The Mech Touch

Chapter 6459 The Beast of Fear

Red humanity was still in shock after learning about the existence of the Oblivion Gates.

Even if the Evolution Witch immediately deflated their wild hopes and expectations after she listed out the huge number of limitations, their enthusiasm did not disappear entirely.

This was because the Oblivion Gates was just the first iteration of this experimental tech!

Humans were quite familiar with the progression of every new technological invention.

The prototypes basically served as proof of concepts that were made in order to test if a new application was viable enough to work.

As long as the first activations were successful, then there should always be room to improve the performance of the Oblivion Gates over time.

They could become larger so that more goods could be swapped across the galaxies at a time.

They could increase their efficiency so that they cost less phasewater and resources to activate.

They may also be improved to the point where they could finally allow living beings to transfer from one galactic neighborhood to another!

In short, as long as people kept working on the Oblivion Gates, they would always grow better over time, just like how the same mech lines got better with each passing generation.

Meanwhile, the Evolution Witch continued her speech. She began to talk more about the tech behind the Oblivion Gates and who was responsible for developing these bizarre constructs.

"The Oblivion Gates are the brainchild of myself and the Oblivion Empress. The reason why the two of us have managed to achieve cooperation across intergalactic distances is because the Superior Mother, her qi incarnation, is active in the Red Ocean." The Evolution Witch casually revealed a bombshell as if she cared nothing about secrecy.

A new presence appeared. The Superior Mother showed up in her guise as a stern but matronly woman.

Even though her presence was almost completely overshadowed by the Evolution Witch's God Kingdom, her mystique marked her as an

extraordinary existence.

Suffice to say, a lot of Hexers in the Hex Federation instantly grew ecstatic at the appearance of their Supreme!

"Women shall reign over red humanity!"

"Hexism shall span the galaxies!"

"We are saved by the Superior Mother!"

The Evolution Witch and the Superior Mother exchanged familiar glances, showing that they had developed a strong friend and mutual

understanding!

"It is no secret anymore that the Oblivion Empress possesses a checkered past, but as far as red humanity is concerned, she is one of the two main contributors to the development of the Oblivion Gates. Much of the hyper technology and E-technology applied to the constructs are adapted from deep and extensive insights into systematic E energy manipulation. The runes applied on the gates and the rituals used to create or process the specialized materials are all due to her credit. It is no wonder her son is so outstanding. If the Father of Carmine Mechs is so brilliant and innovative, then imagine what her mother is capable of. Systematic cultivation can be used to create many miracles when employed for a good cause."

That was a pretty strong endorsement of systematic cultivation. Knowing that such a powerful qi cultivator had played a pivotal role in the development of the Oblivion Gates cast a positive halo over the Red Collective.

"Now, you may assume that the Dimensional Architect is the other main contributor to the Oblivion Gates. As a Star Designer, his knowledge and affinity with technology is almost unmatched. However, every Star Designer has their specializations, and none that we know of are capable of developing the key technological principles to connect two wormholes together across vast distances."

familiar-looking but very unassuming Master Mech Designer!

"This is Master Moira Willix of the Survivalist Faction of the Mech Trade Association. She is known for tutoring Ves Larkinson in the past, so do not underestimate her capabilities. She has secluded herself close to where the Oblivion Empress reigns in order to study the anomalous conditions of the Nyxian Gap and further her own research. After meeting with the Oblivion Empress and accepting an offer to lead the Oblivion Gate Project, she has invested decades worth of accumulated research. She has managed to do this by pioneering the field of wormhole gravitic technology. She does this in the hopes of paving her way to advance to the rank of Star Designer. If this attempt succeeds, she will almost be assured of her ascension as long as she is able to complete the development of a stable and mature pair of Oblivion Gates."

Many people fell silent after hearing this. Ves and the Senior Mech Designers around him were especially affected by this revelation.

Star Designer. That was the end point of many mech designers who aspired for greatness. Even though many of them eventually got beaten down by reality and failed to make any further progress, there were still a lot of hopefuls who dreamt of making it to the end!

However, the immense mech industry of the old galaxy had only produced around a hundred of them over a span of 4 centuries.

The new frontier had yet to spawn any new Star Designers!

This showed how difficult it was for Master Mech Designers to cross the

vast distance that separated them from attaining their own form of

godhood!

To be able to witness the birth of a potential new Star Designer was an incredible honor as well as a good opportunity.

Who knew whether mech designers could gain inspiration from Master

Willix's example and stimulate their own breakthroughs?

Such lucky occurrences had definitely taken place in the past!

At this time, almost every mech designer in the Red Ocean sincerely wished that Master Willix would succeed.

It did not matter whether red humanity was separated from original

humanity.

They were all mech designers. They identified by their professions first,

and any other labels next.

Of course, it also helped that the success of the Oblivion Gate Project would materially improve the conditions of red humanity during these

difficult times!

Master Willix's promotion may literally save their own lives!

The Evolution Witch proceeded to introduce another collaborator. Her willpower produced a different projection that displayed a fearsome biomech that possessed a completely different style than her Geneforger! The god mech was a familiar sight to those who knew their god pilots and corresponding god mechs.

