The Mech Touch

　　"Meow?"

　　"You'll see."

　　Ketis cradled Lucky in her arms as she went through the security checks that preceded her entry into Ves' personal workshop.

　　She was quite familiar with the place as she had frequently assisted Ves in fabricating their first production copies.

　　With the Monster Slayer Project and the Second Sword Project just weeks away from completion, she even planned to borrow this workshop to fabricate her first true solo mechs in the near term.

　　That said, the workshop undeniably belonged to Ves. Their current settings all conformed to his preferences which were quirky to say the least.

　　Nonetheless, Ves took good care of his equipment and treated them almost just as well as his living mechs. He was not the sort of mech designer to cheap out or try to compromise on quality in order to save on costs.

　　He made no secret that he desired to acquire a superfab. The ones he worked with back when he participated in various tournaments in the Vulit Central Star Node had left a profound impression on him. They provided the ideal balance between control, efficiency and production speed.

　　Unfortunately, even the cheaper second-hand superfabs sold for at least 10,000 MTA credits!

　　The Larkinson Clan couldn't justify the purchase of one as they couldn't make full use of such an amazing device. The Spirit of Bentheim's ordinary production lines were already sufficient for most production tasks.

　　She didn't come here to fabricate any mechs today.

　　No. What she actually wanted to do would help her get into a better mindset before she embarked on this important endeavor.

　　Ketis did not want to get stuck in confusion when she finally fulfilled one of her dreams. The fabrication of a fully functional and competitive mech of her own design was a major achievement for any young mech designer.

　　Sure, she participated in the development of incredible mechs like the Dark Zephyr and the Everchanger, but they were far from solo projects.

　　Even the First Sword where she practically led the entire design project was not truly a work she could call her own. The assistance of Ves, Gloriana and so on were crucial in making it so powerful. She could not justifiably claim sole credit for its design.

　　The Monster Slayer which she planned to design first would be her first true introduction to the mech market.

　　She initially came up with the concept after winning a duel against the weird priest in the Nyxian Gap. She still recalled her mentality and the rush of excitement of slaying the monster that the cultist had become.

　　Her intuition told him that if she wanted to do the Monster Slayer justice, she would have to put herself in that mindset again. If her mood was good enough, she might be able to recreate the circumstances where she had fabricated her best works, all without relying on Ves and Gloriana's help.

　　Her eyes grew sharper as she gazed upon the dormant production equipment. "Stay safe. I will make use of you soon enough."

　　She turned away from the production area and moved to the side where Ves had stashed three organic statues.

　　Ketis heard that Ves had actually made four of them back during their visit to the Life Research Association, but the last one was too dangerous.

　　The three in the open were fairly safe as long as people didn't get lost in them. Ketis had observed them before and even tried out the glows of two of them. Her experiences back then prompted her to think about the statues when she attempted to find a solution to her current problem.

　　"Let's start with you." She muttered as she gazed at the Aspect of Tranquility.

　　The large statue was disturbingly human in its appearance. The biotechnicians that Ves had cooperated with had done a decent job in shaping cloned human tissue into a towering angel-like form.

　　The Aspect of Tranquility distinguished itself from the other ones by possessing a calm expression and raising a single palm in peace.

　　"You should keep your distance, Lucky. There is no need for you to come close."

　　"Meow." The gem cat nodded.

　　Lucky had no desire to blank out his emotions! He was a cat!

　　Once Ketis made sure the pet remained at a safe distance, she grabbed her floating sword and pulled it from its scabbard.

　　The Bloodsinger thrummed with power. Sharpie had inhabited it for so long that Ketis had the illusion that the sword had molded itself to the companion spirit.

　　"Are you ready, Sharpie?"

　　Swish swish.

　　"Okay, then. Let's start."

　　Ketis resolutely stepped into the range of the Aspect of Tranquility's glow. The close she got to the large angel-like statue, the more she felt the profoundness of its presence.

　　She didn't blank outh, though.

　　Compared to other humans, she wasn't affected by the glow. Her thoughts and emotions remained as active as ever while her willpower was robust enough to resist external influences.

　　Ves had explained to her that glows were actually a phenomenon where lower-level life forms recognized the superiority of higher-level life forms.

　　"In that sense, my life state is much closer to that of Lufa."

　　The more she gazed at the Aspect of Tranquility, the more she could sense the entity it was connected to. Lufa did not pay attention to Ketis at all despite her formidable strength. This made sense as the design spirit did not possess an active personality.

　　"I'll be borrowing your help, Lufa." She said as she bowed in front of the organic statue.

　　Once she showed her courtesy to Lufa, she carefully knelt down into a meditative position and closed her eyes.

　　She placed her unsheathed Bloodsinger on her lap. This allowed her to retain a close connection to her personal weapon.

　　Once she was ready, she slowly lowered her mental defenses and opened herself up to Lufa's glow.

　　This was a difficult procedure for Ketis. She was a warrior who always kept her guard up. Lowering it on her own initiative went against her instincts. The more she created an opening in her defenses, the more she felt vulnerable!

　　Fortunately, Lufa's presence was very reassuring. His glow was so tranquil that Ketis could not perceive any threat from it at all. It became easier and easier for her to relax and allow the tranquil glow to calm her down.

