The Mech Touch

Chapter 6487 Spirit Vessel Auxiliary Qi Cultivation Method

As Ketis stood at the head of the conference table, she commanded the attention of all of the legion commanders as well as the only Saint Commander.

During the Age of Mechs and Age of Dawn, it was considered strange for mech pilots to show so much respect and deference to a norm.

Mech pilots acquired an innate sense of superiority from other people since the start of the Age of Mechs.

Their superiority did not necessarily stem from being richer or having more subordinates under their wing. Strength was not necessarily a component either as there were instances of third-class mech pilots looking down on first-class norms. The reason why mech pilots existed in a class of their own was because they believed they were the protagonists of the times.

Everyone else were side characters compared to mech pilots who possessed the sole privilege of treading the path of godhood that led to the most powerful destination of its kind.

In the face of the power of a god pilot, everything else paled in comparison, or at least that was the prevailing thought among both mech pilots and norms.

It was no surprise then that the entire population of mech pilots had ingrained this sense of superiority no matter whether they were low-ranking or high-ranking mech pilots. It was a universal trait that could not be removed even with the onset of Carmine mechs.

While the cultural changes stemming from the release of the Yellow Jacket designs did not have enough time to ferment, genetic aptitude would still play a role in distinguishing 'real' mech pilots from the imitators.

The Carmine System developed by Ves Larkinson was anything but perfect. It was amazing because it bridged a divide that no one had ever managed to cross in the past, but the bridge came with its own limitations.

Once it collapsed due to the death of a Carmine mech, the Carmine mech pilot had no other recourse left to persist in his career.

This heavy limitation was enough to preserve the most essential interests of potentates and help them maintain their innate sense of superiority during these changing times.

However, none of the mech pilots gathered in the room looked down on Ketis.

She was a rare Journeyman Mech Designer who had also proven her courage and indomitability in actual battle.

Unlike mech pilots who at least gained the assurance of having thick layers of armor between their fragile bodies and their opponents, swordswomen like Ketis could only brave dangers in ordinary clothing or a relatively flimsy suit of armor at best.

Any mech could easily smash her body apart up close or at a distance no matter what fancy sword techniques that Ketis had learned.

Perhaps that might not necessarily be the case anymore as she was technically capable of forming a Blood Pact with a Carmine mech as well, but for now she was a soldier who preferred to fight on foot.

Nobody looked down on her for that. Her indomitable willpower was proof of her courage and daring. She was the most brave mech designer to exist, even exceeding that of her much more famous mentor.

There was another difference that distinguished Ketis from Ves.

As much as he had done to help the Larkinson Clan and its diverse cast of members rise above their stations, Ves had turned into a distant political animal in the past few years.

Now that he had 'outgrown' the expeditionary fleet and had begun to schmooze with mighty god pilots and wiley high officials, Ves led the Larkinson Clan from such an immense height that he had lost his relatability.

He no longer even physically spent any time in the heart of the clan anymore. He and his immediate family had moved to New Constantinople and decided to build an entirely different first-class branch of the Larkinson Clan.

All of that was way too distant to the humble second-class clansmen left behind in the expeditionary.

While the Larkinsons remaining with the fleet did not necessarily lose their high opinions for their patriarch, their affection for their leader had made way for awe and cold respect.

Ketis on the other hand distinctly chose a different path. Despite the fact that she received invitations to undergo EdNet training or transfer to the Premier Branch, she decisively chose to remain with the Swordmaidens in the expeditionary fleet. She stuck to her roots and did not fall for the temptation of greater power and prosperity. Through her words and deeds, the swordmaster proved that her heart still lay with the Larkinsons who needed her help the most. She earnestly continued to design numerous different second-class mechs to help the Swordmaidens and occasionally other mech legions gain more powerful offensive combat options.

It was therefore no surprise that even the Saint Commander herself did not object to deferring to Ketis.

Other ace pilots may be arrogant and conceited enough to look down on everyone that was not on the same level as theirs, but Casella Ingvar respected the capabilities and contributions of those who were ostensibly weaker than herself. She wouldn't be a good mech commander if she completely disregarded the individual value of her subordinates.

In any case, Ketis had no trouble attracting everyone's attention as she began to introduce the new modes of cultivation for the Larkinson Clan.

"Starting from today, the Larkinson Clan shall add numerous different advanced cultivation methods to the Larkinson Exchange." She announced in a more formal tone than usual. "Since the development of our mech pilots is one of our highest priorities, the first batch of sect certified cultivation methods will largely consist of exclusive auxiliary qi cultivation methods that are exclusive to every mech legion. This will serve as the foundation to the Larkinson Army's differentiation and growth in strength." Commander Melkor Larkinson briefly raised his hand. "What do you mean by differentiation exactly, ma'am?"

