The Mech Touch (Web Novel)

5926 An Accident of History

The Mech Designer System was clearly an artificial creation.

There was no way that the fragment of the Metal Scroll spontaneously decided to reconfigure into the present System.

Someone had to program its functions.

Ves had a pretty good clue who might be responsible.

"I have a theory, System. Would you like to listen?"

The System remained silent. It had never really been a good conversation partner.

"During the Great Betrayal when the Big Two rebelled against the Five Scrolls Compact, the Metal Scroll somehow got broken into pieces. The fragment that comprises you is one of them. It is difficult to obtain a complete and accurate recounting of what exactly took place during this battle, but I guess that the shattering of the Metal Scroll was an inside job."

Ves smirked wider.

"The Progenitors of Mechs who shaped the very foundation of the Mech Trade Association must have taken it, caused it to break and immediately reused most of the fragments to form the Kingdom of Mechs or upgrade it if it already existed. During this process, many of the Progenitors of Mechs sacrificed their lives to create the pinnacle work that would end the scourge of the Compact and consolidate the resurgence of modern human civilization."

This was where his theory got interesting.

"These days, the upper echelon of the MTA and RA all worship the Progenitors of Mechs as if they were selfless and idealistic freedom fighters. That is nice and all, but I seriously doubt that all 13 of them were as perfect and altruistic as the mechers always make them out to be. History is written by the winners, and they always have a tendency to erase plenty of unflattering details. As much as the Progenitors have contributed to the restoration of the rights of ordinary humans, I do not believe for a second that they have lost all of the selfishness and cruelty that is typical of traditional cultivators."

His eyes narrowed in suspicion."

"I bet… that not all Progenitors of Mechs perished during the Great Betrayal. At least one of them may have managed to get away… either because it was part of their greater plan or because one of them chickened out at the last minute. Perhaps this may have damaged the cause of the MTA, or maybe it wasn't necessary for all 13 Progenitors to contribute their lives to the establishment of the Kingdom. Whatever the case, I think that one of them managed to get away from the Metal Shrine with a spare fragment of the Metal Scroll."

The System still remained silent and unresponsive, but that was okay.

"The Great Betrayal was a massive battle." Ves continued his speculation. "A lot of powerful cultivators got killed, but not before doing a lot of damage in return. None of the cultivators stationed in the most sacred site of the Five Scrolls Compact is weak, as they always have to possess enough fighting power to defeat their rivals. I don't know how the Progenitors fit the hierarchy of the Metal Shrine, but it is doubtful that they managed to subvert its entire leadership."

The secret battle that ended the Age of Conquest and brought forth the Age of Mechs was shrouded in mysteries. Ves developed an increasing desire to witness this historic battle and obtain the truth of what had happened.

Too much had spun from this historic turning point. From establishing the hegemony of the Big Two to turning his mother into an interstellar fugitive, so much of his life was shaped by a huge event that took place more than 4 centuries ago.

The Great Betrayal should have been ancient history to Ves, yet the aftermath of this grand battle still affected his life on a daily basis.

Could Ves ever disentangle himself from this old conflict?

He could not. As long as he held the Mech Designer System, he would forever remain a product of those historic events.

"One of the Progenitors of Mechs may have survived that battle. No. I am convinced that one must have gotten away. However, the fighting inside the Metal Shrine and beyond was so brutal that the survivor may have suffered fatal injuries. With not much time left for him, he or she probably didn't feel like becoming a martyr like his other conspirators. The Progenitor… likely invested whatever power he had left to reshape the fragment of the Metal Scroll into you, the Mech Designer System."

If the System possessed the capacity to experience emotions, then it certainly did a good job of hiding it, because there was no apparent response to his explosive speculations.

Ves continued to smirk as he finished his guess.

"No one wants to die when there is an alternative available. I can recognize that the Progenitors of Mechs has done humanity a great service by fighting for a greater cause than themselves, but whoever managed to escape the battle probably did not want to follow suit. This was why… the survivor did the same thing that the original creator of the Metal Scroll had done in ancient times. He or she transformed the fragment into a resurrection device."

Cultivators were able to die like any human, but Ves found that not all of them managed to stay dead.

If his mother was able to claw her way back from death, then others should be able to do so as well!

The only issue was that the requirements were so harsh that returning to life had to be a rare occurrence. Cynthia Larkinson only ever managed to become whole again after Ves provided a huge amount of help.

"The Progenitor may have been dying at the time, so the fragment is the only means left to secure a second life. I can understand his or her position. My mother told me that in general, every cultivator is eager to pursue power and eternity. The other Progenitors gave up on the former, but secured the latter by leaving behind a lasting legacy. The survivor on the other hand was not satisfied with that and wanted to cling to life."

The Big Two had already succeeded for the most part. The downfall of the Five Scrolls Compact became assured, and many humans became freed from the madness that the cultivators had wrought during those dark times.

