The Mech Touch novel Chapter 7080

Chapter 7080: EdNet Graduates

The Larkinsons that had chosen to undergo EdNet training already ended their lengthy and strenuous session more than a week ago.

Their conditions upon exiting virtual reality were awful. Their brain had been running on up to 4 times their normal thinking speed during every waking moment.

This was not normal.

The Larkinsons who volunteered for this training all went through extensive preparations in order to make sure they could endure the pressure as long as possible.

They all received first-class cranial implants and other augmentations in order to ‘bring them up to standard’ in a manner of speaking.

None of this treatment was cheap, but the Larkinson Clan had already made an agreement with the Red Association about it. Ves wanted to accept nothing less than the best for his clansmen.

The absence of so many mech designers and high-ranking personnel left a large void in the Larkinson Clan at the time.

Ves found himself missing the company of a lot of trustworthy friends and comrades. He had fought or worked alongside them for up to a decade. He dearly missed their expertise. He could have definitely used their talents and advice in the years following the Great Severing.

Yet that was a short-term perspective on the matter. The cold hard truth was that third-class professionals possessed too many shortcomings compared to the well-educated first-raters that the Larkinsons preferred to recruit these days.

It was too much to ask for people who grew up in third-rate states such as the Bright Republic to become as competent at their jobs as former Terrans and Rubarthans.

Ves had given all of the cadre of the Larkinson Clan an offer to undergo EdNet training. Many accepted, but there were those that refused for one reason or another.

People like Ketis could not bear to separate herself from her children. She also was not really in a hurry to be promoted to a first-class mech designer.

In hindsight, those who stayed behind did not necessarily lose out. This was because the introduction of systematic cultivation drastically reduced the gap between third-raters and first-raters.

Although genetic treatments and artificial implants still granted significant advantages to their recipients, those who cultivated the right methods steadily increased their learning speeds and comprehension.

They were able to simulate the performance of expensive augmentations for a fraction of the cost!

Not everyone improved at the same speed as others, but everyone benefited in at least one fashion or another.

This diminished the gains made by the people who went through EdNet training as they were unable to cultivate while they resided in the virtual learning environment.

All they could do was to follow the original plan and cram as many lessons taught by the Red Association into their heads as possible.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of going through EdNet training was that each participant had access to a lot of high-quality lessons and teaching materials from one of the most powerful human organizations.

The mech designers were especially happy as the RA freely made a lot of internal courses available to them! They all enjoyed an education that was almost equivalent to what internal members such as Jovy Armalon and Vector Loban once enjoyed.

Many high technologies that red humanity had mastered over the centuries became available to them. Since the mech designers all possessed highly defined specializations, they could easily select additional courses on subjects that were directly related to their design philosophies.

All of this meant that Ves and Gloriana expected to welcome a lot of powerful helpers. The arrival of so many loyal ‘first-class’ mech designers should definitely boost the productivity of the Design Department by noticeable degree!

The other professionals also received a lot of lessons that prepared them to occupy high positions in a powerful first-class organization.

They gained a comprehensive amount of knowledge on history, management, culture, military leadership, alien civilizations and more.

Once they returned to the clan, they would definitely be able to professionalize the Larkinson Clan even further!

Given the importance of reintegrating the EdNet graduates into the clan, Ves and Gloriana decided to book a middle-sized venue and welcome the returning Larkinsons with a banquet!

That was why Ves and his immediate family had dressed up for the occasion and waited for the RA to bring back the recovered Larkinsons.

“Look! A convoy is flying in. I bet they are coming.” Andraste said and pointed beyond the courtyard.

Ves already confirmed that the passenger shuttles contained Larkinsons. They were all connected to the Larkinson Network so they were able to recognize each other as kin even without showing their faces to each other.

It had been a while since he felt the presence of General Verle, Director Calabast and the Voiken siblings.

In his impression, the gap between them was smaller than he anticipated.

Ves had grown enormously during the Age of Dawn. He developed his Spirituality further and absorbed a lot of scattered knowledge. His successes propelled his design philosophy to greater heights.

Yet the EdNet graduates did not think they had fallen behind too much compared to the founder of the clan. Many of them had mastered skills and absorbed knowledge that only the RA had access to during normal times.

This gave them the qualifications to participate in greater affairs. They had turned from people who could previously only look up to the high-and-mighty first-raters to becoming their equals!

To ordinary people, this was their own version of transcendence!

A third-rater transforming into a first-rater was as significant as ascending to godhood as far as many people were concerned.

Ves had managed to accomplish this through his own work and the gambles I had made during my downtime.

The EdNet graduates did so due to a combination of talent and being lucky enough to be eligible to take advantage of a life-changing opportunity.

“Let’s not be too hasty, Verle. You still have to fully reconnect with the current reality before you can tackle anything of significance.”

After he finished his chat with General Verle, Ves turned her attention to Director Calabast Arnlend, the clan’s foremost spymistress and intrigue master.

She looked the most well-adjusted among the EdNet graduates. It looked as if her tolerance for this kind of training was significantly better than normal. She fared so much better that she most definitely was not drunk or intoxicated!

What was also different was how much possessiveness and superiority she conveyed through her language and body langeous.

“Calabast.”

“Ves.”

“You look… smarter.”

“I think ‘deadlier’ is the more correct term, but I shall excuse your questionable judgment.” She said with her characteristic smirk. “Our intelligence apparatus has clearly grown too passive as of late. That is not the intention. We need to be more willing to break a few rules in order to fulfill our objectives. It is my job to help the people understand who they are truly facing.”

After he was done with greeting Calabast, Ves waited for the Journeymen to present themselves.

“Sir.” Sara Voiken stood at attention. “We have come back as changed mech designers. Each of us have become first-class mech designers without a doubt. What we lack is a direction to work towards. We hope that you or the new matriarch can fill these positions for us again.”

Ves could understand her concerns.

“We have formulated detailed plans to reintroduce yourselves back to your original departments. Be patient. Everything will work out somehow. How strong is your grasp on the new tech?”

“Quite strong.” She responded. “I will be happy to explain my gains later on. My colleagues can present their own stories to you. Each of us have made sure to branch out and master specializations that you normally would not expect from us. We have become more knowledgeable and versatile than before.”

“We are looking forward to your demonstration.” Gloriana happily voiced. “The Design Department will become stronger than ever before. This is a great development, Ves. Maybe it is time for you to start the design process of genuine first-class multipurpose living mechs.”

Ves seriously considered this option. It would keep all of the returning mech designers busy while also showcasing how much they have improved.

“I will think about it.” He said. “I can see the merits of this decision.”

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