The Mech Touch novel Chapter 2152

Chapter 2152 Larkinson Merit Exchange

"Pathetic!" A female voice uttered from the crowd!

A beret-wearing woman followed by a floating greatsword stepped forward. Her straightened back and her strong physique made her very powerful among the gathered mech designers.

"Do you think your new boss subjected you all to the glow of the Doom Guard for no reason? Did you think that facing my blade is just a one-time encounter? You are horribly wrong if you think that your future will be spent in comfort and luxury! While I don't expect much from the softies among you who managed to get into the clan through your smarts, but why aren't any of you who are hired by Ves stepping up?!"

Under her admonishments, some of the mech designers felt ashamed of themselves.

Though Ves only expected a couple of the mech designers to step up, in the end around thirty of them put themselves forward!

All of the newly-hired mech designers selected by Ves were anything but average. All of them had shown considerable courage and determination during the unconventional selection process. Even though they all feared the dangers of the Nyxian Gap, compared to the previous tests, it didn't seem so scary!

Ves felt very gratified by the sheer amount of volunteers. Aside from the people he selected, the Ylvainans stepped forth as well! Oscar DiMartin and the other fanatics completely believed in him. They feared nothing as long as they accompanied the Bright Martyr!

"Okay. This is good." Ves finally nodded and smiled. Ketis did a great job at riling them all up. "There are ten design teams, but I only need half. Oscar, you should stay with Gloriana and continue to develop your individual mech designs. As for the rest of your team, you can assist my partner in other matters."

"Very well, sir." Oscar replied in a disappointed tone.

It wasn't necessary to bring so many mech designers. Ves already trusted the Ylvainans in the Design Department, so there was no need to challenge their limits further.

Instead, he wanted to bring along the people he selected in order to train their mentality and let them get used to facing different kinds of pressure.

While Ves did not expect them to become fully-fledged combat engineers or anything, they should at least be able to keep their heads and remain productive during crisis situations!

He of all people knew how difficult it was to demand courage under fire from a bunch of mech designers. Cowardice and rear-line duty seemed to be ingrained in the bones of most of them. Too many of them were nerds whose only exposure to violence was playing some popular virtual reality games in their youth.

Such entertainment hardly conveyed the true terror of the threat of death!

This was why Ves specifically selected those who were able to resist it from the start. Yet even if he selected a bunch of brave mech designers, he knew he had to make sure to stimulate them further instead of letting them grow soft!

Of course, he did not expect them to take a lot of risks without any corresponding rewards. If his subordinate mech designers became aware that Ves just wanted to exploit them, they would grow very dissatisfied!

Seeing the grim and resigned expressions of the group of brave mech designers, Ves decided to throw his pets some carrots.

"Those who accompany our task force will be rewarded for their contribution. As long as you perform your duty diligently, you will each be rewarded with 50 Larkinson merits!"

A small gasp ran throughout the entire crowd!

Though Ves and Gloriana only spent a brief amount of time in setting up their merit system, the Larkinson Merit Exchange had already become an official institution.

Right now, the remuneration structure was still a little bit crude. A single merit corresponded to one year of low-level work. 10 merits equated to one year of medium-level work. The only people who were entitled to earn 100 merits or more consisted of mech commanders, assembly members and the other people at the upper hierarchy.

Ves already regarded the assistant mech designers as mid-level employees, so if they didn't do anything exceptional, they only stood to gain 10 merits a year.

Unlike merits which were non-transferable to other people, they also earned a regular salary. For now, the Larkinson Clan did not bother with minting its own coin, so everyone was being paid in hex credits for the time being. While their salaries were fairly high, the assistant mech designers all hungered for merits.

This was because some of the goods and services offered by the Larkinson Merit Exchange couldn't be obtained through money!

"We have recently expanded and clarified the items you can spend your Larkinson merits on." Gloriana announced. "With one merit, you can request a personalized tutoring session from myself or my partner, though not too often. For an entire hour, we will devote our full attention to critiquing your mech designs, addressing your difficulties and offer advice on your progression. I advise everyone to take advantage of this service at least once."

Some of the assistant mech designers recognized the value in asking for guidance. Many Apprentices weren't actually able to navigate their way to Journeyman-level! Each individual's circumstances were different and every design philosophy demanded a unique approach, so general advice and lessons weren't very useful in facilitating their progression.

Gloriana mentioned another benefit. "Aside from that, a single merit also allows you to borrow a single advanced textbook from the Larkinson Library. We have adjusted the pricing so that most textbooks that aren't suitable for Apprentices will cost more merits while those that are safe for you to learn will cost much less."

"The reason for that is because we want to allow you to save for other benefits that you can obtain in the Larkinson Merit Exchange." Ves mentioned. "After working together the Larkinson Biotech Institute, we are finally prepared to offer a range of augmentations that can all enhance your design prowess."

He waved his hand, causing the projectors to depict a list.

[50 Larkinson merits: third-class cranial implant

200 Larkinson merits: second-class cranial implant

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