The Mech Touch (Web Novel)

5805 A Terran Delight

People's interest in the cultivation tome peaked as soon as Orion Leeds finally described the method that it purportedly taught.

"According to multiple experts who have examined the contents of this old book, it is capable of teaching humans who possess at least a moderate affinity to the fire element how to absorb the 'flames of heaven' to refine and temper his mortal body. If a cultivator practices the right techniques and employs adequate support measures, it can transform a practitioner into a superhuman furnace that can potentially survive falling into stars and unleash flames that can burn entire cities!"

That was an absurdly powerful outcome!

Though Ves already lost interest as he was not exactly short on cultivation methods, he could understand the attractiveness of this particular method. Being able to forge a strong body that possessed as much combat power as a warship used to be a silly dream to most people.

Now that red humanity entered the Age of Dawn, it had turned into a plausible option!

A lot of people, both young and old, expressed intense desire towards the cultivation tome. Who didn't want to become a superhuman powerhouse? Even mech designers weren't able to resist the temptation!

Ves inwardly shook his head. If the method contained within the book was so great, then its current owner would have never put it up for auction.

Just as expected, Orion Leeds mentioned the complications of practicing the method.

"Be warned that the ancient cultivation method associated with this remarkable book promises great power, but only through great effort. Its demand on talent is not too high, but it will take a practitioner many years to pass through every stage. It may take centuries if not far more time than anyone's lifetime to reach the highest stage as described in the book. Superior talent, helpful resources and good comprehension can accelerate your progress, but it will take multiple generations to make drastic progress. Any errors made during your practice can exacerbate your personality flaws and make you more vulnerable to self-immolation."

The people who were familiar with cultivation such as Ves already expected as much. The most promising and powerful cultivation methods always came with greater risks due to their propensity to resort to extremes. Nothing came without a price.

Those who were not familiar with cultivation or the Five Scrolls Compact became a lot more discouraged, though. Just the possibility that their bodies could spontaneously combust if they made a mistake was far too risky for them to engage in this cultivation stuff!

The auctioneer mentioned one more variable that might sway their opinions.

"We have also verified that the method taught by this ancient book can gradually extend a human's lifespan by progressively greater years. It does not excel in this aspect, but as long as you are able to reach the middle stages, you can expect to gain at least two to three centuries of additional life. You will be able to spend much of that time in peak physical and mental condition so long as you have not made any errors. Do you have any questions?"

A Master Mech Designer sitting in the common seating space raised a hand.

"Yes, Master Ditwall?"

"Can mech pilots and mech designers practice this cultivation method without any adverse consequences?"

"We have investigated this as well. We have found that there is definitely conflict with both professions. We do not recommend for any mech pilot or mech designer to practice the method taught by this ancient book. This applies to most other cultivation methods as well. There may be ways for experts to modify the method to remove this shortcoming, but success is anything but guaranteed."

After that, the bidding commenced.

Ves got an immediate sense on how much people prized this ancient tome by the numbers shouted in the submerged hall.

"10 kilograms of phasewater!"

"50 kilograms of phasewater!"

"75 kilograms!"

"125 kilograms!"

"200 kilograms of phasewater."

"300 kilograms of phasewater!"

"320 kilograms of phasewater."

"You do not understand the forces you are toying with, Director Yearl. Leave this book to the Church of the Rising Sun. 350 kilograms of phasewater."

"370 kilograms of phasewater. I know more than what is kept in your dusty library. My assistants and I shall modernize the secret method contained within this book."

Not a lot of people dared to bid on a cultivation tome they did not understand, so only a small group of more knowledgeable people actively fought for this item.

They occasionally bragged about themselves and belittled their rival bidders in an attempt to claim the tome for themselves, but it did not appear to work.

"400 kilograms of phasewater."

"410 kilograms of phasewater."

"425 kilograms of phasewater! Give up before you bankrupt your entire church."

"450 kilograms of phasewater. Thank you for your concern, but I have enough access to credit to keep going."

"455 kilograms of phasewater."

"460 kilograms."

"470 kilograms."

This exchange went on and on. Ves continued to remain fascinated as he observed several stubborn holdouts trying to push away their rivals without paying an excessive amount of money to secure this prize.

"What is your opinion, Ves?" Vector Loban inquired. "You are a known expert in this field. Do you believe that this ancient book is worth as much as a squad of first-class multipurpose mechs?"

Ves shrugged. "There is no single answer to this question. It is worth it for norms who have no easy way to extend their lives through other means. It is a possible lifeline for people who are insecure about their chances of survival. It is of great research value for cultivation experts who seek to develop more modern and optimized cultivation methods. I am not willing to pay the equivalent of several hundred kilograms of phasewater for this single book, but there are plenty of people who have much more money at their disposal."

In the end, the man who led a church of all possibilities had won this prize!

"This ancient cultivation tome is sold for 560 kilograms of phasewater!"

