The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1777

As much as Gloriana wanted to turn herself into a barnacle, she couldn’t stick with Ves forever.

She still had some responsibilities to attend to, though she didn’t elaborate very much to Ves. It was for his own good, she claimed.

"Just because I’ve left the Hegemony doesn’t mean the Hegemony has left me." Gloriana gently patted his head as if he was a puppy. "Sometimes, a girl’s gotta work. I still have many obligations to the Wodins, and the customers of my old products are still entitled to support."

He smiled and briefly pulled her into an embrace. "Alright. Go do your thing, then. I have plenty of tasks to do as well. After separating from my company for so long, I’m worried whether it will fall apart if I remain absent for much longer."

"Your subordinates are doing a good job in keeping the LMC together. You don’t have to worry on that end. They don’t depend on your leadership as much as you think."

That was probably because Ves delegated so many duties, he conceded. He had never been a hands-on leader when the LMC ceased to be a one-man operation.

"Regardless, I’m sure they’ll welcome my presence. I’m pretty much the only mech designer aside from you who can perpetuate its success."

Before they separated, Gloriana made one more remark.

"There’s one more thing, Ves. My older brother wanted to meet you, but subduing the Terrinac and putting it under our control has taken longer than we thought. While our Glory Battalion has managed to take control of the ship, our fleet must soon leave this star system before any rescuers from the Friday Coalition arrive to block our escape."

They were still in the middle of unfriendly territory. While the Crecia Republic was by no means an enemy of the Hexadric Hegemony, it still hosted several known and unknown Coalition assets.

Ves didn’t look very concerned, however.

"Don’t you have an expert pilot protecting you? Even if the Fridaymen somehow manage to scrounge two mech companies on short notice, your fleet won’t come under serious threat."

"We can’t underestimate the Fridaymen." Gloriana shrugged. "Now that I have you back, I won’t risk losing you again!"

Well, she had a good point.

"By the way, who is your brother and what is he like?"

Gloriana grinned. "My brother is the one who saved you earlier today. He’s the pilot of the Star Dancer!"

"The expert pilot?!" Ves widened his eyes.

"Exactly! Didn’t I tell you that there is an expert pilot within my family? If I didn’t beg him to save you from the clutches of the Fridaymen, you would have become their prisoner again. He wants to meet you when we reach our next stop. Be nice to him, okay?"

Ves recalled the earlier conversation between Gloriana and Ranya.

"Doesn’t your brother think poorly of me?" He pointed out.

She waved her hand in dismissal. "I’m sure the two of you will get along with each other! You’re a mech designer and he’s a mech pilot! I know you don’t like to stay in the company of female Hexers, so you should definitely be more comfortable with a Hexer who shares something in common with you, hihihi!"

He wasn’t so sure about that. Ves recalled the time he inadvertently participated in the trials held by the Rim Guardians. He met his first Hexer back then. The male Journeyman was just as stuck up and dismissive towards Ves as the female Hexers!

"What if we don’t get along?"

Gloriana swiftly stepped up to him and held him tightly on both arms. Her face almost pressed up to him with an intense expression!

"YOU HAVE TO BEFRIEND MY BROTHER, VES! IF YOU CAN’T EVEN GET ALONG MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, HOW CAN YOU EVER GAIN THE APPROVAL OF MY MOTHER?! OUR VERY RELATIONSHIP IS AT STAKE! BE SERIOUS AND DON’T MESS THIS UP! I’LL PUNISH YOU IF YOU MAKE THINGS DIFFICULT!"

"I-I-I’ll do my best!" Ves hastily responded in shock.

Gloriana had turned twice as frightening as the mummy that haunted him back on the Scarlet Rose!

If he had a choice, he would rather deal with a centuries-old undead witch than an angry Gloriana!

When she received the response she wanted to hear, Gloriana quickly regained her composure and gently kissed his cheek.

"It’s for a good cause, Ves. We can’t move our relationship forward until my family and my mother are okay with it. What I’m doing is already at the limit of their tolerance. If not for all of the promises I’ve made and the turmoil back home, my mother would have recalled me by now."

"I understand. We always knew it won’t be easy to get the Wodins to like me. If my contribution to the Sand War hasn’t changed their minds, then it will probably take a huge effort for us to change their minds."

"It’s not as difficult as you think. You know what we need to do to change their perception of you." She reminded him. "As long as we make one good masterwork mech, everything will change!"

Ves hadn’t spent all of his time aboard the Scarlet Rose for nothing. He already formed some ideas to improve his odds of fabricating a masterwork mech. He couldn’t wait to put some of his ideas into action!

They finally separated from each other. While Gloriana approached the bridge, a guard escorted him to his quarters, which was right next to Gloriana’s stateroom. Their cats followed their owners as well.

"You are free to move around, but we suggest you stay in place until you are called." The female guard perfunctory said. "Our fleet will continue to remain on yellow alert throughout our journey back to the Ylvaine Protectorate."

"I understand. I’ll stay put."

The guard left him alone in his quarters once he got the message.

Not that he enjoyed any actual privacy. This was Gloriana’s personal starship, and Ves bet that every corner of his quarters was bugged to an insane degree!

He smirked and patted his lower waist. "It’s a good thing I’m still wearing the right pair of underwear!"

While it disconcerted him somewhat that he was still wearing the same article of clothing for more than a month, with the existence of advanced washing options, he was still able to maintain a satisfactory hygiene standard!

"It’s not like my Synthra Umbra underwear has turned smelly." Ves sniffed the air just to be sure.

"Meow."