The Mech Touch novel Chapter 3237

Chapter 3237: Fire and Blood

Ves couldn't decide upon the name of his new hammer, so he decided to flip an imaginary coin.

"Hammer of Brilliance it is, then."

It didn't really matter how he labeled it. He didn't intend to make much use of it. Who actually used a hammer in this day and age? A modern multitool that was able to transform into many different forms could perform hundreds if not thousands of different functions.

From hammering nails, filing surfaces, drilling holes, removing dust and so on, multitools and other technological gadgets could perform the job in a much more precise and effective way!

"It's a symbol, not a tool."

Using a hammer to do work was as primitive as using a doorknob to open a door. It was laughably primitive!

He didn't plan to fool around with his toy a lot. If not for visiting the Vulcan Empire, he would have never come up with the idea in the first place.

This was also why he decided to make a hand-sized hammer instead of another object. The Vulcanites may have improved a lot from their humble roots as mining slaves, but most of them were still rough and uncultured compared to the likes of the Purnesses.

Anything that was too deep or subtle would fly right over the heads of the dwarves. If Ves wanted to make an impact on their psyches, then he had to look recognizable to them. The traditional depiction of Vulcan, whether he came in the form of a human or a dwarf, was always paired with a hammer.

Though Ves didn't recall using any hammers back when he possessed Rion Aaden during his last Mastery experience, they were so strongly associated with both Vulcan and dwarves that it made too much sense for the god to wield one in his hands!

"I need to look as relatable as possible to the dwarves if I want to have any hope of hoodwinking at least a portion of these idiots."

As time continued to pass, General Verle's projection appeared by his side again.

"We're as ready as we can be, sir."

"How are our mech legions?" Ves calmly asked.

"Our Avatars of Myth, the Living Sentinels, the Flagrant Vandals, the Swordmaidens, the Penitent Sisters and the Eye of Ylvaine are all in their best condition. Our Heavensworder auxiliaries are also ready to do battle."

"What of our expert pilots?"

"Venerable Tusa, Venerable Stark, Venerable Orfan and Venerable Dise are fully prepared to meet the enemy expert mechs in battle. Venerable Joshua has decided to attach himself to the Penitent Sisters like before while Venerable Jannzi has chosen to hold the line with the Living Sentinels."

Ves grimaced a bit. He still ached at the fact that the latter two expert pilots would remain severely underutilized. Their expert mechs were still months away from completion so there was no chance at all for them to duel against the enemy expert mechs on an equal basis.

"It will have to do." He sighed. "I see from the local plot that the Dented Coin is still in the star system. This place is not going to be safe for much longer."

"From what I've been told, the Pershams don't want to break relations with us. They also want to stay in the star system in order to witness the battle and make sure that the Dwarven God Cult doesn't distort the account of this battle. For example, the aggressors could lie about who struck the first blow and who was making aggressive maneuvers."

Ves frowned. "I don't want to broadcast this battle to the public."

"I think it's too late for that." General Verle replied. "It is not bad for us to show our capabilities. We have hidden our fangs so much that we aren't being taken seriously by many people. If we show that we can defeat or at least draw even against three military mech divisions, we will be able to gain a lot of respect. Maybe it makes more sense to hide our capabilities in the Milky Way, but we can't afford to show any weakness in the Red Ocean. If we show the pioneers beforehand that we have ways to punch above our weight, we'll probably be able to deter many rivals."

"We enjoy the MTA's protection for two years from the moment we enter the Red Ocean."

"And how has its permission to enter the Vulcan Empire worked out?" General Verle shot back. "Not everyone respects the MTA. Although it is foolish to do so, there are always people who don't conform to the rules. Besides, that only delays the threat by the same duration. We will go back to becoming vulnerable to predation after our protection period is over. The only difference is that enough time has passed for you to come up with stronger mech models and new trump cards. Don't be too attached to the solutions we currently possess. Since you think it is unlikely we will make use of them for the first two years of our expedition into the Red Ocean, it's better to make use of them now regardless of how much we expose."

This was quite a troubling decision to Ves, but if General Verle thought it was better to let the cat out of the bag, then he was inclined to trust the man.

"Very well then. The Dented Coin can stay and keep looking. The dwarves themselves will probably spread the footage to their fellow brethren in the Vulcan Empire anyway. Let them look. They will learn that Vulcan is not to be trifled with." Ves savagely grinned.

"Uhm, pardon, sir?" Verle momentarily looked confused.

"Oh, nothing. Please proceed with your duties."

As the dwarven fleet continued to close in on the Larkinson Fleet, the former didn't bother to transmit any demands to the latter.

The Ferril Provincial Army wasn't looking to win a painless battle. The only way to invigorate the Dwarven God cultists and prove to every Vulcanite that humans and dwarves were irreconcilable was to fight the cruelest battle as possible! Only fire and blood would be able to baptize the modern citizens of the Vulcan Empire just as it had transformed the original dwarven rebels on Desala X!

As the dwarven fleet with its formidable flagships continued its advance, the pressure it exerted on the Larkinson Clan steadily built up. Ves could feel the tension in the air.

Seeing that it would be detrimental if his clansmen commenced the battle while maintaining this nervous state, Ves decided to do something about it. There was no better way to invigorate his soldiers than to hold a speech!

He stood up, his Unending Regalia creaking as he did so. As he commanded the communication officer to prepare a fleet-wide broadcast, he noticed that he was still holding the Hammer of Brilliance.

"Ah, I better put this away."

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