Chapter 1301

While his visit to Zin Alpha III had been an eye-opener, Ves did not enjoy his visit very much. The pathetic degree of complacency among the locals really depressed him. The Kamoners eschewed mechs as much as possible. They didn't even make use of display mechs whose only purpose was to look impressive and imposing for their owners!

He did not regret the visit, though. The Kamon Republic's complacency and dependency on a superior state for protection opened his eyes to how blind a state could be when they forget they lived in a hostile universe.

"Even the Friday Coalition has enemies. There are also the masses of alien races that are hungering to regain the territories humanity stole."

Even if humanity maintained a long period of relative peace, it had never truly ceased fighting against the aliens. Both sides simply opted to have a strategic break in order to reorganize their civilizations and rebuild their depleted forces.

To lose the edge that the human race had developed during the Age of Conquest did not seem wise to Ves.

"Centuries have passed since Kamon has last fought a serious conflict." He scoffed.

Ves had a feeling that the MTA and CFA didn't like to see this either. This was probably why they did not try very hard to stop human infighting. As long as states kept fighting against each other, they continued to remain in fighting shape.

That might not seem important now, but if the alien races ever decided to launch a counterattack, then most human states would be ready to resist!

As Ves returned to the Barracuda that currently orbited Zin Alpha III, he met a curious Gavin.

"Did you have fun on the surface?"

"Not as much." Ves shook his head. "Kamon's mech culture is on life support."

"This place is different from the Bright Republic. They never had to contend against the equivalent of the Vesia Kingdom. While they share an uncomfortable border with the Hexadric Hegemony, it's beneath the second-rate state's notice to invade the Kamon Republic."

"Well, I have seen everything there is to see. I'm dying to visit the Kinner Tribe. They're a lot more desperate. It'll be interesting to see how resilient the Kinners turn out to be compared to the Kamoners."

"Before you retire, we received a comm request from a new contact." Gavin informed him. "We aren't sure whether you wanted to talk to him, so we kept him on hold until you returned."

"Oh? Who wants to call me? Is it one of the mech designers on the list? Have any of them changed their minds?"

"No.. it's a more significant figure. A Journeyman called Tristan Wesseling wanted to speak with you directly. As far as we could gather, he's a direct disciple of Master Katzenberg of the Carnegie Group. I'm not sure whether it's wise for us to engage in conversation with him considering your current relationship with the Coalition."

Ah. Ves hadn't been able to talk to Tristan after the end of the trials at the Pit. The Rim Guardians booted him out of their clubhouse first.

Though Master Olson formally cut off his connections to the Friday Coalition, Ves did not hold any animosity against them. It would be nice to Ves to talk to a mech designer he considered to be a peer.

"It's fine. He's an acquaintance from Centerpoint. Accept the comm request and route the call to my stateroom if he's available."

"If that is what you want. I'll contact him and see if he's available."

As soon as Ves entered his stateroom and hung up his shawl while throwing Lucky in the air.

"Meow!"

As Lucky scrabbled for stability in the air, the compartment's projectors came to life. The familiar form of Tristan came into view.

"Ves."

"Tristan."

Both of them studied each other for a moment.

"You don't look like a Hexer lover. Did you seduce Miss Wodin or did she seduce you?"

"It's complicated. I used a matchmaking service and they thought it was a good idea for me to meet with her. As for what ensued, all I can say is that Gloriana is intense."

"Miss Wodin is one of the most eccentric Hexer mech designers to have emerged in recent times. She only works on custom mechs, you know."

"I'm aware. I don't mind this limitation. Sometimes one excellent mech is more valuable than a million normal mechs."

"You misunderstand." Tristan shook his head. "I didn't mean to suggest that Miss Wodin's design philosophy is a detriment. In fact, it's the opposite. Aren't you aware, Ves?"

Though Ves hadn't thought about it before, Tristan's prompting quickly reminded him of a very important aspect about custom mechs. "Designing custom mechs for regular mech pilots is just the start. The best custom mechs are those tailored for expert pilots and higher!"

At this point, Gloriana advanced fairly recently. As an inexperienced Journeyman, she lacked the qualifications to become involved in the development of expert mechs.

Yet soon a time would come where she progressed far enough to receive the acknowledgement of the Seniors or Masters in charge of the development of expert mechs!

