Along with the rising prosperity of the LMC, its headquarters continually received upgrades.

Its defensive capabilities improved to the point where it could withstand a surprise from mechs. Its interior design also became more resplendent.

Ves always felt in control while he resided in his office. His company, his headquarters and his office reflected the wealth and power he accumulated since he became a mech designer.

Ever since Gloriana came into his life, he felt as if he was getting further and further away from his modest background. Though he grew rather quickly, his mentality still hadn't entirely caught up with his current level of strength.

His recent rise and change in status increased his confidence.

He dared to confront Senator Tovar directly in order to negotiate a more equal partnership.

He dared to design a mass market mech that exposed the glows of his mechs to a much wider audience.

He dared to design a marksman mech that depended solely on its design spirit to guide its targeting!

Now, Ves faced his latest challenge.

His office descended into silence as Vincent Ricklin arrogantly spread his legs.

Due to his tight black pants, a notable bulge outlined his lower waist.

Eventually, his sycophants rose their fists and hooted.

"WHOOO! Show them what you got, Vince!"

"You're a real man, captain!"

"True men come from Bentheim!"

Vincent Ricklin changed a lot over the years. Yet some things hadn't changed at all. In fact, Vincent's macho traits had grown more pronounced as he used his raw charisma and masculinity as a means to foster popularity.

With the recorder bot and media crew streaming everything on the galactic net, Ves was well aware that Vincent was playing to a crowd.

Unfortunately, that also meant that Ves could not smack Vincent in the face, though he really wanted to. This fellow deliberately made a show out of his demand!

Ves glanced to his girlfriend and became relieved that Gloriana did not react too strongly at Vincent's demand.

Since she student every mech that Ves had ever designed and built, she should have been familiar with the Marc Antony he customized for Vincent.

The only reaction she exhibited was a minor frown. As a classy Hexer, the vulgarity displayed by Vincent completely rubbed her the wrong way.

Perhaps other Hexers might find Vincent's bad boy behavior endearing, but Gloriana held much higher standards.

She noted that Ves paid attention to her and offered him a brief smile. She placed her hand on his as reassurance.

Seeing that Gloriana hadn't been tempted at all by Vincent made Ves pleased. He knew that Vincent would have never attracted her attention since he wasn't a mech designer, but who could tell how women thought?

"Mr. Ricklin." Ves began.

"Captain Ricklin. Well, former captain now." Vincent corrected him while he kept his legs wide and open. "I used to lead my own mech company, you know! Right now, I'm in the process of forming my own mercenary corps! Once you build my custom mech, my Ricklin's Rollers will truly take off! With my invincible Adonis, I'll lead my new band of brothers to fame and fortune!"

"To fame!"

"And fortune!" His goons echoed!

The camaraderie that Vincent enjoyed with his closest comrades surprised Ves quite a bit. While he was unquestionably the leader, he did not adopt a distant and imperious leadership style.

Instead, Vincent came across as one of the lads, but just a bit more exceptional. Ves understood a bit better how this former rebel managed to rise up the ranks within the BLM.

His immediate goals were clear. As one of the many cadre of the former BLM who received amnesty, Vincent had to start anew.

As long as he earned fame and glory in the Sand War, he would probably be able to attract a lot of former members of the former BLM!

The Bentheim Liberation Movement used to employ a lot of mech pilots. Tens of thousands, at the very least.

While their average skill level left much to be desired, many former officers and leaders of the BLM were scrambling to grab these mech pilots for themselves!

Vincent was just one of many former leaders. Though he became a lot more famous over the years, his foundation wasn't as substantial as the leaders who had been with the BLM for decades.

In order to overcome this gap, Vincent clearly aimed to show valor on the battlefield.

Mech pilots often worshipped the strong and brave! As long as Vincent made the right impression, his mercenary corps would probably grow to become a force to be reckoned with! As for what Vincent wanted to do next, Ves had no clue.

Understanding the context behind Vincent's circumstances allowed Ves to comprehend his client's demands.

"Vincent.." He started. "This specific demand of yours is in poor taste."

The half-naked man snorted and thumbed his chiseled chest. "So what? I don't care! I'm a man, and I'm proud of it! I fight best when I feel like a man! Do you know how many mechs I've tried out? None of them can give me the kind of satisfaction that comes with piloting your mechs! Your Blackbeak and your Prideful Soldier mechs are my favorites! No other mech designer can ever make me feel close to a man than your work!"

"Since you are already accustomed to those mechs, maybe we can—"

"NO!" Vincent roared. "Don't think about skipping the codpiece! I can't stand mechs that don't have a codpiece! Do you know the first thing I do when I obtain a new mech? I grab a couple of mech technicians and order them to install a codpiece! Even then, it doesn't really feel as if I am embodying a man in the form of a machine! It always feels as if my manhood is prosthetic! It's not good enough!"

