After several months, the striker mech project neared completion.

After a third round of iteration and prototype testing, hardly any surprises emerged. The few unexpected deviations didn't meaningfully affect the performance of the mech.

Of course, performance nerds still cared a lot about these small discrepancies. Any instances of inefficiencies and lack of optimization had to be worked away with entirely before they were remotely satisfied with their work!

Fortunately for Ves, he was the one who decided when to drop the curtains on the project. Though his girlfriend still demanded extra time to refine the design even further, he resolutely blocked her requests!

She may have the upper hand on him in bed, but he would be damned if he let her take charge of the design lab as well! This was his most important bastion and the source of his confidence!

Besides, they already agreed that Ves had the final word on mass-production mech designs. When they designed a custom mech, then Gloriana possessed the biggest say, but their striker mech was anything but a product tailored to a single customer!

"We don't have the time to iterate further." Ves put his foot down. "Our Larkinson Clan is bleeding cash left and right and will likely deplete all of our savings in less than a year. On top of that, the LMC hasn't published a new product that possesses wide appeal since the start of the Sand War! With all of the disruption that has happened in the Komodo Star Sector, all kinds of pirates and scum are already pouring into the space devastated by the sandmen. A mech that can proficiently deal with hordes of low-quality mechs will be incredibly valuable to many outfits looking to pick the ruins!"

His personal analysis of the market situation concurred with the market reports compiled by the LMC's Marketing Department. Everyone saw that his product would likely sell well if it fulfilled its role!

While its technical performance didn't particularly exceed other spaceborn striker mechs, its promised fear-inducing glow was something that might completely revolutionize everyone's views on this mech type!

The Living Mech Corporation needed to strike while the iron was hot! Not only did Ves want to take advantage of the current market trend, he also wanted his mech company to show up on the news again! The company's hard-earned reputation was already eroding due to its lack of activity because the market's attention span was too short!

"Are we truly ready?" Gloriana asked with doubt. "This isn't the Sand War anymore. While the Komodo War is still raging in the center of the star sector, many of the lesser states are in the process of accumulating their strength."

He shook his head. "Even with some minor inefficiencies, our striker mech is still competitive compared to the competition. Besides, what you are talking about mostly concerns state actors. Our striker mech is a purely commercial product that is targeted towards security companies, mercenary corps and other private outfits. Their procurement patterns aren't as sensitive towards generational shifts."

States possessed a high sensitivity towards new generation shifts. Their mech militaries abhorred fielding outdated mechs. Even a ten percent difference in performance between the generations was enough to shift the outcome of a war against a rival state!

For this reason, ever since the new generation rolled in, practically any state that wasn't destitute or in collapse had undergone a very broad renewal process.

Their mech militaries gradually recycled as many mechs as possible and built new generation mechs as fast as their military industrial capacity allowed.

Of course, they mostly procured mechs designed in-house or in partnership with certain trusted Seniors.

As for the regular outfits, they tended to cling onto their older mechs for a longer time. Their financial situation usually didn't afford them the luxury of exchanging their mechs as if they were clothes.

While the more prudent outfits saved enough money in the past to invest in new war machines, even they tended to be cautious and patient. The first models to enter the market were usually overpriced and underpowered.

It took several years for the product offerings to slowly ramp up their standards to an optimum level. At that time, the mech designers became fully proficient in the changes the MTA introduced in the new generation.

So far, this ramp-up pattern was still an on-going process, but the rate of improvement had already slowed down. The mech industry already familiarized itself with the most drastic changes.

This meant that more and more outfits were entering the market in waves. The actual details concerning their purchasing behavior was actually very nuanced and complex, and Ves could talk for days about this subject.

However, that didn't change his overall conclusion, and that was that this was a good time to release a new product!

"Are we really going to settle with this iteration of our design?" Gloriana asked.

"We are." Ves smiled. "Let's finalize our work. We have spent enough time on it already."

The process of finalizing a mech design was a bit more complicated than before. With the growth of the LMC and its expansion in other states, the mech company had to comply with a lot more legal and administrative demands.

The headquarters of the LMC turned into a hive of activity. Both new and old workers initiated the process of introducing the new products to a diverse range of markets.

In some states with open economies, that might be as simple as filing a simple document to a government institution.

For the more troublesome states with more regulated economies, the LMC had to submit a more elaborate application. Not only that, but the mech company also had to submit the mech design and a physical copy to the MTA for validation.

Without the Mech Trade Association's stamp of approval, there was no way those picky foreigners would allow a potentially-dangerous mech to be put on sale!

In addition to all of this regulation-related work, the LMC also needed to finish its preparation for a large, multi-state marketing campaign.

