The Mech Touch

by welldarn

Just posting this here so I can listen to it while I'm at work. I obviously don't own this work. If you are looking for the previous 175 chapters look up the User: Srtyi.

40. Chapters 2151-2200

Chapter 2151 The Couple

Explosive news had erupted from the Cinach System once again!

The Larkinson Clan attracted the attention of the MTA once again. Master Willix portal-jumped straight to Cinach in order to certify another masterwork mech!

The unusual frequency of this occurrence practically stunned the local mech community and surprised many other mech designers.

Once was a coincidence. Twice was a pattern!

The odds of creating a masterwork mech at Journeyman-level was already slim to none, and they only dropped even further for younger mech designers.

Even then, the mech community could barely accept that the now-famous collaborative partnership of Ves and Gloriana managed to luck out once by benefiting from external help.

Yet accomplishing the same astonishing feat again in just over half a year was no longer a coincidence.

The two mech designers credited for creating the masterwork mech had done it again, and this time the MTA's public records noted that they had done it by themselves!

That latter detail was pretty important. It proved that Ves and Gloriana were more than a bunch of leeches. They possessed the capital to stand up on their own and wear their masterwork mech designer titles with pride!

Sadly, both the mech design and the masterwork mech relating to this remarkable event remained secret. The Larkinson Clan did not leak a single breath and the MTA respected the secrecy agreement, so no outsiders managed to learn the juicy details.

Due to the magnitude of this sensational news, the second story about Ves Larkinson managing to vanquish an elite MTA mech designer almost went unnoticed.

If it happened in isolation, then it would have caught more attention, but people were too abuzz with discussing the latest masterwork mech to talk about some small duel.

Of course, those who were aware of the formidable strength of MTA mech designers and the horrible nature of Jovy Armalon reacted with shock.

It was rare for indigenous mech designers to beat MTA mech designers in a duel! The starting points of these two kinds of professionals were simply too far apart!

As for the third piece of news about Joshua Larkinson advancing to expert candidate, hardly anyone had any attention left to bother about it. Only the Larkinsons themselves exhibited a huge reaction.

The addition of another expert candidate resulted in a very significant increase in the clan's overall strength!

No matter what, the Larkinson Clan boiled yet again. An excitement spread in the air throughout the rented base as tens of thousands of clansmen felt proud of what their leaders had achieved.

The entire clan depended on the success of Ves and Gloriana!

Due to the two continuous high-profile accomplishments, the media began to bestow a unique name for their pairing.

The Miracle Couple!

Surprisingly, it was a Hexer publication that first coined this term. The Hexer journalist called the pairing this way because Ves and Gloriana seemingly generated a continuous string of miracles ever since they joined forces and worked together on design projects.

Practically every couple of months, the two remarkable young Journeymen generated another sensational piece of news. Calling them the Miracle Couple was not unjustified, especially when many industry insiders recognized that such a young duo of masterwork mech designers would only create further masterworks in the future.

Unfortunately, not everyone was happy with this piece of news.

When Gavin reported to Ves in person during breakfast, the latter almost spilled out his coffee.

"The hell?!" Ves banged his fist against the dining table. "The Miracle Couple?!"

He shifted his gaze towards Gloriana who burst out into a smile.

"I love it! Even the public acknowledges our capacity to create miracles." She gushed.

"Did you have anything to do with it? I told you not to do these kinds of stunts! I hate the word 'miracle'!"

She shook her head. "I'm not involved. Honestly."

"Really?"

"I would never lie to you, Ves! Can't you trust me, at least?"

He decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. "If you're not responsible, then who?"

"If you ask me, then the likeliest suspect is DIVA, followed by my own dynasty." Gloriana ventured.

As for the possibility that this charming name was just the invention of a single journalist, everyone in the dining room ruled it out. There was simply too much momentum behind the new term for it to have spread organically.

"It makes sense that either or both manipulated the media to adopt this new term." Gavin spoke. "DIVA is likely preparing to introduce your Blessed Squires onto the battlefield. A lot of questions about their designers will doubtlessly emerge, and if the Hexers find out that you are involved, a lot of backlash will erupt. It is in DIVA's best interests to enhance your prestige and paint you as a boy who is different from the norm. Grouping you together with Gloriana will doubtlessly blunt some of the criticism that will doubtlessly emerge from the conservative Hexer circles."

Gloriana nodded in agreement. She turned to her own assistant Melody, who looked uncertain.

"While I am not privy to your mother's every action, it is a habit of hers to exert control of the situation. You know as well as I do that your mother does not prefer to leave potential risks unattended. Due to your increasing importance within the dynasty, it has become more important than ever to elevate Mr. Larkinson's image within the Hegemony."

Regardless of which of the two was responsible, now that the Miracle Couple had been attached to their pairing, neither Ves nor Gloriana would be able to get rid of it anytime soon!

Ves looked glum while Gloriana gladly welcomed this new development. Anything that tied her closer together to her boyfriend was something to celebrate about!

"Is there anything else, Benny?"

"Yes. The Military Bureau wanted to inform you that while they have already put your latest windfall of funds to good use, it will take a couple of months to procure and ship all of the second-hand ships from the Hegemony. Many of the vessels they are eying are mothballed and decommissioned, and it takes an extensive amount of time to bring them back to readiness. A lot of skeleton crews have to be formed to perform this process and dispatch the combat carriers and such to the Sentinel Kingdom. Once they are here, our ship crews will need to spend an extensive amount of time to gain a decent degree of mastery over these advanced vessels."

"How long?"

"Six months at minimum, and that is only if you just want them to get prepped for travel, not combat."

In short, there was no point in waiting for his powerful new ships to arrive before he left for the Nyxian Gap.

"Then let's stick to the original plan." Ves decided. "Once my mission is over, we can wait for the delivery of the factory ship and take our entire upgraded fleet out of this star sector once and for all."

The adoption of the Hexer vessels couldn't be sped up. Though it was a pity, Ves already possessed ample confidence that his current Larkinson Clan was more than ready to venture into the Nyxian Gap. His planned task force far surpassed the strength of Peacekeeper outfits that regularly dipped into this dangerous region!

Aside from this news, Gavin passed on something else.

"Joshua Larkinson will recover in time to attend the upcoming celebration that is set to be held in three days. The MTA's doctors did an excellent job in hastening his recovery. Right now, he only needs to stay in bed for another day before he is ready to walk again."

"That's good news."

Three days. After encountering so many delays and unexpected incidents, Ves was finally ready to put the Cinach System behind him and embark on his long-awaited excursion. He had already grown antsy from staying too long in a single place.

It was a pity that Gloriana wouldn't be accompanying him. The new Darkbreak module that his engineers were in the process of installing on the Scarlet Rose should help in alleviating their temporary separation.

After breakfast, Ves and Gloriana both took their cats and headed to their design lab.

Along the way, every Larkinson greeted the two with respect. Even the clansmen themselves began to call them the Miracle Couple!

"Ugh." Ves snarled as he held Lucky in his grasp. "They're talking about us as if we are gods who create miracles on a daily basis. Don't they have better things to talk about?"

"Meow."

"Yeah, I guess not."

"Isn't it the truth?"

"NO!" Ves immediately replied to Gloriana. "Painting us as gods, especially in a literal sense, is dangerous! Self-sufficiency and hard work are vital to our clan. It's one thing to admire us. It's another thing to surrender to us. I don't want our clan to become too dependent on their 'gods'. There is no point in raising our clan if its members are incapable of solving their own problems and need to call for help all the time."

Whenever someone used the word god, Brighters like Ves always associated it with tyrannical faiths that tried their best to suppress and exploit their flock. At best, these religions were scams. At worst, they turned into vehicles of ignorance and oppression!

Therefore, Ves truly did not wish his clan to indulge too much in superstition.

If his clan turned into a bunch of babies who needed to pray to their gods for help all the time, how could Ves feel at ease with delegating important matters to the leaders of his clan?

The Larkinson Clan was supposed to serve him, not the other way around! Turning it into a spaceborn version of the Ylvaine Protectorate would only be counterproductive.

Of course, the fact that he himself depended on it as a shield to deflect MTA attention did not register in his mind!

Once the Miracle Couple reached the design lab, they let their cats scurry off elsewhere before stepping in front of a crowd of over sixty mech designers.

Though the welcoming tour meant to indoctrinate the newly-hired mech designers into the Larkinson Clan had only reached its halfway point, Ves was already satisfied with what he saw.

Every talented and competent mech designer that Ves and Gloriana recruited during the selection process had all acclimatized to their new lives.

The spiritual bonds they shared with the Larkinson Network had grown vigorous. Some of them even became twice or thrice as strong in the case of some notable talents such as Catherine Evenson-Larkinson and Moltar Ringer-Larkinson.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen." Ves greeted the young and eager mech designers. "I hope you have all learned what it takes to become a Larkinson. While you are already adopted into our clan, this is only the start."

Gloriana spoke up. "The reason why we have interrupted your training and called you here is to make an announcement. I'm sure you have heard already, but a portion of our combat forces will soon depart to perform an important mission for the MTA. Ves will head this new task force, while I shall remain here in order to hold down the fort."

Ves looked at the crowd in expectation. "The Nyxian Gap is dangerous, as you should all be aware of. Yet that is not enough to stop us! If you have memorized the motto of our clan, then you should be aware why we have decided to take this risk."

Someone raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"Sir, you have achieved so much success at Cinach. Why must you take part in a dangerous mission?"

Ves crossed his arms. "My recent achievements are the result of the lessons I've learned during my travels and various crises. I would have never been able to get this far if I just holed up in a lab all the time. I hope that all of you understand this lesson as well. We mech designers can't rely on our imagination alone to produce our best works. Only by venturing out and learning about the true state of the galaxy will you be able to understand the true nature of mechs!"

After answering a few other questions, Ves finally addressed the purpose of this assembly.

"The reason why I've called you here is simple. Since our task force will be venturing to Nyxian Gap very soon, I could use some design teams to assist my design efforts and provide aid to any ship or mech company. Due to the danger of this mission and the nature of our profession, I won't force any of you to take part. Now, who among you is willing to volunteer to take part in our mission?"

Total silence spread throughout the entire design lab.

Chapter 2152 Larkinson Merit Exchange

"Pathetic!" A female voice uttered from the crowd!

A beret-wearing woman followed by a floating greatsword stepped forward. Her straightened back and her strong physique made her very powerful among the gathered mech designers.

"Do you think your new boss subjected you all to the glow of the Doom Guard for no reason? Did you think that facing my blade is just a one-time encounter? You are horribly wrong if you think that your future will be spent in comfort and luxury! While I don't expect much from the softies among you who managed to get into the clan through your smarts, but why aren't any of you who are hired by Ves stepping up?!"

Under her admonishments, some of the mech designers felt ashamed of themselves.

Though Ves only expected a couple of the mech designers to step up, in the end around thirty of them put themselves forward!

All of the newly-hired mech designers selected by Ves were anything but average. All of them had shown considerable courage and determination during the unconventional selection process. Even though they all feared the dangers of the Nyxian Gap, compared to the previous tests, it didn't seem so scary!

Ves felt very gratified by the sheer amount of volunteers. Aside from the people he selected, the Ylvainans stepped forth as well! Oscar DiMartin and the other fanatics completely believed in him. They feared nothing as long as they accompanied the Bright Martyr!

"Okay. This is good." Ves finally nodded and smiled. Ketis did a great job at riling them all up. "There are ten design teams, but I only need half. Oscar, you should stay with Gloriana and continue to develop your individual mech designs. As for the rest of your team, you can assist my partner in other matters."

"Very well, sir." Oscar replied in a disappointed tone.

It wasn't necessary to bring so many mech designers. Ves already trusted the Ylvainans in the Design Department, so there was no need to challenge their limits further.

Instead, he wanted to bring along the people he selected in order to train their mentality and let them get used to facing different kinds of pressure.

While Ves did not expect them to become fully-fledged combat engineers or anything, they should at least be able to keep their heads and remain productive during crisis situations!

He of all people knew how difficult it was to demand courage under fire from a bunch of mech designers. Cowardice and rear-line duty seemed to be ingrained in the bones of most of them. Too many of them were nerds whose only exposure to violence was playing some popular virtual reality games in their youth.

Such entertainment hardly conveyed the true terror of the threat of death!

This was why Ves specifically selected those who were able to resist it from the start. Yet even if he selected a bunch of brave mech designers, he knew he had to make sure to stimulate them further instead of letting them grow soft!

Of course, he did not expect them to take a lot of risks without any corresponding rewards. If his subordinate mech designers became aware that Ves just wanted to exploit them, they would grow very dissatisfied!

Seeing the grim and resigned expressions of the group of brave mech designers, Ves decided to throw his pets some carrots.

"Those who accompany our task force will be rewarded for their contribution. As long as you perform your duty diligently, you will each be rewarded with 50 Larkinson merits!"

A small gasp ran throughout the entire crowd!

Though Ves and Gloriana only spent a brief amount of time in setting up their merit system, the Larkinson Merit Exchange had already become an official institution.

Right now, the remuneration structure was still a little bit crude. A single merit corresponded to one year of low-level work. 10 merits equated to one year of medium-level work. The only people who were entitled to earn 100 merits or more consisted of mech commanders, assembly members and the other people at the upper hierarchy.

Ves already regarded the assistant mech designers as mid-level employees, so if they didn't do anything exceptional, they only stood to gain 10 merits a year.

Unlike merits which were non-transferable to other people, they also earned a regular salary. For now, the Larkinson Clan did not bother with minting its own coin, so everyone was being paid in hex credits for the time being. While their salaries were fairly high, the assistant mech designers all hungered for merits.

This was because some of the goods and services offered by the Larkinson Merit Exchange couldn't be obtained through money!

"We have recently expanded and clarified the items you can spend your Larkinson merits on." Gloriana announced. "With one merit, you can request a personalized tutoring session from myself or my partner, though not too often. For an entire hour, we will devote our full attention to critiquing your mech designs, addressing your difficulties and offer advice on your progression. I advise everyone to take advantage of this service at least once."

Some of the assistant mech designers recognized the value in asking for guidance. Many Apprentices weren't actually able to navigate their way to Journeyman-level! Each individual's circumstances were different and every design philosophy demanded a unique approach, so general advice and lessons weren't very useful in facilitating their progression.

Gloriana mentioned another benefit. "Aside from that, a single merit also allows you to borrow a single advanced textbook from the Larkinson Library. We have adjusted the pricing so that most textbooks that aren't suitable for Apprentices will cost more merits while those that are safe for you to learn will cost much less."

"The reason for that is because we want to allow you to save for other benefits that you can obtain in the Larkinson Merit Exchange." Ves mentioned. "After working together the Larkinson Biotech Institute, we are finally prepared to offer a range of augmentations that can all enhance your design prowess."

He waved his hand, causing the projectors to depict a list.

[50 Larkinson merits: third-class cranial implant

200 Larkinson merits: second-class cranial implant

25 Larkinson merits: third-class gene mod template

150 Larkinson merits: second-class gene mod template

10 Larkinson merits: entry-level gene boost priming agent]

Some of these items were quite expensive in terms of merits! At the very least, an assistant mech designer with only average performance had to work around 40 years in order to obtain a basic set of second-class augmentations!

To many ambitious mech designers, this lengthy span of time would eat up all of their golden years. By the time their intellect and cognitive functions reached a high standard, they were already too old to hold any promise!

The brave mech designers aligned to Ves did not appear very worried. They already suspected that this mission was only the first opportunity to earn a lot of merits.

It was the so-called erudite mech designers favored by Gloriana who appeared concerned! They feared that they wouldn't have as much opportunity to earn merits unless they volunteered for combat duty!

"Don't worry." Gloriana tried to reassure her own group of pets. "We have opened up additional channels to earn merits. Along with offering excellent solutions during serious design sessions, the top contributors to a design project will receive 10 or less merits depending on their performance."

"Leading a design team, tutoring your fellow colleagues in a field you are extensively familiar with, volunteering for shipboard duty, and other useful activities will also reward you with a lot of merits. You can easily earn ten times as many merits a year as the mech designer standing next to you as long as you are willing to engage rather than show up!" Ves added.

He deliberately structured the reward structure to encourage greater participation. He wanted to motivate as many of his subordinates as possible to throw their all into their work.

Those who thought they had won the jackpot by surviving through the selection process should not grow complacent too soon! While Ves was sure that there were some who couldn't be bothered to do more, with all of the carrots he dangled in front of their faces, the most ambitious among them would certainly do their best to earn more merits!

If any of them were smart enough, then they should aim to obtain a full set of second-class augmentations as soon as possible.

In the next couple of years, Ves believed that the differences between the fifty new hires as well as his older assistants would become very obvious!

Those who only did the bare minimum and earned 10 merits a year would be forced to look at the hardest workers with envy as they raked in 100 merits or more in the same amount of time!

That was good. Ves hoped that the constant comparisons and the growing differences in status would motivate at least some of those slackers to get off the couch and invest more time in their work.

Both Ves and Gloriana were pretty much workaholics, just like many other high-ranking mech designers. Those who managed to develop a mature design philosophy and form their design seeds were not only incredibly passionate about their ambitions, but possessed the drive to pursue them no matter how hard they needed to work.

The mech design profession was not for average people! Those who wanted to catch up to the likes of the Miracle Couple could forget about maintaining a healthy work-life balance!

This was a rather depressing truth, not only in the mech industry, but many other sectors as well.

The only consolation was that Ves did not set excessively long mandatory shifts. It was up to the mech designers themselves to decide how to spend their free time.

In case the most enthusiastic assistants worked themselves to death for some reason, at the very least Ves and the Larkinson Clan wouldn't be liable or at fault!

"Do you have any questions?"

A brief pause ensued. Ves found it amusing that the brave mech designers and the erudite mech designers had already formed into distinct camps.

He had no intentions of breaking them up. Fostering a little rivalry would do them all some good. Diving his assistant mech designers into camps, teams and by performance all served to split them all up and weaken their power as a collective.

Even though the sixty young men and women were all individually weak, they might grow into formidable mech designers in the future! A portion of them would doubtlessly advance to Journeyman as well, which meant that they would gain a massive amount of standing within the Larkinson Clan.

Therefore, Ves wanted to make sure that none of them gained the opportunity to stir any major trouble. Dividing them all and encouraging them to pit themselves against each other not only stimulated their drive to improve, but also kept them busy and distracted!

A woman who Ves recognized as the Sentinel noble raised her hand.

"Sir, what will be able to gain if we become Journeymen?" Catherine Evenson asked.

He found it rather ironic that the person who asked this question hadn't developed any spiritual potential up until now. Catherine's chances of advancing to Journeyman were nonexistent as long as that was the case.

"It is too much to expect any of you to become equal partners once you advance to this rank. Gloriana and I practically built the Larkinson Clan and grew the LMC to its current level of success by ourselves. There are many differences between Apprentices, and it's no different at the Journeyman-level."

That popped the bubble of those who dreamt of catching up to the Miracle Couple.

"Unless any new Journeyman in the clan is able to match or surpass our ability, they will still remain subordinate. However, they stand to earn substantially more merits and hex credits and are also entitled to a profit share to any mechs that they are principally responsible for designing. I will release a lot of high-priced goods and services onto the Larkinson Merit Exchange when that happens. Journeymen are valuable throughout human space, and we will make sure that any of you who reach this rank are rewarded for your contributions!"

Ves had already learned from other merit systems that fairness lay at the heart of their success!

The rules were clear to all. As long as the assistants earned the expected amount of merits for their contributions, the system would keep running despite its exploitative nature!

Chapter 2153 Not Of Age

Once Ves and Gloriana clarified some matters to their new assistants, the new recruits all left the design lab in order to resume their tour.

Ves directed some attention to his students. Maikel and Zanthar Larkinson had been listening quietly on the side while holding two feisty cats in their arms.

"Meow."

"Miaow."

"Are the two of you enjoying yourselves?" Ves asked.

"Oh, uhm, yes, sir." Maikel stammered.

Neither of the two youngsters knew if it was appropriate for them to play around with the cats.

"It's fine." Ves casually brushed aside the issue. "The Larkinson Clan is known as the Clan of the Golden Cat. Every clansman is allowed to bring their own cats to work as long as they are smart enough to avoid getting in the way."

"Really?"

"Yes. The Larkinson Assembly recently passed this rule."

As more and more people joined the clan, they became enamoured by the clan's association with cats. A trend had recently emerged where clansmen would go out into Cinach VI in order to buy or adopt a furry pet, which encompassed more than just felines!

The problem with this development was that the Larkinson Clan would be living on ships in future. This meant that their homes also functioned as workplaces to an extent.

Thinking of all of the cats, dogs, lizard, birds and more exotic varieties moving around the sometimes cramped corridors and compartments of a vessel gave everyone headaches!

Therefore, the Larkinson Assembly urgently debate this growing issue and came to a consensus.

The clansmen weren't forbidden from obtaining pets, but they were only allowed to adopt tame, intelligent and obedient pets.

They needed to be tame in order to minimize any risk of pets attacking fellow clansmen.

They needed to be intelligent in order to understand their limits and refrain from touching something sensitive.

They also needed to be obedient in order to make sure that they would not disturb people on duty.

This basically meant that no one was allowed to bring in any regular cats or animals. Only sentient genetic products such as the famous breeds of Felixia I were acceptable to the Larkinson Clan!

As for mechanical cats, those who possessed a fancy to them would have to subject them to an extremely thorough inspection. It was well-known that mechanical pets often functioned as a means of spying on their owners, and that was intolerable!

The security checks were so stringent that Ves did not expect many of the mechanical cats to pass. This was a deliberate suggestion on his part because not every mechanical critter was as unhackable as his gem cat.

The two young men already started to think about adopting their own cats now that these new rules have come into being.

Ves and Gloriana both served as stellar examples of success within the clan. The fact that both of them owned cats would doubtlessly spark a lot of copycat behavior!

What nobody knew was that Ves also had an ulterior motive for encouraging mass adoption of pets.

Though he hadn't really done his best to keep it a secret, hardly anyone was truly aware of his ability to talk to animals.

Spreading around cats and other pets onto every ship was basically the same as establishing spy networks in plain view!

Even if the cats were smart enough to become aware of their own existence, they hardly cared about complicated human affairs. Yet that did not mean they paid no attention to what the tall humans around them were up to on a daily basis!

This was why he strongly encouraged the assemblymen to pass such a generous policy. Hardly any spaceborn clan established a pet policy as loose and generous as that of the Larkinson Clan!

Anyway, Ves did not approach his students to encourage them to adopt their own pets.

"Do the two of you want to join us on our mission?"

"Uhm, is that okay?" Zanthar frowned in doubt. "We're not adults yet. I don't think the law permits us to join the mission."

Ves smirked. "I am the law. We aren't operating under the auspices of the Bright Republic anymore, so you should forget about how we do things back in our former home. Right now, there isn't any explicit rule that prohibits you from joining up. It's just that there is no reason for most of us to bring along a bunch of kids."

"What about us, sir?"

"You're different. From the moment you accepted my mentorship, you aren't an average clansman anymore. I'm not raising you to become another assistant mech designer. I want at least one of you to advance to Journeyman so that the trueblood lineage of our clan has at least one other dependable mech designer aside from myself. We original Larkinsons must continuously show our strength in order to maintain some of our hold in the upper hierarchy of the clan. You and our future expert pilots will be key in making sure the clan will stick our Larkinson values!"

With the enormous expansion of the clan in recent months, it was inevitable that most authority positions would eventually slip in the hands of adopted Larkinsons. The disparity in numbers between truebloods and adopted had simply grown too vast to prevent this trend.

If that was the case, Ves at least wanted his own group of Larkinsons to maintain at least some dominance.

"Our clan is set up as a meritocracy." Ves reminded the two Larkinson seeds. "Many opportunities exist for both the trueblood and the adopted. Officially, the two aren't even treated differently, so don't think you can rely on your bloodline to gain any unfair advantages. In the short and medium term, that might allow us to maintain our dominance, but in the long-term such arrangements will only distort our behavior and cause us to grow complacent. This is our clan doesn't provide truebloods like you with any inherent privileges!"

The Larkinsons had fought against too many Vesians in the past to realize the flaws of such an unfair system. Their current approach actually borrowed a lot of elements from the Mech Corps.

Despite the sporadic nepotism that took place in that large organization, as a whole the mech military of the Bright Republic had often been lauded for the opportunities it provided for the competent.

Due to the pressure exerted by the Vesia Kingdom in the past, any instances of gross incompetence or negligence often led to major military defeats!

Though the Larkinson Clan had long separated itself from the Bright Republic, many of the veterans in the original group still possessed much of the institutional knowledge they gained during their service.

Ves was well aware that the influence of all of these veterans caused the clan to develop a militaristic slant. He didn't think there was anything wrong with that since their fleet would definitely bump into a lot of threats in the Red Ocean.

The Larkinson Clan couldn't afford to grow soft!

He finished his discussion with the Larkinson seeds. They were so young and naive that they weren't even aware that Ves essentially forced them into taking part in the mission!

With his growing proficiency in social manipulation, it was literally child's play to make his two gullible students enthusiastic about entering a region filled with pirates and anomalous hazards!

"We won't disappoint you, teacher!" Maikel bopped his head in enthusiasm.

"We'll prove to you that we aren't cowards, sir!" Zanthar bravely thrust his skinny chest.

Hehehe. Ves would mold them into fine and brave mech designers yet. Perhaps he should put them through some combat training as well.

"Meow!"

"That's not important, Lucky."

With this matter taken care of, Ves met with Gloriana and entered a closed-off section of the workshop.

"Why did you bring me here, Ves? Wait, isn't that the Purgatory Envoy and the Fortunate Devil?!"

Both competition mechs were still in their original damaged conditions. Even so, their great bulk and the stories their battle-scars told gave them an aggressive air!

Due to its inactive state, the Purgatory Envoy's glow wasn't very noticeable. The Fortunate Devil also didn't exhibit any signs of spreading any bad luck to those nearby.

"I brought these mechs here for two reasons." Ves started. "First, did you observe my mech doing anything special yesterday?"

"Aside from helping Joshua advancing to expert candidate?"

"That was not in the scope of my design."

"Hmm.. I do recall your mech releasing a strange pulse."

"What if I tell you that the Superior Mother had nothing to do with that. It was Joshua who activated this ability, thereby causing his mech to shed some of the bad luck that had stuck its frame!"

"Really?!"

Since Gloriana possessed a basic understanding of his design philosophy, she understood how significant it was. Every other ability added to a mech so far wasn't really reliable or accessible.

For example, the Guided Aim ability associated with the Deliverer mechs was basically dependent on Ylvaine's spiritual fragment prodding the mech pilot to adjust his aim!

"I call them triggered abilities, and they speak for themselves. I'm still exploring the theory and mechanics behind it all, but I think I can apply this method to almost every future mech design!"

"That's fantastic news! You found yet another application of your design philosophy! You're finally starting to catch up to me!" Gloriana celebrated.

Ves briefly glowered at that. He knew that as much as he achieved some progress, his girlfriend advanced even more! Every single masterwork they fabricated provided an enormous amount of insights to a detail-oriented mech designer.

To someone striving for perfection, studying mechs like the Quint and the Little Angels provided her with a clear direction for the future. This not only accelerated her progression, but saved her a lot of fumbling in the dark!

If this pattern continued, then Gloriana would definitely advance to Senior before him! That would be a disaster of epic proportions!

He coughed. "Anyway, the more important mech is the Fortunate Devil. When I initially stumbled upon this wreck, I developed a very radical theory."

He told her about the potential to siphon the spiritual trace from the Fortunate Devil and use it as an ingredient to develop a design spirit that was capable of manipulating probabilities!

If the revelation of triggered abilities had made her happy, the news that Ves could potentially replicate Jovy Armalon's specialty sent her into an entirely different mood!

"That.. that's too powerful! I don't think it is that simple to replicate what Jovy can do, though." She responded.

A part of her was afraid if Ves could live up to his latest boast. If he could truly replicate anyone's design philosophy, then would he be able to make her redundant?

Her entire body shook at this thought!

"You're right. It's not that simple." Ves sighed. "Spiritual entities have interesting abilities, but they can't express most of them when they are enshrined as design spirits. For example, Qilanxo doesn't actually make our Aurora Titans tougher. She is only able to influence people's minds with her glow, and that applies to many of my other design spirits. Perhaps in the future they will be able to exert more power in the form of triggered abilities and the like, but my specialty has always centered around increasing the level of cooperation between the mech pilot and mech."

"Oh." She said.

Her relief was immeasurable!

"That said, even if I can't replicate Jovy's full abilities, I might be able to salvage something. It's just that a luck-oriented design spirit will mainly be able to make people feel lucky, that's all. The spiritual trace that is responsible for empowering the Fortunate Devil is very weak and very specific towards the mech."

If his previous ingredients could be likened to steaks, then the spiritual trace that Ves was able to observe from the wreck was as miniscule as a pinch of salt!

However, that did not take into account the methods he could employ to grow it. Perhaps it was difficult to grow it with conventional methods, but Ves remembered the instance where he created the Superior Mother.

The life-attributed energy that Ves derived from the serum appeared to be capable of fostering the growth of anything spiritual!

The question was whether it was worth it to waste the previous life-attributed energy on this specific endeavor. Would he really be able to do something useful with a luck-based design spirit without understanding anything about Jovy's design philosophy?

Chapter 2154 Attracting Investmen

Much of the Larkinson Clan had gathered today!

After residing almost half a year in the Cinach System, Ves and a substantial proportion of the clan's combat forces were finally scheduled to leave.

Before that happened, the clan made sure to throw a huge celebration.

"Congratulations for reaching expert candidate!"

The lucky adopted Larkinson smiled for posterity as his dashing figure held the hand of his girlfriend.

The Two J's as they were starting to get called had become one of the hottest young couples of the Larkinson Clan.

Everyone knew that Joshua and Jannzi Larkinson possessed a bright future! They may very well soon be expert pilots that every warrior in the Larkinson would look up to! As long as one of them advanced, the clan would no longer be worse off than the Larkinson Family when it came to martial prowess.

From a political standpoint, Ves couldn't be happier for the pairing. As young expert candidates, they not only supported each other, but also represented the fusion between old and new Larkinsons.

Within the huge, festive hall that could house thousands of people, an enormous crowd of Larkinsons mingled with each other as they joyously toasted the latest Larkinson to have breached beyond human limits.

Each of the Larkinsons wore the same style of uniforms, their colors only differing by the branch they worked for. Yet no matter how they differed, each clansman wore the symbol of the Golden Cat on their backs, thereby presenting an incredibly strong united front!

In order to increase the harmony of the hall, Ves had added some of his personal touches to the interior. The clan emblem had been affixed to each large wall. Over a hundred life-like projections of the Golden Cat flew over everyone's heads and played with each other like real cats.

Kids giggled as the projected cats playfully wooshed through their bodies, depositing some of the clan's precious new Larkinson merits to their accounts!

The clan had also distributed a number of charming-looking Golden Cat statues in the hall. Sized like cows, these statues looked imposing enough to convey a lot of presence, but were still small enough to fit through a standard corridor.

Ves did not make them just to spice up the celebrations. The statues also served as totems for the clan's Ancestral Spirit. They not only provided Goldie with a strong channel to extend her influence, but also earned everyone's appreciation for their exquisite craftsmanship.

Even if Ves did not specialize in crafting statues, with three masterwork mechs under his belt, his ability to shape any object had increased remarkably. Though this boost mostly applied to mechs, in truth it also affected anything else that shared something in common!

In fact, he suspected that this might be one of the reasons why Star Designers eventually expanded their scope beyond mechs.

Their mech affinity may have reached such an insanely high level that any machine no longer seemed mysterious to them. Whether it was ships, space stations or even grander designs, all of them shared the same root as mechs.

Perhaps to Star Designers, mechs no longer seemed special to them, which was why they removed the word 'mech' from their title!

He shook his head. Thinking about Star Designers was way too premature. Right now, he wanted to enjoy the party he organized!

Even though more than twenty-thousand people had gathered in the huge venue rented by the clan, Ves did not worry about any attacks.

A large number of mechs from every combat branch of the clan were stationed just outside and in orbit. At fixed intervals, a portion of their mech pilots rotated so that everyone had an opportunity to take part in the celebration.

No Larkinson was left out!

Of course, the Penitent Sisters hovered around as well. Their formidable Hexer mechs patrolled and remained in silent vigil, causing every other outfit or organization on Cinach VI to steer clear of the site!

Standing on a raised platform reserved for the leaders and upper hierarchy of the clan, Ves and Gloriana both held hands as they wore more resplendent outfits.

Ves wore his standard uniform, but added a grand red cape that bore the clan emblem and some additional flourishes.

Gloriana meanwhile wore a brilliant blue dress that featured moving patterns of elegant-looking fish.

Their cats weren't too far away. Lucky and Clixie both kept the Larkinson Mandate company. The book hovered over a majestic-looking pedestal and spun lazily on its axis.

As the spirit that watched over the entire clan, Goldie was having the time of her life! Her presence suffused the hall, and the joyous emotions of the Larkinsons fed straight back, causing her to swell with power and affection!

"It's amazing to see how much we've grown in just a year." Melkor noted with admiration.

The Avatar Commander cut a dashing figure himself. With a new, slimmer second-class visor model and some rank insignia on his uniform, Melkor exuded a commanding demeanor that was no less than that of an elder!

"You know, I never asked why you wear something over your eyes all the time." Ves spoke up. "Is there something wrong with your vision? You can just stop by the Larkinson Biotech Institute if you need something fixed."

"It's none of your business, Ves."

Hardly any clansman dared to speak that way to him nowadays. His stature continually increased with each and every accomplishment he made. In addition, the rapid growth of the clan he founded also turned him into a revered figure akin to senior statesmen such as Senator Tovar!

Though Gloriana frowned a bit, Ves squeezed her hand. The Larkinson Clan had never insisted on excessive formality and strict hierarchies. Besides, it felt good to be around people who he didn't need to put on any airs.

The more power he gained, the more restricted he felt. It became increasingly more difficult for him to break the expectations set upon him. The transition happened too quickly for Ves to grow into his leadership role.

In that regard, Melkor was better off. While Ves had to bear the entire weight of the Larkinson Clan on his shoulders, his cousin only had to worry about the Avatars of Myth. It was no surprise that the Avatar Commander adjusted to his role much better.

After chatting with Melkor, Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson approached as well.

"My grandson will be taking part in your mission as well." He sighed.

Ves nodded. "There is no peace in the Nyxian Gap. Tusa will be able to find plenty of opportunities to test his limits."

"I'm aware that this is what he wants." Raymond spoke with concern. "That boy wants to be the first clansman to advance to expert pilot. Jannzi is giving him a lot of pressure."

"It is in his nature to be flighty. Racing ahead of others is part of his personality." Ves shrugged.

Though he had never paid a lot of attention to Tusa Billingsley-Larkinson, that did not mean the expert candidate was weak!

Tusa was the most formidable light skirmisher specialist in the clan. What Ves valued most in him was that Tusa acted responsibly and often spared some time to tutor other light mech specialists. The Flagrant Vandals even employed him as a guest instructor to facilitate their transition to light mechs!

"The Doom Guard is still selling well. It is even being exported to other star sectors, though not by us." Raymond explained. "We have cautiously begun to set up subsidiaries in Vicious Mountain and Majestic Teal. However, not even the loyalty medallions we've sent will ensure we are able to exert sufficient control. We need the guarantee of the MTA in order to make our presence solid."

Ves frowned. That cost a lot of merits, and he wasn't sure whether it was worth it to spend that much. "Don't be in a hurry. If need be, just slow down. We are already earning plenty of money from our current star sector and many of our most pressing needs have already been met. I'll revisit this issue after I return from the Nyxian Gap. Depending on how many merits I've earned, I'll look into borrowing the power of the MTA to reinforce our control over our expanding network."

"That sounds good."

After Raymond came some other figures. This was a rare opportunity to catch up with Ves outside his design lab, and plenty of people wanted to command his attention in order to draw attention to their own priorities.

Ves tired a bit from handling these issues. He felt as if his own clansmen were lobbying him as if he was a politician.

Soon enough, another couple stepped forward. Ves immediately scowled. "What are you two doing here?"

"Hey, Ves!" Raella grinned as she stood next to Vincent. "Thanks for all of the work you've done. Now that our clan is swimming in money, it's a lot easier to get a hold of the funding required to set up the Larkinson Championship Series. I hope to begin the next duels in just half a year, with team battles coming six months later!"

That sounded remarkably quick! Even though Ves wasn't very familiar with competitive circuits, he could easily imagine all of the infrastructure that needed to be set up in order to hold a safe and expensive competition.

"How did you manage to fund your venture so quickly? I don't recall the Assembly expanding your budget."

"We plan to keep costs fairly low at the start by restricting the duels to third-class mechs for now, so we don't actually need an excessive amount of hex credits. The handout from the clan only makes up 20 percent of our funding. We managed to obtain the rest through attracting investment. It's all Vincent's idea."

The man in question patted his broad chest. "There's a lot of interest in the LCS throughout the clan. When I saw how eager Avatars wanted to prove that they were the best or how domineering the Swordmaidens wanted to vanquish over everyone else, I recognized an opportunity. What if we can channel the rivalries within the clan in the arena?"

"You don't mean…"

"It's exactly what you think, Ves." Raella grinned. "I managed to convince several bigshots within the clan to invest in the LCS. In exchange, they not only get shares in our organization, but are also allowed to field a team!"

"Who did you manage to convince so far?"

"A couple." Raella raised her fingers in succession. "First, there's Commander Dise of the Swordmaidens. She plans to pick a group of her most competitive mech pilots to form the Amazons. Then there's Melkor, who has already set up the Golden Avatars. Commander Orfan enthusiastically pitched in as well. I heard the Flagrant Vandals have already formed a team organization called the 100 Scoundrels. I'm still in negotiation with the Battle Criers and the Living Sentinels, but I expect them to put forth their own teams very soon."

"Don't forget about me!" Vincent grinned. "Team Solo Vincent will steamroll all of the competition once the first season starts!"

Though Ves was not particularly enthused by Raella and Vincent, he had to admit that they were certainly enterprising. Their success in attracting investment was a testament to their business acumen!

"Why tell us all of this? I'm not involved in this venture."

"We still have a few team slots left. Since you and your girlfriend are so loaded with money, would any of you like to become a partner as well? It will be fun! We can fight for pride and glory!"

"No." Ves resolutely shook his head. "I'm not interested."

Gloriana on the hand looked intrigued. "I don't know Ves. It sounds like a great way to have some fun."

"So you're willing to invest in us?!" Realla looked excited.

"Only if I'm allowed to field Hexers in my team."

The condition caused the rest to look astonished. Vincent and Realla frowned a bit. They looked to each other before nodding.

"We can do that. Some additional challenges will certainly stoke up the competition. Since all of the mech pilots in our clan will promote to a higher class sooner or later, the differences won't be great. Have you figured out a team name already?"

"Yes. My team shall be known as Cloud 6!"

Chapter 2155 Task Force Predator

Ves looked at his girlfriend with a weird expression. "Why are you taking part in this venture?"

"It's fun!" She said. "We have competitions like this in the Wodin Dynasty as well. It's really engaging to root for your own team and group. I miss that about home. Besides, too many of your clansman don't really like us Hexers all that much."

"What a surprise. How could that be?" Ves dramatically coughed.

His girlfriend hit his arm and hissed. "I'm being serious! I know my fellow Hexers aren't exactly well-liked, but we aren't that bad! I don't want your entire clan to keep misunderstanding us. Setting up Cloud 6 and taking part in the LCS will show that we are people instead of monsters."

Good luck with that. Ves did not think that most people's opinion of Hexer culture would change because of this. There was so much wrong with Hexers that a couple of PR stunts would never be able to rehabilitate their image!

Still, his girlfriend was determined to go through with her plan. She was convinced it would work!

"Great!" Realla exclaimed after obtaining Gloriana's verbal commitment. "I'll get in touch with you or your people in order to hash out the finer details."

Once Raella and Vincent got what they wanted, they walked out of sight.

More people arrived to petition the clan patriarch, causing Ves to put this incident out of his mind.

Throughout the talks, Ves understood that the Larkinson Clan had grown to a point where a lot of interest groups had emerged.

For example, Ronsel Larkinson wanted to revive the Larkinson Basic Mech Academy.

"So far, we have already organized a complete curriculum for our mech cadets." The elder Larkinson and former expert candidate spoke. "It's just that many of our veterans and mech instructors are beginning to diverge on how to raise our future generation of warriors. The adoption of so many new clansmen who come from different states that are accustomed to different mech doctrines has led to a lot of disputes. If we don't do anything, we risk splintering our teaching resources."

That didn't sound too bad to Ves. However, he knew that it was not yet time for the Larkinson Clan to set up multiple mech academies. There weren't enough cadets to make this move worthwhile."

"So what is your plan?"

"I'd like your permission to revive the Larkinson Basic Mech Academy. Even though it is a pity that we were forced to abandon the original academy at Cloudy Curtain, our teachers have learned a lot. This time, we plan to be more ambitious. As long as you are willing to invest a couple of billion hex credits in the reestablishment of our mech academy, I can promise you that we will produce graduates who can immediately begin with piloting second-class mechs!"

"Seriously?!" Ves could not remain calm at this moment!

Ronsel Larkinson looked proud. "Our mech instructors aren't that bad, and we plan to hire plenty of external help who have experience with piloting second-class mechs. We have already formed an extensive plan to make this happen within the next couple of years. The main restraining factor is funding. Raising second-class mech pilots isn't as difficult as you think, but that is only in case there is ample funding available."

"He's right." Gloriana added. "The Hexadric Hegemony could have trained twice or thrice as many mech pilots than it did. Right now, most of our mech academies don't bother with potentates whose aptitudes are lower than C-grade. It just isn't viable to train so many low-quality mech pilots."

"I see."

In the end, Ves promised to throw a couple of billion hex credits in Ronsel's direction.

The elder's first attempt at setting up an academy had already impressed Ves a lot. With all of that experience under his belt, their second attempt would definitely be better!

Once Ronsel departed, only a couple of people arrived to make their case. Each time, Ves listened patiently, but he did not always consent to their ideas.

"How much money have I given away already?" Ves wearily asked.

"Over 19 billion hex credits." Gloriana supplied. "That's a hefty sum, but easily manageable these days. If the clan's coffers aren't enough, then you can shift some of the MTA credits you've won from the design duel."

That was a lot of money. A few months ago, Ves would never dare to spend so much on concerns that weren't high in priority. Matters such as reforming the Larkinson Basic Mech Academy could have waited. It was only now that the clan had gained a lot of money that their organizers smelled blood.

Ves felt as if he had been butchered by a pack of hungry wolves!

It made him realize that this would never stop. The amount of clansmen asking for money would only increase.

"Many of these matters were held up in the Larkinson Assembly. The organizers figured that they could have obtained faster results if they approached the clan patriarch in person." Gloriana told him. "Next time, if you don't want to pass any proposals, then just pass it back to the Assembly."

"I guess you're right."

The two no longer faced any petitioners, allowing them to enjoy the festivities without any further interruptions.

Witnessing the vitality and harmony of the clan he set up and supported up to this point brought him a huge measure of pride.

Even though only less than five percent of the people in the enormous hall had any Larkinson blood running through their veins, the differences didn't matter.

Former citizens of the Ylvaine Protectorate like James got along well with former citizens of the Sentinel Kingdom.

No matter which state they used to belong to, after spending at least a month in the clan, most of the adopted had already forgotten about their former allegiances!

It was hard not to fall in love with the Larkinson Clan. With its friendly culture that treated every Larkinson with respect, those who joined the clan later did not face that much discrimination.

The Larkinson Network played a key role in reducing a lot of friction. Differences between Ylvainans, Brighters, Sentinels and other groups still existed and continued to lead to heated arguments to this day.

Yet no matter how much they differed, the different groups of Larkinsons always emphasized what they shared in common!

Ves appreciated the harmony so much that he commenced his speech ahead of schedule.

As soon as the music faded and the sound projectors carried his voice, the entire crowd of Larkinsons fell silent.

"My fellows Larkinsons." He began. "Aside from celebrating Mr. Joshua Larkinson's ascension to expert candidate, I would like to make two more announcements today."

He waved his hand, causing projections of a formidable-looking fleet to emerge above everyone's head.

"Starting from tomorrow, Task Force Predator will officially depart to the Nyxian Gap! With a mech roster that consists of roughly 600 Avatars, 500 Sentinels, 160 Battle Criers, 140 Vandals, 40 Swordmaidens and 400 Penitent Sisters, we will be able to smash aside any local opposition! Hardly any pirate organization can withstand our collective might!"

He was right. Even without the Penitent Sisters, his task force was already strong enough to defeat military mech regiments. With the second-class mechs of the exiled Hexers added on top of that, then Ves had a very good chance of defeating entire mech regiments!

Due to the lack of population and incredible degree of dispersion of local powers, hardly any pirate organization in the Gap could muster up that much strength.

Even if the bigger pirate alliances possessed enough mechs, they were often assigned to guard a lot of different bases or spread around in different fleets.

Pirates were very sensitive towards profit and losses. They never held back when pouncing the weak, but always avoided strong opponents like plague.

There was no profit in attacking the latter!

"While I cannot tell you how long Task Force Predator will stay in the Nyxian Gap, don't expect us back in half a year."

This was a considerable length of time to many Larkinsons. Those who were slated to take part in the mission and those who remained in place both looked concerned.

"There is no reason to feel discouraged." Ves gently admonished his clansmen. "Believe in our clan. Our strength is not weak and with our best leaders in charge, we will not succumb to danger! Challenges like these shall never hinder our Larkinson Clan! Instead, I believe we can overcome them all and become stronger as a result. When our task force returns, we will each complete our transformation as warriors!"

Ves raised his fist in the air. "For the clan!"

The others followed suit!

"For the clan!"

"For the clan!"

"For the clan!"

Once the cheers died down, Ves turned to Gloriana. He briefly took the time to enjoy her lovely scent.

"I have one other announcement to make. This one is personal."

In the view of the entire clan, Ves held his girlfriend's slim and supple hands and drew close. Her breath hitched as she looked in his eyes.

"Gloriana. Though we have only known each other for two years, we have already experienced a lifetime of success and setbacks."

"Oh, Ves…"

He caressed the back of her hand. "To be honest, when I first met you, I was ambivalent about you. I still am. Yet over these years, you have proven you are more than Hexer. You have shown a willingness to adapt to the circumstances and adjust your behavior. I know how difficult it is to break from the mold set by your mother, your dynasty and your society."

"I am doing it all for you, Ves." Gloriana smiled with emotion. "I certainly haven't made life easy for you."

"There are difficulties in any relationship. Ours is just a bit more complicated than most. Yet just like the clan, they aren't enough to hinder us from appreciating what we share in common. We both love mechs. We both love each other. Our differences don't detract from that. Instead, some of our differences just happen to complement each other. The synergies we have been able to achieve in and outside of the design lab has propelled us to the forefront of the mech community. I could have never grown our clan to this extent without your unwavering support!"

"Your clan is also my clan, Ves. We're in this together. Now, and always."

"I know, but that is not enough for me. There is one more step I want to take in order to make you mine."

Under the view of the entire Larkinson Clan, Ves gradually lowered himself so that one of his knees touched the podium.

Everyone held their breath. Even Lucky, Clixie and Goldie didn't dare to utter any meows.

Ves calmly reached into his pocket and retrieved a small box. He raised it up to Gloriana and opened it, revealing an elegant golden ring set with an alluring transparent gem.

Ves had fabricated the ring the day before. He affixed one of Lucky's old lesser gems onto it. While the effect of the gem was negligible, its visual appearance was incredibly alluring.

Gloriana immediately became enchanted by the luster of the gem and the craftsmanship of the ring.

In truth, Ves had wasted more than 15 batches of Breyer alloy and other expensive exotics in order to produce a high-quality engagement ring.

Though the ring in the box did not reach masterwork quality, it came fairly close!

The sight of Ves kneeling in front of him and presenting a ring to her made Gloriana emotional. Tears of happiness leaked from her eyes as she raised her hands to cover her mouth.

Ves finally asked the fateful question.

"Gloriana... will you marry me?"

A few seconds passed as his girlfriend blinked.

"Yes! I will!"

She practically burst into tears as the occasion overwhelmed her mood! Joy exploded from her body as the rest of the clan finally reacted to the successful marriage proposal!

Chapter 2156 Long Awaited

After two years, Ves finally mustered up the courage to propose to Gloriana.

A lot of Larkinsons thought it was too soon. Ves didn't think so, and neither did his girlfriend.

As far as Gloriana was concerned, she was already to tie the knot the day after she met him at Centerpoint! The moment she laid her sights on her was the moment that she was never going to let him go no matter what obstacles stood in her way. Even his prior affiliation with the Friday Coalition fell victim to her conviction.

Therefore, from her perspective, Ves was actually two years too late!

Ves was well aware of Gloriana's inclinations. It took two years for him to finally reconcile himself with spending the rest of his life with the woman who derailed his life but also became someone worthy of his trust.

Perhaps he should have waited more. Perhaps he should have spent an additional year to see whether Gloriana truly fit in his life

He didn't want to wait anymore.

For one, Ves felt he had truly gotten Gloriana's measure. He had thought deeply of their relationship and found that it was acceptable even if she was a Hexer who believed in hexism.

The trust they shared towards each other and the synergies they achieved in their work remained strong despite their occasional fights.

Their love exceeded the obstacles that could break apart their relationship. Once Ves made this realization, there was nothing holding him back from taking the next step.

Therefore, the only question that Ves had to struggle with was the timing of his marriage proposal.

Ves planned to leave the Komodo Star Sector within the year. So long as they left their home star system, everyone in the Larkinson Fleet would truly be making a break with all of their prior attachments to home.

While Ves couldn't care less about the people he planned to leave behind, Gloriana was different. She still held a lot of affection towards the Wodin Dynasty.

It was a must to hold their wedding in this star sector. He wanted to give Gloriana an opportunity to invite her relatives to attend the wedding.

She deserved at least this much! Gloriana would probably be sad if none of her relatives could make it to their wedding!

Gloriana probably understood that as well. She appreciated him even more.

She also appreciated the ring he made.

"What an amazing ring."

His girlfriend felt incredibly touched and she didn't comment on the tiny flaws of the engagement ring.

He had infused it with his entire love and devotion towards her. He meant every word he said when he presented the pretty ring during the celebration.

Though many people in the clan still harbored a lot of misgivings about Ves marrying a Hexer, most of them were confident they weren't about to start worshipping women.

Ves had already made clear that his clan would form its own sovereign identity! Neither the Bright Republic, the Hexadric Hegemony or any state would hold dominion over the Larkinsons. The clan had already grown strong to stand on its own in the galaxy!

When Gloriana joyfully slipped the ring onto her finger, Ves rose to his feet and held her waist.

"I love you, Ves."

"I love you too, Gloriana."

Under the cheers of every Larkinson, they kissed each other passionately!

It served as the perfect ending to the celebration.

After a very enthusiastic and energetic night, the couple woke up and calmly prepared for the day.

Happiness continued to bubble inside Gloriana as she continually admired the engagement ring that Ves had made for her. She also closed her eyes in order to feel the glow that Ves imparted to it. The spiritual foundation of the ring centered almost completely about his love towards her. He even experimented with his new ability to create spiritual constructs by accentuating the aspects about her that he liked the most!

"It's as if you are constantly by my side." She giggled. "I truly do love what you've made. As for this gem…"

"It's not what you think. Not exactly." He quickly replied.

Even so, Gloriana still appreciated it! There was just something about its luster that seemed alive. She could spend hours staring at her new ring!

While Ves was happy with his fiancé's reaction towards his handicraft, an even heavier weight pressed on his heart.

When it was time for them to hold their wedding, he needed to present even better rings.

He still carried the plain wedding bands gifted by his mother in one of his pockets. He had been trying to infuse them with his presence through constant proximity. All the while, he continued to puzzle over how he wanted to shape their final appearances.

If possible, he wanted to turn them into masterworks! That would be the ultimate gift to Gloriana and himself!

To any other mech designer, the difficulty of accomplishing this was immense. Even Ves did not have much hope because Lucky's gems only elevated the quality of mechs, not other objects.

Therefore, if Ves wanted to turn the wedding bands into masterworks, he needed to find a chance and employ unconventional methods to achieve this objective before the wedding ceremony!

Maybe he could fix something up during his expedition to the Nyxian Gap.

Task Force Predator was scheduled to depart at the end of the day. This gave Ves and Gloriana plenty of time together.

The rented base exhibited a huge amount of activity as mechs and supplies were being loaded onto ships that subsequently departed into orbit.

The clan had already prepared for this expedition, so not a lot of war materiel needed to be moved. It was mainly the mech pilots and other people that had to reach orbit.

After so much time spent on solid ground, the members of Task Force Predator would soon be spending several months in the most inhospitable region of space of the star sector.

This was no pleasure cruise.

Due to the abundance of danger lurking within the endless fields of asteroids, the entire fleet would operate in the same manner as Ves had once experienced when the Flagrant Swordmaidens traveled all the way to the deep frontier.

No one was allowed to relax. Everyone already enjoyed a six-month vacation of sorts. Starting from today, many Larkinsons were expected to prove they had what it took to be a part of the clan.

Ves was determined to weed out any cowards within the ranks of Task Force Predator!

It was better if they popped out early on when they were just venturing into a known danger zone than later when the clan entered the Red Ocean!

"Don't worry, Gloriana." He told her. "The periphery of the Nyxian Gap isn't nearly as dangerous as you think. Just consider this excursion to be a practice run for what is ahead of us in a decade."

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "I know, but I'm concerned you'll go deeper for whatever reason. I know you, Ves. As soon as you smell a bone, you always get obsessed and lose control."

"I'm not that bad!" He defended himself. "I know my responsibilities! I can't possibly disregard the bigger picture and ruin my entire schedule just because I yearn to explore the heart of the Nyxian Gap."

She looked up at him with suspicious eyes.

"Trust me! I'm engaged to you now. We have already set the date for our wedding. There is no way that I will miss the most significant moment of my life!"

Gloriana softened up after hearing that. "You better remember than when I'm not there to warm your bed anymore."

"I will miss the opportunity to discharge my energy. I only have Lucky to keep me company at night, and he is far too cold and hard to hug to sleep."

"Meow!"

Lucky took offense to that!

Ves ignored his cat's protests. He just wanted to spend one final afternoon with his lover before he went off to earn a lot of merits.

"Have you already accepted a mission?" She asked.

"Not yet."

"Shouldn't you have taken care of that by now?"

"I'm not in a hurry. Many of the lucrative missions that I'm eying are open missions that are open to anyone. No one seems to have fulfilled them for a time, so the Rim Guardians just let any associate try their luck at them in the hopes that one of them can actually succeed."

There were other missions that demanded Ves to make a prior commitment. Most of them were supposed to be completed in a group or contained too many conditions.

Ves did not wish to make any reckless promises and commitments. Part of what allowed successful pirates to survive in the Nyxian Gap was that they were highly adaptable. The truly clever pirate commander never proceeded with a plan the moment something seemed wrong. As long as his purpose or his route were leaked, there was a considerable chance that Task Force Predator might fall victim to an ambush!

This was one of the valuable advice provided by Calabast.

"Ves."

"Yes, honey?"

"We should talk about starting some new mech design projects. Now that we have hired a considerable cohort of mech designers, we can probably triple the amount of projects we can work on concurrently."

"I'm aware. It's just that I have been trying to come up with some good ideas for a while now. One of the reasons why I'm so eager to depart for the Nyxian Gap is to gain a lot of inspiration from my travels. I won't be able to figure out anything good if I remain stuck in Cinach all the time."

"Silly Ves." She softly giggled at him. She reached out and poked her finger against his forehead. "We aren't the only mech designers in the Design Department. We've added 50 mech designers, many of which possess different backgrounds. Why not make use of them for once and task them with coming up with their own proposals?"

Ves raised his eyebrows. "This.. this is a very interesting idea. I think.. it can actually work!"

Certainly, none of their assistant mech designers were as bright as Ves and Gloriana. They were all different and filled with unique ideas. Even if 48 out of the 50 suggestions were too awful to be taken seriously, as long as the remaining two sounded decent, it was still worth it in the end!

"We can obtain a good glimpse of our new assistants." Gloriana added. "We already know that many of them have what it takes to be useful, but we don't want all of them to remain this way, do we?"

Ves nodded. "There are a number of promising people who I'll be keeping an eye on. I feel quite good about their chances to advance to Journeyman."

As long as just one of them advanced to Journeyman, Ves and Gloriana would be able to incorporate another powerful specialty in their mech designs!

Right now, just the two of them weren't enough. There was plenty room for additional design philosophies in their collaborative works!

Just as Ves began to imagine what it would be like to design a swordsman mech with Ketis advancing to Journeyman, his girlfriend presented her own idea.

"We promised to design 8 mechs for DIVA. We should start with designing at least two for now. I already have a suggestion in mind."

"Do tell."

She activated her comm and projected some sketches. They depicted a variety of male and female Hexer mech designs.

Ves had come up with most of their mech design projects so far. While he wasn't used to Gloriana taking the initiative this time, he welcomed it anyway.

His girlfriend was incredibly passionate about Hexer mech designs, and she possessed a much deeper understanding how the Hex Army worked than him. Already she impressed him with a familiar-looking mech concept.

"A.. valkyrie?"

Chapter 2157 Solok Reyva

Task Force Predator departed the Cinach System with incredible momentum. Numerous light carriers, combat carriers and some swift logistics ships moved in unison towards one of the nearest Lagrange points.

Once there, the fleet practically transitioned into FTL in unison. With over 40 carriers of different shapes and sizes making up the bulk of its composition, it didn't take much of a guess that the Larkinson Clan was about to go off on an expedition to the Nyxian Gap!

A lot of observers in the system immediately sent messages to other parties. As one of the most prominent Journeymen in the star sector, Ves already knew that his movements would be tracked.

There was no way to stop it as long as he and his fleet remained in civilized space. If he wanted to shake off pursuers, his task force would have to enter within the realm of the Nyxian Gap.

That would take a while. Until then, Ves could spend his time on numerous matters.

The first issue he addressed was setting some solid goals for his excursion.

Once his implant connected to the Rim Exchange, his consciousness entered Granada Prime, a virtual city set aside for associates originating from the nearby star sectors.

A butler-like android with a curly moustache immediately greeted his arrival.

[Welcome back to the Rim Exchange, Apollo Radiant.]

Having entered the virtual portal of the Rim Exchange a few times before, Ves had grown used to GammGammHogan's presence. His personal attendant actually provided him with numerous useful functions.

"Have I received any mail?"

[You have received 351 messages. Of these messages, 351 of them have failed to go past the filters that you have configured. The total amount of messages that await your perusal is 0.]

That was to be expected. During his previous visits, he couldn't resist spending some time to tweak and update his Apollo Radiant avatar. Its ornate, clockwork-like bronze shell became even more exquisite. His raised mech affinity elevated its quality further, allowing him to stand out from other low-level associates!

There were hardly any stupid people in the Rim Exchange. The Rim Guardian Fraternity specifically approached the best and most promising professionals in the galactic rim to take part in the Rim Exchange.

Combined with the fact that Granada Prime was filled with associates from the Komodo Star Sector, it did not take long for some of them to equate the Apollo Radiant avatar to the male half of the Miracle Couple!

Ves had no intentions of hiding the connection. His avatar advertised his current design ability, and conveyed his distinctive design style. On top of that, it also carried one of his characteristic glows. As the only mech designer able to incorporate them in mechs, the evidence was rather conclusive!

Previously, Ves deliberately flaunted his avatar on the streets of Grenada Prime in order to attract attention and solicit offers.

