Too many months had passed since Lucky produced a gem. His last one was an odd one called Supreme Comprehension. Suffice to say, his cat had definitely become affected by the environment when his bowels disgorged this troublesome gem.
Ves even questioned whether it had been wise for him to perform an experiment by making it alive. If his cat ended up producing a standard gem, he might have gained one more gem that could empower an expert mech or other precious machine.
"C'mon. Don't produce anything too vague and weird this time."
"Meeeowww… Meeeoowww… MEEEOOOWW!"
Lucky was rolling on the bathroom floor as if his body was infected by an alien parasite or something. It was quite odd for him to exhibit such a strong reaction to a process that he was designed to perform.
All of this indicated that Lucky was about to unleash a major haul. Considering that the cat had taken his sweet time to digest all of the exotics he had eaten, the gems he was about to 'produce' should not be weak!
Ves was all smiles as he squatted next to the mechanical cat. His anticipation grew the more Lucky was in pain.
"Meeeoow!.. Meeeeeeeooow!.... Meeeeeeooooowwww!...."
"Hehe, serves you right for withholding your production for so long. Exercise your digestive system more next time. "
This ordeal went on for seven minutes until Ves finally spotted some activity on Lucky's backside.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
In just a handful of seconds, three powerful gems shot out and collided against the bathroom wall!
"Three gems! Yes!"
Ves became incredibly happy when his cat gave him a triple surprise instead of a single delight.
While he did not necessarily object to receiving a single, extremely powerful gem, his collection of gems had dwindled quite a lot. His pouch currently held just four of Lucky's products, two of which consisted of dark gems that had been affected by the abnormal environment of the Nyxian Gap.
[Unstable Chaos Essence]
A terrible essence of chaos is locked within this gem. The essence is stolen from a great and ancient horror that would dearly wish to regain it. Carry this gem at your own risk.
The effects of the two remaining so-called Unstable Chaos Essence Gems did not instill him with a lot of confidence. He had already confirmed that they were able to release a lot of explosive energy if they sustained enough damage. There was no way that Ves wanted to integrate them with any of his important mechs for that reason.
This meant that Ves actually possessed just two 'normal' gems, and both of them came with their own quirks or restrictions that reduced their value to a low point in his eyes.
Gems directly translated to potential masterwork mech opportunities as far as he was concerned. Each one he could use to bump the quality of a freshly fabricated mech into a machine that conceptually transcended the original scope of the design was a strategic asset!
Though Ves was still afraid that Lucky had ended up producing weird gems again, the colorful appearances of the gems suggested that they likely belonged to the normal variety that straightforwardly upgraded a specific attribute of a mech.
To Ves, that sounded as if he was about to receive his early birthday presents!
"Meooow… meeoooowwww…."
Ves completely ignored his exhausted and suffering gem cat and moved over to the side of the bathroom to pick up the three gems.
Despite the place where they originated from, the gems were clean and dry, so Ves did not show any disgust when he touched them and held them in order to confirm that they were all real.
"Three gems." He softly repeated.
Though Lucky was able to produce more gems at a time, Ves did not feel any regret that he only obtained three this time. He was just happy that he gained more flexibility and options now that he supplemented his depleted collection of gems.
He no longer waited and employed his System vision in order to learn about their effects.
[Bastet's Favor]
The blessing of a feline patron is stored in this gem. Enhances the cutting power of a mech by 20 percent.
[Bastet's Regard]
The blessing of a feline patron is stored in this gem. Improves the agility of a mech by 20 percent.
[Bastet's Affection]
The blessing of a feline patron is stored in this gem. Increases the firepower of a ranged mech by 20 percent.
His smile abruptly froze as he read through the descriptions.
"What the? Who the hell is Bastet?"
Ves retrieved his pouch of gems from his uniform pocket and pulled out one of his older gems. He quickly inspected its description.
[Bastet's Whisper]
The echoing whisper of a feline patron can be found within this gem. Enhances the acceleration of a tiger mech by 30 percent.
"...There is no way that this is a coincidence."
He briefly turned to Lucky, but saw nothing wrong. His cat was currently rubbing his backside while yowling with lingering pain.
"Meeeooww… meeoooww.. Meeeeooowwww…"
Seeing that neither the gems nor his gem cat could provide him with any clues, he no longer bothered with this mystery. No matter how the gems were named, the fact of the matter was that he gained three more ways to augment his mechs!
"I have a bit more confidence in making a masterwork mech now that I have these goodies." He grinned.
Bastet's Regard was particularly relevant to him as it sounded like the perfect gem for the Disruptor Project. While the chance of getting any of his mechs within throwing distance of this coveted quality standard was low, he felt a bit more reassured that he had a viable option at hand.
The only uncertainty was that his last-second attempt at making Lucky's gems alive failed to yield the expected results. None of the new 'Bastet' gems exhibited any significant signs of life.
"Maybe the last time was just a fluke?"
He needed to conduct more tests in order to figure out the rules behind this phenomenon.
The delivery of a fresh batch of gems ultimately put him in an even better mood than before. He had become even more eager to start fabricating the expert mech for real.
Lucky's agony slowly subsided after a few hours and a much-needed nap. Ves also enjoyed a good night of rest, especially after he 'synergized' with Gloriana after an impromptu 'design session'.