The Mech Touch (Web Novel)

5704 Another Vital Clue

"You have been a good boy. We are pleased by your performance, your dedication and your willingness to take the greater picture into account. Our faction prizes individuals who have not only demonstrated great ability, but also the magnanimity to let go of trivial affairs and work towards the common good of humanity."

Why did Master Goldstein have to use that cursed phrase?

Ves did not like being called a good boy! He was a man! He accomplished more in his life than the vast majority of mech designers throughout the history of the Age of Mechs!

He wasn't even a 'boy' anymore as he was already a father of three lovely children. He liked to think of himself as a good role model, though he hadn't exactly been able to spare enough time as he wished on showering them with attention.

None of this was particularly important, though. Ves could tolerate being called a good boy so long as he obtained the reward he was due. Though he was not able to help the mechers create and implement their own design spirits right away, he had abided by his works and given them the basic theoretical framework and method that enabled them to puzzle out the rest themselves.

The mechers might be greedy bastards, but they always reciprocated the favors they received.

Of course, that did not stop them from manipulating the exchange rate or setting up deals that always allowed them to secure the greatest advantage in the end, but that was their prerogative as the more powerful partner.

Ves just wanted to gain as many benefits as he could extract from the Assocation.

"Please don't tease me any longer. What can I get for my contribution?"

"That is up to you." Goldstein said. "Galactic citizens at our level do not strictly work for MTA merits anymore. The Merit Exchange is set up to provide a fair, transparent and informative trading platform for individuals throughout human space to obtain goods and services that they otherwise could not have attained based on their existing wealth and connections. It is most helpful to contributors who are young, inexperienced or not that talented enough. Obviously, you have already risen beyond this level. Whenever people such as you and I make a significant contribution, we usually earn the right to barter for exclusive benefits, much of which is never put on any official exchanges."

Ves nodded in understanding. "I get that, but that doesn't give me a lot of clarity on what I can gain. I already obtained the right to ask for three minor favors from the Star Designers of the Red Association. Will I be able to gain additional ones?"

"It is… possible, but not recommended. Consorting with Star Designers at your current stage will do more harm than good. Your primary goal is to advance to the rank of Master Mech Designer as soon as possible. You must dedicate your time to design more mechs and develop your core research projects. Relying too much on outside help will only stifle your enterprising spirit and make you develop bad habits. Three minor favors is already the limit."

Ves let out a frustrated grunt. He already heard this argument before. The mechers really cared about this kind of stuff.

"Fine. I am in no hurry to use them up right away, so I guess I don't really need any more. What else can I get?"

"That is up to you, Professor Larkinson. I still have a wide range of authority, and I can refer you to other high-ranked members of the Association if I cannot make arrangements directly. Perhaps it would help if you list out the issues that you are struggling with or are keeping you up at night. What are the problems that occupy your mind?"

There were plenty of concerns on his mind, a few of which he would never dare to mention to a mecher.

He recalled one of his oldest problems that he had yet to make any progress in after a long time.

He transmitted a short list of materials. "I am in need of a handful of very rare and very powerful materials. It would be great if you can supply me with these materials in whole or in part. I don't even mind it if I am not able to redeem them right away. I will just work hard to earn more contributions in order to earn them one day. What I want to know the most is if you are familiar with these materials and if you have them in stock."

Master Goldstein worked with a huge amount of different materials over his lifetime.

After becoming a renowned and authoritative Master Mech Designer, he came in touch with a large quantity of dazzling high-quality materials that were practically unheard of in the open market.

Ves bet that Master Goldstein might be able to give him another clue at the very least. That would probably make this transaction worth it already in his book.

The older mech designer did not respond immediately but paused for a few minutes.

That was a good sign as that showed that the Survivalist was probably looking up databases and using his network of contacts to make inquiries.

It took 6 minutes before Goldstein finally offered a response.

"The materials that have caught your eye are certainly interesting, to say the least. EE-343F-00334R is the easiest to track down. It is an experimental exotic alloy developed by the Common Fleet Alliance. It is unclear when it was made and whether it has been utilized in any of its warships. It is also unknown whether the Red Fleet has retained any samples on this side of the greater beyonder gate or whether they have the raw materials and specialized facilities to reproduce it. I cannot help you any further in this as our relationship with the fleeters is not good enough to trade this sort of favor."

In other words, Ves still had to solve this problem on his own. This was fine as this had been his plan from the start. He just needed to improve his bargaining chips before he mustered up the courage to contact a certain friend in the Red Fleet.

"I see. What about the other materials that I have mentioned?"

