The Mech Touch (Web Novel)

5918 Reformulated Design Philosophy

The entire space seemed to dim as darkness engulfed the entire space around Ves.

Even the shadow of the Subjugation King became diminished as his pale light held no power in this area.

Ves initially feared that he had bitten off more than he could chew by making an impulsive decision.

Yet now that the power of darkness started to engulf his body, his mind and his Spirituality, he quickly believed his fears were overblown.

As much as Ves saw himself as an honest and fair mech designer, he recognized that he always harbored a dark streak.

He never really held much respect for rules.

He often chafed against the prevailing customs and traditions of different people, especially when they were clearly past their due date.

His first thought when he collided with them was not to conform to them, but on how he would be able to evade, bend or break the forces that constrained his actions!

This was not the attitude of a goody two shoes. Ves had always possessed a rebellious streak.

To be fair, there were many other people who possessed similar traits.

What separated Ves from many others was that he often succeeded in his attempts to go against the grain. With the help of the System, the relationships he built and the organization he built over so many years, he continually rose up until he had become the most powerful tier 3 galactic citizen in his own society!

He would have never been able to rise so high and contribute so much to his civilization if he always conformed to the establishment.

While Ves never considered himself to be an anarchist who wanted to tear down every structure that kept people safe and happy, he was not willing to stand by and let official institutions lead everyone to their dooms.

Every society possessed a dark side. While it was true that much darkness hid many evils, Ves did not ascribe to such a simple perspective.

Darkness was a necessary component to life.

It provided a welcome space to the outcasts and rebels who did not fit into mainstream society.

It obscured necessary secrets that would do far more harm than good if it ever leaked to the public.

It provided shelter and concealment to the troops that got defeated and routed by their enemies.

While none of these connotations sounded pleasant to any upright member of society, Ves felt far more at home with the weak and powerless who relied on the protection of darkness.

It was true that Ves had been making a lot of inroads in his quest to climb towards the top of human civilization.

He knew that the successful transformation of the Dominion of Man completely changed his relationship with the Red Fleet.

There was no way the skeptics amongst the fleeters would oppose him to the same extent as before!

Many of them would instead become his staunchest supporters, as Ves had managed to fulfill one of their greatest desires!

Ves could easily foresee that his political capital had doubled after this dramatic event. He had taken one more step towards the top of the hierarchy.

Yet even as he shone brighter in the light, Ves would never feel comfortable when he attracted so much scrutiny.

He rejected the notion of becoming leader and standard bearer of red humanity.

It was not in his nature to take up such a prominent leadership position.

He was a mech designer. That meant he was much more suited to remain in the shadows and facilitate the real heroes who fought the good fight.

Ves was completely okay with letting the flashy and powerful god pilots take the lead. They were much better equipped to bear enormous pressure of serving as an example to countless humans.

As waves of darkness continued to integrate in every part of his being, he gradually felt calmer and more subdued.

His temperament went through subtle shifts.

Though Ves was a little concerned about the changes to his personality, he consoled himself by recognizing that he was not acquiring any new traits.

Instead, it was more like his existing traits got selectively boosted.

Ves vaguely felt more inclined to hide his secrets, to withdraw from the public spotlight and start controversial secret projects that were sure to make a lot of people angry.

In other words, he just felt like doing stuff he had always engaged in, but stronger.

It would be easy for him to repress these amplified urges, but that defeated the point of this exercise.

Ves embraced the power of darkness because he needed to rely on it to enhance his works and strengthen his resistance against the enemies of red humanity.

Even if his fellow humans condemned his actions one day, he would never regret the necessary choices he made.

The more he believed in these stances, the more he resonated with the darkness!

A miasma of pure dark enveloped him to such an extent that the golden light of the heavens no longer shone on him anymore.

It was as if he was actively rejecting the light that represented Messier 87!

As one of the largest galaxies in the neighborhood, the light levels of this galaxy were far stronger and more ubiquitous than any other place. Many natives came to worship the endless stars that dotted the skies of their local planet.

The plasma jets that constantly produced powerful torrents of light and matter from the supermassive black hole also strengthened their reverence towards the power of light.

Ves completely opposed this trend and openly declared his opposition towards Messier 87!

Naturally, the heavenly authority of Messier 87 did not like him at all! If it had a choice, it would have rained down so many powerful lightning bolts on him until he finally succumbed from all of the punishment!

Alas, Ves had no reason to fear the hostility of Messier 87. He along with everyone else who resided in the Red Ocean were already being treated like garbage anyway. It hardly made any difference to him if he antagonized it even more.

