The Mech Touch novel Chapter 5464

Chapter 5464 Tixe City

As Ves and the president of the local branch of the Hunter's Association led their small procession into the exotic forest city, they quickly became immersed by the unique charm of the local environment.

Tixe City was not a tall colony settlement. Hardly any structure was taller than one or two stories. The few exceptions consisted of mech workshops and other facilities that had to raise their ceiling by necessity.

Many structures also happened to be covered by alien ivy-like plants. Combined with all of the dust and mud that lingered from the abundance of dirt roads, it made Tixe City look a lot older and weathered than normal.

All of this spoke of careful and deliberate planning. Though Ves was supposed to be on vacation, he couldn't help but switch on his analytical mind and think about the effects of the environment on its inhabitants and people.

In contrast to the clean metal aesthetic that dominated most advanced settlements, Tixe City deliberately induced an atmosphere that harkened back to humanity's less civilized past.

The colonists had even gone out of their way to add elements of savagery into the streets.

From constructing crude animalistic wooden totems to mounting the large and intimidating skulls of exobeasts above the entrances to many buildings, the savage architectural elements caused every visitor to immerse themselves in a fantasy where they had turned into one of the prehistoric hunter-gatherers of their distant ancestry.

Even now, Ves couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to hold a spear and relentlessly hound one of the massive mammoth-sized exobeasts of Ocanon VI as it clumsily tried to fight for its life.

"Here in Ocanon VI, almost everyone is a hunter." President Oscar Tarich proudly explained. "Aside from the wounded, infirm and the very young, every human on this planet has hunted at least a dozen different prey. There are three major continents, and the safest and most regulated hunting grounds are located right here in the Melrose Continent. There are many small hunting grounds around Tixe City that are expressly filled with small and mostly harmless prey. I highly recommend you bring your children to them so that they can get blooded."

"Oh, I certainly intend to do so. Are you looking forward to your upcoming hunts, kids?"

"I have been waiting to kill for years!" Andraste ecstatically squealed.

"Meow." Lucky rolled his eyes as he was being held by the boisterous girl.

Aurelia and Marvaine looked curious but not particularly enthused.

"Those animals are so small and cute. Why do we have to kill them, papa? Can't we turn them into our pets?" Aurelia asked. _{freewёbnoνel.com}

"Not everyone can afford to support so many pets, especially if they are alien and incompatible with standard human environments." Ves replied through his transparent breathing mask. "Pets are a luxury, Aurelia. It is not worth it to turn ordinary exobeasts into animal companions. I won't force you to kill these critters if you don't want to, but it is not wise for you to remain soft in a galaxy where the phase whales and the other powerful aliens constantly want to turn us into prey."

"Well said, professor! Do not be concerned, young lady. It is not unheard of for hunters to enter our hunting grounds with non-lethal weaponry. The practice does not entirely conform to the Hunter's Code, however. Ever since our Association has made it available to the public, the proportion of non-lethal hunts has dropped enormously as of late. Hunters simply do not earn enough rewards if they are being merciful and let their prey go after a successful hunt."

"I see."

Ves grew more and more curious about the Hunter's Code. He wanted to obtain more information about it from his high-ranked tour guide, but President Tarich wanted to lead them into the branch headquarters first before he introduced this mysterious new cultivation method.

In the meantime, the branch president continued to introduce the city to the VIP guests.

As Ves stared at a wooden totem that stacked four expertly carved exobeast heads on top of each other, Tarich smiled and explained the custom surrounding these special artworks.

"Successful hunters can apply to rent spaces where they can place their totems. Each of them records the proudest hunts validated by our Hunting Association. They are one of the means used by famous hunters and hunting groups to increase their fame. It may seem trivial to you, but the hunters of Ocanon VI compete fiercely against each other to attain the highest rankings."

"Hunters are ranked?"

"Naturally. Hunting does not have to be a competitive sport, but inserting competitive elements makes everything more exciting. There is no better way to drive hunters to excel and challenge more challenging prey than to make direct comparisons between their performance and that of others. That said, only true professionals and hardcore hobbyists fight for higher rankings. The less driven hunters understand their own limits and stick to hunting the prey they can handle. Hunting can be life-threatening, especially if you seek to complete recognized hunts that are validated by our Hunting Association."

The Hunting Association had an enormous presence on this planet. Ves realized that it had pretty much taken it over from the original colonists. No one seemed to talk about the pioneering organizations who originally settled on this planet. Their personnel and any obvious symbols related to them were entirely absent from this city.

"Is the Hunting Association a direct successor to the Galactic Hunting Club of the Milky Way?"

"That is correct." President Tarich responded with a nod. "Under the leadership of the Huntsman, we have quickly completed a reorganization that seeks to increase the legitimacy and popularity of our vocation. Hunting is a serious activity, and has inspired many great men to complete great deeds. The god pilot who has taken charge of our reformed Association is the greatest example of that. He is the idol of many hunters. Many of us on Ocanon VI seek to learn from his deeds and attain ultimate strength by imitating his accomplishments. The Hunter's Code is the vehicle that gives us hope of becoming a god of the hunt as His Divinity."

The Hunting Association had great ambitions, but it was doubtful whether it could realize them all. Any other organization would be accused of hubris if they made these claims, but this time was different.

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