It was too bad that most associates sought to leech from him or take advantage of him. This was why Ves did not react with surprise when Hogan filtered out all of the 351 messages his Apollo Radiant avatar received.

"Hogan, please convert to my second avatar."

Within the snap of a second, his artful appearance as Apollo Radiant disappeared. In its place was a humanoid avatar that looked anything but elegant.

Consisting of rusted steel and other garbage materials, Junkyard Joe was the antithesis of his former Rim Avatar. It looked like a shambling mess and every movement caused something inside to rattle or squeak. Its construction was so poor that it was already at risk of falling apart!

If that wasn't enough, a ratty, oil-stained piece of canvas covered the avatar's form, making it seem as if he was some kind of beggar in some neglected space station!

No one should be able to associate Junkyard Joe with Apollo Radiant. The differences were night and day. Even the worst Novices would have been able to cobble up something better!

The ugly lips of his avatar bent into a crooked smile. "I won't be disturbed this time."

There were no limits to how many Rim Avatars an associate could make. The way the Rim Exchange was set up, it was easy to maintain anonymity. Ves did not wish for other associates to learn which missions he wanted to pursue.

"Stay here Hogan and continue to monitor my messages. Please continue to monitor any announcements relating to high-priority missions."

[Very well, sir.]

When Junkyard Joe stepped into the public areas, the avatar hardly attracted any attention. Those that did study its construction only became repulsed by what they saw.

Ves had practically taken every lesson he learned from Gloriana and performed the exact opposite! His mech was crooked, unbalanced, asymmetrical and filled with so many flaws that it would have constituted as torture to his fiancé!

What he found amusing was that he was hardly the only associate who played this game.

Multiple associates designed ugly and misleading avatars to obscure their identities and avoid attracting attention. Other people already knew that there was no point in approaching these kinds of people.

Ves even received some accolades from fellow connoisseurs!

"I love your creativity, Junkyard Joe." A crab-shaped avatar made out of rotting wood raised its malfunctioning claw. "You're in my top 10 list!"

"Thanks."

A human-sized cleaning bot stumbled upon his path next. "Wow, you look like you crawled straight out of a pirate dump. Can you teach me how you're able to keep your avatar working at such horrible quality?"

"Get lost!"

Okay, maybe Ves had overdone it a little. Fortunately, he didn't encounter too many interruptions before he reached the Merit Hall.

Hundreds of associates, some of them accompanied by their android attendants, looked up at the huge projected bulletin boards. Numerous missions issued by the Rim Guardians blinked on it. Ves immediately approached the section of the hall that allowed him to view the missions related to the Nyxian Gap.

A very small number of avatars lingered in this section. Among the elites who managed to earn the acknowledgement of the Rim Guardians, hardly any of them possessed the stomach to venture in a region filled with danger and death!

"That's all the better for me." Junkyard Joe smirked.

The Merit Hall operated according to supply and demand. Easy missions and those that attracted a lot of associates offered little reward. The ones that were difficult, risky or cumbersome had to offer a lot more merits in order to solicit interest.

While there weren't that many missions that took place in the Nyxian Gap, almost all of them offered rewards that were well above average!

The ones that took place in the periphery already provided two to four times as much merits as an equivalent mission in civilized space.

Meanwhile, the missions that required the associate to travel a little deeper could easily earn an associate ten times as much merits as normal!

His Junkyard Joe avatar raised a rusty finger and rubbed its rough, rust-stained chin. "Many of the same missions are still on the list."

A lot of listings consisted of deep, latent missions. They essentially demanded the associate to take a huge risk in order to travel deeper into the Nyxian Gap. Since hardly anyone was crazy enough to accept them, these missions had been languishing on the list for years, sometimes even decades!

The longer a mission remained unfulfilled, the greater the rewards. As long as the Rim Guardians refused to delist the mission, the amount of merits and other benefits they yielded continued to balloon!

None of the missions were easy, though. Ves spotted nothing that sounded easy.

Right now, Ves just wanted to check if anything changed. He memorized every outstanding mission, but accepted none of them. It didn't matter if he did because they were open missions, which meant that anyone could fulfill them at any time.

Some consisted of bounties. Others consisted of retrieval missions. A fair number even directed the associate to travel straight to a hazard zone and scout the life-threatening circumstances!

Ves just took note of them all, especially the ones that he might encounter along his planned route. He adopted an opportunistic mindset towards these open missions. If he could fulfill them along the way, he didn't mind doing so, but the odds of that happening was rather slim.

"I need to set a solid goal for myself."

He browsed the list until he found the mission that he had been eying for a time.

[Rescue Mission

29 years ago, Solok Reyva, a talented Journeyman and a member of the Rim Guardian Fraternity, ventured into the Nyxian Gap with a small but powerful fleet. Ten months into the journey, the MTA has lost contact with the entire fleet.

Solok Reyva was presumed lost.

Several years later, small batches of high-quality mechs began to circulate among the Nyxian pirates. Rumors have emerged that the Krella Alliance, a minor but elusive pirate group in the Nyxian Gap, has captured a very capable mech designer and coerced him into working on commissions issued by various pirate clients.

The Rim Guardians have reason to suspect that the Krella Alliance has captured Solok Reyva and are exploiting him to this day. The design characteristics of the commissioned pirate mechs bear at least some resemblance to Solok Reyva's prior work at the MTA.

The Krella Alliance is a fleet-based pirate group that is often on the move. It is well-connected in the deeper portions of the periphery of the Nyxian Gap and is always able to evade pursuit.

Track down the Krella Alliance and retrieve the mech designer that is responsible for designing the commissioned pirate mechs. If the identity of the mech designer is Solok Reyva, then he must be brought back to MTA custody alive and as healthy as possible.

Due to prior failed rescue attempts, the Krella Alliance is on guard. Its fleet has become much more difficult to track, and the mechs its captive mech designers have designed no longer bear the design characteristics associated with Solok Reyva.

Reward: 2,500,000 MTA merits

Bonus: 2,500,000 MTA merits and 1 level associate status promotion if the rescued mech designer is Solok Reyva and alive]

This was the big one. Considering the composition and capabilities of his task force, Ves believed he had a decent shot at fulfilling this particular mission.

Rescuing Solok Reyva not only awarded him with a huge amount of MTA merits, but also elevated his associate status by an additional level!

The latter was pretty rare! It took a lot of effort to promote his associate status. While Ves had already gained one level due to receiving a masterwork certificate, that was just a one-time deal.

Each level after 1 granted him a 5 percent bonus in every good and service offered by the Rim Guardians. If Ves was able to rescue Solok Reyva, then he'd be able to gain a 10 percent discount in total!

Compared to his old situation, Ves effectively had to pay 5 million merits less for a second-class fleet beyonder ticket.

Therefore, while the rescue mission only awarded him with 5 million merits on the surface, he effectively gained double if he obtained the additional discount!

Putting him one-tenth closer to fulfilling his great ambition was well worth it in his eyes!

"Six months. I'll spend six months at most."

If Ves failed to track Solok down, then he was ready to cut his losses at that point.

One thing was for sure. It wasn't going to be easy for Ves to close in on Solok and the Krella Alliance.

The pirates covered their tracks so that Ves effectively had to trace them by following the breadcrumbs in the form of the commissioned mechs they sold.

Ves would have to access and inspect these mechs in person in order to ascertain whether they were Solok's handiwork. This was incredibly arduous and required a mech designer of high skill in order to make this determination.

The reason why it wasn't possible to determine whether any mech was designed by Solok was because he was actually a rational mech designer!

The man was able to emulate multiple specialties!

Chapter 2158 Nyxian Gap Geography

Solok Reyva's record did not reveal too many details. Much of it was classified and not accessible to a low-leveled external associate such as Ves. What little he had to go on only described the basics.

Almost thirty years ago, Solok Reyva was a Journeyman similar to Jovy Armalon. He was born into the MTA, where his parents worked for a long time.

The talented Solok did not opt to become a passionate mech designer. Like many of those who were brought up within the MTA, he chose the harder route and focused on designing mechs with his mind rather than his heart.

His design philosophy wasn't actually very impressive as a result. Officially, Solok specialized in burst-mobility propulsion systems. This was a rather plain Class IV design philosophy that allowed his mechs to exhibit extreme bursts of speed when needed.

Compared to a highly abstruse design philosophy like that of Jovy, Solok chose a much easier path to Master.

Regardless, as a rational mech designer, it really didn't matter if Solok could hardly contribute anything valuable to the MTA with his specialty.

The principal use of rational mech designers was to imitate and combine multiple different design philosophies developed by others!

This made tracking down Solok and the Krella Alliance that much harder. The latter had profited much from the former. Not only had the Krella Alliance grown its main fleet, it also established numerous other fleets!

What complicated the search even further was that every fleet hosted numerous mech designers. Whether willingly or not, they designed and produced various mechs on behalf of the Krella Alliance.

Within the vast and expansive pirate ecosystem of the Nyxian Gap, the Krella Alliance was one of the few reliable providers to medium and high-quality mechs!

While his did not sound very remarkable if the Krella Alliance operated in civilized space, in a region as difficult as the Nyxian Gap, most pirates could hardly find any mech supplier that sold something better than junk!

According to the intelligence provided by the Rim Guardians, most Krella Alliance fleets hid in the inner periphery of the Gap. The inner periphery was were most of the more established pirate groups resided.

Unlike the outer periphery, a lot less Peacekeeper outfits tended to venture into the inner periphery. The chance of encountering hazard zones was bigger, though it wasn't as bad as the core regions.

In general, the inner periphery was far enough from the Sentinel Kingdom to evade the authorities. It was also just beyond the core regions, where the spatial warping had reached such an intense level that most quantum entanglement nodes stopped working correctly.

In certain areas in the core regions, even his new Darkbreak module might not be able to maintain a connection to the galactic net!

Ves heavily suspected that the Oblivion Hand and his parents made their home in the core regions. This was why he never managed to get in touch with them through the backdoor he implemented in the Devil Tiger.

Even though the inner periphery sounded considerably safer than the core region, in truth nothing was absolute!

The CFA and MTA longer dispatched any of their main forces into the Nyxian Gap when a large proportion of their forces simply disappeared.

While the bulk of these disappearances took place in the core regions, it wasn't impossible for some of them to fall off the radar in both the inner and outer periphery!

The Big Two stopped sending big warfleets into the Nyxian Gap after that. Most of the time, the MTA relied on external help to investigate this perilous region.

Even if their local helpers encountered mishaps, the MTA didn't care! Such losses no longer hurt them. The only problem was that associates like Ves were not as capable and very reluctant to take on risks.

The MTA had no choice but to ramp up their merit rewards in order to encourage others to complete its missions.

Right now, Ves was one of the many fish that one of the MTA's daughter organizations had managed to lure.

The prospect of getting 10,000,000 MTA merits closer to his goal was simply too irresistible to him! Unlike many other missions, Ves was somewhat confident he could rescue Solok Reyva from the clutches of the Krella Alliance.

The key was to make use of all of his strengths. Aside from being confident that he could trace Solok's work, Ves also leaned on Calabast to facilitate the hunt!

The spymaster of the Larkinson Clan accompanied the task force in person. Instead of traveling on the Swordmaiden carrier, Calabast opted to take up residence in the Scarlet Rose.

That made it easier for Ves to visit her office in order to discuss their next moves.

When Ves entered her office compartment with Lucky, Calabast already awaited his arrival.

She draped black-clad body over the length of a couch that she specifically brought aboard the mobile supply frigate.

"Hello, Ves. Would you like to join me?" She asked in a teasing tone.

"No thanks." Ves scowled and opted to sit on the chair in front of her desk instead. "In case you don't know, I'm engaged."

"Hahaha, Gloriana won't mind what she doesn't know."

"Can you please stop joking around? I am in no mood to play this game."

Calabast shrugged and straightened her sinuously-curved body. The tightness of her uniform only accentuated her womanly charm.

"Fine. I suppose you are here to hear about Mr. Reyva's whereabouts?"

He nodded. "Have you narrowed down the area where we are likely to encounter the right Krella Alliance fleet?"

"Not exactly, but I have my suspicions." Calabast waved her hand, causing a projection of a map of the Nyxian Gap to come into view.

The map had already been segregated into different regions and zones. She first highlighted a sizable zone in the inner periphery.

"After my Black Cats have collected a lot of intelligence and performed an extensive analysis, we have good reason to believe that the main fleet of the Krella Alliance is likely situated in a zone commonly referred to as the Maynard Fields."

Another projection popped up that displayed various archival footage of the zone in question.

"Maynard Fields is one of the inner periphery zones with some of the highest concentration of asteroids. Navigating through this area will test every helmsman and navigator. One wrong move can easily cause a ship to collide against an asteroid."

The concentration of asteroids was at least twice or thrice that of a regular zone in the periphery!

This was bad news, because any fleet traversing through this field would have to slow down in order to minimize any chance of bumping into them. The higher concentration of asteroids also made it easier to set up ambushes.

"Why would anyone even hang out in this dense field of asteroids?" Ves frowned.

"Maynard Fields is not rich in medium-grade or high-grade exotics. What is actually notable is that a fair number of asteroids contain notable deposits of Kavenit. While it takes some effort to find a Kavenit asteroid, once someone does, it's very easy to extract large quantities of this low-grade exotic."

Ah. Kavenit. That was a familiar material to Ves. It was a fairly prevalent exotic in in the Yeina Star Cluster. Its wide applicability as an armor strengthener turned it into one of the most common ingredients used to toughen up cheap mechs.

Back in the frontier, Ves learned that the pirates there minted the Kavenit into coins, bars or slates in order to form a commonly-accepted hard currency.

Apparently, the Nyxian pirates adopted the same tradition.

"The pirate groups that are able to establish a presence in Maynard Fields are all able to mine a substantial amount of currency. The groups subsequently spend all of the wealth they mined to trade for other goods and services. It's quite a lucrative trade and the pirates that have managed to establish a foundation in Maynard are not weak."

"I see." Ves idly stroked Lucky's back. "So what is the main fleet of the Krella Alliance doing here?"

Calabast shrugged again. "I'm not certain yet. Perhaps the Krella Alliance requires a large amount of funds in order to fund an expansion. Maybe the group is searching for more recruits. There are a decent number of pirate bases and strongholds in Maynard that serve as hubs for pirate outfits. All kinds of misfits and criminals seek their fortune at these dens of iniquity."

The pirate organizations that were able to mine Kanevit on a large scale were not short on money. Hence, their publicly-accessible bases were home to a lot of markets and trading platforms.

With so much traffic and activity, ambushes must be very common here. The dense asteroid concentration provided considerable advantages to ambushers. Those that wish to travel through Maynard Fields unscathed had to remain alert throughout the entire journey!

Such conditions did not sound ideal to Ves. Despite the considerable strength of Task Force Predator, the difficult space terrain hindered its ability to bring all of its strength to bear.

The numerous asteroids not only got in the way of dispatching reinforcements, but also provided a lot of hard cover against ranged fire!

This effectively meant that most battles in Maynard consisted of short to medium-range brawls. Rifleman mechs and other ranged mechs were only able to fire at a limited distance.

"What about anomalies and hazard zones?" Ves asked.

"At least that isn't so bad. Kavenit is a relatively stable and unenergetic exotic. They hardly throw up any strange phenomena. The concentration of medium to high-grade exotics is too low in Maynard Fields to generate many space hazards. While that doesn't mean that an anomaly might emerge in certain localized areas, as a whole the zone has never presented a significant risk to its travelers. This is one of the other reasons why many pirate outfits prefer to linger in Maynard."

"Alright. That sounds good. I would rather fight against pirates then bump into inexplicable phenomena in space. How will we reach this zone?"

Calabast swiped her finger, causing a dotted route to traverse across the map. It began from the outer periphery and cut straight into Maynard.

"The direct route is best I believe. If time is an issue, then I advise the fleet to pass through an outer periphery zone called Wreckage Paradise."

"What a.. descriptive name. I take it that there's a lot of space junk floating in this region?"

Calabast nodded. "Wreckage Paradise has a relatively low concentration of asteroids. Most of them are filled with nothing but rock or mundane materials. What makes them notable is that a small amount of them actually hide modest deposits of medium-grade exotics. These are materials that can be sold for a high price in civilized space. This attracts a lot of Peacekeeper outfits. They usually cross into Wreckage Paradise with a mining ship or two to prospect and mine the valuable materials."

"And I suppose that attracts a lot of pirates, right?"

"Yup. The pirate gangs that prowl Wreckage Paradise tend to be rather weak. They aren't strong enough to enter the inner periphery, so they have to make do in the outermost zones of Nyxian Gap where they often clash with Peacekeepers."

That must be why the zone became known as Wreckage Paradise. Too much wreckage from mechs and ships floated in the area. Most of them were rather cheap to begin with, so salvagers hardly earned enough profit to compensate for the considerable risks of operating in a pirate-infested zone.

As Ves read up on Wreckage Paradise, he found himself agreeing with Calabast's choice. The bottom feeder pirates posed no threat to his forces, and the concentration of asteroids was so low that it would not slow down his fleet too much.

"Very well. I'll pass your recommendations to the fleet. If nothing else comes up, we'll adopt this route."

It would take around several weeks to a month to travel through Wreckage Paradise. After that, Ves planned to spend a couple of months in Maynard Fields.

Even if he failed to track down Solok Reyva, he could still pursue some other missions!

Chapter 2159 Intensive Drills

Normally, the Scarlet Rose wasn't very boisterous. The mobile supply frigate that Ves had managed to hijack from the Coalition Reserve Corps wasn't very big. She was only able to carry four mechs at most and her mech workshop's output was fairly modest.

Nonetheless, she was the best ship in his possession. Ves did not feel entirely safe to travel aboard the third-class ships of his clan. He didn't possess any stomach to travel aboard one of the ten formidable combat carriers in the hands of the Penitent Sisters either.

Only the Scarlet Rose provided him with a space that he could completely call his own. After an extensive overhaul and refit, much of her interior had been changed to suit his needs.

Now, after a long time, the Scarlet Rose hosted more people than just Ves and the Battle Criers that made up her crew.

A group of 26 assistant mech designers had gathered in the design lab. The presence of so many people made the compartment a lot livelier, though also a bit cramped.

Ketis stood proudly at the front of the group. The other mech designers fearfully kept their distance from her and her incredibly sharp greatsword.

The new Larkinsons had witnessed her chopping off too many body parts to count! Even though she hadn't actually killed anyone, the nonchalance she showed during the selection process proved that she was an experienced butcher!

The sight amused Ves a lot. It also disappointed him a bit. Much of his cohort of mech designers should have been uncommonly brave or firm. Despite that, the mere sight of a single female mech designer with a sword caused all of them to relive their past trauma!

"Alright." Ves eventually clapped. "Good morning everyone. I hope that all of you are satisfied with your new accommodations. While you all deserve to sleep in separate cabins, we don't have enough room aboard this ship. I hope you can endure these necessities."

All of his assistant mech designers were notable and accomplished talents. None of them signed up for an adventure like this, but sadly Ves was not an average employer!

As newly-adopted Larkinsons, they had no choice but to put up with the circumstances.

"Ketis, how have these fellows shaped up during the welcome tour?"

"They're doing a fine job, Ves." She casually replied. "I think all of them will make for fine Larkinsons."

"What about their battle readiness?"

Her smile disappeared. "Frankly, horrible. During the welcome tour, we hardly enjoyed any opportunities to drill. In the event of an alarm, the fools are liable to run into each other rather than reach their assigned posts!"

"I see. Let's address this first. Ketis, I want you to coordinate with the captain of the ship to hold intensive, randomized drills in the next couple of weeks. No matter if it happens in the early morning or in the evening, I want everyone on this ship to become familiar with what needs to be done in the event of a disaster!"

"Got it, Ves!"

This was a necessity aboard any ship. Back when he worked for the Flagrant Vandals, he took part in sporadic drills that initiated at random times. The reason why the Vandals hadn't conducted their drills more frequently was because most of their crews already knew what to do in the event of every conceivable emergency. They only needed to drill enough times to remain sharp.

That wasn't the case right now. The Battle Criers who crewed the ship might know how to react to various emergencies, but the new assistant mech designers probably didn't know the way to the nearest escape pods!

Shortly after that, the assistant mech designers went through hell. None of them had any opportunity to showcase their design prowess to Ves. They simply spent too much time on memorizing the various steps they needed to take in the event of an enemy attack or an explosion in the engineering bay.

If they weren't resting or studying, then they were often preoccupied with drills!

Ves did not allow his new assistants to do nothing except trying their best to stand out of the way. He wanted them to be proactive in assisting the crew in repairing critical damage or assisting in mitigating various disasters.

From putting out fires to replacing broken power cables, not every repair job required the services of a ship engineer.

All of the activity reminded Ves of the past. He too frequently lent a hand in the case of various emergencies. Though most of his new assistants didn't see the necessity in holding so many drills, Ves was sure that they would thank him later.

Increasing their stress levels, interrupting their sleep and forcing them to work on complicated equipment for hours at a time was the fastest way to raise them up to standard!

With less than a week of travel before the task force reached the outer periphery of the Nyxian Gap, disaster might strike at any moment.

Of course, as the man responsible for sparking all of these drills, Ves skipped out on them. He relaxed in his stateroom or quietly fiddled with his sketches at the design lab while his poor assistants were being worked to the bone.

In truth, Ves didn't just torture them in order to raise their battle readiness. He also wanted to increase their stress tolerance. Having lived through several battles, Ves knew that the intense pressure and uncertainty could break anyone who hadn't gone through combat training.

Though the drills weren't adequate substitutes to actual combat training, they at least sufficed.

During these stressful days, the assistants often vented their frustrations to each other.

"I already regret becoming a Larkinson!"

"I haven't slept more than three hours at a time!"

"Devil Tongue, indeed! I thought his moniker only reflected his speech, but it turns out he's a devil in other ways as well!"

Ves only derived further amusement when hearing these complaints. He wasn't worried that any of them would snap. The Battle Criers actually monitored every assistant very closely and built up an extensive profile of their ability to endure difficulties.

Perhaps the only other person who was allowed to skip some of the drills was Ketis. As someone who spent more than half of her life on a pirate ship, she was already an old hand at drills. She only needed to familiarize herself with the unique layout and ship components of the Scarlet Rose before she was ready to address most emergencies.

When Ves called her to the design lab, she sat down in front of her mentor.

"Meow!"

Lucky floated up to her lap, causing her to soften up. "Hehe! I miss you too, Lucky."

Ves smiled at the sight. "The two of us haven't talked alone for a while. How are you doing, Ketis?"

She shrugged. "I'm fine. I'm getting used to becoming a Larkinson. It still feels strange to me that my life has changed so much. I'm glad you're taking care of the Swordmaidens. They all love their new swords."

"Do you have any complaints or issues you want to address?"

"Yeah." She stopped playing with Lucky, causing him to look puzzled. "I don't know why you think I'm leadership material. Why are you putting me in charge of so many brats? They're so soft that the frontier would have eaten them all up in an instant! I really tire of babysitting them all the time. You once promised me you would give me enough time for me to design my own mechs and work towards my possible breakthrough to Journeyman. Well, in the last weeks, I haven't spent more than an hour a day on my designs!"

"Ah, that's my fault." Ves looked apologetic. "I needed someone to take charge of the new hires. You know how mech designers like us are. It's best for mech designers to lead other mech designers. I'm too busy to corral them all the time. You're the only one available that I can trust."

"I'm not your errand girl, Ves." She scowled and crossed her arms. "By now, the new hires don't need as much guidance anymore. I suggest you promote some of their ranks to team leaders and let them manage the rest in my stead. They're not delinquents, after all."

Ves looked interested. "You have a point. If they're responsible enough to manage themselves, then I am willing to give it a try. You know them better than I. Select 5 team leaders among the batch to lead our new design teams."

"How do you want to distribute the assistants among the teams?"

There were several ways to structure a design team. Ves was used to working with teams ranging from 4 to 6 people. This was a rather small but flexible size.

Ves thought for a moment. "Just spread out their specialties so that every team is as well-rounded as possible. I don't want to concentrate on specialties in different design teams."

"Are you sure? I heard you wanted to design a lot of mechs at once. From what I know, forming specialized teams and assigning them to projects on a necessity basis is a good way to achieve the best results."

Such homogenized design teams did indeed produce a lot of higher quality results. However, Ves did not believe it was compatible with his mech design.

"I design mechs by feeling." He replied. "I don't want every design team to contribute to specific sections of a mech design in isolation. Only by working on a project from beginning to end will every participant be able to instill their thought and emotion into the mech design."

If Ves followed the model suggested by Ketis and concentrated the same category of specialties in specific design teams, then his subordinates would just see the mech designs as discrete parts.

How can a collection of discrete body parts be alive?

Ketis eventually understood. "I see. I will take care of it, I guess."

"Good. After that, you can delegate most of the responsibilities that you're currently performing to the new team leaders."

"What if they screw up?"

"Then just demote them and put someone else in charge. Don't forget that leading a design team earns an assistant an additional 10 merits a year. This practically doubles their base merit earnings. There is no way those ambitious brats will forgo this opportunity."

The best way to motivate people was to dangle carrots in front of their faces. Ves was not afraid that his team leaders would mess up. Gaining this advantage early essentially set them up for success.

"Tell me about the people you have in mind. Are there any notable mech designers in the batch that I should pay more attention to than normal?"

Ketis paused for a moment. "There are plenty of interesting figures. I suppose the weirdest one is Rina Orion-Larkinson. She used to be a refugee from the Coman Federation. She's stuffed with augmentations, though most of them are fairly low-quality implants. She wants to replace as many of her current implants with second-class versions."

Ah. The Coman Federation used to border the Bright Republic before the sandmen fleets rolled in. Now, practically all of their settled planets were covered by sand!

The Comans were practically cyborgs and possessed some weird beliefs when it came to self-augmentation.

"What makes her interesting?"

"She's very ambitious. She's also very bossy. She frequently clashes with Catherine Evenson-Larkinson. Both of them are jockeying to become the leaders of their batch after me, though the other assistants don't particularly like either of them. Everyone sees each other as competitors."

"I see."

While Ves wanted to foster a bit of rivalry among his design teams, too much of it would only tear them apart.

"Let's group them into their design teams as soon as possible." He decided. "We can work on increasing their camaraderie within the teams as well. We'll tone down the drills once we enter Wreckage Paradise."

As much as he wanted to bang them into shape even further, Ves needed to put them to work! He already started a design project and would soon be forming even more. He urgently needed his assistants to earn their keep!

Chapter 2160 Sword Will

Lucky hopped onto a table and sat on his haunches. He looked curiously at Ves and Ketis obsessing over the projection of a mech design.

"...This is a very sober mech design. Even though it's devoid of any gimmicks or extra features, its foundation is quite solid!"

The mech that Ketis had designed in her spare time truly earned his appreciation. Though it was just an Apprentice-level premium landbound swordsman mech design, it not only showcased a Journeyman-level understanding of Mechanics, Physics and Metallurgy, the machine was also focused on making the most out of its incredibly sharp greatsword!

The care, love and attention that his first student had poured over this nameless mech design truly touched him. Similar to Ves, Ketis treated her mechs as precious, living containers of her values and principles.

Though she didn't adopt his perspective that mechs were alive, Ves had definitely influenced her own beliefs to a significant extent, sometimes unintentionally!

This was something that Ves hadn't entirely anticipated. Imitation was one of the best ways to improve, and Ketis enjoyed plenty of opportunities to study and observe his work.

She subsequently imitated many of his methods and maintained a lot of focus while she developed this swordsman mech. This had indirectly caused her nascent design philosophy to affect the mech at a significantly greater degree than other Apprentices were capable of. The sharpness of the blade of her mech design already surpassed the limits of its materials and production method!

Ketis smiled with pride. "To be honest, I followed your lessons and learned from your own mechs. You always emphasize the basics. I did my best to focus purely on the core functions of my mech, making sure that its most important specs are all good before focusing on imbuing my sword will into my design."

"Sword will?" Ves puzzled.

"My superpower!" She clarified. "Sword will is… kind of the goal that many of our Swordmaidens are pursuing. When Commander Lydia still led us, she told us stories on how to transcend mundane swordsmanship. Those who wield the sword as a tool are warriors. Those who have become the sword are true swordswomen!"

Ves raised his eyebrow. He may have seen this phrase a few times when he looked up swordsman mechs, but he never paid that much attention to it. However, now that Ketis mentioned it, perhaps there was actual substance behind this concept.

However, when Ves contextualized what Ketis mentioned with his own theories on design philosophies and force of will, it suddenly clicked.

"You mean there is an obsession with swords. An obsession that has grown so strong that it is capable of affecting reality!"

"Yup!" She grinned. "I always thought that Commander Lydia's lessons on sword will only applied to mech pilots. When you showed that mech designers like us can gain superpowers as well, I knew that I could develop a sword will as well! I put my full effort into developing it! It's thanks to you that I can slice a metal bar with a butter knife!"

Though her story sounded silly, Ves truly admired her persistence. Even if she harbored mistaken assumptions, she only needed to believe that it was possible for her to pour her entire heart and soul in developing her own 'sword will'!

Right now, Ketis basically equated her design philosophy to the concept of sword will that Commander Lydia used to inspire her Swordmaidens. This insured that Ketis would always remain highly motivated and highly passionate about her work!

Seeing that Ves did not have to worry about Ketis slacking off, he smiled and waved his hand.

"Your swordsman mech design is very good for a mech designer at your level. I would have absolutely liked to publish it a few years ago. As it is…"

"It's okay. I know it's not up to your standard. I don't want to impose on you and the LMC. I'll catch up with you someday and design a mech that is worthy enough to sell under your brand!"

Ketis did not mind that she wouldn't be able to sell her mech to the market. As a daughter of the frontier, she did not possess the same reverence towards the mech market than someone who was born in civilized space.

Whereas mech designers like Ves treated the mech market as the ultimate arbitrator of success, to Ketis it was merely a means to earn money. She cared a lot more about designing mechs for the Swordmaidens than achieving commercial success!

"About this sword will, I suppose Commander Dise has formed one as well?"

"Yes! Her sword will is different from mine. We regularly compare ourselves against each other through spars." She replied and sighed. "She's easily able to defeat me in every practice session, whether we compete on strength or technique. I really admire her sword will. Hers is.. changing every day. I think she is close to finding her own way."

"That sounds good. I hope we can welcome a new expert pilot within the Larkinson Clan when she succeeds."

Ves had very high hopes for this expedition. He had brought along every expert candidate in his clan. The Nyxian Gap would provide them with plenty of opportunities to challenge themselves and overcome their limits.

While it was possible for expert candidates to achieve their breakthroughs outside of the battlefield, in practice it was rare for them to do so. True life-and-death combat still remained the most effective method to achieve a breakthrough.

This was why states that engaged in war more frequently often boasted a greater quantity of expert pilots. The quality of their expert pilots were also better because each of them had advanced to their current height through a mountain of mech wrecks!

This was something that the Larkinson Family already understood. It was one of the reason why most Larkinson mech pilots were eager to do their duty and defend the Bright Republic against Vesian aggression.

Perhaps without a belligerent neighbor like the Vesia Kingdom, the Larkinsons would have never developed into a renowned military family!

Ves had long been frustrated by the lack of progress of his available expert candidates. Even though Jannzi Larkinson, Tusa Billingsley-Larkinson and Commander Dise had grown very strong, none of them managed to overcome their bottlenecks.

Rather than waiting for all of them to mill down the obstacles in their way, Ves would rather subject them to pressure so they could punch through their barriers with a single, direct leap!

The only issue that Ves was concerned about was whether he could manage the risks. He needed to surround them with sufficient danger to stimulate their potential, but also had to make sure his enemies didn't actually end the lives of his precious expert candidates.

The loss of even one of them would inflict a huge blow to the confidence of his Larkinson Clan!

The session between Ves and Ketis continued.

As Lucky crawled onto the female mech designer's lap, Ketis showcased some of her other mech designs.

Her most recent work was a light mech that fought akin to a fencer mech. It possessed high mobility and a rapier whose point was so sharp that it could even pierce through the chest plating of a mech as long as her mech applied sufficient force.

The only problem was that it was very challenging to do so. The base strength of the light swordsman mech was so weak that it had to build up a lot of momentum to punch through solid armor.

"This is a mech that requires excellent battle instincts and a high degree of skill in agile swordsmanship." Ketis explained. "Even among my surviving sisters, only a few of them are able to exert the full potential of this mech."

They moved on to a heftier mech design. The machine not only boasted a considerable amount of armor, but also wielded a sword in each hand!

"A duel-wielding swordsman mech?" Ves raised his eyebrow. "So far, you have shown a heavy preference to single swords in your mech designs. Why two all of a sudden?"

"This is my attempt at designing a defensive mech." She revealed and pointed at the thick armor plating covering most of its vitals. "While I can technically design a knight mech, I wanted to develop an alternative that can fulfill a similar role. Due to all of the mass slowing down its movement, I wasn't confident its defense was good enough. Adding a second sword not only allows this mech to defend against attacks from multiple angles, but also make it trickier for a single opponent to overcome its guard."

"That only applies to melee mechs."

"That's why I made the blades strong and thick. If they are able to cover themselves with the flat of the blades, it should be sufficient to defend against some ranged attacks."

Ves shook his head. "It's not good enough. You would be better off pairing the mech with a single broad blade instead, or better yet, an actual shield. Swords are held by their ends. This means that physical projectiles will exert a lot of force close to the center of the blade. There is a considerable risk that the grip on the sword won't be able to hold."

From the glum look of Ketis, she knew it as well. The duel-wielding swordsman mech only offered the same degree of defense as a Doom Guard. While its mobility and offense was higher than a knight mech, it was a fairly awful mech to field against ranged attackers.

"It's a failed experiment."

"Not necessarily." Ves gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "The mech still has a niche, just like striker mechs. It's not a knight mech and doesn't have to fulfill the same role as one. As long as it is fielded alongside other mech types that can cover up its shortcomings, this mech can serve as the cornerstone of a defensive bulwark or the battering ram of any offensive assault."

Even if her vision or mech concept possessed a lot of holes, Ves still praised her work for their various strengths. He himself was a mech designer who liked to pursue extremes, so all of her work was very much to his liking.

Certainly, he could have dissected and magnified the flaws of each of her original mech designs, but there was hardly any benefit to such a course of action. Ketis already appeared aware of the main flaws of her mech designs, so there was no need for Ves to open her wounds.

It was hard for her to hide her shame, though. While her mech designs were good enough to match his Blackbeak and Crystal Lord designs, they were far from reaching the level of the Desolate Soldier and his later works!

Ves raised his hand and plopped it onto her poofy beret.

"Don't compare yourself to me." He gently advised her. "You're much younger than me. Your circumstances are different and you pursue a different path from mine. Compared to many of your peers, you have already reached further ahead. With every mech you've designed, I have noticed that you have become much more proficient in incorporating your specialty. You're progressing by leaps and bounds, and most of it has to do with the purity of your design philosophy. As long as you maintain this trajectory, you will definitely reach the level where you are qualified to outfit the Swordmaidens."

Her depression evaporated as she looked at him with hope. "Really?"

"I have always been grateful to the Swordmaidens. I always had the intention to design a mech for them, but I did not want to do so without your help. As an Apprentice, your design philosophy won't have much of an effect. I'm waiting for you to advance to Journeyman. Once you do, you can either choose to design a mech for the Swordmaidens by yourself, or collaborate with me and Gloriana to design the most impressive swordsman mechs for your sisters!"

The flame burning within her heart suddenly grew hotter! Reaching Journeyman became an even greater priority for her now that Ves made such a generous promise.

"I'll take you up on your offer, Ves! My sisters deserve the best!"

Chapter 2161 Secure Communications

Ves owed a debt of kindness to several people. Tristan Wesseling, Major Verle and the Swordmaidens all lent a hand to him without being obliged to do so. Regardless of their ulterior motives, he deeply appreciated their sacrifices.

Paying back these debts was quite difficult. As someone who frequently fell victim to betrayal and hated it to the bone, Ves did not wish to do the same to his benefactors.

The Swordmaidens used to be a great pirate gang. Now, Commander Dise only managed to hold on to a tenth or less of their original numbers.

It was easy to lose hundreds of mech pilots. It was incredibly difficult to replace them with new ones!

Due to the unique and incredibly punishing training regime the Swordmaidens insisted upon, they not only suffered from a lot of dropouts, but also required at least several years to produce another elite mech pilot.

Ves believed it was worth it, though. If he wanted to pursue quantity, then he could have just focused on expanding the Living Sentinels.

Not even the Golden Avatars maintained a training intensity as high as that of the Swordmaidens.

There were two reasons why Ves held a lot of optimism towards the Swordmaidens. First, Commander Dise was a powerful expert candidate who only needed to experience one more breakthrough to advance to expert pilot.

Once she reached this level, she would not only turn into one of the greatest champions of the Larkinson Clan, but also elevate the strength of the rest of her sisters!

Second, the Swordmaidens managed to produce mech pilots who were so skilled that they did not lose out to the elites of the Mech Corps and the Kronon Dynasty!

Their courage, discipline, battle will, unity, piloting skill and other criteria were uncommonly high despite the poor conditions of the frontier. If not for their lack of resources, the Swordmaidens would have been able to dominate a corner of the Faris Star Region!

Now that the Larkinson Clan absorbed the Swordmaidens, none of them lacked for resources anymore. Their budget was so generous that they were able to procure excellent training tools that significantly enhanced the training of their next generation of mech pilots.

The hundreds of promising female mech cadets that the Swordmaidens took under their wing would definitely turn into competent second-class mech pilots in a few years!

As for the current generation of Swordmaidens, their effective strength had risen as well. Though they still piloted commercial third-class swordsman mechs, each of them were quite expensive.

So long as Ketis promoted to Journeyman in a timely fashion, the strength of the Swordmaidens would definitely soar!

Once he helped her with her mech designs, Ves believed he would fully be able to repay his debt to the Swordmaidens.

"That's just one debt taken care of. I still have to pay back several other people." He sighed.

The journey from the Sentinel Kingdom to the Nyxian Gap proceeded quietly. Task Force Predator encountered no obstacles along the way. With an effective strength that was not inferior to one of Sentinel's mech divisions, only the stupid strayed close to the task force's security perimeter.

During this time, the technicians and engineers in charge of setting up the Darkbreak module had finally integrated it into the Scarlet Rose.

Ves paid a personal visit to the new compartment that had been renovated specifically to accommodate the sizable equipment from the MTA.

Though it functioned similarly to a quantum communication node, Ves eventually opted to keep the original on the ship instead of tearing it out. This made it a bit difficult to fit the Darkbreak module into the ship. Eventually, he decided to convert a spare compartment into a highly-secure armored chamber that was specifically designed to protect and isolate the new module.

When Ves met with the Battle Crier engineer in charge of the installation operation, the man bowed with respect.

"Sir. My life is yours." He spoke with absolute conviction.

"Yes, yes, yes. You don't need to say something like that. Tell me about the Darkbreak module instead."

The engineer gestured towards the armored hatch. "Let's head inside."

They first had to go through a mandatory security check, which took a while. The preciousness of the Darkbreak module was not that much worse than Cassandra Breyer's escape pod, hence why Ves insisted on stationing a strong team of security officers in front of the entrance.

Once they passed through the hatch, they entered a silent compartment that was wrapped with meters of armor plating and signal-dampening materials.

"Originally, this compartment was twice as large, but in order to meet your demands, we had to shrink its available space in order to offer sufficient protection."

Ves soon came face-to-face with the module that he managed to win from his latest design duel. It looked like a black rectangular slab of metal from the outside, but he knew there were all kinds of sophisticated components inside.

"Have you been able to scan the insides off this machine?"

The engineer shook his head. "We employed some of the best scanners at our disposal, but to no avail. This Darkbreak module is still a black box to us. We truly have no idea what is hidden inside. The most we are able to do is make inferences by comparing it to a regular quantum entanglement node."

Though the answer disappointed Ves, it was to be expected. The MTA did not bestow him the Darkbreak module for him to reverse engineer its technology. The documentation that came along with this module already warned him that any attempts to break it open would cause it to disintegrate.

"What can you tell me about its capabilities?" He asked.

"Well, it's extremely resistant against damage. No matter if a mech shoots at it with a laser, a railgun or simply stomps on it with its foot, the outer casing will likely survive without suffering a single scratch."

"What?! It's that strong?"

The engineer knocked his knuckles against the smooth, dark surface of the large component. "This shell here is a first-class alloy, the same used for armoring the MTA's first-class multipurpose mechs! If you want, you can even mount a brace around it so that one of your knight mechs can use it as a shield. I don't think there are any pirate mechs in the Nyxian Gap that are strong enough to leave a mark on this casing!"

That was exaggeratingly strong! Ves looked astonished at the Darkbreak module, which suddenly appeared much more imposing than before.

Though the engineer had been joking, his plan was actually viable!

"So it is nearly impossible to damage the module I see."

"It gets even better. According to the manual, it can even repair itself!"

Self-regenerating alloy! That was an extremely luxurious treatment for a component even for the MTA. Ves underestimated the importance of this module.

"Are there any limits?"

"Yeah. Though I haven't been able to test this for obvious reasons, apparently you need to feed the damaged module with a lot of energy and exotics in order to activate its self-repair functions. It won't be able to rebuild itself from the ambient energy in its surroundings."

"That sounds reasonable."

There were several ways to add self-repair functionality to machines.

Some relied almost completely on the intrinsic qualities of naturally-regenerating exotics. The Belisarius expert mech that Venerable Foster once piloted was one example. Ves found it a pity that he hadn't managed to obtain any Rorach's Bone. He would have loved to obtain some to upgrade some of his gear.

Other methods instead tried resorted to nanotechnology. The Devil Tiger that Ves still took pride in did not just rely on its expensive ASMAS to put itself back together when damaged. It also allowed the Devil Tiger to upgrade iself, thereby allowing it to grow to unimaginable strengths over time!

Aside from that, there were even more unusual ways to fix up a mech, such as the method that Joshua had displayed during his promotion to expert candidate. When Ves studied the logs of the Purgatory Envoy, he knew that its power reactor couldn't have restored itself so easily.

Joshua's force of will was based around life, and that seemed to have given him the power to sustain the vitality of his mechs!

Out of all of these methods, Ves believed the Darkbreak module likely relied on nanotechnology, but he couldn't rule out more advanced solutions. The MTA mastered so much high technology that they definitely hid a lot of surprises.

Ves turned his attention back to his fancy new communication device. "Have you turned it online yet?"

"We were just about to do so upon your arrival, sir. We have already tested out this chamber's ability to isolate signals. While we cannot guarantee that the Darkbreak module contains any means of breaking through all of the layers of signal-blocking and signal-dampening materials, it will definitely have to exert a lot of power to do so, which means we will at least receive warning."

Of course, that did not preclude the possibility that the Darkbreak module contained some kind of functionality that bypassed all of that protection.

If that was the case, Ves could pretty much give up on any attempts to isolate the Darkbreak module from his ship and communications network.

"Turn it online."

"Very well, sir. Please stand back."

Ves stood calmly with his hands folded behind his back. He observed the engineer tapping a certain section of the module's smooth surface. A projection of a control panel appeared in front of his face. After inputting some security codes, the projection disappeared. The module began to hum as certain portions of its surface lit up in several different colors.

It was as if a slumbering dragon slowly came to life. The momentum of this single activation was no less than that of a ship!

Soon enough, all the humming and lighting disappeared.

The entire chamber descended into silence again.

"..That's it?"

The engineer tapped the surface of the module yet again. He studied the readouts to figure out how to make use of it. He soon found the answer.

"The module has established a connection to a remote network and is currently downloading some unknown software updates!"

The chamber had only been built to block the Darkbreak module's short-ranged sensor and communication capabilities.

There was no way for Ves to hinder the functioning of its paired particles. It worked on an entirely different principle that did not care for distance or the materials in the way. Only intense spatial or temporal warping and other exotic means could hinder its functioning.

After several minutes, the module released a pleasant tone.

"It finished updating its software?"

"Yes, but.. it's already establishing another connection!"

Before Ves could ask another question, a lifelike physical projection of a person appeared in the chamber!

The uniformed woman who appeared looked curiously around the chamber. Both Ves and the engineer fell silent as the projected woman turned around to inspect the condition of the Darkbreak module.

Only when she was satisfied with what she saw did she turn to Ves. "Hello, Mr. Larkinson. I see you have finally activated your new prize."

Ves held mixed feelings as he bowed in front of the projection. "Greetings, Master Willix. To what.. do I owe you the pleasure?"

The Master Mech Designer that Ves least wanted to see calmly explained her appearance. "Normal quantum entanglement nodes are relatively insecure means of communications. They are managed by the Comm Consortium, which is a joint venture of both the CFA and MTA. I try to avoid the galactic net as much as possible because there are too many parties monitoring my communications. The Darkbreak module is different. It is developed completely by our Association and is connected to a network that is completely in our hands."

A huge realization suddenly dawned upon Ves. His face imperceptibly darkened as he looked at the Darkbreak module in a new light!

"With this new module.. you can call me whenever you want.. and keep the contents of our discussion completely within the hands of the MTA!"

"Correct." Master Willix smiled. "I do not have to travel to you in person in order to communicate with you. Is that not a boon?"

"That is.. fantastic.. news."

Damnit! This was a trap from the start! Master Willix didn't enable him to win the Darkbreak module so that he could have a good time in the Nyxian Gap.

Instead, she sought to establish a direct channel with Ves! This meant that she could call him anytime she wanted!

Chapter 2162 Unusual Talen

It was a disaster!

He got done in by Moira Willix once again!

This Master in the employ of the MTA might present herself as an amiable mentor, but her schemes ran deep.

Installing the Darkbreak module inadvertently invalidated the main reason why Master Willix withheld herself from calling Ves. Since it operated on an exclusive, MTmanaged network, there was nothing stopping her from dropping in and saying hello to Ves whenever she was in the mood.

There was nothing Ves could do about it. What was he supposed to do, tear out the Darkbreak module and throw it inside a container?

He still needed it to maintain a channel to Gloriana who had stayed behind at Cinach.

For now, he could still rely on the Scarlet Rose's conventional quantum entanglement node to talk to his fiancé. He would still be able to connect to her when he crossed into the outer periphery of the Nyxian Gap.

It was only when he reached the inner periphery where the connection became a bit unreliable. The spatial warping fluctuated so strongly in the zones which contained a decent amount of higher-grade exotics that the quantum entanglement functionality became too wonky to transfer signals properly.

It was as if two aquatic ships on an ocean tried to communicate with each other with signal flags in the middle of a furious storm at night. It was almost impossible for one of the ships to pass on a coherent message to the other ship!

The Darkbreak module on the other hand could still pass on data despite these arduous conditions. It functioned like a lighthouse in the dark in a sense.

Ves intended to rely heavily on this capability to maintain constant contact with Gloriana and the Rim Exchange even as he ventured into the more dangerous parts of the inner periphery.

There was no way Ves could afford to give up this advantage!

Yet in order to ensure he could do so, he had to accept all of the consequences that came with the decision. Right now, the physical projection that appeared in the isolated chamber made it clear that Ves had overlooked a very important factor.

Master Willix was still interested in him! Even if she didn't bother to board her Ubiquitous Force and travel to him in person, she could still maintain contact in other ways.

Certainly, Ves could just leave the hall and ignore Master Willix's projection. He could just pretend to be busy, or board another ship, or just find some other excuse to reject her calls.

Yet would he really be able to do so? Even though Master Willix had been nothing but friendly to him so far, she still represented the upper ranks of one of the most domineering organizations of human civilization!

Small figures like Ves simply couldn't afford to offend the MTA!

Therefore, resignation had already spread through his body. He knew that from now on, Ves would have to obediently answer her summons whenever she rang the bell.

The physical projection of Master Willix floated around the chamber and inspected its properties. "This protection is.. adequate. It is better than what I have expected from you. There is still room for improvement, though. I will send you a list of materials and alloy formulas that you can use to enhance the protection of this compartment."

Ves felt like vomiting. Master Willix only showed up for just a minute and she was already starting to boss him around!

"I'll look into it, but please mind my budget."

"I am aware of your circumstances. You have been remarkably quick to spend the 5,000 MTA credits you have won from the design duel."

He shrugged. "I need power, not money. The latter is just a means to obtain the former."

"Well said! You aren't saying that to impress me, but truly understand the necessity that wealth is just a tool."

"It's hard not to think so considering I'm about to dive right into the Nyxian Gap."

"Ah." A coy smile appeared on the imposing woman's face. "I believe you are trying to complete a rescue mission, one that relates to Solok Reyva. It is a pity that he has been deprived from us. He would have become a great mech designer by now if he was still a part of our Association."

It shouldn't come to a surprise that Master Willix found this out. The Rim Guardians was just a faction of the MTA. Even if she wasn't a member of this fraternity, it shouldn't be too difficult for a powerful Master to uncover his movements in the Rim Exchange.

Seeing that she readily brought up the mission, Ves suspected that she might have called in order to lend a hand to him. If that was the case, he might as well take advantage of this opportunity! The mission provided him with far too little insight on Solok Reyva. Any additional information would doubtlessly facilitate his search!

She did not disappoint. The Master Mech Designer adopted a wistful expression as she looked up at the ceiling. "The MTA is often regarded as a paradise for local mech designers such as you. While it is true that we are able to enjoy fantastic treatment, the expectations placed on our shoulders are even heavier. If our rewards are a hundred times better, then we are expected to contribute a hundred times as much. This is very difficult to achieve. You cannot imagine the amount of mech designers within the Association whose careers have permanently stalled."

Even the MTA did not possess unlimited resources. Through its mature and sophisticated merit system, only the best performers enjoyed the greatest rewards. For every Master Willix, there were millions of mech designers who failed to pass enough tests.

"Where does Solok Reyva fall into this spectrum, ma'am?" Ves asked.

"He is.. a bright talent. An ambitious talent. He is a child to two accomplished mech designers within the Association. His parents have groomed him to follow their footsteps from the moment of conception. His genes have been altered and customized to such a degree that he might as well be one of the most artificially-gifted mech designers in this star sector."

The truth was probably much more severe than the Master had just revealed. With all that technology at its disposal, the Association could easily design its own babies to a very sophisticated degree!

Ves began to imagine Solok as someone whose entire life had been planned from birth. For some reason, that made him feel a bit sympathetic towards his target.

Life was supposed to be free. Life was supposed to be unconstrained. By optimizing Solok's genes so that he would make for an excellent mech designer when he matured, his parents basically precluded him from pursuing another occupation.

If he was born a little more naturally, would he have possessed the genetic aptitude to become a mech pilot?

What if he wanted to become an exobiologist?

All of those roads might still be open, but if all of his inclinations and talents leaned towards mech design, there was no way he could pick another career!

"Have all of those measures succeeded?"

"Solok has not disappointed his parents too much." Willix answered. "His intelligence is incredibly high, even without relying on augmentations. He has only grown more formidable as he grew up and enjoyed frequent gene treatments. When he studied at one of our academies, he graduated with honors. This is an incredibly high achievement. Though his advancement to Journeyman came a little slower than expected, the fact that he has managed to climb over this hurdle has already marked him as an individual worthy of great investment. This is especially so when we discovered that his mech affinity is very high! I dare say it is even higher than yours."

What a great talent! No wonder the Rim Guardians never gave up on trying to rescue him. It was too bad that the Nyxian Gap was not safe even for the MTA.

Still, even if Solok was such a great young mech designer 29 years ago, the MTA shouldn't be short of talent either. There should be more behind this story.

"What makes Solok special, ma'am?" Ves asked directly. Since Master Willix was in a talkative mood, he wasn't afraid of voicing doubts. "I understand he was a big deal back when he was with the MTA, but this guy is gone now for almost thirty years. There must have been tons of competitors who have eventually filled the void he left."

Master Willix shook her head. "That is true, but only if you consider Mr. Reyva to be a conventional mech designer within our ranks. The Rim Guardians have good reason to minimize their description of Mr. Reyva. If you are determined to seek him out, then I do not mind revealing what you should know."

Anticipation welled within Ves. It seemed that his target was a much more complicated figure than he expected!

"First, are you aware of the division between rational mech designers and passionate mech designers?"

Ves nodded. He did not need to hide that. "An.. acquaintance called Patricia Cain once explained the existence of rational mech designers to me. I believe you are one as well."

"That is very astute of you, though it is not difficult to make that guess. Many of my colleagues follow this difficult path." She nodded. "What you may or may not be aware of is that there are certain degrees of rationality. A wide spectrum exists between total rationality and total passion. Most successful mech designers tend to fall on the passion side of the spectrum, whereas most of the Association's mech designers occupy the opposite side. I am very much average in comparison. No matter how hard I try to eliminate my emotions, I cannot completely get rid of my feelings."

"Is that.. a bad thing?"

"Oh, it is highly inadvisable to sever all of your emotions on a constant basis." She shook her head. "It is different when it comes to mech design. When rational mech designers are tasked with designing a high-performing mech, we must adopt multiple perspectives at once. You cannot imagine the difficulty of doing so. The only way to make it easier to maintain multiple perspectives is to push even further towards rationality."

"Then.. Solok must be a mech designer who excels in this area?"

"He is even greater. He is one of the rare mech designers in the galaxy that is able to achieve perfect rationality!"

Perfect rationality! From the way that Master Willix emphasized those words, this must truly be something the MTA desired quite a bit!

"Does this mean.. he is able to shed all emotions?"

She nodded in acknowledgement. "Correct. To be honest, this is something our Association has uncovered years after Mr. Reyva went missing. After studying his prior work and the recordings of him at work at our headquarters, we have already ascertained that he has come very close to reaching this point. We did not expect that the few pirate mech designs we have managed to attribute to him actually show signs that he is able to achieve perfect rationality! If we knew this beforehand, we would have never allowed him to depart to the Nyxian Gap."

Ves blinked. This story didn't quite add up to him. "If his ability to achieve perfect rationality is such a great gift, why hasn't the MTA spent more resources to hunt him down?"

The Master looked tired. "We have tried. Suffice to say, we have suffered some losses. While perfect rationality is very valuable, it is not rare to the point where we are willing to risk losing significant assets in order to rescue him. The Nyxian pirates are cunning and know their terrain well. The Krella Alliance's main fleet has often fled deep into the core regions whenever there is any sign of our presence."

Therefore, the MTA could only rely on external associates such as Ves. Someone like him would never cause the Krella Alliance to be alarmed!

Now that Ves understood that Solok was a very unusual talent, he became more grave. He had a feeling that those 5 million MTA merits would be far harder to earn than he thought!

Chapter 2163 Too Strong

When Task Force Predator reached the edge of the Nyxian Gap, the transition became obvious.

Entering the Nyxian Gap was not that simple, but it wasn't difficult either.

Instead of traveling to a star system, any ship that wanted to reach the gap simply had to program the FTL drive to travel in its general direction. At some point, the spatial warping reached a point where a starship's FTL drive automatically shut down.

This condition essentially meant that any pirate vessel could easily shrug off pursuit! To any Peacekeeper outfit, the difficulty of determining the exact coordinates of the emergence point of a fleeing pirate vessel was nigh-impossible! Even a 0.01 deviation in angle could result in days or weeks worth of distance between the hunter and the hunted.

Many people therefore likened the Nyxian Gap as an abyss. Hardly anything that entered it went back outside. If the Gap did spit something up, then more often than not they were pirates looking to raid vulnerable trade convoys.

Not a single state had managed to tame the Nyxian Gap. Neither the Sentinel Kingdom nor the Hexadric Hegemony managed to exert effective control over the region. The MTA declined to invest the resources needed to root out all of the pirates, fearful of losing too many assets to the Gap's inexplicable anomalies.

"The only way to exert true control over the Nyxian Gap is through a slow, unstoppable invasion involving millions of mechs." Major Verle spoke as he stood alongside Ves. "Within this star sector, only the second-rate states are able to commit to such an operation. Neither will do so until the entire star sector is in their grasp."

Ves nodded. "Even then, they probably won't care. The Nyxian Gap might be a source of rare exotics that aren't commonly found elsewhere, but the yield is a little low. It's more likely that whoever wins the Komodo War will just treat the Nyxian Gap as a playground for their private outfits."

Anyone who performed a cost-benefit analysis would make the same conclusion as the MTA. Forceful conquest of the entire Nyxian Gap was too costly and too troublesome. It was much cheaper to contain it by stationing some garrisons outside while allowing mercenaries, treasure hunters, prospectors and other rabble to dive inside and find their fortune.

In fact, the Sentinel Kingdom and the other states surrounding the Nyxian Gap already adopted this strategy.

Though the Nyxian pirates sparked a lot of unrest lately, as a whole they were too scattered and weak to pose a serious threat to states.

The power of a faction or organization depended on a robust foundation. States held too many advantages in this area. They ruled over many stable and productive planets, each of which hosted populations that numbered in the millions to billions.

The entire population of humans in the Nyxian Gap only numbered a hundred million at the most, and that was one of the most optimistic estimates!

Just an average industrial planet such as Cinach XI alone already possessed more than ten times the population of the Gap. It's production output was also at least two orders of magnitude higher!

Pirates weren't known to be productive, industrious or capable of running prosperous states. The Nyxian Gap didn't offer an environment that was conducive towards founding major settlements.

As a result, the Nyxian Gap wasn't even worth colonizing.

"Don't underestimate the power of the Nyxian pirates." Major Verle nonetheless cautioned. "While the individual pirate organizations and alliances pose no threat to a state, it's a different story when it comes to smaller players like us. According to my research, there are a decent number of entrenched pirate organizations that have managed to survive the perils thrown at them for centuries and accumulated enough power to become a behemoth. It is rumored that their elite units consist of second-class mechs."

"I'm aware. Most of them are based in the core regions, though. As long as we stick to the periphery, we won't touch their bottom line."

It was incredibly difficult for Nyxian pirates to produce, field and maintain second-class mechs. Not only did they need to gather a lot of higher-grade exotics, but also acquire excellent production equipment and have someone skilled enough to fabricate the mechs.

Then, they needed to obtain the second-class mech pilots that were capable of wielding so much power.

Yet the biggest issue that plagued them was the expense and difficulty of maintaining these sophisticated machines.

Even if a pirate gang stumbled upon a derelict second-class mech in space and somehow got it to work, eventually the mech would falter due to an inability to maintain it. Such a machine required the care of knowledgeable and excellent mech technicians.

If there was one thing the Nyxian Gap had in common with the frontier, it was that technical personnel were very hard to come by! Most ship crew and mech technicians that ended up working for the Nyxian Gap either started off as fugitives, outlaws or kidnapped trade vessel crewmen!

Hearing all of this reminded Ves of the frontier. The circumstances might be a little different due to the complicated environment, but there were enough similarities to make him feel as if he entered familiar territory.

When over sixty vessels, most of which consisted of light carriers, entered into the endless field of asteroids, the Larkinsons officially entered the Nyxian Gap.

It became very obvious once they crossed into the threshold. Ves felt a bit sick as he felt as if his body had been stretched a bit.

"That's the spatial warping at work. You'll get used to it, though the sensations will get worse the closer you travel towards the center of the Gap."

While Ves had already expected to feel discomfited from reading various reports, he nonetheless frowned.

He sensed another form of instability around him. Rather than affecting his body, it affected his spiritual senses instead!

Ves recalled that the Ancient Sarcophagus that trapped Nyxie used to emerge from the Gap. Since the ancient alien tyrant possessed an immense amount of spiritual strength, it shouldn't have been surprising that the area he came from also exhibited unknown spiritual phenomena!

Discovering this came as an unwelcome surprise. Ves couldn't handle too many complications. However, possessing the ability to sense spiritual disturbances might not be detrimental. Perhaps he would be able to sense potential threats ahead of time.

