The Mech Touch

Chapter 6380 Guilty Tusa

Most people in Tusa's position would be happy.

Not Tusa.

The ace pilot who came back after accomplishing the near-impossible feat of killing a greater phase lord actually behaved as if he did not like all of the honor and recognition that he rightfully deserved!

This was good, because it showed that Saint Tusa's mentality remained relatively pure and simple.

It was also bad, because his lack of appreciation of all of his gains may cause him to miss out on a lot of good stuff.

Ves felt obligated to offer guidance to Saint Tusa so that he would not squander the fruits of this victory.

"Phase Bane is a good title." He opined. "Do not be so quick to reject it. Maybe you should take a break and enjoy a good rest. Once you have reset your mind, you can think about it from a fresher perspective. Getting called the Phase Bane is not the worst that can happen to you. It is an excellent choice if you like to be aggressive and want to emphasize your offensive ability. You have obsessed quite a lot about your lack of killing power. Bearing this title will remind everyone that you are quite a good killer despite piloting a light skirmisher."

The ace pilot's expression only grew more complicated after those words.

"You and I both know that the only reason I managed to kill the Arena Lord in the first place is because you lent the tier 3 Destroyer spear to me. During the battle... I became increasingly more in sync with it. I am no longer afraid of wielding it as before. Is it still appropriate for me to bear this title? I do not think so, but... I will mull over it. You are right. I need to go to sleep and address this issue tomorrow."

"That is a sound course of action. Do not forget that you also have the right to reject a title that others are trying to foist upon you. The Red Association will never register an official title without receiving your express consent. If you can't make up your mind for the time being, then tell the mechers that, and they will leave this matter open-ended for the time being" Ves said encouragingly. "By the way, how much has your control over the Destroyer weapon improved?"

"Much." Tusa looked more enthused. "After I have baptized the Destroyer weapon with the blood and soul of a greater phase lord, it feels as if I have completely earned its approval. I already noticed on the return journey that my willpower can easily keep the spear in check."

The pilot began to look increasingly more longing as he spoke about the tier 3 Destroyer spear. He showed none of the fear and vigilance that he previously harbored against this notoriously volatile weapon.

Ves smiled. "It is not too surprising that you managed to tame the Destroyer weapon. Your resonance strength grew explosively during your fight. Did you know that it peaked at 201 laveres? Even if it dropped immediately afterwards, this has become your new regular limit. Since your resonance strength has improved by around 50 percent, the burden of keeping the Destroyer weapon in check has become a lot lighter. Combined with your lack of fear and increasing appreciation towards its amazing destructive potential, you should have no problems using it going forward."

"Ah, but that is the issue." Tusa gave Ves a mirthless smile. "Should I continue to use the spear? Every time I use it, I get the feeling that I am using a piece of property that isn't. actually mine. You bought it for Venerable Rosa Orfan, right? She can do much more with this weapon than I once she becomes a saint. I don't want to get too attached to this weapon because of that. What if I am reluctant to give up the Destroyer weapon once she finally breaks through and asks me to give it to her? The spear should be hers, but if I fought so many battles with it already... I fear I may not be willing to surrender it to her, at least not without a fight."

That would be a fight that Rosa Orfan would definitely lose. Saint Tusa had broken through first. His resonance strength had developed a lot more and he had also become more adept at utilizing the strengths of an ace pilot.

If the two truly had to duel each other to determine possession of the Destroyer weapon, then Tusa would pretty much secure his hold over it. This was a relatively straightforward way to solve this problem, but not a fair or satisfying one.

Ves struggled to come up with a better answer.

"Look Tusa, the tier 3 Destroyer spear is neither yours, nor hers. It belongs to the clan. The decision of who gets to make use of it will be made by me or the head of the Larkinson Army based on what benefits our clan the most. I will not tell you to give up the spear to Rosa Orfan as soon as she breaks through. I may have bought this weapon with her in mind, but the needs of our clan trumps her selfish wants and needs. Merit also matters a lot. If she wanted to claim the spear so badly, then she should have broken through faster and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that she deserves to wield it more than you. Her continued lack of progress makes it so that we cannot make the most optimal use of this very expensive asset. As long as you keep making use of the spear to win our battles and deliver glory to our clan, no one will deny that you have earned enough merit to continue to hold on to the Destroyer weapon"

The ace pilot understood Ves' decisions and agreed with them. Determining possession of the coveted spear through merit and necessity was much fairer than resorting to other criteria.

