The Mech Touch novel Chapter 4682

Melinda couldn't stand it any longer. She quickly left the back garden so that she could go back and inform the rest of the Larkinson Family on this explosive turn of events.

Before she left, she tried to persuade Venerable Ark to see reason and pledge to support the original Larkinson Family once again.

Unfortunately, her uncle refused to change his mind due to one simple reason.

"Human space is becoming more dangerous." He told her as they stood at the entrance of the back garden. "We've only traveled through a fraction of the vast territories occupied by humanity, but we have witnessed more fights, wars and suffering than ever before. I do not have any confidence in my ability to safeguard our family as a high-tier expert pilot and former mech colonel. During many instances in the past, the only reason why our family remained untouched was because our potential adversaries were deterred by the Larkinson Clan. As much as I appreciate this, we cannot keep living under its shadow forever. Not if we want to live more meaningful lives and build towards a better future for ourselves."

"We still have time, Ark. Let us go back to the elders and discuss a proper plan for our family."

"It's unnecessary." Ark shook his head. "As I have already said, our family won't get anywhere as long as I don't break through. I have wants and desires as well, Melinda. I do not want to fade into irrelevance as my strength stagnates and eventually wastes away as I grow older. I want to protect the Larkinsons in a much greater capacity than now, and the only way to do so is to break through. I can't do it by myself or while I am with the family. Only Ves and his amazing mechs give me hope of overcoming my bottleneck. He already has a history of doing so before and I have great confidence that he will be able to do so for me as well."

"You don't know whether that is the case! There are no hard rules when it comes to ace pilot breakthroughs. What worked for a couple of other expert pilots might not apply to your case."

The older Larkinson expert pilot sighed. "I am willing to give it a try. I don't particularly mind if I fail. I know the Larkinson Clan will be a good destination for me regardless of what will happen. I can still fight to protect my fellow Larkinsons, no matter what sort of blood flows through their veins. My wife and children will also become a part of a much stronger community that can help them live better lives and gain much better opportunities."

"You'll be thrown into battles that don't really matter to you or many Larkinsons."

"To me, that is little different from serving in the Mech Corps." Venerable Ark shrugged. "I fought during two different Bright-Vesia Wars in my lifetime. I value my time in service and I have always maintained the belief that I fought to protect my fellow Brighters, but that does not mean I was blind to the true motives that kept forcing our state to fight against the Vesia Kingdom so many times. Everyone wants to make use of mech pilots. It is a luxury for me to pick someone to serve who I trust. Ves may not be who you want to be, but he cares about the Larkinsons in his own way, and that is more than I can ask from other potential employers."

Now that she heard that Ark had not made a whimsical decision and truly weighed the merits before deciding to defect to the Larkinson Clan, Melinda knew she had no chance of persuading him at this juncture.

Maybe she might have another chance later on when her uncle was in a different mood, but this was a bad time.

Once she left the garden, Venerable Ark returned to the garden table and sat on the other side of Ves.

The idyllic environment calmed the spirit in a way that was nearly impossible to replicate in an artificial ship environment. Only the Aduc Family had managed to do so as far as Ves was aware of. Everyone else could never come close enough.

As such, both Ves and Ark were content to remain silent for a time and enjoy the break from their heavy responsibilities.

Eventually, Ark couldn't hold it any longer. He cared too much about his own future to let this moment drag out any further.

"I need a new expert mech."

"I heard." Ves simply said. "Don't you have a perfectly adequate second-class expert mech, though? The Masters from the Garlen Empire should have a lot of experience with designing effective high-end machines. You know what? Why don't you show me the machine. Can you project detailed images and transfer any design files you may have received along with your machine?"

"Sure. Give me a moment."

Ark fiddled with his comm and did as instructed.

Normally, it was extremely unwise for an expert pilot to expose the secrets of his sacred machine, but Ark unconditionally trusted Ves to handle the information in a responsible manner.

They were family, after all. The Larkinsons always covered each other's backs. That fundamental rule hadn't changed at all in the clan that had split off from the original family.

As Ves utilized his extensive knowledge in mech design and experience in working with expert mechs to analyze Ark's current machine, the expert pilot in question shared his thoughts in his own words.

"The team of mech designers who designed the Travon Exine for me made an earnest effort as far as I could tell. I could tell that it was a joy for the Masters to design a brand new high-tier expert mech for a different expert pilot than the usual ones they serve. Since I have adopted a different fighting style than was common in the Garlen Empire, my demands for my expert mech were different as well. That made the design project more interesting but also harder to get it right."

"Are you happy with how the Travon Exine turned out for you, Ark?" Ves asked as he carefully studied the specifications of the integrated weapons of the expert mech.

The demigod looked reluctant. "Yes and no. It's complicated. On one hand, the Travon Exine is my first true second-class expert mech that helped me fight against other second-class opponents on a level playing field. The designers did not cut any corners. My expert mech ran smoothly and fought at roughly the same level as any other high-tier machine in the Garlen Empire. It's just…"

It was not difficult for Ves to guess why Ark held mixed feelings about the expert mech he had come to pilot after leaving the Bright Republic.

"Your Travon Exine failed to help you break through to ace pilot, is that it? You feel let down by your machine."

"...Yes." Ark said, sounding much weaker and more defeated than before. "In my mind, I am aware that it is unfair for me to blame my expert mech for my failure. It is me who should be doing the work, not my mech. I know I need to work harder and push myself to my limits, but… a part of me hopes that a good mech can make it easier for me to break through. I have heard plenty of stories of how good mechs can make the impossible into a reality. The fact that you managed to make it happen with your powerful ally gives me a lot of hope that you will be able to do the same for me. This possibility has been hanging in my mind for such a long time that my confidence in my own ability has waned with each passing year."

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