6900 Test Dummy Mech When Ves and Gloriana explained many of the complications that superdimensional technology had introduced to the Riot Mark III Project, it became clear that neither of them felt good about this situation. Ves reached out and placed his hand on the expert pilot's shoulder. "Let me be straight with you, Rosa. The timing of the Riot Mark III Project is poor. We are working on it in a time where superdimensional tech has only recently become available to red humanity. That means that your expert mech has no choice but to become our experimental platform." "So my battle partner has become your test dummy?" "More or less. The Riot Mark III will serve as the prototype for all subsequent superdimensional archemechs. It is rather unfortunate that the timing has relegated him to this role. If you do not agree with this and want to wait for us to advance the development of fusing superdimensional tech with archetech, then you can request us to delay the completion of the upgrade by a year or two. We can guarantee you that we should have made much more progress in this research direction. We will also be able to implement other advanced forms of cutting-edge tech such as superdimensional energy cells and superdimensional flight systems." In other words, the following two years was a period of great technological turbulence. Just like the start of the Phasewater Generation and the Hyper Generation, the emergence of superdimensional tech represented the start of a new technological arms race. Many scientists and engineers who possessed the qualifications to obtain samples of superdimensional matter eagerly tried to translate their existing expertise into a large variety of useful new applications. Ves actually felt a little envious at all of these researchers and mech designers for being able to tap into the power of superdimensional tech. Their attainments in materials science, metallurgy and other relevant fields gave them an excellent foundation to blaze new trails in this highly promising field. Meanwhile, Ves had little choice but to stay in his own lane and continue to delve into the potential of hyper technology and E-technology. There was nothing wrong with this as both fields still offered a lot of untapped potential, but they no longer appeared as exciting as before due to the emergence of a brand new discipline. It was irrational for him to feel jealous that superdimensional tech had overshadowed his favorite scientific directions. It was better for him to set aside his useless thoughts and hand over the responsibility of worrying about the application of superdimensional tech in Larkinson mech designs to his wife. Although Gloriana did not specialize into materials science, her design philosophy necessitated a firm grasp in the use of materials. Ves readily acknowledged that she was better in this aspect. It should not be a surprise that in the absence of a more authentic expert such as Tristan Wesseling, Gloriana picked up the slack and took responsibility over this matter. She was more eager than anyone to develop a successful fusion between archetech and superdimensional matter. Gloriana was deadly afraid that all of the time and effort she invested into archetech became worthless overnight as superdimensional tech offered much more superior results. Even though superdimensional mechs could only be made by using up extremely rare superdimensional matter, the Larkinson Clan happened to control the only known mechanism to open a gateway to the Blue Dimension! While many other powers struggled to obtain even a scrap of superdimensional matter, the Larkinson Clan managed to fill entire vaults with the stuff! Gloriana therefore felt threatened by the onset of superdimensional technology. She would never rest until she successfully reconciled her latest specialization with the latest trend. At that point, her interests would become aligned with superdimensional tech, thereby making everything right again. "Since my Riot is destined to become your testing platform, what other good stuff can I expect that won't be a prototype for later mechs?" Venerable Orfan asked. She clearly wanted a boost to her self-esteem. She did not want her battle partner to get completely overshadowed by other machines. If the Riot still retained a few qualities that no other mech could replicate, then Orfan would still have an excuse to feel proud even if her mech was no longer the most impressive of the bunch. "We are working on several design applications that should set your machine apart from the rest." Ves said. "For example, as a follow-up to one of our previous discussions, I am still investigating whether it is possible to integrate a more advanced version of the Carmine System into your mech. I have gained greater insights into Blood Pacts, and I think I can whip up a unique solution for you. However, I am not sure if I can get it done within a short amount of time. It may be necessary to reserve room for a Carmine System but decline to install it for the Mark III." That caused Rosa Orfan to frown. "Forming a Blood Pact with a living mech improves my chances of breaking through, right?" "That is just a guess of mine, and it is hardly absolute, Rosa. Just look at Jannzi and Joshua. Both of them have formed their own Pacts with the Bastion and the Everchanger respectively, but they are still stuck as high-tier expert pilots, same as you. A Blood Pact alone cannot make up for the difference. All I can tell you is that if you have already completed 98 or 99 percent of the journey, forming a Blood Pact while piloting the Riot Mark III for the first time may give you enough of an impulse to push you over the edge." The expert pilot nodded in acceptance. She recognized that it was a form of weakness to depend so much on obtaining a better mech to trigger a much-desired breakthrough. According to the Heaven Earth Man Trifecta, her Earth score would definitely skyrocket, but there was a possibility that her obsession over the Riot Mark III would cause her Man score to plummet. If the decline of the latter exceeded the growth of the former, then she would end up in a worse position than before. Rosa Orfan absolutely could not tolerate such an outcome. However, it was easier said than done for her to stop caring about her expert mech. It was in the nature of every mech pilot to pay extreme attention to the mechs they entrusted their lives to. It would be a dereliction of their duty if they