The ace pilot felt much more at ease after he mulled over the arguments. "Thank you, Ves. I don't feel as conflicted about using the Destroyer spear as before. If you do not mind, I would like to keep making use of it. I have... become addicted to its destructive power. I am much more confident in my ability to kill your enemies with this spear in my hand. I think I will undergo more spearmanship training in order to wield it more skillfully in battle next time. If I had practiced much more with this weapon, I could have worn down the Arena Lord's defenses sooner."

A part of Tusa still felt guilty towards Rosa, but he could not ignore his own desires.

Ves did not really know whether he made the right answer. Rosa Orfan would be devastated if she finally became an ace pilot, only to learn that she wouldn't gain the qualifications to wield this dream weapon.

"It would be better if I can procure a pair of Destroyer knives for your Dark Zephyr." Ves said. "Just one knife is already enough I think. I will try and look out for them at Yernstall. Maybe I can establish a deal with a Terran ancient clan that is willing to trade with them in exchange for concessions."

Neither Ves nor Tusa had much hope that a Terran group would be willing to exchange such a precious set of weapons.

In any case, now that Saint Tusa no longer felt as conflicted about making use of the tier 3 Destroyer spear, the discussion took a different turn.

"When you begin the process of fixing the Dark Zephyr, can you make a modification?"

"Sure. What is it you like to change, Tusa?"

"The Arena Lord is the first big kill that I am truly proud of. I want to commemorate it with a trophy that I can mount on my Dark Zephyr. I don't want you to fuse a big piece of bone onto my machine, though. I don't want my ace mech to attract too much attention on the battlefield. It needs to remain subtle, but not to the point of becoming invisible. Do you have any good ideas?"

This was a typical design problem, so Ves already came up with a few suggestions that should satisfy his client's criteria.

"I can think of three ideas on the top of my head. The first is to salvage pieces of the Arena Lord's bones and use them to cobble together a crown. Once I install it onto the head of your Dark Zephyr, you can choose whether to keep them bone white, or coat them black so that they blend in with the rest of your mech's color scheme. Either way, this crown will not only make your ace mech look and feel more dignified, but also may also grant small but unpredictable enhancements. This is a fantastic option if you want. to embrace your status as the Arena Lord of Ya'gwasa. The crown will symbolize your victory over the former lord and your right to dominate your new holdings."

Tusa scowled. "I already said that I do not want anything to do with this Arena Lord business. A crown is too flashy and conceited to me. Do I look like an ace pilot with delusions of grandeur? Owning a planet is a burden rather than a blessing to me. Pass." Ves shrugged. "Got it. The second idea I came up with is to use pieces of bone to decorate the interior of your cockpit. Since this won't change the exterior of the Dark Zephyr, I can safely create a grand image that can inspire you when you are in need."

This idea appealed to Tusa a lot more, but he still shook his head in the end. "It's a decent proposal, but I think it would be disrespectful to the Arena Lord to celebrate my victory over him in this way. This alien used to be a gladiator. He attracted

attention when he was alive, and I think he is the sort of alien that wants to draw

attention even though he has already died."

"Then maybe you will like my third suggestion. The hooves and particularly the

forehooves are very important to the nunser race. What if I shave off fragments of the two forehooves of the Arena Lord and install them on the bottom of the Dark Zephyr's feet? Each step that your mech will take on a solid surface will remind you of the Arena Lord. I think this is a good choice if you want to be subtle without making the changes invisible. I do not think that too many people will be sharp enough to recognize the detail on their feet, but those that do will know what they represent."

This time, Tusa did not offer an immediate response. He weighed this option for over a

minute before he slowly nodded.

"Let's go with transplanting the hooves, then. You won't actually make my Dark Zephyr taller or look as if he is wearing high heels, right?"

Ves laughed. "Of course not! I will just shorten the bottom of the feed and put the hoof

materials in their place. Making your machine even a centimeter taller will already start to mess up the tight and precisely calculated balance of your machines. Gloriana will scream at me if I try to apply such a change."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Tusa did not want to rashly change the height and proportions of his ace mech either. He was already thoroughly in tune with all of the Dark Zephyr's physical properties.

"Okay. Will I notice any other changes?"

"You will, but I cannot fully predict how these changes will manifest." Ves warned. "I have

not inspected the hooves of the greater phase lord. Who knows whether the body parts of this powerful alien leader will produce any noticeable effects." He needed to check all of the other loot earned by the Larkinson Clan as well.