Ves thought that was way overpriced, but then again he already had access to a modest collection of cultivation methods, courtesy of his mother.

The only issue was that most of them were rather average and basic. That was not necessarily bad because it made them a lot less dangerous than the one that was probably taught by the auctioned book. Their simplicity also made it easier to use them as building blocks for the creation of his own composite cultivation methods.

However, not everyone possessed the insight and understanding that he possessed. It was therefore worthwhile for people to invest a lot of money into reasonably verified end products.

The auction moved on as Orion Leeds introduced the next item.

"This is a rare mural that was painted by an orven artist over 3 millennia ago. A mercenary fleet managed to retrieve it from the quarters of a high caste orven captain during a raid on a crippled orven battleship. The artwork is of great value to the native aliens but specially the orven race because the artist has actually managed to transform into a phase lord. It is said that he has left behind this mural in order to teach the secrets of his ascension. Many different orvens have acquired it but failed to discern any relevant patterns in the brush strokes, the subject matter or the underlying materials. The orvens have eventually debunked the rumors, but there are still rumors that its secrets remain undiscovered to this day."

What a mysterious treasure. Neither Ves nor Blinky sensed anything special about the aging but well-preserved mural, so the chances were great that it was just a hoax.

Many others thought so as well. They did not show any of the enthusiasm they displayed a few minutes earlier.

Ves couldn't help but notice that dozens of people briefly looked at his private box.

This was not a surprise as he had recently exposed the fact that he had become a phase lord somehow!

If these people wanted to uncover any clues from him, then tough luck. Ves had no intentions of giving away any hints.

Once the bidding began, people tepidly began to try their luck.

"1 kilograms of phasewater."

"2 kilograms."

"4 kilograms."

"4.5 kilograms."

"5 kilograms."

Just as Ves expected, the bidders did not think the story surrounding this old relic was credible. They mostly treated it as a pure alien cultural treasure and adjusted their bidding strategies accordingly.

"Sold for 18 kilograms of phasewater!"

That was approximately 66 million MTA credits!

Ves could have used that money to fund a massive expansion of the expeditionary fleet, or a minor addition to the Premier Branch.

Instead, some rich planetary governor squandered much of his disposable budget on an alien artwork that did nothing more than showcase the orven race's crooked aesthetic sensibilities!

"What a waste of money." Ves quietly shook his head in disapproval.

"Art can sell for higher sums than this." Kelsey Ampatoch said. "As long as it has a good story and a reputable artist behind it, a work can exceed the value of a first-class fleet carrier. Granted, I have only seen that happen back in the New Rubarth Empire in the old galaxy. The more successful princes have so much wealth at their disposal that they can buy out entire star systems if they want."

The grand auction continued as Estaban Leeds continued to bring out a succession of goods with cheaper or more expensive valuations.

This kept the place rather lively. Ves did not feel the need to add to his art collection or acquire a random exotic material that no one heard about, so he refrained from making any further bids.

There were cases where he developed a mild interest towards a product, but held back anyway.

He knew that he could sap most people's desire to compete as soon as he spoke up, but that trick would only work a few more times.

Sooner or later, people would lose their vigilance towards him and compete like usual.

It was better for Ves to save up this 'superpower' until he truly needed it. That opportunity came quite soon as Orion Leeds presented a much more special item this time!

Three shark-like fish dragged in a container that held a remarkable looking mech module. It did not take long for Ves to recognize the most iconic weapons utilized by Terran mechs!

"A Destroyer mech spear!"

Depending on the concentration of Destroyer particles, the spectacular weapon could punch through virtually every sort of material defenses!

While Destroyer weapons were not compatible with phasewater technology, they were also quite effective against energy-based defenses, though to a lesser degree.

Destroyer weapons were the primary reasons why the Terrans possessed a distinct advantage in melee combat. Their Destroyer weapons could only be somewhat effectively be resisted by more expensive Destroyer-proof alloys, but few mech models enjoyed this luxury.

"This Terran weapon needs no introduction." Orion Leeds proudly said. "The shaft of this mech-scaled spear is made from a resilient alloy that can resist other Destroyer weapons up to a limit. The tip of this spear is what truly makes it power. It is infused with enough Destroyer particles to raise this weapon to a tier 3 Destroyer weapon. Normally reserved for Terran junior ace mechs, the Dermont Ancient Clan has made the rare decision to consign it to our auction house, along with the right for a single mech pilot to wield its power. A mech designer from the Dermont Ancient Clan will accompany this potent weapon until it has been permanently locked to a designated mech pilot. We highly recommend that only ace pilots with ace mechs harness this weapon, because it will annihilate anyone and anything weaker."

A tier 3 Destroyer weapon was so dangerous that it could only be 'tamed' by a powerful will and mech.

Despite the well-known dangers of wielding such a weapon, few people wanted to miss out on the opportunity to acquire it! Ves had a feeling that it would be a lot harder to claim it for himself and his clan this time.