As a contributing designer, Gloriana could bring a lot to the table as long as her design philosophy didn't clash with the other designers involved in the project.

Once she contributed to a number of successful expert mech designs, by the time she advanced to Senior, she would definitely be able to head an expert mech project as its lead designer!

And for good reason! A mech designer who foreswore designing mass-produced mechs and focused solely on custom mechs to the point of basing her design philosophy around it would definitely be able to excel in this aspect!

An ordinary mech designer with a more normal design philosophy simply couldn't compete against her in this area!

Others were already aware of her potential in this field. This must be why the MTA favored her. Even if her hopes of advancing to Master was low, her design philosophy already added a lot of value at the Senior level!

"Miss Wodin is a very desirable mech designer. She rejected a lot of suitors, you know." Tristan remarked. "It's very surprising that she settled for a Brighter of all mech designers."

"Because of her potential to design fantastic expert mechs?"

"Yup. Many influences are eying her ability to take expert mechs to the next level. An effective performance boost of five percent or ten percent is extremely significant at high-level combat. It's enough to drastically swing the outcome of battles between expert mechs!"

Ves hadn't fully thought about Gloriana's significance. It turned out that she was quite the hot potato!

"Does this mean I'm in danger or something?"

"Miss Wodin has already claimed you as hers. If anyone touches you, it's an affront to the Wodin Dynasty. They'll be forced to respond, causing the Hegemony to enter into turmoil. No one wants to see that happen."

That did not sound very reassuring to Ves. Although Ves likely wouldn't face any open attacks, that did not rule out dirtier means of eliminating him. He had plenty of experience with assassination attempts!

Ves rubbed his face. He was exasperated. "Thanks for the warning, Tristan. I'll be sure to make the right precautions."

"No problem." Tristan smiled. "Anything for a fellow mech designer. Personally, I dislike mech designers who engage in dirty dealings. They have no honor. If they want to steal Miss Wodin away from you, they should challenge you in public!"

"I'm grateful for your vote of confidence." Ves ruefully smiled. "I have to ask, why are you still so friendly to me? I'm no longer Master Olson's apprentice. I've even been kicked out of the Clifford Society!"

"We're mech designers." Tristan emphatically stated and spread his arms. "Fridayman, Hexer, Brighter, those are just labels. Even if we will face each other on opposite sides one day, that will not affect my respect for you. Your performance during the trials thoroughly proved you're worthy of my regard. Trust me, I have a good eye for that!"

In other words, Tristan believed that Ves would rise high one day and wanted to make sure there would still be a connection between them if that happened.

This was a very calculated decision on the part of Tristan. Master Katzenberg's apprentice was very keen on building up a network with notable and promising mech designers, and didn't mind if some of them belonged to the opposite side!

Such an open-minded and far-sighted approach to establishing connections drew a lot of admiration from Ves. He should take a page out of Tristan's book!

"Well, if you don't mind becoming friends with me, I'm okay with staying in touch." Ves smiled.

Both of them implicitly understood the underlying truth behind their relationship. Each of them saw value in maintaining a friendly connection with each other. The moment one of them died or became worthless, their friendship was as good as dead.

This was the nature of friendship based on mutual interest. Ves should know, since he already forged a more comprehensive pact with Calabast.

After both understood each other's intent, they began to settle down and chat. Ves took the opportunity to ask what Tristan heard about Gloriana on Centerpoint.

"So she basically went to a bunch of public venues, most of them frequented by fellow mech designers, and bragged about her new 'boyfriend'?"

"Yup. she wasn't even subtle about it at all." Tristan nodded. "She crowed your name out loud whenever there was an opening in a conversation. Since a lot of influences are keeping track of her, the news spread rapidly."

Hearing this prompted Ves to conclude that Gloriana acted very deliberately to spread news of her new relationship. This was a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to take decisive action!

"What do you think?" Ves curiously asked.

"I haven't heard much about Miss Wodin, other than that she's very picky and demanding. While you're definitely lucky to have her as a girlfriend, she's definitely a high-maintenance girl, if you know what I mean."

Ves chuckled. "I'm very much aware of that possibility."

"Seriously though, you're very lucky to have found a girlfriend who matches with your personality and your design philosophy. Some mech designers have little choice but to pair up with people who only fulfil one or the other. There is nothing wrong with mech designers marrying people who aren't mech designers or whose design philosophies don't match, but it's wasted potential."

