The Mech Touch

His theories did not give Ves the certainty that pairing the Dawn Star Project with his grandfather would save the latter's life.

He truly did not know what would result from this experimental outcome.

Such a procedure would never be able to pass the review of any proper scientific panel. Ves not only broke enough ethical boundaries to turn him into a pariah, but also rushed this project so that he could get everything done in little over a week!

It was not as if Ves didn't want to do better.

He would have preferred to take his time and conduct proper studies on his Carmine System. He should have completed his Blood Knight Project a long time ago and tested the effects of the Blood Pact on many different pilots to confirm that it was safe and that it operated within parameters.

Even after he thoroughly verified the soundness of his Carmine System, he still should have invested months if not an entire year on a mech that was meant to save his grandfather from the abyss!

With that much time, effort and passion, it should have been possible for Ves to turn the mech in front of him into a masterwork.

This could have made a major difference! Any masterwork mech gained extraordinary traits that Just made them better at their Jobs.

Still, Ves did not feel too dissatisfied with the lack of refinement. He possessed sufficient belief that his Dawn Star Project already possessed the essential conditions to bring his grandfather back from the dead.

The root of the problem was that Benjamin Parkinson could no longer perform his vows because he lost his ability to neutrally interface with a mech.

So long as Ves restored Benjamin's ability to control a mech just enough to restore a measure of his combat effectiveness, he would once again turn into a mech pilot that possessed the qualifications to do battle!

This should be enough!

Ves had no control of what would happen after that.

It may be that his grandfather's deterioration might stop, but that his vitality had drained so much that he would pass on anyway!

It may also be that once his grandfather regained his identity as a mech pilot, his willpower would reform and infuse him with the vitality that he had lost!

Ves turned his head and observed the surrounding air with his spiritual senses.

He still maintained the Blessed Workshop after all of this time despite the strain it put him under. In the face of his work and the importance of saving his grandfather's life, the aches induced by overloading his glow did not seem that important!

The only issue he was concerned about was that he was draining the surrounding ambient spiritual energy at a constant rate in order to power his current state.

It might not be necessary to maintain the Blessed Workshop anymore, but he felt it may still be helpful powering up his latest mech.

He decided to maintain his current state as he could always tone it down if Benjamin needed to absorb exotic radiation in order to restore his strength.

Ves checked his final preparations. He had no idea what was about to happen, so he brought several different items in case they could aid in the restoration process.

"I hope I won't need them, because I truly don't know how they will affect my grandfather."

He had accumulated a lot of weird and special ingredients over the years. He could also draw spiritual fragments from his design spirits in a pinch.

He was not lacking for ingredients.

His real problem was that he did not possess the expertise to decide on the correct response to unexpected situations.

If an accident occurred, Ves would only have one or maybe two chances to figure out the right remedy!

If he chose poorly, then he would not only squander his resources, but also ruin his only attempt at saving his grandfather's life!

The pressure began to pile on his shoulders. Ves had little choice but to rely on his judgment and his instincts to make the correct bet.

He glanced towards the treatment bed where his grandfather remained asleep.

"There is not much time left. Who knows how many times my grandpa can still wake up. He's at the end of his rope."

Just before he was about to make his move, a brief interruption took place.

"Nyaaaa!"

The Golden Cat jumped out of the Larkinson Mandate carried by Nitaa and flew right in front of Ves' face!

Her glow along with her strong concerns forced Ves to respond to her concerns!

"Nya nya nyaaaaa!"

"I ley, I know it's dangerous, but I have no choice!"

"Nyaaa nyaaa! Nya!"

"What do you want me to do? Let my grandfather die without attempting any effective treatment? Tills may be his only shot at giving him back his life!"

"Nyaaa! Nyaaa!"

"That's not relevant! So what is he said no? He's not in his right mind! He is depressed and mentally impaired. He is no longer fit to make his own decisions. He can object to my actions all he wants, but he should wait until I've brought him back to life!"

"NYAAA! NYAAAA!"

"We need him, Goldie! He's family! I am not doing anything evil. People's natural lifespan makes no difference these days. My grandfather roughly belongs to the same generation as Raymond Bllllngsley-Larklnson, but the latter can easily live for over two centuries after he received a single round of life-prolonging treatment."

It took a little more persuasion before Goldie reluctantly retracted her objections.

The Golden Cat was the personification of the values, the will, the desire and the aspirations of the Larkinson Clan.

Her doubts were a reflection of how this procedure might concern the clansmen.

Her acquiescence was an indication that the Larkinson Clan cared enough about Benjamin's continuation to ignore any problematic elements.

Goldie did not return to the Larkinson Mandate, but instead perched herself onto Ves' shoulders. She clearly expressed the intention to monitor the procedure and take measures if necessary.

Ves reached out and stroked her manifested back a few times.

He could easily see how Goldie's manifestation had become a lot more solid and powerful than before. The ambient spiritual energy helped with reducing the difficulties of maintaining a presence in the material realm.

"Let's begin."

