The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1758

An awkward silence ensued as Ves silently stared at Tristan Wesseling’s projection.

Previously, Ves always treated Tristan as a friendly acquaintance. Though they hadn’t talked many times, the Fridayman mech designer always took the initiative to show some goodwill to him. Their shared connection to the Rim Guardians meant that it was very likely they would cross paths in the future.

Yet it was different now. Tristan’s status may not have changed, but Ves single-handedly deteriorated his relationship with the Friday Coalition in the most violent fashion!

Whereas before he might have only been an incidental mech designer who sided with the Hexers, now the Coalition almost certainly labeled him as an enemy!

He had Fridayman blood on his hands! No matter how he managed to do it, there was no question he was involved in wiping out the entire crew of the Scarlet Rose!

Technically, Ves and Tristan should be enemies.

Yet neither of them showed any willingness to abide by the expectations of their identities.

Without exchanging a word, both of them understood each other’s measure.

They had no special feelings for the Komodo War and the conflict between the Friday Coalition and the Hexadric Hegemony.

While this rivalry still affected their lives, they already set their sights higher! Their ambitions stretched far beyond the Komodo Star Sector!

After implicitly understanding what he had in common with Tristan, Ves subtly relaxed his posture.

His counterpart followed likewise. He had been waiting for a friendly reaction.

Though both of them had managed to relieve the tension between them, that did not mean that everything was okay.

"So.. is it okay for you to take the initiative to talk to me?" Ves eventually broke the silence.

Tristan looked completely at ease. "Reality is never black and white. Do you think the Friday Coalition cares about an individual mech designer? While it’s true that our evaluation of you has dropped, you’re still a small fry in our eyes. Only Lady Curver and some of the people within the CRC are paying attention to you. As for the rest, the war against the Hexers is a big greater priority!"

That made a lot of sense. Compared to a trivial Journeyman who possessed an odd design philosophy, the Fridaymen had to exert their full effort into preventing the Hexers from annihilating their state!

One was just a stain on their dignity, while the other threatened their entire existence!

Ves felt pleased that he managed to stay under the radar of the Friday Coalition. Just thinking about their awe-inspiring might and vast resources at their disposal sent a chill through his spine.

If the Friday Coalition allocated just 0.1 percent of its total strength into annihilating him, Ves would certainly die without a doubt!

"Even so, I imagine it’s not exactly proper for you to be contacting me. Why did you call? Did Aisling put you up to it or something?"

"I’m no friend of Lady Curver." Tristan immediately shook his head. "She’s an alumni of Clarion University, which is one of the foremost mech design institutions of the Gauge Dynasty. I’m a graduate of the Leemar Institute of Technology, which hails from the Carnegie Group."

"And that matters because...?"

"To make the long story short, we’re bitter rivals. The competition between Clarion and Leemar is very intense. We compete on everything from the amount of academic papers our professors publish to the degree of success enjoyed by our graduates. The competition for the comprehensive ranking of mech design institutions is particularly acrimonious!"

All of this had nothing to do with Ves. He adopted a bored expression.

"Does this rivalry even matter these days? A common enemy is bearing down on you both!"

Tristan sheepishly shrugged. "You’d be surprised by how far people would go to reinforce their cliques. War brings pressure. War limits resources. War imposes stricter control. All of this means that there is an intense competition to be in charge. Those who become leaders will inevitably benefit those who belong in the same camp!"

"I see."

It seems the Friday Coalition wasn’t as unified as he initially thought. While Ves already caught a portion of this from Aisling’s correspondence, he was distracted by all of the initiatives meant to foster cooperation.

"Don’t get me wrong, Ves. We know the score. We are still capable of getting along when it truly matters. It is just that the Carnegie Group is situated directly in the path of the Hexers. My state is under a huge amount of pressure as Hexer raids and invasions frequently destroy or deprive us of our infrastructure."

This was the misfortune of being one of the partners of the Coalition that directly bordered Hegemony space.

Though the Carnegie Group prepared their defenses for centuries, the Hexers hadn’t spent this time in vain!

Upon this realization, Ves studied Tristan’s projection carefully and noted that he didn’t seem very hopeful.

"What’s up with you?"

"This will be the last time we can talk to each other in a while. Duty calls. I think you can understand."

"You don’t sound willing."

"Whoever wins the Komodo War, the Carnegie Group likely won’t be among them. Do you understand?"

"Is the war going that badly for you guys?"