[1-200] THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 90: Talents

Ves toed a dangerous line. He worked faster than ever before using a machine he never touched. If he tripped up even once, he'd fall down the precipice. He made risky maneuvers left and right, all in the name of maximizing performance in the least amount of time.

"I can feel my skills are integrating. There's no better way for me to master my new gains than to push them to the limit."

Despite being one step away from ruination, Ves felt truly alive at that moment. He was made for this. His performance went past a hundred percent as he reached a peculiar state of zen. Only his massively empowered concentration allowed him to enter this special state. Under this remarkable influence, he worked as furiously as a ritually empowered demon, which even managed to attract the attention of the commentators.

"Who is that foreigner? He's working remarkably fast! While he's a little sloppier than the talents from Leemar, he's crushing them in terms of decisiveness!"

Some of the audience even started to divert their attention to Ves. While he had no impressive background or reputation to speak of in the Coalition, his frantic pace still marked him out as an unusual contender.

"According to my files, this dark horse here is Ves Larkinson, a native from the Bright Republic. He doesn't have any achievements to speak of. He graduated from a third-rate university from a third-rate state with average grades. The only two things to note is that he founded an independent mech workshop without outside investment and that a mysterious charity from the New Rubarth Empire has gifted him a couple of lastgen production licenses."

Everything the spectators heard so far failed to impress them at all. Only the involvement of the New Rubarth Empire took them aback. Even if only a tiny and obscure influence from the massive first-rate superstate took interest in Ves, the news was still sufficient to shock the crowd.

Under the rule of the ruthless Emperor, those who lived and thrived under his rule had to possess a certain amount of strength. If not, their wealth and possessions would have been snatched a long time ago. It had to be said that even the most banal powers from the New Rubarth Empire possessed enough might to crush the Komodo Star Sector a dozen times over.

Elsewhere on the stage, Barakovski's smile turned intrigued. "Interesting. Seems like my meeting with him was fortuitous. I always knew there was something fishy about him. The Bright Republic can't possibly nurture a mech designer like him. If there's the shadow of New Rubarth behind him, it all makes sense."

Meanwhile, Patricia's eyes remained tranquil as she steadily built up her design. She took no special note of her former classmate from the Republic. The only thing she had in mind was her design. Her subdued way of working drew no eyes from the audience even if her fingers operated the QuickForge system in a masterful way.

There were also some on the stage who treated the news contemptuously. One graduate from Leemar snorted offhandedly when he heard the commentary. "Truly worthy of the Rubarthans to invest in a random ant from the most backward place in the star sector. Hah, if that influence is truly legitimate, then we'd all heard about it by now."

Though Ves attracted a brief spike of attention, the short-lived excitement died down quickly. In the eyes of the insiders, he was merely a talent who got a lucky break. Whether he could transform the gifts he received into his own strength was another matter. Many dazzling talents who graduated from the LIT and the other elite schools of the Coalition possessed much more substantial track records. Their many accomplishments awed the people present.

The heritage of the various partners in the Friday Coalition could not be belittled. Despite their intense rivalry, they unceasingly produced successful talents year after year. Only a comprehensive education system could pump out an unceasing amount of talents. The Coalition also nurtured them properly by putting them under the wings of more experienced designers.