The Mech Touch novel Chapter 2490

Chapter 2490: Worshipping Strength

Crazy!

The Cross Clan was crazy!

Ves finally discovered why he felt so ill at ease with the Crossers.

They were nutters! Though the Cross Clan appeared to be made up of militarists, it was actually a cult that worshipped powerful mech pilots!

The strong conviction that Patriarch Reginald Cross showed when he stated his desire to become an ace pilot made it clear that this was the Cross Clan's overriding goal!

Partnering up with the Larkinson Clan and travelling to the Red Ocean were only incidental goals to the Vicious Mountainers. What they truly wanted was to regain the glory they lost when Saint Hemmington Cross died!

Ves wouldn't be surprised if only Patriarch Reginald held this obsession. Yet from the rapt expressions of his subordinates, the entire Cross Clan must be yearning for this goal!

Ves underestimated the importance of ace pilots to Vicious Mountainers. He also underestimated the pain that groups such as the Cross Clan felt when they lost one of their greatest heroes.

Just as Patriarch Reginald said, their overriding goal was to provide the Cross Clan with a new Saint.

Understanding this motivation gave Ves a much better sense of the Crossers.

They were fanatics.

Ves felt very mixed about that.

On one hand, he had many negative experiences with fanatics. They were bullheaded, irrational and devoid of common sense.

On the other hand, he also had a lot of experience in manipulating them. As long as he comprehended their beliefs, he would be able to devise ways to exploit them to his advantage.

It didn't matter if he lied to them. As long as he managed to hack their beliefs, he was confident he would be able to become their new truth!

His attitude towards the Cross Clan changed. Instead of seeing it as a former ruling power, he began to regard it as a collection of desperate and homeless cultists. They were rather pathetic in his eyes.

He completely disregarded the strong force of will spread by Patriarch Reginald.

This wasn't easy to most people. Venerable Reginald was more powerful than Venerable O'Callahan by a noticeable margin. He was not completely groundless in his ambition to become the next ace pilot of his clan.

Ves still managed to shrug off the expert pilot's powerful influence. His apparent ease earned him the respect of the Crossers.

Once Patriarch Reginald was done with his little show, he pulled back his force of will until it was no longer so oppressive.

"Patriarch Larkinson, please work with us. Both of us can help each other."

"I.. am not quite sure." Ves spoke as he furrowed his brows. He stroked Clixie's belly as he tried to parse this situation. "You have made assumptions about my ability to design mechs that may not be true."

"We are confident that you are who we need." Reginald replied. "We have studied your mechs in great detail. While they are not what we are used to, we love them. We appreciate your work and we believe they have potential. Besides, the results speak for themselves. Your clan has produced so many breakthroughs in a single campaign. It is impossible to ignore the role your mechs have played in this. Your Larkinson Clan is centered around your mechs, nothing else. Am I wrong?"

This fellow wasn't easy to fool. He may be the head of his cult, but he wasn't stupid, especially when it came to his core interests!

"The effects of our mechs are currently unconfirmed. We are currently working together with Master Willix to ascertain whether some of our mechs pose a threat to mech pilots. Until this investigation is over, I am not at liberty to say any further about this topic."

"Don't give us that crap. Your mechs are what we need. Work with us to design an expert mech for me, and we will help your clan get stronger. This is what we are good at. Once we join hands, we'll become unbeatable!"

"I'm not sure. I have two problems with your proposal. One, I am still uncertain whether I can meet your expectations. You are seriously overestimating what my mechs can do. Two, the benefits you are willing to provide in turn are vague. Assuming that you're correct about my ability, what makes you think I am willing to be of service to you and your clan?"

Patriarch Reginald grinned. "Aside from giving you tips on how to become an ace pilot, we can whip your men up into shape."

"We're doing fine."

"No you're not. You may have gotten a core of strong mech pilots by running roughshod over the Nyxian Gap, but I've heard the casualties you've suffered are horrendous. What will you do to toughen up your next batch of mech pilots, then? Will you find another high-risk region to traipse through in the hopes of tempering more battle-hardened soldiers? How many lives are you willing to throw away this time?"

"What is your point, Patriarch Cross?"

"Your training method is effective, but crude and unsustainable. You'll only pile up your losses and deprive a lot of families of their parents. It's stupid to go on like this when we are willing to provide you with an alternative."

Once they were gone, Ves turned to his cats. "Well. They're certainly different from everyone else. What do you think about the Crossers, Lucky."

"Meow."

"Yeah. The Crossers are very desperate about regaining an ace pilot. It's not necessary if they don't intend to return to Vicious Mountain. We're certainly not in a hurry to obtain one either."

All of the expert pilots under his command had just broken through. It was far too soon to think about their next breakthroughs.

In some cases, it was possible for regular mech pilots to turn into expert pilots after a few years.

However, the road from expert pilot to ace pilot was long. Progress slowed down and expert pilots had to put in a lot of effort to increase their resonance strength. This was not a process that anyone could speed up except for the pilot in question.

"Miaow miaow miaow." Clixie nuzzled her head against his hand.

"They're hiding something? I can believe that. Even if it appears they're willing to do anything to secure my services, it can't be that easy. The Cross Clan used to be a lot more successful. Patriarch Reginald should possess at least some savvy."

Maybe this had something to do with Saint Hemmington's unusual breakthrough. Why had the ace pilot become more aggressive? Why had Reginald's father led the Becker Tribe in so many wars?"

Goldie jumped out of the Larkinson Mandate and pressed up against Lucky and Clixie.

"Nyaaaa."

"They remind you of our clansmen? I hope not. We Larkinsons are nothing alike the Crossers!"

From what Ves had seen, the Larkinsons may potentially develop in the same direction as the Crossers. In fact, if the Larkinson Clan hadn't set up the Hall of Heroes, perhaps the status of high-ranking expert pilots would have truly reached an astronomical height!

Ves detested this outcome. Expert pilots and ace pilots were destructive forces. They were good at defeating enemies, but not much else. If expert pilots such as Venerable Jannzi took charge, they would definitely run the Larkinson Clan into the ground!

"Only noble creators such as myself are worthy to lead our clan!" Ves self-righteously claimed. "A clan led by mech pilots is no different from a barbarian horde. A clan led by a mech designer is much more civilized!"

This was the end of the first meeting between Ves and Reginald. The two patriarchs had made their intentions known. Right now, the ball was in the Cross Clan's court. Would the Vicious Mountainers be able to bring up something compelling enough to justify a partnership? _{fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com}