He would have to see when his fleet dove deeper into the Gap.

In order to scout for danger and prevent a hazard zone from swallowing them all up at once, Major Verle initiated a rotation where certain carriers and mech companies had to scout ahead and around the main fleet.

Ves wanted his own troops to gain some exercise, so he ordered Major Verle to keep the Penitent Sisters in the rear. Not only would the fleet have no concerns about being ambushed from the rear, the formidable Hexer combat carriers and second-class mechs would also be out of sight, thereby giving the illusion that Task Force Predator consisted entirely of third-class assets.

Despite these measures, a few days went by without a pirate in sight. None of the sensors picked up any active elements.

The only sign of humans they uncovered were the numerous wrecks and debris floating between the asteroids.

An increasingly higher concentration of low-quality metals and materials bumped against the hulls of the ships traversing through the endless asteroid sea.

Even the mechs got hit at some times despite their attempts to circumvent the flinging bolts and other minor debris.

The impacts didn't pose a threat to the mechs and ships. Whenever the Larkinsons encountered something larger, they either shot it to pieces or evaded it. Some of the commanders in the task force even used them as target pratice.

When Ves analyzed the scans of some of the debris, he found that some of them were more than a century old, while other pieces had only been severed from a ship or mech a few weeks ago!

No wonder this portion of the Nyxian Gap became known as Wreckage Paradise. If the debris wasn't so worthless, then scavengers would likely have to spend decades to pick up all of the pieces!

Clearly, a lot of skirmishes took place in this zone, yet so far the vanguard of their task force found no hide nor hair of any pirate gangs.

"Where are the pirates?" He asked Major Verle one day.

"They're evading us like the plague, I believe. The pirates that prey on passerbys here have a very keen awareness on who they can afford to attack. All of them have access to the galactic net, as their connections aren't blocked this far from the center of the Gap. The clever and more pirate outfits are even in touch with information brokers. Since we haven't made any attempts to hide the formation of our task force, many pirates here already know about the strength we can bring to bear. There is no reason for them to throw away their lives."

Sadly, the pirates knew the importance of intelligence as well. The pirate gangs that neglected to collect enough intelligence usually didn't last very long. The true survivors of this environment picked their targets carefully and never made any moves that resulted in more losses than gains.

The problem here was that the Larkinsons did not do a very good job at disguising themselves. The Flagrant Vandals combat carriers were very conspicuous and still bore much of their military characteristics.

The mere sight of them already caused many bottom feeder pirate gangs to flee in the opposite direction!

Ves looked very upset once this reality dawned on him. "How can my forces get any practice if pirates keep making way?"

"Don't worry, sir. Your warriors will have plenty of enemies to fight once we get deeper. Maynard Fields is much more chaotic due to the denser concentration of asteroids. The effective range of sensors is much lower, which means that the pirates are much less likely to discover the full might of our fleet. In addition, if the roaming pirate fleets still refuse to attack us, we can simply target the fixed pirate bases instead."

"I suppose that will do." Ves sighed. "Let's just pass through Wreckage Paradise as quickly as possible then. There is nothing here of interest."

With nothing happening outside to hold his interest, Ves instead turned inward and holed himself up in his design lab again.

Since his departure, he had already been thinking about designing some new mechs.

The one that occupied most of his thoughts was a rehash from the past.

Several years ago, Ves just started off as a Novice Mech Designer with a single mech workshop and a lot of debt on his hands.

In order to extricate himself from his impending bankruptcy and launch his career, he had to design several virtual mechs and fulfill several missions issued by the System.

One of the most iconic mechs he designed for Iron Spirit, the most popular simulation game for mech pilots, he designed an impressive areal light mech called the Seraphim.

As a variant of the slim, female-shaped Fantasia 2R, the Seraphim resembled a lethal valkyrie with its oversized wings and colorful particles trailing from them during flight.

Though it primarily functioned as a light marksman mech, it could nonetheless launch a devastating dive attack with its combat knife against immobile ground targets.

Though Ves had long put this early work out of his mind, Gloriana found the design to be very charming despite its many flaws and lackluster performance.

She encouraged him to revisit his old Fantasia 2R Seraphim design and reimagine it as a second-class mech.

"It has everything Hexers want." She told him. "It's mobile, it's aggressive and it provides a lot of agency. The air war is very important in planetary combat and a second-class version of the Seraphim can help a lot, especially when they are deployed in teams."

The thought of Hexers fielding formations of Seraphims, each of them releasing their iconic rainbow particle trails, sent a shudder through his spine.

A part of him felt intrigued enough to explore this idea!

Chapter 2164 Valkyrie Redeemer

Ves waved his hand, causing a projection of the original Fantasia 2R Seraphim to emerge into view.

Lucky, who was lounging on a table while crunching a chunk of mineral, looked up at the impressive female-shaped mech.

"Meow."

"Yeah. Those were the days. Back then, I couldn't have imagined earning even a single MTA credit."

Though it was only five years ago, Ves had risen from a humble Novice into one of the most successful young Journeymen in the star cluster in this span of time. The contrast was immense, and anyone who studied his rapid progression would have been astounded.

It was no surprise that outside observers suspected that Ves had not been able to make so many accomplishments alone!

His average performance at the Rittersberg University of Technology should have never produced a mech designer who was able to trounce a peer from the MTA in just five years of time.

Only Ves and a handful of others like Calabast and Nitaa knew he took advantage of the Mech Designer System to rapidly improve his design capabilities.

Everyone else who tried to figure out the truth had all been misled by their mistaken assumptions. They collected too little information and couldn't conceive that Ves owned something as mythical as the long-missing Metal Scroll.

These kinds of misunderstandings continued to deflect suspicion from him, which was very convenient to him. While he had no illusion that these misunderstandings would protect him forever, as long as he survived his early growth phase, he and his clan would definitely be able to grow strong enough one day.

He shook his head. "That will take a while."

He returned his attention back to the Seraphim. As one of his earliest variants, he didn't need to be as discerning as Gloriana to spot the countless flaws and suboptimal implementations.

That along with the primitive, early generation components caused the mech's performance to be very lackluster compared to modern mechs.

The difference was night and day!

The performance of the Seraphim was so bad that mech cadets with only a few years of training under their belt could already pilot it proficiently. In the first century of the Age of Mechs, mechs weren't nearly as complex and complicated to master.

Various innovations that gave mech pilots greater power and control over their machines only emerged in subsequent generations. Neural interfaces grew increasingly more capable. Their greater bandwidth and fine control allowed mechs to control almost every function of a mech down to the output of a single servo motor!

Despite the frankly awful state of his Seraphim design, Ves still gazed at it with rose-tinted glasses. Despite the various difficulties he encountered, he still missed those simpler days.

"Well, that's over now."

As much as he liked to return to simpler times, he couldn't afford to do so. Even with the help of the System, he had worked hard to climb his way up to success while overcoming many threats to his life.

Finally, he achieved a measure of power that allowed him to shrug off the control of most states and power players. The LMc had grown to the point where it could easily rival established second-class mech companies. His Larkinson Clan rapidly shot up past the point where it could readily establish and maintain its own sovereignty.

Yet as far as he had come in five years, this was just the start. He needed to go much further if he wanted to fulfill any of his great ambitions.

Part of the steps he needed to take was to procure an excellent factory ship.

"And to do that, I need to fulfill my end of the deal with DIVA." He muttered.

His eyes continuously studied the projection of his Seraphim design. The more he reminisced about the virtual mech, the more he comprehended Gloriana's desire for them to modernize and reimagine it for the modern battlefield.

"It's already pretty much a Hexer mech."

The original Fantasia had been designed as an explicitly female mech. It tried to form a contrast against all of the stocky masculine-shaped mechs that already became the dominant trend since the early generations.

Ves grew curious and began to call up the statistics and usage data of the Seraphim.

Despite being several years old and not that good of a mech design, it still enjoyed a decent amount of popularity in Iron Spirit. While it wasn't exactly a competitive mech design at the low tiers, it was a very fun and pleasurable virtual mech to pilot.

Any mech pilot would feel a rush by piloting such a fast and impressive-looking mech.

"Since that's the case, my reimagined mech design should definitely appeal to female Hexer mech pilots!"

Ves understood the other reason why Gloriana suggested him to design a mech based on his early Seraphim design.

If he disregarded all of its flaws, it was quite an attractive mech to women.

In order to fulfill their deal to DIVA, the Miracle Couple had to design eight Hexer mech designs. This was a hefty number, and Ves did not wish to waste all of his time on designing modest, constrained male Hexer mech designs!

The gap in performance and impact between male and female mech designs in the Hex Army was very apparent!

"Those damn Hexers. They're not even letting off mechs in their obsession to discriminate by gender!" He cursed.

The problem for him was that he was a man. If he wanted a bunch of man-haters to adopt a mech designed specifically for their stuck-up female mech pilots, then he needed to overcome their intense opposition and bias.

Ves already anticipated a lot of resistance towards his recently-completed Blessed Squire design, and that was just a supportive male Hexer mech design.

The backlash would probably be ten times as worse as soon as he tried to introduce a female Hexer mech design!

In short, there was a lot at stake. Ves could not afford to fail this design project. If he did, then he could forget about designing more female mech designs!

He waved his hand, causing the projection of the primitive Seraphim design to be replaced by a sketch of a much more sophisticated design.

The sight of the sketch caused Ves to curl his mouth in a smile. "Gloriana inherited some of my flair."

The 'Valkyrie Redeemer' concept she came up with inherited most of the charm of the Seraphim design, but introduced a few more Hexer elements.

The mech had been beefed up a bit. Its curves became a bit more pronounced as its slightly thicker armor plating provided a lot more protection to the mech.

"It's not a light mech anymore. It's a light-medium mech."

The weapon loadout of the mech diverged from the original Seraphim. Instead of kitting it out with a marksman rifle and a combat knife, Gloriana instead chose a set of weapons that better reflected the aggressive tendencies of female Hexer mech pilots.

"Female Hexer mech pilots usually leave long-ranged fire support to their male counterparts." Ves reminded himself.

The Valkyrie Redeemer instead came armed with a pulse submachine gun. Though it wasn't as powerful as full-sized weapons, the submachine gun still packed enough punch to tear through most light mechs.

As a pulse weapon, the submachine gun fired a lot of powerful particles that mainly inflicted energy damage. The weapon mainly needed to be replenished with energy rather than physical ammunition, which meant the mech wouldn't be too unduly encumbered.

"This is a good fit for the Valkyrie Redeemer."

Even though a single pulse submachine gun wasn't very threatening on its own, it could still allow a squad of mechs armed with the weapon to tear through any mech, especially when circled!

However, the submachine gun was not the Valkyrie Redeemer's primary focus. It merely offered the aerial mech a way to defend itself against more mobile targets and harass tougher opponents.

The real focus of the mech was its iconic-looking spear and shield. The latter was curved and shaped like a hexagon. There was nothing else going for it aside for being rather modest in size.

The spear was also rather simple. It was shorter than most spears, but long enough to function as a very potent stabbing implement.

Taken together, the spear and shield granted the Valkyrie Redeemer a lot of assault choices.

Gloriana's Valkyrie Redeemer was merely inspired by the Seraphim. What worked in Iron Spirit might not necessarily work that well in the Komodo War. That, or the Hexers already fielded a very good light aerial marksman mech.

When Ves tried to imagine the Valkyrie Redeemers on the battlefield, he became immersed by their dazzling performance.

Squads of Valkyrie Redeemers would prowl the air. Though slower than light mechs, they were still fast enough to evade powerful enemies and fortified defense posts.

Instead, they would prowl the flanks of the battlefield and look out for opportunities. As soon as they spotted an enemy on the ground that they could take, they would begin to dive to the surface while firing their submachine guns to herald their incoming charge.

Once they got close enough and built up some momentum, they would holster their submachine guns and take up their spears and shields.

With gravity assisting their dive, they closed in on their targets like a charging formation of lancer mechs!

If a number of enemy mechs survived the inevitable collisions, the Valkyrie Redeemers weren't helpless in melee combat. With their spears and shields, they were able to adopt several different fighting styles in order to tackle their opponents!

The Valkyrie Redeemer was not a marksman mech. It was not a spearman mech or a lancer mech either.

"It's an aerial marauder mech." Ves concluded.

Unlike light skirmishers, the Valkyrie Redeemer placed a bit more emphasis on its ranged capabilities. As long as he could pair the mech with a second-class pulse submachine gun, then it could pose a considerable threat to any opponent at medium range!

Sure, the weapon wasn't suited to pierce through thick defenses, but that wasn't the point. The Valkyrie Redeemer possessed superior mobility due to its powerful flight system and should take full advantage of this strength to attack the enemy's flanks.

If the Valkyrie Redeemer wasn't able to crack a tough defense, then that was when it should employ its dive attack! With a charge that was not that much inferior to the charge of a lancer mech, the Valkyrie Redeemer should easily be able to break the shield of a knight mech.

In order to finish off exposed enemies, the Valkyrie Redeemers should possess enough strength to overwhelm them at close range.

"Their strength lies in their versatility." Ves concluded. "With at least three different modes of attack, the Valkyrie Redeemer can pose a threat to almost any weaker target."

Though Ves was confident he could fulfill the offensive criteria of this mech concept, he knew that it would come at the cost of defense.

Even if second-class armor systems were incomparably resilient compared to third-class armor systems, the weapons they faced were significantly more powerful as well.

No matter what, the Valkyrie Redeemer was not a mech that could take a lot of hits. The only way the mech could mitigate some of the incoming damage was to rely on its hexagon-shaped shield.

Even then, in order to preserve the mobility of the mech, Ves couldn't pair it with a thick and heavy tower shield.

Overall, the Valkyrie Redeemer emphasized both offense and mobility. It was not designed to absorb a lot of hits, just like other marauder mechs.

"It's a mech designed to pick a battle of its own choosing, just like pirates." Ves chuckled. He found the comparison to be apt. "Maybe that is why marauder mechs are called this way."

When Ves began to evaluate the difficulty of this design project, he knew that he had a challenge on his hands.

The capacity of the mech was too small for his liking!

Chapter 2165 Marked For Death

In order to have any hopes of satisfying the demands of the Hex Army, the Valkyrie Redeemer needed to offer competitive performance.

The Hex Army was famed for fielding just 600 different mech models across all of its mech divisions. Many millions of identical and uniform mechs fought alongside each other on every battlefield.

Compared to the relative lack of importance of male mech designs, the mechs designed for females were far more critical to the Hexers. Teams of Hexer Master Mech Designers poured all of their efforts into designing the powerful and exquisite female mechs.

The performance of these Hexer-approved mech designs would definitely be top notch! If the Valkyrie Redeemer wanted to occupy any space in the Hex Army's exclusive mech roster, then it had to offer stellar performance!

This was difficult for Ves and Gloriana to accomplish when the marauder mech design did not offer that much capacity.

Ves already understood that he needed to find an optimal balance between firepower and mobility. He could not afford to sacrifice either in order to strengthen the other.

"What is worse is that even if I try to balance them out, their performance parameters can't dip below a certain standard!"

If he tried too much to balance the two aspects, he risked compromising them both!

Still, even if Ves and Gloriana weren't able to match the technical excellence of Master Mech Designers, they only had to come close enough!

Both of them already accepted the inevitable gap in performance.

What Ves needed to do was to compensate for this shortcoming by relying on his unique strengths!

Just as in the case of the Doom Guard, the value of mech design did not solely depend on its specifications.

As long as he could add value through applying his specialty, the Valkyrie Redeemer would definitely be able to beat out the Hexer-designed competition!

A considerable amount of anticipation welled in Ves. Since he published his Doom Guard design, he has achieved a major breakthrough in his design philosophy.

Spiritual constructs! Triggered abilities! Under the pressure and stimulation of having to compete against Jovy Armalon, Ves had finally unearthed some of the untapped potential of the spiritual foundation of his mech designs.

The Purge and Purify abilities that Ves had 'programmed' into the Purgatory Envoy both worked as he intended.

This was just the start. Ves was very sure he only scratched the surface of what he could do. "Still, it's unlikely that I can develop an ability that can strengthen a rifle's damage output or increase the defense of a section of armor plating."

This was something that went beyond the scope of his specialty. Only mech designers who dedicated their entire lives to improving these aspects were able to achieve these effects, if only modestly.

Outside of that, the only other way to strengthen the performance of a mech was to rely on resonance. While powerful, it was only limited to a small number of high-ranking mech pilots.

Mere mortals weren't capable of achieving resonance!

"I should forget about these fantasies."

While he couldn't develop abilities that physically affected the performance of a mech, he could at least stick to familiar ground and find more ways to influence both friendly and enemy mech pilots.

A vision already started to form into his mind.

Valkyries were often associated with the dead. They flew over battlefields and chose which warrior had the right to die and enter Valhalla.

Though Ves wasn't particularly well-versed in this ancient myth, the inspiration it offered already caused him to paint a vivid vision of his mech design.

"The Valkyrie Redeemer shall represent the phase of death!"

He imagined a squad of aerial marauder mechs swooping over the battlefield, using its mobility to cover a large amount of ground and remain elusive.

Once the Valkyrie Redeemers stumbled upon a target that was worthy of death, they swooped in to help the victim on their way to the road of death!

In the context of Hexer beliefs, the Valkyrie Redeemers lived up to their name by 'redeeming' its enemies through death!

"The glow of the Valkyrie Redeemer has to compliment this vision." Ves murmured.

He decided to pair his mech with a suppressive glow akin to that of the Doom Guard. Its primary function was to induce fear and the threat of death to the Valkyrie Redeemer's targets.

If the Valkyrie Redeemer dove upon an enemy that was already discomfited by fear, then the chances of success would doubtlessly be greater!

However, the biggest obstacle to implementing such a useful suppressive glow was that its range was not that large.

An aerial marauder mech would likely fly several kilometers in the air before spotting a target. Once it dove, the Valkyrie Redeemer would give the target ample time to evade or prepare a counterattack.

With the velocity the Valkyrie Redeemer built up during its dive, its glow would only affect an enemy for a couple of blinks before impact!

"That's way too little time for a suppressive glow to have any effect!"

The most it could do was to startle the enemy at the final moment. While that sounded like a useful way to surprise an enemy, Ves was not impressed.

"The problem is that all of the glows of my mechs until now are like stars!"

Stars radiated an immense amount of energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation. Yet for all of their power, they shot it out in every single direction, thereby dispersing all of that energy very rapidly.

Ves looked at the draft design of the Valkyrie Redeemer and began to manipulate the design interface.

He selected a tool that allowed him to draw a transparent sphere around the draft design.

The sphere basically represented his estimate on the effective range of its glow.

The exact range depended on many factors, such as the strength of the design spirit, the strength of the spiritual foundation and how closely the mech matched the original design at the start.

Regardless of the range, it did not extend across a battlefield.

Ves never really felt bothered by the lack of range in the past. Most of his mechs possessed supportive glows. They were primarily meant to boost the mech pilot and any friendlies in the vicinity. The range of his spherical glows were sufficient enough to cover a sufficient amount of friendly mechs.

Yet when it came to targeting enemies, this range was not necessarily good enough.

He rubbed his smooth-shaven chin for a moment before coming up with a possible solution.

He raised his fingers and altered the sphere. He narrowed it down into a half-sphere before reducing the angle even further.

In the end, he reduced the original sphere all the way down to a very narrow cone.

"Will this work?" Ves frowned.

He had no idea. He had never attempted to concentrate the glows of his mechs. Though theoretically it should increase the range and strength of a glow in exchange for narrowing its area of effect, Ves had no way to quantify the benefits.

Without a sufficient theoretical basis, he could only resort to trial and error to see if he could accomplish this radical new application of his glows.

His eyes lit up. "As long as I succeed, I can apply this trick to any mech!"

Depending on how far he could extend the narrowed glow, he might be able to implement it in all of his subsequent ranged mech designs!

A month ago, he never would have conceived of a way to extend and concentrate the glows of his mechs. He had always taken it for granted that they functioned like stars.

Now, Ves believed he had the means to turn these stars into flashlights. By turning an omnidirectional source of glow into a directional source, he hoped to extend its range by at least several kilometers. This should be sufficient to grant his mech a powerful psychological advantage over its opponents!

"This will be my primary focus for this design project."

He planned to implement this feature as a triggered ability. He wanted to bestow the mech pilots of his Valkyrie Redeemers the ability to 'mark' a target for death from a distance.

Once the Valkyrie Redeemers placed the mark, the target should feel as if death was rapidly closing in. Unless they were mentally resilient enough, they should definitely become affected by fear!

The only snag in this plan was that second-class mech pilots weren't weak. The mech militaries of the Friday Coalition trained their mech pilots to an excellent degree, which meant it shouldn't be easy to make them break a sweat!

Ves had already seen that the elite personnel of the MTA easily resisted the glow of a Doom Guard. While the soldiers of the Friday Coalition weren't as stellar, they shouldn't be pushovers either!

"Perhaps that is where concentrating my glow can help. The narrower the cone, the higher the intensity of the glow. At least, that is what I think will happen!"

As long as a glow grew strong enough, Ves refused to believe the Fridayman servicemen would remain fearless!

Ves began to document his vision and ideas while continually letting his imagination run wild.

What other triggered abilities should he implement in his Valkyrie Redeemer design?

He had many ideas, but Ves wasn't confident he could realize them with his current capabilities.

He also had to take the properties of the design spirit into account.

The Superior Mother might be strong, but she did not possess the predictive capabilities of Ylvaine's spiritual fragment.

Different spiritual attributes were suitable for different abilities.

What Ves had to do was to see how he could employ and combine the spiritual attributes of the Superior Mother to produce useful abilities.

"The Superior Mother embodies both mothers and the six phases of existence." He reminded himself. "It's an ancestral spirit that is tied to every Hexer!"

It also happened to contain a portion of his mother, though Ves had not found a trace of her so far. Each time he inspected the dormant Superior Mother, he only identified its original spiritual attributes.

This was what he had to work with. Fortunately, the Superior Mother was not a one-dimensional spiritual entity. In order to fit all of the six phases of existence, Ves had introduced a lot of different spiritual attributes in a single spiritual product.

Ves was actually pretty surprised the Superior Mother had turned into a coherent spiritual entity. Before conducting the ceremony that led to her birth, Ves half-expected to create an abomination or an incoherent amoeba.

Instead, he managed to create a spiritual product that possessed the strength of six different spiritual entities at the same time!

There was no way Ves would forgo the advantages of this condition. So far, he only came up with the Marked for Death ability that corresponded to the phase of death.

"I should offer a boost to friendlies as well."

Ves did not wish to design a second Doom Guard. He wanted his Valkyrie Redeemer to be a mech that female Hexers could look forward to piloting.

As an aerial marauder mech, the mobility of the Valkyrie Redeemer allowed it to do more than hunt isolated targets.

It could also be used in larger battles as an emergency responder!

Once the Valkyrie Redeemer descended to assist a faltering friendly unit, Ves wanted the beleaguered Hexers on the ground to greet their rescuers with hope!

A strong boost of morale at the right time could do wonders in reversing a losing engagement!

Ves believed that adding this boost would truly be able to achieve a drastic effect on the battlefield.

"This is the bare minimum!"

So far, Vese did not know how many triggered abilities he could fit in a single mech design. He already discovered with his Purgatory Envoy design that he could only shape so many spiritual constructs before the spiritual foundation of a mech became compromised.

Even so, he did not feel he had reached his limit back then. It was only due to lack of time that his Purgatory Envoy ended up with only two simple triggered abilities.

Chapter 2166 Minor Projects

Though the ambitious and novel Valkyrie Redeemer design occupied most of his attention at the moment, Ves did not wish to spend all of his time on a single project.

This wasn't the past anymore where the LMC's Design Department only possessed enough design capacity to handle two major projects at most.

With the addition of fifty fresh and eager assistant mech designers, Ves believed he could adopt an entirely new structure.

He shared his thoughts with Gloriana many times. Both of them harbored different opinions about how many projects their expanded Design Department was able to work on simultaneously.

Though Ves exhibited a lot of confidence and thought they could potentially assign a mech design project to every design team, Gloriana vehemently disagreed.

Her only other experience with design teams outside of the LMC was when she contributed to other Hexer mech design projects. The established Seniors and Masters she worked for had all been in the business for at least many decades, and they commanded an army of hundreds, if not thousands of assistants!

This skewed her perspective a bit. Perhaps in time, it was possible to reach this level, but for now the LMC was still a middle player in terms of the overall spectrum of mech companies.

Once they came to a consensus, both of them decided to announce their decisions in their first full conference meeting.

Twenty-five assistant mech designers along with Ketis filed into the conference room. They all took their seats at the long, oval table.

The newcomers only occupied half of the table. Ves already stood head on one side. Lucky didn't show any interest in the upcoming meeting at all and instead spent his time teasing Goldie, who resided in the Larkinson Mandate placed on the surface of the table.

The Larkinson Clan's ancestral heirloom and its warm glow calmed every assistant present. Even though they were excited at the thought of finally escaping the drills and starting on some projects, they all made sure to behave themselves.

The occasional glares thrown by Ketis suppressed any excessive behavior. Even the hotheads such as Rina Orion-Larkinson and Catherine Evenson-Larkinson had to bow their heads against the most barbaric mech designer in the LMC!

Soon enough, a chime sounded in the conference room. The Scarlet Rose established a remote connection to Cinach VI. The other side of the oval table suddenly shimmered as the projection of the other assistant mech designers appeared in place.

The erudite mech designers had arrived, and each of them stared curiously at the somewhat bedraggled but excited states of the brave mech designers.

Gloriana herself stood proudly at the opposite side of the table with Miles sitting closely by. Seeing the latter made Ves a bit regretful that he couldn't bring the former Tovar family member with his mission.

Unlike Ketis who was born in the frontier, Miles had been born with a silver spoon. Even if he faced a lot of internal competition within the Tovar Family, he was still part of the Bright Republic's ruling elite.

It wasn't suitable to drag such a figure to the Nyxian Gap. His various skills and inclinations turned him into a much more useful asset if he stayed by Gloriana's side and managed the erudite mech designers on her behalf.

Ves thumped the table with his fist. "Alright, everyone is here, so lets start. First, to everyone who has joined us in the last month, you might have been wondering whether you will get to design a mech at all during your time in the Larkinson Clan. Well, wonder no more, because today you will all be assigned to work on a mech design project!"

A lot of jubilation appeared on the faces of the assistants, especially the ones from his own camp!

The endless drills, the lack of sleep and the absence of any mech design had grated on all of their nerves. Even if they knew that it was necessary for them to learn how to cope with various shipboard emergencies, they still possessed the arrogance of an accomplished mech designer.

No other employer would dare to mistreat talents as if they were recruits who just joined bootcamp! If they wanted to live a regimented life, then they would have joined the military!

Gloriana, who stood on the other end of the table, took over from there. "My partner and I have deliberated on how many active projects we can sustain and how to allocate your work. In the end, we have decided to stick to a simple rule. We will work on one major design project for every Journeyman Mech Designer within our Design Department. That currently means we can tackle two major projects at most at this time."

Someone raised a hand. "What is a major project?"

"Those are mech design projects which cannot be completed without the involvement of one of our principal mech designers, which is currently my partner and I." Ves answered.

His fiancé nodded. "Perhaps it is better to explain what minor projects are as well. These are the projects that are relatively lower in priority and difficulty to the LMC. We plan to hand over most of the responsibility of completing these projects to you, our assistants."

This was what many of the assistant mech designers had been waiting to hear! Each of them longed to design a mech. What was even better was the prospect of making meaningful design choices. They all wanted their own contributions to be reflected in the end product!

Ves knew what they wanted, and he did not disappoint. "Gloriana and I plan to adopt a relatively hands-off approach towards these minor projects. While we will still be setting the framework of the projects and supervise your progress along the way, you will largely work autonomously within the limits we have set. Basically, your supervisors will be responsible for the broad strokes, while you take care of the details."

Many assistant mech designers understood his approach. It was a lot more generous than what other employers allowed, but it did not provide them with the power to decide everything. They had to work within the specifications and design choices that Ves and Gloriana already prepared.

This approach towards project management served to make the most out of Ves and Gloriana's design expertise with the least amount of time investment.

Certainly, the pair would definitely be able to do a much better job than any of the assistants. The problem was that their time was limited. Both of them believed that the two of them could only devote their full attention to two major projects at most.

This was why they decided to set up a structure where they only needed to spend a couple of minutes a day at minimum to make sure the minor design projects proceeded on schedule.

In many cases, the problems that emerged in these projects might take a long time to solve, but neither Ves nor Gloriana planned to do the heavy lifting. As long as they diagnosed the problem and explained how to solve it, they could leave the tedious crunch work to their assistants.

Ves did not need to explain this rationale, as many of the assistants already understood the point of this structure. This was one of the many benefits of employing young but successful assistants.

"I'm sure you have already guessed it, but our minor projects will mostly revolve around third-class mech designs." Gloriana said. "The two major projects that Ves and I are working on will predominantly be based on second-class mech designs. At this moment, none of you are qualified to work on something so advanced. Keep studying the books in our library and work your way towards mastering the knowledge that is necessary to reach this level. Second-class mech designs will soon become the main focus of the LMC."

A fire lit in everyone's eyes. Every assistant that Ves and Gloriana had hired were ambitious in their own way. All of them were third-class mech designers, and all of them had long yearned to enter a higher circle of mech design!

"We have twelve design teams at the moment, with six assistants in each team." Ves stated. "After some deliberation, Gloriana and I have decided to allocate three design teams to each minor design project. This means that our pipeline is wide enough to accommodate four minor design projects at the same time!"

The implications were obvious. The assistants not only needed to develop a close partnership with the mech designers in their own team, they also had to learn to get along with their rivals in the other teams.

Ves planned to shuffle the design teams assigned to minor projects on a regular basis in order to make sure that every assistant did not get overly familiar with the same faces.

"Now that these organizational announcements are out of the way, let's get to the fun part. I'm sure you are all eager to hear what projects we will all be working on for the next couple of months."

He waved his hand, causing an empty list to appear over the table.

The list was split up in six sections. Only one of them contained any information.

"My partner and I have already begun work on the Valkyrie Redeemer Project. This is a major project which we cannot reveal any details due to its classified nature. You will have to satisfy your curiosity later."

Every assistant had already gone through some lectures about confidentiality. In fact, they should have already been familiar with the rules during their student days, but it didn't hurt to remind them of the seriousness of leaking information.

Ves absolutely could not tolerate betrayal, and he wanted to make sure that every new hire knew the consequences of crossing him. Forget about being black-listed, Ves had even hinted that he would take care of them in a more permanent fashion if they stabbed him in the back!

None of the assistants showed any further curiosity towards the Valkyrie Redeemer Project despite their burning curiosity.

Gloriana raised a finger, causing the slot of the second major design project to reveal some information.

"Our second major design project isn't as confidential, so we do not mind sharing what we will be working on. The project is codenamed Cat's Paw, and it is centered around designing a heavy artillery mech exclusive to the Larkinson Clan!"

That caused a fair amount of assistants to be shocked!

Usually, only the military fielded heavy mechs. They were large, expensive, cost-inefficient and unwieldy, which meant that they never sold very well on the market.

However, they did offer some advantages to wealthy customers and states. Aside from their abysmal mobility, their firepower and defensive parameters were often several times greater than that of a medium mech. Though these boosts came at a very high price, the space these mechs took up was not that much more!

This meant that while heavy mechs were very inefficient in terms of cost, they took up comparatively less space on a carrier than a bunch more medium mechs.

This was the main rationale for employing heavy mechs. If someone wanted to transfer a certain amount of firepower to a destination, they could dispatch a single carrier loaded with heavy mechs rather than two carriers loaded with medium mechs!

Ves explained why the Larkinson Clan was finally ready to field heavy mechs. "While I cannot explain our full circumstances to you yet, our clan is in the process of acquiring a lot of lovely new ships. Many of them are built for war and feature many bunkers on their hulls. It would be a shame to fill these bunkers with regular mechs, hence why we have decided to design our own heavy mech to add some teeth to our new vessels!"

The Cat's Paw Project was just as important as the Valkyrie Redeemer Project! Ves wanted to design a mech that was vastly superior to the Bright Warrior in its rifleman mech configuration in terms of offensive power.

The new heavy artillery mechs would not only be stationed on his upcoming second-class factory ship, but also lend their firepower to his second-class combat carriers.

This was a very major project that would have a very major influence on the defensive power of his future expeditionary fleet!

Chapter 2167 Cat's Paw

In six months to a year, the Ves planned to renew the Larkinson Clan's entire fleet.

He wanted to get rid of the third-class light carriers and other flimsy vessels that weren't robust enough to withstand the rigors of inter-sector space travel.

While his current fleet was already powerful enough to roam through the lesser states of the Komodo Star Sector, as soon as it bumped into a decently powerful Fridayman fleet, it would likely collapse at the first blow!

So long as this vulnerability remained, Ves had no confidence in crossing over to Vicious Mountain or Majestic Teal.

Right now, the Larkinson Clan managed to maintain its existence by sheltering under the formidable umbrella of the Hexadric Hegemony.

Though powerful, the influence of the Hexers rapidly declined outside of their home star sectors. The second-rate states of other star sectors had no reason to pay attention to the deterrence of those man-haters.

Therefore, Ves was prepared to invest substantially in his fleet and build up its strength to the point where it could roam securely through neutral states regardless of their strength!

As long as the Larkinsons did not provoke a powerful second-rate rate, Ves believed his fleet should be strong enough to fend off any other aggressors.

The greater the price of attacking the Larkinson Fleet, the less challengers it would face!

Just acquiring a tough vessel wasn't enough. Aside from relying on spaceborn mechs to fend off attackers, Ves also wanted to add some heavy firepower to the mix.

The Cat's Paw Project aimed to design a new Larkinson-exclusive mech that would perfectly address this need for the upcoming decade.

The budget for the mech design was very generous. He wanted something that wouldn't become outdated in a couple of years like the Bright Warriors, so he wanted to design a powerful premier second-class heavy mech.

The current market price of the Doom Guard was around 2 million hex credits. This was a typical price for an expensive third-class mech.

The estimated market price of the Blessed Squire was 200 million hex credits.

The price disparity between a third-class mech and a second-class mech was very considerable!

For a mech that Ves planned to utilize as the main defenses of his extremely important factory ship and combat carriers, he planned to grit his teeth and allocate most of the LMC's current profits towards their production.

Ves set an upper limit of 600 million hex credits as the production cost of his upcoming heavy artillery mech!

This was a hefty amount of money that Ves felt very helpless about. Just five second-class heavy artillery mechs already cost as much as a single combat carrier! It sounded ridiculous, but neither he nor Gloriana wanted to settle for less!

First, heavy mechs were already typically four times more expensive on average than a medium mech. If they adhered to the same budget as that of the Blessed Squire, then their efforts would just yield a very hollow and fragile mech design whose bark was stronger than its bite.

This was unacceptable. If Ves and Gloriana set out to design a heavy mech, then they wanted to do it properly, and that required a lot of money!

Second, it was not as if all of that money went to waste. When a mech absorbed so much funding, a qualitative transformation took place.

Premier mech designs performed significantly better than premium mechs, especially if their expanded budgets concentrated on enhancing just a couple of aspects!

Though any heavy mech required at least a considerable amount of armor to keep them together, Ves already decided to spend the bulk of the budget on enhancing the offensive capabilities of the Cat's Paw design.

This did not apply to the weapon systems, which the mech design hosted a considerable amount of them, but also the support systems meant to keep them working at their best conditions.

The energy weapons needed a strong and stable supply of power. The heat generated from the weapons also had to be shunted from the mech to the ship. The standalone sensors and targeting systems had to be good enough to allow the mech to keep hitting its targets if the ship it was on suddenly stopped supplying the necessary targeting data.

All in all, the fact that the heavy mechs were solely designed to be stationed in bunkers meant that Ves could readily forgo other priorities, such as the mobility of the mech!

Ves waved his hand, causing a fairly basic sketch of the design he had in mind to appear.

"This mech will be designed according to Hexer standards because the ships we are in the process of acquiring are also designed and built by Hexers. This means that the mech will feature six legs that are designed to be anchored into the standardized slots built into the interior of the bunkers."

The hefty mech resembled a centaur mech of sorts. The lower body consisted of a fairly heavy base surrounded by six legs.

Individually, those legs were thick, but not very strong. At the very least, their mechanical power was not up to par compared to proper landbound mechs.

Since this heavy artillery mech spent most of its time in a bunker, there was no need to allocate too much capacity in increasing its movement speed.

The legs were also specifically designed to maximize heat transfer. The last thing Ves wanted to see was the mechs falling silent because they grew too hot to sustain their fire!

This was something allowed by the rules set by the Big Two.

Sadly, Ves couldn't apply the same solution to the power supply. The MTA and CFA specifically forbid anyone from connecting the heavy mech directly to the power network of a ship!

Such a design choice would allow a heavy mech to output damage similar to the damage of a warship, and that was absolutely taboo!

Therefore, despite the inefficiency, Ves had no choice but to play by the rules and make his Cat's Paw mech self-sufficient in terms of power supply. At most, he could make it a little easier for the mech to replenish its spent energy cells.

A very young assistant raised a hand to ask a question. "Pardon me, sir, but Cat's Paw is a weird name for a mech."

"It's just a temporary code name. I will come up with a more dignified name when we complete this project."

A powerful mech deserved a grand name. He did not want to embarrass the Larkinsons who were assigned to pilot the heaviest source of firepower to the Larkinson Fleet.

Someone else asked another question.

"Will this mech or a version of it be made available to the Hexers?"

That was a clever question. Ves had already basically admitted that the Cat's Paw design would be designed according to Hexer technical standards.

This coincidentally made them very similar to the heavy artillery mechs employed by the Hex Army!

Gloriana paused for a moment before she offered a response.

"This is a matter that is still under consideration. Heavy artillery mechs play a huge role in any mech military, and they are usually very advanced designs. We still need to prove to the Hegemony that we can design a heavy artillery mech that provides added value compared to what the Hex Army already fields."

In other words, Ves and Gloriana intended to design the Cat's Paw mech for the Larkinson Clan first. Once DIVA and the Hexers saw how well this mech performed, the Miracle Couple didn't mind designing a militarized variant for the Hex Army!

Of course, the premise of this rested on the ability for Ves and Gloriana to truly design a good heavy artillery mech. If the end product barely matched the performance levels of the Hex Army's existing heavy artillery mechs, then there was no compelling reason for the Hexers to adopt another model!

Though Ves felt very confident he could come up with something ingenious enough, he needed to think hard on how to differentiate his heavy artillery mech. He still hadn't fully come up with a solid vision or formed an outline of its glow and triggered abilities.

These were all key to making his Cat's Paw design truly special.

Once he answered a few more questions about the heavy artillery mech he intended to design, the discussion moved on to the minor projects.

Surprisingly, Ves and Gloriana hadn't specified them at this point.

"There are more mech designers in the LMC than my partner and I." Ves smiled. "We think it might be interesting to let you have a voice this time. Each of you have a couple of days to come up with a proposal for an interesting third-class mech for us to design. If your proposal is interesting enough, then Gloriana and I will adapt them and let you flesh it out into a design that is worthy of the LMC!"

This was an amazing opportunity for the assistants! Each of their eyes lit up as they realized that they could actually present some of the works they dreamed about!

"Don't disappoint us." Gloriana warned them all. "We are looking for practical, useful designs that either have great market appeal or can serve a useful purpose to the Larkinson Clan. Consider this a test as well as an opportunity. Those who have proposed excellent, workable mech designs will be rewarded with a handsome amount of merits."

The assistants tempered their enthusiasm a bit after hearing that. The competition would doubtlessly be intense, and they also had to abide by many practical constraints.

Even so, they already felt grateful for their employers for giving their proposals a chance. This was not always the case in other companies.

Ves did this not to motivate his assistants or to earn their favor. He wanted to develop them and turn them into greater assets.

While most assistants would probably work in this capacity for a considerable amount of time, he hoped that at least some of them would stand out in the coming years. Whether they advanced to Journeyman or not, Ves needed mech designers who could take charge of their projects!

Since every mech designer attending this conference pledged their loyalty to the Larkinson Clan, Ves did not need to be afraid that his assistants would leave the LMC once they believed they had 'outgrown' their roles. This was one of the biggest reasons why mech companies were reluctant to invest too much in mech designers.

They were simply too ambitious. Once they achieved a good measure of success and ability, many of them couldn't wait to start up their own mech company!

Though Ves hadn't actually figured out what to do in case an assistant mech designer wanted to leave the LMC but remain a Larkinson clansman, he truly hoped to keep everyone together as long as possible.

"Any further questions?"

The assistants looked at each other for a while.

Ketis raised her hand this time. "How much time do we spend on each project?"

"That's something we haven't fully decided upon yet. For now, let us set aside four months for each of them, whether they are minor or major projects."

With eighteen assistant mech designers working on every minor project, Ves refused to believe that they wouldn't be able to design a good mech in this span of time!

Seeing that no one had any questions, Ves finally ended the meeting.

"Alright, that's it for today. We will reconvene in a couple of days to discuss your ideas. Do your best to earn our approval!"

Ves smiled proudly as the assistants already started to buzz and swap ideas. Soon enough, the LMC's Design Department would be working on six design projects at the same time!

Even if only two of them centered around powerful second-class mech designs, that was still a considerable leap from before!

Once Ves became accustomed to designing six mechs at a time, he might expand the LMC's design capacity once again, especially once Ketis and a couple of other notable talents advanced to Journeyman!

Chapter 2168 Davy's Ghosts

Task Force Predator dove into the Nyxian Gap without fear. The relatively sparse concentration of asteroids did not hinder the advance of the fleet all that much.

Even so, none of the Larkinsons let down their guards. The Nyxian Gap already fell outside of the scope of civilized space for the most part, and that meant that different rules applied.

The abundance of ship and mech wreckage floating between the asteroids already served as sufficient warning. Those who traveled through the fields of Wreckage Paradise had to contend against the possibility of ambushes at any time.

It was only because the Larkinson Clan was too big and strong for most pirates to challenge on their own accord.

That did not mean the pirates let off other prey, though!

After several days of total silence, the task force finally stumbled upon their first pirate encounter!

Surprisingly enough, pirates did not target the Larkinsons. Instead, they were in the process in wearing down a damaged and exhausted Peacekeeper outfit!

The forward scouts of the Flagrant Vandals discovered the active battle first. The Inheritor light mechs sneakily hid their energy signatures behind the asteroids and pointed their passive sensors towards the ongoing battle.

At the same time, the Inheritors relayed the sensor data to another patrol of Vandal mechs that was stationed further back via a tight beam connection.

There was almost no chance that the sensors of the pirates would be able to pick up this transmission!

Once the Princely Jackal received the sensor data, Commander Orfan-Larkinson immediately woke up from her boredom.

"Huh, a battle you say?"

"Yes, ma'am. A Peacekeeper outfit is in distress. A total of four light carriers and a damaged supply ship are being protected by just seventy spaceborn mechs, and their numbers are slowly diminishing even as we speak."

"What about the pirates?"

"We haven't detected their starships. The pirates must have parked them onto the surface of an asteroid further back. All we can tell you so far is that the pirates are swarming the Peacekeepers with around 300 mechs."

"If they have so many mechs, why aren't they finishing off their prey in an instant? Why are they dancing around as if they are afraid of burning their toes?"

The sensor officer tapped a console, causing a projection of a couple of very familiar-looking mechs to appear.

"Doom Guards?"

Their shape was unmistakable! Though the outfit applied a different coating to the mech, the striker mechs still possessed the imposing might as befitting the LMC mech!

Their fearsome glows along with the sporadic billowing flames they unleashed continually stopped the pirates from charging in and mobbing their prey from multiple directions.

Even if the mechs deployed by the Peacekeepers were superior to that of the pirates, the latter still held all the initiative!

"We have already run the serial numbers of their ship through a database identified the outfit in question, ma'am. The Livid Giants is a registered Peacekeeper outfit that has been in operation for eight years. The Giants are led by Commander Ulbert Rilven, a military veteran."

"Mhmmm." Commander Orfan leaned her head against her fist. "That's clear. No average mech commander can instill such good coordination to his mech pilots."

Even though the Livid Giants mechs had to cover a lot of angles, they nonetheless maintained a tight defensive perimeter. The handful of Doom Guards they used as trump cards weren't enough to explain why they survived so long against the pirates!

"What about the pirates? Have you identified them yet?"

"According to the intelligence provided by the Black Cats, they are presumably Davy's Ghosts, one of the more formidable pirate gangs that show up in Wreckage Paradise every so often. They haven't made any notable achievements. They deliberately maintain a low profile and attack the weak."

Orfan sneered. "Typical. The Swordmaidens are a thousand times better than these scum. Warm up my mech! Let's clean up the trash right away!"

"Ahem, ma'm!" Another officer became alarmed. "We have already relayed the data we've gathered to Major Verle and the Scarlet Rose. We are to standby and await for further instructions!"

An ugly expression appeared on the Vandal Commander's face. "Damn. I forgot. We're not calling the shots anymore. I can't believe it took so little time for me to take orders from the little brat instead of the other way around."

The Larkinson Clan officially took the Flagrant Vandals under its wing. Everyone was a Larkinson now, though the Vandals often didn't bother using their compound names to reflect that reality.

Nonetheless, even if they felt a little bit willful about preserving their original identities, there were some lines they simply weren't allowed to cross.

Several minutes passed by as the main elements of Task Force Predator moved closer. Commander Orfan slowly noticed that the mechs deployed from their carriers weren't in a hurry to advance.

In fact, many of them were taking the long way around the site of the battle!

Soon enough, Commander Orfan received a call from Major Verle.

"Commander, the clan patriarch wants your Flagrant Vandals on standby. When we are ready to engage Davy's Ghosts, you are to block their way towards our main fleet. Unless the pirates attempt to storm your position, your men must refrain from attacking."

"Are you kidding me?!" Orphan exploded. "There's some easy prey in front of us, and you're telling us to stay put?! You were one of us, major!"

"I understand your frustration, but this is the will of our new superior." Major Verle calmly responded. "Look at our entire task force. It consists of a collection of different forces, some of which are more battle-tested than others. The Flagrant Vandals have existed as a mech regiment for decades and we have built up a considerable martial tradition. All of your men are all former servicemen who have lived through both the latest Bright-Vesia War and the Sand War. Only the Swordmaidens come close to matching our accumulated battle experience!"

The bigger picture slowly dawned upon Commander Orfan. "That kid wants to train his less experienced mech pilots?"

The major nodded. "In fact, I raised this suggestion as well. As long as there aren't any other threats in the vicinity, we plan to surround the engagement site so that Davy's Ghosts have nowhere to go. Once the pirates are trapped in our jar, we plan to let our rookies have a taste of actual battle!"

Though Commander Orfan didn't like it, she silently agreed with this rationale. Davy's Ghosts posed no threat to the Larkinsons. Even if they brought ten times more mechs, the Living Sentinels alone could have easily toppled them over!

Once the Larkinsons heard what they were about to do, everyone became excited!

Though three-hundred pirate mechs possessed a substantial amount of destructive power, not a single Larkinson believed that Davy's Ghosts would be able to last very long.

They already showed serious strain in trying to overcome the tough defenses of the Livid Giants.

Once the Larkinsons arrived from the flanks, the pirates would inevitably feel even greater pressure!

The encirclement took some time to establish. In the meantime, the Livid Giants sustained more damage. A few more mechs had been shot to pieces. A couple of mechs pilots lost their lives as the pirates cruelly fired at their ejected cockpits. Only a handful managed to escape death as their comrades used their own mechs as shields!

Despite all of these tragedies taking place, the Larkinsons still calmly obeyed their orders. No one disobeyed orders and left formation in order to rescue the beleaguered Peacekeepers.

Sitting on the bridge of the Scarlet Rose, Ves calmly petted Lucky's back as he observed the giant projection displaying the battlefield from multiple perspectives.

"The Livid Giants are reaching their limits, sir." Major Verle spoke as he employed his considerable judgement and experience to determine how much fight the Peacekeeper outfit had left. "We can't wait to complete the encirclement any longer. We should dispatch our rookies immediately before it's too late."

Ves frowned a bit. He studied the map and saw that it shouldn't really matter much anyway. There was no way the pirates would outrun his forces at this rate.

"Very well. Give the orders. Let's see whether our rookies can match the performance they have shown in the practice simulations!"

Once the rookies received the orders, the prepared formation of Avatars and Sentinels quickly flew forward.

Not a lot of mechs flew into the sensor range of the startled pirates and Peacekeepers!

On the surface, only three mech companies surged forth. Most of them consisted of a collection of premium commercial mech models piloted by the mech pilots of the Living Sentinels.

It was a bit unfortunate that there weren't a lot of LMC mechs flying in their midst.

The only mechs that bolstered the confidence of the Sentinel mech pilots were the Bright Warriors flying in their midst. They adopted various configurations in order to respond to any possible situations that might occur.

To the Larkinsons, it became clear that their clan patriarch mainly wanted to exercise the Living Sentinels!

Out of all of his mech forces, the Living Sentinels numbered the most, but their individual strength was the weakest.

It couldn't be helped. Unlike the Avatars of Myth who hired the best, the Living Sentinels hired a greater number of less impressive mech pilots.

Though all of them enjoyed excellent training resources since they joined the Larkinson Clan, Ves was not in the habit of pampering his mech pilots.

They needed to earn their keep!

Though Commander Magdalena Larkinson vouched for the battle readiness of the rookies she assigned to this mission, Ves was not as confident.

He wanted to see for himself whether the recently-hired Living Sentinels earned the right to wear their grey-and-white uniforms.

"Whoever is in charge of Davy's Ghosts has finally called off their siege." Major Verle noted.

The pirate mechs no longer wasted time on exerting pressure on their prey. Even if they managed to achieve a breakthrough, the cost would definitely be significant and they would also leave themselves open to the approaching enemy!

The first instinct of a pirate when facing unexpected reinforcements wasn't to confront the enemy.

Instead, it was running away in the opposite direction as fast as possible! Davy's Ghosts did not even pretend to muster up a defense. The stained, scarred pirate mechs simply activated their flight systems as much as possible while they hurriedly ran away!

The sight looked pathetic. There was no order or discipline in their retreat. Davy's Ghosts fielded many different mech models, and each individual machine exhibited various levels of neglect. This caused the mobility of the mechs to be all over the place.

The result was that the swarm of pirates quickly strung out into a very disorderly string!

Despite the vulnerable nature of their 'formation', if you could even call it that, the Livid Giants showed no desire to pursue their enemies.

The Peacekeeper outfit lost too much strength, making pursuit unwise. There wasn't necessarily any profit in it either and its commander was also a bit wary towards the newcomers!

Just as the pirates thought they were able to shake off the Living Sentinels that appeared out of nowhere, a considerable number of mechs suddenly appeared in their path!

Rows and rows of resplendent gold-coated Bright Warriors and other Avatar mechs formed a nigh-impenetrable wall!

Even if Davy's Ghosts were completely unfamiliar with the Bright Warriors, the mechs already seemed invincible to the panicking pirates!

The pirates tried to fly straight downwards in an attempt to evade the blockade. Yet they only adjusted their course for half a minute before more Avatars mechs showed up!

No matter where they fled, the pirate mechs encountered enemies in every direction.

In their despair, Davy's Ghosts could only try to flee to the opposite direction, which was seemingly unblocked.

In order to do that, the pirates had to fight through the approaching units of Living Sentinels!

With their very lives at stake, the pirate mechs all banded together and charged at the weaker and less ostentatious mechs of the Sentinels!

"Break through at all costs, lads!"

Chapter 2169 Easy Pickings

A horde of over 300 panicked pirate mechs stormed right in the direction of around 120 Living Sentinels mechs.

Aside from being fortified by a number of Bright Warriors belonging to the Avatars of Myth, the rookie pilots who had donned the grey-and-white uniforms of the Sentinels had to fend for themselves!

Most of them consisted of commoners from the Sentinel Kingdom that the Larkinson Clan had picked up at Cinach VI. Though they had received a heap of piloting training and received a lot of indoctrination, none of them had been bloodied in their short careers.

The Larkinsons sought to hire talents. Though all of them possessed enough potential to become second-class mech pilots, raw ability was not enough to succeed.

The mech pilots had to be able to pull the trigger when it counted!

Even though the Sentinel mech pilots had killed thousands, if not tens of thousands of virtual mechs in simulations, it was entirely different now that they confronted real mechs piloted by actual humans!

The stakes were higher. Unlike before when the only suffering they inflicted was on a bunch of computer bits, now they needed to bring their weapons to bear on machines that possessed the power to end their lives!

Everyone in the expeditionary fleet paid attention to the ensuing clash. Each of them wanted to see how the outnumbered Sentinels mechs dealt with Davy's Ghosts.

Would their inexperience lead to blunders and unnecessary casualties? Would Davy's Ghosts collapse and split apart after realizing the Sentinels weren't soft at all? Anything could happen!

Within the design lab of the Scarlet Rose all of the assistant mech designers aboard the ship had gathered together. Each of them watched the plethora of projections that showcased the battle from multiple angles while at the same time presenting technical readouts as sophisticated scanners deciphered every observable attribute of the pirate mechs.

"I hope that each of you have developed a good impression of the pirate mechs." Ves spoke like a teacher. "Now, what can you tell me about their overall state?"

"The pirates don't have a mech designer. If they did, their mechs wouldn't be in such an awful state!"

"They don't have enough mech technicians either. Aside from the mechs that are presumably piloted by their sergeants and officers, the lowest-performing mechs are also those that are neglected the most."

"There are too many different models in their lineup. There is hardly any synergy at all. I think Davy's Ghosts likely stole them from their victims or salvaged them from the battlefield."

"How could they possibly salvage the mechs themselves?! They are clearly devoid of technical personnel!"

Ves clapped. "Alright, everyone here has made some good points. Almost all of what you have said has matched my judgement. Now, in many confrontations like this, the pirates usually outnumber their opponents by at least two-to-one. Yet the quality of their mechs isn't even half as good. Victory and defeat depends on many more variables. Now, my question here to you all is to make a judgement. Who do you think will win this clash? How many losses do you think our Sentinels will suffer before the pirates will go down? Will our Sentinels be able to succeed in blocking the pirate mechs from breaking through?"

A projection appeared in front of everyone's faces. Ves had already prepared a form for them to fill. The assistants soon began to input their answers according to their judgement.

Shortly afterwards, the projections disappeared. A small AI routine rapidly scanned through the answers and determined the overall sentiment.

Ves smiled in an amusing fashion. "Well, it looks like you are all confident in our Sentinels! Do you really think that 120 Sentinel mechs will be able to demolish 300 pirate mechs while only losing 5 to 10 mechs at most?"

That was a huge disparity in losses!

Someone raised her hand. "Sir, the Sentinels might be outnumbered, but they are piloting premium mechs in excellent condition. Almost all of them are clad with compressed armor, which can take a lot of punishment, so they won't go down quickly. If any Sentinel mech is in trouble, the other Sentinels will come to the rescue. That is how they are trained."

"The condition of the mechs matter as well. The Sentinel mechs are all new machines that the clan has acquired in the last four months. Not only are the mechs at the beginning of their product life cycle, but they have each received excellent care from our well-trained mech technicians. As for the pirate mechs, most of their fodders still feature unrepaired battle damage. It is trivially easy for our Sentinels to exploit the holes in their defense."

If both of these factors were taken into account, then it was indeed plausible that the Sentinel mechs could overcome the pirate mechs with ease!

"Let us see whether your optimism holds true." Ves said and turned his attention towards the main projection.

By now, the ranged mechs of both sides opened fire. An abundance of weak but rapid-firing laser beams sizzled against the resilient armor of the Sentinel mechs, blackening and vaporizing their silver coating in quick order.

To their credit, the ranged mechs of Davy's Ghosts exhibited at least some coordination. Every squad focused their fire on their designated targets. Though the accuracy of their weapons during flight and at longer ranges left much to be desired, numerous scorching red laser beams still impacted the targeted Sentinel mechs with alarming frequency!

The Sentinel reacted according to their training. The space knights in the formation shifted their positions and covered the targeted mechs with their shields.

This largely frustrated the pirates. It took way too many laser beams to chew through the defenses of the space knights!

The pirates began to shift their targets, but the space knights kept covering every focused target with ease.

Eventually, the coordination of the pirates fell apart, and their lasers just crashed against the entire formation of Sentinel mechs with hardly any discernible pattern!

Though the rain of incoming laser fire looked intimidating, in truth the pirates had given up any hope of disabling a Sentinel mech before both sides collided against each other.

The Living Sentinels weren't as helpless. Their rifleman mechs, though much smaller in number, all focused their firepower at the mechs in the center of the pirate formation.

The momentum of the pirate mechs soon began to flag a bit as the lead mechs came under intense fire!

The disparity in power between the beams quickly became evident. Most rifles in the hands of the pirate mechs were not only cheap, ill-maintained and lower-powered, they were also outdated!

The new mech generation had only swept the galaxy for a year. While the mech forces in civilized space promptly swapped their older models for modern ones at a decent pace, the pirates were much further behind!

The premium rifle models in the hands of premium ranged mechs hit incomparably harder. This was especially so because the new mech generation introduced several innovations related to directed energy weapons technology!

The cheap, second-hand mechs of Davy's Ghosts endured a lot of terror. Some mechs fell apart after suffering only a dozen hits. Others lasted longer, but the constant barrage of high-powered laser beams steadily chewed through their armor!

"Focus fire on their officers!"

When the range grew close enough to reliably target individual mechs, the ranged Sentinels suddenly shifted their fire to the pirate mechs that presumably led the pirate mechs!

A lot of sensor data recorded by the Larkinson mechs were being transferred back to the ships of the task force. The Scarlet Rose, the Princely Jackal and many other vessels collectively analyzed the data and rapidly came up with informed guesses on which pirate mechs hosted the leaders!

The analysis not only focused on the quality and condition of the mechs, but also looked out for the transmission of data.

The accuracy of these guesses were very high! As soon as the Sentinels knew which mechs to target, they systematically dismantled every mech piloted by a leader or sub-leader!

Panic began to spread among the pirates! The swarm grew less cohesive and less united as their officers were put out of action in quick order! Without any leaders, the horde of pirate mechs already showed signs of falling apart!

"Haha! Without their bosses to take charge, the pirates are easy pickings!"

"Don't underestimate them! Coordination or no coordination, they still outnumber us by quite a margin!"

As the distance rapidly decreased, the ranged mechs of both sides subsided down and flew to the sides. Both of them fired at each other and the ranged mechs that rapidly closed in on each other.

In truth, because the goal of the Sentinel mechs was to intercept the pirates and block them from advancing further, they had been accelerating in the opposite direction for a while.

If they did not do so, they would essentially perform a very rapid drive-by confrontation and rapidly zip very far away shortly afterwards!

The mobility of the Sentinel mechs wasn't good enough to swing around and catch up to the fleeing pirate mechs without wasting lots of time. The Sentinel mechs all had to modulate their flight systems carefully in order to stick to their enemies!

Shortly before the melee mechs speared against each other, a sudden change happened in the Sentinel formation.

"Avatars, change course!"

The Bright Warriors that basked every Sentinel mech in the vicinity with the Golden Cat's glow suddenly shot upwards and departed from the main formation!

The rookie Sentinel mech pilots quickly lost the psychological support provided by the Larkinson Clan's exclusive mechs. It was as if they all lost confidence. The absense of the glow came so abrupt and without warning that the Sentinel mech pilots became too distracted to maintain a tight formation.

"Get yourselves together! The enemy is right on top of us! We can still defeat with or without a glow!"

No sound traveled in space, but the collision of so many mechs would have caused a huge number of crunching sounds!

