The Belgrad Mech Repair Factory (Part 2)

From that day forward, Reno officially became a member of the Belgrade Machine Repair Factory.

The old man's name was Bell, and he had a partner named Gad, together forming the name Belgrade.

The entire repair factory was supported by these two individuals, and when Reno learned of this, he felt as if he had been hit by an iron pie rather than a windfall.

Apart from Bell and Gad, there were two apprentices in the repair factory, along with Reno, totaling five people.

There were no finances, no operations, and no security; everyone in the repair factory had multiple roles. Bell was in charge of the technical aspects, handling almost all the mechs. Gad was responsible for acquiring external jobs, and when he had free time, he would also handle the accounts for the factory.

There was a middle-aged man with thick, bushy eyebrows, named Emokin Gad.

He always slicked back his shiny, clean hair, immaculately groomed, and ironed out every crease in his clothes. He enjoyed smoking a pipe, like someone from the 19th century.

But what he cherished the most was his bushy mustache, which he meticulously groomed every day, even putting on a mustache cover when he slept.

As Bell put it, the best way to infuriate Gad was to mess up his mustache.

The two apprentices in the repair factory were named Alexander Radmore and Ike Davy.

Radmore seemed like a somewhat foolish young man, while Davy was clearly much smarter. Radmore was always being ordered around by Davy, but the straightforward Radmore never minded.

Nevertheless, Ike Davy was always dissatisfied.

He always complained, saying he had come to the wrong place. With his talent, he should have gone to better repair companies to learn more advanced techniques, rather than staying in this rundown place, fixing outdated mechs and doing various clumsy, unskilled jobs.

"Old Bell is so stingy, he won't even hire a janitor," Davy said to Reno. "He always makes us do these unskilled jobs."

This was the twelfth time Reno had heard the same complaint since joining the factory three days ago.

Young people always complained about everything.

"If you don't want to do it, let me do it," Reno said with a smile, taking the large wrench from Davy's hand and dismantling parts from a scrapped mech.

Moving parts from scrapped mechs to those waiting for repair was the most common method of repair at Belgrade Machine Repair Factory.

Because the factory was so rundown and lacked reputation, Gad had to take jobs at extremely low prices. To save costs, they sourced scrapped mechs from outside as spare parts. Although this resulted in less than ideal repairs, it was still cheap.

In truth, Bell's repair skills were quite good; any mech that reached his hands could be salvaged. However, due to the lack of quality parts, even if he repaired a mech, it couldn't sustain high-intensity usage for long, which made it difficult for the factory to build a reputation.

It was a vicious cycle.

Reno thought to himself.

In terms of skill, Bell was quite skilled, but in terms of results, he couldn't perform miracles.

The repair factory was always in a half-dead state; it wouldn't close down, but it wouldn't bring wealth either. It was no wonder Davy always wore a dissatisfied expression.

Reno quickly and neatly dismantled the parts Bell needed and brought them over.

The old man was wrestling with a X350 model mech.

This old-fashioned model was rarely seen in the market nowadays, and it was a wonder where Gad had found it. What was even more surprising was that the owner of the mech still hoped to repair it.

"The restrictor you wanted, Mr. Bell," Reno called out from below the mech.

Bell's gray head poked out from the mech's six-meter-high shoulder. "Ah, Reno, did Davy slack off again and make you do his work?"

Reno smiled. "It's okay, Mr. Bell. The task you assigned me is done."

"Alright then." Bell waved his hand. "Come up here, lad. As a reward for your diligence, let me show you how to make the propulsion system work again without replacing the core engine. It's my specialty."

"Come on, old man, this 'specialty' is pointless. Just replacing the thruster with a spark engine would fix it, and it wouldn't cost much. Your method doesn't save much money and consumes a lot of time. With that energy, you could repair three similar mechs." Davy summarized discontentedly. "It may be a skill, but it's outdated."

"Young man, you can never guarantee that you'll always get the right parts on the battlefield," Bell answered seriously. "Technology isn't outdated; it just lies dormant temporarily."

"Thank you, Mr. Bell. I'm eager to learn this technique," Reno said as he climbed onto the mech.

Taking the restrictor from Reno's hands, Bell smiled. "Good lad. Let's see... This wire here..."

He began to explain in detail to Reno the construction and operation principles of the entire propulsion system, as well as how to solve the problem.

The technique required to restore the propulsion system without replacing the core engine was quite complex, but Bell operated patiently, while Reno listened attentively, learning.

Time passed quickly.

As dusk approached, Bell finally repaired the mech.

Wiping his hands, he asked Reno, "How's your understanding?"

Reno thought for a moment and replied seriously, "If I had another mech like this one, I think I could attempt to repair it."

"Is that so? You're learning quite fast." Bell chuckled a few times and then sat down heavily on the mech's back, sighing, "But it's of no use. This is outdated technology."

Reno didn't understand.

He looked at Bell. "I don't understand, sir. You said before that on the battlefield, you can't always guarantee you'll get the right parts."

Bell chuckled. "That's just me trying to justify myself. On the interstellar battlefield, every soldier has their own repair kit and repair robots, which can quickly and automatically carry out repairs. Besides, the repair robots contain a miniature 4D printing device, which contains over three hundred types of condensable gel materials, including liquid metal. By printing according to pre-existing programs, most parts can be synthesized, becoming temporary substitutes. My skills only come into play when all the basic materials are used up. But that's meaningless because by that point, the battle is usually over, or the mech is scrapped, rendering repairs pointless."

He sighed. "Davy wasn't wrong; my skills are outdated and no longer suitable for this era. Faster, larger-scale, simpler, and more convenient repairs are the basis of modern repairs. My skills are like those of an old craftsman, replaced by scale and mechanization, defeated by the rapid, simple, and direct demands of the market. That's why I'm becoming more and more despondent."

He shook his head, emitting a helpless and somewhat melancholic sigh.

Reno looked at him, thought for a while, and then said, "That doesn't matter to me, sir. I'm here to understand mechs, to pilot mechs, to become proficient in

 mechs, and ultimately to earn credits. In your place, although it's only been three days, I feel like I've learned a lot. This kind of contact and understanding from the most primitive level is what I need. So, sir, you are still very valuable; you are helping a young man fulfill his dream."

Bell was slightly stunned.

He looked at Reno and suddenly asked, "Do you want to own a mech?"

"Yes," Reno replied. "But I can't afford one, so I can only start as a repair apprentice."

Reno pointed to the mech in the yard. "Every time I repair one, I can test it out, under the guise of inspection."

"But that's far from enough," Bell said. He thought for a moment and then said, "What if I give you a mech?"

This time it was Reno who was stunned.

He looked at Bell.

Bell grinned. "Come on, kid, I'll show you something. Believe me, although I'm just an old has-been, I still have some assets."