In truth, the mech company already began its marketing preparations at the start of the striker mech design project. Ves frequently fed pertinent information about the project to Gavin, who proceeded to pass it on to the Marketing Department.

Ves and the LMC both had high hopes about this new product. Most of the LMC mechs with glows had already proven successful, and this one should be no different.

The question wasn't whether the product would be a success. The true issue they worried about was whether it would sell quickly enough!

As long as the opening sales surpassed a certain threshold, the momentum generated from all of the hype about the new product release could be used to drive up even more interest!

In order to reach sales figures that were close to the numbers of the Desolate Soldier, the LMC had to go all-out and invest a lot of money to publicize the new release!

Though Ves winced at the astronomical price of the marketing campaign, he knew it would likely pay off in the end. Just because Ves and the LMC had both become famed throughout the star sector after their latest accomplishments didn't mean they could just coast on free publicity!

While all of this took place, Ves and Gloriana prepared to fabricate the first production model.

The first copy of a mech design was always a significant step to mech designers. This was usually the time when they both 'completed' their mech design and received the corresponding feedback from their design seeds.

It was also the best and most hopeful opportunity to fabricate another masterwork mech.

To Ves, this moment was even more significant.

First, he deliberately refrained from bestowing a name upon the mech design.

Second, he held off on bestowing the mech with a design spirit until the final moment.

Both of these measures served to maximize his momentum for his upcoming fabrication session!

Every member of the design team gathered at the mech workshop next to the design lab. The Tovars and the Ylvainans both looked incredibly enthusiastic at the show they were about to witness!

It was rare to see Ves and Gloriana put together a mech in person. Each time they did so, they served as an example for the others to follow. This was because their fabrication and assembly skills were some of the best in the LMC!

It was a pity they weren't allowed to assist in person, but with their lack of experience and proficiency, they would just get in the way of the lead designers. In the worst case, the clumsiness exhibited the assistant mech designers might very well spoil the creation of another masterwork mech!

Both Ves and Gloriana prepared carefully for this fabrication session. Gloriana, in a rare moment of benevolence, dismissed the guards from their stateroom the night before and allowed Ves to enjoy some much-desired fun!

The glow he exuded when he woke up the next morning was so bright that even Lucky couldn't stand its intensity!

"Meow!"

"What do you mean I smell?" Ves frowned as he began to eat his hearty breakfast. "I took an extra-long shower this morning!"

Sitting on the opposite side of the table, Gloriana partook in her breakfast as well. She grinned at her boyfriend.

"I'll give you another reward if you do well in our fabrication session." She promised with a coy smile. "I already told you, Ves. As long as I'm in a good mood, I'm open for anything! If we happen to make another masterwork mech…"

Ves gulped.

Though she didn't elaborate on what might happen, his overactive imagination was already conjuring up all kinds of heated scenarios!

"I will do my best!" He quickly coughed and tried to regain his composure. "I mean, I will endeavor to replicate our previous success and craft a mech that meets our expectations."

To be honest, Ves had a hunch that he wouldn't be getting lucky anytime soon. Making a masterwork mech was anything but guaranteed and building one consecutively right after the Quint was highly improbable!

Though Ves harbored plenty of enthusiasm for his striker mech design, it hadn't reached the level of anticipation he held towards his Hexer mech design project. The latter was a true game changer as far as he was concerned, and Ves already made more elaborate preparations in order to maximize its impact.

As for this session, he believed it was much more likely he would be getting the cold shoulder after this conclusion!

Ves tactfully refrained from voicing his doubts. There was always a chance a fluke might occur, and he never ruled out a lucky break. It was just that his intuition hinted that he should temper his expectations this time.

Before he began to bestow his mech design with a glow, he turned to the two Larkinson seeds that had been invited to the mech workshop as well. Just like his assistants, they looked forward to witnessing their idols in action!

"When you witness what we are about to do, don't focus too much on what you can see with your eyes." He advised. "Instead, feel the love and care we put into our work. Close your eyes and sense how we shape the intangible properties of our mech with our efforts. As long as you can perceive what we do on this level, there is hope that you may be able to develop a similar specialty to mine."

Both Maikel and Zanthar looked incredibly hopeful at his vague words!

Though Ves didn't outright spell it out, he basically suggested that he might pass on some of his core teachings to the Larkinson seeds!

He had no intentions on passing all of his exclusive knowledge to them both. Neither of them possessed the high degree of spiritual perception that his design philosophy depended upon. That did not mean he could steer them in a direction that enabled some forms of spiritual manipulation.

Perhaps he could raise another mech designer like Ketis, who received so much influence from him that she found a way to manipulate spirituality in her own unique way!