Spears thundered through chest plating, swords sliced off entire arms and legs, shields bashed against the entire frame of lighter mechs, causing their entire to rattle.

Sheer violence at its most primitive and brutal form had commenced!

Though the pirate mechs that clashed against the more solid and resilient Sentinel mechs all sustained serious damage, there were plenty of other pirate mechs that escaped the initial clash unscathed!

They swiped their weapons at the Sentinel mechs from the front or from the flanks. Some even swung around in order to attack the vulnerable rear of their opponents!

The Sentinel mechs desperately tried to finish off their opponents at the front in order to defend against attacks from the rear, but they didn't always succeed!

"I thought these pirates are leaderless! Shouldn't these cowardly scum be running away as fast as possible?!"

The behavior of the mech pilots of Davy's Ghosts didn't conform to their expectations. Amazingly, even without a pirate officers issuing any orders, the cruel and selfish pirate mech pilots still banded together and chose the correct strategy that made the most out of their advantage in numbers!

In truth, the Sentinel mechs and mech pilots should have been good enough to chop up some of the pirate mechs without wasting too much time.

However, the sudden disappearance of the Bright Warriors along with the pressure exerted by the pirates caused many of the rookie mech pilots to panic or forget portions of their training.

Without any veterans or blooded mech pilots in their midst to rally them or restore their confidence, the Sentinel mechs started to suffer serious damage!

A lot of clansmen observing the battle began to drop their anticipatory smiles. The thorough pirate thrashing that all of them had expected did not arise.

Instead, the rookie Sentinel mech pilots began to falter against their desperate pirate counterparts who litterally fought with their lives on the line!

Soon enough, the first Sentinel mechs started to fall. Cockpits suddenly ejected from the fallen silver-coated machines. Some of the ranged pirate mechs even started to target the cockpits!

"No!"

Chapter 2170 A Harsh Lesson

Several rookie Sentinel pilots fell into deep trouble after numerous pirate mechs ganged up on their machines!

Though the Living Sentinels may have taken out their leaders, the remaining mech pilots of Davy's Ghosts possessed enough battle experience to know what they needed to do to overcome their powerful opponents.

Driven by desperation and smelling death, the pirates held nothing back! They adopted their favorite tactic, swarming, against the Sentinel mechs that looked slightly weaker than the rest.

Even though the quality of a third-class premium mech was incomparable to the second-hand trash used by Davy's Ghosts, a single mech could never adequately defend against the attacks of four or more mechs attacking from different directions!

The pirate mechs plainly disregarded the surrounding Sentinel mechs in order to unleash all of their attacks on their chosen targets. No matter if their swords, spears, maces or other weapons hit the solid chest plating or some inconsequential leg section, the rapid succession of hits eventually exploited some of the weak points of the mechs.

Vulnerable flight systems became compromised. The fingers responsible for gripping the weapons were sliced off. Some lucky pirates even managed to stab straight through the weak points of the rear armor!

The overly-rigid formation of the three mech companies of the Living Sentinels couldn't adjust fast enough!

The mech lieutenants and mech captains in charge of leading their men simply couldn't adjust to the changing circumstances fast enough. Without timely orders, the rest of the Sentinel mech pilots reacted with great delay.

Before they finally received orders to adjust their formation and come to the aid of their beleaguered comrades, the first Sentinel mechs had already been downed!

Even though the pirates already lost more than a hundred shabby mechs after the initial clash, the insane losses only drove the surviving members of Davy's Ghosts into an even greater frenzy!

"Fight, damnit, fight!"

"These new guys aren't so strong after all. They're practically shaking in their boots!"

"Hit them harder!"

When combat descended into a chaotic melee, many of the rules were thrown out of the window. No matter what precise formation the Sentinel mechs could adopt, the pirates were already on top of them and working together to disable their prey with the wildness of a cornered beast.

As soon as the battle proceeded further, the Larkinsons who observed the battle began to glower more and more.

Even if the mech pilots that had been dispatched today consisted of rookies, their performance against a horde of pirates was dreadful!

No matter how many pirate mechs the Sentinels managed to crunch, the handful of losses they suffered among their own had already reached an unacceptable level!

A dozen gleaming silver-coated mechs succumbed to the swarming attacks. They barely managed to launch their cockpits, carrying their precious mech pilots to safety.

The pirates didn't let off the escapees! While the cockpits had flown rapidly out of melee range, the pirate mechs armed with rifles automatically shifted their aim towards these vulnerable objects, they fired!

Several cockpits came under fire! Some of the laser beams even managed to hit them, causing many of them to show deep scars.

Though the outer shells of the cockpits all consisted of compressed armor, they were too think to protect the mech pilots inside against the awesome might of a mech-sized laser rifle for long!

Friendly Sentinel rifleman mechs desperately intensified their fire in order to dissuade their pirate counterparts from killing any of their own comrades.

It was too bad that the pirate mech pilots persisted in their cruelty! Even if the ejected cockpits no longer posed a threat to Davy's Ghosts, the pirates all hungered for blood!

"Kill them! Kill them all!"

"No one messes with Davy's Ghosts!"

"Even if we die, we'll drag as many of these bastards to hell as possible. For Davy!"

The loss of their leaders had only made the remaining pirates crueler. Now that they were fully unshackled, they followed their violent impulses without any constraints!

The ferocity exhibited by the pirates completely overwhelmed the initial momentum of the Living Sentinels.

To many of them, this was their first real engagement in their lives. Even if they prepared for this life for ten to twenty years, they still showed many inadequacies.

Aside from their rigidity, some of the rookies also exhibited another flaw.

A lack of killer instinct!

If the Sentinel mechs just attacked the pirates with their full strength, then they wouldn't have ended up in such a pathetic state so quickly. Fear and nervousness rapidly impacted their battle effectiveness, causing them to perform at just fifty to eighty percent.

With the escaping cockpits under fire, it seemed as if the Larkinson Clan would suffer its first casualties after entering the Nyxian Gap.

The Living Sentinels would never be able to wash off this shame if that happened!

Just as one of the targeted escape pods reached a dangerous condition, rescue finally arrived!

One of the Bright Warriors that had separated from the main formation suddenly dropped down and arrived just in time!

Its advanced flight system allowed the mech to neatly keep pace with the desperately fleeting cockpit. Lasers began to shower across its gold-coated frame, achieving nothing but leaving behind some scorch marks.

No matter how many lasers impacted its surface, the excellent Breyer alloy covering the mech showed no signs of faltering.

The mech was practically invulnerable against the low-powered lasers wielded by the pirates!

The Avatar mech pilot did not let the pirates take potshots at him for free. This particular Bright Warrior had been kitted out in a rifleman mech configuration.

Even though its armor was thinner than that of the other configurations, the Avatar mech pilot still oozed confidence. The mech calmly raised its rifle and took careful aim before barking out some high-powered laser beams!

Powerful rays of death pierced past the fragile armor of the pirate mechs, downing them at a rapid pace!

The Bright Warrior only ceased fire once the ranged pirate mechs shifted their fire. As long as they didn't target any cockpits, they avoided certain death!

The escaping Sentinel mech pilots avoided death, causing all of them to feel a little relieved, but not too much.

Only a dozen Bright Warriors accompanied the three Sentinel mech companies! As long as the casualties mounted past this number, then the pirates might still be able to kill a retreating Sentinel mech pilot before they all went down.

This realization put an even greater amount of pressure on the shoulders of the remaining rookies!

"Come on! Get your heads back together! We trained for this! Help your squad mates and drive back the pirates!"

The Sentinel mechs belatedly adopted anti-swarming tactics. They huddled together and oriented outwards, causing them to cover each other's backs.

This was very difficult to do in space. If they pressed too close, they risked colliding their flight systems against each other. If they separated too far away, then they left enough gaps in their formation for a swift enemy mech to squeeze through.

Even so, the training of the rookies finally came through. Their mechs formed balls at the appropriate positions, allowing them to finally frustrate the frenzied pirate mechs that had already learned to target their rear.

Casualties decreased and the pirate attackers began to appear increasingly more frayed.

Even though the vicious outlaws managed to hurt their opponents, their mechs suffered grievously in exchange!

Every second that passed, another pirate mech collapsed. The difference in quality was not something that ferocity and cruelty could not entirely make up for. The total value between the two groups was simply too vast!

Slowly, the pirates lost cohesion as they no longer outnumbered their opponents. Their vulnerable ranged mechs had all been taken out a while ago.

With the loss of their ranged support, the remaining pirate melee mechs finally ceased their frenzied attacks.

Fear finally overpowered their vicious tendencies, causing them to completely lose heart.

"I'm out of here!"

"Split up! They can't get all of us!"

Perhaps understanding that they had performed abysmally in this battle, the rookies finally unleashed their vengeance on their opponents!

The shabby pirate mechs fled as fast as they could, which wasn't all that impressive. The faster Sentinel mechs easily caught up to the fleeing rats. Now that the pirate mechs had split up, their individual combat prowess no longer formed any deterrence. The angry rookies all managed to take the pirates down in quick order!

The battle had finally ended.

The rookies slowly began to police the battle site while the main fleet finally came within range.

Other mechs continued to keep an eye on the surroundings in case Davy's Ghosts dispatched any reinforcements.

Various vehicles flew towards the debris field in order to salvage the downed Sentinel mechs and any of their separated parts.

A lot of unpleasant discussions formed within the fleet.

Within the design lab of the Scarlet Rose, Ves crossed his arms. He glanced sternly at the group of crestfallen assistants.

Each of them were familiar with the mechs fielded by the Living Sentinels. Even if they accounted for a couple of losses, the performance of their fellow Larkinsons vastly deviated from their expectations!

In the end, fifteen out of 120 Sentinel mechs had been rendered combat ineffective. If not for the timely rescue of the Bright Warriors piloted by veteran Avatar mech pilots, some of those rookie mech pilots might have lost their lives in the outskirts of the Nyxian Gap today!

"So." Ves opened his mouth. "All of your estimates were off. Some of you projected that the Sentinels would lose seven mechs. Others guessed that they would lose five mechs. A handful of you were even braver! You posited that the Sentinels wouldn't lose any mechs!"

The faces of the latter group appeared more crushed than the rest! In the end, their estimates had been completely off, though none of them expected the Bright Warriors to depart at the final moment and deprive the Sentinels of their glows.

Their superior tapped his foot against the deck. "Anything can happen in battle. Unexpected variables can complicate matters at any moment, and fighting while outnumbered is always difficult. Most of all, you overlooked one incredibly huge factor when you guessed the outcome of this clash. Ketis, your guess was closest from the actual outcome. Can you enlighten your fellow colleagues what they missed?"

Though Ketis wanted to appear smug, she knew that this wasn't the time. She answered the question with a serious voice.

"The human element. Each of these dummies focused most of their attention on the mechs involved in the battle. Even if they paid attention to the disparity between mech pilots, they all assumed that the mech pilots of Davy's Ghosts would never amount to much. They are sorely wrong."

"Well said, Ketis." Ves smiled at her before frowning at the remaining assistants. "You are all mech designers. It is your job to learn everything you can on how mechs work and how you can put them together. Yet never forget that while mechs are machines, they are not autonomous battle bots! Each mech is controlled by a human, and that makes a huge difference."

Their mistake was to overestimate the performance of rookies. They had been misguided by the excellent training provided by the Living Sentinels. They overlooked too many psychological factors that ultimately caused the battle results to veer from their rosy projections.

"I hope that everyone in the clan has learned some lessons from this engagement." Ves spoke. "I'm sure that the Living Sentinels and every other mech force under my command will prepare their mech pilots more thoroughly from now on. As for all of you, you need to delve into the human element a bit more. Never judge mechs in isolation. Always consider them in partnership with their mech pilots!"

Though Ves had taught his assistants a harsh lesson, he hoped this would be the only time he needed to do so. Every assistant ought to be smart enough to avoid making the same mistake twice.

The insights they gleaned from this battle would doubtlessly reflect on their work, which was one of the actual goals that Ves wanted to achieve!

Chapter 2171 Limit Testing

The Sentinels lost 15 mechs in battle. Though all of them were still in salvageable condition and could be restored in working condition in a matter of weeks, the fact that the pirates managed to overwhelm them in the first place was a huge problem!

Commander Magdalena was livid. The Living Sentinels should have easily been able to wipe out Davy's Ghosts with their accumulated advantages. Yet the rookies had all shown that they were less prepared for battle than everyone thought!

Certainly, in a more normal battle, the rookies might have performed closer to standard. Under the command of Ves, Major Verle had deliberately stacked the deck against the rookies.

First, instead of dispatching three ordinary mech companies, he instead pulled out every rookie spread among the Living Sentinels and grouped them together.

The rookies had all trained alongside veterans and more experienced mech pilots. Now that they had been robbed of this pillar, they had no one reliable to turn to for guidance!

Second, Major Verle deliberately deprived the rookies from the supportive glows that they had been exposed to on a daily basis. They had to fight against the pirates without a single form of moral support!

It became clear that the rookies had become far too pampered by the glows. Their unexpected absence left them with little time to adjust, causing them to lose their composure to a greater degree than they should have.

These reasons and more all resulted in a fairly awful result. Major Verle had basically set up his own men!

As the person responsible for ordering Major Verle to screw over the rookies, Ves felt no remorse. He was always a believer in practical lessons, and there was no better way to drive a lesson home than to show the worst that could happen!

He didn't care whether the rookies shamed and dishonored themselves. Ves would rather humiliate his own men than to fawn over them and inflate their egos. Once they deployed in a serious battle, the failure they experienced today might take place with much more lives at stake!

The assistant mech designers that Ves had brought along this expedition all looked thoughtful and introspective. None of them experienced any actual battles up close. The most they knew about battle all came from viewing and studying archival footage during their student days.

As much as Ves resented the Bright Republic for its insistence of drafting as many low-ranking mech designers to the frontlines as possible, he was grateful for the harsh lessons he learned back then. The Flagrant Vandals and Lydia's Swordmaidens had allowed him to acquire a much more comprehensive use of mechs and the difference that mech pilots could make.

Now, he hoped that all of his assistants learned some of the same lessons that he did in this practical demonstration.

"This is true mech combat." He told them. "They are never as clean or standard as the battle footage that you have seen before. The truth is that many of your teachers have never experienced a mech battle up close. When they select which footage to show to you, they are often affected by selection bias. They do not always understand the importance of the human element either."

This couldn't be helped. Ordinary mech designers had no place on the battlefield. The more talented and capable they became, the more they stayed away from battle.

As a result, a disproportionate amount of successful mech designers had never experienced any serious danger in their long lives. They always spent their time on stable planets and designed their mechs in well-guarded compounds.

Many of the academics and the theorists in the mech industry developed fantastic innovations and made amazing achievements. Yet when it came to understanding the messiness of actual battle, they were far inferior to the mech pilots they supposedly served!

Fortunately, not every mech designer possessed this shortcoming. Mastery experiences that allowed mech designers to relive the experiences of veteran mech pilots allowed the former to experience the complicated nature of battle at minimal risk.

In addition, a mech designer could always hire consultants or advisors who had lived through many battles. As long as the mech designer sincerely listened to the words of wisdom of various veterans, their mech designs would doubtlessly be better adapted to a chaotic battlefield!

Though Ves could have relied on these alternate methods to wisen up his assistants, he decided to aim for a practical demonstration.

Not just his assistants, but the rest of the Task Force Predator also learned their lessons!

Just because they were part of the Larkinson Clan didn't mean they were invincible! Compared to their counterparts from other third-rate states, the circumstances of the Larkinson mech pilots were numerous times better. Their mechs were all excellent compared to the machines fielded by regular outfits.

This was something that Ves had always dreamed of. He wanted to invest in a strong, loyal mech force that could help him survive the challenges to come.

Yet Ves knew that all of that building up was partially meaningless if the rapid expansion in strength remained untested.

The outcome of the battle against Davy's ghosts only confirmed his suspicions.

His clan had grown too rapidly. If the mech pilots that engaged the pirates all consisted of trueblood Larkinsons, they would have never exhibited so many mistakes!

Cleaning up the aftermath of the battle only took a few hours.

The exhausted Living Giants expressed a bit of wariness towards the Larkinson Clan until they finally verified their rescuers weren't pirates themselves!

Commander Ulbert Rilven wanted to speak to Ves in person to express his gratitude, but the clan patriarch didn't bother himself with this trivial chore. Major Verle took over in his stead.

Instead, Ves decided to pay a visit to the crestfallen Living Sentinels. He boarded a shuttle with Lucky which quickly reached one of the light carriers of the Living Sentinels.

The hangar bay descended into silence as every rookie that participated in the battle had gathered together. Commander Magdalena Larkinson adopted a stony expression as she conveyed her disappointment in her men without speaking any words.

When Ves finally appeared, she saluted him. "My apologies, clan patriarch. My Living Sentinels have failed your test."

He dismissively waved his hand. "Tests are meant to push limits. Sometimes those limits break. That is not an inherently bad outcome. What is more important is to learn the right lessons from them and make sure the same outcome doesn't happen again."

"Oh, I promise you, sir, I will not allow any of my Sentinels to enter into battle unprepared again!"

The Sentinel Commander harbored no grudge against Ves for masterminding this test. She understood as well as Ves and Major Verle that the Living Sentinels needed this wakeup call.

After exchanging a few more words with Commander Magdalena, Ves finally turned his attention to the rows of dejected rookies.

They had already been subjected to a lot of jeers and looks of disappointment from their fellow clansmen. The near-disaster still haunted their minds. If they had screwed up just a little bit worse, then some of their colleagues wouldn't be alive at this time!

Such a realization hit the inexperienced rookies particularly hard. Without any veterans to mentor them through their first real battle experience, their imaginations were already running wild.

Ves didn't worry too much about their mental states. The Larkinsons possessed institutional awareness of the importance of managing the mental health of their mech pilots.

He still felt like giving a speech, though.

"Mech pilots of the Living Sentinels. I know it hurts to disappoint everyone's expectations. You must be feeling pretty sorry for yourselves, correct?"

Not every glum mech pilot nodded, but their overall mood was plain to see to him. Hardly anyone was satisfied with their performance today!

"Though you have much cause to feel disappointed in yourselves, I think you should be happy instead."

That caused half of the 120 rookies to become startled.

"Each battle begins with mech pilots like you entering the fray. Not everyone gets to leave with their lives intact at the end. Be grateful that you have managed to defeat over 300 deadly pirate mechs without suffering any loss of life."

Certainly, the rookies managed to lose fifteen mechs, but as callous as that sounded to someone who considered them to be alive, Ves would rather lose a bunch of mechs than a single Larkinson mech pilot!

Mechs were built for a specific purpose. Though Ves wanted as many of them to survive as long as possible, it was inevitable for them to make the ultimate sacrifice. Ves did not feel sad about that. As long as the mechs received enough opportunity to fulfill the purpose that they had been created for, then they hadn't existed in vain!

Ves did not feel like employing any spiritual trickery today. He continued to address his Living Sentinels with plain words.

"I am sure that you have all realized the point of this battle. To be honest, I expected you to fail. I already took that into account. It isn't your job to feel disappointed at yourselves. That is something that is reserved for your bosses. Hopefully, they will learn sufficiently from this battle and revise your training. Trust in them. They want you to succeed as much as you do. The clan will always have your back."

A bit of warmth swelled in their hearts. They all expected Ves to express anger or disappoint. Why shouldn't he? His trained soldiers, which had taken up a lot of money to train to their current standard, fought worse than the pirates they confronted!

Yet not a single signal that Ves transmitted to his soldiers contained any negativity.

This gesture mattered. It was in their darker times that defeated soldiers needed a helping hand the most.

Their loyalty to him in person, which had already been high, rose to further heights!

The rookies no longer dwelled on their mistakes that much. Instead of looking back to the past, they instead started to look to the future.

A hint of determination swelled in their hearts.

They would definitely do better next time! There was no way they were going to disappoint everyone's expectations twice!

Both Ves and Commander Magdalena shared a quick glance.

Ves accomplished the goal he set to achieve. Not only did he set their minds a little straight, he also deepened their loyalty to him and the clan!

As for Commander Magdalena, she continued to maintain a stern expression. Though the rookies needed to be handled with care, they were still warriors and soldiers. Their job was to pilot a mech in battle, not to be pampered all day.

If participating in an actual battle was too much for mech pilots to cope, then the Living Sentinels would be better off forcing them into retirement.

After he finished his speech, Commander Magdalena dismissed the rookies. They would all be sent back to their assigned carriers and receive the care and instruction of their original units.

"The battle came very close to killing some of our men." She told him. "I have to thank the Avatars for protecting our ejected cockpits against enemy fire. If you don't mind, would you have felt any remorse if we lost any lives?"

"No." Ves honestly replied. "I would have been happier instead. An actual disaster drives the point home a lot more effectively than a near miss."

Though the Sentinel Commander obviously didn't like his answer, she understood his rationale, as cold and ruthless as it sounded.

The sentiment was common in the Mech Corps, where incompetence wasn't tolerated. The Mech Corps was already weaker than the Mech Legion. The Brighters always had to fight harder than the Vesians in order to defend their state!

"How far do you intend to push us, sir?" She asked.

"I expect to come out of the Nyxian Gap with a solid core that will form the basis of my future mech army." Ves replied. "No matter how many flaws and impurities I need to hammer out, as long as the refined product is strong enough, I am prepared to pay almost any price!"

Chapter 2172 The Military Advisor

Major Quinlist Verle-Larkinson entered the clan patriarch's stateroom.

The luxurious but elegant compartment reflected the personality of its occupant. Ves only made a perfunctory effort in decorating it. The stateroom looked good enough to impress visitors, but lacked a personal touch. Aside from affixing the emblem of the Larkinson Clan on every side, the space did not compare to those owned by people born into wealth and power.

The former officer of the Mech Corps preferred it that way. Despite the many masks that his new superior wore in public, Major Verle knew quite well that Ves did not indulge in himself that much.

Though he had grown his business and clan to the point where he could build his own colony on an untouched planet, Ves had no ambition to build an empire so he could retire in luxury.

Ves was a hard worker. He constantly pursued new challenges and always sought to push his limits.

Back when Professor Velten still presided over the 6th Flagrant Vandals, she always told Verle that successful mech designers possessed two traits.

Ability and discipline.

Those who advanced to Journeymann almost always had the former, but the latter was a bit more rare. According to the professor, many Journeymen began to get complacent as their progress stagnated and their minds grew slower due to age.

A lot of Journeymen constantly had to resist the temptation to skip their work in order to spend their accumulated wealth.

Ves was not that kind of mech designer.

He happened to meet all of the important criteria that Professor Velten had mentioned. In fact, he even surpassed some of them. This was why Major Verle unhesitantly encouraged every willing Vandals to join him in applying to work under this rising star.

So far, Verle did not regret his choice. Ves had been more than generous to the former servicemen, and the Vandals quickly integrated in the Larkinson Clan after they realized all of the benefits to joining a wealthy, powerful and independent organization.

Though Major Verle did possess a lot of concerns about the future, in the present he knew he would always have the support of his new clan patriarch.

Even though he only joined the Larkinson Clan in less than a year, Major Verle already became the effective military leader of the clan. Aside from the Swordmaidens, he had the right to issue any order to the Avatars, Sentinels and other forces.

The clan patriarch entrusted a lot of power and a lot of responsibility to someone who wasn't tied to the Larkinsons just half a year ago. This was rather odd, because Ves did not trust other people easily.

From his intelligence training, the major knew that the current incarnation of Ves still reflected the trauma he accumulated after the harrowing experiences of the Aeon Corona Mission. His cold, ruthless personality emerged as an extreme response to the lessons he learned.

Even though Verle and plenty of other people were somewhat aware that Ves was a damaged person, no one said anything.

If Major Verle had a choice, he would rather follow someone who was always on guard and fully aware of the cruelty of the galaxy. It was better to be overprepared than the opposite, and the substantial buildup of military power in the hands of the Larkinson Clan was a much better guarantee for survival than hollow dreams and empty hopes!

"Good morning, sir." He greeted as Ves looked up from his terminal.

"Meow."

"Hello to you too, Lucky." Verle smiled.

The tiger-striped mechanical cat was crunching on a piece of mineral that Ves had thrown at him. The cat eagerly bit at it, causing crumbs of exotic particles to fall down onto his owner's dark hair.

Ves took no notice to his cat's antics.

"Have a seat. Let's discuss the state of our task force."

When the major took his seat, he began to report the usual details. He mentioned the state of the ships, the state of the mechs, the overall mood and morale of the members of the task force and the preoccupations of the leaders presiding over the different elements.

"Commander Magdalena has taken the disappointing performance of her rookies to heart. She has intensified the training and drilling sessions of the Living Sentinels. Though a lot of complaints have emerged from their ships, we are seeing steady jumps in performance."

Ves smiled at that. "They have finally stopped being complacent. It was a good idea to give them a smack in the face."

"It's not just the Sentinels who have become more serious. The Avatars, Vandals and so on have also stopped being complacent. Seeing Davy's Ghosts fight so ferociously even after they lost their leaders has served as a wakeup call to many complacent Larkinson mech pilots who think that their excellent training, superior mechs and glows will allow them to run roughshod through the Nyxian Gap."

Pirates dominated the Gap for a good reason. Though many of them were trash, the more successful ones had the capital to pose a threat against the Larkinson Clan!

"Hmm.." Ves leaned his clean-shaven cheek against his fist. "If we encounter any other beatable pirate groups like Davy's Ghosts, don't be in a hurry to exterminate them. Each pirate encounter is another training opportunity. You know as well as I do that many of the new hires among the Avatars but especially the Sentinels still need to be bloodied."

"My thoughts exactly, sir. I have already told Commander Melkor and Commander Magdalena to draft their rotations. Everyone will get to have their turn against the pirates."

Not everyone who ventured in the Nyxian Gap would have the gall to treat vicious, cunning pirates as training dummies, but the Larkinsons still dared to do so as long as stronger enemies weren't in the vicinity.

The major also reported on the developments of their newest expert candidate.

"While he hasn't deployed into battle since his sudden promotion, Joshua Larkinson has become a much stronger mech pilot. His skills, which have long reached their limits, are rapidly improving. He is much more formidable in battle once he enters the fray with the Quint."

"What about his elite squad? Have we set that up yet?"

"We have just completed its formation. We gave Joshua the choice to set the name and overall focus of his elite squad, and he decided to call it the Bright Companions. I'm sure it won't surprise you that their main mech model of choice is the Bright Warrior. In general, the Bright Companions will try to fulfill an assault role, which is a very welcome addition to our lineup."

"Bright Companions, huh?" Ves weighed the name. "It sounds a bit plain, but I can see why Joshua chose those words. It not only reflects his origin, but also his piloting focus. Joshua is the only mech pilot who understands the true nature of my mechs. I look forward to witnessing his performance in the future, and I hope that the mech pilots he takes under his wing will also learn a thing or two. We need more mech pilots like Joshua."

It wasn't unheard of to assign a number of like-minded mech pilots to expert candidates and expert pilots. They were not only powerful warriors, but excellent teachers. Putting regular mech pilots close to powerful figures was a good way to train future cadre!

"Has Joshua made any specific requests that I should be aware of?" Ves asked.

The major nodded. "Well, Joshua believes that the Bright Warrior model will soon outgrow him and his Companions. He hopes that you will spend some time on upgrading the Bright Warrior from a bridge mech to a fully-fledged second-class mech."

Ves frowned. "That is.. difficult at the moment. There are only so many major projects that our Design Department can handle at the same time. There are also even more high-priority mech designs on the horizon. Tell Joshua to be patient. Once our pipeline clears up, I'll revisit the Bright Warrior as well as my other older mech models."

"Understood. If I may say something, I have been tracking the training efforts of all of our mech pilots. A small proportion of our warriors are already qualified to pilot second-class mechs. In the next year, that proportion will quickly rise before tapering off a bit. The more rigid mech pilots will likely require a few more years to adjust to piloting higher-powered mechs, but by then the majority of our men will be able to make effective second-class mechs."

"What is it you are telling me, major?"

"Our clan has invested a lot of effort and resources in their training." The Major spoke. "It's a waste to keep them in third-class mechs for a couple of years. After our business in the Nyxian Gap is done, we should look to procuring commercial second-class mechs if you cannot quickly design the mechs by yourself. With the Larkinson Clan's current financial strength, it shouldn't be a problem to acquire a couple of thousand second-class mechs. They will pair very nicely with the second-class ships that we will soon acquire."

The suggestion caused Ves to look irritated. He wanted to provide his men with mechs that he personally designed, but the time constraints did not allow him to do so in a short amount of time.

He eventually sighed. "Look into this option. Coordinate with the Larkinsons we have left behind at Cinach to see if we can allocate enough money to replace our lesser mechs."

"Good choice, sir. Do you have any requirements?"

"Don't splurge too excessively. We'll just use the commercial second-class machines as stopgap solutions until I have designed more ideal mechs for our clan. The mechs only need to be strong enough to deter other second-class threats, no more."

They discussed the composition of their future mech roster and which mech models that the Larkinson Clan ought to prioritize.

The major brought up a final topic.

"There is something else that we should focus on, sir." He said. "We should try and look into pushing all of our mech pilots to become proficient into piloting mechs on land and in space."

"I don't necessarily disagree with that, but I heard that it's a bit difficult to accomplish that. We are already forcing all of our mech pilots to learn how to pilot second-class mechs. I don't want to burden them any further."

"The training can be conducted sequentially rather than in parallel. The highest priority is to upgrade our men to second-class mech pilots. Only after they have accomplished this can we focus on expanding their versatility. This is still doable, though we will have to make many compromises. It would be very helpful if we pair these versatile mech pilots with mechs that can operate in both atmospheric and vacuum conditions."

This would save a lot of space in the future. By fielding mechs and mech pilots that could operate effectively on land, in the air and in space, the clan would be able to make full use of all of its fighting forces regardless of the battle environment!

Though Ves looked swayed, he did not look very confident. "Versatility always comes at a price. All of this comes at the cost of specialization. It sounds nice to do as you say, but if each individual mech performs twenty percent worse in their non-ideal environments, then we will definitely suffer."

Major Verle shook his head. "I respectfully disagree. We can compensate for the reduction in individual battle strength by increasing the numbers. While I admit that abandoning specialization is not worth it for third-class mechs, I have studied how second-class forces are put together extensively, and this doctrine is very common among spacefaring organizations like ours. It's all about extracting the maximum amount of benefit from a limited number of mechs and mech pilots."

"..Very well." Ves acquiesced. "Make a plan and consult the commanders. If your plan is thorough enough, we can give it a try. On my part, I'll try and design suitable multi-environment mechs in the future."

"You won't regret, sir."

Chapter 2173 That's Illegal

Wreckage Paradise was littered with three objects.

First, the asteroids.

Though this specific part of the Nyxian Gap boasted a lower concentration of space rocks than elsewhere, they were still ubiquitous enough to force the ships of the Larkinsons to make frequent course adjustments.

The asteroids were not only safety hazards, but also posed as excellent ambush points.

Due to all of the junk floating in space, many sensors became impaired. This was especially so because a lot of asteroids contained at least a small amount of exotics, some of which generated some interference in the surrounding space.

When a lot of these interference fields overlapped with each other, it became a lot harder to detect something at longer ranges!

Pirates gladly took advantage of these conditions. They cleverly placed their sensors and scouts behind asteroids and constantly monitored the most commonly-traveled routes.

One day, the scouts deployed by the Flagrant Vandals detected another pirate group. The Larkinsons even managed to identify the group in question.

This time, they were lucky enough to encounter one of the bigger players. According to the Black Cats, the Rust Grinders possessed a peak strength of up to 600 mechs, and while their quality was inconsistent, each of them were piloted by competent, veteran pirates.

The pirate commander was a deserter and war criminal called Veron Upander. No one knew why he ran afoul of the Phantasm Republic and fled all the way to the Nyxian Gap. The fact of the matter was that Veron was not only strong, but also exercised good leadership compared to other pirate leaders.

One peculiar note about the Rust Grinders was that while they possessed an abundant amount of strength, they weren't known for being bloodthirsty.

Part of the reasons why the Rust Grinders managed to survive for so long was because they placed a lot of importance on scouting and never pushed their victims too much.

Rather than attacking, robbing and killing anyone they encountered, the Rust Grinders instead demanded tribute. As long as the Peacekeepers or any other force gave up a reasonable amount of valuables, the Rust Grinders always abided by their word and let their victims go on their way.

That said, anyone who thought they were weak were sorely mistaken. The Rust Grinders annihilated several rival pirate groups that thought they could take advantage of Commander Upander!

The Rust Grinders managed to survive for more than a decade, which was a testament to its longevity. Their penchant for extortion rather than outright murder caused them to form an accord with the Peacekeepers.

It was too bad the Larkinson Clan did not care about any hidden deals the Rust Grinders may have formed with the Peacekeepers or certain Sentinel noble houses.

Any pirate group that was weaker than Task Force Predator were automatically categorized as target practice!

The Larkinsons harbored little to no sympathy to the pirates. All of them functioned as cancers to society. Whether that cancer was benign or malignant, the Larkinson Clan's reaction was the same.

Annihilation!

During previous pirate encounters, the forces accompanying Task Force Predator each enjoyed their turn. The pirate gangs they encountered up until now were too small and weak to merit a serious response.

Most of the time, the mech pilots deployed into battle mostly consisted of rookies and those that could use the exercise.

This time was different.

First, the Avatars of Myth finally received their turn.

Second, the Rust Grinders were strong and numerous enough to merit a greater deployment. This time, the Avatars sortied into battle!

Soon enough, the surrounding space became filled with gleaming, gold-coated mechs. The Avatar mechs eagerly deployed from their carriers, hoping to be the lucky ones to confront the pirates.

The elite combat forces of the Larkinson Clan finally received an opportunity to showcase their strength!

Hardly any Avatar mech pilot wanted to skip this battle. Some even lamented that the Rust Grinders didn't appear to be strong enough to last for a long time.

The Avatars hungered for battle!

Only a couple of them remained reserved. Jannzi Larkinson stood at a ramp in the hangar bay of the Redfeather. She observed her Shieldbearers steadily launching their Aurora Titans into space.

Her boyfriend, who also happened to be the newest expert candidate of the Larkinson, kept her company for the moment.

"You don't seem eager to deploy into battle." Joshua spoke.

"There is hardly any need to attack the Rust Grinders." She responded. "They never demand tribute to those who are stronger than them. Instead, they resolutely make way. As far as I'm concerned, we're looking for trouble."

Ever since Joshua successfully advanced, he gained a lot more confidence in his relationship with Jannzi. He was a lot more willing to voice his own opinions!

"Pirates are pirates. As soon as these scum chose to enter the Nyxian Gap, they already deserve to be cleaned up. While we may not be troubled by the Rust Grinder in the beginning of our journey, who can tell if they will stay away when we are on our way out? If our fleet has suffered too many losses, we might turn into a juicy prize to them. It's better to get rid of them right away."

Jannzi did not look pleased at him. "Not everyone in the Nyxian Gap chose to become pirates. The pirates have coerced many captive ship crew to join their ranks."

"That's an unfortunate reality." Joshua admitted. "While I'm sympathetic to them, I won't hold back against any attackers. Perhaps we can rescue these unwilling captives after we have dismantled every threat."

That was a hollow promise. The Larkinsons hadn't exactly been merciful towards pirates so far. The Nyxian Gap didn't fall under any jurisdiction. Those who entered it did so at the risk of giving up the protection of every law.

No one cared about the innocents who lived in the Nyxian Gap. Everyone who resided in this region was a criminal as far as the public was concerned!

Some time passed before Jannzi and Joshua deployed last.

Their two gold-coated mechs seemed to shine like suns in a backdrop of stars.

The Shield of Samar piloted by Jannzi joined a squad of nearly-identical-looking Aurora Titans. The Shieldbearers wouldn't be playing a very big role in the upcoming battle due to their abysmal mobility. They merely served as a defensive reserve in case the Rust Grinders launched a counterattack.

Instead, everyone Avatar looked expectantly at the Quint. The masterwork Bright Warrior mech seemed to command everyone's attention as it approached a squad of regular Bright Warriors.

"Bright Companions, are you ready?!"

A roar sounded in response!

Every Bright Companion consisted of Larkinson mech pilots who exhibited the best performance with the versatile Bright Warriors.

Each of them were capable of piloting at least 2 out of the 4 configurations of the modular mech platform with great effectiveness. This versatility allowed them to bring the right configurations to the right battle.

Right now, the Quint and half of the Bright Warriors opted for a purely offensive approach. The Shining Warriors all came equipped with lances and enhanced, shock-absorbing armor plating.

The other half took up a fire support function. The Illuminating Warriors were armed with the same high-powered laser rifles they used against Davy's Ghosts.

There was no need to deploy any Solar Warriors. Everyone expected the Rust Grinders to get smashed, so there was hardly any need to deploy too many space knights.

The Avatars deployed 600 mechs in total, of which around 200 remained in reserve.

400 mechs in totals received a very simple instruction from Commander Melkor.

"Smash the Rust Grinders into pieces as fast as possible!" He transmitted to every Avatar mech pilot. "Don't hold back. This is a demonstration to the clan patriarch and everyone else that we are the strongest mech force in the Larkinson Clan. Do us proud!"

Ten mech companies soared straight past the asteroids and into the zone occupied by a large pirate fleet.

The forward scouts of the Rust Grinders may have missed the approach of the sneaky Flagrant Vandal scout mechs, but the strong energy signatures of so many mechs flying closer couldn't be missed!

Even before the golden reflection of the Avatar mechs reached the optical sensors of the pirate scout mechs, the main pirate fleet already received enough warning!

"Damnit, who are these guys?!"

"I don't care if you're sleepy! Hop into your mech as fast as possible and fend off those pretty boys!"

The Rust Grinders could not possibly miss the underlying message behind the bold advance of the Avatars. Their battle-scarred carriers hastily deployed pirate mech after pirate mech.

Commander Veron Upander deployed in person as well. His powerful cannoneer emerged into space with a huge cannon mounted on its right shoulder.

Once the Avatar mechs came into visual range, the confidence of the Rust Grinders already sunk. Even the most ignorant pirate could tell that these mechs and the people piloting them were strong!

It was unfortunate that there was no way to run from the approaching aggressors. Without any forewarning from their scouts, it was too late for their ships to begin accelerating away!

Even as Commander Upander desperately hailed the incoming mechs in order to negotiate a deal, the imposing Avatar mech companies showed no sign of slowing down.

Each of the Avatar mech pilots had already received their orders. No one was allowed to talk to the pirates!

"ARRRGHH! So be it, then!" Upander cursed! "Do you think the Rust Grinders are that easy to bully? Let me show you what I've been relying on to survive all of these years!"

The pirate commander's mech flew back towards the broadside of his flagship and entered a strange bunker.

Multiple bunkers had been installed on the surface of the large vessel. Various cannon-wielding mechs had already moved into place.

Subsequently, something very astonishing happened.

Large connectors extended from the interior of every bunker. They each began to slot into a port built into the rear armor of every cannoneer mech.

A huge amount of power began to pour into the power systems of the mechs. Soon enough, the oversized cannons mounted onto the shoulders of the mechs began to fire an enormously powerful volley of thick laser beams!

When those lasers raked past the Avatars mechs, the Larkinsons all reacted with surprise!

Ves and some of the other assistants in the design lab gasped as they observed the half-dozen laser beams raining down on the advancing Avatar mech companies.

"Wait! That's illegal!"

Hardly anyone could believe at first that the pirates had actually violated one of the most important taboos of human civilization.

Yet the truth was right in front of them. The sensors precisely captured what went on at the pirate flagship.

"The power level of those laser beams exceeds that of third-class artillery mechs!" Someone shouted. "Unless we're being fired upon by second-class mechs, it's likely the Rust Grinders have illegally modified one of their starships!"

The laser beams already inflicted serious damage to some of the Avatar mechs that had the misfortune of eating those laser beams head-on. Owing to their premium construction, the mechs with thicker armor managed to remain functional, but the same could not be said for the lighter mechs!

"We've already suffered casualties! Three mechs have already been downed with at least twelve more suffering debilitating damage. It's not just the power of those laser beams that's a problem, but also their firing rate!"

Once the cannoneer mechs completely hooked up their systems to a starship, their offensive capabilities had reached an entirely different level!

Ves knew he had fallen into his own trap of sorts. He had underestimated the Nyxian pirates.

The Avatars soon mustered up a response. They shifted their formations so that the Bright Warriors took the lead.

Once those powerful laser beams rained on the Bright Warriors, their Breyer alloy resisted the attacks with hardly any sign of damage!

The losses rapidly subsided after that, but the attacks still struck a number of Avatar mechs that weren't entirely able to take cover behind the Bright Warriors.

"Take out those cannoneer mechs as fast as possible, Joshua!" Commander Melkor ordered.

"With pleasure, sir!"

The Quint and a half-dozen lance-wielding Bright Warriors accelerated ahead of the main group and began to charge against the distant Rust Grinders!

Chapter 2174 Paper Walls

The surprising firepower unleashed by the Rust Grinders fully showcased why the Big Two imposed so many limitations on ship bunkers and artillery mechs.

With a little bit of jury-rigging and a dose of ingenuity, a crew of pirate technicians, engineers and perhaps a low-ranking mech designer or two were able to turn the flagship of the Rust Grinders into a warship!

Certainly, compared to affixing massive turrets and weapon mounts onto proper warships, mounting a ranged mech into a bunker didn't sound very impressive.

However, the crucial advantage of this method was that it was very simple! The pirates didn't need to enlist the services of a high-ranking mech designer or a CFA engineer.

They could simply cobble the systems together with low-tech means. Though it was a bit troublesome to hook up a ranged mech to the formidable power systems of a starships without anything overloading, once those problems had been dealt with, the ranged mechs effectively never ran out of power!

If the enormous heat generated from continuous weapon discharges was handled as well, there was almost no functional difference between a bunker mech and a warship turret!

Right now, the Rust Grinders had become so intimidated by the advancing force of Avatar mechs that Commander Upander decisively revealed his trump card.

His mech along with five other ship-mounted cannoneer mechs fired at the hostile mechs without holding anything back!

Commander Upander personally selected the mech pilots with the best marksmanship scores to pilot the cannon mechs. Even though most pirate mech pilots earned their awful reputations, there were at least some gems in every pirate group.

Now, Upander and his hand-chosen elites managed to down thirteen Avatar mechs in a short amount of time.

Though only six high-powered laser beams raked the Avatars with every volley, the next volley followed very quickly!

Normally, mechs wielding laser weapons needed to control their firing rate. It was too easy to overheat their weapons and drain their energy cells if the mech pilots kept pressing their triggers.

No matter how fast they fired their cannons, their mechs never ran out of power!

No matter how much heat their weapon discharges generated, they were never at risk of overheating!

The power of a mech was limited by its physical constraints. If the cannoneer mechs tried to attack the Avatars while floating in space, they would have been forced to cease fire minutes ago. Instead, their fortified cannon muzzles kept spitting out beam after beam of energy without any reduction in power!

That wasn't all. Once the Avatar mechs came close enough, the other ranged mechs of the Rust Grinders which had flown to the sides opened fire as well!

The pirates adopted a simple crossfire approach that allowed them to bombard their enemies from slightly different angles.

Every defensive mech that tried to guard against attacks in one direction was unable to block the crossfire from another direction!

For this reason, casualties continued to mount among the Larkinson mechs. A handful of cockpits had already ejected from the critically-damaged mechs.

Jannzi Larkinson and her Shieldbearers quickly left the reserved and advanced. Instead of futilely trying to catch up to the attack force, the Aurora Titans instead tried to cover for the escape pods as they quickly flew back to the main fleet.

Though the Avatars endured a continuous rain of fire, the ranged mechs among them did not remain silent.

More laser beams began to light up the surrounding space! The Bright Warriors configured for ranged combat precisely targeted and took out the pirate rifleman mechs.

At the same time, a couple of Avatars fired at the bunkers placed on the broadside of the flagship of the Rust Grinders.

Unfortunately, the bunkers held too well!

The pirates may not have access to the best materials and technology, but Commander Upander acquired or stole the toughest and most resilient materials and piled them all onto the broadside and the bunkers of his flagship!

It took far too long to chew through all of those layers!

Commander Melkor already understood what he needed to do. "Focus fire on their rifleman mechs! They're much easier to take out and removing them from the battle will considerably lighten our pressure."

"What about those illegal bunker mechs?"

"Let the Bright Companions take care of them! Joshua and his men are already on their way!"

A chevron-shaped formation of Bright Warriors had already advanced ahead of the main group. Owing to their lancer mech configurations, the Bright Warriors possessed substantially greater forward acceleration, which they utilized to build up a very formidable charge!

At some point, the Bright Warriors no longer accelerated any further. Even so, the mechs still coasted straight towards the Rust Grinders with a huge amount of momentum on a straight, ballistic trajectory.

"Don't speed up any further!" Joshua warned his men. "Our Bright Warriors are tough, but not invincible. Charging the side of a starship is different from charging a floating mech. The former is much more solid!"

What the Bright Warriors attempted to do was to charge straight into a solid wall! This was very dangerous and could easily crush their frames if their mech pilots weren't careful.

Even though Joshua risked flattening his mech, he only grew more and more excited. Lancer mechs existed to punch through hardy targets!

His fellow mech pilots possessed similar inclinations. They all intensified their bonds with their mechs as they began to embody the aggressive aspect of their machines.

The Rust Grinders did not let them approach with impunity.

Soon enough, Commander Upander recognized the danger. The bunker mechs soon began to shift their fire towards the charging Bright Warriors, achieving solid hits with every volley.

Joshua and his fellow Bright Companions did not bother to juke or perform any evasive maneuvers. They simply kept on charging straight ahead, confident that the armor of their mechs could hold against this degree of firepower!

The Rust Grinders observing the advancing lancer mechs increasingly grew more incredulous.

How could a bunch of mechs resist so much firepower?

Realization soon dawned upon them. "Those aren't third-class mechs.. they're second-class mechs!"

"What the hell?! Are they Hexers?!"

"No! Those mechs all look male, so they're not Hexers."

The identities of the attackers didn't matter. All that mattered was that the rapidly-approaching hostile mechs couldn't be taken down so easily!

Commander Upander grew increasingly more panicked even if all of his shots landed on the lead mech.

"I don't believe a second-class mech can withstand this much firepower! Look! The frontal armor is already starting to melt!"

In truth, the extremely powerful energy beams did inflict some damage to the surface of the Bright Warriors. Though they managed to withstand the first volleys, all of the impacts rapidly heated up their surface.

If this pattern continued, then the Breyer alloy would soon be subjected to enough heat to melt Cassandra Breyer's escape pod!

Even so, Joshua and his fellow Bright Companions refused to abort their attack run. The armor of their mechs may not last forever, but their charge had already reached their final stage!

Due to all of the high-powered laser beams hitting the Bright Warriors, the machines all appeared to glow. Like shooting stars, the rapidly-advancing lancer mechs seemed to come down on the Rust Grinders like divine punishment.

After Commander Upander issued a few hasty commands, a large number of mechs began to form just in front of the bunkers. The pirate mechs almost strayed in the path of the constant volleys of powerful laser beams as they used their own mass as a shield against the incoming lancer mechs!

"Hahaha! It's no use!" Joshua laughed as the adrenaline fully rushed through his body! "Accelerate a bit more! Don't let any obstacle slow us down!"

With a final speed-up, the seven Bright Warriors finally made contact with the Rust Grinders.

The knight mechs that cleverly angled their shields against the charging lancer mechs were instantly crushed aside!

Their thick tower shields formed no effective protection against the immense momentum of the Bright Warriors!

The shooting stars only minutely lost some speed as they crashed through the layer of mechs, which lasted no longer than the first pirate mechs.

A rapid succession of crashes took place within a blink of an eye as none of the lancer mechs hit anything solid enough to bleed their speed by a significant amount.

It was as if a human ran through a succession of paper walls. No matter how many sheets of papers blocked their path, they were simply too weak to hold back the power of a human body!

Right now, the shabby pirate mechs of the Rust Grinders played the role of paper walls. Even though they consisted of stronger materials, the disparity between their toughness and the toughness of the charging Bright Warriors was simply too great!

Commander Upander didn't even have the time to register this fact before the Bright Warriors finally collided against the bunkers!

A sharp lance and a formidable mech punched through all of the armor placed on top of the bunkers and instantly crushed the cannoneer mechs sheltering inside.

The simultaneous impacts unleashed so much violence that the flagship of the Rust Grinders had been minutely displaced to the side!

The broadside of the vessel spat out several different rains of debris as the broken pieces of mechs and bunker plating flung in every direction!

As the dust and debris parted from the craters, everyone could see the damage the lancer mechs inflicted.

Only complete devastation remained of the bunkers! Hardly any cannoneer mech was left intact. The lances not only punched straight through the solid frames of the illegally-modified machines, but also endured an even greater impact from the rest of the mech, causing them to suffer the same fate as the previous mechs that stood in the way of the Bright Warriors!

Horror began to dawn upon the rest of the Rust Grinders. Nothing was left of Commander Upander and his cannoneer mech!

The Quint, which inflicted thirty percent more impact damage than a regular Bright Warrior, had completely disintegrated its target!

The ship began to groan and spin in an uncontrollable manner.

Aside from demolishing the bunkers and the cannoneer mechs, a seventh Bright Warrior had charged the aft section of the flagship. Its lance managed to inflict crippling damage on the propulsion system.

Even though it wasn't really necessary to cripple mobility of such a large and sluggish vessel, the morale among the pirates sunk even further after seeing such a powerful display of might.

"Damnit! Don't get distracted! The rest of those golden boys are coming!"

A huge and messy battle ensued. Bright Warriors and other Avatar mechs eagerly entered the fray. After suffering several unnecessary casualties, the Avatars were in no mood to play with their food. They wanted to exact vengeance and wash away their shame in the most brutal manner possible!

Joshua and the rest of his Bright Companions did not sit idle after they completed their charge. They focused on attacking the starships of the Rust Grinders, making sure to cripple their mobility and force their power reactors to shut down.

After witnessing the devastating charge of the Quint and the Bright Warriors, the morale among the Rust Grinders had already sunk to a low point. They only fought back because they knew they wouldn't escape death.

This was the fate reserved for every pirate! When they no bothered to abide by any laws, they lost the right to be protected by them! Pirates were so universally hated by civilized space that hardly anyone bothered to bring them to court.

Death was the main form of punishment for piracy!

In the end, the Avatars vented all of their bloodthirst upon the hapless Rust Grinders.

Jannzi Larkinson, who had rejoined the reserves floating in the back, frowned minutely at the savage sight.

Though she understood that pirates did not deserve to earn her pity, she nonetheless expressed distaste at the brief, one-sided massacre.

Who were the barbarians in this battle?

Chapter 2175 Outstanding Bounties

The battle against the Rust Grinders shook many Larkinsons out of their complacency. After encountering a small succession of weak pirate gangs, their battle against a stronger pirate opponent taught them that not all of their opponents rolled over so easily!

The longer a pirate outfit lasted in the Nyxian Gap, the more they possessed the capital to survive. Through a process of survival of the fittest, those that were unable to fend aggression no longer existed!

The Rust Grinders apparently relied on a mix of diplomacy and hidden weapons to maintain their footing in Wreckage Paradise.

Encountering mechs mounted onto starships had been an incredible shock to Ves and the assistant mech designers on their ship. Never could they have imagined that humans willfully broke the rules that kept the warring in human space to a controllable level!

Over four centuries had passed since the end of one of the darkest chapters of human history. The rule that forbid star-faring vessels from mounting weapons had become an ingrained instinct to almost every human.

Unfortunately, pirates were some of the few people who possessed the guts to defy the Big Two! As humans who lived outside the law, they didn't care a damn about the prohibition against owning warships!

Perhaps the main reason why warships weren't more prevalent among pirates was because it took a lot of technical expertise to build and maintain the powerful weapons.

Another reason why they did not show up too much was because everyone who paraded taboo weapons received bounties on their heads!

The moment Ves heard that he could earn a bounty from defeating targets that violated the rules, he began to look at the battle against the Rust Grinders in a different way!

This was especially when he heard he could earn merits as long as he submitted proof to the MTA or CFA!

According to the article that Ves read up on, the exact merit award depended on many factors such as the strength of the violators, the harm they inflicted on society and the severity of their rule breaking.

Every case needed to be judged on an individual basis. This was because there had been plenty of organizations in the past who secretly armed some hapless pirates only to 'harvest' them later to earn some easy merits!

He briefly paused when he read that he needed to contact the MTA directly.

"Damn."

He did something that he would normally avoid at any cost.

He entered one of the isolated compartments of the Scarlet Rose and activated the Darkbreak module. On a whim, he first attempted to call Jovy Armalon, but the MTA mech designer's comm rejected every call.

"Oh well. I guess I'll have to call the standard MTA line then." He muttered.

Ves browsed the interface of the Darkbreak module and found an information line that handled this business. He tapped the right command and waited for the line to go through.

The Darkbreak module activated a shimmering physical projection.

Unfortunately, instead of encountering some sort of android or secretary, Ves instead came face to face with the projection of a very familiar senior dignitary.

"Master Willix!" Ves coughed. "I mean, ahem, uh, I must have called the wrong line."

The Master Mech Designer, who should normally be aloof and distant to tiny figures like Ves, gently shook her head.

"No. You called the correct line. Your call has been automatically rerouted to my address. I added a special instruction to the communication network of the MTA, you see. As long as I am available, I will be handling all of your direct requests and inquiries towards the MTA. To be honest, I am quite interested in what you will encounter in the Nyxian Gap. You should feel honored for receiving my personal attention."

Her gracious gesture made him feel sick. Didn't Master Willix have something better to do than directing her attention towards him? He was just a mech designer! The MTA oversaw countless mech designers, many of whom were much more interesting! What did he do to deserve this constant persecution?!

Of course, Ves did not dare to voice any of his thoughts. Instead, he maintained a brittle smile. "I am.. grateful.. that you favor me so, Master Willix, but I do not wish to take up your time with trivial matters. You can just redirect me to the normal information line so I won't take up your valuable time anymore."

Master Willix shook her head. "Let me be the judge of that. Let's hear your request first."

Seeing no other choice, Ves accepted the inevitable and briefly explained his encounter with the Rust Grinders. He even showed some initiative by transferring some select sensor data.

"I see." Master Willix dropped her polite smile. "This is indeed a matter that requires the MTA's attention. This is not the first time a Nyxian pirate has crossed this particular line, and it won't be the last time."

"So.. I heard there are some merits to be earned by teaching these rulebreakers a lesson. Am I eligible to receive a bounty, ma'am?"

The woman paused as she studied all of the data. "I have just verified that the proof you provided is authentic. That's good. I would have stripped you of all of your accumulated merits if you have attempted to defraud us. I have seen too many mech designers assume they can take advantage of the MTA, and I hope that you will not follow in their footsteps."

A cold sweat ran through his back. He possessed a healthy fear of the MTA and experienced first-hand some of the amazing technology they had at their disposal. Ves would never dare to put his merits at risk!

"That said, the Rust Grinders are… rather inconsequential, all concerned. Their violations aren't too egregious either. Even if they managed to build an interface between the power system of their cannoneers and the power system of their ship, the output of their energy weapon is still within a manageable range. Your Bright Warrior models managed to fend off the laser beams while suffering minimal damage, after all. We cannot award you with too many merits for taking down such a minor foe. Regardless, you still managed to exact punishment on our behalf, so I will award you with 25,000 MTA merits for this service."

This was a rather considerable amount of merits to ordinary people. The Rust Grinders was a moderately powerful pirate group that fielded more than 600 mechs. Combined with the added firepower at their disposal, a regular Peacekeeper outfit would have suffered substantial losses to defeat the pirates!

That said, someone like Ves was long used to bigger awards. The creation of two certified masterwork mechs in the form of the Quint and the Little Angel already yielded 2 million MTA merits in total!

Still, any little bit helped. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Keep up the good work." She said. "As an orthodox mech designer who falls under our jurisdiction, you are obligated to uphold our rules no matter where you go. The vibrant society that we have managed to build in this age cannot be taken for granted. Though many voices in the galaxy wish to tear the prohibition against warships down, it is for everyone's own good that they are deprived of such toys."

"I understand." Ves nodded. "As a mech designer, I do not wish to see the return of warships in human society either."

Now that he had gotten what he wanted, he was in no mood to chat with Master Willix any further.

Just before he ended the call, Master Willix raised her palm.

"Before you go, let me inform you of additional opportunities. There are multiple pirate groups in the Nyxian Gap who have committed much worse violations than the Rust Grinders. I will send you an up-to-date list of some of the groups that we have identified."

The Darkbreak module instantly received a modest data dump. Ves took a brief glance at its contents before deciding to hand it over to Calabast.

"If these groups are stronger than the Rust Grinders, then I can't promise you that my forces will confront them, ma'am." Ves cautiously said.

"Bounties are opportunities, not obligations. Any pirate that has earned a bounty will succumb sooner or later. If not by enterprising individuals such as you, then their rivals might make a move instead."

Ves briefly widened his eyes. What a devious measure! By pitting pirates against each other, the MTA made sure that every pirate group that fielded warships would have to think twice!

"If you are particularly desperate for merits and lucky enough to encounter the Allidus Alliance, consider sabotaging or removing Lord Hivex's prized warship."

The Master raised her finger, causing a very formidable looking ship to emerge into view.

Ves could immediately tell she was armed. Her hull wasn't studded with bunkers. Instead, various mech-sized gun turrets lined the surface. Each of them were capable of firing a torrent of laser beams and clouds that could quickly chew up a couple of approaching mech companies!

And these were just the secondary weapons.

The hull of the haphazard-looking ship also boasted three huge triple-barreled gun turrets. Their caliber was so formidable that half a mech could fit through the muzzle!

With such a formidable armament, the pirate warship could probably take down any starship at a huge distance with just a single volley!

Ves shuddered at the sight of all of the firepower of this vessel. Not even the Penitent Sisters would be able to survive against this might!

"The Gravada Knarlax is a pirate-built heavy cruiser that the Allidus Alliance built in secret over two decades ago." Master Willix explained. "The pirates invested a lot of years and resources in her construction. Once built, she immediately carved out a place in the core regions. Over the years, the Knarlax not only enabled the Allidus Alliance to hold on to their hotly-contested territitories, but also elevate Lord Hivex into a powerful pirate lord. Taking him down will net you 1,500,000 merits, while destroying the Gravada Knarlax will earn you 4,500,000 merits."

That was 6,000,000 MTA merits in total!

Though Ves briefly drooled when he heard the astonishing rewards, he quickly sobered himself up. There was no way he could earn those merits. The higher the merit award, the greater the difficulty! The MTA never engaged in charity.

If the Allidus Alliance built the Gravada Knarlax over two decades ago and still managed to hold on to their heavy cruiser, then that meant the pirates likely defeated a lot of challengers already!

Ves firmly put the Gravada Knarlax out of his mind. It was just like some of the many outstanding missions issued by the Rim Guardians. No matter how many merits they promised, he would only be committing suicide if he took them seriously!

"The strength of my forces does not allow me to pursue these bounties." He plainly said. "I think this matter is best left to more qualified people."

"As you wish. At the very least, you should go over the list I sent. There are many lesser groups that are not as formidable as the Allidus Alliance. Good luck, Mr. Larkinson."

The call finally ended. Ves did not do anything until he exited the isolated chamber.

"Goddammit!"

He thought he could escape the clutches of Master Willix and the MTA once he entered the Nyxian Gap. It turned out that he was too naive. He was certain that this persistent Master Mech Designer targeted him for some reason.

No matter how badly she wanted to steal his design philosophy, Ves would never give in no matter how helpful she seemed!