"Vincent.. a humanoid mech isn't meant to be a literal stand-in for the human body. Mechs are machines that just happen to borrow some of the principles of a human physique. There is no practical benefit to adding a codpiece to a mech. Almost every mech pilot in existence has never issued a single word of complaint about its absence!"

Vincent huffed. "All of those ignorant men don't know what they're missing! They're pussies! At least I'm confident enough to show the ladies what I'm packing! Don't try to change my mind on this. Ever since I piloted my first mech with a codpiece, I have never gone back!"

"It's useless to argue any further, Ves." Gloriana sighed. "I've worked with many clients over the years. Some have.. specific demands that they can't find in a mass-produced mech. Maybe there is a very good reason for that, but it's not our job to judge the taste of our clients. As long as the overall performance of a mech isn't severely compromised, it's best to accept their demands."

Her words reminded him that he should act like a professional. It was just that Ves got triggered whenever someone brought up codpieces!

He detested this useless addition to a mech! Mechs weren't living creatures, let alone able to procreate!

The codpiece was nothing more than a way to show off Vincent's masculinity and reinforce his manly ego!

Yet because Vincent cared so much about it, Ves really had no choice but to accept this demand!

Functionally, the codpiece itself was a useless component that did not add anything to a mech.

However, just like how Ves modified the Holy Soldier's external appearance to make it more appealing to the Ylvainans, not every cosmetic addition was useless!

Another way to look at it was that Vincent was a client who adhered to a religion. His religion centered around himself and his perceived manliness! The more his mech conformed to his ideals, the greater his fighting spirit!

Ves frequently studied the actual battle performance of the mech pilots of his products. He already collected an abundant amount of proof that the mech pilots of his products fought substantially harder than usual!

They fought as if their mechs were several times more expensive! The glows of his mechs achieve a similar effect to the confidence that mech pilots gained from piloting very powerful machines!

He sighed. "I'll do my best, though I won't make any promises."

"Good!" Vincent grinned, happy that he managed to get his way. He activated his comm and projected a very crude sketch. "This is what I've been working in my free time. What do you think?"

Both Ves and Gloriana tried their best to suppress their reactions.

As mech designers, Ves and Gloriana both learned how to sketch and draft a mech design.

Vincent lacked this training. What was worse was that he didn't possess a technical understanding of how a mech was put together.

The abomination of a sketch that Vincent showed off was incredibly skewed and uneven. The mech wasn't symmetrical. Its proportions were skewed. The codpiece looked out of proportion compared to the rest of the mech.

Perhaps the only point worth praising was that Vincent somehow managed to transpose a wireframe image of his well-defined chest and abs onto the front torso of the mech.

Other than that, the crude sketch was anything but a proper draft design.

Ves coughed. "We shall use your requirements as a starting point and a source of inspiration. Due to the complexity of your proposal, we will require a few days to interpret your description into a more refined draft."

"Fine." Vincent lazily waved his hand. "Don't take too long. The sooner I get my Adonis, the sooner I can beat the sandmen to a pulp!"

The discussion continued for a bit as Vincent added some other inane demands. Ves patiently endured this moment before Vincent finally said his piece and left.

Once Vincent and his entourage left the office, Ves sank down on the couch and let out a deep breath.

"What an infuriating man! What do you think, Gloriana?"

She smiled and stroked his hair. "I've encountered worse at Centerpoint. Vincent is just a boy pretending to be a man. The harder they try to show off their masculinity, the more insecure they really are. You don't have to compare yourself to Vincent. You're much more capable than him. According to his record, he's not even a good mech pilot."

That caused Ves to think over the mech that Vincent wanted them to design. "That's going to be a problem. If we leave out the cosmetic design of his custom mech, its technical makeup is already going to be complex. The hybrid mech he's asking for is going to be very difficult to design. He wants to stuff his mech with multiple weapon systems as well as strengthen its defense!"

"It'll be easier with our higher budget." Gloriana confidently stated. "In fact, I think this is a good opportunity to practice some of the second-class mech design principles I've taught to you. A lot of second-class mechs are similar to the mech that Vincent wants to design. The internal architecture of a second-class mech design is always more complex than the simpler ones that you're used to. Learning how to integrate many different components in a single frame is an essential skill for any second-class mech designer."

"I guess so." Ves sighed. "I just feel that Vincent doesn't really know what he's asking for. He needs a good dose of reality."

"It could be worse. Even without our generous budget, I think we could still make his mech work."

The so-called Adonis that Vincent demanded was a medium ranged hybrid mech that was suitable to be employed in assaults.

Vincent basically wanted to pilot a much better version of the Dawnbreaker and Novabreaker.

If not for the codpiece, Ves wouldn't have so many objections to this commission.

Seeing that Ves still had mixed feelings over Vincent's demands, Gloriana giggled and ruffled his hair some more.

"Don't worry, Ves. I'll take the lead in this design project. You should direct most of your time on designing your Ylvainan marksman mech. You're clearly more passionate about that project."

"Will you be fine with working with Vincent?"

"Designing the perfect vessel is my passion, Ves. I can handle a boy like Vincent."

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