"As for mech designers who marry to advance their design philosophies rather than out of love, their lives are probably less fulfilling than others." Ves added.

"They can get quite dysfunctional." Tristan agreed. "Mech designers at our level and higher are all good enough to receive galactic citizenship. When two of our kind disagree with each other but are forced to make nice just because their design philosophies work well with each other, all kinds of ugly situations occur behind closed doors."

Ves read the implicit message behind this example. It was a warning to him that he should take care to never reach this point with Gloriana!

That reminded him of something. "By the way, have you heard of a fellow Brighter mech designer of mine by the name of Patricia Schneider?"

"Master Null's apprentice? She's quite an intriguing mech designer. She does remarkable work with heavy mechs and she's been involved in several design projects led by Lyri Reywind."

"I'm interested to hear how she's doing. She's a former classmate of mine. How is she doing?"

"She's been doing quite well for an immigrant. I heard she recently got married. I missed her wedding as I was already on Centerpoint."

"Do you know who she married?"

"Just some Leemar graduate. As far as I know, he's just an Apprentice." Tristan replied dismissively. "I think they both married for practical reasons rather than for love. Miss Schneider needed inside access to the Friday Coalition, and the only way to do that was to marry one of our domestic mech designers."

"Are you sure that's the case?" Ves asked huskily.

He was stunned by this revelation!

"The man she chose is a nobody, Ves. The lucky fellow hasn't caught the attention of any Masters. He likely lacked the confidence to make it anywhere in the mech industry. For this reason, he probably agreed to marry Patricia because she's apprenticed to a Master and therefore a better mech designer. Her chances of advancing to Journeyman is a lot higher, and if her relationship with Master Null is as close as the rumors suggest, then reaching Senior is not out of reach."

Ves entered into a slightly turbulent mood. After Patricia told him that she was about to marry, he stopped inquiring any further into her situation.

Although getting closer access to the Friday Coalition definitely played a part, he long thought that she truly married for love!

Chapter 1302

Ves quickly calmed down after he heard Tristan describe Patricia's marriage.

Though he felt uncomfortable about her decisions, Patricia was her own woman. It was fully within her right to marry any man she wanted. For her to marry some random Apprentice Mech Designer who graduated from Leemar was her prerogative.

Why should he care so much about the man she chose to spend the rest of her life with? It was none of his business. Ves had his own relationships to deal with. He could hardly spare any attention to Patricia's circumstances, especially since it became even unlikelier they would ever cross paths in the future.

Both sides got something out of each other so Ves could hardly fault the practicality of the pairing.

Still, Ves expected that Patricia would marry someone better.

"I've heard rumors that Master Null favors Patricia a lot." Tristan continued. "If he isn't so insistent on hiding his identity in order to avoid his old enemies, he might have even taken Patricia in as his direct disciple. Hearing from you that she's your former classmate, that doesn't surprise me anymore. Where the hell did the two of you even study to become this good?"

"Just an average institution in the Bright Republic. The two of us are just abnormal." Ves shrugged. "It's not important. I'm just happy to hear that Patricia is finding success in her own way. I hope she doesn't take too long to advance to Journeyman."

Ves noticed that ever since he became a Journeyman himself, his perspective on Apprentices and lower had shifted. He hung out more with other Journeyman who all regarded Apprentices as kids with relatively little importance and took over their attitude.

As someone who only recently crawled out of the ranks of Apprentices, a part of him felt offended by this treatment. Yet as a Journeyman himself, unrealized potential was still unrealized.

They still had to pass the extraordinary threshold in order to gain notice. This was quite hard for most Apprentices. Compounding the situation was that mech designers did not have an equivalent rank to expert candidates in the mech piloting profession.

Expert candidates only possessed a fraction of the potential of expert pilots. However, their emergence proved that a particular mech pilot possessed a definite potential to become someone greater, and thus could always count on enjoying better treatment and much more investment in their training.

Not so for Apprentices. Most only had a vague clue of how far they progressed, and no one took their judgement seriously.

After a bit of chatting, Tristan passed on one more remark before he ended the call.

"Don't neglect the Rim Guardians. Even if they're often bullied by the other Mechers, they are still one of the most well-equipped organizations in the galactic rim. They have access to tech, exotics, treatments and other goodies far beyond any local power. Best of all, they're quite willing to share in their bounty to their allies as long as they're helpful in some way."