He did not believe in charity! Everything had a price, and the MTA just happened to be the biggest profiteer in the galaxy!

"I think I will have to leave this star sector in order to get rid of her!" Ves concluded. "In fact, it's better if I leave the Milky Way while I'm at it. There's no way she'll follow me all the way to the Red Ocean!"

Chapter 2176 Loot Box

Once Ves confirmed that he received 25,000 MTA merits, he did not order his forces to depart from the battle site immediately.

Instead, he instructed Major Verle to board the flagship of the Rust Grinders and sweep her from top to bottom. With her propulsion system down, there was nowhere for the vessel to go. The cowardly crew had also surrendered long ago when it became clear the pirate mechs stood no chance against the might of the Avatars of Myth.

A couple of shuttles entered the hangar bay of the damaged pirate ship. Ves, Lucky, some bodyguards and twenty-six assistant mech designers emerged from the vehicles.

Even though the air was still breathable inside the ship, everyone who entered the ship wore hazard suits out of an abundance of caution. There was no telling whether the life support systems might introduce some nasty toxin in the air or if some of the compartments suddenly opened up to vacuum.

The young mech designers each looked fascinated by what they saw. A handful of heavily-damaged mechs rested on the deck. Various tools and other gear the pirates used to service the mechs were strewn all around.

If not for the lack of cleanliness and the random piles of detritus shoved into corners, the hangar bay of the pirate vessel looked no different from that of another ship!

Ves smiled as he saw their fascinated expressions. Aside from Ketis, this was their first time stepping aboard a bonfide pirate vessel. They had heard many lurid stories about them that the experience of entering one of them was very remarkable.

Due to her extensive expertise, Ves assigned Ketis as their tour guide today.

"As you can see, pirates normally aren't very thorough in their work." She told them. "The Rust Grinders are better than most because I don't see any stains on the deck that suggests that some of the pirates do their bathroom business on the spot."

Disgusted faces appeared on Catherine Evenson and other assistants.

"Do pirates really do that?!"

Ketis smirked. "You'd be surprised. All sorts of desperate people are forced to become pirates. Many of them aren't quite right in the head."

They toured the hangar bay a bit before entering the interior of the pirate ship. Numerous Larkinson clansmen clad in vacsuits, hazard suits and combat armor strode through the corridors as they continued to sweep the vessel.

Ketis explained why that was necessary. "Pirate ships like this one tend to be riddled with traps. Attacking other pirates in order to hijack their stuff is very common. There is no rule prohibiting pirates from targeting their own kind. In order to deter rivals from attacking them, the pirates will often try to make it as hard as possible to profit from their defeat. From wiping out the data banks to adding a hidden trigger that sets off a huge bomb, pirates employ many ways to get the last laugh!"

Many of the assistants suddenly looked alarmed, which amused both Ves and Ketis. It was funny to witness their realization that they had essentially entered a trap-filled ship!

"You don't have to be concerned about your safety." Ves attempted to soothe their nerves. "Hours before we stepped aboard this ship, the Black Cats, Flagrant Vandals and Battle Criers have already taken control of her and neutralized all of the threats."

"Could they have missed something?"

"Likely not. I'm especially confident in the Black Cats. Otherwise, I wouldn't have stepped aboard this ship in the first place. The power reactors of this pirate ship are fully shut down and under guard. In truth, my men have temporarily brought aboard some temporary reactors in order to supply minimal power to the vessel. Nothing will blow up while we are here."

If that wasn't enough, then Lucky should be sufficient enough to detect anything that Calabast's subordinates had missed. Ves turned towards his cat with an expectant gaze.

"Meow?"

"You know what to do."

"Meow meow."

"Yes, you can take a bite out of anything good you find, but make sure to leave some for me! Keep an eye out for any hidden supply caches."

"Meow!"

His cat quickly zipped down the corridor in search for juicy exotics and other treasure!

This wasn't the first time the task force boarded pirate ships in order to look for booty. It was just that the Larkinson Clan's previous opponents were too small and weak to carry anything valuable.

According to the initial sweeps conducted earlier, this time was different. The Rust Grinders truly carried some valuable spoils that they had accumulated through accepting continuous tribute.

Ves couldn't help but feel a little excited about it. Perhaps pirates were truly onto something. Robbing others could be very lucrative sometimes!

"Pirate ships are like loot boxes. Once you obtain them, you can't help but get addicted to opening them up in order to see what goodies they contain!"

They spent some time touring the various decks and compartments of the pirate vessel. Though the boarding parties had already taken care of the crew beforehand, the blood stains and marks denoting weapon fire still provided sufficient proof that the takeover had been anything but peaceful.

Some of the assistants looked queasy at the various sights. Hardly any of them looked like they enjoyed this tour. They were too used to living in civilization to imagine that humans could live this way.

When they entered a compartment that held the data banks of the ship, Calabast calmly supervised a team of hackers as they disarmed all of the security precautions that prevented them from accessing the data.

"How is it going?" Ves asked.

"We have already decrypted numerous data banks." She responded. "Though much of it is filled with junk, we have gathered a wealth of intelligence, though much of it still needs to be processed. It will be worth it, though. No matter how much intelligence we've gathered in the Sentinel Kingdom, nothing beats obtaining first-hand and second-hand information."

"Have you captured some important pirate officers alive?"

"My men are already in the process of interrogating a number of Rust Grinder officers. While it is unfortunate that the Quint violently tore Commander Veron Upander to pieces, we at least managed to secure Elmer Nodan, the captain of this ship. We're trying to extract everything he knows about the local pirate community. Would you like to take a look?"

Ves briefly glanced at his assistants, who looked as if they wanted to return the Scarlet Rose as fast as possible!

"Sure."

The entire group left the data compartment and moved to a compartment that the Black Cats used as one of their interrogation chambers.

Despite what his imagination had conjured up, the Black Cats did not beat up Captain Nodan or cut open his body.

Calabast laughed. "Did you think we would be so crass as to torture our captive? There are more effective ways to extract information out of the good captain."

A pair of trained female interrogators leaned on the pudgy captain shoulders as he sat strapped to his chair. The black-clad females whispered sensually in the man's ears.

The captain giggled as his unfocused eyes tried their best to look at the women pressing on his side.

"Hehehe.. I can already tell you that the Gose Boys are no longer in charge of Yvis Station. From what my contacts have told me, a new group called the Inster Brotherhood have already taken it over. The Gose Boys managed to flee with at least half of their ships intact, though. Be careful if you travel near their fallback point. They are grabbing every pirate that they can lay their hands upon in order to bolster their numbers for a revenge attack."

Ves blinked at the sight. He and the rest of the mech designers found the interrogation to be a bit befuddling.

Compared to their reactions, Calabast looked fully at ease.

"There are many drugs that can make someone talk, especially given the funding you have provided to my department. As long as they don't carry any anti-interrogation augmentations, it is quite trivial to induce them in a state that makes them very willing to reveal information on their own accord."

Though Ves already understood that, he looked askance at the two Black Cats who were in the process of toying with the drugged pirate captain.

"Is it truly necessary to have those.. ladies.. by the captive's side?"

Calabast smirked. "Not strictly, no, but it does make it easier to extract valuable and pertinent intelligence from men. This is one of the most effective interrogation methods employed by Hexers, and I see no reason to fix what isn't broken."

"..Okay. I'll let you get to it, then."

Ves soon guided his assistants away. He led them through other sections of the ship. They took a peek at the engineering bay, where they discovered that the pirate ship didn't actually possess an FTL drive!

An engineer from the Flagrant Vandals explained the reasoning behind the conspicuous absence. "FTL drives are expensive, complicated and difficult to maintain. They also don't work at all in the Nyxian Gap. If a pirate outfit doesn't want to leave, then they don't have to mount any FTL drives onto their vessels."

A ship without an FTL drive demanded a lot less engineering and technical expertise to operate, so their existence eased the difficulties of many pirate groups. The only downside was that the ship couldn't be brought into civilized space.

The tour group eventually moved on and entered the cargo bay, where a number of clansmen were cataloging the valuable goods they found up until this point.

"The total value of the goods in the cargo hold aren't particularly impressive. Their estimated market value is just 35 million hex credits."

That must be a considerable fortune for the Rust Grinders, but to Ves that wasn't enough to produce a single Blessed Squire!

"What else is there?" He asked the quartermaster.

"We found greater spoils when we ransacked the personal quarters of Commander Upander and Captain Nodan. Both of them have hoarded some remarkable items.

The quartermaster guided Ves towards a table which displayed various jewels, cards, data chips, weapons and other notable goods.

He picked up a ring that looked like a laurel wreath. A shiny green jewel topped the ornament.

"That's a fallen house's noble signet ring. If we hand it over to the right parties, we can earn a modest reward."

Ves picked up a data chip next.

"The data chip contains the encryption key to an anonymous bank account. Commander Upander squirrelled away 134 million hex credits over the years."

After that, Ves focused on a case that contained a gnarly rock.

As soon as he looked at it, he began to sense something odd about it. The moment he tried to poke it with his spiritual senses, he suddenly felt as if he encountered a wall.

Ves immediately became interested.

"Ah, that is one of Captain Nodan's possessions. The man evidently placed it close to his bed for some reason."

The more Ves inspected the rock, the more astonished he became.

Wasn't this an ultrrare B-stone? The only material that Ves had discovered so far that could block spiritual energy?

He hit the jackpot this time!

After years of possessing just a single lockbox made out of B-stone, Ves finally obtained another sample!

Anything that could block spiritual energy was valuable! Though the sample he obtained wasn't enough to build a protective suit that could shield his entire body, at least he came one step closer to fulfilling this personal goal!

"Hahahaha!" He erupted in laughter. "This is truly a great find! This exotic is wasted on the Rust Grinders!"

The only spiritually-reactive exotics that Ves could reliably obtain were P-stones. He never expected to encounter a long-sought B-stone out of the blue! It would have been even better if he stumbled upon an F-stone as well, but he had no complaints.

"I see! Entering the Nyxian Gap is the best way to obtain more rocks like these! The closer to the source, the greater the likelihood of obtaining what I want!"

Chapter 2177 Chalice Crown

Task Force Predator eventually moved on after collecting the spoils. The Larkinsons didn't bother to bring any of the bulk goods, but everyone was already satisfied with the detailed intelligence and portable valuables they gained.

Ves made sure that the Larkinson Clan allocated a generous bonus to the Avatars of Myth. Everyone who took to the field and fought deserved to be compensated for their efforts.

The battle against the Rust Grinders wouldn't be the last time the task force fought against pirates. The fleet hadn't even left Wreckage Paradise yet. There were much more powerful pirate groups calling the shots at Maynard Fields!

So far, the casualties his forces suffered only consisted of a handful of broken and damaged mechs. The mech technicians assisted by low-ranking mech designers were already at work trying to restore them to working condition.

However, Ves knew that in the future that real casualties were unavoidable. Once their opponents grew strong enough, the Larkinson Clan had to take into account that they might start losing mech pilots!

Regardless if they were adopted or trueblood, every Larkinson mech pilot was precious. Ves did not wish to lose any of them, but it was unrealistic to think he could conclude his adventure in the Nyxian Gap without suffering some serious losses.

From a transactional perspective, Ves already accepted the fact that he might have to trade the lives of hundreds of Larkinsons in order to chase after opportunities and allow his clan to accumulate some battle experience.

Was this trade off worth it? That was difficult to say. How many losses would the Larkinsons have to suffer before it wasn't worth it anymore? How many lives was Ves willing to sacrifice to obtain 1,000,000 MTA merits?

The entire premise of setting a market price in blood for merits was distasteful in the extreme. Ves momentarily struggled with his conscience before he simply shrugged his shoulders and threw the problem outside of his mind.

"Ah, hell. Whatever. I'll just meander along and see how I'll fare!"

Perhaps his clan might be able to avoid serious losses in the next couple of months. Ves had to remind himself that he was fully in charge of this excursion. He was responsible for every aspect of the task force, and he was also its ultimate decision maker.

This meant that Ves was fully capable of managing his own risk exposure!

The importance of this luxury couldn't be understated. Unlike before when Ves had to abide by the will of other people, this time he could decide to pull back whenever he felt he was in danger.

Once Ves carefully stashed his newly-obtained B-stone in the Scarlet Rose's vault, he paid a visit of Calabast's office.

The spymaster currently poured over the valuable intelligence her subordinates obtained from the Rust Grinders.

"Hey, kid. We are still analyzing and verifying all of the information we have gathered."

"I won't be here for long." Ves replied. "I'd like to know if you have obtained a greater understanding of the distribution of pirate forces in Wreckage Paradise."

"Ah, we have already obtained a lot of up-to-date clues as well as a number of interesting navigational charts. I believe they are all reliable enough to allow us to chart a course that will minimize the frequency of pirate encounters. If we are lucky enough, we might be able to reach Maynard Fields without engaging in any hostilities."

"No."

"Pardon, kid?"

"I don't want to avoid the pirates along the way. I want to confront as many of them as possible as long as they aren't too strong!"

Calabast frowned and stopped her work. "Are you crazy?"

"Look, we already obtained some valuables and gathered a lot of valuable intelligence from the Rust Grinders. I bet they're not the outfit who has managed to obtain a B-stone. Do you remember my request to look out for more B-stones and F-stones? I think this is the best opportunity to obtain these rare exotics! Bsides, don't you want to corroborate all of the intel you have gathered so far?"

"I do, but that does not mean I am in favor of engaging in needless battles. The pirates that are more likely to possess what we want are never easily taken down. The Rust Grinders already surprised us with a number of ship-mounted cannoneer mechs. Who can tell if the next batch of pirates won't resort to something worse? This isn't civilized space, Ves! Anything goes in these parts, and that includes employing nuclear weapons, bioweapons and so on! The Nyxian Gap is notorious for a good reason!"

The possible threats she mentioned sobered Ves up a little. He acknowledged her point, though the prevalence of weapons of mass destruction in the Nyxian Gap was not alarmingly high.

No matter what, the bounties issued by the Big Two formed a serious deterrent to anyone who crossed this line, even if they were technically beyond the jurisdiction of any authority!

The two argued a bit before Ves had his way. Calabast might hold one of his most sensitive secrets, but the task force abided by whims!

"Very well." The former Hexer sighed and ran her fingers through her luscious hair. "I will work with the navigators to chart a new course. I think we can pass through the territories of at least half-dozen established pirate groups along the way. Is that enough to satisfy your greed? Mind you, every battle will delay our progress by at least half a day, but often more. If we suffer too many delays, we might not be able to return to Cinach in time to attend your wedding!"

Ves dismissively waved away her concern. "It's okay. We'll just have to do our business at Maynard Fields faster, then. Regardless of how much progress we have made, we'll drop everything as long as our time is up. That, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that, Ves." She replied, though she looked very skeptical at him. "I don't need to tell you what Gloriana will do to you if you are late."

Ves shuddered. "I know. You don't need to remind me. I'll definitely return in time!"

"Good. There is one positive development that might help us shorten our stay in the inner periphery. After digging through some of Commander Upander's private files, I managed to find a reference to someone who might allow us to get in touch with Solok Veyra."

Ah. Ves almost forgot about the primary goal he wanted to achieve for this excursion. Though he could earn even more credits if he assassinated Pirate Lord Hivex and destroyed the Gravada Knarlax, there was no way that Task Force Predator could even come close of the heavy cruiser!

The Allidus Alliance mainly resided in the core regions, which was deeper than Ves was willing to travel. It was best for him to focus on achievable goals and settle for rescuing a kidnapped MTA mech designer.

"Who is this person who can possibly get us in touch with our target?"

"He's called 'the Flutist'. No other name. Don't ask me why he's called this way. The Flutist is a rather notable merchant and information broker who has currently set up shop at a pirate base called Frostbite Fortress."

"It must be pretty chilly there."

Calabast nodded. "Frostbite Fortress is built on a moon-sized asteroid in Maynard Fields. While the Nyxian Gap is already very cold due to the lack of active stars, Chalice Crown is even colder. Every vehicle that approached the planetoid will have to be especially resistant against ultrlow temperatures."

"Doesn't that make it impossible for ordinary pirates to approach the fortress?" Ves frowned.

"That is exactly one of the reasons why it is so defensible. Ordinary mechs simply aren't resistant enough to the unnaturally penetrating chill that Chalice Crown exudes. The exotic deposits that are buried deep in the planetoid is responsible for fending off many abortive attacks."

"How does anyone even get there in the first place? If the Flutist is conducting business there, then there has to be at least some flow of traffic."

"The Children of the Chill, who are in charge of Frostbite Fortress, have built a fleet of special-purpose shuttles and transports that can resist the extreme cold. Any transportation to and from the pirate base depends on their vessels. There is no other choice."

The entire arrangement sounded a bit convoluted, but very secure. With the Children of the Chill occupying a base built on a planet that could freeze any normal mech, Ves believed that hardly any other rival would bother with attacking Frostbite Fortress.

The cost was far too great!

"How strong are the defenses of Frostbite Fortress?"

"Don't think about storming it from the outside." Calabast shook her head. "The Children of the Chill are one of the major factions in Maynard Fields. They are mining a very substantial amount of Kavenit every day, which they mostly spend on expanding their forces and increasing the defenses of their base. Let me just say that even the Penitent Sisters might not succeed subjugating Frostbite Fortress!"

That sounded very serious. With an amazing defensive advantage and thousands of mechs at their disposal, Ves did not dare to engage in hostilities against the Children of the Chill.

Some pirates were simply too strong for him to challenge!

"So how can we obtain any clues about Solok Reyva from the Flutist, then?"

Calabast told him her plan. "We will have to infiltrate Frostbite Fortress by passing ourselves off as pirates. By 'we', I mean our subordinates. Neither you or I are obliged to put our lives on the line. I have plenty of trained personnel who can obtain what we need from the Flutist. This is the privilege of being in charge."

He fully agreed with her sentiment, even if a part of him strongly wanted to don a pirate disguise and step foot inside Frostbite Fortress! This was the first time he had ever heard of such a unique and defensive pirate base.

Sadly, even if Ves decided to enter the Nyxian Gap, he did so as the man in charge instead of a footsoldier who did all of the heavy lifting.

"I will defer to your judgement." He leaned his head towards his strategic partner. "All I want is to catch up to Solok Reyva in time to rescue him from the Krella Alliance and return to civilized space. How you go about it is up to you, though I hope you will at least keep some people in the loop."

"I will do my best, but we won't share too much with the other Larkinsons."

Once they finished this discussion, Ves asked one more personal question before he left.

"Now that you are part of the Larkinson Clan for a time, how do you feel about what I have started?"

The woman did not answer immediately. She leaned back in her chair and took her time to compose her answer.

"I'm satisfied. I'm also worried."

"Could you tell me anything more?"

"I am very appreciative of the values that define the Larkinsons. Even if I myself don't abide by them, it is good to be in the company of people who are more straightforward. As for my worries, I have already shared them with you. Your recent stunts have attracted so much attention that I don't need to perform any investigation to determine that there is a target on your back. I'm very fearful that you will get into an unnecessary conflict in the Nyxian Gap."

"Most pirates have better things to do, I think. We aren't weak at all, and that is our strongest guarantee of safety."

"Being well-informed is also essential." Calabast turned back to her terminal. "I will continue to analyze the data and send my report to you by tomorrow."

"Sounds good. Oh, before I forget, did you look into why Captain Nodan placed the case that held the B-stone on his bedside table?"

"Apparently, the B-stone as you call it helps him sleep easier at night. If you haven't noticed, the Nyxian Gap exerts a faint but fairly disturbing pressure on our minds. Captain Nodan found out that the rock he has obtained is able to shield his mind from these disturbances, allowing him to sleep in complete comfort."

"That's it?"

To think that a pirate captain obtained an extremely rare and valuable B-stone, only to use it as a sleeping aid sounded ridiculous to Ves!

These pirates didn't know what treasure they possessed. They deserved to be robbed!

Chapter 2178 Huge Vortex

Ves grew curious about Captain Nodan's usage of the B-stone as a sleeping aid.

He decided to try it out himself.

Surprisingly, just placing the B-stone in the vicinity of his bed while he slumbered truly increased the quality of his rest!

When Ves woke up the next day, he shoved Lucky's body from his face and turned his head towards the case holding the B-stone on the bedside table.

If he looked at it with his normal eyes, he didn't see anything special. The rock was completely inert.

It was only until he observed with his spiritual senses that he detected a subtle change.

Ever since Task Force Predator entered the Nyxian Gap, Ves felt as if he entered a huge interference field.

The difference wasn't immediately apparent at the outermost edge of the region, but as time passed by, the disturbance in the surrounding space gradually grew stronger.

This was rather worrisome to Ves, though everyone else just thought it was another unique quirk of the Nyxian Gap. The Nyxian pirates and everyone who entered this region had already taken it for granted. Aside from making people restless and not entirely at ease, the widespread interference field didn't seem to do any other harm.

Ves felt there was more to this field than what everyone else thought. The Nyxian Gap held too many mysteries, chiefly why such a weird place popped up in the first place. Reality did not entirely work normally here, and the endless amount of asteroids floating around was just scratching the surface!

"Hmm. Everything seems to point to the center of the Nyxian Gap. It's the origin of everything. If I want to obtain answers, I'll have to travel deeper."

The periphery was the least-affected region of space. Wreckage Paradise only offered visitors a preview of what was in store.

If what he suspected was true and the strange spiritual interference field grew stronger at Maynard Fields, then the demand of an object that could dampen or restrain the disturbance would grow stronger!

"If the pirates know that B-stones can make them feel at peace, then they will definitely hoard them if they manage to get their hands on them!" Ves realized with a gleam.

That said, Ves highly suspected that B-stones were so rare that not every pirate leader had the privilege of owning them. He would have to raid a lot of pirate fleets in order to obtain the loot he desired.

The problem was that the smaller pirate gangs shouldn't have the capital to possess something so rare, while the stronger pirate groups and alliances would definitely bleed his forces!

For now, attacking every pirate force in Wreckage Paradise shouldn't be a problem, but Maynard Fields was a different story.

Not only were the pirates who managed to establish a foundation in the inner periphery rather strong, they also had at least some friends. The Larkinson Clan could easily attract the hatred of dozens of pirate groups if his fleet recklessly offended everyone within reach.

Calabast and Major Verle already warned him that they should change their approach once they exited Wreckage Paradise. Though Ves was loathe to do so, he did not wish to put his clan under excessive risk.

Earning merits came first. Obtaining B-stones was just an unexpected bonus. Ves should firmly keep his priorities straight.

He freshened himself up and prepared himself for another of work. When he prepared a bowl of exotics which he appropriated from the Rust Grinder flagship for Lucky, he began to partake in his own breakfast.

He felt a bit lonely despite the presence of Nitaa, who wasn't all that talkative in the first place.

"I miss Benny."

His executive assistant stayed behind at Cinach. Though Ves felt tempted to take Gavin along, there was no great need for his presence.

With the Doom Guard already on sale for a time and no new product releases on the horizon, the LMC's growth had smoothed out. The regular reports that Ves received sufficiently kept him in the loop. There was no need for him to be appraised of the state of his mech company in person when he should direct most of his attention to his dangerous excursion.

"That reminds me, some of my mechs are apparently acting wonky."

Once he finished his breakfast, he took Lucky and boarded a shuttle that brought him over to a light carrier owned by the Living Sentinels.

Since the fleet did not travel through FTL, there was nothing stopping him from visiting the other ships of Task Force Predator.

Once he stepped into the hangar bay of the light carrier, he greeted the captain of the ship before immediately ignoring the fellow.

Instead, Ves carefully observed the handful of LMC mechs that had been put on standby.

When Ves observed them with his spiritual senses, he found to his puzzlement that their spiritual nature differed from his expectation.

Though the differences were subtle, he felt as if all of the glows of the Aurora Titans and Desolate Soldiers had undergone some minor amplification.

They grew stronger. The difference was minor, but as somehow who created them in the first place, the fact that every LMC mech received some sort of minor boost regardless of their individual differences was very odd!

As Ves quietly observed the mechs some more, he frowned deeper.

The mechs were spiritually active. Both their spiritual foundations and their design spirits were rooted in a different realm.

Now, it seems as if they were both being affected by some sort of omnipresent external influence.

It did not take long for Ves to tie this effect to the weird spiritual interference field that encompassed the entire Gap!

If this was true, then the glows of his mechs might grow even further!

He made a note in his implant to keep track of the fluctuations in strength of his glows.

Once he completed his inspection, he boarded his shuttle and returned to the Scarlet Rose.

Though he was supposed to head to the conference and evaluate the mech design proposals that the LMC's assistants had come up with, Ves was distracted by the observations he made.

Everything he had learned today suggested that spirituality and spiritual energy behaved in a different fashion inside the Nyxian Gap.

Though the changes were mild so far, what if other anomalies emerged when his fleet traveled deeper into the Nyxian Gap?

Ves did not believe that the changes were limited to a gradual increase in spiritual strength! His intuition strongly hinted that there must be something else at work!

On a hunch, Ves began to concentrate his mind and did something he hadn't done for a while.

He cast a projection of his mind from the material realm and entered the imaginary realm.

Once he did so, corrosive winds immediately battered his projection! Ves was surprised at the ferocity of the wind, and immediately pumped more spiritual energy in order to maintain his projection's integrity!

"Strong!"

The corrosive spiritual energy blew stronger in this region of the imaginary realm! It was as if the distortion of the material dimensions also affected the higher dimensions!

As Ves adapted to the stronger winds, he cautiously explored his surroundings. He soon noticed another peculiarity.

In normal places such as Cloudy Curtain, Kesseling VIII and Cinach VI, the corrosive winds that blew through the imaginary realm pretty much followed random trajectories.

Just like normal wind, it could blow in every direction at any location. Though there were likely larger patterns directing the winds to be biased in a certain direction, they weren't very apparent to Ves unless he performed a systematic study.

It was different inside the Nyxian Gap.

The winds did not blow in random directions.

Instead, the wind distinctly traveled in a single, uniform direction. It was as if someone poked a hole in the hull of a starship, causing all of the air in the breached compartment to press through the cavity!

Ves became unsettled as he equated the conditions in the imaginary realm to his analogy. He felt even more disturbed once he vaguely ascertained that the so-called hole that sucked up all of the corrosive winds was very likely situated in the center of the Nyxian Gap!

When he attempted to gain a broader impression of the corrosive winds, he faintly noticed that they were slightly curved over longer distances.

The pattern he constructed and extrapolated in his mind reminded him of a vortex. The huge, circular vortex seemed to attract loose spiritual energy from an incredibly huge region space!

It was not hard to tie this huge phenomenon to the abnormal existence of the Nyxian Gap. Ves felt as if he had just been exposed to a very profound secret.

This pirate-infested region became even more unfathomable in his eyes. The spiritual activity taking place in the imaginary realm was not a trivial issue at all. Not only did it cause his mechs to behave differently, Ves also suspected that his own spiritual powers might be affected!

Was this another reason why his parents fled to the core regions?

Aside from being able to avoid pursuit by taking advantage of the difficulty of navigating through the asteroids, perhaps his mother also took advantage of the spiritual phenomena!

The overall strengthening effect meant that his mother likely had an easier time with maintaining her unusual state. Her powers also grew stronger, and the interference field might also interfere with the means the Five Scrolls Compact employed to track her across unimaginable distances.

In fact, the unusual spiritual phenomena in the Nyxian Gap should also be highly interesting to the Compact. It shouldn't be a surprise that the cultists set up their regional headquarters close to the center of the Gap!

When Ves thought through the implications, he felt as if a veil had just been torn away. Right now, he was far enough from the abyss to turn around and leave its influence.

Yet.. another part of him urged him to step closer. He wanted to get closer so that he could finally obtain some answers to the questions that had plagued him for years.

Still, he reluctantly reined in his urges. As much as the strange spiritual phenomena offered a lot of attractive research opportunities, he could not abandon everything just to satisfy his curiosity.

"What do you think, Lucky? Should I go deeper or should I stick to my original plan?" He asked.

His cat playfully floated in front of his body. "Meow."

"Yeah. I'm not strong enough to enter the core regions."

"Meow meow."

"I agree. Gloriana won't like it if I don't make it back in time for our wedding."

"Meow."

"If my mother repeatedly warned me to stay away, then she has good reason to do so. Whatever is going on in the center of the Nyxian Gap is none of my business."

If Ves was still by himself, he might have chosen a different course, but his many responsibilities and obligations held him back. His attachments to Gloriana and the Larkinson Clan restrained him from following his impulses.

He felt as if he was being shackled.

"That's not necessarily a bad development." He recognized.

Ves knew that acting without any regard or constraint was not always the best choice. Plenty of fanatics along with the cultists of the Five Scrolls Compact always acted on their extremes no matter how much harm they inflicted on themselves and other people.

Though a part of Ves longed to become free and unrestrained, modern society had no place for people who possessed no bottom line. If he wanted to avoid becoming a fugitive, he had no choice but to accept his shackles.

"Maybe it will be different one day." He idly hoped.

The more powerful he became, the more leeway he gained to act out on his own. He needed to advance Master first before he should even think about breaking some of his shackles!

"Until then, I should keep my head down and behave!"

Chapter 2179 Rejected Proposals

A lot of mech designers entered the conference room aboard the Scarlet Rose. Just like before, the brave mech designers aligned to Ves took their seat on one half of the long, oval table.

Soon enough, the projections of the erudite mech designers under the supervision of Gloriana appeared on the other side of the table.

Two distant locations connected together through the link that the Scarlet Rose still maintained to the galactic net.

Ves did not have to worry about any communication blockades in the outer periphery of the Nyxian Gap. It was only when he entered the inner periphery that he might have to rely on the Darkbreak module in order to maintain a stable connection.

While Ves briefly greeted and chatted with Gloriana, their cats also enjoyed their brief reunion.

"Meow." Lucky pushed his paw through the projection of Clixie, causing it to go right through.

"Miaow."

"Meow."

"Miaow miaow."

Shortly afterwards, Ves commenced the session.

"Alright. Everyone here has submitted their proposals on what minor projects we should work on for the next couple of months. Many of your suggestions are interesting, creative and useful. Today, I would like to go over a couple of the mech concepts that you have proposed in order to illustrate how relevant they are. The LMC's design capacity is still limited, so we can't explore every idea."

He waved his hand, causing a projection of a sketch of a very odd artillery mech to appear above the table.

"First, let's go over the 'PDL–F/D', a mech design proposed by Estelle Lynwood."

He nodded towards the woman seated close to him. Estelle Lynwood just happened to be one of the assistants he picked out right at the start of the selection process. Her spiritual potential was particularly notable, which meant she had a high chance of advancing to Journeyman once she applied herself.

Of course, that didn't mean she was guaranteed to become one. She still needed to work hard and develop her design philosophy properly. Ves could only lay some of the groundwork for her. Estelle still needed to do most of the work.

"Miss Lynwood, would you please explain your concept to us in your own words?"

The assistant in question nodded and stood up. "The name of my mech stands for Planetary Defense Laser, F/D grade pilots. It's a land and aerial-based mech that is designed to strike orbital targets as cost-effectively as possible. By itself, it is a mobile mech that can drill into rock and soil in order to hide itself and use the very land as a giant heatsink."

She manipulated the projection, causing it to fire a very thick and powerful laser straight through the clouds in the simulated environment.

"The mech completely revolves around its laser cannon, which is guided by a highly-automated targeting system. Once the mech fires, it must relocate very quickly using its flight capabilities before the enemy can retaliate. Due to the automation and simple operation of my mech, the demand on the mech pilot is very low. Those with a genetic aptitude as low as F or D are usually neglected. With the PDL–F/D, they can still contribute to the defense of a planet!"

A lot of assistants looked intrigued or appreciative of the idea that Estelle came up with. Her mech concept might not be the most sophisticated or well-rounded, but it packed a very powerful punch without demanding a lot of resources!

"Comments, anyone?" Ves asked.

Someone raised his hand. "Sir, the PDL-F/D is a very efficient mech. However, it will be rather difficult for it to survive after it has exposed its existence after firing a shot."

"That's why the mech is designed to be disposable." Estelle responded.

Some more people spoke up and made some remarks. Ves and Gloriana were glad to see that a constructive discussion had broken out. Everyone may be rivals, but they were also passionate about mechs.

"Ahem." Gloriana attracted everyone's attention. "Despite the advantages this mech design conveys, it possesses a fatal flaw. Can any of you tell me why my partner and I decided to stop exploring it any further?"

A brief silence ensued before Miles ventured his guess. "It looks like a mech. It is piloted by a mech. It's not actually a mech, though. It is too.. specialized. It can't defend itself against other mechs at all."

Gloriana slapped her palm against the table. "Correct! The PDL-F/D is essentially a movable turret platform. Its heavy dependence on an automated targeting system to hit targets high up in orbit means that the mech pilot is only responsible for moving the mech around. Since that is the case, why not go a step further and eliminate the mech pilot entirely? If you turn it into a conventional self-propelled artillery platform, then any norm can pilot this vehicle!"

The realization stunned the assistants. Now that they thought about it, self-propelled artillery platforms that could hit orbital targets already existed to some extent. There was hardly any need to use up scarce mech pilots for a duty that could be easily performed by a trained norm!

"Estelle Lynwood's mech concept is a good one, make no mistake." Ves summed up his opinion. "However, just because a mech concept is good doesn't mean it translates into a good product. In order for a mech to find a place in the market, it has to justify its existence. The wider context must always be taken into account!"

The assistant in question looked a bit dejected. She knew she had made a mistake. "Thank you for pointing out this shortcoming, sir."

"That's okay. I expect you to do better next time."

Ves waved his hand, causing the projection of the PDL-F/D to make way for a depiction of an unusually-shaped areal mech.

The flying mech resembled a bird in flight as it flew across a battlefield and released a lot of bombs. The ground underneath erupted in explosions as the bombs turned an entire stretch of land into an inferno!

Winston Starmond, who came up with the concept, explained his proposal.

"The Twilight Phoenix is an aerial mech designed for bombing purposes. Unlike regular bomber craft, my proposed mech is designed to navigate through dangerous airspaces with high amounts of signal interference. So much jamming is deployed on battlefields that it is usually very hard for air support to do their job effectively. In my proposal, the Twilight Phoenix is not only able to rely on its anti-ECM systems to cope with the jamming, but can ideally rely on a glow that can offer navigational help!"

At least half of the assistant had included some mention of possible glows in their proposals. They assumed that Ves was capable of creating any glow and tried to imagine how that would work with their mech concepts.

When Winston finished his explanation, his colleagues began to make remarks.

"The bomber mech suffers from the same problem as the last mech concept. The same job can easily be performed by a regular bombing vehicle."

"I don't entirely agree." Catherine Evenson shook her head. "Aerial bomber mechs still have a place on the battlefield due to their considerable capabilities. Vehicles piloted by norms perform substantially worse and are always easily shot down from the air."

Ves nodded in agreement. "Mr. Starmond's proposal has a place on the battlefield. However, aerial bomber mechs generally aren't great sellers. They can't fend against other aerial mechs, so they require escorts. If you want some place bombed, it is generally more convenient to rely on landbound artillery mechs. A mech like the Twilight Phoenix will always draw a lot of fire because their targets won't allow anything to drop bombs over their heads for free!"

The weak market demand for bomber mechs in the Komodo Star Sector was the decisive factor in rejecting the proposal. It was too much of a niche product in the regional mech market.

They moved on to a couple of other mech design proposals. Each time, Ves allowed the assistants to figure out the reasons behind rejecting them. He wanted them to become more familiar with the criteria that he and Gloriana used to decide which mech concepts they found suitable enough to turn into actual products.

The projection of a team of large, broad mech appeared next. In the simulation, the humanoid mechs approached a giant reptilian exobeast.

Surprisingly, the mechs did not take out any weapons. Instead, they surrounded the exobeast and wrestled it on the ground with their considerable weight and physical strength!

Even as the exobeast struggled to break loose, the mechs that hadn't dogpiled the giant lizard instead pulled out some of the materials they carried in their backpack containers.

In the span of a couple of minutes, the mechs rapidly built up a cage around the restrained exobeast. Soon enough, a cage that was strong enough to contain the captive creature came into existence!

"This is another example of a creative mech concept." Ves told everyone. "As you can see, the Hound of Glory is geared towards hunting and construction. However, just like many of the other proposals, it is a niche product. While specialized hunting mechs exist, it is not very worthwhile for the LMC to enter this specific market."

A lot of mech designers, especially those whose proposals had been shot down, looked increasingly more upset.

Rina Orion raised her hand. "Are we even allowed to design a niche mech at all, sir?"

"It's not all about sales volume." Ves shook his head. "There are many reasons to design a mech. Sometimes, you just want to earn a lot of money. This is the main rationale behind designing the Doom Guard. Sometimes, you want to unleash your creative energies. That's the main driver behind the Aurora Titan design. Other times, you want to design something different and innovative. Designs such as the Deliverer is a good example."

"In short, what Ves is trying to convey is that we cannot design every mech we like just because they sound interesting." Gloriana followed up. "He often likes to say that our time is limited. We can only handle so many projects at the same time. This means it is important to pick the right projects that provide us with the most benefits out of the options available."

Ves nodded. "Every mech we have published serves a specific goal and benefits us directly upon release. The Bright Warrior, despite not being sold on the market, is a powerful mech that immediately strengthens our clan's ability to fight and defend itself. Without it, our clan would have never survived the CRC's surprise attack on Kesseling VIII! As for the Desolate Soldier and its variants, not only have they sold a lot and generated a lot of revenue, they have also played an instrumental role in defeating the sandmen."

"Can you give us an example of a good proposal, sir?"

"Why certainly." He smiled. He waved his hand once again, causing the projection to display a very plain and rather basic mech. "Merril O'Brian-Larkinson, would you like to present your mech concept?"

The projection of the former pirate designer and rational mech designer calmly stood up. The newer assistants weren't too familiar with her because she had been hired prior to the mass recruitment event.

While she never really attracted anyone's attention after she joined the LMC, Ves highly appreciated her mech concept!

"This is the Chiron." She gestured towards the plain-looking mech. The projection displayed slightly different weapon loadouts and configurations of the same design. "When I studied Mr. Larkinson's old work, I stumbled upon two different virtual mech designs. Unlike many other mech designs geared towards mech cadets, the Young Blood and the Old Soul are both explicitly geared towards teaching specific skills to the next generation of mech pilots."

The Young Blood and the Old Soul were still piloted by many players of Iron Spirit to this date! Even though Ves had long stopped paying attention to his virtual mech designs, in truth the two teaching mechs had already influenced a considerable number of mech cadets throughout the Komodo Star Sector!

Now, Merrill formed a proposal that sought to revive something that Ves had neglected: designing teaching mechs! The Chiron was the successor to the Young Blood and Old Soul!

Chapter 2180 Chiron

Every mech academy possessed mechs to allow their pupils to experience what it was like to pilot actual machines.

A mech pilot that trained exclusively with virtual mechs would never perform well on the battlefield. There were simply too many lessons that could only be learned while piloting a physical mech!

For this reason, mech academies demanded special mechs that specifically accommodated their desire to educate mech cadets.

This was the origin of teaching mechs. They differed from normal combat mechs in several ways.

First, their lethality came under heavy restraints. Whether permanently or conditional, the firepower and damage potential of these mechs had to be reined in and kept under control.

A single ordinary mech was easily capable of wiping out an entire city block in an instant! Putting so much destructive potential in the hands of partially-trained teenagers was a disaster in the making!

Therefore, teaching mechs had to be designed from the ground up with many safeguards. Remote kill switches along with hard limits on performance allowed mech academies to field mechs that weren't capable of killing hundreds of students or wiping out entire schools.

The second requirement of teaching mechs was that they should offer a realistic learning experience to mech cadets. This meant that teaching mechs had to resemble combat mechs to a sufficient degree so that the people that piloted them could easily transition to piloting full-strength mechs in the future.

Obviously, the second requirement partially contradicted the first requirement. In many cases, mech academies tended to favor safety over providing a more realistic piloting experience.

Cheaper teaching mechs were only capable of fulfilling one of these priorities. Mech academies had to spend much more to obtain teaching mechs that were both safe and effective!

The third requirement was that they needed to provide as much protection as possible to its current pilot. If the mech cadet improperly handled the mech or suffered some sort of accident, the young student could easily put his own life at risk!

Teaching mechs needed to be robust enough to keep the pilot alive in the event of an accident. Basic mistakes such as the mech losing its footing and tripping on its feet could easily damage the cockpit of a fragile mech. Such incidents happened quite a lot in the early years. If a mech couldn't protect its mech pilot upon falling, it wasn't suitable teaching mech!

The fourth and last requirement of a teaching mech was that it had to be cost-effective. It not only needed to come at an affordable price, it also had to be resilient enough to withstand daily abuse for a very long time.

The longer the teaching mech lasted, the less money the mech academy had to spend on servicing, repairing and replacing it. These activities just happened to be the primary reasons why mech academies went bankrupt!

When Merrill calmly explained these requirements, she finally revealed how her mech design proposal tied into them. "The Chiron is an adjustable mech design that aims to provide an individualized teaching experience to any mech cadet that uses it for practice."

The projection of the Chiron displayed the proposed design in several different ways. Sometimes, the mech wielded a sword. Other times, it held a rifle. Some of the Chirons were taller and others were shorter. Half of the mechs featured a flight system and the rest could only walk on land.

The assistants observing the projection still recognized the same underlying DNA, but they were confused why the mech came in so many versions.

"The main emphasis of the Chiron is its adaptability. It is a humanoid mech that is designed to match the mech cadet's physique as best as possible. As everyone knows, people are always the best at controlling their own bodies. The Chiron takes advantage of this fact by incorporating several shape-changing mechanisms that can adjust its physical proportions."

There was more to the adaptability trait than just changing the length of its limbs.

"In addition, the Chiron is not specifically reserved to a single mech type. Just like the Bright Warrior, its overall configuration is partially modular. With the right configuration and loadout, it can function as a knight mech, a swordsman mech, a lancer mech, a rifleman mech and so on to a realistic degree. While the combat effectiveness of each configuration isn't very strong, a teaching mech doesn't need to be powerful."

Miles Tovar interrupted her presentation. "All of this sounds good, but adaptable and adjustable teaching mechs aren't foreign concepts. The more exclusive and well-funded mech academies often possess a number of them to train some of their elite mech cadets."

"That's a fair point." Merill nodded in acknowledgement. "What I have mentioned up to this point is not strictly new. What makes the Chiron stand out from adaptable teaching mechs is the added value of its glow."

She manipulated the projection again, causing the Young Blood and the Old Soul to appear alongside the Chiron.

"The Young Blood is a spear-wielding knight mech that teaches mech cadets how to pilot melee mechs. According to user feedback, its mech pilots always feel as if there is something inside the mech that helps them in battle and points out the areas they need to work on. The Old Soul performs a similar function in the form of a marksman mech. Both of these mechs are products of Mr. Larkinson in the beginning of his career when he was just an Apprentice."

Her hand gestured towards the Chiron. "Now that our clan patriarch has grown in strength and developed his design philosophy, what would it be like to design a new teaching mech that reflects his current ability? If we look back at his most recent mech designs such as the Doom Guard, it is easy to imagine that the effectiveness of a teaching mech like the Chiron will be at least an order of magnitude greater than the Young Blood and Old Soul!"

Those who were aware of the two virtual mechs understood the potential of the Chiron better. However, even the assistants who became exposed to the virtual mechs for the first time understood the implication of a teaching mech with a complimentary glow.

If it was truly possible to design such a mech, then any mech cadet who piloted such a machine would essentially be able to receive instruction on a transcendental level!

Though such an amazing teaching mech did not replace the role of mech instructors and other teaching methods, it was a very fantastic complement that could make mech cadets become more outstanding.

Ves had instantly fallen in love with the mech concept when he first glimpsed it. The Chiron was simply too useful for him to pass up. He was also confident he could bestow it with a glow that facilitated the learning process!

He grinned. "The Chiron is an excellent example of a mech concept that takes a familiar and established premise but puts an entirely new spin on it with the help of a distinctive design philosophy. In fact, this is how several successful mech designers are able to stand out in the market. It is not enough to design a mech that is merely a retread of what the competition has already offered. You need to leverage your strengths and make the most out of your specialty."

He turned his attention to the projection and caused it to display some of his products that best reflected his point. The Desolate Soldier, the Deliverer and the Doom Guard each made a mark on the mech market due to their unique and distinctive strengths. This was despite their less ostentatious technical parameters.

"The Desolate Soldier is just a budget spaceborn rifleman mech. Yet because I imparted it with a glow that is based on duty, it has become a pivotal mech that successfully bolstered the morale of millions of mech pilots and starfighter pilots during the Sand War."

Ves shifted to the Deliverer.

"While my Deliverer mech was only relevant for a couple months, its impact in the later stages of the Sand War was only slightly less than the Desolate Soldier. In the hands of many mech pilots, it is merely a very unwieldy and clumsy spaceborn marksman mech. Yet as long as a devout Ylvainan mech pilot enters the cockpit, the mech's glow will finally settle in, allowing the Deliverer to gain an uncanny ability to snipe out sandman admirals in an immense swarm!"

He turned to the Doom Guard last.

"As for the Doom Guard, I'm sure that all of you need no introduction. Stripped of its glow, it is merely a well-designed spaceborn striker mech. Yet the glow that has caused it to become known as a fear machine not only adds another facet to this machine, but also compliments its role. Hardly any other striker mech is as good in area denial than our latest commercial product!"

The assistant mech designers weren't stupid. They all understood the underlying point that Ves was trying to make. It wasn't enough to design ordinary mechs. To make a proposal worthwhile for the LMC to pursue, it had to take advantage of the company's unique design strengths!

Right now, two Journeymen presided over the LMC's Design Department. Gloriana's especially was very strong in the right circumstances, but it wasn't easy to work with. In most mass-production models, her design philosophy mainly worked in the background.

This meant that the glows that Ves could bestow with his design philosophy should play a prominent role in any mech design proposal! The right glow could achieve a transformative effect on the value and utility of a mech design. The LMC would be stupid to neglect this unique advantage!

"Do you understand, now?" Ves asked.

Everyone nodded their heads. They looked like chicks as realization dawned upon most of them. Aside from a few clever assistants who formed this conclusion on their own, the rest only realized until now what they missed!

Ketis still raised her hand, though. "I get what you are trying to say, but I think it's not good if everyone here obsesses too much about glows. This is something that belongs to you, not us. We can only borrow your strength, but we can never own it ourselves."

As expected of his student. As amazing as his design philosophy appeared to be, she was determined to follow her own path! The temptation of other specialties never swayed her from her own goals!

"You are right." He replied with a smile. "All of you can learn something from her. That said, right now, you are all employed by the LMC. As assistant mech designers, your primary role is to assist the lead designers. Part of that job entails learning about the specialties of your superiors so that you can take them into account in your work."

This was one of the unfortunate realities of their low positions. Assistants did not have the right to impart all of their own ideas and preferences in a mech design. They had to abide by the ideas and preferences of the lead designers instead!

Ves decided to give them a bit of hope. "It's a different story if you become a contributing designer or lead designer. As long as you work hard and develop your design philosophy, you might advance to Journeyman one day. At that point, you no longer have to withhold your own ideas. Within the LMC, Journeymen are qualified enough to make their own mark in our mech designs!"

It would take years or decades for those with spiritual potential to reach this point. As for the assistants who lacked this quality, they might have work on other people's behalf for their entire careers.

He found it a pity to let so much talent to waste. The presence or absence of spiritual potential decided the lives of many ambitious people without their knowing.

Perhaps he could do something about this. He managed to force William Urbesh into an expert candidate. He might be able to do the same with some of his assistant mech designers.

Chapter 2181 Ferocious Piranha

The Chiron stood out as a proposal which had great potential.

Sadly, not many assistants realized the extent a spiritually-empowered teaching mech could aid in the training of mech cadets. While they had all read up on Ves and studied his best-known works, they still possessed a shallow understanding of his specialty.

That would change in time. Ves knew he did not need to spend too much effort to explain what he could do. Once they took part in a project, they would see for themselves what he was truly capable of and adapt their mindsets accordingly.

Ves announced some preliminary decisions. "The Chiron will largely conform to Miss O'Brian's proposal and shall be designed as an adaptable mech. After some thought, we have decided that a teaching mech with this much potential is too radical and effective to be released to the market. For now, we intend to turn the Chiron into a teaching mech that is exclusive to the Larkinson Clan. It will share some of the same properties as the Bright Warrior model."

Selfishness only played a part of this decision. Ves had thought long and hard on how to facilitate the teaching process through spiritual means. He wanted to go beyond what he did with the Young Blood and Old Soul, where he merely relied on self-created images to serve as imperceptibly spiritual mentors to the mech cadets.

While Ves had thought about creating a spiritual product which excelled at teaching, he eventually came up with a more radical idea.

What if he could take advantage of the Golden Cat instead?

The ancestral spirit was the heart of the Larkinson Network. She possessed a spiritual bond with every living Larkinson.

When Ves initially designed the Bright Warrior, he envisioned the possibility of enabling Goldie to pass on the mech piloting skills of one Larkinson to another Larkinson with the help of the Larkinson Network.

However, so far, this ability hadn't manifested yet. Whether Goldie didn't deem it necessary or whether she wasn't able to do so, Ves couldn't tell.

Normally, he had little confidence he could implement a skill transfer mechanism successfully in a mech design.

Yet now that he managed to achieve a breakthrough in his design philosophy and successfully tested the implementation of targeted abilities, he was certain he could use them to empower the Chiron!

As long as he programmed the right spiritual constructs that facilitated some experimental supernatural training methods, the Chiron might truly become a teaching vessel of his dreams!

If the older generations of Larkinsons could pass on at least a portion of their skills, knacks, experience and knowledge to the younger generation, then the latter would rapidly become very powerful!

The best part about this teaching method was that as long as Goldie kept amassing more piloting knowledge, the teachings she passed on became more and more effective.

Naturally, Ves couldn't guarantee the Chiron would be able to live up to its promise. It could be that his current spiritual methods still weren't enough to establish such a powerful teaching mechanism.

He might as well try, though. If he failed, he still ended up with a mech that did its job better than the Old Blood and Young Blood. He could use the lessons he learned from this minor project to do better next time.

There was also an unknown risk that the implementation might be faulty. This meant there was a substantial possibility that the mech cadets who piloted the Chiron could come to harm.

Ves had already learned that messing with spirituality and people's minds could be very harmful. The spiritual surgery he performed on William Urbesh practically killed the poor fellow original personality!

His fellow clansmen were different from random people who he didn't care about. He didn't want to treat his men and women as test subjects.

The only problem was that if he used the Golden Cat as the Chiron's design spirit, then he couldn't use anyone else but his own Larkinsons to test drive the teaching mech!

He eventually decided to trust in his ability and hope that the Chiron Project worked out. In addition, since Goldie was the spiritual guardian of the Larkinson Clan, she would never allow an innocent clansman to come to harm!

If everything went right, then his worries were moot.

After he finished outlining the Chiron Project to his audience, he moved on to another proposal that caught his attention.

He waved his arm, causing the projection of the Chiron to make way for a depiction of a very different mech.

"The Chiron isn't the only mech concept that we have approved. Felicia Slenn has proposed a very interesting spinoff of the Doom Guard. While her idea isn't entirely original, her Ferocious Piranha is still an outstanding mech concept with great potential. Would you like to present your ideas, Miss Slenn?"

The woman, who looked to be in her late twenties, nodded and stood up. Felicia Slenn happened to be an erudite mech designer, and her quiet and thoughtful demeanor reminded him of rational mech designers.

Was it a coincidence that 2 of the proposals that Ves and Gloriana approved just happened to come from more intellectually-inclined mech designers? They both utilized clever logic to come up with their proposals!

In contrast, he felt let down by the group of brave mech designers seated on his side of the table. While they came up with a lot of enthusiastic proposals, many of them went way too far or sounded wildly impractical. They had gotten so caught up with the possibilities that they forgot that the LMC sold products, not miracles. For all of their courage and daring, they seemed to lack intelligence and restraint!

"As Mr. Larkinson has mentioned, the Ferocious Piranha is a mech design that borrows several elements from the Doom Guard." Felicia Slenn spoke. "The mech is my attempt to address the market demand that has emerged after the release of the Doom Guard."

The simulation of the proposed mech rapidly zipped through space as its small and swift allowed it to cross distances at least several times faster than the sluggish Doom Guard!

"The Doom Guard's main strength is its ability to deter large groups of hostile mechs by complementing its flamethrower output with its fear-based glow. However, the limited range of these exertions combined with the mech's low mobility has forced it into a passive, defensive role. When I researched the market sentiment of the striker mech, I noticed many calls for a lighter and faster version that can fully keep up with any offensive maneuvers."

In fact, Ves encountered the same feedback, but he showed little interest in retreading the Doom Guard. Reading Slenn's proposal caused him to change his mind.

The woman continued her presentation. "My Ferocious Piranha aims to replicate some of the strengths of the Doom Guard, but differs from it in several ways. First, it's a light skirmisher, so it is fully able to keep up with any attack runs. Second, its glow is weaker, but still effective enough to disturb enemies whose minds are not strong or prepared."

"Why make it weaker?" Ketis asked in confusion.

"The reason why it is weaker is because the mech pilot of the Ferocious Piranha should be as minimally affected as possible. Ideally, it would be best if Mr. Larkinson can tone down his glow so that it doesn't harm friendlies. After becoming aware of the glow interaction between the Aurora Titan and the Doom Guard, I speculated whether it is possible to combine their glows in a way that blocks the harmful effects from impacting the mech pilot and any friendlies. I am not sure whether that is possible, though."

She looked expectantly towards Ves, who smiled.

"To be honest, I was astonished at your suggestion." He replied. "I have mixed glows several times before. The Doom Guard is actually an unusual result between the conflict of two competing glows. Adding the glow of the Aurora Titan into the mix is something that I haven't thought of. In my judgement, the outcome that you have theorized is plausible, and might very well succeed if I implement it correctly!"

"Does that mean…"

Ves acknowledged her hopes. "I approve of your proposal! While challenging to implement, it is a very practical and useful product if the mech lives up to its promise. The Doom Guard has already proved there is a huge market demand for a mech that can psychologically deter enemies. I don't need to perform any market research to realize that your Ferocious Piranha has the potential to become an even greater cash cow for the LMC!"

His praise for the Ferocious Piranha made Slenn incredibly pleased! She became very ecstatic at the thought of having one of her ideas come to fruition. Even if Ves earned most of the credit for enabling such a mech to come into existence, her contribution would definitely be remembered!

Before her head inflated any further, Ves raised his palm.

"There are two issues, though. First, calling the mech the Ferocious Piranha is not entirely appropriate. A name like that is more suitable for pirate mechs that love to swarm their targets. For now, we'll use it as a codename. Second, it is not entirely wise to allow a mech like this to become too prevalent in the mech market. We will design it as a premium mech with a fairly high budget in order to ensure it won't be abused too much. We might also decide not to release it to the market and instead add it to the arsenal to our clan in order to keep the benefits to ourselves."

A mech like the Ferocious Piranha truly had the potential to shift the outcome of every battle in the regions where it was sold. Making it more expensive compared to regular light skirmishers was a good way to ensure it wouldn't sell as much as the Desolate Soldier.

Another idea to limit its impact was to deprive it from its self-shielding effect. Ves contemplated whether he should design two versions of the mech, one with Qilanxo and one without her presence.

He could reserve the former to the Larkinson Clan and release the latter to the market without too many concerns.

The problem was that doing so might not be very well received at all by the market.

In the end, he decided to withhold his judgement and revisit this decision in the later stages of the project.

If he was in need of a lot of money or if he desired to bolster his fame for whatever reason, he could release the most potent version of the mech.

If his needs weren't as great or if he needed to keep his head down, then he could publish a more limited version of the mech instead.

Right now, he was inclined towards the latter. He had already attracted plenty of attention from society and did not look forward to painting an even greater target on his back!

That said, he still appreciated the idea. The proposals formed by his assistants had given him a lot of inspiration.

He decided to issue a reward. "Merill O'Brian and Felicia Slenn have succeeded in inspiring me and have contributed significantly with their fantastic proposals. Both of you are awarded with 10 Larkinson merits!"

The announcement put the two assistant mech designers front and center. Their fellow colleagues and rivals all looked impressed as they clapped.

"Thank you, sir!"

Though 10 merits did not sound like much, it still represented a year's worth of work for them if they did not excel in their performance. To obtain these merits right away brought them one step closer to acquiring powerful augmentations.

Ves smiled. "Aside from these two proposals, there is room for two more minor projects. It's unfortunate that none of your suggestions have met our standard, so my partner and I have decided to come up with our own mech concepts in order to fill the remaining slots."

Chapter 2182 Sanctuary

The Chiron and the Ferocious Piranha Projects both demanded a lot of ingenuity. Despite their third-class nature, Ves knew he needed to invest quite some time on spiritual engineering in order to establish their distinctive spiritual mechanisms.

This wouldn't be easy at all. Ves had to tackle many new problems and invent novel solutions. He had to explore his newly-discovered ability to create spiritual constructs and find a way to realize his desired outcomes for the very first time.

On top of that, Ves had to perform all of this work while also investing most of his time on his major projects! No matter what, the Valkyrie Redeemer and Cat's Paw Projects were simply too important to his interests.

This was why he decided to fill up the remaining slots with less ambitious minor projects.

That didn't mean the remaining two mech designs became less worthy. Ves could still figure out plenty of useful mech designs that didn't require too much work to be useful.

Of course, if he was willing to invest more time and resources into them, they could easily become more powerful, but there wasn't much pressure to do so to be honest.

Gloriana presented the first minor project that he and Ves had decided upon.

"With the increasing prevalence of LMC mechs in the Komodo Star Sector, glows have become more and more ubiquitous. Aside from the Doom Guard, the glows are generally supportive and helpful. However, that does not mean that their presence in an area is necessarily desirable. The LMC has received an increasing amount of complaints that the glows are too obnoxious or aren't welcome despite the mental boost they can provide."

Public spaces, ship interiors and so on often became disturbed when an LMC mech came near. The more LMC mechs showed up, the more disruption they caused, especially when different kinds of glows successively affected the same area.

One minute, a mech technician trying to service a mech suddenly felt dutiful. The next minute, he might become swollen with pride! After that, he gained a very strong urge to protect his fellow comrades.

This was a typical example of what happened in the hangar bays of many carriers that held different LMC mech models.

In fact, a fair amount of complaints even emerged from within the Larkinson Clan! As one of the most prolific users of LMC mechs, almost every carrier hosted a bunch of glows.

Though the existence of the Larkinson Network partially mitigated the effect of glows on their minds, some Larkinsons simply wanted to obtain a reprieve!

Therefore, Ves and Gloriana decided to design a mech that could offer these people a defense, for a price.

Gloriana activated a projection that depicted the proposed mech design. "The Sanctuary Project is a third-class offensive space knight. From a technical standpoint, the mech doesn't come with any notable bells and whistles. It needs to be resilient enough to endure focused attacks, but it also needs to be mobile enough to be at the right place at the right time."

"Most of you are wondering why the Sanctuary Project is necessary when the LMC already sells the Aurora Titan." Ves spoke. "The Aurora Titan is a great mech that can shield the mech pilot and nearby friendlies from the effects of hostile glows, but it is not designed to block friendly glows. In fact, the Aurora Titan's glow is also distinctive and therefore disruptive in certain situations. In order to address the growing complaints, there is a need for another product that can provide the succor that our existing space knight model isn't able to address."

"The Aurora Titan is also too impractical of a mech design to most customers. It's not only incredibly slow, but also very heavy and costly." Gloriana added.