"It makes a lot of sense to create you, System." Ves chuckled under his breath. "As terrible as they may be, the Sacred Scrolls presented a successful model on how to hoodwink cultivators to serve a specific cause and work towards resurrecting their original creators. Your own maker probably did the same thing, but on a smaller scale."

It made too much sense to Ves. It was exactly the sort of approach he would take if he found himself in a similar situation.

"This is why you are geared towards mech design. As a Progenitor, your expertise on mechs is immense. It is the field that you have mastered the most, and it is also doomed to become a dominant occupation after the Mech Trade Association's dominance became assured. I believe that your original plan may have been to turn you over to the MTA, as the people over there can make the best possible use out of you. However… that hasn't happened."

A cruel grin appeared on his face. "An accident occurred. I guess that… there shouldn't have been a long delay before the mechers started to make good use of you. It would have been an irresistible combination. There is no way those mech-

obsessed people would be able to keep their hands off you. The more you get used, the more sustenance you derive from them. It might not take more than a century to accumulate enough energy and extraordinary materials to return your maker to life."

History would have looked a lot different if that happened. Not only would the development of mechs sped up during the first mech generations, but the return of a real war hero would have united the Mech Trade Association under a single leader!

"That hasn't happened." Ves amusingly said. "There are many possible explanations why this has happened, but let me share with you my favorite theory. When you died and passed on the Mech Designer System to your trusted subordinates, my mother randomly bumped into the holder during her escape from the Great Temple. The outcome of such a coincidental meeting should be obvious."

Cultmaster Original Sin was known to be one of the most powerful cultivators within the Compact.

"Hahaha!" Ves couldn't help but laugh when he speculated that this accidental encounter may have affected the entire course of human history in the centuries to come! "Since she used to be a lot more violent and less constrained at the time, my mother immediately killed your inheritors and looted all of their valuables. It was what I would do. Somehow, she managed to obtain the System, but since her cultivation is completely incompatible with mech design, you weren't able to establish cooperation with her. Perhaps… she may have figured out your true origin and purpose!"

Ves did not know how strong his mother and the survivor had been at the time, but the chances were great that both of them used to be fairly close in cultivation.

They may have known each other in person and understood each other's inclinations well.

At this time, Ves grinned so widely that it almost became unhinged!

"My mother must have spoiled the plans of your maker and kept you all to herself! The leaders of the Mech Trade Association who may have known about your existence became very upset about that, and pursued her across space in order to snatch you from her possession. However, multiple centuries have passed without that happening. The MTA grew and developed into a powerful organization under a different regime. So many years went by that much of the awe and respect directed towards you has… faded, just like many other aspects of history."

True death was not the passing of one's mortal coil.

True death was the passing of one's memory and legacy.

"The old guard of the Mech Trade Association has slowly died out. The ones who are left alive such as the First Flame and the Lord of Thermodynamics have stayed in power for so long that I do not think they are as eager to welcome your revival anymore. Meanwhile, newer generations of leaders have risen up. Since they were born after the Great Betrayal and never fully understood all of the sacrifices made by the Progenitors of Mechs, they are not inclined to welcome your return. In other words, the mechers who are aware of your existence increasingly feel like my mother has done them all a favor!"

As far as Ves knew, the System never got used by anyone before it fell into his hands!

By the time he inherited the System from his parents, so much time had passed by that the survivor's original plan became ruined forever!

At this point, humanity had moved on from the Progenitors. There was no way that the survivor would have been able to assume control over the MTA, especially when enough god pilots had emerged that could beat up the powerful cultivator even when he returned to the height of his power!

Perhaps… one of the reasons why the god pilots guarded over the Kingdom of Mechs was to prevent a resurrected Progenitor from accessing it and transforming it into a seat of power!

Since all 13 Progenitors of Mechs were originally part of the consOriginal to create the Kingdom of Mechs, it stood to reason that each of them enjoyed the highest permissions!

This put the Polymath's attempted coup into a better context. Had she and her crown tried to take advantage of this backdoor to secure the position that was reserved for any surviving Progenitor?

Ves became even more glad that this hadn't happened!

"Well, System? Have I gotten close enough to the truth? Say something! I deserve at least this much for everything that I have done to further your original cause."

The System acted stupid and declined to give out any information that could confirm or deny any of his guesses.

Ves eventually shrugged. "Fine. If this is how you want to play this game, then whatever. Let me make my own stance clear to you. I do not mind it if my actions contribute to the resurrection of your original maker. Even if he or she has hostile intentions towards me, I am not without the means to defend myself. I have earned so much favor from god pilots, Star Designers and Fleet Admirals that they will not stand by and let you screw me over."

Whether they could intervene in time was another matter, but at least they could take revenge on his behalf. The threat of that should be enough to constrain any untoward behavior.

"The point I am trying to make is that as long as I do not have to sacrifice my life or my fundamental interests, you are free to work towards the resurrection of your maker. I prefer win-

win agreements the most, as neither party will turn against the other. I will let you do your thing while I pursue my own ambitions. As long as we make sure that none of our goals collide against each other, we can both have what we want. Is that a good enough accord for you, System?"

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