The Mech Touch - Chapter 9

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The Mech Touch - Chapter 9

The Mech Touch

After a hearty talk, Melinda had to leave in order to catch her flight
back to Bentheim. As Ves accompanied her to the door, she turned
around and bumped her communicator with his wrist.
"What's this?" Ves asked as he activated his comm. It unfolded into a
brochure.
"It's the Young Tigers Exhibition."
"Isn't it a competition for younger mech pilots to showcase their skills?
I hear the Mech Corps and the local mercenary corps organize this
event to recruit outstanding pilots."
The Bright Republic publicized the YTE every year. It had practically
turned into a national holiday. His father even brought him to an
event when he was little. Before he found out his aptitude made
piloting mechs an unreachable dream.
"That was ten years ago." Melinda said and reached over and tapped
the brochure, flipping it over to the next page. "In recent years they
expanded the program to include a mech designer contest. It's not as
thrilling as the mech battles, but the Mech Corps and a few big players
pay a lot of attention to the people who do well in the contest."
"I see." Ves nodded as he read through the brochure. "It's conveniently
open to mech designers who have just graduated or are in their final
years in college. I guess the Republic wants to make sure it hasn't
missed any talents."
"You should check out the rewards."

Ves did, and widened his eyes.
1st Prize - Gold Cup, 1 million bright credits
2nd Prize - Silver Cup, 500,000 bright credits
3rd Prize - Bronze Cup, 200,000 bright credits
If he won first prize, then even if he couldn't meet the interest
payment, he could at least afford other necessities. The raw materials
to build up a mech didn't come cheap.
"These aren't even the real rewards, Ves. If you stand out during the
competition, you might be able to get an audience with the real movers
and shakers of the mech business. You can get job offers and
commissions if they like your style."
Ves smiled ruefully when he heard those words. "The bigwigs probably
aren't interested in a small businessman like me. I'm not one of those
geniuses with fancy degrees from Mars or Estelon."
Mars was the technological capital of the Greater United Terran
Confederation, the oldest and most prestigious human superpower.
Estelon was a hub of high tech mech companies and stellar
universities of the New Rubarth Empire, the most militarily dominant
human state.
"Most of those geniuses already have their future careers lined up,
probably with one of the Galactic 500." Melinda responded with a
scowl. "When they come back to visit sometimes, I sometimes wonder
if I'm talking to a Terran or Rubarthan. It's like they forgot their
roots."

"The Republic is a third-tier power, after all." Ves lamented, not
entirely sincerely. He loved his home country and its high living
standards. There were benefits to loving in a peaceful backwater. "Our
nextgen mechs are probably considered lastgen by the first-tier
superpowers."
Those destined for greatness couldn't be contained by the small Bright
Republic. Ves knew it was no use to feel jealous about those endowed
with great opportunities. It all came down to strength! If Ves failed to
win the first prize, then he just wasn't cut out for it. With the System
backing him up, he might not excel in anything now, but it could be a
different story a decade later.
He waved his cousin goodbye and returned to his terminal. He re-read
the brochure for the YTE and registered for the competition after
making sure he met all the requirements.
"Good thing the YTE starts in two months. I'm not confident of
winning anything in my current state. Hopefully it'll be different when
time passes."
Ves went back to work. He logged into Iron Spirit and put in the hours
to craft the Phantasm in his virtual workshop. Seeing each component
roll out of the 3D Printer and place them in the appropriate place
helped him understand his creation further. When he finished the
assembly and tested its specs, he put the new variant on sale.
[Fantasia 2R Phantasm]
Tier: 1-star
Base Model: Fantasia 2R

Purchase Price: 3600 gold (-50%)
Premium Price: 750 bright credits
Comparing the new Phantasm to his earlier Seraphim showed a stark
contrast in price levels.
[Fantasia 2R Seraphim]
Tier: 1-star
Base Model: Fantasia 2R
Purchase Price: 8800 gold
Premium Price: 3300 bright credits
His handcrafted Phantasm only sold for 1800 gold, which represented
a great deal. The next models after his first Phantasm would be
fabricated automatically, leading to a slight reduction in quality and a
doubling of prices. Still, at 3600 gold a customer would not be
disappointed at the Phantasm's performance.
After Ves proudly put his mech on the market, he visited the usual
mech enthusiast boards on the galactic net and boasted shamelessly
about the Phantasm. Not every mech designer chose to create a
variant with a re-imagined armor configuration. At the very least, Ves
hadn't found any other Fantasia variant on the market with a full-body
Mirin-21 armor replacement.
A few days passed by. Nothing else changed except occasionally
picking up Lucky's gems. The benefits it provided remained minor as