Ves nodded. "This is why we have conceived of the Sanctuary, a mech designed to mitigate or neutralize the influence of any glow in the vicinity. No matter if the other glows are supportive of harmful nature, the Sanctuary can offer some protection no matter their nature."

To be honest, he spontaneously came up with this mech concept after he slept with a B-stone on his bedside table. He truly felt refreshed when he woke up after enjoying an entire night of rest without his mind getting affected by the spiritual disturbances in the Nyxian Gap.

This caused a lot of assistants to look thoughtful. Some of them even began to frown.

Miles asked a question. "Sir.. doesn't that mean you will design a counter to your own specialty? A mech like this might be able to negate everything that you have managed to design up to this point!"

This was a question that Ves worried over right away. Fortunately, he already came up with some answers.

"It's not as severe as you think, Miles. First, the primary effect of the Sanctuary is very difficult to achieve. No matter what, it is difficult to suppress a glow."

Ves manipulated the projection to showcase several scenarios.

An offensive space knight that represented a Sanctuary floated opposite to a Doom Guard.

"In a typical case, the Sanctuary may be capable of suppressing the glow of the Doom Guard. Both of their effects are very strong, and the exact effectiveness depends on how good the mech pilots are and how well they have bonded with their mechs.

The crimson third eye of the Doom Guard dimmed a bit, which signified that its mech pilot experienced some difficulties in melding with the machine.

Two semi-transparent fields appeared into view that visually simulated the expected performance of the glows of the mechs.

The field surrounding the Doom Guard weakened and made way for the field surrounding the Sanctuary.

When the third eye of the Sanctuary glowed brighter, the field surrounding the proposed new mech completely overpowered the glow of the Doom Guard!

"If an excellent mech pilot such as Joshua Larkinson pilots the Sanctuary, then its protective glow will absolutely be able to assert itself. If he pilots the Doom Guard instead, then the opposite will happen."

This was already a known glow interaction to Ves. The Aurora Titan only managed to overpower the Doom Guard most of the time because Qilanxo was not only powerful, she also didn't have to waste most of her strength on fending off a rival design spirit.

The projection changed to display multiple Sanctuaries and multiple Doom Guard. Both of them had been equalized so that the overlapping fields that represented their glows entered into a stalemate.

"Numbers play a role as well." He said, and swiped his finger a few times to remove some Doom Guards off the board.

The change quickly caused the Sanctuaries to become more overbearing. Their neutralizing glows completely pressed back the harmful influence of the Doom Guards!

"As you can see, as long as the mech pilots are all the same, if a single Sanctuary can't neutralize a Doom Guard, you can bring a second one. If the enemy fields two Doom Guards, then you can bring three Sanctuaries, and so on! This glow interaction alone will ensure that releasing the Sanctuary will not no matter how many Sanctuaries we sell, there is still a rationale for fielding other LMC mechs. In fact, our more dedicated customers will buy even more copies in order to guard against the appearance of a number of hostile Sanctuaries!"

Even if a lot of customers might decide to give up on other LMC mechs entirely, they still needed to buy a lot of Sanctuaries just to guard against glows!

"Sir, how.. accessible will the Sanctuary be? Will you make it as expensive as the Ferocious Piranha?"

Ves shook his head. "No. The service provided by the Sanctuary has to come with a price, but not one that will evoke too many complaints. For now, I have settled on a price and budget that is similar to that of the Doom Guard, so it will sit firmly in premium territory. Any other questions?"

"Will you design a landbound variant of the mech?"

"It's in consideration. We can develop after we publish the base model."

Catherine Evenson asked a question next. "Mr. Larkinson, as far as we are aware of, the power and potency of glows is not necessarily dependent on the cost and class of mech. Is it possible for a single Sanctuary to neutralize the glow of a Bright Warrior, which costs at least an order of magnitude more money to build?"

"Make that two orders of magnitude." Ves chuckled. "I have already thought of this possibility. The effectiveness of a mech has to be commensurate to its price. If this is not the case, I will make sure to correct it. The glow of a third-class mech should never overpower the glow of a second-class mech. This isn't something that I have considered too much, but every mech that we publish from now on will adhere to this principle."

Perhaps before, it would be difficult to ensure this would happen, but all kinds of possibilities opened up after the discovery of spiritual constructs.

In order to develop a ranking of glows, Ves intended to program a special spiritual construct that grouped the glows into tiers corresponding to their price and class.

For now, Ves mainly wanted to prevent the Friday Coalition from buying or producing his Sanctuaries en masse in order to counter the Hexer mech designs that he intended to design!

Some concerns still existed. Ketis frowned and raised a worrisome possibility.

"Our clan depends heavily on the mechs that you have designed. What if the enemy fields our own mech models against us? Even if the Sanctuary can't neutralize the glows of all of the mechs, what if they field some of the second-class mechs that you have designed?"

That.. was a very realistic possibility. It was a good thing that Ves was already paranoid enough to take this possibility into account. He theorized on it immediately after he came up with a priority ranking for his glows!

He smirked. "Anyone who thinks they can beat me at my own game will never succeed. As the inventor and creator of glows, do you think I haven't developed any countermeasures to them? The Sanctuary design is merely a lesser solution that I have decided to release to the public in order to assuage some of their complaints. I have many other ways to deal with my own products should they turn their weapons against our clan!"

He did not elaborate any further. Though he trusted everyone to keep their mouths shut, the less they knew, the better.

In truth, aside from manually asking his design spirits to deprive their glows from the mechs in question, Ves also intended to bake this function right into the design of his upcoming mechs.

It all came down to the priority ranking construct. Aside from ensuring that the glows of third-class mechs would never be able to overpower the glow of a second-class mech, Ves also intended to add some hidden instructions.

One of the hidden rules stated that any LMC mech piloted by a Larkinson possessed the capability to hard override the glow of a hostile LMC mech.

Another hidden rule stated that as long as an LMC mech directly deployed against a Larkinson or the Larkinson Clan, its glow directly turned against its own mech pilot and any compatriots!

Just like how Ylvaine actively rejected any non-believer from piloting a mech aligned with his faith, every other design spirit was more than capable of rejecting and hindering mech pilots they did not like!

By baking these two rules into every LMC mech design, Ves did not need to be afraid his products would ever cause his own downfall!

Overall, designing the Sanctuary represented another mark of progress to Ves. The invention of spiritual constructs truly enabled him to control and fine-tune the spiritual characteristics of his mechs to a much greater degree.

For the first time in a very long time, Ves finally felt he had regained a lot of control over his own products.

After treading the path of life for years, he finally corrected his course towards the middle by making some progress in the path of determinism.

This was true spiritual engineering!

Chapter 2183 Crystal Lord Mark II

The assistant mech designers already became fascinated by the three minor projects that Ves and Gloriana decided to add to the pipeline.

Despite their label, each of the mechs associated with the project had the potential to introduce a lot of upheaval.

The Chiron was an adaptable teaching mech that would allow the mech cadets of his clan to make rapid progress in their training.

The Ferocious Piranha was a spaceborn light skirmisher that finally allowed mech forces to employ the Doom Guard's fearsome glow in an offensive capacity.

The Sanctuary was a revolutionary space knight that possessed the rare ability to neutralize any glow as long as the conditions were right.

All three mechs designs would have merely been ordinary if Ves did not involve his specialty. Once he did, they gained a lot of added value without increasing their production cost!

Not only that, but Ves also intended to implement numerous innovations and new implementations into the design. Though he wasn't sure whether he could completely achieve every requirement he set, every failed attempt provided him with valuable data so he could do better next time.

The three minor projects each sounded so attractive that Ves felt tempted to devote more time on them. Sadly, there was only one copy of himself to go around. He could only devote so much time on all of his design projects.

Therefore, aside from taking care of the spiritual aspects of the mech design, Ves mostly left the tangible mech design work to his assistants. With Gloriana intending to keep a very close eye on their progress on this front, he did not need to be worried that the younger mech designers would go off-track.

With five impactful mech design projects on the agenda, Ves felt as if his Design Department already bit off more than it could chew.

When he swept his gaze over the gathered mech designers, he steeled his heart. With sixty capable Apprentice Mech Designers under his command, he shouldn't waste their capabilities!

With three design teams working on every minor project, The Design Department still had room for an additional project.

"I'm sure you are all curious about our final proposal." Gloriana teasingly smiled. "When my lover and I reflected on the LMC's current mech catalog, we have determined that we have designed too many spaceborn mechs lately. This is mostly due to our own needs as a new and growing spaceborn clan. While designing a large amount of spaceborn mechs is not necessarily an adverse development, we still need to remind the mech market that the LMC is a broad mech company, and not one that singularly focuses on mechs that can only fight in space."

In truth, this concern mainly applied to third-class mechs. Ves and Gloriana already decided to enable most of their second-class mech designs to fight on land and in space and possibly in the air as well.

Only certain mech designs that have to conform to very specialized requirements such as the Blessed Squire and the Cat's Paw deviated from this policy.

The Hexers needed to field large amounts of mechs that performed at their best in specific environments. Otherwise, their multi-environmental mechs would always be forced to push back against their Fridaymen opponents!

The Cat's Paw mainly served as a heavy artillery platform. Mobility was of little concern, whether on land or in space. Adding flight capabilities only wasted valuable capacity that could have instead been allocated to adding more weapons on its frame!

Gloriana continued her point. "There are many potential landbound mechs we can design. Frankly, we're spoiled for choice, and that does not even consider all of the landbound variants we can derive from our spaceborn mech designs. Eventually, we have settled on a simple choice."

The main projection shifted yet again.

This time, it depicted a very familiar-looking laser rifleman mech!

Since this was one of his old works, Ves took over the presentation. "I'm sure that all of you are already familiar with the Crystal Lord. Even though it is an outdated, lastgen product, it still possesses some distinctive strengths. Our mech forces still field a decent number of Crystal Lords, though they are admittedly becoming increasingly less attractive despite their modest glows."

The projection highlighted the distinct crystal embedded in the chest as well as the slimmer-than-usual laser rifle. "Part of the initial appeal of the mech is the integration of alien-derived crystal technology in its design. The large crystal embedded in its chest allows the Crystal Lord to mitigate some laser beam attacks by absorbing them. In the right moment, the mech can even unleash the accumulated energy in a powerful retaliatory beam. Aside from that, its laser rifle isn't just more compact than many of its contemporaries, but still manages to pack a punch."

He sighed. "Despite all of these features, the bronze label version of the Crystal Lord never really achieved great commercial success. Without the use of a unique alien crystal that can activate the synthetic crystals incorporated into the mech design, they aren't all that powerful. The silver and gold label versions of the Crystal Lord are a lot more competitive, but third-party manufacturers can forget about fabricating them without their own alien crystal."

His hand waved yet again, causing the depiction of the original Crystal Lord to make way for a draft of a more modern version!

"I have withheld myself from modernizing the old Crystal Lord mech design for several years. It doesn't make enough sense to perform a marginal upgrade when it's not really worthwhile. Some mech companies are obsessed with releasing incremental upgrades. The LMC is not one of them. When we publish a newer version of an existing product, we need to make it good enough to justify the decision to replace the older version!"

Some scumbag mech companies milked their customers by adopting a yearly release schedule or something similar. What they actually did was to engage in very regular releases of existing mech models and product lines.

Instead of improving an older mech design by a generational leap, the companies instead fixed a few bugs, added some improved parts, tweaked a few settings and gave the design a new visual makeover.

With just a minimal amount of effort, the mech company was ready to release a brand new version of the same mech!

Due to the peculiarities of customer psychology, there were always people who couldn't stand the thought of owning outdated mechs. When they became aware that a fifteenth version had just come out while they still owned the fourteenth version, they would do everything to swap out their old machines with newer ones!

Though such an approach made at least some sense when it came to products such as software, Ves always thought it had no place in the mech market!

For this reason, even if the latest mech generation introduced a lot of improved technology and components related to laser weapons, Ves still felt it wasn't enough.

The second edition of the Crystal Lord had to be more than just a landbound rifleman mech. It had to be more than the original version with better parts.

What Ves actually sought was to reinvent its entire mech concept and elevate its vision to a higher level.

Just like with the Sanctuary, the introduction of spiritual constructs finally tipped over his resolve.

He didn't want to wait any longer!

Cherie-Tovar Larkinson reluctantly raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"Sir, your draft design looks a little.. incomplete."

"That's because we haven't fully fleshed it out at the moment. We still need to determine whether to incorporate any crystal technology and whether we should license a ready-made solution from the LMC." he replied. "To be honest, the other projects demanded much of our time on what to add to the Crystal Lord Mark II."

"What have you already decided, then?"

"No matter the version, the Crystal Lord should always reflect its name and its original vision." Ves mentioned. "The Crystal Lord stands for a leader among rifleman mechs. It is a premium rifleman mech that not only excels at firing lasers at the enemy, but is also capable of mitigating incoming laser attacks. Ever since the MTA commenced the new mech generation, laser-armed mechs have shown up on the battlefield at an increasing rate. While there is always a place for mechs armed with kinetic and ballistic weapons, it is clear that they are not the darling in the current mech environment."

This provided fertile ground for a laser rifleman mech that excelled at fighting other laser rifleman mechs!

"The Crystal Lord Mark II will inherit the same balance between offense, defense and mobility. This is generally not advisable for more affordable mechs, but since the budget of the Mark II is rather generous for a third-class mech, we can still get away with it. Its rapid-fire laser rifle makes the mech suitable for mid-ranged combat. Its compressed armor plating allows it to withstand more attacks than typical rifleman mechs. Its slim and speed-oriented frame allows the mech to engage in run-and-gun combat."

This was all identical to the original Crystal Lord. The new design and components just allowed the Mark II to perform a little better. This was not enough to justify its development. Ves needed to incorporate at least some interesting crystal technology in the design. He also had to flesh out its spiritual characteristics, of which upgrading the design spirit of the original version was just the start!

It was only then that Ves would feel justified in designing the Crystal Lord Mark II.

As the original was his second original mech design, Ves possessed a lot of sentiment for it. It would have been better if he designed every aspect of the Mark II in person, but that wasn't realistic these days. It was much more convenient to allow his design team to do the grunt work.

Whatever mech design that might result after a few months, as long as he properly survived the entire design process, it would surely become a worthy successor!

"Are there any questions?" Ves asked.

A couple of mech designers asked some minor questions.

"How will your specialty apply to this updated version?" Mayer Torto asked. "I recall that your original Crystal Lord wasn't too distinct in the area. It's no Desolate Soldier in terms of glow."

Ves crossed his arms. "I don't have a solid idea yet, but you are free to offer me some suggestions."

"Can you add some sort of targeting assistance like you did with the Deliverer?"

"No." He shook his head. "First, even if it's possible, I wouldn't implement it in a mass market product because it's too powerful. I only released the Deliverer mech in the first place because the Sand War necessitated a drastic intervention. Outside of that, such a capability is best left out of the public's hands. Second, the Deliverer's glow is intimately tied to the Great Prophet. Mech pilots who don't believe in the Ylvainan Faith can't take advantage of this unique power. I'm sure the Ylvainans in your team can tell you more."

The young Sentinel mech designer looked sheepish at his Ylvainan colleagues.

Ves moved on to his last point. "The third reason to withhold this power from the Mark II is that I believe there are more ways to empower a rifleman mech design than providing targeting assistance. The battle effectiveness of a mech depends on both its frame and its mech pilot. Shifting too much agency from the mech pilot to the frame is not a good idea in my opinion. What I want to do instead is to empower the mech pilot. Offering more choice, providing mental encouragement and so on are all better options."

A mech like the Deliverer had the potential to make its mech pilots lazy. The spaceborn marksman mech essentially incorporated a cheat that allowed the mech and mech pilot to succeed when it should have failed.

The Crystal Lord Mark II ought to be different! Cheating was highly incompatible with its character!

Chapter 2184 Institutional Isomorphism

When Ves glanced at the project schedule, he felt despair. Starting up six design projects at once was a massive jump in workload.

Before, he already struggled trying to work on two projects at the same time, but now he had to split his attention between six projects at a time.

Fortunately, he already came up with a plan of approach to manage the incredible workload and demand on his time.

There was no way he could micromanage every single aspect of a project by himself like before.

The obvious solution was to delegate these responsibilities to someone he could trust to do a good job.

That latter part was a bit difficult to ascertain considering that all of the fifty new hires were pretty much blank slates to him. He had no idea who was suitable to be in charge.

For now, Ves and Gloriana chose the initial team leaders from the ones who appeared the most suitable according to their record and character profile. Whether these team leaders could actually manage a team and project remained to be seen.

Second, the pair still relied on some mid-level supervisors in the form of Ketis and Miles to solve all of the trivial issues.

Though both of the Journeyman candidates expressed a fair amount of dissatisfaction at dealing with these constant distractions, they soon shut up when Ves shoved a lot of Larkinson merits in their direction.

Everyone had a price!

As much as Ves favored Ketis, he took care not to pamper her too much. Though he considered her a friend, she was also an Apprentice Mech Designer who needed to overcome her own challenges in order to develop her design philosophy.

Handing everything over to her for free would only make her more complacent. By using his own progression as a model, Ves believed that mech designers like Ketis and the other assistants all needed a reason to squeeze the utmost of their potential.

Setting up a merit system was his way of laying down a path of progression to everyone. With a fair structure for awarding merits and a transparent list of useful, tangible rewards, every mech designer under his command had some short and medium-term goals to work towards!

Even if Ketis already enjoyed a comprehensive genetic tune-up during the Aeon Corona Mission, she still lacked a good implant. Ves already knew that she was aiming to earn hundreds of merits in order to save up for a good second-class cranial implant!

Seeing her exercise her duties with enthusiasm reassured Ves that she would be fine. As long as she retained sufficient time to work on her own designs, she became more motivated than ever to make the most of her time!

Though Ves did not have much experience with organizing a multi-team, multi-project design environment, Gloriana could draw on her personal experiences working alongside other Hexer mech designers.

She fleshed out the organizational structure of the Design Department and also instituted a lot of rules and protocols to make sure the projects progressed properly.

"It's not that easy to maintain half-dozen projects at once, but it isn't difficult either." Her projection spoke to Ves as they were about to collaborate remotely on one of their major projects. "Once you organize everything properly and put the appropriate supervisors in charge, we can easily scale it up. Bigger mech companies led by higher-ranking mech designers can easily maintain hundreds of projects at the same time."

Ves couldn't even imagine the complexity of doing so much design and research work!

"I thought that Hexer mech designers always have to put their designs through an arduous approval process."

"That's true. The council of matriarchs reject quite a lot of mech designs. This is why a Hexer Senior or Master tries to go for quantity. They design dozens if not hundreds of mech designs with the expectation that most of them will never be put on the market. Certainly, they can still be used in private, but most of them are discarded."

Damn! What a dreadful reality! Ves widened his eyes as he thought about the sheer waste in time, manpower and resources that this approach entailed. The thought that over ninety-five percent of someone's mech designs might never be put on the market sounded like a nightmare!

"Why does the Hexer mech industry even tolerate such a regime?" He asked.

"It's not as bad as you think. First, the mech designs that pass muster will always sell well because they have received the endorsement of famed and reputable matriarchs. Second, the competition in the Hegemony's mech market is not as crowded because of limited foreign and domestic competition, so any successful mech model will always achieve immense sales volumes. Third, the work put into the design of rejected mech designs never goes to waste. The lessons you learned, the shortcomings you discovered and the research results you have gained are all accumulations that will never go away."

In short, there was a logic to the Hexer policies. Just because Hexer mech designers were forced to design a lot of mechs due to an insanely high rejection rate didn't mean that they were being suppressed.

The better mech designers still achieved success. The Hegemony mech market still offered customers a lot of choice. The council of matriarchs merely filtered out the garbage models beforehand.

The stringent Hexer policies also encouraged every mech designer to focus their efforts on designing the highest quality of mechs that they could manage. Ves suddenly realized that a mech designer who focused so much on quality like Gloriana was a product of this regime!

Institutions shaped people. The matriarchs at the top chose very deliberately when they set up their rules.

Through institutional isomorphism, the structure they set up led to widespread changes in Hexer society that closely conformed to their goals!

In turn, the Hexer matriarchs and the people and organizations around them were subsequently shaped by the society they influenced.

It was a continuous feedback loop. Hexers did not see anything wrong with the ideas they formed and the policies they set. Instead, they became even more supportive of their own decisions!

Perhaps the biggest downside to the way the Hexers managed the mech industry was the concentration at the top. Novices, Apprentices and Journeyman barely had room to breathe, and they could forget about selling any commercial mech designs onto the market!

Most of them were either forced to pursue commissions or give up their independence and work for an established industry player.

This was also another reason why Gloriana only ran a small custom mech boutique back when she was based in the Hegemony.

In the Friday Coalition, a Journeyman was already good enough to set up a medium-sized mech company that sold thousands, if not tens of thousands of mechs a year!

Yet in the Hexadric Hegemony, an identical Journeyman would have only been able to sell less than a hundred mechs a year!

"Every state has a different way of managing the sale of mechs." She told him. "Most states maintain a fairly open economy, but there are plenty of states that maintain more restrictive policies like my home states. There are even a considerable amount of states that don't allow mechs to be sold at all because the government wants to hold all the power."

That was true. So far, Ves had been fortunate enough to grow up in the Bright Republic. His home state not only maintained a pretty open economy, but also allowed private ownership of mechs. He would have never been able to get his career off the ground so easily if not for these two conditions.

They soon moved on from this topic because time was ticking. With six projects on their hands, they couldn't afford to waste too much time on meandering discussions!

"Let's tackle the Cat's Paw Project for this session." Gloriana's projection suggested. "Unlike the Valkyrie Redeemer Project, we don't have to abide by the demands of DIVA and the Hex Army. It's a second-class mech design where we can exercise full power since it is solely reserved for our clan."

When they both called up a projection of the design, Ves briefly frowned.

Even though she said that their heavy artillery mech didn't need to conform to Hexer standards, in practice it was unavoidable.

The factory ship and combat carriers that the Larkinson Clan would soon acquire were all built by Hexers! This meant that the ships were built with Hexer technology, followed Hexer shipbuilding regulations and were being worked on by Hexer shipwrights and shipbuilders!

The Bunkers that Ves partially modified also followed this pattern. There were simply too many embedded components and systems in the bunkers for him to change. This meant that he had no choice but to conform to some arbitrary Hexer design limitations.

For example, instead of adding two or possibly four legs to their heavy artillery mech was not enough. The bunkers were designed to pair best with heavy mechs that featured six legs in an equidistant arrangement!

The design of the upper cover of the bunkers were also designed to accommodate six weapon hardpoints. There was hardly any point in adding more weapons to his Cat's Paw mech unless he wanted to add some spares. Putting less than six weapons in his design was also a suboptimal choice.

In conclusion, Gloriana's earlier statement might be technically true, but the reality was actually opposite!

No matter how much creativity he exercised, all of the design requirements and limitations effectively ensured that the Larkinson Clan's exclusive bunker mech would almost fit right at home in the Hex Army!

The draft design that they had sketched already reflected this inescapable reality. Resting on six legs that were meant to conduct a lot of heat from the mech to the ship, the machine boasted a broad, six-sided torso with a sensor-studded head and six different weapon barrels.

Due to capacity constraints, the pair opted not to stuff the mech with six powerful weapon systems. Though Gloriana reacted a bit annoyed at this decision, she knew that the cost of doing so was too great.

It was better to concentrate on fitting four proper main armament systems to the frame while devoting the remaining space to two smaller secondary armament systems.

Right now, Ves and Gloriana needed to settle on their choice of weapon systems.

"Energy weapons are indispensable. After all, one of the biggest advantages to bunker mechs is that heat management is essentially not a problem since the starship essentially acts as a giant substitute heatsink." He told her. "I think we should focus on punch and add a pair of powerful laser or positron beam cannons."

"Hmm." Gloriana looked thoughtful at the draft design. "That's not a problem. Laser weapons are more versatile and can be fired in many different firing modes. They're also easier to handle and more affordable. That said, the power and might of a positron beam weapon is a great advantage in itself. It depends on what kind of enemies you want our heavy artillery mechs to excel at taking out. Do you want it to fend off large swarms of weaker opponents, or a smaller number of stronger enemies?"

"The latter." Ves instantly decided. "I'm not afraid of an overwhelming number of weaker mechs, especially with mechs like the Doom Guard in our arsenal. It's the powerful opponents that we have to worry about. What is a Fridayman expert mech attacks us? What if someone from a first-rate state wants to get rid of us? What we lack the most is an answer to high-quality mechs with extremely strong armor systems. In terms of offensive punch, only lancer mechs can exceed the penetration power of a heavy artillery mech's large-caliber weapon systems."

They deliberated on the choice of physical weapon systems as well. Though they briefly considered sticking to energy weapon systems, Ves wanted to make his mech well-rounded enough to deal against a variety of enemies.

For example, if an enemy that was almost immune to energy damage such as the sandmen race suddenly attacked his fleet, he did not wish for all of his formidable artillery mechs to become irrelevant!

Ves and Gloriana were spoiled for choice in this regard, but they eventually decided to stick to something basic but solid.

"Gauss cannons. They're simple and direct!"

Chapter 2185 Xcordon Gauss Cannon

To second-rate states, gauss weapons weren't considered high technology. They worked on age-old principles and their performance straightforwardly scaled with their material composition and power supply.

A gauss weapon made of stronger materials was capable of withstanding much more forces. The stresses put on a gauss rifle capable of penetrating second-class armor systems was very considerable!

If a weak gauss weapon was forced to fire something more powerful than it could handle, then it would quickly blow up in the wielder's face!

Gauss weapons were considered kinetic weapons, which meant they mainly dealt damage by flinging a solid projectile at a target as fast as possible.

The mass of the projectile and the energy spent in propelling it forward determined how much damage the weapon inflicted.

There was a bit of room for flexibility due to these relationships!

The classical gauss cannon was geared towards channeling as much energy as it could handle to propel a heavy round at great velocities. Such gauss rounds were easily able to collapse weaker mechs in a single hit and punch straight through meters of starship armor!

However, the firing rate left much to be desired. Heavy gauss cannons focused on maximum power and maximum penetration needed to channel a lot of energy while simultaneously dealing with the incredible amount of heat generation as well as resisting the huge forces trying to pull it apart.

Typically, a gauss cannon fired once every five seconds or so, and that was under ideal conditions.

This wasn't necessarily bad. A mech that fired a heavy gauss cannon would always be subject to powerful recoil forces. Just as the coils of a gauss weapon pushed a projectile forward, an equal and opposite force pushed those same coils back!

Managing these recoil forces was one of the many reasons why such heavy weapons were mostly found on heavy mechs. They were the mechs that coped with recoil the best in the absence of sophisticated, energy-hungry compensating systems.

Of course, many of the more expensive heavy artillery mechs incorporated them anyway. Even if these compensating systems didn't entirely negate the recoil of a powerful physical weapon discharge, they at least lessessened the impact, thereby allowing the mech to fire an even more powerful projectile than they normally should have been able to fire!

"Are you sure you want to add recoil compensating systems in our mech?" Gloriana asked. "While our budget allows for it, it will add a lot of complexity to our mech. The energy requirements for our heavy artillery mech will skyrocket as well, to a point where it is basically impractical to deploy it as a standalone mech in ground operations."

The Akkara, the quadruped heavy mech employed by the Flagrant Vandals, was a typical example of a mech employed in both space and land battles.

Rather than a pure bunker mech, it was actually just a landbound mech that also happened to fit in a starship bunker.

What Ves just suggested was to sacrifice most of the Cat's Paw landbound fighting capabilities in exchange for strengthening its performance as a bunker mech.

This was a very significant decision!

This did not mean he could deploy his Cat's Paws on land. The mech commanders in charge of leading them just had to work around their insane demand for energy, meaning that they would be effectively limited to base defense!

"I think.. we can accept this tradeoff." Ves decided. "If we ever have a need to deploy a heavy artillery mech that can take part in offensive operations, we can just develop a machine that is designed to fulfill this role from the ground up. Right now, I care much more about designing the strongest bunker mech that we can fit in our future factory ship and other vessels."

The Larkinson Fleet was the main home and sanctuary of the Larkinson Clan. Defending it was his highest priority and he could not afford to compromise its defenses too much!

"That said, even a gauss cannon that is focused on maximum power can still fire as fast as an automatic weapon at lower power settings." Gloriana added. "It just needs the right ammunition at hand."

That was true as well. Some gauss cannons were able to switch to a rapid-fire mode where they fired a large amount of lighter projectiles. They packed much less of a punch, but they were very suitable to intercept a large amount of cannon fodder or incoming missiles!

Of course, it was even better to mount weapons that were meant to fire rapidly in the first place, but it was nice to have the option available.

Though Ves accepted the suggestion, he also pointed at the smaller secondary weapon mounts. "In a real battle, our mechs should ideally focus on pounding the toughest enemies with its main cannons. We can leave the job of intercepting projectiles and weaker mechs to the secondary weapons of our artillery mech."

There were many different options they could choose from. Aside from the classic rapid-fire laser weapon, they could also opt to go for a rapid-fire gauss weapon or a pulse weapon that naturally possessed a high firing rate.

Gloriana made a suggestion. "In the Hegemony, pulsed particle weapons are a common choice for this role. Compared to laser weapons, pulse weapons are relatively energy efficient, can fire very fast, are not too weak and do not generate as much heat and physical stress. They are very reliable in battle and can keep firing virtually forever as long as it is supplied with sufficient power."

"There is one big downside to pulse weapons. They are hybrid weapons that fire projectiles at speeds far lower than the speed of light. It is very difficult to hit anything at longer ranges. Laser weapons are deservedly the most widely-used weapons in space because they can hit consistently targets at much further ranges!"

Both of them halted at an impasse. It was truly difficult to decide between a short-ranged but incredibly efficient pulse weapon system or a long-ranged but more demanding laser weapon system as the secondary armament of their Cat's Paw design.

"I think.. the long reach of laser weapons isn't a necessity in our current design."

"How so, Ves?"

He pointed at the projection of their draft design. "The gauss cannons that give our mech a lot of physical punch works best at medium range. The energy weapons on the other hand may fire positron beams that admittedly propagate slower than the speed of light, but not that much worse!"

In practice, positron beams still traveled at relativistic speeds, which meant that it effectively made little difference in most battles!

"I see now." Gloriana grasped his point. "Our mech already possesses a formidable array of long-ranged and medium-ranged weapon systems. Complimenting it with a weapon that excels in shorter ranges is not a bad idea."

They soon added a pair of pulse weapons to the draft design. As its only secondary armament, the weapon mounts looked considerably smaller and less formidable. This reflected their weaker power but also their weaker requirements.

Once they settled their weapon choices, they needed to find the right weapon models to add to their designs.

They soon stumbled on a problem that neither of them had dealt with for a long time.

"Since this mech is a private design, at least at first, the LMC needs to license all of its components out of its own pocket."

Ves immediately frowned. "What is the typical licensing fee of a second-class component license?"

"It varies, but the good ones that suit our Cat's Paw design the most will all cost at least a billion hex credits."

"That's the third of the price of a second-class combat carrier! Proportionately, third-class component licenses are several times cheaper!"

Gloriana merely crossed her arms. "We are dealing with components that incorporate vastly more powerful materials and technology. Weapon development companies spend considerably huge sums on Ru0026D just to keep up with the competition!"

That made sense. More advanced weapons were more powerful but also vastly more costly to develop, produce and purchase. The relationship wasn't strictly linear, and Ves could not use the exact same mindset he reserved for third-class mechs on projects like these.

All of this meant that he could not avoid spending a huge amount of money to obtain his desired licenses!

These days, Ves was not bothered at all at the licenses fees of third-class mech components. No matter how many different third-class mechs the LMC designed, it wouldn't eat up all of its cash reserves anytime soon!

It was a different story in this case. With every standard 10-year production license charging a fee of at least 1 billion hex credits, Ves had to be careful not to deplete the LMC's working capital too much.

Fortunately, the LMC wasn't exactly strapped for cash. As of this moment, he also hadn't spent all of the 5,000 MTA credits he won from the design duel.

Ves and Gloriana therefore exercised a modest amount of restraint when they began to browse the MTA's sizable component library.

Predictably, Gloriana insisted on searching through the list of Hexer-developed weapon systems. Her choice wasn't entirely arbitrary as pairing Hexer weapon systems with a mech that already incorporated a lot of Hexer design principles resulted in high compatibility.

It was too bad that Ves had a different idea.

Even if a non-Hexer weapon system couldn't immediately be slotted into an open weapon mount of their mech design, this meant that they just needed to do some extra design work!

As mech designers, it was their job to integrate different mech components into a coherent machine. Opting to go for Hexer weapon systems was merely a shortcut!

Since Ves did not limit his choices to a limited amount of licenses, he had an endless amount of choices to choose from. Even if he had to disqualify the vast majority of them because they were developed in different star sectors with different standards and material requirements, he still possessed millions of decent options for each weapon type!

This was one of the greatest benefits that the MTA provided to every mech designer. It pooled the efforts of everyone involved in the mech industry and made much of it available to the entirety of human space!

Right now, an interesting gauss cannon weapon system caught his attention.

The Xcordon 66F-343 B developed by the Hapardon Kinetic Arms Company not only featured well-rounded specs, but also excelled in the one area that Ves valued the most. At its highest power setting, it could fire an ultrheavy round that was powerful enough to breach the armor of a Bright Warrior!

Even if the round failed to penetrate the armor of a mech, the incredibly momentous impact still transferred a lot of kinetic energy, which wasn't pleasant even for high-quality mechs!

When Ves enthusiastically brought it to the attention of his girlfriend, she didn't immediately approve.

Instead, she frowned.

"This Xcordon cannon is not the most accurate gauss cannon. Its muzzle velocity is also lower, which means it is even less capable of hitting distant and fast-moving targets."

"Those are tradeoffs that we can accept! If we want to hit agile light skirmishers, the pulse weapons are the most suitable answer to them. If we want to hit distant targets, then the positron beam cannons already cover this area. What we truly lack is a strong armor-piercing solution!"

Eventually, she acquiesced, as the Hexers didn't offer something that performed as well as the Xcordon weapon system.

She still managed to get the better of Ves by pushing through her desired selection of positron beam cannons and pulse weapons.

Since both of them were mostly energy weapons, they demanded a much greater integration to the mech's power supply and heat management systems. This meant that the immediate compatibility between Hexer weapon systems and mechs designed according to Hexer standards was truly the best choice!

"Alright! Now that we have chosen the most important components for our heavy artillery mech, we can choose the remaining components based around our weapons of choice."

This was a much more straightforward selection process. Soon enough, Ves and Gloriana settled on a very nice collection of components that already put their Cat's Paw Project on the right track.

Chapter 2186 Adding Character

With the weapon systems that Ves and Gloriana selected, the overall strengths of their heavy artillery mech already became clear.

The mech design codenamed Cat's Paw was primarily set up to resist a modest amount of very strong opponents.

It excelled in inflicting single-target damage. Just half a dozen Cat's Paw mechs would have allowed the Larkinson Clan to repel or outright defeat the powerful second-class mechs of the Coalition Reserve Corps while suffering much less casualties!

Back then, the CRC mechs slaughtered third-class mechs with the ease of butchering pigs. The vast performance differences between lesser mechs and greater mechs was simply too great.

Whenever Ves played back the archival footage of the Battle of Kesseling VIII, he despaired at the great difficulty of inflicting actual harm to the well-armored mechs of the Friday Coalition.

Even if Ves upgraded his entire mech roster to second-class, tougher and stronger mechs still posed considerable threat.

What he needed the most was a solution that could crack the tough shells of powerful opponents. He was willing to make a lot of tradeoffs and sacrifices in order to secure this capability.

The Xcordon gauss cannon system truly suited his needs. Its size, mass, material requirements and production difficulty were all within acceptable parameters.

More powerful gauss cannons no longer fit the Cat's Paw frame, while weaker models significantly declined in strength. The choice that Ves settled upon was just right.

What Ves liked the most was that the Xcordon possessed character. It was a gauss cannon model that did not shy away from the fact that it was mainly geared towards propelling ultrheavy rounds with as much kinetic energy as possible.

It was a plain, brutal cannon that did not resort to convoluted technology or highly unusual exotics to achieve its full potential.

With his extensive knowledge on ballistic weapons and kinetic weapons, he could keenly tell that the Xcordon was designed with ruggedness and reliability in mind. Despite the great forces acting on the cannon whenever it fired at its maximum power, its strong and well-designed structure was continually able to endure the punishment.

The chance that the Xcordon malfunctioned or broke down was very low as long as it was properly maintained!

Even without recent maintenance, the weapon system was still rugged enough to function with only a minor reduction in power!

Compared to the rather generic Hexer-developed positron beam cannons and rapid-fire pulse cannons, Ves believed the gauss cannons would become the defining weapons of the Cat's Paw design!

Just imagining the sheer amount of destruction his Cat's Paws could inflict on second-class mechs excited him to no end. His passion for this project quickly grew!

Both Ves and Gloriana observed the current state of their draft design. After hastily slotting in the new components they licensed, They were able to estimate many of the mech's performance parameters.

"If we integrate everything correctly while bleeding as little efficiency as possible, then this heavy artillery mech isn't a waste of 600 million hex credits."

Ves nodded. "I agree. Spending 600 million hex credits for a mech that can pierce the armor of most second-class mechs with a single hit is well worth it in my eyes. It's not fantastic against overwhelming numbers, but we can leave that responsibility to other mechs."

"That said, the physical components are just one aspect of our mech design. Have you decided its divine aspects yet? What proto-god do you intend to add to the Cat's Paw?"

Ah. That was a very important question. To be honest, Ves struggled over his options. He could rely on one of his existing design spirits, but none of them complemented a heavy artillery mech design to a fantastic degree.

The alternative was to create yet another spiritual product. He hadn't done so after he conducted the huge ritual which birthed the Superior Mother.

He knew that as long as he gathered a couple of suitable spiritual fragments and used up a little life-attributed energy derived from the life-prolonging treatment serum, he could create a very powerful spiritual product.

The problem was that he didn't feel like doing so at this time. If it wasn't completely necessary, he wanted to conserve his resources.

He only possessed so much high-grade serum! Wasting it on creating frivolous or redundant spiritual products would only bite him in the butt in the future.

While Ves kept thinking, Gloriana made a surprising suggestion.

"You don't have to invent something new when a ready-made solution is already available. Do you still recall the Deliverer? With Prophet Ylvaine inhabiting the design, he was able to lend his precognitive abilities to any Ylvainan mech pilot!"

Ves grunted. "You don't have to remind me. While it is admittedly one of my more innovative mech designs, it's not exactly relevant now that we are far away from the Ylvaine Protectorate."

"I disagree." She shook her head. "Didn't we absorb thousands of Ylvainans in our clan? The True Ylvaine Dynasty has pretty much merged with us, providing us with crucial trained and skilled personnel at a time when we weren't able to hire enough Brighters to expand our newly-founded clan. Those Ylvainans may have cut off their relations with the Protectorate, but they are still as faithful as ever!"

"Even if that is the case, a Larkinson is a Larkinson. The point of outsiders joining our clan is to transform them into Larkinsons. I have no intention of encouraging any of the adopted Larkinsons to keep their foreign cultural traditions alive!"

Gloriana's projection appeared increasingly more disgruntled. She placed her hands on her hips.

"Ves! I know you have misgivings about our Ylvainan-born clansmen, but you are wasting an extremely precious opportunity here! It is one thing to set aside this option for a commercial ranged mech model because it is too disruptive, but when it comes to our own defense, we should pull out all of the stops! Isn't this why we set a very high budget for our Cat's Paw Project? Since you are readily willing to invest a substantial amount of money in the design and production of our heavy artillery mechs, I don't see why you need to hold back on the choice of proto-god!"

"Do we even have enough Ylvainan mech pilots to man all of the Cat's Paw mechs?"

"There are hundreds! Our factory ship only needs eighty mechs while the combat carriers can only accommodate half-dozen or a dozen. Whatever the case, there are enough Ylvainan mech pilots that are already proficient in marksmanship and who can be trained to pilot a heavy mech to meet the manpower requirements."

Even if that was the case, Ves still felt very reluctant to entrust the primary defense of their future factory ship and other important vessels to a design spirit which he didn't entirely trust.

He always harbored some suspicions about Ylvaine's spiritual fragment. Unlike many of his other design spirits, it was derived from an actual human and was too scheming for his liking.

This was especially so when Ylvaine's spiritual fragment began to hook up with James Ylvaine-Larkinson!

The two seemed to have achieved a synergistic bond which had made both of them greater than the sum of their parts.

While Ves did not object to reusing Ylvaine's spiritual fragment as the design spirits of other mech designs, the Cat's Paw mech design played an extremely critical role.

He would rather entrust this great responsibility to the Golden Cat. At least Ves had no doubt that she was completely committed to the survival of the Larkinson Clan!

"Are you thinking about putting the cat in charge again?" She accused him. "As much as I adore her, you shouldn't run to her every time you want to design a mech that is related to our clan. Just look at our Cat's Paw mech objectively. It possesses two major weapon systems that are very powerful against highly-armored targets that aren't very strong on the mobility front. However, aside from relying on its weaker rapid-fire pulse cannons, the Cat's Paw doesn't offer a strong defense against smaller, fast-moving targets!"

"I thought we already decided to leave that job to our other mechs?"

"Even if that's the case, it is still useful to invest in increasing the accuracy and hit rate of the weapons of our mechs! Do you think that every heavily-armored second-class mech is slow? Both the Friday Coalition and the Hexadric Hegemony are able to field numerous assault mechs that are both tough and fast! Aside from that, many expert mechs all start off with at least good mobility no matter how much mass they carry!"

She made a persuasive argument. Even if Ves planned to invest in a strong targeting system for his Cat's Paw mech and even if the mech was able to receive much more accurate targeting data from the ship it was riding on, the fact of the matter was that its weapons would still miss most of their shots.

The positron beam cannons may be able to land a hit at near-relativistic speeds, but the ECM employed by mechs made it significantly harder to make a successful strike at extreme ranges.

Even though mechs were very big compared to a human, at very ranges, even a tiny error induced by ECM could make a shot go hundreds of meters wild!

As for the Xcordon gauss cannons, the Cat's Paw should have a considerably easier time targeting opponents at medium range.

At these ranges, the effectiveness of ECM systems sharply dropped. The very powerful sensors and ECCM systems of a starship was easily able to overcome most interference, which meant that most ranged weapons had a much easier time in landing a hit.

However, as fast as a gauss cannon round could be propelled into space, they still traveled substantially slower than the relativistic speed of a positron beam!

Though it wasn't as bad as third-class ballistic weapons, mech pilots still needed to make continuous predictive judgements and lead their aim in order to land a hit on a fast-moving, evasive target.

Unless Ves incorporated high technology that solved or circumvented some of these issues, he could not get around the fact that highly maneuverable opponents were the bane of his Cat's Paw mechs!

The conventional answer to this problem was to accept this weakness.

The unconventional answer was to try and mitigate this inherent shortcoming.

The more he thought about it, the more Ves felt compelled to borrow Ylvaine's predictive capabilities.

The Deliverer design already proved that the spiritual fragment was capable of fulfilling its promises. He didn't need to fumble around with figuring out the right spiritual construct to add the right triggered ability to the mech. Ylvaine was pretty much able to do it all by himself as long as the recipient was an Ylvainan mech pilot!

He decided to make contact with Ylvaine's spiritual fragment in order to sound out its willingness to lend its power once again.

He closed his eyes and concentrated his mind. Just as his mind made contact, Ylvaine already sent a positive reply.

The fragment had already anticipated his request and enthusiastically assented to it before he even asked!

Ves abruptly broke his concentration. "Goddammit!"

Both Ylvaines always possessed the uncanny ability to predict his questions and actions even when they had no right to know them beforehand.

Yet whenever Ves asked them to predict something more pertinent such as the likelihood of encountering a serious threat in the next 24 hours or whether he was able to gather 100 million MTA merits within a decade, they both played stupid and muttered some mumble jumble!

The cheeky behavior of Ylvaine's spiritual fragment reminded Ves once again why he hesitated in using it as a design spirit in the first place. Yet the great enthusiasm it showed also worried Ves a bit.

If Ylvaine's spiritual fragment actively encouraged him to use it as a design spirit for the Cat's Paw design, didn't that mean this decision might have a very great impact in the future?

Chapter 2187 Mountain Kings

A furious space battle raged forth in space. Hundreds of laser beams and numerous projectiles filled the dusty space, though few of them hit their targets.

Task Force Predator clamped down on yet another pirate outfit lurking in Wreckage Paradise!

The Larkinson Clan already chewed through half-dozen mid-sized pirate gangs after defeating the Rust Grinders.

With each defeat, the Black Cats harvested more intelligence which helped them identify and locate the task force's next meal.

Through sheer repetition, the cooperation and battle tactics of the various mech forces in the clan improved.

Though their mech pilots exhibited plenty of clumsy errors at first, they no longer happened as often now that the clan soldiers accumulated some actual battle experience!

The continuous battles against the cunning and ruthless pirates caused a lot of Larkinsons in the fleet to mature.

The most remarkable growth came from the three elite squads led by their respective expert candidates.

Candidate Joshua Larkinson and the Bright Companions rapidly gelled together into a cohesive assault element that could smash through any defense!

His girlfriend Jannzi and her Shieldbearers became more astute at placing themselves where their defense was needed the most.

Tusa Billingsley-Larkinson and his Speed Demons not only became more proficient at reconnaissance, but also excelled at running interference and harassing rear elements.

The rest of the Larkinsons deserved mention as well.

The Ingvar siblings may not have attracted as much attention, but that was because the Bright Warriors they piloted and led overshadowed much of their accomplishments.

Captain Casella Ingvar knew she was very fortunate to receive the right to lead the Second Spaceborn Company of the Avatars of Myth.

As one of the few mech companies that fielded a full complement of Bright Warriors, she commanded one of the strongest elements of the clan!

It was easy to become accustomed to the enormous strength disparity between a bridge mech and a third-class pirate mech. Yet Casella knew that she could never let down her guard no matter how weak the pirates appeared!

The battle taking place at the moment was a typical example. The Avatars along with the other mech forces all dispatched a mech company each in order to test their cooperation.

With less than 200 mechs, they were tasked with defeating a pirate force that fielded around the same amount of mechs.

Normally, the Larkinson Clan mechs should have been able to run through the same number of measly, low-quality pirate mechs.

The problem was that the so-called Mountain Kings were famed for their defenses!

They not only took control of various asteroids and mashed them together into several defensive bulwarks, but also littered the space in between with devious traps!

The sheer amount of mines and pop-up turrets the attack force had encountered severely halted the momentum of their attack.

Casella gritted her teeth as the Solar Warriors held their shields to defend the more vulnerable rifleman mechs of the Sentinels and Battle Criers.

Even if the Larkinson mechs used the surrounding asteroids as cover, they didn't last very long against the large ballistic artillery cannons used by the Mountain Kings!

"Hold together and use your frames to block the incoming attacks if need be! They can't punch through our armor!"

The Mountain Kings installed so many turrets on their asteroid that the sheer volume of fire posed a considerable threat to the more vulnerable mechs of the clan!

The other configurations of the Bright Warrior such as the Illuminating Warrior and the Shining Warrior were also forced to use their frames as a temporary wall against the incoming firepower.

If the entire task force or just the Penitent Sisters attacked at once, the elaborate defense matrix of the Mountain Kings wouldn't have lasted so long.

However, that defeated the purpose of this exercise!

"C'mon!" Imon Ingvar shouted to her over their private comm channel. "I don't see why we are holding back all this time. My mech's sword is aching for pirate blood! Can't you let us go in already?!"

"No." She forcefully said. "Major Verle already told us to stay put, and he makes a good point. These Mountain Kings prepared way too many traps. Who knows if some of them are powerful enough to threaten our Bright Warriors? We have already encountered plenty of surprises from the previous pirate groups we attacked!"

If there is one lesson the Larkinson Clan had learned, it was that many pirate groups prepared some surprises!

With the amount of accumulation and defenses the Mountain Kings prepared, there was a very high likelihood that they too prepared some sort of huge countermeasure.

Therefore, even if maintaining distance and engaging in an extended firefight sounded frustrating, it was the safest method to grind down the Mountain Kings.

With the amazing defenses of the Bright Warrior mechs, the Larkinsons possessed an undeniable advantage in battles of attrition!

As the battle slowly progressed and the defensive bulwarks slowly lost their teeth from the steady and methodical ranged attacks, the Mountain Kings finally couldn't take it any longer.

They were done with acting as the Larkinson Clan's pincushions!

"Uh, sis? Is it me, or are those fortified asteroids moving?"

The sensors of her mech blared an alert, and the command center in the main fleet probably became befuddled as well.

What were the Mountain Kings doing? Why were they sending forth and splitting up their battle fortifications?

The highest command channel suddenly transmitted Major Verle's voice to every Larkinson mech.

"RETREAT! OUR DEEP SENSORS HAVE JUST PICKED UP RADIOACTIVITY FROM THOSE ASTEROIDS! THEY ARE PACKED WITH NUCLEAR BOMBS!"

Though weaker nuclear ordnance did not necessarily pose a threat to the Bright Warriors, the weaker mechs might not be as well off. If the Mountain Kings enriched the nuclear bombs with dangerous exotics, then the resulting explosions might very well be able to accomplish something that no other pirate had managed!

"Fall back, men!" She desperately shouted. "Retreat, but make sure to cover for our weaker mechs!"

The Bright Warriors guarded the rear as the other clan mechs hastily made distance.

"Split up! Disperse your formation!" Major Verle ordered.

New orders transmitted from the command center gave each mech and squad a new heading. The mechs immediately began to spread apart in order to make it harder for a single powerful explosive to affect all of them at once.

So far, the asteroids weren't able to accelerate fast enough to catch up to the clan. Yet all of that changed when smaller portions of their surface broke off from the main body and rapidly accelerated towards the fleeing Larkinson mechs.

"Intercept them! Some of them contain potent fusion bombs!"

The mechs that possessed ranged weapons turned on their axis while their flight systems still propelled them away. They fired their rifles and other ranged weapons at the rapidly-approaching rocks.

Though their surface layers of asteroid material quickly succumbed at all of the focus fire, there were too many of them! Some of them even incorporated thick layers of wreckage salvaged from the surrounding space.

Even though the mechs and starship hull plating weren't very high in quality, it still took a lot of time to penetrate all of those layers!

Casella grew more nervous. The firepower of the attack force wasn't enough to defeat all of the approaching rocks! The Mountain Kings heavily invested in this nasty surprise!

She finally decided to issue a request to Major Verle.

"Please allow my Bright Warriors to fire their missiles at the approaching rocks, sir. Two missiles should be powerful enough to crack through their defenses even with all of the scrap metal in the way."

A brief pause ensued. "No, captain. Those high-quality missiles are valuable consumables that cannot be wasted on this scum. The clan patriarch has already instructed us to employ another solution."

The solution soon became clear as powerful laser beams and positron beams suddenly hammered the accelerating rocks!

Large and powerful volleys of energy beams continuously smashed through the rocks at a much greater degree of effectiveness!

The Penitent Sisters had finally moved into action!

Before this point, they had merely been placed on standby and guarded the main fleet against surprise attacks from the flanks or rear.

Now, a considerable number of their ranged mechs had flown forward and easily smacked down the rocks one by one with their incredibly powerful rifles!

The difference was like night and day as far as Casella and the other clansmen were concerned. They felt both relieved and ashamed that they needed to be bailed out in this way.

This was especially so when some of the rocks began to explode in nuclear fury!

Enormous balls of hot and concussive fury filled the space between the Mountain Kings and the retreating Larkinson mechs!

According to the sensors of her mech, those nuclear explosions were laced with enough volatile exotics to massively increase their threat at close range!

Even at this distance, the numerous explosions still managed to break or overload some of the sensors of their mechs while peppering the mechs with powerful spikes of radiation!

Fortunately, the armor of all of those mechs were sufficiently shielded against this level of intensity, but their surface layers all needed to be treated carefully after this battle!

The moment the Larkinson Clan activated the Penitent Sisters, the outcome of the battle turned into a foregone conclusion.

As much as the Larkinson Clan wanted to use the opposing pirates as target practice, that didn't mean that they wanted to suffer avoidable casualties.

When the ranged mechs of the Penitent Sisters annihilated the rocks that contained the nuclear bombs, they quickly turned their ire at the remaining pirate fortifications.

What took minutes for the Avatars and Sentinels to neutralize only took seconds for the Penitent Sisters!

Unbothered by the sensor-dampening dust clouds the Mountain Kings were spewing in the surrounding space, the Penitent Sister mechs accurately struck each and every turret and fortification. Their laser and positron beams were so powerful that they melted straight through every defensive fixture.

As for the pirate mechs? They lasted just as short when focused upon!

The pure devastation inflicted by just two mech companies of second-class mechs completely rendered the Mountain Kings helpless and impotent.

Soon enough, their last castle had fallen.

The entire sight caused every Larkinson who took part in the prior attack to feel frustrated.

"We failed." Imon told her sister. "We could have beaten these Mountain Kings if we learned of their trick beforehand. If this was a real battle..."

Casella Ingvar grimaced. "It won't be long before we will suffer our first true casualties. We're almost out of Wreckage Paradise. Once we enter Maynard Fields, none of the pirates we face are easy to deal with. That is when our true test starts."

Wreckage Paradise was too barren and too close to the border of the Nyxian Gap to attract the more powerful pirate groups. Even then, outfits with a relatively poor and obscure reputation like the Mountain Kings were already capable of annihilating any attacks with their hidden nuclear ordnance!

The Big Two's prohibition against weapons of mass destruction held no sway in this lawless region.

To many pirates, as long as they kept their controversial weapons secret, then they wouldn't suffer any consequences.

If any battle went poorly for them, then the pirates had nothing to lose by breaking the rules and employing taboo weapons!

After all, they were already destined to die anyway if they lost the battle, so they might as well go out and leverage every possible advantage no matter how much bounty the MTA put on their heads!

So far, Task Force Predator managed to maintain the upper hand by relying on their superior mechs. Yet it was clear to Casella that more changes were needed in order to keep the inevitable losses in the future as minimal as possible.

"We can't keep provoking every pirate group in our way." She muttered.

Even though the Nyxian pirates were anything but united, word of the Larkinson Clan's violent incursion into their space had already spread!

Chapter 2188 Sneaking Up

After the dangerous encounter against the Mountain Kings, Ves completely paused his current work in order to supervise the aftermath.

As much as he wanted to pour all of his time on his major projects, the Nyxian Gap was still a region filled with peril.

The steadily growing spiritual interference that Ves constantly sensed was the least of his worries!

Once the Larkinson Clan salvaged what little valuables the Mountain Kings left behind, the task force moved on. Thousands of mech technicians carefully scrubbed some of the mechs clean from the effects of exposure to radiation.

Some of the parts even needed to be replaced entirely, which entailed a lot of work. The maintenance crews worked like busy bees as they all tried to do their work as quickly as possible in order to minimize the downtime.

Who knew whether the task force might stumble upon a pirate ambush!

Just because it hadn't happened did not mean the Larkinsons should rest easily. They already attracted quite a lot of heat from the local pirates. The Nyxian pirates weren't completely isolated from each other.

At least in the periphery, quantum communication nodes still worked, so they could trawl through the galactic net like anyone in civilized space.

In order to discuss the implications of the battle against the Mountain Kings as well as the task force's changing circumstances, Ves decided to call a meeting.

Ves and Calabast both entered the Scarlet Rose's conference room. Major Verle and Fleet Coordinator Kronon joined shortly afterwards in projection form as they were both on different ships at the moment.

"Good afternoon, everyone." Ves greeted everyone as he sat down on a chair while Lucky floated at his side. "First, let me tell you that I think that near-fiascos like the previous battles shouldn't happen again. While we have admittedly underestimated how depraved the pirates could be, we were still at risk of losing a decent amount of mechs and precious lives."

Everyone looked grave.

Even Calabast, who normally adopted a playful demeanor in front of Ves, exhibited some concern.

"It is clear that the assumptions that we have made before we departed to the Nyxian Gap are flawed." She spoke. "The intelligence we have gathered mostly consists of unverified rumors and hearsay. I dare say that at least a portion of what we collected might outright be deliberate falsehoods that the Nyxian pirates or their associates have spread in order to lull outsiders into a false sense of security."

That sounded like a very thorough scheme! Ves felt astonished at this bold but increasingly more likely guess.

"So how much do we actually know?"

"It's not as bad as you think, Ves. The Peacekeepers and sources from the Sentinel Kingdom may have fed us with inaccurate information, but with all of the pirates we interrogated and all of the data banks that we have decrypted, we have built up a much more accurate overview of the local regions."

Major Verle shook his head. "That's only partially helpful. What the Rust Grinders knew about the Mountain Kings only amounted to surface details. Every pirate group in the vicinity knew that the Mountain Kings invested in a lot of fortifications. None of them were aware that these fortifications also hid over two-dozen enriched nuclear warheads!"

"I think we wouldn't have been able to know about those nuclear weapons even if we kidnapped and interrogated a mid-level Mountain King officer." Ophelia Kronon noted. "Pirate commanders never entrust sensitive secrets to their own men, and they aren't stupid enough to record such sensitive information in their data banks. We either have to kidnap the pirate commanders directly or grab one of the senior cadre who have been entrusted with operating these trump cards."

That was an unrealistic prospect. Every seasoned pirate commander who managed to survive in the Nyxian Gap wasn't average!

Ves looked towards Calabast, who regretfully shook her head.

"Infiltrating pirate vessels and bases in order to capture and interrogate these senior pirate figures is not viable with our current means."

That was disappointing, but he expected as much. The Larkinson Clan did not possess a lot of true stealth gear.

"We need to do at least something to gain a better understanding of our opponents." Major Verle spoke with some frustration in his tone. "I hate to say this, but I would rather fight the CRC than an entrenched Nyxian pirate outfit. At least we know what to expect of the former. The same cannot be said of the latter!"

Ves sighed. "From what I hear from you all, the root of the problem is our lack of understanding of our foes. The pirates aren't necessarily stronger than us. It's just that their sudden surprises are too threatening."

With enemies who did not hesitate to turn their mechs into starship turrets or prepare a large amount of enriched nuclear ordnance, how could his father and the Oblivion Hand successfully raid so many pirate fortresses?

Unlike Task Force Predator, the Oblivion Hand had run roughshod in the inner periphery and the core regions!

According to the rumors which might not all be accurate, even though the Oblivion Hand sustained a substantial amount of losses with each major attack, they gained even more resources, mechs and recruits in return!

Even if those victories were wildly exaggerated, the rumor that the notorious Dark Cleaver had never lost a battle should still be true!

Ves did not believe that Task Force Predator was weaker than the Oblivion Hand. Leaving aside his father who presumably advanced to expert pilot, the rest of the dark mercenaries should still be piloting weak and fragile third-class mechs!

He suddenly recalled something important.

It wasn't just his father's amazing piloting skills and his excellent leadership that allowed him to secure victory after victory.

His mother should have been involved as well! In fact, Ves knew that with the capabilities she had shown off in front of him, she could easily contribute more to their victories than Ryncol!

The key to this was her myriad abilities as an intangible ghost and a spiritual sorceress. As long as she was able to affect the material realm, she could effortlessly sneak inside a pirate ship or base and mess around with none of the defenders growing any wiser!

The Larkinson Clan may be lacking a perfect saboteur in the form of Cynthia Larkinson, but there was someone in the clan who could replicate at least some of her abilities.

He tilted his head to the side where Lucky lazed around in the air.

"Meow."

"It's time to earn your keep."

"Meow?"

"Hehehe. We'll talk later." He grinned ominously at his cat.

