The Mech Touch novel Chapter 2883

Chapter 2883: Jelly

Although a part of her was very fascinated with the organic sword, she mainly felt repelled by it. Just imagining herself wielding it presented a discordant image to her. The weapon was simply too weird!

"What are the holes for?" Ketis frowned in puzzlement. "Are they meant to siphon the blood of whoever gets stabbed with this weapon?"

"No. Apparently, the biosword is meant to discharge plasma from these cavities. The entire reason why the hilt is so fleshy and elaborate is because it houses the mechanism that generates and releases the plasma energy."

A plasma weapon! Ketis gained a lot more respect for the weapon.

"I don't think this weapon saw much use. It's still in good condition and it's also fairly recent to boot."

The ages of the weapons planted in the Sword Graveyard varied. Some of them were less than a decade old but there were also numerous blades that had gained fame a century ago!

While the older swords were not necessarily the better ones, Ketis felt more drawn to them for some reason. It might have been due to the influence of Ves. Under his tutelage and guidance, she gained a greater appreciation for durable products that grew stronger and more personal over time.

It was a pity that none of the weapons she encountered were alive, especially in the same way as her personal greatsword.

After years of getting spoiled by living mechs and living products, Ketis found it difficult to muster too much enthusiasm for lifeless and unresponsive objects.

Angelique clearly noticed her restrained mood as they inspected various exotic-looking weapons.

"What's the matter? Are the swords here not to your liking? There are more exciting and exclusive ones when we get closer to the center of the Sword Graveyard."

"It's not that. Many of these swords are all respectable in their own way. It's just that they don't quite have what I'm looking for. I sort of expected more given what I've heard from the Heavensword Association."

The swordmasters of the state were truly dedicated to the sword. Ketis thought that translated into taking great care of their weapons. She heard stories of legendary swordsmen trying to develop such a close relationship with their blades that they even carried them into their beds!

According to Ves' teachings, any person was able to inspire some life and develop a bond with a closely-cherished object. In practice, it was a lot harder than it sounded to achieve anything significant.

This was why she tried to sense whether any of the swords felt comparable to the equipment and mechs made by Ves, but none of them stood out in this manner.

After inspecting dozens of personal weapons, Ketis and Angelique finally approached the first sword built for a mech.

The massive metal monstrosity cast a tall shadow over the people who came to admire it. The weapon was merely a shortsword that was meant to be wielded by a knight mech, but its dimensions in comparison to a human were so imposing that no one thought it was too small!

Though the mech sword did not possess any intrinsic life, Ketis nonetheless began to appreciate the weapon from the perspective of a swordsman mech designer.

"This is a traditionally-forged sword!" She said in a mildly impressed tone. "Every step is made with as much manual effort as possible. I can see all of the personal touches that make this weapon unique."

While it was impossible to forge a mech-sized weapon completely with handheld tools, there was a large difference in relying on an automated production line to fabricate a sword and employing a high degree of manual control over specialized forging machines.

The latter was not only more cumbersome and time-consuming, but also exhibited a greater chance of failure. If the end product suffered any severe defects, all of the time and effort spent on making it was pretty much wasted!

The time of highly-skilled craftsmen was very precious. It took a lot of studying, training and practice to forge an entire mech-grade sword in a traditional manner. This meant that even an ordinary artisanal mech weapon was of great value.

While Ketis knew the theory and steps behind forging a comparable weapon, she never truly succeeded on her own as of yet. She still didn't feel ready enough to embark on such a great project.

Harcourt was different though. As a Journeyman from a state that was obsessed with swords, she would never be able to earn respect in her state if she was unable to forge unique weapons for her mechs.

"There are quite a lot of swords like these in our state." She explained. "While custom-forged weapons are not cost-efficient at all, our best sword wielders all prefer to fight with something tailored to their specific styles. Each mech designer or swordsmith that is capable of forging blades like these possess distinct advantages that make their swords stand out from others."

"What is your unique characteristic?" Ketis asked.

Angelique responded with a proud grin. "My blades are lighter and swifter while not sacrificing any structural integrity. While the differences aren't too big as of yet, I am constantly improving my techniques. The blades I am capable of forging pair exceptionally well with my fencing mechs."

"How long does it take for you to forge one of your custom swords?"

"It depends on a lot of factors. As long as you are in a good workshop, it typically takes a day to forge a sword that you can be proud of. It might take longer for larger and more complex weapons, but the chance of something going wrong goes up drastically if you need to spend multiple days making your weapon."

The pair of women continued to talk about the ins and outs of forging mech-grade swords. Angelique might not excel in this aspect, but she still possessed enough ability to make Ketis look up to the older and more experienced mech designer.

Soon enough, they drifted away from the huge shortsword.

Once they ventured closer to the center of the transformed park, they encountered more valuable and significant weapons.

Security was higher around these parts as well. Armed guards constantly patrolled the grounds in order to ensure that no one tried to break the energy screens and take the swords away.

While no one was stupid enough to do so, there were always greedy idiots who thought they could outsmart the sophisticated security measures employed by the Heavensworders.

Each time Ketis inspected a different bladed weapon, whether it was a longsword, a saber or a dagger, she gained a new appreciation for those types of swords.

"We don't adopt a strict definition of a sword." Angelique said after Ketis asked why knives and daggers were included in the Sword Graveyard. "We love all weapons that share the same characteristics. The approach and handling of these different types of weapons are all similar. This is the criteria we use to judge whether a weapon is a sword or not. It might not be the most precise definition, but it is one that works."

Ketis found herself agreeing with her companion's opinion. "The concept of a sword is broad enough to include many different forms. It doesn't make sense to toss them all aside."

In fact, Ketis became attracted to a knife. She spotted a small crowd forming at a wooded location.

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