ever, but Ves still remained optimistic. Once his cash flow improved,
he planned to buy a few exotic minerals and find out of Lucky was
worth his Gold classification.
Ves worked on a fourth Fantasia variant these days, this time focusing
on endurance and energy efficiency. He wanted to design a model that
lasted longer and could run over long distances without negatively
affecting its performance in battle.
Though it emphasized different demands, Ves could still copy most of
his work on the Phantasm to save time. After all, the Phantasm really
presented a total baseline improvement over the original Fantasia 2R.
In the meantime, Ves' store page started to receive some views.
Surprisingly, a repeat customer bought his handcrafted Phantasm.
TheSeventhSnake had also bought Ves' handmade Seraphim. Perhaps
TheSeventhSnake could be called a fan.
Then came the younger generation of the Larkinsons. While most only
intended to give their big sister Melinda face by take a look, some of
them grew enchanted by the Seraphim's regal grace or the Phantasm's
dark elegance.
One rich nephew impulsively bought the Seraphim with credits,
wasting three months of his personal savings. A couple of other
nephews and nieces purchased the Phantasm, recognizing its superior
performance as an ambush predator. A few even bought the 2R-E as a
joke, intending to surprise their friends with the model's ultimate
move.
Thus Ves achieved 23 sales this week. Together with the original
Seraphim, he achieved 24 sales in total, almost overcoming one-fourth
of his mission goal.

Only when Ves finished his latest customization did he log back in to
check out his store page. His eyes widened with satisfaction as he
realized Melinda had given him some much needed help.
The Phantasm sold well enough at the start, but its sales tapered off as
no one else seemed to be interested as only an occasional customer
would come and buy. They must have been defeated by the Phantasm
in a match.
Together with the 50 Design Points Ves received from developing his
latest design, he gained a total of 73 DP. He only needed a little more
than a dozen mechs to accumulate 200 DP. Once he reached that
point, he could treat himself to something good from the System's Skill
Tree or Store.
He uploaded his newest work in Iron Spirit, and again he
painstakingly built up its first model by hand. Just like when he
fabricated the Phantasm, he felt a deeper connection with the Fantasia
chassis by being involved in every step of the way. Once the model had
been built up, Ves immediately chose to put it on sale.
[Fantasia 2R Nomad]
Tier: 1-star
Base Model: Fantasia 2R
Purchase Price: 3400 gold (-50%)
Premium Price: 700 bright credits

The Nomad weighed more than the Phantasm, courtesy of its extra
energy packs and armor plates. The Nomad nonetheless came without
the other model's Fayette ECM and Festive Cloud Generator modules,
which ultimately resulted in a lower price. Ves judged the Nomad's
performance wasn't shabby, but it lacked a certain wow-factor the
previous two variants possessed.
"I'm starting to run out of ideas. I don't think I can force myself to
pump out another Fantasia variant again without purchasing new
parts, which I can't afford."
With only half a month left to go, Ves needed to do something about
the mission the System gave him. The Nomad's introduction to the
market might help progress his sales, but he doubted he could achieve
a hundred sales before the deadline passed.
"I need to go out and push my mechs in person."
Frankly, Ves was too poor to afford a more sophisticated solution.
While he gained a healthy amount of credits from the sale of his virtual
mechs, he needed to reserve the capital for his mech boutique's future
operations. Besides, his previous ad purchase in Iron Spirit had been
like a drop in the ocean.
Ves dug into the assorted pile of junk the workshop stored in its
backyard, managing to scavenge a broken, window-sized holographic
picture frame. With his technical skills, it was a cinch to restore it. He
fixed it up and also welded a lengthy pole underneath its frame.
Once it worked, Ves loaded all of his mech designs in the picture
frame's memory. After a quick thought, he also added in some footage
copied from some public replays featuring his mechs winning.
Naturally he ignored the matches where his mechs lost miserably.