He turned his attention to the others. "Anyway, let's talk about our next steps. We will soon be crossing over into Maynard Fields, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"Maynard Fields is much more perilous. Not only will the density of asteroids increase, but the larger occurrence of exotic deposits can also spawn occasional anomalies. Regardless of what we face, we need to slow our pace and expand out scouting efforts."

They discussed all of the changes they needed to make in order to make sure they traversed the Nyxian Gap safely.

Once their discussion finally ended, the projections of Major Verle and Fleet Coordinator Kronon disappeared.

Ves turned to Calabast, who had been glancing at him with interest.

She had studied all of his habits and behavioral ticks. The way he looked at him right now suggested to her that Ves was thinking of something radical again!

"Not here." She said with a touch of resignation. "Let's head somewhere more secure."

They moved to a separate space next to her office aboard the Scarlet Rose which she had personally renovated and customized to her tastes.

Numerous jammers went active, causing Ves and Calabast to feel a bit discomfited. Lucky hardly took any notice, though.

"Okay. Tell me what's on your mind."

He grinned. "I may have a means to increase our battle odds against the pirates. To be more exactly, it's my cat who is the key."

"Meow?"

"Show her, Lucky."

"Meow meow."

"It's fine. She already knows a lot."

Lucky reluctantly turned intangible in front of Calabast. She observed keenly at the partially-transparent mechanical cat as Ves waved his entire hand through the body of his pet.

"Go show your other trick."

His cat lifted up his paw and tapped the button of his 'collar', causing him to disappear from view!

Now, Lucky not only became intangible, but also invisible!

This time, Calabast really became astonished!

"I see now! This is why he has been able to appear in places where he has no right to be! No wonder why no one is able to detect something as noticeable as a mechanical cat sneaking into heavily-guarded sites."

Ves briefly explained what Lucky was able to do. Lucky's ECM and detection capabilities allowed him to circumvent all sorts of electronic surveillance means. While the cat was able to phase through solid matter and remain intangible for an extended amount of time, his stealth power only lasted for 5 minutes before requiring an extensive recharge.

Though he expected Calabast to react with disappointment, she instead looked quite hopeful.

"With his ability to detect and evade sensors, 5 minutes is enough!" She spoke in admiration. "If it is possible, I'd like to fit him with a customized harness that allows him to carry additional gear. As long as he can carry explosives, poison and other equipment, he can wreak even more havoc once he infiltrated a pirate bulwark!"

As far as Ves knew, Lucky should be able to do so if the harness and additional gadgets were small enough.

Both Ves and Calabast became more taken in by the idea and enthusiastically discussed how to kit Lucky out and how much they could tack onto his frame!

"Meow…"

Lucky looked increasingly more uncertain about this whole ordeal. While he liked to dive into forbidden places, he did not relish infiltrating a hostile pirate base or ship all by himself!

"There is one problem, though." Ves frowned. "Lucky's flight speed isn't all that fast. It's not realistic to allow Lucky to reach a distant pirate fortification by relying on his own flight capabilities without wasting many hours if not days. We need to prepare a more effective means of delivery."

"That's not a problem." Calabast said. "The Jaded Sword carries a Hexer stealth shuttle. Its stealth systems should be more than good enough to remain undetected even at very close ranges."

Ves widened his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me that?!"

"It wasn't necessary to inform you before now. I was afraid you would force my operatives to risk their lives on dangerous infiltration missions. Mind you, the stealth capabilities of the shuttle are impressive, but it's only a vehicle. The real work has to be done by humans, or cats in this case."

"That should be enough!"

Currently, the task force's scouting efforts only allowed them to observe what was happening in the open and on the surface.

There was no way of knowing what the pirates truly kept hidden unless the Larkinsons sneaked someone inside to take a thorough peek.

Fortunately, there was truly no better infiltrator than Lucky in the clan!

Not only that, he could also act as a formidable saboteur. He could not only be instructed to assassinate critical pirate commanders and officers, but sabotage the potent trump cards they held in reserve against major threats.

As long as Ves employed Lucky correctly, they might even be able to recreate some of his father's feats and be able to topple even stronger pirate organizations with ease!

"Hahahaha!" Ves laughed. "Let's test this approach on our next target! We should practice and perfect our methods as much as possible. This is going to be brilliant!"

"I will need your help to build a good harness for Lucky."

"No problem! I need to use up some stealth materials, though."

"I have collected some suitable materials. If that isn't enough, you can also repurpose some of the spare parts that came with my stealth shuttle."

"Good!"

Chapter 2189 True Misfortune

When Ves and Calabast agreed to turn Lucky into a saboteur, the cat in question did not seem very enthused by the prospect.

"Meow! Meow!"

The cat constantly pawed at Ves and tried to make excuses for himself.

"No. You won't be able to pass off this duty this time. Your infiltration efforts can save a lot of lives. If you can scan the pirate bases from inside out, then that is already an incredible valuable gain. It is even better if you can assassinate some important leader figures just before we attack!"

"Meoooow!"

Ves crossed his arms. "You're a member of the clan as well, Lucky. If you don't want to help your fellow clansmen, then at least do it for Goldie. She will grow sad whenever a Larkinson dies."

"Meow…"

"Nitaa, bring the book."

His bodyguard handed over the Larkinson Mandate. The Golden Cat woke up from her nap and curiously looked up at Ves.

Nyaa?

"Tell this dummy of a cat here that he needs to do his duty for the clan."

Nyaaa…

Goldie fell right back to sleep again!

"Urgh! Cats!"

Ves tossed the heavy book in the air, causing it to stop in midair with the help of its antigrav brace. Nitaa calmly reached out and grabbed hold of it before placing it back on her armor.

Though he didn't want to employ this means, Ves had no choice but to provide Lucky with a major concession.

"You can eat any exotics you want." He promised. "When you sneak inside and wreak havoc, feel free to take a bite out of anything that is shiny or yummy to you. The larger pirate organizations all tend to be wealthier. I bet they have accumulated a lot of rare and unique exotics from the surroundings!"

The moment he made this offer, Lucky abruptly froze in realization.

"Meow…?"

Ves nodded. "You get first pick. Just leave the remaining valuable materials to the rest of us. We'll claim the leftovers!"

As voracious as Lucky could be, his dimensional stomach could only digest so much exotics at a time!

Even if he ate all of the crown jewels in the hands of the pirates, there was no way that his hungry cat could devour an entire warehouse's worth of materials!

While Task Force Predator already carried a lot of spare parts and materials to last them for months, it was always helpful to accumulate some of the more valuable exotics that didn't take up a lot of space.

With such a compelling offer on the table, Lucky couldn't resist the temptation!

Even though it was still dangerous for a gem cat like him to infiltrate pirate strongholds by himself, with such an amazing opportunity in front of him, no danger was sufficient to stop him from eating the best meals!

Ves smirked as his cat already started to daydream about all of the yummy exotics he might eat. Though he felt a bit guilty for pushing his own pet to perform extremely dangerous missions, it was not as if Lucky was incapable.

The little bugger had plenty of practice of sneaking around undetected!

After he concluded a deal with Lucky, Ves began to think about building a custom cat harness.

While Lucky was already quite potent and proficient by himself, it didn't hurt to bring some extra tools.

For example, while Lucky could sneak into a bedroom and effortlessly swipe a pirate commander's neck, the assassination might trigger an alarm!

Even if it didn't, the timing of the commander's death might not be right or Calabast might want Lucky to kill off additional key targets without tripping any alarms.

In these cases, it was much more appropriate if Lucky was able to apply poison to his targets that killed within a predictable amount of time.

As for sabotage, Lucky could easily sneak up to a power reactor, but as capable as he was, he was not an engineer. Unless he was able to receive instructions from Ves, Lucky could only outright disable the power reactor or leave it alone in order to avoid alarming the pirates.

It was a different story if Lucky was able to plant a timed explosive instead. When placed in the correct area, even a small bomb could inflict a lot of damage!

This was just what Ves could come up with in a short amount of time. He definitely suspected that Calabast already prepared a dozen more ideas on what to add to Lucky's loadout!

He rubbed his smooth-shaven chin. "Alright. Let's begin with making your harness. Let me mount some stuff on your body."

"Meow!"

Ves dragged Lucky over to the mech workshop and quickly cobbled together some harnesses that vaguely fit the body of a cat.

Each of the harnesses differed in size, mass and other factors. Whenever he mounted them onto Lucky, he told his cat to activate his phasing and invisibility abilities.

After several hours of experimentation, Ves ascertained Lucky's limits. As long as he didn't add anything thicker than the edge of his palm.

This was not as much room as he hoped.

Perhaps one consolation was that Lucky possessed a much higher tolerance for mass. As long as the material wasn't excessively dense, Ves could add all sorts of heavy stuff onto his body as long as his cat's gravity manipulation ability could still keep him aloft.

Even so, every weight added to his body decreased his nimbleness. Considering that Lucky had to rely heavily on his mobility to evade detection, Ves resolved to keep his cat's equipment light.

"Alright." He nodded at Lucky, who found the current harness very cumbersome! "I should collect some good materials. Since your life and the success of your mission are on the line, I better invest heavily."

He opened a design interface and set out to design a proper harness that fit snugly onto Lucky's frame.

Though Ves was already pretty tough, he decided that it didn't hurt to add some additional armor in case the pirates coincidentally detected him and shot at him out of his intangible form.

He created a form-fitting suit of armor that covered his entire cat except for the paws and portions of the head. It would be made out of Breyer alloy and be able to resist small arms fire with ease.

Ves then added a second layer on top that would be made with the various sensor-dampening materials provided by the Black Cats.

He wanted to use the very best in order to minimize the chance of detection, so he directly decided to cannibalize some of the spare parts of the stealth shuttle.

He didn't need to use up too much material as Lucky was just as big as a regular house cat.

Once he added some external fixtures that would allow Calabast to mount all kinds of small and slim-sized gadgets and equipment onto the exterior, Ves felt very pleased at the result.

Lucky would definitely turn into a potent infiltrator and saboteur once he wore all of this gear!

Before Ves finalized the design, he halted.

There was something about the harness that made him feel a little uncertain.

It was as if it was missing something.

"What else can I add?"

Perhaps that was the wrong question to ask.

"What is it lacking?"

As Ves began to think about the potential threats he might face, he slowly recalled the unusual spiritual phenomena he perceived in the imaginary realm.

He recalled the warnings given to his mother as well as the information that Nitaa had passed on about the Five Scrolls Compact.

"Damn. I almost overlooked this possibility."

The Five Scrolls Compact definitely maintained a presence in this space! Ves had a very strong suspicion that their regional headquarters was located close to the center of the Gap.

Even if their core members never left their base, Ves knew the Compact raised a lot of splinter organizations.

The Church of Hatuumak came to mind. Those weird cultists who exhibited strange spiritual abilities that managed to confound his senses had almost caused him and the Flagrant Swordmaidens to succumb to an ambush!

If an unimportant splinter organization like that was already capable of performing strange but effective trickery, then whatever branch organizations the Compact erected in their backyard should be even more potent!

Ves struggled for a moment before deciding that this case was truly severe enough to merit a greater investment.

"I'm not sure if this will work, but I guess I can give it a try."

He briefly left for this stateroom and returned with the second B-stone he obtained.

He held it close to Lucky. "Does it hurt you if this rock is close to you?"

"Meow."

"Okay. That's good. Now, can you carry it around or will its properties resist your ability?"

In theory, Lucky shouldn't be able to extend his intangibility powers onto a B-stone, as the latter resisted spiritual intrusions.

Ves carefully cut a decent-sized chunk from the main rock and attached it onto Lucky.

"Meow meow!"

His cat reacted as if the rock was an intense source of irritation!

"Can you turn intangible?"

Lucky concentrated for a moment. Despite the effort he put into phasing himself out, it didn't work!

"Meow!"

"Damn."

The B-stone apparently resisted Lucky's efforts, which was a major letdown.

However, Ves did not give up immediately. He cut the rock in two before telling Lucky to attempt again.

This time, he successfully managed to phase himself out! Even though Lucky appeared considerably more strained than before, the B-stone was just small enough for Lucky to brute-force his phasing powers!

It was anything but uncomfortable for him though. Lucky quickly materialized himself back into realspace again and glared at Ves for subjecting him to this strain.

"Meow meow meow!"

"I'm sorry, but this is necessary. At least we know it can work! Tell you what, I'll reduce the B-stone even further before I incorporate it into your harness."

At its current volume, Lucky could hardly maintain his intangibility. Ves was forced to cut down the sample even further before his cat stopped complaining as much.

Now that he found the right amount of B-stone, he amended the design for Lucky's harness and included the B-stone as the innermost layer.

Even though B-stone was quite good at resisting spiritual attacks and intrusions, it wasn't really tough.

After fine tuning his design, Ves immediately proceeded to fabricate it by hand. He carefully exerted himself and made sure to achieve the highest quality possible.

Though the end result was far from a masterwork, it at least looked reliable enough to serve Lucky well in his upcoming infiltration missions!

Once he fitted the completed harness onto Lucky, his cat suddenly turned dark. Due to the stealth coating applied to the exterior, Lucky literally turned into a black cat!

"Meow!"

"I know you look different, but that's the point! Haha, I think you can pass off as a true mascot for Calabast's organization now. If not for your partially-exposed claws and snout, you would truly make for a convincing metal black cat!"

Though the armor already fit Lucky decently well, Ves took the time to tweak the fittings in order to make sure it absolutely fit the frame of his cat like a glove.

Only after that did Ves invite Calabast into the workshop to see the end result.

The spymaster raised his eyebrows. "Your cat looks rather annoyed."

"He'll get over it. Now what do you think. Can you fit your gear onto the attachments I placed onto the harness."

"It's not a problem, though the size and volume limitations will limit what Lucky can do. What do you call it, by the way?"

"I haven't thought of that. Wait. I have a good idea. Why not call it the Misfortune Harness? Wherever Lucky shows up like this, he will doubtlessly spread a lot of misfortune!"

The misfortune that Ves and Lucky tended to inflict on others was different from how Jovy's design philosophy worked.

Unlike Jovy who used his strange probability manipulation powers to nudge reality in an unfavorable direction for someone, Ves preferred to walk up to the person in question and kick him in the nuts!

Chapter 2190 Directing Projects

Just kitting out Lucky with the Misfortune Harness did not mean he turned into an expert saboteur.

There was a huge difference between sneaking into guarded facilities in order to surreptitiously munch on exotics in storage and to perform effective sabotage!

What to do first upon entry. How to identify critical components. How to rank them in priority. How to search for key personnel. How to kill them without compromising the other goals of the mission. How to return to the stealth shuttle without getting detected and shot to. Lucky needed to undergo systematic training in order to turn into a capable Black Cat!

Calabast took hold of Lucky, who still wore the black-coated full-body harness, and smiled in an adoring fashion.

"I'll turn you into a true terror after a few days. With all of your capabilities, you'll be able to single-handedly topple entire fortresses! Your abilities are wasted in the hands of Ves."

"Meow!"

As the woman took the gem cat turned commando cat away, Ves completely put Lucky out of his mind and began to cast his mind back to his mech designs.

With two major projects demanding most of his attention, he really didn't have that much time to spend on managing the task force.

Fortunately, the four minor projects demanded much less personal attention. Aside from spending some time on drafting a design and selecting some key components, the assistant mech designers only had to follow his instructions and work out the details by themselves.

While Ves did not have to be personally involved in every decision and implementation, he had to make sure to keep track of the projects and make sure they followed his vision. If the assistants designed without direction, it was impossible to form a spiritual foundation.

Even then, the spiritual foundations of the minor projects were substantially weaker than he was used to. In order to make up for the deficit, Ves had to act wasteful and purposefully transfer a substantial amount of spiritual energy into the incomplete mech designs.

This was a rather forceful and unnatural process of fostering life in a mech design. He felt rather unsure whether the spiritual quality of any of the minor mech designs would meet his standards.

"Well, completing four additional mech designs is better than completing nothing at all. They don't have to be my best work. They just have to meet the LMC's standards."

He already resigned himself to the possibility that all of his minor mech projects wouldn't be as spiritually potent as his major mech projects.

It was like trying to raise several children in a Kinner training camp rather than pouring attention on a single kid in a loving household. The former did the job of training massive amounts of competent adults, but the latter had a considerably higher chance of leading a fulfilling life!

Even so, Ves was very experienced in spiritual manipulation, especially when it came to tying it together with mech design. He had gained an increasing grasp of the rules and mechanisms that affected the formation of spiritual foundations. This meant he could 'game the system' in order to achieve the maximum result with relatively little time investment.

This was important, because the quality, quantity and purity of a mech design's spiritual foundation determined the functioning of spiritual constructs.

A strong, high-quality foundation not only allowed him to form more triggered abilities, but also increase their strength and potency.

A mech design that endured a lot of neglect produced a shaky, spotty foundation that didn't leave Ves with much to work with. Even if he did form a spiritual construct, the triggered ability probably wouldn't meet his expectations.

"I don't have to worry about that at this moment. Their foundations have barely formed."

In the first couple of months, the technical development of the minor projects took primacy. Making the right design choices, structuring the design process and providing guidance to the assistants. The more exotic and exciting implementations came in the later stages when the designs became more solid.

The Chiron, despite its rather low specs, was a very complicated machine. The ability to adapt its shape and change the proportions of its limbs had to be designed from the ground up, which entailed performing a lot of calculations as well as trial and error.

Since Ves decided to reserve the training mech for the Larkinson Clan, he opted to make use of stronger and more premium materials. While this provided the mech cadets with much greater protection against accidents, they were quite expensive and difficult to integrate.

Though Ves found it rather tedious to keep track of all of these changes, Gloriana thought differently.

To her, it was an interesting puzzle!

With Gloriana watching over this minor project with greater attention, the Chiron would definitely become a worthy training mech for the Larkinson Clan.

The Ferocious Piranha was a lot more straightforward. As a spaceborn skirmisher meant to bring the Doom Guard's terror aura to the enemy, the mech just needed to abide by the classic characteristics of its mech type.

It had to excel in mobility, of course. Ves paired the mech design with a very powerful lightweight flight system. As a trade off for its powerful accelerated and quick response times, the wings of the Ferocious Piranha drained energy at a rapid weight, which was quite a serious problem to a machine that couldn't carry a lot of energy cells!

Ves envisioned the Ferocious Piranha to be utilized in rapid strikes, flanking attacks and very quick raids. It had to be able to cross distances in space as rapidly as possible in order to bring its terror glow within the range of an enemy formation.

The damage it inflicted was secondary to the glow it exerted onto the enemy.

That said, Ves did not wish to devolve any of his mechs into glow delivery machines. Therefore, he tried to figure out a way to make his vision for the Ferocious Piranha more distinctive.

"The glow alone isn't capable of breaking enemy mech pilots unless the Ferocious Piranha gets very close. The Doom Guard is at least able to back up its threat with a wide-area flamethrower. A light skirmisher only has some piddly knives."

He failed to come up with good ideas for now, so he decided to mull over the decision later. Perhaps his experiences in the Nyxian Gap might provide him with some inspiration.

When Ves turned to the Sanctuary, he deliberately aimed to keep it simple. As an offensive space knight, its primary function was to maintain a zone that dampened glows as much as possible, whether benign or malignant.

Unlike the Ferocious Piranha, the Sanctuary didn't require too many gimmicks or additional flair. As a mech designed to offer sanctuary against volatile spiritual auras, Ves believed he needed to design the mech as something that conveyed silence, purity and tranquility.

"Kind of.. like a religious mech."

His face grew ugly as the vision he formed of the Sanctuary began to resemble the Transcendent Messenger, Holy Soldier and Deliverer mechs.

"This is not going to be an Ylvainan mech!"

Turning it into an Ylvainan mech meant that most of his customers wouldn't be able to make use of it. Customers would have to go through great lengths to hire devout Ylvainan mech pilots in order to make use of its glow dampening field.

"The mech has to be a product that is accessible to anyone. I don't want to exclude the majority of the mech market."

Ves wasn't sure how he could form a glow dampening field from his existing selection of design spirits.

"Maybe I need to create a new one for this. The most suitable candidates are too exclusive to particular groups of mech pilots."

If he created a specific spiritual product that solely focused on suppressing glows, then it would likely be strong enough to meet his demands.

However, he couldn't exactly form a spiritual product that possessed the right spiritual attributes related to suppressing glows out of nowhere. He needed to collect the right ingredients, and that sounded very difficult, especially in a rather chaotic place like the Nyxian Gap.

He scratched his head. This problem sounded fairly thorny. He made a note in his implant to look out for anything they came across or looted from pirates that might contribute to the creation of the right spiritual product for the Sanctuary.

As for the Crystal Lord Mark II, Ves couldn't be more attached to the project. As his second original mech design, he had long daydreamed of what kind of upgrades and changes he wanted to make in order to turn it into a mech that was ready for the modern battlefield!

The crystal aspect of the mech needed to be maintained, or else it wouldn't do its name justice.

As a mech specifically designed to counter other laser-armed mechs, Ves studied the MTA's component library extensively for a better and more practical crystal to place on the center of the chest.

Surprisingly, he found plenty of suitable substitutes to the original alien crystal. These were human-developed products, so they lacked much of the mystery and unknown applications developed by long-dead aliens.

While that made them simpler to make and easier to understand, their power level wasn't as high as he expected.

"The energy absorption and retaliation functionality are both roughly similar to the products of the crystal builder civilization." Ves noted as he continued to browse the list.

He felt it was a bit of a pity to leave aside alien tech for human tech. However, he had no choice, as the alien crystal technology did not progress and advance because all of its original researchers were long extinct.

Unless Ves founded a research institution that specifically deciphered the alien mechanisms of the crystal builder tech, he could forget about obtaining improved alien crystals.

This was something that required a major investment, but Ves wasn't confident at all that it would pay off in the end.

Ves was a mech designer, not a component developer! Swapping outdated parts for newer ones was a normal approach towards updating old designs.

He just felt a bit depressed because the slightly alien nature of the mech was one of its defining characteristics. Its strange head that consisted of numerous holes that shone like stars looked very ominous. The vapor from the Festive Cloud Generator leaking from those cavities added even more mystique to the machine.

Thinking about the obvious alien influences in the appearance of the original Crystal Lord, Ves couldn't help but scratch his head once again.

"What was I thinking?"

The mech simply looked too weird. Compared to many other mech models on the market, the Crystal Lord Mark I clearly didn't look human enough!

From a marketing standpoint, it made a lot more sense to morph the Crystal Lord Mark II into a more classical humanoid mech.

Yet a part of him wanted to resist this change. As logical as it sounded, he felt he would deprive the Crystal Lord line of its alien heritage in a permanent fashion.

Ves did not wish to cripple or warp the original Crystal Leader fragment which his mother had bestowed to him in the past.

It was that simple act of his ghostly mother that originally set him on the path working with design spirits to empower his mech designs!

"A revision of an old design doesn't have to preserve the original traits. That doesn't mean I should do so in this situation."

He needed to think very deeply on the current and future role of the Crystal Lord. Depending on his choices, he could steer the Crystal Lord into a more human incarnation or he may insist on keeping its original alien character.

Even if he settled this choice, he also had to make other changes to the mech. The original Crystal Lord didn't excite the market enough and the Mark II might follow the same route if he did not change more aspects of the mech.

"Does it need another gimmick?"

Chapter 2191 Path to Greatness

[Design Evaluation: Blessed Squire BS-01]

Model name: Blessed Squire BS-01

Original Manufacturer: Ves Larkinson, Gloriana Wodin

Weight Classification: Medium

Recommended Role: Knight Mech/Support Mech

Armor: B+

Carrying Capacity: D

Aesthetics: B

Endurance: A

Energy Efficiency: B

Flexibility: D+

Firepower: D-

Integrity: B

Mobility: C-

Spotting: D

X-Factor:

Cost efficiency: C

Project involvement: 90%

Original component composition: 7%

Overall evaluation: The Blessed Squire is a landbound knight mech designed to support assault forces. It features enough defense to withstand a fair amount of attacks and it possesses sufficient mobility to take part in offensive operations. The Blessed Squire excels more in its support function, as its ability to store, transfer and siphon electrical energy adds a considerable degree of utility to the mech. Its glow is also remarkable for its six different expressions that provides various different methods of support.

[You have received 50,000 Design Points for completing an adequate original design that has no other equivalent.]

[You have received 50,000 Design Points for designing a mech with a high presence of X-Factor.]

He had almost forgotten about checking the System's notifications. He completed the design of the Blessed Squire some time ago, though the Hexers hadn't deployed it into battle up to this point.

The scores given to the Blessed Squire looked a bit worse than he thought, but that was due to its very specialized roles. A mech didn't necessarily have to be great at everything. It just had to fulfill its designated purpose as efficiently as possible.

"Hopefully, it will showcase its true value on the battlefield." He muttered.

[You have personally assembled a masterwork mech based on your own Blessed Squire design!]

[You have acquired Masterwork Mech Assembly III! Create more masterwork mechs to upgrade this Sub-Skill!]

[As you are not a major contributor to the formation of the masterwork mech, you are not entitled to receive additional rewards.]

He already expected this outcome. He knew that his mech affinity had increased after the creation of the Little Angel. Gloriana deserved the bulk of the credit, but since she wasn't hooked up to the Mech Designer System, she wasn't eligible to receive an extremely precious radiant lottery ticket.

That was a missed opportunity in hindsight. If Ves added her to the System as a guest user, she might have been able to receive a considerable reward!

"It's pointless to think about that right now. I don't have the Design Points to think about bringing her into the fold."

It would take a long time before he could accumulate 1,000,000 DP. Perhaps the recent changes might accelerate his progress, but Ves did not believe it was so simple.

His project involvement in the minor projects would definitely be substantially less than in any of the major projects.

While Ves had no way to determine how the System actually defined and measured project involvement, there wouldn't be any loopholes. He would probably only receive a fraction of the DP rewards for completing a minor mech design.

The System was very fair in that regard, though from another perspective the System always took advantage of any opportunity to act stingy.

Now that he earned 100,000 DP, he finally built up a modest buffer again.

He partially regretted his earlier decision to spend his DP in a profligate manner. The lack of critical resources that he could spend to bail himself out of a crisis had weighed heavier and heavier on him since he ventured into the Nyxian Gap.

He underestimated the threats residing in the periphery of the region!

Now that he spent weeks in this perilous region, Ves felt as if he gradually shifted into the mindset that he used to hold when he entered the frontier during the last Bright-Vesia War.

His paranoia acted up to a greater degree as he didn't feel very safe anymore no matter how quiet his surroundings seemed.

The thought of encountering strong, weird and outright alien adversaries both terrified him as well as excited him. He paradoxically felt more alive as the pressure mounted on him. The gradually-increasing spiritual interference field didn't help matters either!

It was times like these where he missed companionship. With Gloriana and Benny both remaining behind in civilized space, Ves did not have someone on his ship who he could share his more personal concerns.

What was worse was that Ves couldn't even vent his feelings to his cat. Calabast enthusiastically put Lucky through a crash course in infiltration, sabotage and assassination.

Any day now, Lucky would be going about his day wearing a pointed hood and jumping off of incredibly tall heights just to coincidentally land on a haystack even though he didn't need the cushioning because he could already fly.

He supposed he could expand his circle of conversation partners. It wasn't as if he was alone in the fleet. People like Nitaa, Major Verle, Ketis, Commander Melkor, the expert candidates and so on were all potential friends.

"Hmm. I think this might be a good idea to check up on Joshua. I haven't really talked to him after he advanced to expert candidate."

Out of every expert candidate in the Larkinson Clan, Joshua stood out from the others due to his chosen conviction.

He was the only one whose developing force of will centered around life!

Ves found it quite remarkable that the vibe that Joshua exuded closely matched his own attributes.

Both of them seem to obsess over life and mechs. The similarities were quite uncanny! It was as if Joshua was his first direct disciple as the products made by Ves had clearly played a huge role in the young mech pilot's development.

As a mech designer, Ves saw himself as a creator and facilitator of life.

What did that make Joshua? He might truly be the first mech pilot who truly embodied the meaning of Avatar of Myth.

Even though he still had a lot of work on his plate, Ves impulsively decided to pay a visit to Joshua. He boarded a shuttle that departed from the Scarlet Rose and soon reached the Redfeather.

He met with Commander Melkor first. When someone as important as the clan patriarch paid a visit, it was only proper to pay respects.

"Sir. Welcome to the Redfeather. Your visit isn't scheduled, so I apologize for not preparing a tour for you. What do you require?"

"Tell me about the state of the Avatars first."

Ves told him while he idly toured the mech hangar. An abundance of glows washed over him as Aurora Titans, Bright Warriors and a couple of other LMC mechs vied for his emotions.

It was a rather intense experience to someone as spiritually sensitive as Ves. Fortunately, it appeared that the rest of the Avatars and ship crew were accustomed to working in the presence of so many overlapping glows.

The pressure and influence of glows did not grow stronger in a linear fashion. Eventually, the overlap of so many glows began to flatten out into a plateau.

Melkor began to walk alongside him while reporting the overall state of the Avatars.

"The Avatars in the task force have all been growing at a rapid pace. The intensive training conducted in the previous months are all coming into fruition. When the stakes are real, the Avatars are far more serious about improving their skills and refining their methods. They are making months worth of progress in a matter of weeks."

"That sounds good." Ves nodded with a smile. "How goes the development of the elite squads?"

"Quite well, but that is because of their unique nature. First, the elite squads are all small. It would have been considerably more challenging if we decided to implement elite companies instead. Second, the leaders are all expert candidates. Joshua, Jannzi and Tusa are all universally respected by practically every other mech pilot in the clan. Even if they don't possess any notable command skills, their authority is rock solid."

Strength and skill determined the pecking order among mech pilots. A considerable gap existed between a normal mech pilot and an expert candidate.

"Tell me about Joshua and the Bright Companions specifically."

"While the Bright Companions are in a combat-ready state, they are still developing. Its current focus on adopting an assault orientation is mostly due to necessity. The Larkinson Clan lacks a unit that excels as breaking through obstacles or is geared towards challenging very strong opponents. Jannzi already covers some of our defensive needs while Tusa already excels at mobility. This leaves offense."

Ves briefly turned towards his visored cousin. "It sounds like there is an issue. What is Joshua's opinion?"

"According to him, he doesn't want to pigeon-hole himself into a narrow role. He is a fan of every LMC mech and not just the ones that are defined by their attack power."

That sounded like Joshua, Ves thought.

"I can see how that can be an issue. What is your response to this request?"

"While I normally don't want to reject a request from a potential expert pilot, the Avatars and the rest of the Larkinson Clan truly need his strength in this capacity. Their charge against the Rust Grinders was a good example. Joshua and his Bright Companions quickly managed to take out the ship-mounted cannoneer mechs with a single devastating attack run. They single-handedly broke the Rust Grinders, turning the remainder into easy pickings."

"Hmm. That was indeed a memorable sight."

"Joshua may not like it, but he understands our decisions and knows what is needed. He just hopes that he can move to a broader orientation once we have cultivated replacements. It's very likely that most of the current members of the Bright Companions will form the nucleus of our shock troops."

Commander Melkor already formed an extensive plan in this regard, so Ves saw no reason to intervene.

"Let's put the Bright Companions aside and focus on Joshua himself. How is he doing as a person."

A wry smile appeared on Melkor's face. "He has attained a height that few people have achieved. To become an expert candidate, and to break through while showing a notable degree of forced resonance, means that he is very likely to advance to expert pilot in the coming decade. Not a day goes by when he is not ecstatic. Ever since he achieved his higher state, he has enthusiastically poured himself into training. Even at this moment, we can probably find him in a simulator pod where he tries to fight back against overwhelming odds."

Though Melkor tried to convey himself as a professional commander, he wasn't able to hide the envy in his voice.

Melkor was jealous of Joshua. He was jealous of every expert candidate in the clan. Why shouldn't he? Almost every mech pilot in the galaxy dreamt of undergoing apotheosis in order to attain true glory!

Much like other unattainable dreams such as being able to join the MTA or being born in a prosperous first-rate state, too many mech pilots would never be able to fulfill these dreams.

The overwhelming majority had to live with the disappointment that they would never be able to surpass their mortality when it came to mech piloting.

When Ves studied Melkor with his spiritual senses, he found no changes in his cousin's mind.

He possessed no spiritual potential to speak of. And it didn't seem like one would ever form, at least naturally.

Though Ves truly felt tempted to try and find a way to bestow spiritual potential to Melkor and assist him into becoming an expert pilot, this was not a good idea.

First, he had to develop a safe and effective method, which was anything but easy!

Second, Ves and the Larkinson Clan would definitely attract too much suspicion if expert candidates and expert pilots emerged at a greater rate!

Last time, Ves barely managed to deflect Master Willix's suspicions in this area. Since an MTA Master Mech Designer felt the need to speak up about this topic, Ves knew that he didn't have much leeway anymore!

Therefore, for good or ill, Melkor would have to contend with living as a mortal for the rest of his life.

At least Melkor seemed okay with it. As the appointed leader of the Larkinson Clan's most illustrious mech force, he already had something to dedicate his life towards.

There were multiple paths to greatness.

Chapter 2192 Confused

Once Ves gained an up-to-date understanding of the Avatars of Myth, he dismissed his cousin.

While Commander Melkor returned to his duties, Ves headed to one of the training compartments where Joshua was immersed in a simulation.

Even though plenty of mech pilots rotated into space in order to guard the fleet and conduct patrols, nothing happened most of the time.

If mech pilots wanted to keep their skills sharp, they still needed to participate in an extensive amount of simulation training!

When Ves arrived at Joshua's pod, he did not immediately interrupt Joshua's current session. Instead, he observed the closed pod with his spiritual senses and immediately noticed the nascent force of will fluctuating inside.

Compared to the force of will of actual expert pilots, the one formed by Joshua was still too weak and immature.

While Joshua's force of will was already capable of increasing his presence and increasing some of his human limits, that was all he could manage.

He wasn't capable of projecting his force of will outwards like a domain. He also wasn't capable of spreading his force of will in his mechs in order to achieve true resonance.

The difference was like night and day!

Even so, Ves already became fascinated by the blueprint of Joshua's force of will in the future. The vibrancy of life and the instinctual understanding that came with it echoed his own to a remarkable degree.

Though Ves may have felt disturbed instead, he experienced no such discomfort.

As Ves vaguely reached out with his Spirituality, he even managed to form a very loose connection!

He widened his eyes. Joshua's mental defenses did not block him out at all! Ves encountered no sign of rejection as his presence grew in the young mech pilot's mind!

Ves already sensed that Joshua was aware of his arrival. This was the unique understanding that came with acquiring a life domain like theirs. Perhaps Joshua even inherited the ability to talk to cats and other animals!

As Ves studied the prototype force of will further, he attempted to gain an insight into the differences. He was already aware of the traits of his own life-attributed spiritual energy. He wanted to see what Joshua could do when he empowered his will.

Ves already recalled and rewatched the battle between the Purgatory Envoy and the Fortunate Devil numerous times. He especially poured over all of the telemetry and data related to Joshua's sudden promotion.

His forced resonance ability seemed very interesting! Ves could have never thought that Joshua was able to repair the broken components of a mech by sheer willpower alone.

As far as he knew, Ves could not achieve this effect. He wasn't too hung up over it. He could already communicate with all forms of life and perform various spiritual tricks to augment his mech designs. He was not dissatisfied with his current capabilities at all, though a part of him thought that being able to physically repair a mech by relying solely on spiritual energy was a very handy ability!

The simulator pod eventually slid open. Joshua had finally finished his session. He emerged from his pod wearing a tight piloting suit.

The expert candidate saluted. "Clan patriarch, it is an honor to be graced with your presence."

"You don't need to act so stiff in my presence. As like-minded people, we will be cooperating extensively in the future."

"Yes.. sir."

Despite their inherent kinship, Joshua looked up to Ves way too much to consider himself on the same level!

"Let's head somewhere more comfortable."

Joshua quickly freshened himself up and changed into his Avatar uniform before joining Ves at one of the Redfeather's private lounges.

When both of them sat down, Ves studied the younger mech pilot for a time.

"I'm very glad you have made it this far." Ves began. "I have kept my eye on you since Melkor took you in. Your high understanding and compatibility with my mechs is unsurpassed among my clansmen. Now that you have become an expert candidate, you have set your course. You know who you are, what you are fighting for and what you want to become. Isn't that right?"

"Yes, sir, though I haven't thought everything through. Initially, I just wanted to enter your circle and pilot all of your mechs. Now that I have achieved this ambition, I'm not really sure what I am trying to achieve other than to protect you and the clan."

"All of that comes with time." Ves spoke from his own understanding of expert pilots and how they emerged in the original Larkinson Family. "While I'm not an expert pilot myself, I know that you need to develop an absolute conviction. The less doubts and uncertainties you have, the better. Expert pilots are always confident in who they are and what they do. Don't equate yourself to mortals who possess a complex mix of feelings and worries. Becoming a demigod is not just about acquiring extraordinary qualities. It is also about shedding some of your humanity."

This was an insight that he normally never shared with anyone. He gained it when he studied his interactions with many expert pilots such as Venerable Foster, Venerable Xie, Venerable Brutus and his uncle Ark.

What each of them had in common was not only their strong obsession and conviction towards an ideal, but also how they became increasingly more alienated from normal people.

Perhaps this was the hidden meaning to treading the path to godhood. With each step that mech pilots took, they increasingly dedicated themselves more to their chosen domains and convictions.

Even though Ves had never encountered an ace pilot or a god pilot in the flesh, he already inferred that they were even more single-minded than expert pilots!

Of course, all of this speculation rested on the assumption that there was only one trajectory for mech pilots.

Joshua remained silent and thoughtful for half a minute. The nuggets of insight that Ves provided may not sound profound at first, and it was difficult to know how relevant it was in the early stages.

It was fine if Joshua didn't immediately understand the value of this advice. When he completed his growth as an expert candidate and hit his first bottleneck, the young mech pilot would finally be reminded of what he heard and act accordingly.

That said, Ves might as well jump-start some of the processes.

"Earlier, you said that since you have completed your greatest ambition in your youth, you are lacking a bit of direction. Is that true?"

Joshua ruefully smiled. "There are so many changes taking place that I hardly know what to expect. One day, I'm piloting the Deliverer and constantly trying to deepen my friendship with the life that is inside the mech. Then you present me with the Quint, which is an entirely different beast. Some time ago, we lived on Cloudy Curtain, but then we had to move to Kesseling VIII, only for us to flee like rats to Cinach VI. Now, you have taken most of the fighting forces of the Larkinson Clan on a trip to the Nyxian Gap for some sort of reason. I don't understand much of what is happening."

The confusion in his voice made it clear that Joshua truly felt lost. It was as if he regarded himself as a passenger on a starship that flew towards random directions without any rhyme or reason.

It was different to Ves, but he was not only the highest-ranking member of the Larkinson Clan, but also its main decision maker!

In contrast, despite his power and prestige, Joshua was merely a special Avatar mech pilot. Once he advanced to expert pilot, his standing might shoot up to the point where he gained an actual say in the running of the clan, but he would still be confined to his own corner most of the time.

"I'm glad you shared your current condition with me." Ves said in an amiable tone. "This problem is easy to solve. First, let's consider the Larkinson Clan. What is it to you?"

"The Larkinson Clan.. is my new family. I am very glad to call myself a Larkinson. I like Jannzi as well. Ever since I advanced to expert candidate, I finally feel as if we are getting somewhere."

"Hmm. I'm glad you think of the clan in this way, but have you ever thought about what we are trying to accomplish in the future?"

"Uh.. not really."

Ves chuckled. "Well, I suppose I can fill you in a bit. Let's start with what has happened to us in the past. Back in Cloudy Curtain, why were we driven out by the Bright Republic?"

"Because of.. political stuff."

"Because we were weak. Because we were relying on protection from various domestic factions and the government that in the end proved to be weak as well. Now, what happened at Kesseling VIII?"

"The Friday Coalition attacked us and the three leading dynasties of the Ylvaine Protectorate turned against us as well."

"Do you recognize something familiar?"

"I get it, sir. It was because we were too weak."

"That's right. In the galaxy, power is the most effective guarantee of safety. The Larkinson Clan is our attempt at breaking our dependence on capricious and duplicitous groups that only seek to exploit us. Instead of putting our safety and freedom in the hands of another state, I have decided that our best course of action is to become our own state!"

Though Ves spoke of something grand, someone like Joshua couldn't quite fathom what all of that meant.

Ves sighed in disappointment when Joshua maintained a slightly blank stare.

"Let me put it in a simpler fashion, Joshua. The Larkinson Clan is your family, right? If that is the case, you want what is best for your family. People you know such as me, Jannzi and your fellow friends and colleagues in the clan all want to live their own lives and find their own paths to greatness. In the galaxy, it is not so easy to achieve all of this. The clan needs to accumulate both wealth and the power to protect ourselves."

Gradual realization emerged in Joshua's eyes, encouraging Ves to continue.

He placed his hand on his chest. "Now, as a very successful mech designer, it is my job to worry about gathering wealth. The products we develop and sell are very valuable, so much so that it turns us into a very juicy target to robbers. In fact, those states and groups I mentioned earlier are also greedy for my mech design abilities! The Coalition Reserve Corps almost succeeded in kidnapping me! Since that time, my value has only increased!"

"So that is why we need power as well!" Joshua's eyes lit up. "All sorts of people want to take you away or take control over the Larkinson Clan, and the only way to resist that is to become stronger, is that right?!"

"Exactly!"

A mutual understanding emerged between the mech designer and mech pilot. Since they happened to possess the same spiritual attributes which also seemed to facilitate communication, Ves felt as if he established an invisible bond with Joshua.

They communicated not only through words, but also through indescribable feelings!

Ves placed his palm on Joshua's chest. "As my future champion, it is up to you to grow stronger so that you can protect the Larkinson Clan against our biggest threat. There is a lot at stake. If you don't grow stronger, our clan might not be able to resist all of our adversaries. If we are defeated, then not only will lots of family members lose our lives, but our clan might also meet its end!"

"That's horrible!"

"It gets even worse. Without protection, I won't be able to do my job in the way I like anymore. If I don't get killed, I'll be taken into custody and design mechs that will never appear in public. This means that you won't ever be able to pilot my mechs. The public will never have the opportunity to pilot my latest products either!"

A small mental boom occurred in Joshua's mind. As someone who long obsessed over piloting as many LMC mechs as possible, the thought that he would never be able to pilot any more mechs designed Ves horrified him to his very core!

A strong pulse of willpower radiated from his mind. Joshua had suddenly formed a clearer idea of his purpose for fighting!

His eyes sharpened as he looked at Ves with a determined expression.

"I will never let anyone harm you or take you away while I'm around. I will do my utmost to defend the Larkinson Clan. Nothing can be allowed to stop you from designing your mechs!"

Hahaha! Ves inwardly laughed. It seemed like his Devil Tongue was quite effective! Accelerating Joshua's mental progression doubtlessly brought him a few steps closer to the day of his apotheosis!

Chapter 2193 Public Show

Though Ves occasionally paid attention to Joshua, he never really talked to the kid very often. A single one-on-one exchange therefore accomplished considerably more than he initially thought.

Joshua was like a boat that had gone lost in an endless ocean. Though the boat was clearly capable of traveling somewhere, it lacked a direction.

Now that Ves provided Joshua with a more concrete goal and destination to work towards, the expert candidate gained a strong motivation to grow stronger.

As Joshua's force of will evolved and grew a little more solid, Ves remained observant throughout the process.

This was not the first time he studied an expert candidate. He had a decent idea of what Joshua needed to do to catch up to the other expert candidates in the clan. As for taking his first true step to godhood, that was an opportunity that he needed to obtain by himself.

What Ves found curious was the potential cooperation and synergy he could achieve with a mech pilot who shared his domain.

Even now, whenever Ves reached out with his Spirituality, he always felt he could 'link up' with Joshua's force of will.

Naturally, he wasn't reckless enough to actually do so. Neural linking between two humans was exceedingly dangerous, and it shouldn't be too different if it happened over a spiritual link!

What Ves began to think about instead was trying to take advantage of this condition in a mech designed exclusively for Joshua.

If the expert candidate ever succeeded in taking the next step and advanced to expert pilot, then he needed a suitable expert mech to exercise the full range of his newly-acquired resonance abilities.

While Seniors and Masters were usually the ones to design expert mechs, Ves did not wish to pass off this responsibility to anyone else! There was no way he would rely on an external Senior to help him design an expert mech either.

No matter what, Ves had his own pride, and he believed that it shouldn't be impossible for him to design an expert mech at this stage!

Even if his work didn't measure up to the expert mechs designed by actual Seniors, he could always design a better expert mech next time!

Once Ves departed from the Redfeather and returned to the Scarlet Rose, he continued to speculate on the abilities he could bestow onto an expert mech.

Adding resonance abilities was a must. From what Joshua had briefly demonstrated back in the design duel, his domain allowed him to rejuvenate the parts of his mech.

On the surface, this made it seem as if he was made to pilot defensive mechs.

"It shouldn't be that simple." Ves shook his head.

Certainly, integrating resonating exotics that enabled a mech to repair itself should likely synergize extremely well with Joshua's resonance abilities. Ves did not dare to think how much damage such a zombie mech could repair in mid-battle!

However, aside from this application, it was rather difficult for Ves to imagine what else Joshua could do. One of the defining traits of a life domain was how both of them were able to communicate with other entities.

This meant that Joshua might be able to achieve a greater level of cooperation with design spirits than usual!

Ves could scarcely fathom what that meant for Joshua's future expert mech. Would he be able to meld with certain design spirits and be able to channel some of their distinctive powers?

That sounded incredibly wild, but Ves felt that it might not be as ludicrous as it sounded!

"Expert mechs are moving miracles. What they do defy common sense."

So far, Ves knew too little about the development of expert mechs.

If he really wanted to, he could ask Gloriana to explain what made expert mechs different. He was also pretty sure he could ask some favors from his allies and acquaintances.

So far, Ves did not feel inclined to pursue something that wouldn't be relevant for some time. He needed to focus his attention on his current projects.

When Ves resumed his work on his major projects, he continued to work together with Gloriana over the galactic net.

Even when they openly talked about controversial subjects such as proto-gods and the divine nature of mechs, Ves did not avoid them, but casually worked normally as if they were no big deal.

He knew that the Darkbreak module he was using probably gave Master Willix and anyone else in the MTA direct access to their transmissions.

There was no way to avoid these onlookers. If he refused to use the Darkbreak module and instead used a conventional quantum entanglement node, then the CFA and many other parties would listen in as well!

Ves felt pretty helpless at his inability to keep his remote conversations and collaborations with Gloriana private. He might as well accept this reality and use it as an opportunity to promote the illusion that he was a crank!

Therefore, instead of rejecting Gloriana's distinctive terminology, Ves embraced it. Design spirit became proto-god. Spiritual foundation became divine nature. Spiritual attributes became divine authorities.

Certainly, Ves believed that Master Willix must be probably learning quite a bit about his methods and approaches to mech design.

He was confident that it wasn't so easy to follow in his footsteps, though. Besides, if the MTA saw that both Ves and Gloriana sounded as if they were so delusional about their warped beliefs that they developed a consistent and systematic framework for creating gods, then that only strengthened his cover story!

One day, the pair discussed how to shape the Valkyrie Redeemer's personality.

"The Superior Mother, your mother, is a must." Gloriana stated with her hands placed on her hips.

"Miaow."

Clixie just happened to be projected as well. She looked confused as she failed to spot Lucky. Was he avoiding her or something?

Even though Ves felt annoyed that Gloriana kept equating the Superior Mother to his actual mother in a literal fashion, he let it slide. Trying to correct her would only make him appear more sane, which was exactly what he didn't want to do in front of the MTA.

"I was thinking of adopting a more youthful and aggressive expression of the Superior Mother." He told her. "The Valkyrie Redeemer is a marauder mech that is strong in both speed and offense. Those are traits that fit much better with maidens rather than matrons."

"That's not necessarily the case, Ves. Mothers can be very angry and very aggressive when roused."

"That's true, but that is something that fits more closely to the Blessed Squire, where the Superior Mother is watching over the male mech pilots. In the case of our current project, the female mech pilots of the Valkyrie Redeemer do not need to fight as if their mothers are leaning over their shoulders. They need to have the room to run wild and follow their impulses."

"Hmm.. maybe you are onto something. Is it even possible to express the Supreme in such a fashion? It sounds as if you are forcing your mother to do something she might not like."

"What woman doesn't dream of becoming younger?" Ves boldly grinned.

His fiancé chuckled. "You have a point. If you are confident you can make your mother younger, then by all means, go for it. I wonder what she was like when she was younger. What kind of life did she live to birth a wonderful lover like you? She must have led an exciting life!"

Ves coughed. "Enough about my mother. Let's continue with the design of the Valkyrie Redeemer."

It was not a good idea to talk about his mother's personal life over a compromised channel! If the MTA ever found out that Cynthia Larkinson wasn't as dead as the record stated, then he would definitely be in trouble!

Just as with the design of the Cat's Paw, the pair began to look at the weapon loadout first. The armaments of a mech often defined its overall fighting style.

They already decided to design a medium marauder mech. The mech had to be tougher than light mechs because it was expected to make direct assaults in smaller units.

Ves fully envisioned the Valkyrie Redeemer as a mech that flew over the periphery of a battlefield. Rather than join the pitched battles at the front, the mech should instead be looking for its own opportunities to finish off an isolated opponent or sabotage critical infrastructure.

"I'm not quite certain about the pulse submachine gun that we initially paired with this mech design." Gloriana frowned. "It's lightweight, consumes a modest amount of energy and doesn't take up a lot of capacity. It's just…"

"Individually, pulse submachine guns are rather weak." Ves finished for her. "I'm aware of that, but pairing a marauder mech with a full-sized rifle will basically turn it into a hero mech, which is quite difficult to pull off and pilot."

The inherent lack of range and accuracy at longer distances meant that the pulse submachine gun was only effective at closer ranges.

Normally, this sounded like a shortcoming, but it was actually a hidden boon in this case. Designing a mech to handle full-sized rifles while ensuring a high degree of accuracy and precision was very difficult.

Rather than waste much capacity in order to add a long-ranged solution to the Valkyrie Redeemer, Ves instead preferred to minimize his investment in this area and stick to a short-ranged weapon.

The pulse submachine gun undeniably imposed much less demands. The Valkyrie Redeemer only had to fly close enough to a target before peperring it with a large volley of pulsed particles.

"We need to keep the ranged option for the Valkyrie Redeemer modest because we have to dedicate a lot of capacity to strengthen its most powerful mode of attack.

The Valkyrie Redeemer also came equipped with a small shield and shortspear. This turned her into a discount version of a lancer mech as the mech was capable of charging any target on the ground!

Both Ves and Gloriana already possessed some experience with lancer mechs when they designed one of the Bright Warrior's configurations. They knew the most important aspect about facilitating charge attacks was to ensure the attacking mech survived the impact!

Gloriana did not express much concern. "You don't need to be concerned about finding the right materials and components that excel at absorbing shocks and impacts. The licenses provided by DIVA already cover this area. I even picked some of them out. They're all fantastic in what they do and they're already used in existing Hexer lancer mechs."

"I'll leave the decision up to you, then. Make sure to keep expenses in mind. Our budget can only accommodate some goodies."

Ves envisioned the Valkyrie Redeemer as a mythical valkyrie that offered redemption by delivering death. Right now, without the triggered ability that he intended to add to its spiritual makeup, the marauder mech did not quite live up to its potential.

Just like with some of his other mech designs, he felt as if the Valkyrie Redeemer missed something special. Ves felt the urge to add something more to the design, though he had no idea what he could fit in considering most of its capacity was already taken up by its existing weapon loadout.

"Hmmm. Let's get back to this topic later." Gloriana suggested. "Since we are working on several projects at the same time, we don't have to focus too much on a single issue. We can think over it slowly while we work on other projects."

The Valkyrie Redeemer would likely be the second commissioned mech design that the pair intended to deliver to DIVA.

As they both added more detail to its draft design, the vibrancy of the mech already became apparent! To Ves, it seemed as if the mech contradicted the phase of death, but Ves was in no mood to design a creepy, skeletal mech.

There was no way that female Hexer mech pilots would pilot something that looked so ugly and abhorrent!

Chapter 2194 Blinded

Task Force Predator almost made it all the way through Wreckage Paradise.

Perhaps surprisingly, the Larkinsons did not encounter many more pirates along the way. According to the intelligence the Black Cats gathered, some of the sites they visited should have been occupied by established pirate groups.

Most of the locations were devoid of enemies.

The Black Cats deserved no blame for this. The pirates had left plenty of evidence of their presence behind. No one wanted to come across the dreaded Larkinson Clan, which had already defeated over a dozen different pirate organizations who were just minding their business!

This was something that the pirates were fairly accustomed to doing. Life in the Nyxian Gap was anything but stable and the smarter ones knew when to run if an insurmountable opponent appeared.

Regardless, the Larkinson Clan increased in strength. After studying all of their prior battles and digesting all of their gains, the overall performance of all of the mech pilots rose by a substantial amount.

The battle-hardened Swordmaidens and Battle Criers only improved mildly, but the more numerous Avatars and Sentinels which contained a large number of rookies experienced more drastic gains.

Overall, the goal of using the pirates of Wreckage Paradise as a whetstone to sharpen the task force troops had been met! The rookies were no longer as green as before and earned the trust of the veterans.

With increased confidence, the Larkinsons entered into the inner periphery of the Nyxian Gap, which many people regarded as a true pirate haven.

The asteroids floating around became considerably more dense. The spatial warping effect had grown strong enough to cause many precision instruments to glitch at a slightly higher rate than before.

The spiritual interference field increased in strength as well, causing everyone's quality of sleep to degrade.

As the fleet slowed down its pace and adopted a more guarded posture, many clansmen found strength in each other. The dangers looming over their heads and the risks they faced caused many of them to be struck with anxiety.

Various people preferred various coping methods. Some wanted to get drunk and play Pirate Empires. Others poured themselves into training or self-study.

A significant portion of the clan preferred to spend their time differently.

In the past, this group of adopted Larkinsons possessed a much bigger say, but the mass recruitment in the Cinach System caused thousands of them to diminish in importance.

Regardless, the tight-knit group exhibited a remarkable degree of closeness and unity.

Of all of the developing factions within the Larkinson Clan, the Ylvainans clearly fell out of lockstep with the other clansmen.

Unlike the small but incredibly influential group of trueblood Larkinsons and other Brighters, the Ylvainans embraced religion instead of scorning it. The contrast was so extreme that it was a miracle Ylvainans managed to remain in harmony with the rest of the clan.

This was especially so because the Ylvainans overwhelmingly came from the radical True Ylvaine Dynasty faction of the Ylvaine Protectorate!

The murky past of the True Believers caused Ves and many other clansmen to view the Ylvainans with suspicion.

However, as time went by and the Larkinsons recruited an even greater number of people in the Sentinel Kingdom, the concerns surrounding the Ylvainans slowly diminished.

The overwhelming majority of Ylvainans turned out to be polite, friendly and tolerant. They did not attempt to force their beliefs on everyone, though they did not refrain from speaking about them either.

Suspicions about the Ylvainans faded as the leaders of the clan busied themselves with integrating tens of thousands of foreigners at once. The excursion into the Nyxian Gap demanded a lot of attention as well.

With the Ylvainans laying low, they slowly gained acceptance from secularists members of the Larkinson Clan. What the Ylvainans shared in common with the rest of the clansmen mattered a lot more than their differences.

That said, the Ylvainans still maintained their own distinctive identity in the Larkinson Clan. James Ylvaine, the self-proclaimed Living Prophet, held absolute sway over the Ylvainan faction.

Right now, he was standing in the observation chamber of one of the light carriers of the Avatars.

Unlike the majority of the Larkinsons stationed on the ship, James wore the plain red-and-white uniform of a general clan member.

Even though he was capable of piloting a mech, James never applied to join the Avatars of Myth or Living Sentinels. Instead, he maintained no official position at all. In fact, he shouldn't even be allowed aboard the light carrier!

Still, it was a mistake to treat him as an ordinary clansman. No one knew what James had done to convince Commander Melkor to travel along the Avatars of Myth.

No matter what, he was a genuine, upstanding member of the clan. Every clansman possessed the ability to detect something amiss from their fellow Larkinsons if they harbored any seditious thoughts, but James never exhibited anything but respect and admiration for the clan he joined.

As James reminiscent what it took to get this far, the hatch to the observation chamber suddenly slid open.

Taon Melin, a strong Ylvainan mech pilot and the chosen of Zeal, approached with a strong stride.

He looked out at the dim view of asteroids floating and spinning in space. Remarkably, none of them collided into each other. Maynard Fields would have been a lot more dangerous if that was the case.

"Taon." James greeted with a compellingly smooth voice. "How goes your day?"

The former elite Kronon mech pilot shrugged. "Do you even need to ask?"

"You are doing quite well in the Deliverer, but that is to be expected. You are so willing to surrender yourself when you pilot this great machine that you are beginning to neglect your own strength. Faith may be important, but that does not mean you should look up to a higher power whenever you want to do something. Faith is meant to strengthen you. You are missing the point if you are weakening yourself instead."

Taon frowned. "I.. did not realize that. I will mull over your advice and do better."

"I know you will, my child. The error that you have made is not an unusual one in the flock. Remember that even if you are a believer, you are still a human. In our mortal shells, we are each born with humans wants and desires. Do not forsake them so readily in order to become a shell."

The mech pilot dutifully nodded. Even if he did not realize the full import of the advice given by James, he already intended to study them later.

"If you don't mind me asking, sir, why have you called me here?"

"I foresee great turbulence ahead of us." James declared with a focused expression as he looked out at the asteroids. "Ves Larkinson shall encounter one of his greatest fears in this hungry vortex, and he must choose who he truly is in order to survive the perils to come. The clan patriarch owes a great debt and must pay the price for his greed one way or another. Larkinsons shall die. It is only a question whether some of us or all of us shall meet our end in this haunted space."

Taon quietly listened as James apparently made another prophecy.

"This sounds very grave, Great Prophet. If I may ask, why do you not pass on your visions to the Avatar Commander or the Bright Martyr?"

James sighed and looked down at the deck. "You know how the Brighters are. They think they are so enlightened that they are blinded by their own light. The Bright Martyr shines the brightest among the people of the clan. For good or ill, his light must dim, and the times to come shall accomplish that. We can only pray that his brightness will not go out entirely. As the guiding light of the Larkinson Clan, more lives are counting on him than he is aware of. These will be difficult times."

His ominous warning weighed heavily on Taon. The chosen never felt so uncertain as now. If even the Living Prophet showed great concern, then Taon knew that there were some very tough fights ahead.

"I will fight for the Bright Martyr and our fellow Ylvainans in the clan." The mech pilot vowed.

"I expect nothing less. The Bright Martyr needs your strength. He needs all of our strength. His strength as a visionary and unifier will play a great role in the times to come."

"Will you be taking the field as well, Great Prophet?"

"I shall lend what little strength I possess when necessary."

Taon showed great relief at that. His trust in James was incredibly high.

A moment of silence passed as James appeared to read the pattern of the floating asteroids. The hum of the light carrier faintly tickled their ears.

"My grasp on the future has strengthened." The Living Prophet broke the silence. "Yet I wish it were not so. My vision is becoming increasingly more clouded."

The Nyxian Gap had a way of unnerving anyone who entered the abyss. James just happened to be affected more than most!

Though it seemed strange to hear James profess any weakness, Taon did not think less of him because of that. Even the greatest people possessed chinks in their armor.

"Can I do anything to help?"

James shook his head. "You cannot fight against the entire Nyxian Gap. No one can. Do not fret over my condition. My difficulties will pass if we manage to leave the abyss."

"Is there anything that I must take note of, sir?"