"They are obscure. Very obscure." Goldstein leaned forward and directed a measured gaze at Ves. "I had to contact many high-placed individuals within the Association and outside of it to see whether they have come into contact with the list of materials you have sent me. It does not help that you have only supplied their names without providing additional details such as density and any special traits. It may very well be that we have handled one of them in the past without knowing that they already bear existing names."

There was nothing else that Ves could do aside from shrugging. "I understand. I don't have any information that I can supply to you either. Have you attained any further results?"

"I did." The RA Master smiled. "The Xenotechnician helpfully informed me that he is not only familiar with Yondu Milk, but also happened to have studied it in extensive detail. He is regrettably unable to supply it to you since it is an organic substance produced by a one-of-a-kind exobeast that has only ever appeared in the old galaxy. Unless we are able to restore passage to the old galaxy, there is no means for you to obtain your desired quantity of this… alien milk."

Ves grew excited!

He finally obtained a solid piece of news! The information provided by Master Goldstein was extremely precious as it had been years since Ves last obtained any trace for the materials requested by the System!

"Do you know whether other people in the Red Ocean have Yondu Milk in their possession?"

Goldstein shook his head. "No. Yondu Milk is a remarkable liquid substance that decays over time due to its organic nature. It is difficult and costly to store it in such a manner that its potency remains intact. I think that there is a 95 percent likelihood that no one has brought it to the Red Ocean."

"Damn."

That was not good news!

"Do not give up yet, Ves. There is an alternative means for you to obtain what you seek. The Xenotechnician can supply you with his detailed examination report of the substance known as Yondu Milk. He is willing to let you have it if you are willing to use one of your saved-up requests. Once you have the report, you can bring that to a god pilot and respectfully ask him or her to utilize their God Kingdoms to directly synthesize this material on the spot."

"Wait, you can do that?!" Ves asked in a shocked tone.

Master Goldstein laughed at his response.

"Yes! It is more common than you realize. It is how we are still able to attain small quantities of extremely scarce exotics that we are no longer able to obtain because they are only prevalent in the Milky Way Galaxy. There are still limits, though. A difficult and powerful exotic material such as Yondu Milk cannot be synthesized without great effort on the part of the god pilot. Their strengths and specializations also limit what sort of top-end materials they can synthesize."

"What do you mean by that, Master?"

"I am aware that you have developed closer relations with the Destroyer of Worlds. She can synthesize many materials with her God Kingdom, but she mostly excels at producing substances that are strongly aligned with her attribute. She can produce the most powerful and destructive combustibles, some of which are even used in the production of her most potent explosive shells. However, if you ask her to produce other powerful materials, then she will either face an uphill struggle or is simply not capable of fulfilling the request."

"Oh. Does Yondu Milk…"

"It is an organic substance that is especially known for its healing properties." Goldstein informed Ves. "I will give you another freebie. Yondu Milk is a known ingredient for a formula of one of the most high-end life-

prolonging treatment serum in the old galaxy. You can forget about letting the Destroyer of Worlds synthesize it through her own abilities."

"What about the other god pilots?"

"They are unlikely to succeed. Ask them to produce iron or lead for you, and they can produce tons of metal bars in front of you in a matter of seconds. If you ask them to produce phasewater, they will struggle to produce a small drop. They all have their strengths. The First Flame excels at producing fire- related materials. The Fist of Defiance is good at producing materials with good toughness and physical impact properties. The Huntsman can produce materials that are lethal when striking powerful organisms. They will not be able to accommodate your request. Your only hope is…"

"The Evolution Witch." Ves finished the sentence. "If there is any god pilot who can do it, it has to be her. Shouldn't she already have the technical specifications of Yondu Milk?"

Goldstein shook his head yet again. "Likely not. There is a lot of complicated politics behind it. The Longevity Faction of the Mech Trade Association treated it as a controlled substance. It was one of their sources of power, and they do not take kindly to others breaking their monopoly. It is already exceptional that the Xenotechnician was able to make so many detailed scans of it. He has likely assisted them into furthering its production or utilization given his extensive specializations. Whatever the case, the old covenants no longer apply to our Red Association anymore. No senior ranking member of the Longevity Faction has even bothered to travel to our dwarf galaxy."

That was good news, but there was not enough certainty that this would work.

Ves began to frown.

If he wanted to get his hands on Yondu Milk, then he would first have to use up one of his minor requests to the Xenotechnician.

He then had to approach the Evolution Witch and convince her to produce the necessary quantity of Yondu Milk.

This was going to cost Ves a lot.