The Mech Touch

Chapter 7115: The Crystal Pyramid

After numerous years of waiting, Aurelia and her family finally obtained an answer.

Her genetic aptitude was not completely unqualified.

Yet it did not measure up to a good standard either.

Instead, Aurelia fell into an awkward category.

Her genetic aptitude of E+ basically meant that she was barely a potentate.

If she tried to become a mech pilot with her awful genetic aptitude, she would face an uphill battle from the very beginning.

Movements that other mech cadets could learn in a matter of days would take weeks for her to achieve the same results.

As for trying to operate more advanced mech systems or performing faster maneuvers, a terrible potentate like her could forget about mastering such operations.

There was no way for a mech pilot to ever fully overcome such a poor genetic aptitude. Aurelia had already grown to the point where her initial brain development had reached a stable condition as far as this property was concerned.

Even if Aurelia continued to grow in various ways in the next decade, her genetic aptitude was pretty much set in stone.

Aside from the personal intervention of the Chosen Human, there was no known method of improving one’s genetic aptitude after it had been measured at the age of 10.

Back during the Age of Mechs, such a genetic aptitude was enough to shut the doors of almost every mech academy.

Unless her parents or grandparents possessed a lot of wealth or a large amount of pull, it was impractical to find any educational institution that would bother to seriously try to train a potentate as ’untalented’ as Aurelia in the art of mech piloting.

Yet all of that was in the past.

Ves had single-handedly rewritten the rules when he invited his Carmine mechs.

The most basic version of the Blood Pact that many humans gradually became familiar with ddi not rely on a neural interface to form a traditional man-machine connection.

The Blood Pact instead exchanged a lot of data through mysterious means by relying on the ritual exchange of blood.

While nobody fully understood the mechanics behind this confusing system, the results could not be argued.

A Blood Pact enabled a Carmine mech pilot to exchange data with a Carmine mech through the spirit, thereby skipping any physical and related mental processes that could pose a hindrance.

Carmine mech pilots never had to be afraid of excessively overloading the brain to the point of frying its nerve cells!

The use of a neural interface became optional. If there was no effective way for them to use it to control their machines, then they might as well skip it entirely, thereby also getting rid of all of its associated problems.

This was a crucial advantage and one that completely bypassed the need to possess the right genetic aptitude!

A Carmine System therefore served as an excellent complement to potentates with very poor genetic aptitudes.

Unlike norms who did not possess a useful genetic aptitude, children such as Aurelia could still make use of a neural interface, if only barely.

If Aurelia combined the neural interface with a working Carmine System, then she could combine the advantages of both and effectively gain a little more control over her machine than most other Carmine mech pilots!

Of course, potentates with much better genetic aptitudes became even more effective if they chose to form a Blood Pact, but that would limit them to using a single Carmine mech for the rest of their piloting careers.

Most potentates with decent to good genetic aptitudes could not bring themselves to make such a heavy commitment.

There were no known means of bypassing the restriction of a Blood Pact. This was a promise made at the level of a soul. The only way to overcome it was to tinker with a Carmine mech pilot’s spirituality, and that was extremely dangerous!

Aside from exceptions such as Venerable Rosa Orfan and first-class mech pilots sought to earn the qualifications to pilot more advanced first-class multipurpose mechs, pretty much every qualified potentate ignored the existence of the Carmine System.

That was fine. Ves did not specifically develop the Carmine System with this group in mind.

Instead, his Carmine mechs catered much more to people who possessed low to non-existent ability to pilot mechs in the first place.

Perhaps it was fate that Aurelia’s genetic aptitude ended up in a barely qualified range.

This would have become a source of great shame and frustration if she still lived in the Age of Mechs.

Instead, she had a promising future as a Carmine mech pilot if she chose to spend at least part of her time at a mech academy.

The question was whether she intended to make use of her meager genetic aptitude and choose to pilot a Carmine mech.

Ves and Gloriana exchanged glances.

If their daughter truly wanted to become a part-time or full-time mech pilot, then they would put their full effort into designing a unique one-of-a-kind Carmine mech for their girl!

Standard mechs simply did not cut it for a young lady of her status.

The Miracle Couple would gladly spend the effort they put into designing a high-ranking mech into giving their girl a mech that she might not even spend much time with. No matter whether she invested her time and passion into becoming a serious mech pilot, she would at least have a strong and dependable living machine by her side.

Enough time had passed for the public to take in this result. Their expressions revealed a mixture of regret and tentative happiness.

They felt regret that Aurelia ’almost’ gained a good enough genetic aptitude that she did not have to make use of a Carmine System.

They felt happy because children like her still had a chance to pilot a good mech due to that very same invention.

Everyone eventually began to clap.

Any child with rich parents could afford to pilot a Carmine mech, but Aurelia just so happened to be the Father of Carmine Mechs!