"Develop your strength. Keep up your prayers. Do not lose heart. While I cannot foresee what terror the Bright Martyr must confront, you must demonstrate to him what true faith can accomplish."

"I shall take your words to heart." Taon placed his palm on his chest and bowed. "Shall I keep training with the Deliverer or should I transfer to another machine? I have been offered the option to pilot a Bright Warrior."

"That is up to you. As I have said, do not pray for assistance when you are fully capable of resolving your issues by yourself. Pilot the mech that gives you strength."

"Thank you for the advice."

As the small discussion proceeded, James suddenly collapsed onto his knees.

"Great Prophet!"

Blood began pouring out of the Ylvainan leader's nose. James groaned as he endured a lot of strain.

"Do not be concerned." He spoke to Taon. "I shall recover."

"What happened, sir?"

"I am blinded." James spoke with a measurable amount of concern.

"How can that be? You are the Great Prophet! You have ascended!"

"I am hardly the only fish in the pond. There are ancient horrors from eons past that still make their mark this day."

"Then.."

"Prophecies are always tenuous and subject to change. According to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, the act of observing something inevitably alters that which is observed. I am afraid that I have directed my vision to somewhere I shouldn't have looked. This is but a small punishment for my transgression, though I fear the rest of this fleet might suffer as well."

"If you are blinded, how must we go on without your guidance?"

James smiled and patted Taon's shoulder. "This is why you must stand tall by yourself. Remember my earlier advice? I cannot watch over you in perpetuity, and it shouldn't be necessary. Have faith."

Taon Melin inexplicably grew peaceful. Though great threats might be on the horizon, he shouldn't be thinking too much.

As long as he soldiered on and held onto his faith, he would be ready to face any calamity that might beset the Larkinson Clan.

After several more minutes, James turned to leave the observation chamber.

"One more thing." He spoke. "Accelerate our outreach. I shall spread the words among our compatriots. It is in darkness when the light of faith shines the brightest."

"The Larkinson Clan is already basking in the light." Taon commented.

"That is true, but some may find it inadequate. All we must do is change one of the light fixtures with one of our own. Our faith shall shine over the entire clan in time."

"Let it be so."

Chapter 2195 The Queen Left Behind

The Larkinson Clan still maintained a very substantial presence in the Cinach System. Despite the departure of many of the combat forces of the clan, tens of thousands of Larkinsons still remained in orbit or on the surface of Cinach VI.

The trainees and second-line personnel of the Living Sentinels and other forces still retained sufficient strength to protect the remainder. The hundreds of Penitent Sisters and the Glory Battalion provided an even stronger deterrent against any possible malicious actors.

With so much protection, the workers of the LMC and the other general clansmen were able to develop and work in peace.

Sales of the Doom Guard may have stagnated, but with sales nearing 100,000 mechs per month, the virtual headquarters of the LMC became busier than ever. Just trying to organize the production, quality control, sales, financing, logistics and after-sales support of this scale could not be done without the diligent efforts of the business-minded members of the Larkinson Clan.

As the soon-to-be-married companion of the clan patriarch, Gloriana oversaw all of this activity.

Even if Ves never granted her any authority, even if she held no other position in the LMC than lead designer, her sway over the Larkinsons left behind was unsurpassed!

Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson may be officially in charge of running the day-to-day business of the LMC. The Larkinson Assembly may be responsible for setting the overall policies of the clan. The Larkinson Executive Council may have a say in how to implement the current directives.

Yet for someone who transcended the rules, Gloriana did not shy away from imposing her own will.

On one day, Gloriana languidly lay on a sofa while Gavin and Melody stood side by side.

"Gavin, there is good news." The Journeyman Mech Designer announced with a smile. "I have just conferred with Melody, who told me that our Wodin Dynasty has finally received dispensation to set up a branch office in Hegemony space. My mother has already arranged a suitable office facility for the LMC. Please work with Calsie to staff the branch office. Make sure to send several loyalty medallions as soon as possible. The Wodins are already screening potential new executives to staff the branch office."

Though Gavin was pleased that Gloriana bothered to call him by his actual name, he wasn't so sure about the development she announced.

"As far as I am aware of, neither Raymond nor the boss has signaled any intention of setting up a branch office in the Hegemony, Miss Wodin. It is well-known that the Hexadric Hegemony tightly controls its mech market. No mechs designed by males are allowed to go on sale."

A confident smirk appeared on the prominent Hexer's face. "My lover's splendor is growing at an unsurpassed rate. Trust me, dear Gavin. My fellow Hexers will adore my precious 'man' in due time."

"I can hear the quotation marks around that word, ma'am."

"I apologise. I am unaccustomed to this word." Gloriana waved away the issue. "Don't treat the office we are setting up in the Scimitar System as a regular branch. If possible we should look into elevating it into our sector headquarters."

"I am DEFINITELY sure that the boss does not approve of such!"

"This is why I'm telling this to you instead of my beloved. Let's face it. The Hexadric Hegemony will overrun the Friday Coalition and become the dominant state of the Komodo Star Sector. How can the LMC possibly set up its sector headquarters in the Sentinel Kingdom or some forgettable state? The Hegemony will not allow it! Rather than wait, we might as well act early and lay the groundwork of our presence in my home state."

Gavin looked pensive. "I can't argue with your logic, but you should really bring this up with the boss."

"I already told you. He will throw a fit and refuse out of bias. What then? If the LMC wants to continue doing business in the Komodo Star Sector, it cannot do so without the sanction of the Hegemony. Just set up the branch office first and inform your boss later."

"That is.. not.. proper."

Gloriana grew fierce. She shifted her relaxing pose and leaned in on Gavin. "I will decide what is proper around here. I do not like it when obstacles are in my way. I have many ways of pushing them aside. Do you comprehend?"

The intensity of her stare forced Gavin to back down. He gulped as he wilted under the pressure. "Understood!"

"Good!" Gloriana turned all sunny again. "Melody, please assist as well. This is important. By the way, have you received word yet from Brutus?"

"He has informed us that he is not ready to turn back as of yet." Her assistant replied. "At this moment, he is in a crucial stage in his attempts to rehabilitate Davia Stark."

Gloriana looked sour. "He promised to return in a month! Why is he spending so much time on a broken old woman?!"

"He says.. he can do more for you and the Larkinson Clan if he continues his current course."

"Urgh. Fine! What is the state of our next round of reinforcements?"

"A convoy will arrive tomorrow, with more to come in the coming weeks and months. The initial convoy not only carries the first batch of materials and props for the grand wedding, but is also accompanied by wedding planners, bridal stylists and other renowned specialists. We shall receive some much-needed reinforcements to our Wodin Battation. All of them consist of loyal soldiers from the Wodin Warriors, and your mother has tried her best to select those who meet your.. specific requirements."

"Good. Have you prepared a list of guests to invite to the grand wedding?"

"We have finalized the list, I advise against sending the invitation letters at this time. With the controversy surrounding you and your relationship with Mr. Larkinson, not many recipients will accept."

"Do it anyway. We can at least determine who among them is worth befriending. If there is anything I agree with Ves, it's that it is best to keep fair-weather friends at a distance."

"Miss Gloriana, if you do so, then the amount of guests that will attend your grand wedding will not reflect the prestige of the occasion." Melody frowned as she clutched her data pad tighter. "This will not only reflect badly on you and the Larkinson Clan, but the shame might also be used against the Wodin Dynasty."

Gloriana showed no concern at all. Instead, she leaned back against the sofa and began to curl her fingers into Clixie's fur.

"Miaow~"

The Rubarthan Sentinel Cat comfortably dozed on a pillow.

"I am certain that those who decline the invitation at this time will rue their decision a few months later. They will drop to their knees and beg to attend our wedding. At that time, we can obtain some concessions from them, though I won't forgive all of them. I intend to fill the vacant seats with other guests."

She refused to tell Melody who she had in mind to take those places.

A day after this meeting, the convoy finally arrived. A modest but very intimidating fleet of Hexer vessels transitioned into the Cinach System.

The nearby trade ships quickly veered away as the combat carriers of the Glory Battalion closely hugged a number of distinctive Hexer cargo vessels.

Once the group of ships arrived in orbit of Cinach VI, the vessels joined the original formation of vessels of the Glory Battalion.

A large number of movements took place.

After transferring some cargo to the surface, various bots and construction vehicles emerged from the Hexer cargo ships. They soon began construction of a very large structure in space!

Meanwhile, the newly-arrived combat carriers soon descended from orbit and landed on the surface next to the rented base of the Larkinson Clan.

Hundreds of blue-and-gold uniformed Hexers emerged from the vessels and marched into the base in an imposing column.

The clansmen who worked at the base looked askance at the sudden emergence of so many Hexers. While the Glory Battalion was a familiar sight in the clan, they never saw so many of them at once!

The disciplined Glory Warriors ignored the befuddled stares of the gawking Larkinsons and headed straight to a mech workshop.

There, Gloriana greeted the Hexers that her mother had dispatched from home.

"Welcome to Cinach." She beamed with pride. "I know that many of you have signed on to a very different commitment than before. Know that this is an opportunity, not a punishment. Just because you have left the Hexadric Hegemony does not mean you are no longer able to contribute to the state. The oaths you are about to make will take primacy, but that does not mean you should forget your roots."

Her speech only took a few minutes before she gestured behind her. "Let us proceed further inside. A very special mech awaits in the rear."

With Gloriana at the head, the large column of Hexers marched to the end of the workshop, where a spare Bright Warrior stood in its hefty space knight configuration!

A Larkinson mech pilot already entered the cockpit and activated the mech, causing its glow to reach the entire crowd of Glory Warriors.

"Now, let us begin. Captain Serena Valeis, please step forth."

One of the mech captains standing at the head of the column approached the looming Bright Warrior. Despite its strong glow, Captain Valeis maintained her neutral expression.

"Please place your hand onto the mech and pledge an oath of loyalty to the Larkinson Clan."

The captain did as Gloriana instructed. She spoke a short but precisely-worded oath that had been handed to her beforehand.

The glow of the Bright Warrior briefly pulsed, and Captain Valeis frowned as she felt something trying to burrow into her mind.

Eventually, the glow subsided, leaving the Hexer mech officer confused.

Gloriana peered very closely at the first Hexer to attempt to join the Larkinson and failed to detect the distinctive sensation of facing a fellow Larkinson.

"Failed. Try again."

The captain did as ordered, but the Bright Warrior did not seem receptive.

As the second attempt failed, Gloriana began to look upset. It seemed that Ves had designed and instructed the ancestral spirit of the Larkinson Clan too well!

Even if the new arrivals had already undergone some ideological training in order to shave off the sharper edges of their Hexer mindsets, they still possessed a strong attachment to the Hexadric Hegemony and the Wodin Dynasty in particular.

In order for anyone to become a Larkinson, they not only had to place the interests of the clan above the interests of other states, but also exhibit at least some alignment to the core values and principles of the Larkinsons!

Apparently, Captain Valeis still had some ways to go before she could even think about gaining the Golden Cat's approval.

Still, Gloriana had prepared for this occasion. She picked up Clixie and stepped closer to the foot of the Bright Warrior before holding out her cat.

"Clixie, can you tell Goldie to do us a favor?"

"Miaow?"

"Just talk to the mech like you talk to the Larkinson Mandate. Goldie will listen."

Even though neither Gloriana nor Clixie could actually talk or see the Golden Cat, they still made the attempt.

"Miaow miaow miaow."

Clixie started to talk to Bright Warrior mech. This lasted for roughly a minute before the Bright Warrior's glow began to pulse in an aggressive fashion.

Gloriana grew uncertain as she pulled back her cat. "Try again, captain."

When Captain Valeis pledged her loyalty to the Larkinson Clan yet again, the result was the same as before.

"Hmm." Gloriana thought for a moment. "I think I understand why we are not successful. The Golden Cat is supposed to embody the thoughts and beliefs of the Larkinson Clan. Right now, our presence isn't very welcome here. While I managed to get in on account of my relationship with Ves, the rest of you do not share his affection."

Now that she figured a possible cause for the rejection, she could work on resolving it! If the Larkinsons harbored a bad impression of Hexers, then Gloriana should just change that by winning their hearts and minds!

"It's a good thing Ves isn't here, hihi!"

Chapter 2196 Modification Kits

The Doom Guard had entered the market for just several months, but already the astonishing new striker mech model had shook up the mech market!

Within Hegemony-aligned space and a little bit beyond, the local and regional branches of the LMC worked together with hundreds of third-party manufacturers to deliver as many Doom Guards in the hands of customers as possible.

Sales had shot up in the first weeks and already reached an enviable height so far! Numerous other mech designers could only look on with envy as the LMC benefited from a massive amount of publicity as numerous news publications and mech publications gushed over the intimidating but incredibly novel Doom Guard.

Propelled by enthusiastic journalists and industry insiders, the market came to adopt the Doom Guard through a combination of factors.

First, despite its problematic handling issues, the mech already proved at the start that it was extremely effective at its designated role.

Second, it received the support of several authoritative figures within the mech community. Even the renowned Master Willix of the Mech Trade Association indirectly endorsed the new product!

Third, the early battles where it had been put to use had already resulted in dramatic swings in battle. Those who fielded the Doom Guard almost always achieved better results than before!

Fourth, the consistently stellar reputation of the LMC caused many customers to trust in its latest product.

Fifth, the rising fame and accomplishments of the Miracle Couple dazzled everyone in the local mech community!

All of these factors and more caused the Doom Guard to solidify its place in the mech market for the foreseeable time. If not for its premium price tag, it might have easily reached the sales of the Soldier product line at its prime!

In a war-stricken star system, forces from the Hinsen Protectorate and the Phantasm Republic struggled to take control of a piece of territory that used to belong to the Chuka Republic.

With the fall of the latter, the three third-rate states that surrounded their prey had gorged upon the carcass and annexed many star systems.

Yet that wasn't enough for some!

The states were very reluctant to declare war against each other, therefore preventing their mech militaries from engaging in hostities.

Yet they didn't want to let go of any star system within reach! The upper ranks all knew that in this volatile time, this is their best opportunity to grab some extra stars. Once the borders solidified, it was much harder to grab more territory!

Due to these realities, a large proxy war erupted. The Traditional Tribe, the Hinsen Protectorate and the Phantasm Republic all hired and armed the local mercenary corps and sent them off the contested star systems to struggle for supremacy.

Proxy wars offered some of the most lucrative opportunities to enterprising mercenaries!

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They also tended to turn into bloodbaths. This meant that only the most patriotic, greedy or overconfident mercenary corps participated in these proxy wars.

Though the skirmishes and conflicts taking place in this contested region had swayed back and forth without much result for a time, the introduction of a new mech model changed the equation.

Doom Guards started showing up by the dozens, then the hundreds, then the thousands!

With some of the early adopters fielding entire Doom Guards, the formation of striker mechs foiled many attempts to come to blows!

Many offensive maneuvers failed as the melee mechs that eagerly closed the distance all flew back at the last moment or fought under visible suppression.

The slow-moving striker mechs did not remain on the defensive either. Despite their low mobility, plenty of outfits started to experiment with employing them in offensive actions.

From slow-marching them towards the enemy to modifying the mechs in order to enhance their acceleration, a vast community of enthusiasts and professionals banded together to develop the best solution!

Just one month after the release of the Doom Guard, the first modification kits started to enter the market.

Designed by teams of various mech designers who licensed the Doom Guard design, these mod kits consisted of a large collection of parts and components as well as instructions on how to install them onto a base model.

In many cases, the mod kits for the Doom Guard mostly entailed replacing some of the stock parts of its flight system and adding some extra components meant to increase the mech's mobility!

Though the price of these mod kits ranged from 100,000 to 1,000,000 hex credits, many owners of the base models who were frustrated by the lack of mobility eagerly spent the money to address this shortcoming!

The aftermarket modifications were very simple to apply. No mech designers needed to supervise the procedure as the mech technicians merely had to follow the instructions to the letter.

Two results emerged after installing the kits.

First, the overhauled Doom Guards accelerated much faster in space, allowing them to keep up with most spaceborn mechs!

Second, their glows weakened a bit as the modified mechs differed drastically from the original design.

By now, the mech community had already learned that it was very difficult to preserve the strength of the glow of a mech when making alterations.

The owners of LMC mechs had gradually learned that only slow adjustments and customizations over a longer stretch of time allowed the glow to remain strong. The adjustment period aborted many attempts at introducing radical changes to prior LMC mech models.

In any case, it wasn't a big deal in the past. The Desolate Soldier and other LMC mechs already performed well enough in their original incarnations. The demand for mod kits wasn't particularly strong.

That was before the Doom Guard entered the scene. Months before the LMC was prepared to release a light skirmisher that was meant to address this need, the customers themselves had already come up with their own remedies!

With several different mod kits selling like hotcakes, the proxy war in the former Chuko Republic abruptly intensified!

Mercenary corps fighting for all three sides started to experiment with their modified Doom Guards.

Battles that pitted one group of Doom Guards against an enemy group of Doom Guards became increasingly more common!

The duels between the Doom Guards quickly became notable for how much they diverged from traditional clashes between mechs.

First, many mercenary corps desperately hired and trained mech pilots who exhibited strong mental fortitude. In order to pilot a Doom Guard, they had to be strong-willed enough to withstand its glow from point-blank range!

Fortunately, unlike the mech designers who applied to work under the Miracle Couple, it was not as difficult to headhunt fearless mech pilots.

As every mech pilot trained for combat since their teens, the best of them developed considerably solid minds!

Even so, no Doom Guard pilot could withstand the nauseous ripples and inexplicable terror forever, especially when several of the glows overlapped with each other!

As a result, battles between Doom Guards rarely ended up with one of them downing the other.

The mech pilots always broke before their mechs sustained critical damage!

As long as one side's Doom Guards all retreated from the field, the other side gained a substantial advantage for the remainder of the battle!

"Damn these Doom Guards! I hate the LMC for introducing them to the galaxy."

"Stop whining! If you want to beat these Doom Guards, then go train your courage some more. What the others have been doing is actually working, you know."

Even the mercenary corps who had no intention of relying on Doom Guards to win their battles were still compelled to purchase at least one copy, if only to train their mech pilots to withstand the harmful glow!

Through these developments, the Doom Guard model became more and more ubiquitous in the states that offered it for sale.

Even the people in Coalition-aligned space started to pay more attention to the Doom Guard and other LMC mechs!

Sadly, no matter how much the demand pent up, with the Friday Coalition officially sanctioning Ves Larkinson and anything related to him, no glows graced their territories.

It was also at this time when LMC mechs began to establish a serious presence in the Vicious Mountain and Majestic Teal Star Sector.

Buoyed by all of the accomplishments of the Miracle Couple, the foreigners from other star sectors began to acquire a couple of LMC mechs to see what the fuss was about.

It was difficult to obtain the mechs. Importing the mechs from the Komodo Star Sector was prohibitively expensive. Only a handful of mech designers and mech companies licensed some LMC mechs, and even fewer bothered to produce them locally.

As the LMC was still a new and unknown brand in this foreign region of space, the initial sales had been pitiful.

Yet the first customers who bought the best-selling Desolate Soldier and Doom Guards quickly fell in love with them. When they employed the mechs for various new ends such as boosting the morale of their troops or depressing the courage of enemy mech pilots, the opponents who were unprepared to face these befuddling new mechs mostly suffered for their ignorance!

With the growing amount of drastic victories achieved with the help of these revolutionary new mech models, the demand for LMC mechs soon built up. Demand exceeded supply, which gave many a lot of heartache as they forked over excessive premiums in order to obtain their copies!

Even without the LMC maintaining a significant presence in these star sectors, the Vicious Mountainers and Majestic Tealers all began to grow fascinated at the products the Komodans cooked up. The frontier star sector presented a great surprise to many first-time buyers or victims of LMC mechs!

When Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson and Calsie Doornbos-Larkinson met in the former's office, they discussed the rising trend of foreign sales.

"I think we can go ahead with setting up branches in both Vicious Mountain and Majestic Teal. My office has already dispatched numerous loyalty medallions to both destinations."

Raymond looked concerned. "I am not happy with this development. It is difficult to exert control over what takes place in those star sectors."

"I think the loyalty medallions will play a surprising role in accelerating the establishment of the new sector headquarters. We need to move early and establish at least some presence in the foreign markets. If we continue to allow random mech companies to sell our products after licensing our designs, they may completely crowd the marketplace, leaving little room for the LMC."

She was right. Right now, the LMC maintained a high degree of control over the activities of its partners due to the contracts they enforced.

Every third-party manufacturer that had entered into a partnership with the LMC had to abide by standardized pricing, quality levels and other requirements. Aside from mandatory adjustments due to local laws and customs, the LMC mechs had to be sold as uniformly as possible!

Right now, this was not the case in Vicious Mountain and Majestic Teal. Several mech designers creatively interpreted the Desolate Soldier and Doom Guard design and developed warped variants that lost some of the essence of the base models.

The pricing was also excessive and all over the place, while the quality of the mechs sometimes left much to be desired.

It was a chaotic development that risked ruining the LMC's brand name even before the company formally expanded its operations in the foreign star sectors!

"Ves has great ambitions." Raymond told Calsie. "And regardless how much he claims to leave everything here behind when he departs for the Red Ocean, he is a sentimental individual. Knowing that his products are still sold and used in the Yeina Star Cluster will still make him happen in the end. Besides, the Larkinson Family isn't going anywhere."

Thinking about the Larkinson Family and its current search for a new home panged Raymond's heart. Though he wished to offer his support to Ark Larkinson, the old family possessed its own pride.

"We Larkinsons must make our mark in this star cluster. The clan and the family are still tied to each other. As long as we share the same name, we must always support each other."

Chapter 2197 Sand War Survivor

As the Komodo War and other conflicts began to engulf the star sector with increasing frequency, one exceptionally devastated region of space did not escape the fighting either!

The aftermath of the Sand War affected dozens of border states and trillions of lives. With the sandmen sweeping over almost every human settlement, there were precious few valuables left in the dusty ruins left after the sandman race's wake.

Still, a huge amount of profiteers and enterprising salvagers descended on the graves of the massacred border citizens like vultures!

At the Varantyr System, the capital of the former Vindmar Republic, a massacre ensued!

A chaotic horde of shabby mechs ran or flew from from an empty crater and fled the site as rapidly as possible!

Though the mechs all shared the same coating pattern, which signified that they belonged to a single force, no hint of cohesion or coordination was present in their panicked movements.

Their mech pilots had each been subjected to a terror that surpassed anything that a Doom Guard could accomplish!

At the very least, some mech pilots were still capable of resisting the infamous striker mech's fearsome glow.

It was a different story this time. The threat they faced was so overwhelmingly strong that even if they numbered over a hundred mechs, the mercenaries that had landed on the surface to dig out abandoned treasures had all been scared out of their wits!

Two mechs emerged from the huge crater. One of them was a fairly standard-looking rifleman mech bearing the markings of the Glory Battalion.

The other mech was the cause for causing the mercenaries to flee. The Star Dancer, floated majestically as it brought its much more powerful rifle to bear against the escaping mercenary mechs!

Capable of firing gauss rounds, positron beams and laser beams, this time Venerable Brutus decided to opt for the latter.

The vultures were too weak to merit more powerful attacks.

As the Hexer expert pilot focused his will and resonated with the custom-designed rifle, the weapon started to glow in a strange rainbow sheen!

When the resonance had reached its peak, the Star Dancer's weapon finally fired a diverging blast!

A huge splitting laser beam instantly shot out from the muzzle and struck dozens of fleeing mechs with perfect accuracy.

Each split beam just happened to target the point where the Star Dancer's sensors had already identified as critical weak points.

Even though the firepower of the Star Dancer's rifle had been dispersed over so many mechs, they possessed enough resonance-enhanced power to pierce straight through the back of the mercenary mechs without fail!

Venerable Brutus did not pause to admire his handiwork. Instead, he shifted the aim of his weapon 45 degrees to the side and soon repeated the same resonance attack!

With each pull of the trigger, twenty or more distancing mercenary mechs fell instantly!

Soon enough, none of the fleeing mercenaries remained intact. Each of them received crippling damage as they found no cover that could shield them against the wrath of an expert pilot.

A short pause ensued as the rifle cooked down from its exertion.

"Brutus.." A strained voice sounded over the communication channel between the two Hexer mechs. "When I requested you to repel the scavengers, I did not mean you should shoot down their mechs. There has been enough bloodshed in the Varantyr System. I do not wish the grave of my fellow citizens to be stained in red."

"Davia, you can't be soft when you deal with scum. Their motives are clear and dishonorable. Instead of respecting the slain victims of the sandman invasion, they thought to dig through the remnants of your people in order to steal what little heritage the Vindmar Republic has retained."

"...Did you kill any of the mech pilots?"

"Do not be concerned about the lives of those hyenas. If you must know, I have slain the male mech pilots and spared the female ones."

"Is that even possible?"

"You underestimate the sensors of a ranged expert mech. My mech is designed with this functionality in mind. The low-quality mechs of these scavengers offer no hindrance at these ranges."

Though Davia still felt disturbed, she dropped the topic. It was not as if Brutus was strictly wrong. She indeed found it difficult to stomach seeing the capital planet of the Vindmar Republic being treated like a giant treasure trove!

The two mechs lingered on the surface of Varantyr II for a time. The Star Dancer quietly accompanied and guarded over the shaky-moving rifleman mech as they flew over the coordinates of several notable locations of the former bustling planet.

The places that Davia Stark visited in her younger years only existed in records and memories after the Sand War.

The museum that displayed some of the relics that belonged to the founders of Vindmar was no more. The sandmen race, which did not possess any discernible appreciation for culture and history, ravaged the site of the famed cultural institution like it did with any other 'useless' structure!

Only sand and devastation remained. It was as if an unfathomable god wiped the planet clean of life.

Not even the native wildlife remained alive, as the sandmen even scorned nature!

The pair of mechs left the site of the museum and instead flew towards an elevated hill where the capital city's proud spaceport once stood.

Several different outfits had already descended upon the site in order to dig through any of the valuable cargo that the sandmen had neglected to erase.

Word of the Hexer mechs had already spread. As soon as some of their scouts noticed the approaching Star Dancer, the scavenging activities stopped immediately as the mechs and other vehicles instantly evacuated the site!

When the Star Dancer lifted its rifle regardless, the other Hexer mech physically stood in its firing line.

"Leave them be, Brutus. I told you that I do not want to inflict further suffering, especially against fellow humans."

"These rats are barely human. They will just come back after we leave."

A sigh sounded over the communication channel.

"Then let them. I may hold a lot of sentiment for the remains here, but even you cannot protect the Vindmar Republic's remaining legacy forever. At least they will be of some use to the people who are still alive."

Though Brutus agreed with her sentiment, he decided to abide by her requests. She was a woman, after all.

The pair of Hexer mechs visited some other notable sites, only to encounter one pile of sand after another.

The more they encountered this sight, the greater the weight on Davia's heart.

Through the telemetry transmitted by the mech she barely managed to pilot, Brutus grew concerned about her condition.

"You are growing more and more unstable. If this continues, we will be throwing away all of the progress you have made in the last few weeks."

"This is what I need, Brutus. I have been plagued by my concerns for too long. Let me see what is left of the places I once held dear. I cannot say goodbye to my friends and comrades, but I can at least pay tribute to my home state."

The journey eventually ended when Davia grew too tired to continue. As a recovering mech pilot, she could not withstand the strain of piloting a mech too long. An added difficulty was that second-class mechs were much more challenging to control!

When the Serendipity caught up to the two mechs and allowed them to dock, the two mech pilots emerged from the cockpits and changed their clothes.

Davia soon sat down in the lounge compartment holding a cup of warm tea.

The vapor wafting from her drink passed over her face as she slowly processed the sights she had seen.

Venerable Brutus sat calmly on the opposite side. "I'm not sure if we should proceed. It took this long to get you in a state to allow you to pilot a mech."

"I owe it to my fellow citizens to see what has become of the heart of the Vindmar Republic." The woman replied.

"Has it helped?"

She nodded. "The sights were dismaying, but at least I am not beholden to my imagination. I will always remember the devastation that I have seen. I need to remember the outcome of an alien invasion."

For a time, they fell silent as Davia calmly sipped her tea. The taste was bitter and lacked any sweetness. It echoed her current sentiments.

"Where do you wish to go next? Are you ready to return or do you need more closure?"

She didn't answer immediately.

"Davia?"

"I… I have seen the grave of my home state." She stated. "I thought it would settle the storm in my heart, but.. I am not as settled as I thought. I have witnessed the devastation wrought by the sandmen upon humanity, but I have not yet observed the destruction that humanity inflicted on the aliens."

Her answer caused Brutus to become pensive. "If you wish to witness humanity's final counterattacks, you can access the footage of the razing of the sandman's capital planet."

"I have watched and rewatched it more than a hundred times. I still feel empty. I need to see the planet for myself."

"There is nothing left of that 'planet' except for loose sand."

"It doesn't matter. Seeing what remains of that abomination shall have to do. Nothing will fill the void in my soul than visiting the grave of the sandman empire."

"I am obliged to return to my sister's side."

"Give me a ship, then. Take one over from the scavengers in this system. If not, I will seek passage elsewhere."

"There is no need for that, Davia." Brutus shook his head and smiled. "Let us venture forth into the deep frontier, then. The sandmen swept aside all of the pirates and other threats, so we will encounter very few threats along the way."

This time it was Davia's turn to frown. "My request is selfish. I do not wish to impose on you. As a uniformed soldier, you have a duty to fulfill."

"While you are correct, Gloriana already enjoys sufficient protection. Where she resides at the moment is far out of the reach of the Fridaymen. With the Glory Battalion and the Penitent Sisters on site, not even assassins can breach her protection. At this time, you are in greater need. Gloriana will understand."

"I thought a male Hexer such as you would never disobey your female superiors."

"You are correct, but my overriding mission is to protect Gloriana, safeguard the continuation of the Wodin Dynasty and do my duty to the Hexadric Hegemony. My decision does not conflict with my goals."

With those words, the Serendipity left the Komodo Star Sector and entered the Faris Star Region.

If anyone entered this frontier region just a couple of years earlier, then they would be beset unless they came with a massive fleet.

Yet now, a single frigate that was smaller than any carrier traversed peacefully through former pirate havens.

Before the sandmen scoured the border states, they conveniently swept the local pirates as well. The savvier and more resourceful pirates had long fled into civilized space and blended in with the local refugees.

Many other sons and daughters of the frontier were not able to move in time. Though Brutus couldn't care less about the scum that inhabited the frontier, Davia mourned for every human that had fallen victim to the sandmen.

"The sandmen have taken too many lives before they went down. The Big Two should have wiped them out before they turned into a threat."

Davia harbored plenty of grievances against the Big Two. Any survivor of the border states that had been wiped out by the sandmen shared her sentiment.

Their feelings didn't matter. No matter how many billions or trillions of humans resented the Big Two, the CFA and MTA merrily ignored the bleatings of the so-called space peasants.

They were too weak. Those who had fallen due to the negligence of their supposed protectors no longer had any voice to complain. Those who were fortunate enough to survive such as Davia lost their relatives, their friends, their homes and much of what they worked for just because the Big Two were too big to care for the little folk!

Maybe the Larkinson Clan was right. Maybe the clan patriarch, as detestable as he may be, was on the right track.

She clenched her fists.

The weak lacked a voice. They needed someone powerful enough to speak on their behalf.

Chapter 2198 Ves the Tutor

Over the course of supervising the steady progress of the four minor mech design projects, Ves slowly became more familiar with the assistants he hired.

The brave mech designers who passed the stringent final selection process through grit and courage already began to distinguish themselves from the assistants left behind at Cinach.

Due to all of the recent drilling they endured and the fact that they were part of a combat fleet, the Braves as they began to call themselves already began to develop their own identity.

Through the instruction and direction provided by Ves whenever the teams reported on their progress, he gradually imparted some of his design preferences in their minds.

Overall, Ves wanted the Braves to prioritize simplicity, practicality, cost efficiency, ruggedness, and timeliness.

He wanted to mold them into mech designers who did not act like sensitive princesses who couldn't stand the sight of an ugly stain on the floor.

Though Ves cared a lot about quality and performance, he valued practicality a lot more. Some situations simply didn't allow for thoroughness. His many experiences during the Bright-Vesia War had forced him to resort to quick and dirty methods many times in order to survive.

Rather than letting the Braves learn this lesson when the situation grew perilous, Ves might as well push them in this direction beforehand so that they would become better prepared.

Normally, Ves did not wish to influence the development of other mech designers to such a degree.

If possible, he wanted to give mech designers the room to find their own design styles and develop their own approach towards mech design.

This was what he had patiently done with Ketis. Even though she still inherited many of his traits and outlooks, at the very least she had a choice in the matter.

"I can't adopt this approach again."

He possessed much less emotional investment in his regular assistant mech designers. No matter how much they botched their own development, Ves would hardly shed a tear for their misfortune.

Assistants such as Moltar Ringer, Rina Orion, Estelle Lynwood and Catherine Evenson exhibited a lot of promise.

However, he did not need all of them to stand out and advance into promising Journeymen. Only one would do. The rest just needed to do their jobs of assisting his work earnestly while molding their design approach closer to his own. Even if their future did not allow them to ascend to higher heights, as long as they remained useful cogs in the machine, everything was fine!

That said, Ves did not wish to become a ruthless taskmaster who only knew how to whip his slaves. As a mech designer, he possessed the responsibility of guiding and mentoring others in his profession.

Since he led the Braves, he became responsible for them as well. While Ves was unwilling to invest a vast amount of time, resources and attention on their development, he did not believe his assistants needed any coddling.

After establishing a working merit system, the assistants could choose to contribute to the LMC and the Larkinson Clan through several methods. By earning a lot of merits and exchanging them for some potent rewards, the ambitious among the group of assistants would be able to climb their way up through their own efforts!

The industriousness of the assistants had surprised Ves a lot. None of the assistants were average people. Whether they were Braves or Erudites, they both worked diligently and tried their best to stand out and receive the favor of their superiors.

It was unavoidable that Ves and Gloriana both picked their favorites after several weeks of progress.

In general, the Braves consisted of colorful characters who came from a wide variety of backgrounds.

For example, Moltar Ringer used to be a Reinaldan before he joined the Larkinson Clan. Due to the state's murky legal practices and the state's recent devastation during the Sand War, Moltar ended up deep in debt.

Everything changed once he joined the Larkinson Clan. As a member of a tight-knit organization that had become as wealthy as some of the Hexadric Hegemony's minor dynasties, the little debt that Moltar owed to Reinaldan money lenders no longer became a problem!

As a result, the Reinaldan began to view the Larkinson Clan and Ves in particular as his savior. The man's incredible passion and drive infused a lot of energy in the Fifth Design Team, which he led with enthusiasm.

Out of all of the Braves under his supervision, Ves identified himself most with Moltar.

Both of them came from modest, lowborn backgrounds. Both of them had to work hard to crawl their way upwards. Both of them were emotional. Both of them earned some lucky breaks that allowed them to shoot up and bloom in greater splendor.

Most of all, both Ves and Moltar possessed the same trait that allowed them to thrive under pressure.

Combined with the fact that Moltar possessed spiritual potential, Ves already developed high expectations towards the team leader.

It just so happened that the fellow spent one of his rare and precious merits for an individual tutoring session with Ves!

No one else had requested this service as of yet, so Ves wanted to make sure he provided plenty of value in the form of helpful guidance and useful advice.

When Moltar entered one of the offices next to the design lab, he sat down at the chair in front of the desk.

Ves already sat on the opposite side. In order to prepare for this session, he briefly studied Moltar's record. He not only became up to date with the Reinaldan's past, but also the work he performed on the Sanctuary Project.

"Welcome to your first tutoring session." He greeted the team leader. "First of all, let me say that I will endeavor to use my knowledge, experience and insights to provide guidance to you. This means that everything I say is colored by my own personal biases. Do you understand the implications of this warning?"

The assistant diligently nodded. "I do not mind. Any guidance is better than no guidance. I have long been on my own since I graduated. I had to fumble my way to Apprentice and I still struggled to keep my former mech company afloat."

"Very well. Since you consent to receiving my personal guidance, let us start this session. Let us start with your design philosophy. According to your record, you are aiming to specialize in signal disruption, correct?"

"Right." He nodded. "Back in the Reinald Republic, I tried to focus on designing and selling mechs that would allow me to gain a footing in the mech market. I noticed that there are a lot of.. irregular outfits who needed a cheap and potentially disposable means of interfering with enemy communication signals. While there are plenty of good mech models that can achieve this job, they are too fancy and expensive for the audience I'm talking about. As for the cheaper ones, they're products developed by beginner mech designers who just want to earn some quick Reinaldan marks."

"So you decided to take the bold step and specialize in signal disruption in order to occupy this niche?"

"Yes…" Moltar briefly looked away.

Signal disruption did not sound like a glamorous specialization. In his record, it was classified as a Class II offensive design philosophy, but strictly speaking it leaned more towards utility.

Mech designers were humans as well. If they possessed the right opportunities, they were much likelier to pursue flashier and more impressive design philosophies!

This was why the design philosophies of most third-class mech designers weren't as sophisticated as those developed by their second-class counterparts.

In this regard, Moltar was more unfortunate than most and had to specialize in something that allowed him to survive in the mech industry rather than match his actual inclinations.

However, for him to become good enough to join the Larkinson Clan, he made an earnest effort in progressing his design philosophy!

"Are you passionate about signal disruption?"

"Not at the start." Moltar admitted. "Over the years, I found it increasingly more interesting. There are many different communication methods in use by humanity. There are ways to weaken them, block them and even hijack them! Though I can't accomplish anything fancy, I am already happy if my mechs are used to stymie the plans of the opponents of my customers."

The assistant truly sounded sincere. When Ves observed Moltar through his spiritual senses, he could pick up the former Reinaldan's faint spiritual activity.

That was a good sign. If Moltar held no passion towards his chosen specialty, then he didn't have a future in it. Ves would have encouraged the man to adopt a different design philosophy in that case.

"Tell me about your ambition." Ves asked. "Every mech designer seeks to fulfill an impossible dream. What is the mech you are aiming to design if you are ever able to reach the rank of Master?"

Moltar hesitated for a moment, but since he was talking to a fellow mech designer, he quickly got over this hurdle.

"I.. I envision designing a mech that can impose total solitude across an entire star system. I want to design and build a mech that imposes its entire dominion across light-hours! From one end of a star system to the other end, I want every asteroid, every moon, every planet and all of the space in between to become cut off from each other! Not a single hostile will be able to transmit any signal to their comrades!"

What a great ambition! The power required to accomplish this must be insane, and so was the exact implementation. The difficulty increased tremendously when the opponents of Moltar's dream mech became more powerful.

Trying to disrupt every communication method, from conventional electromagnetic waves to quantum entanglement, was very difficult to accomplish, especially since the mech had to block every possible method at the same time.

At his current level, Moltar did not need to aim so high. It was sufficient if he could design mechs that could block every conventional means of communication between ordinary third-class mechs.

"Well, you certainly aren't short of ambition. I think this is a worthy goal to pursue." Ves commented. "Right now, where do you think you stand?"

"I have performed a lot of research in my chosen field. Since I joined the clan, I borrowed several interesting books from the Larkinson Library. Reading the textbooks from Clarion University has opened my eyes to many more communication methods. I still have a long way to go before I can develop means to interfere with all of them. In fact, it might take too long."

As Moltar explained his situation further, Ves gained a sense that the man was splintering too much.

Ves abruptly raised his palm. "Stop for a moment and think back on what you said."

"Do you think I'm spreading myself too thin?"

"If you are cognizant enough to become aware of this shortcoming, why do you persist?"

"That's because my specialization requires me to provide a means to disrupt every signal transmission method."

Ves chuckled. "Moltar, no offense, but the amount of communication methods that both humans and aliens have invented is far larger than you think. If you develop specific signal disruption methods for each and everyone of them, you will need several centuries to accomplish your goal!"

"I will learn faster once I earn enough merits and augment myself." Moltar confidently said.

"While it is true that a good cranial implant and an intelligence-focused gene mod template can boost your raw learning ability, you still won't be able to see the forest from the trees."

"What do you mean?" Moltar frowned.

"I'm telling you that if you are truly dedicated towards signal disruption, that you should focus on developing more global, inventive and unique methods to accomplish your goal. Rather than learn or develop one specific method for radio communications, tightbeam laser communications and etcetera, why not come up with a way to block all forms of electromagnetic signal transmission?"

Moltar frowned and reflexively shook his head. "While there are means to do so, the more you try to stretch a solution, the less effective it becomes."

"Says who?" Ves shot back. "Just because it hasn't been done effectively before does not mean you can upend this paradigm. If you just focus on a limited number of broader implementations and focus on combining them even further, you might not be able to spread as much as you planned, but at the very least you can go deeper than anyone else. This is not only a more practical development path, but it will push you into spending your time on research and development."

The profound insight in those words struck Moltar like lightning! His eyes widened in realization!

"This is how true mech designers progress." Ves stated. "If you keep studying other people's work, how can you ever accomplish anything meaningful? Every Journeyman has arrived at this rank by developing their own original research. If you ever want to amount to something, then stop following other people's footsteps and start blazing your own trail!"

Chapter 2199 Disqualified Hexer

The problem that Moltar suffered from was a rather simple problem for Ves to address.

If Moltar enjoyed the guidance of a proper mentor, then he wouldn't have developed a fixation for researching an endless amount of minor, existing solutions.

In the beginning, mech designers still had much more to learn in order to become more proficient at their craft.

Yet learning existing knowledge was not helpful in itself. It only set up a mech designer to become an excellent imitator and assistant.

To become a Master who succeeded in introducing something groundbreaking and innovative to the mech market, a mech designer needed to do more than passively absorbing other people's work.

Transitioning from absorbing knowledge to generating it was a difficult step for many to take. Some mech designers simply weren't suited to venture into the unknown and do the heavy work of pioneering a new research direction.

Right now, Ves could only say for sure that Moltar had been spending a lot of time as a learner. This did not indicate whether he would make for a good innovator. It was up to the young assistant mech designer himself to develop the necessary skills, habits and mindsets required of a good researcher.

Ves passed on a couple more tips and nuggets of advice. He constructed a set of instructions that would allow the fellow to smoothly take his first steps in performing his original research. Moltar grew more and more thoughtful as he finally realized his precarious direction.

"Thank you, patriarch." Moltar bowed sincerely. "I already feel I have already earned back the merit that I have spent."

"You're welcome, Mr. Ringer."

There was plenty of time left in their session, so they began to discuss other matters. Ves took a closer look at Moltar's old mech designs and provided his honest opinion as well as all of the points that the man should address in order to improve the quality of his output.

They also discussed Moltar's potential future role in the Larkinson Clan.

"While no one can ever say if an Apprentice is capable of becoming a Journeyman, let's consider what will happen if you ever manage to promote. What do you envision yourself doing?"

Moltar paused as he thought over his answer. "If I manage to invent something good that I can rely upon to push forward, I think I want to design mechs and publish that can disrupt signals right away. I am very envious of you and your partner for being able to meet the needs of millions of customers with your products. I can't imagine the amount of satisfaction you feel for being such a big influence to many people's lives."

That was for sure. Every mech designer was an artist and producer at heart. They rarely designed and created something purely for their own enjoyment. Only by receiving the validation of many other people would mech designers feel as if they accomplished something meaningful in their lives!

"The LMC offers any Journeyman the opportunity to propose and lead their own projects. Journeymen can be trusted to develop products that will not shame the LMC and the clan. While you still have a long way to go, know that there is a bright future ahead of you if you work hard enough."

The tutoring session soon came to end. Moltar had become filled with new thoughts and needed a lot of time to process what Ves conveyed to him. No matter what, the assistant benefited hugely from what he learned!

That said, as Moltar turned his back and exited the office in contentment, it remained to be seen whether he amounted to anything.

The benefit of hiring many mech designers was that Ves did not need to get hung up on the individual failure and success of his people. He just had to provide them with opportunities and see if any of them bloomed. It didn't matter who among the assistants eventually advanced to Journeyman.

"Well, that's not entirely right. I really want Ketis to become a Journeyman. She is my first true student."

He took pride in her development. Even if her specialty was very narrow and specialized, he approved her decision to pursue an extreme. He looked forward to seeing what she was capable of once she formed her design seed.

Throughout the day, Ves not only busied himself with design work, but also studied some reports.

It just so happened that Ranya Wodin filed a new status report. Ves decided to enter the isolated biolab recently added to the Scarlet Rose.

"Ranya." He greeted. "How are you doing?"

"I have made an interesting discovery!" She replied as she gestured towards a scanner. "When I studied the 'exhausted' sample of serum that you provided me some time ago, I spent a long time studying the dead components."

The sample she referred to was the tiny drop of life-prolonging treatment serum which Ves had robbed of its life-attributed spiritual energy.

He subsequently used it up during the ceremony that birthed the Superior Mother. The drop of liquid stopped glowing as much and it didn't swirl anymore either.

Ves thought it had turned into a husk after losing the lively energy that provided them with mysterious qualities. He did not hesitate long before passing it over to Ranya, who enthusiastically studied it in order to identify and find a way to replicate its ingredients.

"What progress have you made, exactly?"

"Well, I managed to identify the general traits of many of the plant components used to synthesize this serum. I am not able to match them to any exoplants in my database, but that is because they are too high-end. However, many exoplants have 'relatives' that are akin to different variants of a mech. After a lot of observation and analysis, I have managed to identify numerous lower-quality exoplants."

"What does this mean, exactly?" Ves frowned.

"It means that I will possibly be able to fulfill one of the goals you've set! As long as I research these specific plant species further, I may be able to develop a formula for a more modest serum! While I don't dare to claim that I can prolong someone's life by a century, a few decades or so is very much within reach!"

Now Ves became interested. This was actually something that a very small number of biotech companies outside of the Big Two had already accomplished. However, they always charged ridiculously high prices to stave off death by just a couple of decades!

The only reason those companies were able to get away with charging so much was because the extra life could be obtained by spending money instead of merits.

"How economical would it be to develop this homebrew formula? Do you think it is viable enough to offer this solution to every clansman?"

Ranya's enthusiasm faded a little. "That is still a work in progress. The lower-quality exoplants may not be as inaccessible as their high-grade cousins, but they are still very pricy! Not only that, they originated from many unique alien environments and each of them can only grow under very different conditions. If you can get this far, then synthesizing the correct formula is also a huge challenge. From my studies, I have heard stories about how the synthesis of life-prolonging treatment serum has a ridiculously high failure rate. The higher the grade, the smaller the yield! Although I can't confirm this, I have also heard that the lower grades of serum are essentially partial failures. They don't quite make the cut and can only rejuvenate the lives of those who haven't undergone this treatment!"

Those were some bold claims! Instinctively, Ves felt that her logic was sound, but he did not dare to take her speculation too seriously. He was not a biotech researcher and was not well-versed in biology. Ranya herself was only the equivalent of a Novice or Apprentice in her profession, so she was hardly an authority when it came to something as sophisticated as life-prolonging treatment serums.

Despite the challenges that Ranya had to overcome, Ves still viewed her current work with lots of promise.

While it might be unlikely for her to succeed in a short amount of time, Ves was willing to wait. It would be great if she developed a way to extend the lives of his clansmen without spending too much money.

As long as every clansman was able to live ten or twenty years longer, they would continue to contribute to the clan by the same amount of time!

This would allow Ves to squeeze much more work out of every member of the clan! The importance of this couldn't be overstated!

After Ranya and Ves finished their discussion, they moved on to other topics.

"How is the Larkinson Biotech Institute?"

"I left most of the administrative work to a bunch of vice directors that I have appointed." Ranya casually said. "Don't worry. Even if I'm not there to address every single issue, the Institute is still developing on track."

As the director of the Institute, she was supposed to act much more conscientious. However, she was more of a pure researcher type than someone who enjoyed bossing people around. She was similar to Ves in that regard. It didn't surprise him at all that she chose to delegate many of her responsibilities to others.

As someone who relied heavily on delegation himself, Ves couldn't very well criticize Ranya for doing the same.

"How much progress have you made on your other projects?"

She frowned. "Not much, to be honest. I have too many projects vying for my time."

"That is what the Larkinson Biotech Institute is for. Haven't you hired other biotech researchers to assist you in your research?"

"We mostly focused on expanding our Gene Department and Implant Department. You wanted us to quickly develop the capabilities of providing second-class augmentations to the members of our clan. We've accomplished your target, but at the cost of neglecting our other responsibilities."

That was true. Ves couldn't fault her too much considering that he set these priorities. "Now that those departments are up and running, I hope you don't neglect the research role of the Institute any further. Understood?"

"Yes, sir. I'll instruct the vice directors to recruit more researchers and specialists."

Once they discussed work-related matters, the conversation strayed in a more personal direction.

"You've been in the clan for a few months now. How do you feel about your new life so far? As a Hexer, it must be very challenging to adjust to a radically different culture."

Dr. Ranya looked a little askance at Ves. She did not wish to reveal her inner thoughts at all, but she still had to say something.

"The clan is.. interesting. I would have thought that mixing so many people from different backgrounds would inevitably lead to chaos, but the combination of your strong presence along with this strange sense of kinship that I share with other clansmen has been remarkably effective in making everyone fit in. Even I'm surprised how easily I have come to like certain aspects about the clan. I feel proud whenever I call myself a Larkinson. I never thought that I would reach this point so soon."

Ves smiled inwardly. If even a Hexer like Ranya mellowed out after she joined the Larkinson Clan, then that meant the Larkinson Network was doing its job!

He had always speculated that the Larkinson Network and its relation to the Golden Cat would have this effect. Witnessing such an effective result made him glad that this experiment succeeded!

"Do you ever wish you could return to the Hegemony and become a proper Wodin?"

"No." Ranya answered without hesitation. "Though I initially looked down on you Larkinsons and your values, I have come to like what you stand for. To be honest, I don't even know I can still call myself a Hexer. I have spent too much time with nice, competent and capable men that I really can't accept Hexer orthodoxy anymore."

Ves was pleasantly surprised by what he heard!

Chapter 2200 Guard Kitty

Dr. Ranya Wodin-Larkinson's transformation from a typical Hexer into a more tolerant and open-minded Larkinson occurred remarkably quickly!

As someone who dealt with Gloriana on a near-daily basis, Ves knew that Hexers spent a lifetime learning that women were superior and boys had to be brought to heel.

Spending ten, twenty, thirty or even more years in the Hegemony where this orthodoxy affected every aspect of society meant that Hexers were notoriously stubborn about their beliefs!

He thought that other Hexers would be just as obstinate and convinced in their warped values and beliefs as his fiancé!

Perhaps it was a mistake to think that Gloriana was a representative example of a Hexer. As a Journeyman, much of her attitude, behavior, values and other personality traits had been essentially set the moment she formed her design seed.

It was the same for Ves. He could never forget about the time he advanced to Journeyman and witnessed the sight of his loose spiritual energy collapsing into a concentrated ball. It not only absorbed everything related to his design philosophy and approach to mech design, but also a bunch of random thoughts, emotions and feelings that he possessed at the time!

This phenomenon probably explained why Gloriana would always remain as she was for the most part. Only through the passage of time was it possible for design seeds and whatever had been stuffed inside to undergo a gradual evolution.

Expecting any changes to happen quickly among those who formed their design seeds was impossible!

Since Ranya was not a mech designer and did not form anything like a design seed, she became much more susceptible to the Larkinson Network's subtle influence.

The clansmen connected to the Larkinson Network may be able to influence the Golden Cat's development, but the opposite was true as well!

Ves hadn't been worried that the addition of Gloriana and Ranya into the clan would turn Goldie into a female supremacist or something.

The two Hexers were so outnumbered by the other groups of Larkinsons that their opinions didn't matter!

What Ves, the trueblood Larkinsons and the other groups thought possessed much more weight to the Golden Cat.

In that sense, it would have been more surprising if Ranya was just as contemptuous towards the male gender as she was at the start.

To be honest, as Ves interacted more with Ranya, he became more and more frightened at the effectiveness of the Larkinson Network's indoctrination effect.

Countless other people in the Komodo Star Sector had tried to change the minds of Hexers so they wouldn't be so virulently offensive, but such measures rarely succeeded!

Outside of extreme measures such as brainwashing, many Hexers had all been raised from the ground up to take the orthodoxy they learned as an absolute, universal truth!

Technically, adding Ranya Wodin technically meant that she had been subject to brainwashing as well. Even if Ves couched it in a less alarming term such as indoctrination or enlightenment, it still did not hide the fact that Ranya experienced a lot of changes that she ordinarily wouldn't have made on her own accord!

This was a very dubious ethical development, and someone with an actual conscience might feel guilty for subjecting so many clansmen to this treatment.

Not Ves.

Though he understood the problematic issues, the gains vastly outweighed the costs in his eyes!

Besides, it was not as if the Larkinson Network was solely responsible for transforming Ranya so quickly.

Previously, she resided in the Hexadric Hegemony, where dissent and different opinions practically didn't exist. The powerful state had done a very good job at shaping the entire environment and all of the Hexers living within the mold of its culture.

Under such circumstances, there was too much fertile ground for Hexer orthodoxy and no room at all for other opinions!

Ranya grew up and developed herself in a way that made fit in the Hegemony.

Yet ever since she was suddenly plucked from her familiar home state and jumped into the pond of the Larkinson Clan, she lived in an entirely different environment.

Usually, it wasn't so straightforward for a foreigner like her to integrate with the clan who abided by very different values.

Over the course of many years, someone who wasn't actively trying to integrate with the Larkinsons would enter into at least two different trajectories.

The most typical trajectory was that Ranya would still cling to her roots as a Hexer and a Wodin. All of the pride and affection that she held towards her background and origin had already seeped into her bones. Ves could easily imagine that she would have remained stubborn about her own identity!

The second trajectory entailed a gradual surrender. If Ranya wasn't as conceited about her Hexer identity as Ves thought, then she may slowly begin to accept the Larkinson mindset over time. This was a very gradual development and could easily stall for many reasons.

What actually happened was that the Larkinson Network hastened her integration into the Larkinson Clan to a much greater degree! With the instinctive affection that she sensed from other Larkinsons, it was very difficult for her to treat male Larkinson with contempt!

The effect of spending a short amount of time in the Larkinson Clan and bonding with the Golden Cat was much stronger than spending entire decades in the Hexadric Hegemony!

This combination embodied the concept of institutional isomorphism to a much greater degree!

Institutions and the people that interact with them ultimately influenced nonconformists into becoming conformists through exerting external pressure.

In other words, the environment changed the person.

Yet with the addition of the Larkinson Network, Ranya and every other adopted Larkinson suddenly became exposed to an influence that bypassed every obstacle and connected straight to their minds!

The active bond that every Larkinson shared with the Golden Cat in effect exerted change from within!

If Ranya joined the Larkinson Network but returned to the Hexadric Hegemony, then it was difficult to say if she would change at all. After all, no matter what thoughts she harbored in her mind, she still had to act like a Hexer to fit into the environment!

"It's the combination that matters."

The dramatically effective results frightened Ves a bit. His worries were only tempered by the fact that once someone became sufficiently Larkinson, they still retained their individuality.

Otherwise, the Ylvainans would have become secularists and Vincent wouldn't obsess so much about his manhood.

All of this reminded Ves that he hadn't really checked up on the Golden Cat for a time.

"Hmm. Maybe I should do that."

Ves returned to his stateroom and took the Larkinson Mandate from Nitaa. The ancestral heirloom felt warm to his touch, and the Golden Cat actively looked up to Ves.

Nyaaa.

His mouth cracked into a smile. "You are such a precious darling."

Though Goldie stood for the entire Larkinson Clan as a whole, she was also still an adolescent kitty.

That said, she developed quite quickly. Not only did she receive regular lessons from Qilanxo, she also formed bonds with more and more clansmen, each of which had their own story to share.

Ves wasn't sure how much she had grown as a spiritual entity, but he could still sense the youthful spirit within her. She was filled with vitality and spirit.

"Are you content?"

Nyaa!

"What do you think about the clan?"

Nyaa nyaa nyaaa.

"We have grown explosively since the beginning." Ves agreed. "We won't be stopping anytime soon. Once we acquire our factory ship, we need to bring in a lot of trained personnel. We'll be expanding even further over the years as we'll be acquiring more capital ships. All of those huge specialized ships can't be staffed by our existing manpower alone. We will have to open recruitment to skilled second-class workers."

Though Ves had no stomach for hiring Fridaymen and Hexers, once the Larkinson Clan traveled to another star sector, he had no more concerns about opening the door to second-class applicants.

Ves had no doubt that those recruits would come when asked! The reputation of the Miracle Couple was sufficiently dazzling enough to prop up the insufficient foundation of the clan. In fact, his reputation had always served as a pillar to his clan from the start, and this would hold for a very long time!

"What do you think about our recruits? Are there any issues with integrating the different groups of people into our fold? I hope you haven't been corrupted too much by foreign beliefs. Just because we are tolerant doesn't mean we should compromise on our core beliefs so easily."

Nyaa nyaa nyaaa!

The Golden Cat briefly left the confines of the book and floated over to his shoulder in order to rub her cheek against his own in an affectionate manner.

"Oh?" He chuckled. "Gloriana attempted to sneak in some Hexers into the clan? I hope you remember your instructions."

Nyaaaa!

Ves knew what Gloriana was like and he had an inkling she would attempt to add more Hexers into the Larkinson Clan.

It wasn't so easy to do that, though. First, Ves personally brought Goldie to life, and he invested a large part of his spiritual energy and intentions in the form of empowered images into her spiritual makeup.

This not only meant that she possessed a very high degree of loyalty and affection towards him, but she also valued his views the most!

Since Ves did not possess the most flattering opinion of Hexers, Goldie should also have inherited some of his objections towards Hexer culture!

Second, he designed Goldie to observe the overall sentiments of the clansman she shared a bond with and to slowly make them her own, within reason.

Though he never conducted any formal surveys, he knew that the vast majority of Larkinsons did not regard Hexers with fondness!

The male Larkinsons were very proud of themselves and would never subject themselves to the insane discrimination that Hexers practiced on a daily basis.

Unless males were spoonfed with Hexer orthodoxy from birth such as Venerable Brutus, it was incredibly unlikely for those who grew up in a more normal society to suddenly agree that their own gender needed to be beaten down in the dirt. Only deviants embraced this treatment!

As for the female Larkinsons, even though it appeared that Hexer ideology put their own gender ahead, they rejected it just as vehemently!

Aside from believing that every gender deserved equal treatment, women weren't isolated. Their male friends and family didn't deserve to be denigrated. More than that, they hoped that their sons and grandsons wouldn't be subjected to any humiliation either.

Goldie should know all of that and be aware of the peril of bringing any Hexers in the fold. Unless Ves personally inducted them into the clan or if they sincerely renounced their Hexer beliefs, there was no way in hell that Gloriana's scheme would succeed!

After a younger and more naive Golden Cat inducted a degenerate like Vincent Ricklin into the clan, Ves had taken the time to lecture her and provide her with specific instructions.

One of them just happened to be related to Hexers!

At the time, Ves only wanted to guard against contingencies.

He did not actually expect that his thorough preparation paid off. He raised his hand and caressed the Golden Cat.

"You've grown both smarter and stronger. Good job. The clan will need your strength in the coming days. How well can you cooperate with the mech pilots in battle? Are you able to empower the people piloting the Bright Warriors in anyway?"

Nyaaa….

Ves sighed. "Don't feel ashamed. This is new to me as well. I'm sure we'll figure something out when I work on the Chiron Project. We'll all be depending on you to help our next generation. You won't have to do everything alone. I'll do my best to coordinate with you from the design side. We're in this together, Goldie."

Nyaaaaaa!