Ves sighed. "I know. Thanks for the reminder. The problem is that it's not so easy to earn their favor."

"The best things are always the hardest to get. You should be grateful that you even have a chance at all due to passing the trials set by the Rim Guardians."

The call quickly ended after that. As Tristan's projection winked out, Ves digested what he learned.

He scratched his chin. "Tristan's conduct is already that of a mech designer ready to strike it out on his own. Even if he's a direct disciple, he is one of the youngest and is unlikely to inherit Master Katzenberg's mantle. It's no wonder he's eager to forge a lot of ties."

Ves did not understand much about the situation facing direct disciples. They acquired their design philosophies from their Masters. Did that mean they were stuck with it forever or could they pursue a side path in order to differentiate themselves from the main branch of their inherited design philosophy?

Something like that would be useful to know, but Ves forgot to ask for clarification from Tristan.

"Well, I'll probably have more opportunities to talk to him later."

The Barracuda transitioned into FTL and went underway. It would take some time for Ves to reach the territories of the Kinner Tribe.

He particularly looked forward to reaching the Bloodstone System. Everything he heard about Bloodstone stood in sharp contrast to the peaceful and indolent Zin Alpha he just exited.

Bloodstone II became known as the Planet of Red Rocks or more dramatically the Planet Stained in Blood. Such descriptors referenced the frequent amount of conflict that took place on the central planet of the Kinner Tribe.

Though the small third-rate state managed to achieve more stability, that did not mean that Bloodstone II lacked any blood to dye its rocks even redder.

The planet and the rest of the star system acted as a center of business for many mercenary outfits. All of the relevant Kinner institutions related to their famed mercenary practices operated out of Bloodstone II. The Mercenary Association also set up a regional headquarters there, adding more support to the lively mercenary trade.

Naturally, with so many mech pilots gathered in one place, a portion of which consisted of foreigners, the mech arenas soon followed. Not only did the Kinner Tribe host some of the most exciting mech games in the star sector, they also offered many venues for mech duels.

Mech pilots dueled each other to earn more fame, to resolve vendettas, to improve their evaluation and most importantly to raise their value in event a wealthy client bought their service for life!

"If I didn't know any better, Bloodstone can aptly be described as a slave market for mech pilots. The only difference is that the slaves are willing to indenture themselves." Ves muttered.

The mech pilots who willingly pledged their loyalty to their buyers did so for the future of their children. A small number of citizens of the poor state managed to become wealthy, powerful and influential due to the continuous sacrifices of their parents and grandparents.

Every Kinner dreamed of giving their offspring a better life. They had to make a lot of sacrifices, but it was intimately fair as those who worked hard managed to pass on their gains to the next generation.

In this way, the poor and beleaguered Kinner Tribe managed to carve out a niche that no other state was willing to fulfill and stay upright even when surrounded by different threats.

This kind of hard-working attitude against adversity reminded him a bit of the Bright Republic, except the Kinners were subject to much more pressure.

His perspective had become colored by the Societal Revival Theory. Ever since Lord Javier brutally laid out how the upper echelons regarded human society and their beliefs on how they ought to strengthen it, Ves could no longer go back.

The higher he climbed and the more he saw of the universe, the more he began to agree with the assumptions of the theory. It was as if he was slowly turning into a stuck-up member of the upper class he had always despised.

"Maybe I'll reach a point where I'm virtually indistinguishable from the likes of Senator Tovar." He whispered to himself.

Should he fear this development or consider it as a given? The higher his status, the harder it became for him to sympathise with the masses. Becoming a galactic citizen starkly separated him from the majority of humans relegated to living out their entire lives as space peasants.

He recognized that his mentality on society and people shifted drastically from the beginning of his career.

"I was so innocent back then." Ves reminisced. "Times were simpler and I didn't have all these powerful entities intertwining themselves in my life."

He couldn't afford to return to that simple mindset. He might have been happier and more optimistic back then, but he was so naive that his present self wanted to punch his earlier self in the face!

After he spent enough time moping about his mentality shift, he began to dive himself back into work.

Aside from studying up on bestial mechs and smart metal tech, he also went back to the variants he designed for the Skull Architect.

