The Mech Touch

Chapter 6966  System Utilization

Ves thought about Gloriana's intentions to apply a significantly greater quantity of hull-grade superdimensional matter onto the upcoming Star Dancer Mark III.

"I am not sure if the next leader of the Larkinson Clan will approve of your plan." He said. "While our clan has definitely managed to mine larger quantities of mid-grade superdimensional matter, there are far too many applications for it. From upgrading our own expert mechs to cladding the bridge and engineering bays with protective layers of superdimensional plating, there are way too many areas that it can be of use to our clan. It would be rather backwards for us to give away so much strategic resources, only for us to suffer a massive loss in our upcoming campaign due to lacking the additional protection of these exceedingly precious materials."

Gloriana nodded in understanding. "I am aware that my personal requests will be difficult to accept for the clan. The Hex Federation would be happy to offer concessions to the Larkinson Clan. The second-rate colonial state is based in the Magair Middle Zone which has remained less affected by the war. The Hexer shipbuilding industry is still intact and is still able to produce a generous amount of hulls per quarter, though their quality has admittedly dropped due to losing access to more premium materials. We can negotiate an exchange of second-class starships in exchange for the use of structure-grade superdimensional materials."

Ves thought about it. "Hull-grade superdimensional matter might not be as inspiring as the more powerful variants, but it is still a material that can make a massive difference to first-class expert mechs, ace mechs and even god mechs. Our clan can almost certainly gain more value by trading the same quantities of superdimensional matter to other parties. The Hexers will have to offer dozens of second-class sub-capital ships or a handful of second-class capital ships in order to make this trade remotely equitable."

As much as the Hexers were beholden to the Larkinsons, it would be incredibly difficult for them to trade away so numerous precious hulls at once.

Starships had become one of the most valuable forms of hard currency to red humanity.

The vessels were not only vital to sustaining interstellar commerce, but also played a vital role in the evacuation of critical assets and personnel from planets that were about to be razed by the invading aliens.

The gap between supply and demand continued to grow with each passing month. No one was stupid enough to trade their precious starships with others in the current climate!

"There is a more meaningful way you can contribute." Ketis suddenly spoke up. "Now that you have become a user of the Mech Designer System, you can diligently work to earn more AP. So long as you spend a few hundred AP on a useful upgrade to the Dimension Observatory, you will directly help our clan harvest more superdimensional matter the next time I create a dimension breach to the Blue Dimension."

Doing this would essentially allow Gloriana to earn back the superdimensional matter that she wanted to use on upgrading the aforementioned expert mechs.

Ves nodded in approval. "That's a great idea. Gloriana, I already expect you to help with improving the Dimension Observatory by yourself, but if this incentive can help you work a little harder, then that is good for all of us. If you pump 500 AP into upgrades, then I don't mind if you take away a modest amount of high-grade superdimensional matter. Our mining parties will be able to replenish it easily enough when they next venture into the Blue Dimension under more favorable circumstances."

Ketis agreed as well. "It would be especially helpful if you can redeem the third level of the Breach Extension upgrade. This will force me to spend 400 Ascension Points to open up another dimension breach, but it will last 5 whole days, which is much longer than before."

Extending the duration of the portal from 24 hours to 120 hours was a game changer!

The mining parties would be able to spend much more time in the Blue Dimension. Their mining mechs and vehicles would easily be able to range farther and mine more floating islands filled with superdimensional matter.

They could even install large, modular prefab bases in the Blue Dimension that could make use of their formidable scale to centralize and increase the efficiency of the mining operations!

The only downside to extending the duration of the portal was that the miners would quickly break apart all of the nearby superdimensional islands.

They would subsequently have to travel further and further away in order to bring back additional hauls of superdimensional matter.

All of this extra travel time would lower the efficiency of the mining operations and lead to a certain degree of diminishing returns.

However, giving the miners 5 whole days to mine the Blue Dimension more than made up for doubling the cost of opening up a stronger dimensional breach!

Gloriana did not look too upset at this proposal. "From what I have seen from the Missions, it will take months to earn so many Ascension Points. It will also force me to spend time on activities that will not progress my projects. It will take longer for me to complete the Riot Mark III Project and the Lionheart Mark II Project. The Saint General will become especially upset at the delays. His special abilities may enable him to punch far above his weight, but that is also where his unupgraded mech imposes the greatest constraints. You do not even want to know how overworked his maintenance crews have become."

Both Ves and Ketis exchanged glances.

"You don't necessarily have to sacrifice too much time in reality to earn a lot of AP." Ketis said.

"You just need to take advantage of a function of the Workshop of Creation to extend your stay in the System Space. The more rent you pay, the more work you can do while virtually no time passes in reality."

Gloriana looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I guess we haven't told you yet. How much time has passed since we have entered this System Space?"

"More than an hour."

"And how much time do you think has passed in reality?"

His wife already started to get a clue of what was going on. "I surmise that it is far less than an hour."