Ketis' eyes glinted as she began to grin. "A mech force in the Age of Mechs is different from a mech force in the Age of Dawn. The mechs have changed, but not that much. A swordsman mech is still a swordsman mech even if it is integrated with hyper technology. What truly makes a difference is systematic cultivation. The mech pilots can choose to invest their time on practicing all kinds of methods that have a wide variety of effects. We will not be the only force to do this. There are many advanced auxiliary qi cultivation methods available in the Repository, and there are also many 'sects' that are in the process of developing their own approaches."

Saint Commander Casella Ingvar understood what the swordmaster was trying to

convey.

"The effects of systematic cultivation on mech pilots is often described as obtaining the power of an expert candidate or expert pilot in advance!" The powerful woman commented. "Many expert pilots develop unique abilities that align with their personalities and approach towards combat. Tusa has gained unnaturally good evasion abilities. Davia Stark never misses a shot no matter the difficulty. Dise is the best sword wielder by far among all of our expert pilots. Even Vincent Ricklin is able to punch harder when his ego swells in his head. With the help of the right auxiliary cultivation methods, hundreds of not thousands of mech pilots can develop identical abilities. Imagine how that would change our mech legions."

"The gap... between standard mech pilots and expert pilots will shrink." Commander Sendra of the Swordmaidens whispered.

It was only now that the implications truly sunk in. The legion commanders all understood how powerful their mech units would become if their subordinates all made a lot of progress in cultivating the advanced methods that Ketis was about to

introduce.

The more powerful the cultivation methods, the greater the power at their disposal!

Every legion commander therefore gazed at the swordmaster with great eagerness. Their expectations glowed through their eyes as they welcomed any development that could strengthen the Larkinsons!

The Larkinson Army may have fared better than most mech forces during the Red Tide Offensive, but even the Larkinsons could not avoid painful sacrifices.

No matter how weird systematic cultivation could be, the mech pilots could not afford

to reject a magical means of growing stronger.

Seeing that everyone developed the right attitude towards this subject, Ketis

continued her introduction.

"As far as our Larkinson-exclusive methods are concerned, we will not bother with developing any low-difficulty introductory methods. The Controller Series developed by the Red Collective is freely available and does everything we need. The ceiling may be low and the scope of improvement may be limited, but the safety and steady progress promised by this series makes it excellent for building up a good foundation. Far more people have worked on these auxiliary cultivation methods than the amount of researchers working for the T Institute. We may as well not bother in the first

place." This was an understandable policy decision. While it prevented the Larkinson Clan from developing a large amount of expertise and practical knowledge on developing basic cultivation methods, the T Institute already had its hands full with more

important projects.

"Therefore, the mech pilots of the Larkinson Army are advised to wait and practice the methods of the Controller Series of their choice for as long as it takes to develop a basic foundation. The longer they stick with the basics, the easier it will be for them to get started with the advanced methods exclusive to their respective mech legions. The difficulty of the latter is much higher, so do not underestimate them. A good foundation as well as a mature companion spirit makes it several times easier to comprehend the first chapters of the methods that I am about to announce." The swordmaster proceeded to spend another minute or two on sharing common sense about cultivation methods before she moved on to the exciting part. "With that out of the way, let me introduce you to the first method that is specifically developed for the Avatars of Myth. The Spirit Vessel Auxiliary Qi Cultivation Method is moderately difficult to practice. To summarize what it does, it aims to turn the mech pilot into a suitable vessel for design spirits to channel their power through. I know the Avatars have already mastered a trick that does something similar, but its effectiveness will be drastically higher if the mech pilots have made attainments in this exclusive cultivation method."

The Avatar Commander looked enthused as he understood the potential of this

advanced cultivation method.

"Our Avatar Invocation Method has helped us defeat tough opponents while suffering

less losses than usual. Melkor said. "We have always been limited by how little we can

host the power of the design spirits that we are friendly with. If this new method can truly allow us to channel their power more effectively, then the potential is enormous. Maybe... our connection with the Golden Cat can finally be boosted to the point where we can effectively execute Ancestral Learning!"

One of the benefits of invoking the Golden Cat as opposed to other design spirits was

that she had become the repository of all of the combat skills mastered by the

Larkinsons.

That included the remarkable fighting skills of high-ranking mech pilots! Just the ability to channel a fraction of Venerable Dise's extraordinary swordsmanship or Venerable Stark's insanely precise marksmanship was a dream to many Larkinsons.

If the Avatars of Myth were able to invoke the Golden Cat more effectively, then

learning or borrowing those skills might not be impossible!

Yet their attempts almost always failed. The success rate was so low that most Avatars

no longer bothered with this dream anymore.

With the introduction of this so-called Spirit Vessel Method, Melkor had a faint feeling

that what may have been impossible in the past was no longer the case in the future. Anything was possible in the Age of Dawn!

He had to get his hands on this auxiliary qi method. He had to learn its strengths and weaknesses. He had to master it as soon as possible!