There was no mistaking the giant and oversized mutated wolf-like shape. The creature may vaguely be based on a canine template, but the addition of hundreds of tentacles, multiple rows of teeth, sickly green poison veins and more cast a frightening sight!

The Beast of Fear was too lazy to accept a different title. When he ascended to godhood, he completely abandoned his mortal name and fully embraced the name of his god biomech!

This choice had ominous implications. Most god pilots tended to use a title that was separate from their god biomechs in order to maintain artificial separation between their human and machine sides.

The Beast of Fear declined to do so, meaning that he saw no distinction between himself and his god biomech.

When people had to speak to him for whatever reason, they could never tell for sure whether they were speaking to a human or a genuine beast!

The man had completely become a beast at the True God level!

This was a controversial decision that caused him to be feared and ostracized by other human leaders. It was no wonder that he was only able to find shelter in a fairly controversial group like the MTA Unbound

Humanity Faction.

Generally speaking, many people preferred to avoid the Beast of Fear. He

ranked very low on the popularity list.

Why did the Evolution Witch decide to collaborate with such a fearsome

and questionable god pilot?

Did she not have more reliable friends among the god pilots left behind in

the Milky Way?

"The construction of the Oblivion Gates requires the intervention of god pilots in order to produce the unique materials that cannot be made through other processes. Our strength is also needed to assemble parts together in a manner impossible to create by resorting industrial means." The Evolution Witch explained. "They may not appear this way on the surface, but the gates are actually biomechanical in nature. Only god pilots that are deeply familiar with biotechnology can facilitate this project." That was one reason why she sought out the cooperation of this controversial god pilot.

"I am familiar with the Beast of Fear. We share much in common, and I am

confident that he will cooperate with us rather than expose this project to the Galactic Mech Council. Do not forget that red humanity and original humanity have broken off relations. We are no longer one race, and we have not established any formal alliances. This intergalactic project is not legal from the perspective of the Mech Trade Association and other authorities. Original humanity fears that we may lead hostile aliens to their precious galaxy, but the Beast of Fear does not. He is fear incarnate, so he will grow by spreading it. The MTA Unbound Humanity Faction which he is a part of is also in favor of defying the status quo."

Now that sounded convenient! The Beast of Fear was an excellent choice

because his interests were completely separate from the other human

leaders!

He would love nothing more than to open up trade with the Red Ocean and induce fear among original humanity at the same time!

It was quite fortunate that the Evolution Witch not only knew such a good collaboration partner, but that he agreed to participate in this grand research project.

The fact that the Oblivion Empire managed to create an Oblivion Gate of its

own was the best form of proof!

The Evolution Witch crossed her arms. "Let me be clear about who is and is

not responsible for these modern wonders. They are both developed and built by the Oblivion Gate Consortium, which I have founded together with the Oblivion Empress. I am in charge of managing and protecting the Red Oblivion Gate. The Oblivion Empress is responsible for managing and protecting the Black Oblivion Gate. They are designed from the ground up so that only one of us can operate and activate our respective gates. We

will not extend this power to any other individuals, no matter whether they are god pilots or Star Designers."

That... was a domineering declaration. Ves did not doubt the Evolution Witch's ability to defend her monopoly on the Red Oblivion Gate, but he grew a lot more concerned about his mother's hold over the so-called Black Oblivion Gate!

Cynthia Larkinson was just a qi cultivator True God!

She was incredibly versatile, especially due to her extensive knowledge, but she was not able to match a god pilot in direct combat!

Even with the advantage of the special terrain of the Nyxian Gap, Ves had

no illusions about her ability to cope with a hostile god pilot. Who knew how the more protective and paranoid god pilots of the old

galaxy would react to this dangerous attempt to bridge the gap between

the galaxies!

However... as long as the Oblivion Empress managed to obtain the protection of the Beast of Fear and other powerful players, she may be able to maintain her monopoly on the Black Oblivion Gate!

The question was how. Ves did not think that the two devious women came

up with such an enormous scheme without accounting for these variables. The Evolution Witch began to address this very issue.

"The greatest threat to the Oblivion Gate Consortium does not lie in the Red Ocean, but in the distant Milky Way where original humanity is still stuck in the Age of Mechs. The citizens and leaders in the old galaxy have

become fearful of what has befallen us. They will not take kindly to allowing a secret group of conspirators to defy their taboo on blocking interactions between our two galaxies. This is why we must make them an offer thatn/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

their cannot nagsiklu refuse. I at me start with our first 'wift' to

original humanity: Carmine mechs."

...

The mention of Carmine mechs caused Ves to freeze. His mind worked

quickly. He soon managed to piece together enough clues to figure out the

truth.

The Evolution Witch intended to trade the secret of Carmine mechs to the

humans of the Milky Way from the start!

Ever since she and Cynthia Larkinson conceived of the Oblivion Gate Project, they already planned to use the irresistible Carmine mechs as a bargaining chip to preserve the Black Oblivion Gate! "I've been used!" Ves gasped in realization!