Chapter 6426 Coercing the Huntsman Information about what may end up Ves' next Carmine mech took the news by storm. It only took a single leak for the news to spread like wildfire. Carmine mechs had only gone public for two days. The hype surrounding them was still at its peak, so there was a huge amount of interest from the people of red humanity towards any further news or developments on this subject matter! While Ves had gone on a press tour, he never shared any specific details about what sort of Carmine mechs he intended to design next. Much of that was because he had yet to make a decision. He had a few ideas in mind, but it was too premature for him to lock on his selection of Carmine mech design projects. His refusal to satisfy the public's insatiable curiosity towards Carmine mechs caused the people to hunger for information even more. In the absence of reliable information, a huge amount of people began to comment and debate on the subject. They spent hours obsessing over their beliefs and expectations on Carmine mechs. This was clearly a coping mechanism for all of the norms that yearned to pilot a Carmine mech, but could not secure one in a short amount of time. In the midst of all of this discussion, word of a new kind of Carmine mech started to spread from person to person, platform to platform. Initially, a lot of people dismissed the crazy and ridiculous notion of Mergewater mechs. The entire label sounded so stupid that most folks dismissed it out of hand. It was only when a small proportion of mech insiders and nitpicky nerds started to dig into the details that they began to take the leaked proposal more seriously. Ves could never hide the fact that he had paid a personal visit to the regional headquarters of the Hunting Association on La Reine. His armored transport had been associated with him a long time ago, and the fact that the Dark Zephyr was part of the security detail was also a big clue. Political commentators and analysts thoroughly understood the tension that had developed between the Red Collective and the Hunting Association. Although they were careful in their descriptions in order to avoid any direct criticism towards the Huntsman, the reality was that the Hunting Association refused to submit itself to an authority that possessed a rightful mandate. It made a lot of sense for a figure who was deeply involved in the RC to hold last-day negotiations with the HA to see if he could salvage an accord. It also made sense for him to essentially bribe the Hunters with a special Carmine biomech that possessed amazing features that perfectly synergized with the tenets of the Hunter's Code! Although many individuals with a good understanding of technology or biotechnology expressed skepticism on whether Ves could realize the unheard of mechanisms that made his Mergewater mech concept work, if there was one mech designer that could do the impossible, it was the Father of Carmine Mechs! With the careful nudging of certain parties, the flames fanned even further. Despite the lack of hard proof that this proposal was credible, enough voices supported it that less and less people questioned its authenticity! The hype could not be stopped at this point. The target audience of the rumors grew restless most of all. The members of the Hunting Association had all dedicated their lives to the Hunter's Code, but that did not mean they could ignore their upbringing during the Age of Mechs. Everyone possessed a fascination for mechs. Just like how many mech designers used to be children who were forced to look for another job after learning that their genetic aptitude was garbage, many professional hunters lived through similar journeys. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎 There was a mech fanatic in the heart of nearly every adult. The Hunters loved the thrill of their current profession, but they never completely let go of their love and yearning for mechs. The so-called Mergewater biomechs completely detonated these repressed feelings and desires! In fact, a lot of Hunters already made the decision to order a Yellow Jacket for themselves if they had the means to do so. They saw little contradiction between their current vocations and mech pilots. Very few Hunters possessed a puritan mindset like Talas Redmond. To most Hunters, mechs were simply a potent weapon that could enable humans to hunt a much wider range of dangerous prey. While the Yellow Jackets already made the Hunters excited at the prospect of being able to pilot a mech, if only a basic one, the Mergewater biomechs fit them so much better! Not only were the Mergewater mechs obviously a lot more powerful and rich in features, they also conformed to the hunting process a lot better. Many Hunters would love nothing more than to hunt down increasingly more powerful prey with Carmine biomechs that dynamically grew in power at the same pace as their human partners! The fact that this special version of Carmine mechs only came in the form of biomechs did not repel the Hunters all that much. Out of all people, very few interacted with large and dangerous biological monsters as frequently as those that hunted them down. Hunters possessed a strong appreciation of the power of the organic form. They were also desensitized to all of the icky and ugly parts of biomechs. They did not really mind it if they had to pilot an organic mech in order to gain all of the power promised by the leaked proposal. By the time half a day had passed, a lot of Hunters had already thrown their full support behind Mergewater mechs. Many of them started to daydream about how much power they could wield once they got their hands on Mergewater mechs. Others started to produce art about biomechs that mutated to the point where they all became