lacked too much understanding about their fighting gear. "What about my spear? Is there any way for you to upgrade it without involving any of that superdimensional stuff?" Ves looked thoughtful. "It is within my capabilities to modify the weapon. The Devos Ancient Clan has given me plenty of access about how to design and make Destroyer weapons. While I can't make any new ones due to lacking a supply of Destroyer particles, it should not be too troublesome to reshape its dimensions." "I would like that, Ves. The Terrans like to make their spears a little too long for my liking. I can work with the current length, but I am much more comfortable if you can make it shorter. I also want you to change the shape of the spearhead. Can you apply more improvements to the weapon?" "I can turn it into a high-level weapon artifact." Ves stated with a measure of confidence. "However, it is best to wait until we have improved the material design of the weapon as best as possible. The stronger the baseline, the greater the boost in performance once it gains an artifact spirit. I can offer several different options, including one that may turn the tier 3 Destroyer spear into a D-arm like the Bitter Scimitar. I don't think that it is wise to do so, though. This particular transformation is much more dangerous than the alternatives. Trying to apply it onto a Destroyer weapon that is already dangerous and volatile in itself may compound the problem." "What if I am willing to take the risks?" Venerable Orfan asked. "If I manage to become an ace pilot, I bet my willpower will become strong enough to suppress whatever the Destroyer spear has become." "That is just your one-sided opinion, Rosa. Certain risks are worth taking, but this one is too reckless for my tastes. No. It is best to work with the existing foundation of the tier 3 Destroyer spear. Once the Terrans have developed a means of fusing Destroyer weapons with superdimensional matter, we will incorporate the new tech into your weapon before turning it into a high-level artifact. That should give your weapon enough of an edge against our enemies." It didn't matter too much to Ves if the tier 3 Destroyer weapon was not able to live up to its potential. Once he converted it into an artifact, it gained the ability to grow and evolve the more the Riot Mark III wielded it in battle. Ves always suspected that the Terrans never managed to tap into the greater potential of Destroyer weapons. Studying their theories related to the tech only reinforced his impression. While the Terrans were rather vague about the origin of Destroyer particles, they always treated it as a dangerous but ultimately lifeless hazard. He doubted whether their assumptions rang true. Ves always had a weird feeling whenever he came close enough to a Destroyer weapon. The particles that supposedly behaved without any logic or direction actually expressed hints of life. Ves lacked any solid proof that could back up this notion, but he trusted in his instincts. If his senses told him that there was more to Destroyer particles than was apparent on the surface, then that was enough for him to act on this suspicion. This was why he was eager to turn the tier 3 Destroyer weapon into a high-level artifact. As long as he stuffed an artifact spirit into the powerful spear, Ves refused to accept that the Destroyer particles would docilely accept the presence of a new overseer. Ves considered this to be a secret experiment of his. He wanted to see if he could provoke the Destroyer particles into shedding their disguises and show actual signs of life and self-awareness. Of course, this experiment came at the risk of tearing the Destroyer spear apart. The Larkinson Clan would not only suffer a great loss if that happened, but Rosa Orfan would also be devastated if she lost the weapon she had been looking forward to wield for years. This was why he needed to proceed carefully and make sure that the upgraded tier 3 Destroyer spear became tough enough to withstand internal struggle. "Don't forget that the armor system will remain the star of the show." Ves reminded the female expert pilot. "The inclusion of armor-grade superdimensional alloys will make the Chaos Armor even stronger and more resistant against material attacks. This neatly solves one of the potential concerns that we previously had about this innovative armor system. The hyper technology and E-technology that Jovy and I plan to incorporate into the Chaos Armor will protect your battle partner against all manner of unconventional attacks and intrusions. Even the most abstract conceptual attack methods have a considerable chance of malfunctioning when striking your machine. This is an advantage that will always be unique to the Riot. The First Sword Mark III and future superdimensional mechs will not benefit from this feature." One of the main reasons why Ves placed so much importance on the Chaos Armor was due to its intrinsic ability to scramble prophecies. The sheer amount of quantum shenanigans taking place inside the armor was enough to cause a lot of trouble to anyone that attempted to predict the Riot's future! The price was that the living mech would become a lot more dangerous, temperamental and slightly more prone to malfunctions, but that was a necessary price to pay. Ves believed the need for a wild card like the Riot Mark III had grown after he discovered that the Red Collective successfully revived the art of divination. This meant that Ylvaine was no longer the only entity in the Red Ocean that was capable of reading future possibilities. The more people took up the diviner profession, the more powers gained access to predictions of the future! Even if these prophecies mostly ended up ambiguous and of dubious reliability, Ves hated the thought of others trying to predict his actions. There were multiple possible countermeasures against divination, but Ves could think of no better solution of designing a powerful high-ranking mech that completely messed up any attempts to predict the future of the fleet it was serving on! The safety of the Premier Fleet depended on the effectiveness of the Chaos Armor! Thank you for reading my work. If you wish to support The Mech Touch, please vote with your golden tickets! Purchase Privilege for The Mech Touch! Read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers while enjoying a 99% discount on unlocking new chapters! 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