"How about less than a second." Ves replied.

"...Truly?"

"I am not kidding, honey. You will notice it right away when we finally exit this space. This is a mechanic that allows us to earn large batches of AP without losing any time in reality. Ketis and I have already completed several marathons. Completing mission after mission without any break or interruption is a mentally demanding activity. We always get exhausted at the end, but it is worth it so long as we have a whole heap of AP for our efforts."

"Do not underestimate the toll it takes on your psyche." Ketis seriously said. "Even I have to spend a few months recovering from the exertion. This is also one of the reasons why I have only been able to create a dimension breach two times so far. I can theoretically earn more AP if I persist, but even I cannot work myself to such a ludicrous extent."

Gloriana looked amazed. "It is still amazing for you to be able to compress the activity dedicated to earning Ascension Points. That said, if you are able to extend a dimension breach to 5 days at the cost of 400 Ascension Points, will the increased cost not drive you crazy?"

"I will pace myself. There is no rule that states that I have to earn 400 AP per marathon." Ketis shrugged.

"I think we have gone a little off-topic." Ves said. "Gloriana, if the Saint Commander becomes the next leader of the Larkinson Clan, then we can divulge certain details of this arrangement with her. I haven't told her anything explicit about the Mech Designer System, but she is definitely aware that I have access to a powerful relic of sorts. We can tell her that you and Ketis have access to it as well. We can share just enough details to convince her to let you 'borrow' the desired quantities of hull-grade superdimensional matter."

Gloriana found this to be an acceptable arrangement. She knew Casella Ingvar well enough to believe that she had a good chance of convincing the ace commander.

"What if your uncle becomes the patriarch?"

"We'll figure out another solution." Ves shrugged. "You don't need to borrow all of that superdimensional matter right away. It will take months for you to complete the designs of the upgraded Hexer expert mechs. By the time you are ready to commence the upgrade runs, we will know by that time who is in control of our strategic reserves."

Although Ves often put little thought whenever he withdrew a valuable material such as phasewater or superdimensional matter from the vaults, this was actually a huge deal to the Larkinson Clan.

The value of these rare materials was difficult to estimate, but could easily reach billions if not trillions of MTA credits in the case of weapon-grade superdimensional matter!

Each of these strategic materials were valuable for good reasons. They could enable mechs to survive battles where they would have otherwise perished. They could be used to trade for valuable starships and other precious trade goods.

Just because the Larkinson Clan had easier access to superdimensional matter than other groups was not a reason to squander it as if it was as simple to obtain as phasewater.

Whoever took over leadership from Ves had an obligation to make sure the clan got their money's worth out of this precious reserve.

"Let us hope that the Saint Commander shall prevail." Gloriana said.

"We should get back on the topic at hand. Earning more AP to upgrade the Dimension Observatory is nice, but it won't necessarily help you design better mechs. What are you looking to invest now that you have access to the System? What aspect of your work do you intend to improve in the short term?"

"What about you two?" She asked. "It would help if you can share your own development plans."

Ves blinked. "Well, it is difficult to summarize my usage of the System as it is all over the place. I have made use of it since the beginning of my mech design career, though the Mech Designer System was not as powerful at the time. As for knowledge upgrades, I spent a lot of effort to quickly increase my foundation. All of my most essential basic Skills have reached the standard of a Senior. This has saved me a lot of time on studying and is a key reason why I have been able to break through so quickly."

Gloriana frowned at him. "So you cheated. You only became a Senior Mech Designer first because you did not have to study as hard as me. It is no wonder that you are so careless in your mech design work at times. You do not fully appreciate the value of the knowledge that you have gained."

"Perhaps, but I don't really see it that way. Many first-class Senior Mech Designers actually possess far greater knowledge than me. Their cranial implants combined with access to advanced theories related to high technologies allow them to design amazing mechs that are far beyond my ability to replicate. I don't go and call them cheaters for being lucky enough to be born as first-raters and being able to attend the best mech design universities. Nothing is fair in life. If I did not have the System, I doubt that I would have been able to rise above the level of a forgettable third-class mech designer. I certainly wouldn't have been able to catch your attention if that was the case. In a way, you can thank the System for bringing us together."

His wife looked a little perplexed, but she quickly moved on from Ves' odd remark.

"Aside from compensating for your laziness in mastering the fundamentals of our craft, what else did you spend your points on? Magic?"

"Pretty much." Ves shrugged. "My preferred term for it is spiritual engineering. I essentially decided early on to specialize in E-technology. I probably spent thousands of AP on deepening and broadening my knowledge base in this new and promising field. This has not only enabled me to become a successful pioneer in a scientific discipline that few people were aware of before the Hyper Generation, but also allowed me to pluck numerous low-hanging fruits first before other competitors arrived. For example, I was the first to take advantage of E-technology to break the genetic aptitude tyranny. This is the true power of the Mech Designer System as far as I am concerned."

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