The Mech Touch novel Chapter 4480

If Ves had to make a living artifact that not only embodied his extraordinary identity, but also had to serve as a tool of evolution, he wanted it to be a cat.

Why a cat?

"There are too many reasons to count."

Ves adored cats and was most definitely a cat person. Even though his family already collected a lot of cats, there was always room for more.

The cat was literally and figuratively the totem animal of the Larkinson Clan, which he personally founded and represented. It made little sense to resort to another animal unless it was a member of the Felidae family such as a tiger or a leopard.

A cat was also an inherently mobile object, which suited a living product the best.

Ves had made a number of other totems in the past. The Unending Regalia which he wore right now, the Hammer of Brilliance which he occasionally made use of and the Larkinson Mandate which he used to track his clansmen all had one trait in common.

"They can't move on their own."

Technically, the Unending Regalia could operate by itself in a limited fashion, but it truly wasn't built to function as an autonomous battle bot.

As for the other two totems, neither of them possessed any inherent mobility systems. Their only chance of escaping a calamity was to beg Goldie or Vulcan to exert great power to and manifest a part of themselves to take the hammer or book away.

Ves didn't want to impose this limitation on his divine artifact, not when he had the ability to do better.

A cat fit all of his requirements. A cat was not only compact and easy to bring along to different places, but also excelled in evasion and running away from danger.

"Cats might not be as strong and powerful as other native earth animals, but if there is one aspect that they are good at, it is keeping themselves alive!"

That was exactly what he wanted from his autonomous divine artifact!

Ves had contemplated other options that were more dignified in nature, but none of them were any good at avoiding danger by themselves. Even if he integrated a small antigrav system in their construction, it simply wouldn't be as good.

"A crown or another book looks nice, but I can't just carry them around in informal settings."

Ves had an affinity to both crowns and books. He took pride in the masterwork crown that he had made for his favorite dwarven emperor. The Imperial Crown was an excellent masterwork totem and he thought there wasn't any way he could do better until he learned about the existence of divine artifacts.

However, Ves couldn't really justify the act of wearing a crown or even a circlet in his daily life.

He could settle for a smaller item such as a necklace or an earring, but Ves was not a big fan of wearing jewelry.

He much preferred to equip himself with more practical objects that could help him out in case he encountered danger.

This was why a cat was so much more convenient. Ves already developed a well-known habit of bringing along Lucky and Clixie whenever he visited a different place.

Few of his hosts ever took notice of the cats. Even if it was rather clear that the cats possessed a certain degree of combat power, their adorable appearances and playful behavior made them so charming that they simply didn't evoke much threat in the eyes of other people.

It was only when Ves attempted to enter an area that was secured through automated systems that the cats had to stay outside. Artificial intelligences possessed no heart and were not fooled by the inherent cuteness of cats!

"That doesn't detract from their effectiveness."

These instances had taught Ves that cats could get away with almost anything. They were just too cute.

For multiple millennia, cats had accompanied humans across the stars.

Throughout the ages, the adorable furry mammals constantly conditioned their food providers into treating them like babies or princesses.

This pattern had persisted for so long that it had practically become an instinct that was baked in the human psyche.

Although Ves doubted whether cats still came across as cute in front of alien races, the diminutive size and the lack of apparent threat should still allow the felines to escape notice.

"Camouflage is important." Ves summed up his goal.

While he felt tempted to go for a big and ostentatious artifact, it made more sense to avoid too much attention.

Going for a divine artifact that looked indistinguishable from normal cats was much more in line with his current strategy!

As the holder of a fragment of the Metal Scroll, Ves had long embraced the habit of making himself look more unassuming.

Even though he couldn't help himself at times and exposed his trump cards one after another to the MTA, none of these secrets were important to him. As long as the truth about the Mech Designer System never came out, he didn't really care about exposing his other advantages, especially when he was constantly growing stronger and more confident in his own position.

"I can't reveal anything about my divine artifact, though. The mechers probably know that this kind of secret is tied to the core of the Five Scrolls Compact. I can't explain how I discovered the existence of divine artifacts, let alone make one on my own with the resources and facilities that I have available!"

A divine artifact needed to incorporate a fragment of a powerful individual's Divine Core. Ves had learned that it was exceedingly difficult to expose it, let alone take out a slice!

Using phasewater to manipulate a Divine Core was extremely dangerous. While there were undoubtedly other methods that could produce the same result, Ves shouldn't have access to any of these high-end techniques.

In any case, a cat would solve many problems. Ves and the Larkinson Clan already had so many of them that the addition of a random cat would not even merit any attention from outside observers.

He just had to make sure that his family did not kick up a fuss.

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