The Mech Touch novel Chapter 5250

Chapter 5250 An Important Clue

Ves already thought that his various innovations could rapidly speed up the emergence and growth of mech pilots, but the benefits promised by the A7-KE1 General Purpose Pilot Cultivation Elixir were frankly ridiculous!

The notion of being able to strengthen an expert pilot by swallowing a single vial of elixir was an incredibly foreign notion to modern people!

For as long as mechs existed, it had always been the rule that mech pilots could only rely on themselves and their mechs to grow stronger.

There were no easy shortcuts to greater power. Unless a pilot had an exceptionally high genetic aptitude such as the frankly ridiculous Chosen Human who raced his way to his current rank at the age of 75, it took a lot longer for every other mech pilot to grow their resonance strength to their limits and beyond.

"Time is a luxury that we do not have." The Mace of Retaliation wistfully said as he stared down at the three dormant Carmine mechs. "I wish that we did not have to rely on this measure. Pilots such as myself have earned our way to our current levels by putting in an unimaginable amount of blood, sweat and tears into our service. We sought out dangerous challenges and subjected ourselves to unreasonable dangers just so that we can stimulate our potential again and again. To think that our future mech pilots can attain many of the same benefits by swallowing a single vial of liquid is... frustrating."

Ves could understand the feeling. No one wanted their hard work to become so devalued due to technological advancements.

Yet... jealousy was not a sufficient justification to rule out the use of these newfangled elixirs.

"You already said it yourself, sir. We don't have enough time to allow our high-ranking mech pilots to take their time. Back in the Milky Way, everything was so damn stable that everyone could afford for mech pilots to take decades or centuries to grow into their power. Here in the Red Ocean, there is a real chance that we will all go extinct half a century later. The growth rate of mech pilots is simply too slow. What we need the most are god pilots, lots of them. If that means we must lower the threshold to triggering apotheosis and provide all kinds of conveniences that can drastically shrink the growth rate, then so be it. At least we'll have enough powerful protectors to survive the coming decades."

The Mace still assumed a complex expression. "You do not need to reiterate the arguments to me. We have made a long and careful consideration before we have agreed to implement these measures. The elixirs are here to stay. For now, we plan to reserve them for warlords and warfighters as long as they are eligible. This is one of our greatest incentives to persuade high-ranking mech pilots to participate in deep strike operations."

Limiting the availability to warlords and warfighters had massive implications. This policy would ultimately lead to a drastic disparity in strength and numbers between the offensive New Elites and the people who contributed much less to the war effort.

Ves realized that this was an important component to the Fist of Defiance's ambitious societal reforms.

Military power was one of the most straightforward factors that decided the hierarchy in a society.

If warlords grew so quickly that they could overpower those who remained at home, then it was inevitable for the former to supplant the latter!

At this moment, the Mace of Retaliation offered Ves a head-start on this exciting new development. 500 vials was more than enough to rapidly accelerate the growth of all of his expert pilots!

Important and strategic figures such as Venerable Joshua Larkinson, Commander Casella Ingvar and Venerable Zimro Belson would no longer have to wait for many years to reach the threshold to advance to ace pilot and gain a chance to make a real difference in the great war!

The differences between expert pilots and ace pilots were simply too great.

The former was effectively a single step removed from cannon fodder.

The latter could challenge alien warships head-on and win!

"Is this elixir effective for standard pilots and expert candidates?"

"No." The Mace shook his head. "The results are not pleasant if anyone else ingests the A7-KE1 elixir in any quantity or concentration. Our researchers are working on a weaker formula that can safely provide enough of a boost to weaker mech pilots, but it is questionable whether it is even possible in theory. The ultimate requirement for a soldier to become more effective is to transform his willpower and form the right conviction. This is why the elixirs cannot induce any breakthroughs by themselves. There is research that suggests that any expert pilots who rely on them for rapid growth will find it much more difficult to advance to ace pilot."

"That is only if every other variable remains the same, right? If all of those other measures go into force as well, then you can easily compensate for this disadvantage."

"That is true, professor, but that leaves us with consequences that we cannot easily wave away. I truly fear for the mentalities of the cruder and less refined warlords that will inevitably rise up in this changed climate."

Ves decided to ask another question.

"Are these elixirs effective for ace pilots as well?"

"They work." The Mace of Retaliation freely answered. "The problem is that the proportional gains are too low. It is not difficult for ace pilots to grow their resonance strengths by a couple of laveres in a week. It is wasteful for them to ingest expensive elixirs that produce comparable gains. I am told that our researchers are working hard to develop much more potent formulas, with little progress. Their main hindrance is the lack of availability of exceptionally strong reagents. It takes a special energy-dense environment to even make their growth possible."

Ves suddenly recalled that he had made a promise to exchange special hyper materials for other valuable goods.

Perhaps the main reason why that Master Mech Designer asked for powerful sympathetic materials was to facilitate the growth of powerful but demanding raw ingredients!

In any case, it sounded as if developing elixirs that possessed the right potency for ace pilot was a struggle. It may take years for the Red Association to produce a successful result.

Everything would probably change once again once the mechers produced a breakthrough in their research!

There was no need for Ves to think so far ahead. He needed to consider his more immediate priorities. He desperately needed to strengthen his forces so that he could defend himself against both human and alien threats.

His biggest concern was that his actions had accelerated his entry into first-class society. The rules were different at this height, and so were the power levels.

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