The Mech Touch

Chapter 2081 Eccentric Selection Process

The big day had come. To many young mech designers in their twenties and thirties, the opportunity to work and learn from the most prominent Journeymen of the star cluster had arrived!

Pretty much every mech designer who resided in the hotel rented out by the Larkinson Clan knew what was at stake.

The men and women who had made it through the extensive selection process watched each other with varying amounts of friendliness and wariness.

Those who made it this far all possessed enough strength to earn each otherʼs respect.

A lot of candidates had forged new friendships as they waited for the time of the final selection.

The concentration of more than a thousand young but promising mech designers of similar status meant that many of them had already made a lot of gains up to this point.

Even if they washed out and returned home, the networking they accomplished would definitely pay off in the future!

Of course, the applicants didnʼt forget that they were competitors as well. Though no one was sure how many mech designers the LMC planned to hire, the amount would certainly not be in the hundreds!

This meant that the friendly mech designer from the Reinald Republic that they bantered with might enjoy the opportunity while they themselves returned empty-handed!

All of this led to a strange dynamic where the mech designers treated each other in a complex fashion. Those who were more socially adept had gained a lot of advantages during this period.

A number of passenger shuttles soon arrived in front of the hotel. The large shuttles were shaped like buses and could accommodate a hundred passengers while providing excellent comfort.

Additionally, the Living Sentinels dispatched a company of aerial mechs. Each of them looked formidable and could protect the convoy of passenger shuttles from all kinds of threats.

The wealth and power of the Larkinson Clan was on immediate display. As the mech designers entered the vehicles, their determination to join the LMC only burned hotter!

After a brief trip, the mech designers arrived at the expansive base the Larkinson Clan had rented.

As the shuttles landed at the designated zones, they immediately felt different as a number of different glows affected their minds!

During their stay on Cinach VI, every mech designer had the privilege of experiencing the glows of LMC mechs in person!

To many of them, the effect they had on their moods had been eye-opening.

”Please donʼt mind all of the glows.” One of the clansmen in charge of corralling them instructed. ”When you are accepted into the clan, you will quickly grow used to them. Many of you will even appreciate their comforting presence. The Larkinson Clan and the LMC are inseparable from the clan patriarchʼs glows. If their influence somehow frightens or offends you, then you can always head back into a shuttle. We are offering free return trips!”

A few of the mech designers chuckled, but none of them turned around. Those who believed in the conspiracy theories that the glows were designed to brainwash people or something never applied in the first place. Everyone who made it this far were all fans of the mysterious glows!

”Very well. Now follow me and behave yourself. The two lead designers of the LMC will be examining you in person. Iʼve heard that they have prepared some unusual tests, so be ready to do anything, no matter how ludicrous it sounds.”

The group of mech designers slowly walked across the base, encountering many impressive LMC mechs along the way.

A pair of Blackbeaks along with some Crystal Lords moved across their path.

A freshly-fabricated Aurora Titan was heading towards the section occupied by the Avatars of Myth.

A trio of ferocious Doom Guards were slowly moving to one of the ships of the Battle Criers.

Each of these mechs featured the standardized coating of the various mech forces under the control of the Larkinson Clan.

Each of the mech designers were aware that the Larkinson Clan was more than just a group ruling over a lucrative mech company. It used to belong to a family of honorable soldiers! This storied history generated a lot of admiration among the candidates.

Eventually, they reached a large hall that had been specially prepared to conduct the final selection. A handful of mechs of different models already stood at various places. A number of guards were stationed throughout the hall in order to maintain order and prevent any outsiders from interfering with the selection process.

Ves and Gloriana both showed up in their clan uniforms. They looked fairly indistinguishable from the other clansmen if not for their confident demeanors! The success they enjoyed and the power they accumulated amplified their stature and turned them into individuals who would always stand out in a crowd!

Their cats obediently sat next to their feet. The two felines stared vigilantly at the candidates while flicking their tails. If they detected any problems, they would surely warn their owners!

Ves rapidly counted the number of heads with his implant and determined that 1053 candidates had arrived today. That was a little less than was on the list. He didnʼt ask why a couple of them hadnʼt showed up. It didnʼt matter anyway.

”Welcome, fellow mech designers.” He greeted the neatly assembled mech designers in a warm and friendly tone. ”My name is Ves Larkinson, and this is Gloriana Wodin. Both of you should already know who we are. In addition, you should also be aware of the reason why you are here. Each of you have been tested and deemed worthy to receive our personal consideration. That does not mean your entry into the LMC is guaranteed. Far from it. Only 50 of you will receive an offer from us. That means that 1003 of you will be sent back home!”

Gloriana crossed her arms. ”We only demand the best. If we declined to hire you, that means you fail! You can blame us all you want, but the truth of the matter is that we went for someone who is better. If you donʼt want that to happen to you, then be sure to perform at your best! We are not inclined to give any second chances. We donʼt care if you are a genius or if you have won some prestigious prize. If you canʼt show up when we ask for it, then thatʼs your fault. Consistency and reliability are some of the core traits we value in the LMC.”