　　The effect was better than any meditation she attempted herself. Even with her heightened control over her own mind, she could not beat the power of a spiritual entity that was literally designed to calm people down.

　　In a matter of minutes, she had reached a state that certain sword style manuals spoke about.

　　Clearing one's mind completely of every thought and emotion was impossible. Humans simply weren't made to accomplish this feat.

　　However, Lufa was able to induce humans under its influence to a state of mind that was very close to total tranquility!

　　As Ketis temporarily let go of her concerns, her burdens, her ambitions and her desires, she felt unprecedented calm and at peace.

　　Not just herself, but Sharpie had also quieted down to a large extent.

　　Of course, as a spiritual entity that was the carrier of her extraordinary will, Sharpie's conviction could never be extinguished. Lufa was only able to exert a limited effect on the living sword intent, but the session was still helpful.

　　As Sharpie and Ketis enjoyed this moment of calm, they naturally resonated with each other. The Bloodsinger passively radiated more power as it reflected Ketis' remarkable state of mind!

　　If she wanted to, she could even work out a brand-new sword style from her current state.

　　There was no need for her to do so, though. She already mastered multiple sword styles which provided plenty of solutions against different types of opponents.

　　A peaceful blade also didn't suit her inclinations. She was a swordswoman who liked to be active and embraced excitement.

　　She wouldn't have chosen to fight on the evacuation ship if she wanted to be steady!

　　With the awareness she had left, she slowly inspected her current state.

　　She felt a lot more comfortable than before. Though Lufa's influence also muted her positive emotions, the fact that she still experienced them meant that she truly gained a lot of relief through this 'therapy'.

　　"Maybe I should return here more often."

　　Once she thought she could not obtain more gains from meditating here, she slowly raised her mental defenses, allowing her to return to a semblance of her former state.

　　When she stepped out of the range of the Aspect of Tranquility, she noted with considerable pleasure that her mood was a lot better than before!

　　The concerns and mental burdens that reasserted themselves no longer weighed as heavily on her as before. The temporary separation from her more active thoughts and emotions allowed her to sort herself out and remember what it was like to face reality with a simpler attitude.

　　Even the turmoil she experienced from struggling with her dilemma had subsided to an extent. With her calmer and more unburdened mindset, she was able to evaluate her choices with much greater clarity.

　　"You've also benefited." She said as she raised her greatsword.

　　Though Sharpie hadn't been as affected by Lufa as herself, the companion spirit still benefited to an extent. It had rid itself of various distractions and became a bit more focused.

　　"Let's move on to the next one."

　　Ketis approached the Aspect of Healing and did not hesitate to enter the range of its glow.

　　She repeated her earlier moves and bent down to meditate under the current effect.

　　Different from the Aspect of Tranquility, the Aspect of Healing did not suppress positive emotions all that much. It was therefore an excellent tool to soothe people who suffered trauma.

　　When Ketis opened herself up to this modified glow, she felt her worries and burdens going away yet again.

　　However, she was able to retain all of the good stuff in her mind.

　　She embraced this moment.

　　Different from before, she actively allowed her imagination to go wild.

　　She thought about her design projects that she was just about to complete. She thought of her proudest accomplishments. She thought about the future projects that she had yet to start. She thought of how she wanted to advance her swordsmanship.

　　She smiled as she enjoyed this moment. Though she was aware that reality was a lot harsher than she currently thought, it was great for her to liberate her mind in this instance.

　　Sharpie also embraced this moment. The companion spirit was much less resistant towards this particular glow because it liked the current effect.

　　Even a sword intent possessed ambitions!

　　The two of them remained in place for fifteen whole minutes.

　　Nothing could last forever, though. Once she felt she had indulged in her fantasies long enough, she forcibly resisted the Aspect of Healing's glow and pulled herself away.

　　Though her mood dropped as soon as reality fully reasserted itself to her, she was still a lot more content than before.

　　What she had done before gave her a much greater understanding of what she and Sharpie truly yearned for. Without the noise of her limitations and negative influences, she was able to recognize her own ideals to a much greater degree than before.

　　She already gained an inkling on how she would be able to solve her moral dilemma to her satisfaction.

　　"All it took was spending half an hour with these two statues." She grinned.

　　At this point, she achieved her main objective. She not only purged her mind of unnecessary negative thoughts, but also gained a huge amount of clarity about herself.

　　Not just her, but also Sharpie benefited from this brief 'therapy' session!

　　She would probably be able to get back to her peak once she returned to her grand stateroom and leisurely solved her dilemma.

　　"I'm not done yet here."

　　It would be a waste to go back. She planned to borrow the services of another organic statue.

　　She moved over to the side and studied the Aspect of Rationality. She could feel how this totem emphasized logic over emotion.

　　"You're not the statue that I'm looking for." She apologetically said.

　　No. She had a different target in mind.

　　Ketis turned away from the Aspect of Rationality and approached a gate which was locked.

　　Even though the metal bulkheads blocked her from seeing what was inside, her sharp senses already sensed something powerful residing inside this enclosure.

　　"It's you I want."