The atmosphere in the design labs had changed after instituting the new rules. The mech designers no longer looked as relaxed as before. Instead of formulating requests before letting Momo or Polly do the actual work of solving design problems, they had to make careful judgments on whether it was worthwhile to spend their limited quotas. The low-ranking mech designers looked especially concerned. They had to work harder and figure out how to make good use of their limited hours with the SF-02. None of them wanted to miss the deadline for their work assignments. Gloriana had long established a reputation for being a harsh taskmistress. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of her rants, much less the other punishments that she had in store. It was precisely due to her strict regime that the Design Department quickly shaped up. No one was able to relax and take it easy under her watch, but the mech designers did not really reject the changes. They were mech designers. They were professionals who yearned to formulate their design philosophies and become famed for their innovations. Each of them knew that they would never be able to make any notable accomplishments without putting in the work and effort of improving themselves. This was why no one rebelled or voiced any objections to the changes. Gloriana was also good at calculating work assignments that exerted enough pressure on the mech designers without becoming overbearing. The result of all of this was a renewed and more focused Design Department. The mech designers all treated their work a lot more seriously than before. With the Red Tide Offensive running roughshod over the 5th defensive band, this was how his mech designers should work. Compared to the poor linefighters that were struggling and dying on the frontlines, these mech designers enjoyed the privilege of contributing to the war effort in a secure base located on a highly secure Terran planet. Although the decision to limit their usage of the SF-02 most definitely caused all of the mech design projects to take longer to complete, Ves felt it was an acceptable compromise. The mech designers needed to stay sharp. They needed to struggle in their own way. Only then would they be able to draw out their potential and turn into high-value talents. Speaking of talents, a certain mech designer had managed to cross the extraordinary threshold and become a Journeyman Mech Designer. Normally, Ves had no reason to pay attention to such a breakthrough. The Design Department already employed a lot of Journeymen that he recruited from various places. They were no longer as rare as a decade ago. It was enough to let Gloriana take charge. This time was different, though. The reason why Ves felt the need to address this matter in person was because it pertained to one of his students. He continued to move through the main design lab. He eventually entered his office with his silent Collie bodyguards shadowing him while making remarkably little noise. "Zanthar. Congratulations are in order. You did not disappoint my expectations." "Teacher." The new Journeyman had already entered the office and taken a seat beforehand. "Thank you for your words. I feel… more ready than before. I finally have a design application that I can call my own. It took so much work and experimentation, and I only got a half-finished invention at the end. It shouldn’t be enough, but… it’s a start." Ves sat down on his own luxurious puelmer leather seat and sank into its adaptive cushions. He faced his student with an evaluating gaze. The breakthrough had done the younger trueblood Larkinson a lot of good. He had shed the weight of doubt and indecision from his shoulders. Becoming a Journeyman meant that he had become a true mech designer. He had successfully proven his dedication and competence to the art and science of mech design. He earned the recognition from many mech designers. While there were still many ways for Journeyman Mech Designers to falter, they also had a much higher chance to become a respected Senior or Master Mech Designer. "Well, now that you have become a Journeyman Mech Designer, you should visit the headquarters of the Red Association as soon as possible. I am not sure if pilgrimages are the same as before. The current war climate makes long-distance travel a lot less convenient. You will need to get briefed by the mechers in person, though. They can explain the things you have a right to know a lot better than me. Are you looking forward to going on a small vacation?" "Not really, sir." Zanthar shook his head. "There is so much I can do. Now that I have completed one of my major goals, I want to spend more time on studying everything I need to know as a first-class Journeyman Mech Designer. There is so much to learn. I am eager to find ways to improve my initial solution. It is still incomplete and needs much more refinement in order to turn it into a product that I can be proud of. Right now, it is not even close to ready for use." Ves leaned forward while pressing his fingers together. "You are talking about your EEE Munitions, right?" "Yes, but not exactly! In my vision, I can invent hundreds if not thousands of different variations of E E energy Explosive Munitions. I am not even close to meeting that goal because I only just invented the first variation, and it isn’t even complete." "Please present to me your work." "Well, I will not embarrass myself by showing off my mech design. I will only explain the munitions for the kinetic rifle that I have designed." A projection came to life that showed off a solid round. This projectile was made out of unexceptional exotics, but it was the use of hypers that stood out to Ves. "This is my FadeBurst Round." The younger Journeyman said with pride. "As you can see, it does not contain any explosive propellants. The entire round is made out of solid and stable metals. That does not mean it is entirely stable. I am sure you have noticed that the proportion of