”Remember that this is an opportunity of a lifetime for some of you. The LMC is a mech company that doesnʼt possess a fixed headquarters.” Ves reminded them all. ”This means that our headquarters is actually moving with the Larkinson Clan. Due to this reason and more, everyone who joins the LMC will also have to be adopted into the Larkinson Clan. This is an irreversible decision, but one that can transform your lives!”

None of the candidates showed any doubts. The ones who werenʼt willing to abandon their old families and affiliations had already been filtered out!

After making their points clear, Ves moved on and explained the rules. ”My partner and I have decided to conduct separate tests on all of you. We are both selecting according to different criteria. This means if one of us has passed you over, you still have a chance. Just take into consideration that what works for Gloriana might not work for me, and vice versa. If you have done your research on us, then you should be able to guess what we appreciate.”

They had both made this decision when they entered into a deadlock yesterday. Neither of them were able to come to an agreement on which set of criteria they needed to apply to the new recruits!

Eventually, they threw up their hands and decided to split everything up. Both would be conducting their separate round of tests and hire twenty-five mech designers each!

Ves started first. He stepped forward and approached the ranks of mech designers that had formed into rows. Lucky padded after him while keeping a close eye on the potential new Larkinsons.

He approached one of the corners of the row and peered into the eyes of the mech designer standing in front of him with a scrutinizing gaze.

The man tried to shy away before realizing that this might be some sort of test. The candidate did his best to muster his courage and return the stare.

Ves lingered for a few seconds before moving to the side to peer into the eyes of another mech designer.

He didnʼt say anything. The confused candidate wondered whether he had been passed over.

What was Ves Larkinson looking for? Why did he insist on staring at each of them in the eyes?

No one talked. No one moved. Ves went from mech designer to mech designer in a calm and patient fashion.

Not even Gloriana knew what her boyfriend was looking for, but she showed no irritation at the amount of time that Ves was determined to take.

After inspecting nearly a hundred mech designers in this fashion, he eventually halted. He stared a bit longer at a seemingly-random mech designer.

”You.” Ves raised his hand and placed it on the shoulder of the mech designer. ”You pass. Welcome to the LMC. You are suited to become a Larkinson.”

For a moment, the lucky man in question couldnʼt believe what he heard? Was it that easy to earn Ves Larkinsonʼs approval? He didnʼt even do anything! He just stood as straight as a rod while making sure to meet the Journeyman eyes with his own! He didnʼt even do anything else!

”Th.. thank you!” The man bowed with incredible glee. ”I will strive to meet your expectations!”

Ves jerked his head to the side. ”Head over there. One of our guides will process your entry into the Larkinson Clan after this process is done.”

As the successful candidate happily walked out of the row, the other mech designers looked incredibly envious at him! They all wanted to take his place! What did he possess that allowed him to be selected straight away?

The strange and unusually short selection caused the remaining mech designers to stand a little straighter.

Ves didnʼt really bother with that. He resumed his routine and continued to go over every single individual.

In the end, he selected six more mech designers.

He smiled in an intriguing fashion as the seven mech designers all gathered at the side.

Each of them possessed spiritual potential!

That wasnʼt all. There were even more candidates who possessed spiritual potential. Since each of them were fairly talented and capable in their profession, Ves wasnʼt surprised to encounter over thirty mech designers with spiritual potential!

The reason why he didnʼt pick them up was because of several reasons.

Perhaps the vibe they exuded didnʼt meet his tastes. Perhaps his intuition reacted somewhat cool towards them. Perhaps the attributes he sensed from them repelled his sensibilities.

The seven he selected represented the best of the group of candidates with spiritual potential. Their strength and development varied, but Ves had a very good feeling about all of them, and that was enough!

Of course, he didnʼt just select them on the stop due to his feelings alone. He also made sure to go over their records through his mind. He had already downloaded the complete profiles and records of every single candidate in his implant.

There werenʼt any problems with the seven mech designers who possessed a good chance to advance to Journeymen. While he admittedly didnʼt spend a lot of time going over their strengths, he could always explore them later.

Right now, it was sufficient to know that they were worth investing in once they joined the Larkinson Clan.

When Ves withdrew from the time-consuming examination, it was Glorianaʼs turn to conduct her test!

She stepped forward with a grin. ”Unlike my boyfriend who likes to rely on gut to make his decisions, I prefer to conduct a more objective test. As a mech designer who is expected to work under my supervision, I expect excellence in as many areas as possible! In order to see whether you have what it takes to keep up with my demands, you will have to demonstrate your intelligence!”

With a snap of a finger, a projected screen appeared in front of the faces of all of the candidates.

”What you are looking at right now is an advanced textbook that contains knowledge that I am very confident that you arenʼt familiar with. You have thirty minutes to absorb as much knowledge from the book as possible. After that, you have thirty minutes to complete an exam. Those of you who have managed to achieve the best scores will enter my short list!”

A lot of mech designers lit up. There were a lot of geniuses and high performers within the crowd. None of them lacked confidence in their learning ability!

However, Gloriana wasnʼt quite finished.

”Oh, before you ask, we wonʼt be providing you with any seats!”