Compared to his own creations, Ves did not really put his full effort into his variants. He mainly focused on improving the technical and usability aspect while substantially holding back on applying his design philosophy.

Ves nonetheless spent a handful of weeks inspecting the variants and making sure they performed soundly. His inability to fabricate prototypes of the mechs in order to test their performance in reality hampered him quite a bit, so he substituted that with as many simulated tests as possible.

The new Sub-Skills he picked up recently helped out a lot in eliminating dozens of tiny flaws he had overlooked.

His lack of passion and energy for the variants became evident in his lazy naming sense.

He named his variant of the Caskar Pike the Molar Pike for reasons he didn't quite know.

His modifications to the spaceborn missileer were mostly basic. He reined in its mobility and introduced various quality-of-life improvements to the software of the mech. His main focus for the Molar Pike was to turn it into a mech that even mech pilots untrained in missile weapon systems could pick it up easily.

For this reason, despite the rather notable drop in maximum performance, Ves expected its effective performance in actual battles to be substantially higher.

"It's not as if most pirate mech pilots can draw out even half of the potential of a Caskar Pike." He muttered.

He applied the same approach to the Toroz Topaz, a variant of the Toroz Ruby. Out of all of the Skull Architect's designs he had come across so far, the spaceborn striker mech design intrigued him the most.

Although it featured a bloated internal architecture due to being armed with both a shotgun and a pair of heat beam projectors, the base model's complicated design neatly showcased the Skull Architect's strengths.

Although his design philosophy focused on energy transmission, in practice he diverted towards maximizing efficiency and performance of almost every part. Which part of a mech did not generate or consume energy?

In effect, the Skull Architect probably faced a choice back when he was a Journeyman. Should he narrow the scope of his design philosophy and work with a narrow definition of energy transmission, or should he widen it to encompass as many aspects as possible?

Clearly, Reno Jimenez chose the latter, and it eventually drove him crazy.

After interacting with many mech designers, Ves came up with a general rule.

"The more ambitious their design philosophies, the more radical their mech designers tend to become."

When Ves applied this rule to himself, he couldn't quite figure out his place in the spectrum. Obviously, his design philosophy was anything but modest, but he himself did not consider himself to be an obsessive maniac such as Gloriana or the Skull Architect.

"I'm not perfect, but I think I can be quite sane and rational when I want to be." He confidently declared.

"Meow."

Lucky, who was floating by his side, clearly disagreed.

"Oh, shut up you. You're just a cat. What do you know about humans? I'm clearly different!"

"Meow!"

Lucky appeared so exasperated by Ves that the cat turned around and phased through the deck. The pet had enough of his owner's self-delusion for one day!

Ves shrugged and resumed his final inspection on his last variant. He took the Jinven, an aerial marksman mech design, and slapped many of the same solutions he developed for his other variants. While he also added in some unique fixes, by and large the Skull Architect's designs all shared the same flaws.

"Perhaps they aren't flaws according to their original designer. Every mech designer has a different idea on which design choices are right."

The resulting variant he lazily called the Airven turned into a mech that any pirate could easily use to become a terror in the skies.

Having finished going over the three variants, Ves transferred the relevant files into an encrypted data chip before placing it in a protective case.

Ves had finally finished his homework. Now, he needed to submit it to his 'teacher'.

"There's probably a way to pass this chip to a Shadow Courier stationed in the Bloodstone System."

Chapter 1303

The Barracuda transitioned out of FTL at the edge of the infamous Bloodstone System.

As Ves observed the local plot generated by a combination of public data and sensor observations, he noted the high amount of traffic. While the amount of vessels in the Bloodstone System did not match the traffic in port systems such as Bentheim or Zin Alpha, it was somewhat similar in scope to the Reinald Republic's Harkensen System.

Bloodstone reminded Ves of Harkensen in more ways. For example, a lot of ships originated from other states. A lot of them carried powerful people or representatives to this star system in order to contract or buy out a famed Kinner mercenary corps.

Naturally, those who visited Bloodstone in person only consisted of a fraction of business conducted on the planet. Many parties opted to solicit the services of a Kinner mercenary corps through the galactic net, especially if they weren't very picky.

Those who knew better or possessed more exacting demands visited in person, though. This was because every mercenary corps possessed their own characteristics, some of which weren't mentioned in their public record.