Ready to go out, Ves took the board and called for an aircab.
"Hey Lucky, you wanna go out and take a look downtown?"
Once his transportation arrived, he took a leisurely trip to the
downtown area of Rodrigo's Rest. Having lived in the suburbs for
much of his life, Ves was more than familiar with its streets. He knew
where all the kids hung out after being released from school. He
arrived at the local gaming center and took a spot next to the other
people holding their boards ready.
Lucky meanwhile jumped about here and there, exploring the trees
and lantern posts in perplexed curiosity. Ves wasn't worried he'd run
off, so he let his pet explore to his heart's content.
"You new here?" A grungy guy looking like he needed a couple
showers asked.
"Yeah."
"Why're you here?"
"What else? I have to sell my product urgently." Ves helplessly
confessed. "Anything I should know? The Dos and Don'ts?"
Grunge head mentioned a few short tips. "Above all else, don't annoy
the managers. They want kids to come in and out without any hassle."
The two along with the others waited patiently for the kids to come out
of school. Once the first eager teenagers arrived, Ves went to work.

"Do you need a new mech that's swifter and lasts longer? Then I've got
a mech for you!"
Naturally, most potentates ignored the people soliciting their
products. Only a couple of young pilots spared a glance, but their eyes
only stayed focused for a second or two before they entered the game
center.
Standing for hours at a time holding an animated board tired Ves out.
He gritted his teeth and carried on with his work to push his mechs
into the minds of the visiting players.
Things changed once Lucky returned. The cat evidently had his fill of
exploring the environment. It effortlessly jumped on top of a trash can
near Ves and rested languidly atop its cover like a king surveying his
serfs.
The cat's fine workmanship and agreeable expression attracted a few
girls.
"So cute!!"
"Can I pet it?"
"It's such a big baby!"
Lucky appeared overwhelmed, but Ves put a hand on its neck to calm
him down. "Please don't press against my cat. He's young and hasn't
been out very much."
After realizing the young women weren't out to hurt him, Lucky
meowed and stared at them with his shiny eyes.

"So adorable!! Let me take a picture with him!"
"I love his liveliness. It's even better than the dog I have back home.
Did you build him yourself?"
Ves coughed awkwardly and shamelessly answered, "I was involved in
its creation, yes. Lucky is unique and isn't for sale, but if you're
interested in my other creations, how about you take a look at my
Phantasm?"
As groups of squealing girls tried to pet and take pictures with Lucky,
Ves allowed them to do so as long as they behaved. The cat seemed to
lap up all of the attention, as if he was making it up for the times when
Ves appeared too preoccupied with his work to play with his pet.
Nonetheless, the steady stream of girls allowed Ves to conveniently
insert a few mentions of his products.
"Be sure to search for the Fantasia 2R Phantasm when you visit the in-
game market! It's the perfect mech if you want to look good while
kicking your friend's ass."
Maybe 99 out of a 100 girls paid zero attention to Ves' words. If the
one girl who actually paid attention visited his store page, then Ves felt
his hard work was worth the trouble.
Surprisingly, his increased strength allowed him to stand on the
sidewalk and last a little bit longer. Holding the picture frame up tired
him a little less than he expected. His physical strength also translated
into mental strength in a way Ves couldn't really figure out. He felt the
effects anyway. This made him reconsider the utility in upgrading his
other 'useless' attributes.

"Maybe upgrading my dexterity will make my thoughts nimbler, and
upgrading my endurance will increase my willpower. The System isn't
what it seems in the first place. There's a lot depth to it and I've only
dipped my toes so far."
After the sun started to dip down below Cloudy Curtain's horizon, Ves
called it a day. He ate a quick meal at a local restaurant and took a
shuttle ride home. Sinking tiredly into his sofa, Ves activated the
System and checked his progress.
[Mission Progress: 35/100 sales.]
He sold twelve mechs today. If his sales kept up the same pace, then
he'd definitely accomplish the mission within a week. He also
accumulated 198 DP. With just a few more sales, he'd reach the
threshold of 200 DP, opening up a lot of options in the System's Shop
and Skill Tree.
Though other mech designers might scoff at Ves' pathetic street
peddling, all of his hard work had paid off for him personally.
Naturally, Lucky contributed much to his success. He picked up the
sleepy cat and stroked his muzzle.
"You've done a good job acting cute. I'll order a few treats and have it
delivered tomorrow."
Lucky meowed in contentment.