The Mech Touch novel Chapter 2175

Chapter 2175 Outstanding Bounties

The battle against the Rust Grinders shook many Larkinsons out of their complacency. After encountering a small succession of weak pirate gangs, their battle against a stronger pirate opponent taught them that not all of their opponents rolled over so easily!

The longer a pirate outfit lasted in the Nyxian Gap, the more they possessed the capital to survive. Through a process of survival of the fittest, those that were unable to fend aggression no longer existed!

The Rust Grinders apparently relied on a mix of diplomacy and hidden weapons to maintain their footing in Wreckage Paradise.

Encountering mechs mounted onto starships had been an incredible shock to Ves and the assistant mech designers on their ship. Never could they have imagined that humans willfully broke the rules that kept the warring in human space to a controllable level!

Over four centuries had passed since the end of one of the darkest chapters of human history. The rule that forbid star-faring vessels from mounting weapons had become an ingrained instinct to almost every human.

Unfortunately, pirates were some of the few people who possessed the guts to defy the Big Two! As humans who lived outside the law, they didn't care a damn about the prohibition against owning warships!

Perhaps the main reason why warships weren't more prevalent among pirates was because it took a lot of technical expertise to build and maintain the powerful weapons.

Another reason why they did not show up too much was because everyone who paraded taboo weapons received bounties on their heads!

The moment Ves heard that he could earn a bounty from defeating targets that violated the rules, he began to look at the battle against the Rust Grinders in a different way!

This was especially when he heard he could earn merits as long as he submitted proof to the MTA or CFA!

According to the article that Ves read up on, the exact merit award depended on many factors such as the strength of the violators, the harm they inflicted on society and the severity of their rule breaking.

Every case needed to be judged on an individual basis. This was because there had been plenty of organizations in the past who secretly armed some hapless pirates only to 'harvest' them later to earn some easy merits!

He briefly paused when he read that he needed to contact the MTA directly.

"Damn."

He did something that he would normally avoid at any cost.

He entered one of the isolated compartments of the Scarlet Rose and activated the Darkbreak module. On a whim, he first attempted to call Jovy Armalon, but the MTA mech designer's comm rejected every call.

"Oh well. I guess I'll have to call the standard MTA line then." He muttered.

Ves browsed the interface of the Darkbreak module and found an information line that handled this business. He tapped the right command and waited for the line to go through.

The Darkbreak module activated a shimmering physical projection.

Unfortunately, instead of encountering some sort of android or secretary, Ves instead came face to face with the projection of a very familiar senior dignitary.

"Master Willix!" Ves coughed. "I mean, ahem, uh, I must have called the wrong line."

The Master Mech Designer, who should normally be aloof and distant to tiny figures like Ves, gently shook her head.

"No. You called the correct line. Your call has been automatically rerouted to my address. I added a special instruction to the communication network of the MTA, you see. As long as I am available, I will be handling all of your direct requests and inquiries towards the MTA. To be honest, I am quite interested in what you will encounter in the Nyxian Gap. You should feel honored for receiving my personal attention."

Her gracious gesture made him feel sick. Didn't Master Willix have something better to do than directing her attention towards him? He was just a mech designer! The MTA oversaw countless mech designers, many of whom were much more interesting! What did he do to deserve this constant persecution?!

Of course, Ves did not dare to voice any of his thoughts. Instead, he maintained a brittle smile. "I am… grateful… that you favor me so, Master Willix, but I do not wish to take up your time with trivial matters. You can just redirect me to the normal information line so I won't take up your valuable time anymore."

Master Willix shook her head. "Let me be the judge of that. Let's hear your request first."

Seeing no other choice, Ves accepted the inevitable and briefly explained his encounter with the Rust Grinders. He even showed some initiative by transferring some select sensor data.

"I see." Master Willix dropped her polite smile. "This is indeed a matter that requires the MTA's attention. This is not the first time a Nyxian pirate has crossed this particular line, and it won't be the last time."

"So… I heard there are some merits to be earned by teaching these rulebreakers a lesson. Am I eligible to receive a bounty, ma'am?"

The woman paused as she studied all of the data. "I have just verified that the proof you provided is authentic. That's good. I would have stripped you of all of your accumulated merits if you have attempted to defraud us. I have seen too many mech designers assume they can take advantage of the MTA, and I hope that you will not follow in their footsteps."

A cold sweat ran through his back. He possessed a healthy fear of the MTA and experienced first-hand some of the amazing technology they had at their disposal. Ves would never dare to put his merits at risk!

"That said, the Rust Grinders are… rather inconsequential, all concerned. Their violations aren't too egregious either. Even if they managed to build an interface between the power system of their cannoneers and the power system of their ship, the output of their energy weapon is still within a manageable range. Your Bright Warrior models managed to fend off the laser beams while suffering minimal damage, after all. We cannot award you with too many merits for taking down such a minor foe. Regardless, you still managed to exact punishment on our behalf, so I will award you with 25,000 MTA merits for this service." _{fгeewebnovёl.com}

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