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Chapter 8: Visitor
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The Mech Chapter 9: Psst. Wanna buy a mech?
After a hearty talk, Melinda had to leave in order to catch her flight back to Bentheim. As Ves accompanied her to the door, she turned around and bumped her communicator with his wrist."What's this?" Ves asked as he activated his comm. It unfolded into a brochure."It's the Young Tigers Exhibition.""Isn't it a competition for younger mech pilots to showcase their skills? I hear the Mech Corps and the local mercenary corps organize this event to recruit outstanding pilots."The Bright Republic publicized the YTE every year. It had practically turned into a national holiday. His father even brought him to an event when he was little. Before he found out his aptitude made piloting mechs an unreachable dream."That was ten years ago." Melinda said and reached over and tapped the brochure, flipping it over to the next page. "In recent years they expanded the program to include a mech designer contest. It's not as thrilling as the mech battles, but the Mech Corps and a few big players pa
The Mech Chapter 11: Cash Woes
Ves made the biggest gamble of his life so far. If he won, he'd be able to produce a stellar mech and sell it for a hefty profit, making more than enough money to meet his impending interest payment. Success danced on a string, and each time Ves stumbled, he risked the whole scheme coming apart.First, Ves needed to grow accustomed to the Caesar Augustus. Fortunately, a real universe production license also counted as a virtual license in Iron Spirit's terms of service. He only needed to send a copy of the license agreement to the game's support to be able to tinker and sell the model in-game.As a lastgen mech in today's standard, the CA-1 counted as a 5-star mech in the game. This meant only older, more skilled potentates had the capability to buy the mech. The Caesar Augustus could be sold for a higher price, allowing Ves to earn some actual profits from his sales if he designed a good enough variant.Iron Spirit's tiered leagues put a cap on how good a mech you could play dependin
The Mech Chapter 12: Duo Queue
The battlefield finished loading, revealing a ruined city. Craters, broken mechs and other war debris littered the landscape. Eerily, no life moved in the city. All was still, except for the desolate wind howling between the cracks of fallen skyscrapers.The silence ended as a brilliantly colored streak rose in the air. The Fantasia R2 Seraphim readied its long ranged rifle and scanned the surroundings vigilantly."Come on! Let's stop hiding like rats." TheSeventhSnake publicly declared. "I'm right here! Shoot me if you can!"Nothing responded to his taunts. The slim, grey Phantasm that popped up from the side of a broken tank shook its head."I told you they wouldn't fall for it. Congratulations for revealing your position. Now get down and stop wasting your limited energy." Triceratopssss said as he tried to accustom himself to his new mech.The Seraphim cut back on its wing thrusters, allowing the mech to find some cover among the streets."This is why I hate 2v2. Everyone's consta
The Mech Chapter 13: First Build
The Skill Tree featured a virtually endless amount of skills. With enough Design Points, Ves could become the ultimate mech designer, capable of drafting a complete design in minutes with his left hand while pointing out the faults of someone else's work with his right hand. Naturally, Ves lived in a world where time and resources were finite, so he didn't delude himself into thinking he'd ever reach that point in his lifetime.For all its merits, the Mech Designer System represented an incomprehensible piece of technology. Sometimes Ves felt as if reality itself bent to its whims. He didn't know how sapient the program was or how it determined its own limits. If one day the System's sophisticated AI turned crazy, entire star systems might get embroiled into war.The System in fact always addressed him as a user, not an owner. It acted as if Ves was just one client who conveniently picked it on the ground. If Ves' father hadn't given him the data chip, the System might have found a wa
The Mech Chapter 41: Sale
As the Fusion Cup came to an end, Ves and Charlotte stood at the side of the arena. Despite their exalted status as second-place winners, hardly anyone paid attention to the two. The climax of the evening was about to start, as the two most talented new mech pilots ascended into the main arena.The greatest show in the Bright Republic practically hammered in that the Fusion Cup was a side event in the end. No matter how impressive their winnings, they could expect to receive only one percent of the attention placed on the finalists of the main tournament.As Ves was never a mech pilot, he was indifferent to chasing personal fame. He'd rather build up the reputation of his business in a more sustainable way."I've got some business to do.""Oh?" Charlotte raised her eyebrow. "Bailing out on me, are you? I was planning to bring you out to a sweet place that makes the best spare ribs in town.""I'm kind of in a time crunch. I've started an independent mech design studio and I'm practical
The Mech Chapter 42: Broker
Hans embarrassingly led Ves away from the private room. "Sorry about that. I thought he'd be more respectful.""I've faced plenty of rejection before. It doesn't bother me to get turned away again." Although he said this, Ves sighed with disappointment. "I'm in an extremely difficult position if I can't find a customer for my mech."They both stayed silent for a moment before Hans thought up another idea. "Why not enlist the services of a broker?""I've already thought of it." He replied. "But I need a large influx of cash within two weeks. If the broker takes his cut, I'm not sure I'm able to pay the bills that are due very soon.""Oh relax. I know a woman who might cut a deal with you. Anything's negotiable. You should really think about it since brokers know their clients best."Hans had a point. Many small-scale mech designers often relied on specialized brokers and dealers to manage their sales and customer support. These crafty salespeople spent a lot of effort building up a net
The Mech Chapter 43: Miss me, System?
When Ves returned to his hotel room, he faced two things. First, a cranky gem cat angrily yowled at him for neglecting his pet all day. Second, he received a notification from his bank account that Marcella sent him the seven million advance for his material needs."Sleep can wait." Ves said to himself as he activated a terminal and visited the Mech Trade Association's online market. He already took note of all the materials he required, so after a meticulous check he put all the items in his shopping list and confirmed his purchase. The seven million bright credits vanished from his account like it never existed."At least I paid for express shipping. The goods should arrive at my doorstep by the time I exit from the shuttle."As he laid down on his bed, he reflected on the tumultuous events he experienced in his trip to Bentheim. In just two days, he put his name on the map by winning second place in a side tournament of the Young Tigers Exhibition. While not as prestigious as the m
The Mech Chapter 44: Birth of a Mech
Remembering that Marcella hadn't gotten back to him about a customer, he called up her number."Heya Ves. I know what you're calling for. The deal has just been completed." Marcella smirked as she said her next words. "Guess how many credits he threw at me to order your mech?""Did you manage to sell it at twenty-four million?""Hah! That's chump change. It's much higher!""Twenty-five? Twenty-six?""Nope." Marcella gestured with her hands to bring up an invoice in the projector. "Look for yourself what magic I achieved."His eyes practically bulged out as he saw that Marcella's customer ordered his mech for a whopping twenty-eight million credits. The huge price figure amounted to a gross profit of eleven million credits if he delivered his mech in time and in good condition. It certainly raised his faith in Marcella's ability. Perhaps partnering with her was the best decision Ves ever made.Marcella tapped her fingers onto her desk, snapping him out of his dreams. "Don't get too exc
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