The Mech Touch novel Chapter 3704

Chapter 3704 Cyclical Engine

When Ves decided to take up Professor Benedict's invitation to study phasewater, he invited Gloriana and the other mech designers to go along, but they all refused.

"You're wasting your time that could be better spent on completing our mech design projects. Phasewater is a notoriously difficult substance to harness." His wife told him as she hugged and rocked their daughter. "It is dangerous in most states and difficult to harness. Most applications of phasewater involve building entire machines around it. At our current point of development, we are far from ready to build minidrive-equipped mechs, let alone ship-grade warp drives! The only way for us to make practical use of phasewater is if we buy out a research institution or naval development company that already possess the necessary knowhow. Otherwise, it would take at least 20 years and a great sum of money for us to develop this specialty to a competitive level from scratch!"

"...Mama." Aurelia echoed her mother.

Naturally, that made Gloriana inordinately happy! She kissed Aurelia's cute head for the umpteenth time. "Good girl!"

Ves crossed his arms. "You are not thinking broad enough. Phasewater is the future. The Red Ocean revolves around it. Why shouldn't we familiarize ourselves with it early? Besides, just because the known applications of phasewater are too unwieldy and out of reach for us doesn't mean that will stay true for long. Not only are our capabilities improving every day, we may also find our own applications of this substance. If nothing else, it should be easy enough for us to configure a bomb that takes advantage of its volatility."

"Phasebombs are classified as weapons of mass destruction and are highly illegal, Ves. I thought you would know that since you've been trying to cozy up with the MTA as of late."

"Erm. Well… it would be handy to have this option in our pocket. Just in case."

Though Ves made good points, his wife was concerned that he would get sucked into another rabbit hole again. She knew his habits well and understood that Ves easily tended to get obsessed with odd new side projects that completely displaced his original priorities.

His high concentration was a boon whenever he was on the right track, but it could utterly consume him for weeks or months if he directed it towards other research projects!

Ves eventually brushed aside her concerns and left regardless of her complaints.

He and his bodyguards boarded a shuttle and transited over to the Cross Clan's new factory ship.

Ves had observed the Cyclical Engine often enough from a distance. She was hard to miss as she was the only other factory ship in the expeditionary fleet aside from the Spirit of Bentheim.

Compared to his Hexer-built vessel, the Cyclical Engine was noticeably inferior in numerous aspects.

She was a pure civilian vessel that was both slow and lightly-armored. This turned her into a burden that was not quite suited for frontier exploration.

The Cross Clan wouldn't have been able to acquire her on the second-hand market if her value was higher, though. At that point in time, the Crossers managed to secure quite the bargain.

A greater proportion of her budget went into her production facilities, which were quite numerous due to the greater length of her hull. The added space and capacity enabled her production output to surpass that of the Spirit of Bentheim if everything else was equal!

As the Larkinson Clan's shuttle slipped into the hangar bay of the 2.9-kilometer long factory ship, Ves took in the atmosphere among the crew.

The Crossers did not look upset or discontented from the recent battle. Though the material damage was considerable, not a lot of casualties occurred this time.

The only annoying part was that the material damage to the starships was considerable. This was also why the Cyclical Engine had become more active than usual. Her production lines were tasked with repairing or replacing a lot of broken hull plating.

The Hemmington Cross particularly required a lot of attention! The massive fleet carrier was one of the capital ships that bore the brunt of the alien warship fire. If not for her greater size and surface area, she would have incurred more serious damage to her forward compartments and systems.

"Patriarch Larkinson? This way, sir."

Ves and his group followed an attendant as they made their way into the interior of the Cyclical Engine.

Though the ship started off as a second-hand civilian vessel, the Crossers had tried their best to convert her to a more robust vessel.

Much of the interior had been upgraded with stronger alloys and thicker layers. The Crosser engineers had tried their best to reinforce her structural integrity whenever possible without necessitating a turn in a drydock.

Although the constraints of trying to upgrade a capital ship when she was in active service were considerable, the effort might make a difference one day.

Ves still considered his Spirit of Bentheim to be far more superior, though. His own factory ship had been designed and built with added defense and longevity in mind. Her defenses could also be upgraded rather easily due to her semi-modular layout.

The attendant led Ves through a scenic route this time. They passed through a number of interesting areas including a production hall where Ves could take a good look at the production equipment used by the Crossers.

Ves noted that the brand-new machines were considerably more powerful and modern than the ones on his own factory ship.

The Cross Clan had definitely made a substantial investment after entering the Red Ocean! Even though the new equipment were not superfabs, they were still heartland-level models that were considerably faster and more capable than what they used before!

"Impressive."

"Just wait until you see our lab and workshop, sir."

Once they came close to the center of the Cyclical Engine, they passed through a strict security checkpoint before Ves and no one else was able to pass through.

He entered a combination between a lab and workshop that was filled with high-quality machines.

Ves immediately took in the powerful scanners, the advanced experimental tools and the high-quality production line that easily exceeded the specifications of his aging ELKINE production line!

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