The Mech Touch

e quickly spoke up again.

”Lady Miralix, I ’m sorry to say you won ’t find what you are looking for in me.
Not every Journeyman is the same, and my specialty lies mostly in improving comfort rather than battle performance.
While the two are interconnected, I hardly think it will matter when you are facing a life-and-death battle against a Crown Cat. ”

”You haven ’t even heard what I am willing to offer yet, Mr.
Larkinson. ” Lady Miralix dropped her smile and adopted a serious expression.
”While my standing within House Laterna is nothing remarkable, my mother is still a countess of the Sentinel Kingdom.
There is much I can offer if you so desire. ”

”Not interested. ” Ves shook his head.

The woman proceeded onwards as if they were still negotiating!

”Hear me out, Mr.
Larkinson.
First, whatever you want from a huge cat, I will give it to you.
The only spoils I require is Zeigra ’s head so that I ’ll be able to return in triumph with a trophy in my hands.
All the other parts of the carcass is yours to do as you wish. ”

He shrugged.
”Do I look like a Rocit Butcher? I have no use for the meat, bones and fur of a huge cat. ”

”That is just the start that I can offer. ” She leaned in.
”I can arrange for you to undergo genetic enhancements.
You can permanently walk around with sharpened cat ears if you ’d like.
Whatever bio modifications you need, our researchers will do their best to fulfill them all. ”

After Dr.
Jutland messed with his body long ago, Ves swore he would never let anyone he didn ’t trust mess with his body again!

”No thanks.
I ’m already at my capacity in terms of genetic and biological enhancements. ”

”I can trade numerous high-quality designer cats.
A cat like Genevieve her is one of our prized organic products.
You have family, do you not? How about you gift your relatives with a wonderful companion that has been genetically modified to be intelligent, to provide comfort and to guard their lives in case they fall into danger. ”

Ves felt tempted, but only for a moment.
While he rated House Laterna ’s designer cats very highly, they were not worth the trouble of political entanglement!

Even if he merely souped up her mech but declined to participate in her hunt, he would still be taking sides! Her enemies might possibly wish to deal with him before he could aid Lady Miralix any further!

She could see that Ves still withheld interest, so she began to pile on more offers.
”I can provide you with access to services provided by the Sentinel Kingdom that are closed to outsiders.
Closed markets, society clubs, black markets and other areas that offer exclusive goods and services to nobles will open their doors to you.
In fact, if you urgently require something, you don ’t have to go through the middlemen.
Just ask me directly and I ’ll see if I can satisfy your request. ”

The value of insider access that she offered sounded quite considerable.
From his own experiences with the Clifford Society, he knew that these exclusive clubs and circles sold some really great goodies.

Yet right now, Ves couldn ’t think of anything he wanted to obtain he couldn ’t get from the open market.
He already reserved a lot of parts to upgrade the Barracuda and he also ordered a shipment for the key materials to build an ultracompact battery through a black market contact.

With most of his critical demands met, Ves truly did not have any pressing need to ask for expanded access in a state he would be leaving fairly soon.

Certainly, while Ves did require a spiritual fragment from a powerful huge cat, he already made plans to acquire one himself.
There was no way he would ask Lady Miralix to hand-deliver him something she shouldn ’t even be familiar with, let alone procure on his behalf!

However… Ves did think of one particular object he wanted more of.
The problem had been hanging back in his mind for a while now.

He sent a command from his comm.
Nitaa entered the room soon after while carrying a box.

”There ’s one area in which you can help me. ” He began.
”Stored inside the box my bodyguard is carrying is an unidentified exotic which I call the P-stone. ”

Lady Miralix curiously accepted the box from Nitaa and opened it up.
”Is this truly an exotic? ”

”While it looks like an ordinary space rock, I can assure you it is very much an exotic. ” Ves smiled.
”Let ’s make a deal.
I ’ll provide you with what little documentation I have.
I ’ll let you borrow my P-stone for..
let ’s say three days.
I would like you to analyze the P-stone at the most advanced materials study lab you can access.
At the end of this period, I want you to return as much data as possible from your lab equipment. ”

”This rock has a lot of meaning to you. ” She concluded.

Ves placed a lot of trust in Miralix.
If he lost the P-stone, he would suffer a pretty major setback.

However, it wasn ’t in her interest to screw him over this issue.
What the noble scion sought from Ves could only be obtained voluntarily.
If she made any attempts to coerce him into cooperation, who knew what kind of hidden danger he would leave behind in her mech?

Ves could literally think up of at least ten-thousand different ways to sabotage a mech without making it too obvious! As long as a Senior didn ’t inspect the modifications he made to a mech, there was no way Lady Miralix could be sure her mech was fine!

From the start, Ves recognized that he essentially had Lady Miralix over a barrel.
Having the upper hand in a negotiation meant he could issue almost any request, trusting that the woman would do her best to fulfill his needs!

As expected, Lady Miralix grasped this crucial opening that opened the door to deeper cooperation.
”I will do what you ask, Mr.
Larkinson.
Will you agree to working on my mech if I do what you ask? ”

”It ’s a start. ” Ves replied and casually leaned back as if everything was under his control.
”If you can obtain additional samples of P-stone, let ’s just say that I am open to your demand.
If not… well, regardless of how the subsequent negotiations proceed, I want your promise that you will return my P-stone as well as the full lab data. ”

Lady Miralix instantly agreed.

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