot of people continued to push onto him for one reason or another, causing him to flee back to his guest room.

"They’re just like the rabid clones back at that lab!"

Despite that unpleasantness, Ves knew that earning these noteworthy medals would definitely benefit him in his later business ventures. He was pretty sure that he was the only mech designer of the Bright Republic to hold all three of these awards at once!

"This will play well with the veteran demographic of the mech market." He predicted.

Although it would be crass to show off these medals everywhere he went, their mere mention in his record already raised his profile head and shoulders above his fellow competitors.

The Bright Republic was a state suffused with war, and those who distinguished themselves in the Bright-Vesia Wars always received bright prospects after the war. After all, it wouldn’t do for the state to belittle or stigmatize their war heroes. All of them served as examples for future generations, and many citizens in fact did look up to them as heroes or idols.

Ves could already think of several ways to take advantage of his honors to enhance the performance of his businesses. It wasn’t every day you could purchase a mech designed by someone who simultaneously held the Darkness Eater, the Torchbearer and the Golden Mech!

"If I manage to advance to Journeyman Mech Designer quickly enough, then that would be perfect!"

The one regret he held was that while his awards attracted a lot of attention from fellow Brighters, many foreigners weren’t familiar with them. Certainly, there was still some appeal to buying a mech designed by a war veteran and war hero, but they would rather pay attention to the specs rather than the personal story of the person who designed the mech.

Therefore, Ves reminded himself that he shouldn’t go in over his head. While the Bright Republic would always form the main market of his business, the LMC’s reach already extended to much of the Komodo Star Sector.

As his company continued to grow, the proportion of foreign sales would grow larger while its home market would continue to diminish in importance. The Bright Republic’s market was only so large, after all. _{ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom}