The Mech Touch novel Chapter 3034

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Chapter 3034: Iridescent Mercury

The Chimera Project's main theme centered around adaptability and versatility. It did not explicitly aim to be the 'best' at anything.

However, it would be nice if it was able to excel at something. Increasing its damage-absorbing capabilities by pairing it up with Fixer Iron was a good choice. Though the resonating exotic did not excite Ves and Gloriana all that much, it paired well with Venerable Joshua's domain and was easy to integrate in his upcoming expert mech.

Increasing its defenses was not enough, though. An expert mech almost always needed offensive enhancements as well. It was a waste of an expert mech and expert pilot if their vast potential wasn't channeled into an offensive direction!

Master Willix did not immediately reveal her selection for offense-oriented resonating exotic. She merely smiled and asked a question.

"How do you envision the Chimera Project on the battlefield? What kind of role should Venerable Joshua adopt?" _{frёeweɓηovel.coɱ}

Ves thought long and hard about these questions, and so did Gloriana… While their views diverged from each other, they still found a lot of common ground.

Since Ves was more passionate about Venerable Joshua's expert mech than his wife, he decided to answer this question.

"Venerable Joshua is a versatile mech pilot, ma'am. When paired with a versatile mech, he can function as a troubleshooter. In other words, he can shore up any weaknesses in our lineup, rescue any troubled units or add some extra strength to any important actions we might attempt on the battlefield."

"What should he and his expert mech excel at aside from the basics you have mentioned? Think beyond the technical and think strategically instead."

Master Willix was obviously hinting at something greater. When Ves did as he was told and pulled back his perspective, he envisioned a large battlefield in space where thousands if not tens of thousands of mechs grinded against each other.

The greater the amount of mechs, the greater the amount of confusion. The role of individual mechs and mech pilots became smaller and even expert mechs would find it hard to change the overall strategic outlook of a huge battle.

However… was this really the case?

A few thoughts flashed through his mind. He had become involved in many instances where a single individual managed to change the course of a major battle.

Outside of rare and unpredictable breakthroughs, the role of leaders gained more weight as battles grew larger. This was something that was becoming more and more relevant to the Larkinson Clan as its mech forces expanded into the thousands.

At this scale, the qualities of regular fighters became less impactful but the qualities of the senior officers became more pivotal!

A good commander was able to stabilize a battleline that was under heavy assault. A poor commander could easily cause it to collapse ahead of time.

The role of higher-ranking leaders such as Ves and General Verle became even more evident. Though most of their influence affected the military wing of the Larkinson Clan when it was out of combat, they still performed essential functions during a battle. Whether it was boosting morale, issuing broad commands, responding to enemy maneuvers and so on, the mech pilots of the Larkinson Clan all looked up to their leaders for hope, instruction and more!

It was as if a mech suddenly turned online in his mind. The hint provided by Master Willix allowed Ves to recognize the most suitable role for Venerable Joshua.

"Venerable Joshua has always been the most likeable expert pilot in our current roster." He noted. "He doesn't possess any significant leadership qualities, but he is able to befriend everyone regardless of their individual beliefs. From the Penitent Sisters to the Ylvainans, Joshua has earned great respect from all of them due to his amiability and ability to pilot their signature mechs. He is the standard bearer of the Larkinson Clan."

He could already picture how Venerable Joshua made his mark on the battlefield. His large, imposing mech would shine bright and deliberately attract attention. Whether it stayed in the rear and launched precision attacks on critical enemy machines or charged forward in order to lead an assault, all of his actions would be magnified to those who were able to view or track his actions.

While any other expert mech could fulfill this role as well, none of them were quite as suitable.

The Bulwark Project was too slow and would only be able to provide encouragement from the rear.

The Sentry Project was too passive and did not fight in an ostentatious manner.

The Disruptor Project was too fleeting and functioned best when operating far from other friendly units.

The Decapitator Project and Vanguard Project were too offense-oriented and lacked broad appeal.

Compared to all of these choices, only the Chimera Project possessed the balance and versatility to function well in any place on the battlefield!

"You understand now, do you?" Master Willix smiled.

Ves took a deep breath. "I do. We chose to design a hero mech for Venerable Joshua in order to make the best use out of his broad skill set. Yet we did not think sufficiently about what kind of role that he and his expert mech could really play. I get it now. Hero mechs might not be the most efficient or effective mech type we could choose from, but it is the iconic kind of mech to inspire other soldiers in battle!"

Hero mechs were called this way for a reason! Ves had explored this mech type extensively in the past. From the Ouroboros to the Transcendent Messenger, the few hero mechs that Ves designed had all become iconic standard bearers whose symbolic value surpassed their combat value!

Adding such an expert mech to the Larkinson Clan's lineup made a lot of sense as well. One of the core doctrines was psychological warfare. According to this school of thought, the Larkinsons should do their best to increase their own morale while damaging the morale of their opponents.