chimeras that collected the strongest powers and body parts of all of the exobeasts they killed in their hunts. All of this activity generated such strong momentum that it put a huge amount of pressure on the Hunting Association! A lot of ordinary Hunters took pride in the fact that the Hunting Association had become strong enough to stand on its own, but there were also other Hunters that wanted to get their hands on a Mergewater mech despite the cost! The problem for the Hunting Association was that the latter group was growing larger with each passing hour. More and more Hunters rejected the consequences of isolationism. They believed it was better to properly integrate into the rest of human society and reap the benefits of this decision. "Sure, we can close our doors and keep our hunting preserves mostly to ourselves, but where will that leave us? We will become as insular and antisocial as the fleeters! All of the latest technological advances will fly right past our faces. No one will help us when we are in need. Instead, the other groups will hope that we go down first because there is no one among them to stand up for our rights." "Mechs and humans have always served as an excellent combination since the Age of Mechs. We are all made for mechs, just as mechs are made for us. Why must we reject this tradition when we become members of the Hunting Association? Can we still not combine the two with our hunting traditions? If the Hunting Association dares to take a stand against Carmine mechs, then I do not know whether I can support the HTA anymore." Ves and his staff closely monitored the evolving discourse surrounding the HA's possible stances towards Carmine mechs. They all smiled when the indications all pointed towards a more advantageous outcome. "So far, so good." Gavin Neumann spoke with a smile. "Support for your initiative to design a highly speculative but highly promising Carmine mech for the Hunters has risen above 70 percent according to the polling. Even if the numbers are off, your proposal still enjoys the strong backing of a majority of Hunters. That is enough to change most organizations." "The Hunting Association is not a typical organization." Ves retorted as he did not dare to smile and grow overconfident that his gambit had succeeded. "The Huntsman wields total authority over his dominion. The masses alone cannot persuade this god pilot to change his mind, but… I hope that the pressure is just enough to push him into making the decisions that most appeal to the vast majority of ordinary Hunters." Now, they needed to wait. Neither of them expected for the Hunting Association to sort out their giant mess on the same day. Ves would have his answer very soon. Gavin continued to provide his expert analysis. "The Hunting Association could have returned to calm very quickly if the Huntsman showed up and made a public address. The fact that the god pilot had yet to do so meant that the leaders of the Hunting Association had to figure out a way to please the both of you. An agreement to register as a cult to the Red Collective probably went too far to the upper leaders, but they needed to find a compromise that was more potent and acceptable to their members." Ves snorted. "As if that will work. I bet that the Hunting Association will eventually see reason. I will not offer the Hunters the same mech proposal again. This is the only chance for the Hunters to gain enough combat effectiveness to hunt real enemies at the frontlines." There were many mech designers that could offer excellent mechs to the Hunting Association. A lot of Masters and most notably Star Designers could design mechs that offered their own advantages that were not necessarily any worse than his Mergewater biomechs. However, Ves possessed one advantage that the others lacked. He was the only person that could design a Carmine mech. For now, Ves possessed a virtual monopoly on it. Not even Alexa Streon could design a Carmine mech for the time being. Nobody could arm every Hunter with a special Carmine biomech like Ves. So long as Ves maintained this monopoly, he could boldly dictate terms to the Hunting Association! Half an hour passed. Ves continued to keep track of the discussions taking place and grew confident enough that public opinion would not shift against his favor anytime soon. "Okay, I have enough of this. I think I can make much better use of my time on preparing for the founding ceremony that commences tomorrow. Are there any changes to the plan that I need to know about beforehand?" Gavin quickly switched gears. "Aside from the matter relating to the Hunting Association, there are also doubts whether the Coalition of Faiths can maintain a united front throughout the day. It may be necessary for you to address the delegates in person and remind them of the importance of focusing on what they have in common rather than the issues that divide them so much." "Got it. Add that to my schedule. What else?" "If nothing goes wrong, you will receive the appointment that you have been waiting for. There is an over 85 percent chance that you will be elevated to the chief councilor of the Upper Council of the Red Collective." "Only 85 percent?" Ves grew upset. "I thought it would be higher considering I gifted red humanity with my Carmine mechs." "You misunderstand. The probability is relatively low because there is the possibility that you will get appointed to another high seat that is outside of the legislative branch. For example, you may be put on the seat of an executor, which is part of the executive branch of the RC." "I don't want to become an executor. It is too much work for a mech designer." "I agree, but others might not share the same opinion, so stay sharp and be prepared for unexpected outcomes."