Hmm... does "deliberately going to sleep in a ring of fire w/ a hostlie spell active merely because you got bored with trying to solve the social puzzle during the test" count as the WORST idea ever? Or is it possible to get an even stupider idea?

Did I miss it? Is there a chapter that explains if he "can't" cultivate and level up? Or just "isn't" chosing to advance his cultivation?

You just NOW ask where they are going?

Both the Expert and the living mech are very stubborn. And the design spirit is powerful with protection type abilities. Excellent chance of turning out well!

None of those are really NEW ideas. I bet Exlor is saving the really interesting stuff for a surprise reveal!

Exotics Vault (aka "The Ghost Ship") This is a massive defense ship with stupidly redundant anti-intruder and anti-stealth and anti-espionage measures. A tiny clan like the Larkinsons couldn't possibly have any treasures more valuable than the stupidly expensive vault its kept in. (Or do they?) -Size (0/10) Casandra Breyer would rattle around even the smallest capital ship like a pea in an oil drum! Ves would only buy this ship if he found a reliable way to make/create more "Exotic Production Modules" and transfer them to a location of his choosing. -Defense (5/10) This is so secure even his Mom might... take an extra three seconds to steal his stuff... (oh well) For all the OTHER threats out there this is pretty dang secure! Even doubles as a pirate honey trap! Might as well get some research specimens if they are volunteering! :P -Mobility (4/10) All capital ships are turtles, but this one can run from more than you'd expect. Especially in FTL! -Productivity (1/10) This ship really won't pay for itself until MUCH later. Ves needs to collect all the pokemon to keep in it first! But to cover for its oddly infinite supply of exotics there is a full line of high-end exotic processing machines and maybe even a p-alloy production line? And life serum productions? Human experiments? Black Cat headquarters? Basically, anything that vaguely justifies being inside a floating Fort Knox! Even the smallest capital ship is over a kilometer long. This ship should be more than enough to keep Ves's best stuff safe until he is ready to upgrade to 1st class ships.

The VERY best card Ves has to play is promising to "Superpublish" as many of the expert mechs as he can. A flat 10% upgrade to something an MTA Master has already contributed on is huge! (And would allow for a closer look at "Mr S" Mastery level)

Biased opinion here... but I love all the chapters about my contest mech. Now the only thing left is wondering if it will get to join the ranks of Masterworks too?

If the Valkyrie is the embodiment of "honorable death" then... this is just as subversive as the Blessed Squire! In order to properly use their glows (and/or triggered abilities), they must respect the enemy mechs.

Oh come on! That "squire" mentality Ves was doing did a MAJOR part in contributing to the Masterwork. He totally deserves those extra rewards.

Oh wow... I got so many words! And a personal request by the author to improve my design?? Cool! (The pirate innovations have given me some ideas too.) Might need to run the draft version by the legal department of the MTA tho. But the updated idea should be within the spirit of the laws even if it bends the edges a bit. (Ves gonna have to sell the license for a LOT of credits)

Well then..... CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!! ^_^

*Squee!!!*

Wow, privilaged chapters this early? Guess you earned it.

PDL–F/D 3rd Class Backline Mech Special Feature: “Forget Me” Design Spirit: “Benny” This mech is the MOST powerful laser weapon a 3rd rate state can mass produce with just enough mech parts to pass MTA qualifications. - Moves under its own power. - No external power or ammo supplies. - Controlled by a neural interface. The PDL-F/D (Planetary Defense Laser, F/D grade pilots) is intended as an emergency defense laser against orbital targets. It is deployed in urban environments and drills a deep (but narrow) hole in the bedrock to put its superconducting heat sink. After each shot it must retract the heat sink, fly several hundred meters away, and drill a new hole. If it makes it to a new location without being seen, the glowing heat signature left behind might be an effective red herring. It is meant to be piloted by an even lower grade of mech pilots then Frontline mechs. So the controls are a dead simple “input firing coordinates”, and “fire”. It almost flies itself with anti-grav and very simple piloting interface. Because there is no way pilots of this grade would survive any length of time in active combat, this mech doesn’t even try. Instead it pretends to be a boring building REALLY HARD. The cockpit is even a fully functional virtual office! After all, any pilot assigned to this mech will likely spend their entire career NOT hitting “The Big Red Button”. Pilots under a useful grade are pretty much doomed to a very frustrating school experience of failing constantly. No one will hire them after they graduate and they have no training in anything else. This allows a state to make use of those marginal pilots in any job that can be done from a virtual office. (Graphic Design, Tax Auditor, CopyEditor….) No need to send them through the full pilot school either, a single class and then yearly refreshers is sufficient. The major, glaring weakness of a mech that never moves and depends on stealth is espionage. You can make sure the electronic records are flawless and the camouflage is perfect – but if the local citizens notice all those extra “water towers” or office spaces with doors that don’t open… a spy need only gather the gossip. Ditto if the pilot brags about his mech assignment. That is where the design spirit comes in! “Benny” has an outward glow of “forget me, I’m boring” to ward off spies. On bootup the internal glow checks to see if the pilot spilled classified secrets yesterday – then gives an burst of affirmation and starts. While Benny will never fire the gun without the pilot… if the pilot attempts to fire the laser without proper authorization from Command… the gun will mysteriously malfunction. The fact that millions of pilots are spending all day doing paperwork through a neural interface might have some interesting pilot breakthroughs. Only time will tell. (And what would an “Expert Tax Analyst” even look like?)