hyper materials is rather high. This is because they are the source of the damage inflicted by this round." The design did not seem all that complicated on the surface, but Ves knew that there was more depth to this projectile design. "Low-grade exotics. Low-grade hypers. This is an economical projectile, even for third-raters. The internal design is also extremely simple. The design lacks sophistication, but that makes it disgustingly easy to mass produce. As long as you can supply the easily sourced materials to a light industry production facility, its production lines should easily be able to pump out millions of rounds a day. The cost will be so low that you can easily supply enough rounds for lots of third-class ranged mechs armed with ballistic weapons. In fact, as long as you modify the rounds to fit the specifications of the Onager Version C’s Enriched Gauss Gun System, I can see millions of Yellow Jackets firing these special rounds to their enemies." As long as the product was stable, reliable and effective enough, Zanthar should be able to mass produce his so-called FadeBurst Rounds and find plenty of buyers in the Lower Zones. The FadeBurst Rounds would definitely take the third-class mech market by storm if Ves personally endorsed his student’s product! Not that Ves had any intentions of doing so. Zanthar’s product should stand on its own feet. If it was truly a good product, then it should find its way into the hands of customers. This product was incredibly appropriate for the current day and age. The encroaching aliens had disrupted normal commerce across the human-occupied space and made it a lot more difficult to ship materials across star systems. The low-quality materials that Zanthar used in the design of this FadeBurst Round might not all be present in a single star system, but it should be incredibly easy for cargo vessels to ship the missing materials from adjacent star systems. The availability of all of the exotics and hypers were high. The cost of purchasing them in bulk should be minimal. In a few cases, the cost of shipping exceeded the cost of buying the actual resources! "Have you designed a second-class variant of your FadeBurst Round as well?" Ves asked. "Yes." A second projection appeared. It was clearly not the original. Zanthar had merely tried to substitute low-grade materials for mid-grade materials whenever it was possible. He had to make other tweaks in order to account for changes in density and center of mass, but it still remained a variation of the third-class product. Enjoy more content from freewebnovel As Ves repeatedly switched his gaze between the two projected schematics, he slowly began to frown. "You have me at a loss." He admitted. "What… does it actually do? I can tell that this round is centered around the interaction of water, fire and air-attributed hyper materials. This is certainly a volatile combination when put into close proximity, but what added value does your projectile create?" "Perhaps… it is best to show you, sir." Zanthar activated another projection that showed the experimental firing yard. This was the place where the mech designers tested their firearms, from handheld pistols to large mech-grade cannons. At the time of the recording, Zanthar had already installed a standalone third-class ballistic rifle on a robust holder. The muzzle aimed straight at a mech dummy on the far end. What made this test special was that the mech dummy was protected by an azure energy shield. Although it did not offer a lot of protection, it was still an unusual sight among third-class mechs. Then Zanthar pressed the activation button. A booming noise echoed throughout the underground firing yard as the weapon discharged a FadeBurst Round. The projectile struck the azure energy shield almost instantly, but failed to make any further progress. Just as expected. Even the weakest azure energy shield was still capable of blocking a single round, especially one fired from a relatively weak ballistic rifle. The FadeBurst round also was not that special from a material perspective. Its shape was not conducive to penetrating solid matter, and its materials did not possess any special advantages when used against energy or physical defenses. Yet instead of doing nothing after bursting apart against the azure energy shields, the FadeBurst Round apparently produced a second effect. A smaller but still distinctively violent bursting noise spread across the firing yard as the mech dummy unexpectedly received a dent! "What!?" The dent on the chest plating of the mech dummy was rather shallow and unimpressive, but that still did not change the fact that a cheap third-class ballistic rifle loaded with a cheap low-grade projectile managed to bypass a working azure energy shield! A lot of thoughts ran through Ves’ mind as he studied the arrangement of hyper materials with a much more critical eye. "This FadeBurst Round of yours… looks like it is never meant to inflict material damage. It frankly sucks when you try to damage anything made out of solid matter. Yet when you use it against a shielded target, an unknown interaction between fire energy, water energy and a small dash of air energy somehow produces a violent reaction that somehow allows this explosive mix to inflict a significant degree of material damage. I… don’t know how you managed to pull off the transition from virtual and real, yet still bypass the azure energy shield. It should have blocked this attack regardless of whether it is a physical or spiritual attack." This did not make any sense. What he just witnessed from this simple test did not conform to his theoretical frameworks! 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 His eyes lit up. Ves not only recognized the potential of this rather weak and unimpressive product, but also gained a lot of interest in how it managed to violate the rules of reality as he knew it. There had to be a secret that enabled this projectile to bypass energy defenses so well!