Chapter 7158: Lucky Break When Ves used up his golden lottery tickets, he completely did not aspire to get his hands on the valuable design files of a modern Cyber first-class multipurpose mech design. Yet he obtained them anyway. All three mech designers quickly understood the strategic value of knowing how the design of the Herzog RED-115 B Edition was put together. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢 It was a versatile machine that could fulfill a variety of functions better than the mechs fielded by the other top powers such as the Red Association, the Terran Alliance and the Rubarthan Pact! When Ves estimated the Herzog’s performance with the Dracoloid and the Omega Thresher that had become a mainstay of the Premier Fleet, the former offered such superior all-round performance that he saw little point in fielding the latter two. Sure, the Dracoloid had its powerful flamethrower gimmick that enabled it to get an edge at close range. The Omega Thresher’s long-ranged damage output and precision still exceeded that of the Cyber mech. Yet the Herzog performed well enough in both close range and long range that the gaps with the more biased mech models had no longer become decisive enough to pick the latter over the former. The Premier Fleet could make its mech units more versatile and vastly simplify logistics by fielding one technologically superior first-class multipurpose mech model rather than two ‘outdated’ models! The technological superiority of the Cybernetic Empire was simply too great. The Polymath and many different scientists and engineers had worked hard to push the boundaries of hard science and technology. The design files easily exposed hundreds if not thousands of small innovations that could have only been attained through one or two mech generations of focused research! This was the reason why the Cybernetic Empire guarded its tech so much. The Polymath clearly understood how much further she was ahead compared to the other human powers, and she also knew how easy it was to lose this massive technological lead if the wrong tech or designs got leaked. This was why the Cybers had taken great care in isolating Bridgehead One from the rest of red humanity. They even went as far as maintaining their own separate galactic net, though they called it by a different name! What Ves just obtained through a random golden lottery draw essentially shattered the Cybernetic Empire’s painstaking effort. Although the design files did not go in depth enough in the science and proof that delivered specific design applications, it should be easy enough for researchers to reverse engineer the theoretical backing that could produce consistently superior solutions. “This mech design is wasted in our hands.” Gloriana mentioned. “As interesting as it is to get our hands on a mech design that looks as if it should be published two mech generations in the future, we lack the expertise and personnel to reverse engineer it by ourselves. It is best to leave this job to the professionals, and I can think of no better party than the Red Association. Perhaps we should approach the Mech Supremacist Faction in particular given that it should hold the greatest interest in what we have obtained. Offering the design files to the Mech Supremacists first can also be considered a reward for all of the help and goodwill that they have extended to us. If we do this quickly enough, we can exchange for valuable goods or tech that you can use to upgrade your dueling gear even further.” Her suggestion sounded compelling. It felt a bit of a shame to give up this technological advantage, but it was not as if the Larkinsons could start producing Herzog without generating a lot of questions from the Cybers and all of the other parties. Besides, Ves knew extremely well that the information security of the Larkinson Clan was pathetic in the face of a Star Designer who specialized in networks. As soon as the Larkinsons started to fabricate the Herzog on an industrial scale, the major players would soon get their hands on the copies of the design files. Rather than let all of these groups obtain a cutting-edge mech design for free, it was better for the Larkinson Clan to share it in a private trade for guaranteed concessions. “What do you think, Ketis?” “People will still wonder how we managed to get our hands on these sensitive design files.” She said with a frown. “The Cybernetic Empire may mistakenly believe that we are spying on them and that we happened to be successful in stealing sensitive data from them. What if they assume that what we ‘reveal’ is only a fraction of what we managed to smuggle out of their isolated star system?” The swordmaster was right to worry about the reactions from different parties. The Larkinsons already violated a rule by possessing these design files. They would violate even more CE laws if they proliferated the design files in exchange for profit! After all, the Herzog was a Cyber mech design. It did not belong to the Larkinsons. The Cybernetic Empire would definitely accuse the Larkinsons of fencing stolen goods or whatever! It was better to shove this problem to the Red Association and let the mechers figure out how to solve this mess. Of course, Ves also thought about obediently handing over the information to the Cybernetic Empire, but he and the Larkinsons had little reasons to do so. The Cybers would not appreciate this gesture. They would likely react with hostility and grow enormously suspicious towards the Larkinsons. The relationship between Ves and the Polymath was complicated to say the least. They were not enemies, but they were not friends either. He knew that the Polymath sought to enter into secret negotiations with the Oblivion Gate Consortium in order to become a member of the first true trans-galactic organization. The problem was that it was difficult to believe that this honorless and extremely rational woman had any pure motives in mind. If Ves could come up with the suspicion that the Polymath wanted to steal the designs of the Oblivion Gates and erect her own transportation network between the old galaxy and