The Mech Touch novel Chapter 4992

4992 /7079

4992 Grand Convergence III

Ves had a long and fruitful discussion with Master Leila Rebecca Devos.

The dean and highly respectable Terran Master Mech Designer not only talked about his specific teaching responsibilities, but also explained the circumstances of her school.

"The Eden Institute is a minor component of a larger revival plan of the Devos Ancient Clan." She patiently explained to the young second-rater. "It is not a secret that the ancient clan that I am a part of is in decline. We have always ranked low among all of the other leading Terrans, but the opening of the Red Ocean has presented us with the possibility of improving our standing."

This was a familiar story to Ves. Many of the losers of the old galaxy invested heavily into the Red Ocean in the hopes of catching up and surpassing their old rivals!

"I see. Is the Devos Ancient Clan serious about supporting the Eden Institute?"

The old female Master nodded. "That is correct. Our ancient clan has invested heavily to acquire a claim to the Riston Territory in the Agamemnon Upper Zone. The New Constantinople System is the preeminent port system of our territory, and it is undergoing constant expansion. The Eden Institute is a business and mech design university that we have founded with the explicit intention to enrich and diversify our regional mech industry."

That explained a bit more why the Eden Institute possessed such a strong focus towards the commercial sector.

"Our ancient clan does not have any inherent advantages that can make our mech industry more competitive than that of our rivals." The old Master continued. "It is for this reason that we cannot blindly afford to follow the established formulas. We must think laterally, and hiring you is one of the possible solutions that can help our students attain better results once they graduate."

Ves took this to mean that the Eden Institute was desperate to succeed despite receiving so much support from the Devos Ancient Clan.

The competition must be really stiff if Master Leila Devos still expressed so much concern!

"That is a clever approach." Ves remarked.

"The Eden Institute is named after the mythical Garden of Eden. We founded it in the hopes that it can become a paradise for many of the future leaders of our regional mech industry. We hope to plant a rich variety of fruit trees in our academic garden. Each fruit can satiate the intellectual hunger of all of our students."

That... was a rather coincidental use of symbolism.

"I see." Ves responded. "Are any of those fruits forbidden?"

Master Leila Rebecca Devos looked amused. "Every Garden of Eden hosts at least two trees. There is the Tree of Life whose fruit grants eternal life, and there is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil whose forbidden fruit are declared taboo."

.. ' ' ? ■ . r—t . . . . .

"Well, my fruit definitely leans towards the former. Life is my specialty, after all." Ves briefly grinned. "Are you sure my fruit tree will have a place in your garden?"

"I did not reach out to you merely because one of my acquaintances has given me your name. Your record shows that you have high potential. Three different esteemed MTA Master Mech Designers are willing to vouch for you by giving you their letters of recommendation. That is an exceedingly strong endorsement for a second-class mech designer at your age. Their shared Judgment gives our school confidence that you can not only become a positive addition to our university, but may one day become its pillars."

It turned out that it had been worth it to collect so many reference letters!

Ves leaned forward. "I am deeply honored by your consideration that I have a place in your school. I am confident that I can meet your expectations by teaching the courses that you have proposed. Am I to understand that I will be pioneering these courses in your virtual classrooms?"

Master Devos tapped her feeble against her desk. "You understand correctly. Only three years have passed since the Devos Ancient Clan founded this school. Our staff and administration have worked hard to establish a complete core curriculum for our mech design students. It is only recently that we have the capacity to expand our curriculums with a large number of elective courses."

"It sounds as if your school places a high degree of importance on the latter." "If we only teach the core subjects that every first-class mech designer must learn, then our graduates will not only be homogenous, but also lack the advantages that enable them to compete against rivals educated at more prestigious mech design universities. In the absence of other solutions, the most effective solution to address these adverse conditions is to offer a large variety of elective courses. It is the selection and combination of elective courses that will help our students differentiate from their peers. Once they enter the commercial sector, they have a greater chance to find their place in a niche of their choosing."

The mech industry was highly competitive no matter whether it was in a third-rate state or a first-rate state.

In fact, the competition was more extreme in the latter because the profits were simply greater!

Ves heard that the amount of money bags entering the market made it difficult if not impossible for grassroots mech designers to succeed in their own businesses.

It couldn't be helped. The expense of operating a first-class mech business was so insanely high that only the descendants of rich families and powerful organizations could successfully get started!

Even then, these young but ambitious mech designers had to possess their own advantages in order to keep their companies afloat in the long term!

It all started to make more sense to Ves. While he was just a second-rater, he was a wildcard. He could truly enrich the perspective of many potential students due to his unique experiences and notable successes.

If Master Leila Rebecca Devos happened to be wrong about Ves, then the Eden Institute wouldn't suffer that much harm. It would only have to drop a handful of relatively minor elective courses.

With that understanding in mind, Ves and Master Devos had a harmonious talk. The huge generational difference between them did not seem to matter in the slightest.

Though Ves should have taken his time to mull over his options and properly consider whether it was a good idea to teach at a Terran university, he did not show any hesitation once he was able to express his intention to accept the offer and sign the employment contract!