The only grave consequence of continuing to oppose the heavenly authority of Messier 87 was that he was making it more difficult for him to reconcile with it. There would never be a time where Ves would be able to get along with this hostile authority.

"It's a good thing you can't do all that much to me." He smirked.

The heavens needed to abide by the rules set by a greater authority. Sure, they could express their biases and skew the variables against his favor as much as they could get away with, but so long as Ves continued to develop his strength, he remained confident he could overcome every adversity!

What was even better was that the heavenly authority would be forced to shower him with greater rewards!

Perhaps this was the true meaning of the universal order.

The strong got rewarded because they managed to vanquish the efforts of those who had proven to be flawed and inferior.

As Ves made this realization, his affinity for darkness increased even more.

It was as if he was born to represent the darkness in people's hearts!

During this special circumstance where the heavens were forced to expose all of the facets of the darkness element to him, Ves easily adapted to its embrace.

He did not overlook the necessity of changing his design philosophy in order to fit with his evolving inclinations.

He thought it would take a lot of time and effort to contort his design philosophy so that it aligned with the power of darkness, but that was not the case.

Instead, Ves already managed to figure out a way to properly reformulate his design philosophy!

"There is no need to discard any of the existing aspects of my design philosophy." He muttered. "My ideals have not changed. My living mechs are always designed to foster growth in themselves and their mech pilots. This symbiosis is the root of the value of my products."

The addition of the darkness element gave Ves an opportunity to expand his design philosophy in a specific direction.

As long as the change conformed to an aspect of darkness and did not contradict his existing philosophy, Ves believed that anything would be fine!

He grinned as he settled on an alteration that completely aligned with his own principles and values!

"My mech designs all derive their value from growth, so why not strengthen it further? While my products are certainly useful to those who already bear great strength, they are even more precious to those who are still weak and mortal! I have always found great fulfillment in facilitating the growth and evolution of people who were previously regarded as ordinary. There is nothing that makes me happier than to see my customers and clients become the powerhouses that they previously looked up to. The lower their starting point, the more my products can make a difference in their lives!"

Ves thought back on all of the people whose lives changed for the better with the help of his products.

Venerable Joshua Larkinson. General Ark Larkinson. Venerable Benjamin Larkinson. Patriarch Reginald Cross. General Axelar Streon. The Destroyer of Worlds.

This was just a small selection of people who likely would have never become as strong and successful as now if Ves did not come into their lives!

The Dominion of Man and her entire crew had become the latest beneficiaries of his works.

Sure, his work on the dreadnought had little relation to mechs, but it was still an earnest expression of his design philosophy.

What Ves currently focused on was the transformation from weak to powerful.

The capacity for growth was one of the most precious gifts he could bestow upon them, but the reason why his customers yearned for it so much was because their need had been great.

Of course, none of these people received their rewards for free. True growth could only be obtained through hardship and struggle. The greater the challenges, the greater the progress.

This was a universal concept that applied to far more phenomena than lightning tribulations. His works also encapsulated this rule!

This recognition led him to settle on a revision of his existing design philosophy.

"From today onwards, my design philosophy will no longer be defined by Mutual Growth alone. It is more correct to define it as Mutual Growth in Adversity!"

Mutual Growth in Adversity!

The phrasing might be odd, but Ves could think of no better combination of words to represent his ideals in relation to his design work!

Darkness was the most archetypical negative attribute he could think of. By incorporating an aspect of it into his design philosophy, Ves formally recognized that there was a dark side to his works.

Mechs were not primarily made to be displayed. Most mechs were not made to compete in harmless sports.

Mechs were predominantly made to fight and kill.

Mechs were inescapably tied with conflict. They fought on many battlefields and did not always return from a fight intact.

No one got lucky forever. Not even his living mechs were exempt from this rule.

For every living mech that successfully grew into a powerful third order living mech, there were many more living mechs that got blown apart by their enemies!

However, it was exactly because so many of his products had to endure so many threats and difficulties that the survivors among them grew so strong.

This was the true meaning of adversity.

"True strength can never be obtained through peace and stability. Only a state of conflict and disorder will grant my living mechs and their mech pilots the chance to rise above their station! The only caveat is that they must put their lives on the line if they want to complete their journey to the top!"

Ves knew now that he would never be able to feel comfortable in a peaceful society ever again.

He would always feel restless if he spent too much time in a bastion of civilization.

Just like his products, Ves believed with all of his heart that the only way he could grow into his own power was if he proactively sought adversity!