new frontier, then his mother would most definitely develop the same suspicion as well! Whether the Polymath would become an ally of convenience or not depended on whether the Oblivion Gate Consortium would still be able to earn a hefty profit regardless if the Star Designer betrayed the organization at a later date. All of this was way too complicated to Ves. He fully wished Cynthia and the Evolution Witch luck in their attempts to wrangle with the Polymath. “We should refrain from disturbing the Cybernetic Empire.” Ves advised. “Working with the mechers is safer and more convenient. We can trust them to honor their commitments and they will not harbor any hard feelings towards us by trading goods acquired through irregular means.” That was not quite true either. It depended on which group or faction of mechers the Larkinsons approached. Still, Ves could at least rely on the greed and obsessions of the Mech Supremacists to pay a hefty price in exchange for the design files of the Herzog. After they initially figured out on what they should do with the unexpected windfall, they finally directed their attention towards the final prize delivered by the System. “This doesn’t look like a ‘Corrupting Orb’. It looks like a cube.” Ketis stated the obvious. “That is because it is a container, more specifically one that can completely isolate the passage of energy including E energy radiation.” Gloriana informed the other two. “It is remarkably effective at its job. We can use it to store other dangerous objects if we no longer need to contain this so-called Corrupting Orb.” “Well, that confirms that whatever it is, this object poses a threat towards others. We should be careful about opening this container. Anything that is called a Corrupting Orb is most definitely not a trivial item.” Ves nodded in agreement. Even though the container prevented him from peeking inside, he already had a hunch that its contents were dangerous. The same hunch also told him that this may be the most valuable prize he obtained from his golden lottery tickets today. “Let us set up a few precautions.” He suggested. They did just that. They used the irregular landscape of the mountaintop to place the container in a shallow ravine. The three mech designers moved further away and made sure that there was plenty of solid cover to shelter behind. They also made sure they were situated at least 50 meters away from the container. “Open it, Ves.” Ves mustered up a small measure of his spatial abilities and physically unlatched the mechanism that kept it closed. As soon as the top of the container slid open, a dark purple orb became visible. The orb was slightly smaller than a human head, but not by much. It appeared completely smooth and even reflective, showing a distorted mirror of its immediate surroundings. While the orb looked mysterious and alluring, it also radiated dangerous energies into the environment! Ves could feel that it was transmitting a mixture of darkness energy and energy corresponding to other negative attributes. “What are you doing, Ves?!” “Stay here. It is not safe for you to get close. Well, maybe Ketis will be fine.” Ketis studied the orb with a critical expression before she reluctantly nodded. “My willpower shall protect me from this artifact.” “And I?!” “You don’t have a good way to mitigate the negative influence from this object.” Ves told his wife. “It is called the Corrupting Orb for a good reason.” He ignored her complaints and approached the exposed orb. Ketis quietly followed suit. Her steps were slower and a bit more guarded, as if she was ready to bolt if the orb tried to lash out or anything. Fortunately, the artifact remained completely passive. It did not generate any special reactions towards the two individuals that had stepped close. Ves faintly paid attention to Gloriana. He was afraid that she may prove stubborn and get close regardless of the warnings she received. Fortunately, she showed a bit of good sense and remained safely in the distance. As Ves and Ketis drew close enough to the open container, they looked down and regarded the orb with a mix of vigilance and intrigue. “This is a weapon artifact.” Ketis formed an initial conclusion. “It is no sword or spear. It is more akin to a… source of contamination in a hand-portable form. Anyone who can harness this evil artifact can use it to fuel dark spells and channel its corrupting energies towards enemies. The foul energies radiated by the orb likely doesn’t cause any physical damage, but… they can probably bypass any form of defense and inflict mental and spiritual damage, which is hard to guard against.” “Hard to guard against by anyone except willpower cultivators such as you.” Ves responded with a wry smile. “This orb is probably doing nothing but irritating your mind and spirit. With Sharpie’s protection, you can easily remain incorruptible. No high-ranking mech pilot will succumb to the influence of this orb. They are just too good at resisting these kinds of attacks.” “You are not doing so bad either, Ves. Your growing dark streak comes in handy this time. You look as if you are about to harmonize with this artifact.” Ves responded with a wordless nod. He could not deny his attraction to an artifact that seemed a lot more compatible with him than the Oceancaller and the Flower Parasol. Had the System finally given him a lucky break? “This artifact may also be the perfect weapon to employ against all of those Ascended Giants.” Ketis continued to share her thoughts. “From what I have learned, phase lords do gain a measure of superhuman mental resilience, but not nearly enough to match their growth in physical stature. Their spiritualities should be far more vulnerable than their massive bodies. Their spatial barriers may help them block most attacks, but the dark energies released by this Corrupting Orb should be harder to impede, just like other forms of E energy. You may be able to rely on this artifact to defeat the leaders of the Phase Lord Department from an unexpected angle.” 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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