"Nya."

He had his grandfather moved to the cockpit of the Dawn Star Project while he still remained unconscious.

This should normally be an awkward process, but Ves already took this into account when he designed his custom mech.

The cockpit was larger than normal and offered a lot of room. Ves even removed the piloting chair so that he could fit in the high-tech treatment bed that helped to preserve his grandfather's remaining health.

After he locked everything into place, Ves hesitated for a moment before he issued the order to form a physical blood connection.

Several tubes extended from the floor. Flexible needles that extended from their ends gently poked through Benjamin's aged and wrinkled skin.

Ves remained in the cockpit long enough to confirm with his own eyes that the connecting tubes properly connected to his grandfather's blood veins.

Benjamin's aged and feeble physique could not withstand powerful shocks.

His body was practically the opposite to that of Venerable Jannzi, who could tolerate a lot more powerful treatments due to her excellent fitness and her extraordinary qualities!

"Nya."

"I know, Goldie."

Ves took one last look at his grandfather.

It would have been more ideal if Benjamin Larkinson was awake and conscious, but there was no way to make that happen.

The doctors had already injected mild stimulants into his grandfather's body. If that wasn't enough to rouse the old Larkinson from his sleep, then nothing else would work. Anything stronger might end up killing him outright!

Ves withdrew from the cockpit and retreated to a control panel. He already set everything up. His hand hovered over the projected button that would start the critical pairing process.

"Are you ready, Goldie?"

"Nyaaa."

"Let's go!"

Ves pressed the button, which triggered a lengthy set of programmed instructions!

The custom offensive knight mech that shared a lot of resemblance to the original Ember Star slowly came to life.

Its systems were not that powerful or sophisticated, so they did not take that long to boot up for the first time.

Still, Ves felt as if the seconds passed like hours. Each time the projected control panel lit an item in green, he felt a little more relieved.

The ordinary parts and systems of the Dawn Star Project functioned properly. Ves did not have to worry that they would malfunction and pose any danger to his grandfather.

What Ves worried about the most was whether the Carmine System could form a Blood Pact with a 'pilot' that was not conscious.

Theoretically, it was impossible for a mech pilot to interface with a mech while asleep.

The very act of piloting mechs was a mental process. The brain of the pilot needed to actively receive, process and transmit data back to the machine. If the pilot was comatose for whatever reason, the mech lost its most essential controlling influence, which would automatically turn it into a machine without direction. It had no choice but to shut down or go on standby!

The story was different for the Dawn Star Project. It was a living mech that was just about to reach the third order of life. This meant that it would gain enough autonomy and control over itself to remain active for some time!

The Carmine System also worked a lot differently from a neural interface. It was supposed to forge a bond between the spiritual foundation of a mech and the spirituality or willpower of a mech pilot.

This was a bond that transcended mortal limitations. Ves suspected that not even a lack of consciousness could stop the Blood Pact from functioning properly!

As more and more systems lit up in green, the time had finally come for the Dawn Star Project to fulfill its primary purpose.

He activated the fateful command.

"It's happening!"

"Nyaa!"

Freshly cultivated human blood began to pour into Benjamin's old body. Each blood cell seemed to carry a strong degree of vitality that was directly derived from the strong and vigorous cyborg mech!

At the same time, Benjamin's original blood poured out of other tubes. Even though there shouldn't be many physical differences, the vitality contained within these fluids had obviously been exhausted!

A powerful series of heartbeats began to echo from the Dawn Star Project.

Blood continued to circulate between the tired Larkinson and the newly created custom mech.

Benjamin's body seemed to inflate a bit as more and more fresh blood circulated in his body and cleared out all of his aged and exhausted blood!

At the same time, the Dawn Star Project received more and more biological material from an old and retired expert pilot.

Despite Benjamin's present condition, his blood was still enriched with age, affection and pride!

These were the elements that the Dawn Star Project lacked the most. As the machine continued to rouse to life, it eagerly absorbed and imprinted on the elements of its destined partner!

Ves widened his eyes and strengthened his Blessed Workshop as he could see and feel the new mech attempting to forge a closer connection with its pilot!

Through the mutual exchange of blood, the mech and pilot were close to forming a pact!

"C'mon, grandfather. I know that deep down, you have always been unreconciled about your early retirement. You could have done so much more. This is your chance. Accept the offer. Make the pact. This is your only chance to protect your family once more!"

"Nyaaaaaa!"

Just when it seemed that his grandfather's broken will remained unmoved by the offer, the Golden Cat channeled her own influence on the mech!

The glow of the Dawn Star Project grew stronger!

A strong sense of family and kinship into the machine.

This stirred Benjamin's unconscious mind just enough for him to reach out to the mech!

The Blood Pact... had been formed!

"Yes!" Ves celebrated!

A transformation was about to take place. Ves quickly reined in his jubilation and restored his focus.

What happened next was the most crucial step in the process. Forming the Blood Pact was not enough. What truly mattered was restoring his grandfather's health!