In the end, Ves' confidence in the Bulwark Project was not misplaced.
It was far from guaranteed that he and his team would succeed in turning the Shield of Samar into a masterwork expert mech, but there were simply too many factors that triggered this crucial evolution.
As Ves and the other Journeymen closely observed the invisible changes that qualitatively lifted up the Shield of Samar to the second rung of Senfovon's Ladder of Craftsmanship, they each collected another batch of insights.
Each of them felt closer and more attuned to not just the Shield of Samar, but also other mechs as well. This was the clearest indicator that their affinity for mechs received another bump.
This time, both Ves and Gloriana played a pivotal role in elevating the Shield of Samar into a masterwork mech.
They already improved their mech affinities before and were able to reach the second rung of the ladder much more proficiently than in the past.