It would be ridiculous if she still did not pilot a mech later in her life. She had the best possible opportunity to do so due to her parents!

Ves took the word again.

"Before you can begin to enjoy your birthday cakes and other meals, I would like to hold your attention for a little longer. You see, this crystal pyramid is special. We have already informed a number of you about this, but this structure that you are sitting or standing on is actually a giant formation anchor."

Many people looked clueless. They had little exposure to the Red Collective’s less straightforward heritages.

Much of the public these days had grown quite familiar with the Repository’s collection of safe, modern and accessible qi cultivation methods.

This was not the cas with more esoteric specializations such as qi formations.

Formation masters may as well be wizards due to how difficult it was for people to get started with their unique approach towards qi cultivation and E energy manipulation.

"The crystal pyramid is not just a formation anchor." Ves continued. "It is the center of a large qi formation that is spread across the entire Microplanet."

A giant projection appeared in the air that showed the Microplanet in all of its glory.

Dozens of points lit up in red beneath the ground or under the ocean.

"Each of these dots represent the locations of formation anchors that the Red Collective has buried underneath the surface of the Microplanet. These anchors have effectively turned the entire globe into a net that can absorb a large amount of E energy radiation."

That stirred a lot of concerns.

Was this safe?

Had the collies tested their own qi formation in advance?

Why would the mechers permit the RC to turn the entire Microplanet into a qi formation?

"I understand if you have any concerns." Ves said. "If you want to leave for whatever reason, you may do so in various ways. However, I can assure you that the relevant experts of the Larkinson Clan, the Red Association and the Red Collective have thoroughly examined every aspect of the qi formation and declared it safe to use. The purpose of the qi formation is not anything scary either. Its function is quite simple, which also means that there is almost no chance that it could go wrong. If you have decided to stay, then I wish to thank you for your trust. Each of you shall not only bear witness to a unique event, but also contribute to it in a small way."

Once he was done with warning his audience, he turned and looked at a woman who was slowly floating to the top of the crystal pyramid.

Her traditional red robe and her iconic masterwork Astral Mirror that had been baptized with the blood of the Spacelock made a strong impression to those with good eyesight.

This was one of the Red Collective’s most accomplished formation masters.

Once the Farseer reached her position, she activated a function of the Astral Mirror and began to manipulate it with intense focus.

The air began to stir.

The crystal underneath the guests started to glow.

Strange crystalline sounds came from within as hidden mechanisms came to life.

Soon enough, a growing golden light shone from the pyramid!

At the same time, all of the other formation anchors became active as well. Each of them linked up with each other, forming a mysterious utility spell array that possessed unknown functions.

The air stirred more as the active spell array began to absorb a large amount of E energy radiation from the surrounding environment.

It was as if the entire Microplanet had turned into a vacuum that continually sucked in E energy radiation without any sign of slowing down!

All of that energy started to channel through the formation anchors and spell array, fueling multiple different effects that remained obtuse to the average bystander.

However, there was one effect in particular that all of the guests were able to feel.

They started to feel lighter, less exhausted and less burdened by depressing considerations.

It was as if the light emanating from the crystal pyramid gradually cleansed their bodies, minds and spirits of impurities.

At the same time, these people became so entranced by the spectacle that their thoughts and emotions became increasingly more attuned by the active ritual.

It was as if they had become willing participants to a ceremony that they did not understand.

Whatever the case, everyone was experiencing the benefits of the purifying light of the heavens.

The top of the pyramid happened to shine the brightest. It became harder and harder to observe the Farseer as she continued to manipulate the active spell array into converging much of its energies towards a single coordinate.

As the light shone so much that azure energy shields had to come to life in order to avoid blinding any of the guests with unaugmented eyes, Ves finally made his move.

He retrieved the birthday gift that he had prepared from his System Space and tossed it towards the top of the pyramid.

The reinvented Flower Parasol in its fresh and magnificent masterwork artifact form automatically opened up while spinning around its axis.

It stopped right on top of the tip of the pyramid!

Its petal-ardoned underside began to absorb a huge amount of light and E energy channeled from below.

The artifact absorbed so much energy that it rapidly began to grow in power and other ways.

It — or rather she — was definitely not weak after Ves had completed his comprehensive overhaul of the high-level artifact, but the enormous spell array empowered it in a way that was unprecedented!

Although much of the energy actually went to waste, what little remained useful still contributed to a lot of growth, allowing the artifact to perform its functions considerably more effectively than normal!

As the power channeled by the ritual reached its apex, the Farseer abruptly activated a command that caused the concentrated light to burst before fading away.

The crystal pyramid no longer released any light.

The air returned to calm.

The formation anchors no longer remained in an activate state.

As the environment returned to normal, more and more people saw that the beautiful umbrella had disappeared at one point.

In its place was a lovely girl wearing a robe that just happened to resemble the canopy of that artifact!