The Mech Touch novel Chapter 2703

Chapter 2703: Sitting On A Bench

"So all of our upcoming mechs will become better, but it will take at least an extra month before our mech pilots will receive the final versions?"

Ketis nodded. "Yup. The previous battle has truly been an eye-opener for us. Aside from Gloriana and Juliet, the rest of the Design Department didn't really have a good grasp of high-level second-class combat. I think Ves and the others thought that they wouldn't be fighting against this caliber of opponents too soon."

Venerable Joshua chuckled. "Ves should have known better. He's a trouble magnet. He's making waves wherever he goes so there are bound to be people who want to get rid of him. We're not playing a virtual game here where our opponents get stronger step by step. Well, we all know better now. I look forward in seeing these new mechs in action. They sound quite promising."

Both of them sat together on a bench in the forward observation chamber on the 1st deck. It was a large, expansive and idyllic garden that provided any visitor with an abundant amount of space to relax or engage in recreational activities.

Since the forward observation chamber was limited to officers, VIPs and other high-ranking personnel, there weren't many clansmen around.

In fact, there were a lot more pets than humans scurrying about!

"Woof!"

A black pitbull eagerly wagged his tail as Ketis ruffled his head and neck.

"Maow. Maow. Maow."

A young cat rolled onto Joshua's lap and exposed his belly. When Joshua rubbed it, the pet softly purred.

The pets didn't belong to the couple. They were taken care of by other clansmen. It was just that when their owners were on shift, the cats and dogs didn't have much to do in their cabins. Most of them preferred to spend their time in the larger communal areas on the ship.

Every time Joshua and Ketis visited the observation deck or the city deck, they became inundated with pets. Joshua especially attracted them on a regular basis. They all brushed up against him to leave behind their scent or begged for pats.

It was fortunate that Joshua never got tired of the attention. As an expert pilot who was expected to shoulder the burden of defending the Larkinson Clan against powerful opponents, he could use the distraction.

"We never really got to be together after the battle until now." Ketis said as she adjusted her poofy beret on her head. "Are you doing okay?"

"We won, didn't we? I'm already happy with that. It's a shame that so many of our clansmen died. I felt like I could have done more to prevent them from dying."

"The battle was way too big for you to achieve more. You did the best you could."

"I know. I'm not doubting myself or anything." He replied. "I am just trying to figure out how I can perform better next time. The Valkyrie Prime is a great mech and what I was able to accomplish with the Hexers back then is indescribable."

The moments where he became an integral part of two battle formations was one of his best moments so far. He would always remember the times where he turned the tide of the battle by wiping out a swathe of Fridayman with the first try and disabling Venerable Ghanso with the second try.

He even looked forward to doing it again. A part of Joshua wished that some other enemy would come and provoke the Larkinson Clan. That way, he could get back into the Valkyrie Prime and lead another battle formation!

"Enough about me. How are you doing? Are you making any progress towards becoming a Journeyman?"

Ketis grinned. "The Battle of Reckoning is a goldmine for me! I have access to lots of footage and analyses on the performance of different sword-wielding mechs. I'm so happy that Venerable Dise managed to show her strength against the Jeanne D'Arc. My sisters held a huge grudge against Venerable Foster. It's great that we managed to avenge the sisters we've lost, but…"

"It doesn't bring back the dead."

She gently nodded. "The Swordmaidens are still as small as ever."

"Aren't the Swordmaidens training a batch of several hundred women?"

"That's true, but it will take at least several years or so to whip them into shape. It's not enough to be a female swordsman mech specialist. They need to be truly dedicated to the sword and our way of life. In battle, every sister must be able to trust each other without reserve. That not only takes time, but also considerable pressure. Not every trainee will live to the end of our training program."

In fact, the harsh demands of the Swordmaidens to their fellow trainees was a source of considerable controversy. The Larkinsons generally wanted every clansman to be treated well. There shouldn't be any room for excessive abuse and mistreatment within their ranks.

That put the Swordmaidens in an awkward position. The training regime they devised back when they were still pirates may be cruel, but it was reasonably effective at producing powerful mech pilots.

In the end, Ves personally had to grant them special permission to run their training program the way they wanted to. As far as he was concerned, the Swordmaidens could do anything they wanted as long as the hopeful trainees agreed to subject themselves to the difficult circumstances.

Joshua frowned when he recalled what he heard about how the Swordmaidens raised their sisters.

"Are the Swordmaidens still intending to pit their prospective members against exobeasts while armed with nothing but a greatsword?"

"Of course! Why would you ever think we would stop with that? It's the ultimate test that separates true Swordmaidens from those who are too weak to be relied upon in battle."

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