As someone who once contracted a mercenary corps before, he knew that there were a lot more variables an employer needed to take into account. Hiring the black-marked Oodis Mudriders to defend the Mech Nursery against Vesian aggression still left a bad taste in his mouth.

Gavin entered his stateroom after the Barracuda began to accelerate towards the inner system.

"Welcome to mercenary central, boss."

"Very funny, Benny."

"So you plan to pick up a mercenary corps here, right? They can get rather expensive."

"Anything of value is expensive. The Kinners made a name for themselves for offering near-absolute loyalty to their employers. That's better than most mercenaries, who generally aren't known for sticking around when a battle goes sour."

A battle had various outcomes, of which the worse ones inevitably led to death, capture or the loss of a lot of manpower and assets. A single ugly loss could devastate a mercenary corps and force their owners and cadre into ruin or worse.

With these kinds of consequences on the table, which mercenary wouldn't run when faced with strong adversity? Mercenaries running from a battle, even when they were winnable, happened all the time.

Even the Mercenary Association, which attempted to impose some order amidst the chaos, implicitly accepted that such dishonorable would happen. They merely stamped the records of the mercenary corps who failed their mission with red or black marks instead of forcing them to dissolve outright.

Unlike the Mech Trade Association, the Mercenary Association lacked enforcement power. They mainly verified information, kept accurate records and mediated between mercenary corps and their employers.

Although the Mercenary Association's services were very useful and welcome, their lack of deterrent meant that many mercenary corps often got away with misdeeds in the field.

One had to be very careful with hiring mercenaries, even those who hailed from the Kinner Tribe. Visiting Bloodstone in person would help him judge whether he could truly rely on the mercenaries he decided to enlist as his escorts.

"So your current plan is to find a medium-sized mercenary corps and hire them to escort you around the star sector for a year?"

Ves nodded. "Their rates will be rather high compared to hiring a regular mercenary corps for the same period, but I'll happily pay a premium for the reliability I can expect in return."

"And if at the end of the trip you happen to like, the mercenary corps, you plan to extend an offer to buy them out, right?"

"The Avatars of Myth that I've raised is growing far too slowly to my liking." Ves grimaced. "Even if another year has passed, I don't think that Melkor will be able to finish raising two complete mech companies and a single fully-trained guard infantry company. Since the Avatars are starting from scratch, it simply takes too much time to vet the new recruits, train them up to standard and instill the right values and principles in their minds."

"All the while, we constantly have to monitor their loyalty." Gavin added. "A single double agent or rogue mech pilot can do a lot of damage if he decides to go berserk while piloting a mech assigned to guard your life."

Someone frequently plagued by paranoia as Ves simply couldn't stand such a possibility. Therefore, he instructed Melkor to watch out for that and prioritize loyalty above everything else.

This was the biggest reason why the Avatar Commander hadn't been able to expand the Avatars of Myth as fast as he liked. No amount of money or training could accelerate the crucial process of vetting and indoctrinating new hires. Not when the Avatars of Myth were still very new and constantly in flux.

For this reason, Ves came up with a possible plan to remedy the circumstances hampering the growth of the Avatars.

By buying out a Kinner mercenary corps and integrating them into the Avatars, his personal troop would suddenly gain a very loyal cadre. The entry of the Kinners into the ranks would stiffen up the foundation of the Avatars and allow it to grow faster while still remaining in firm control of the bulk of its strength.

Of course, the cost of doing so was very expensive. When translated into a familiar currency, Ves might be looking at a total bill of 30 billion credits!

"The high prices being bandied about at Bloodstone only apply if you want to buy out their mechs, starships and other necessary assets." Gavin noted. "A Kinner mercenary corps is much cheaper to acquire if you only want the people. They can send back their stuff to the Kinner Tribe in order to outfit another band of Kinner mercenaries."

"That's true. This is why many clients that visit Bloodstone also consist of mech designers like me. We've got an abundant amount of mechs and money at our disposal but we're always short on loyal and dependable guards."

"I hear that mech designers are treated very well in Bloodstone for this reason. You'll be treated like a prince, boss."

"I don't think it will be that exaggerated. As a young Journeyman, I don't have the spending power of my older and more established peers. Even so, it's no problem for me to look at medium-sized mercenary corps, especially if I can buy them without their shoddy gear."

Kinner mercenary corps tended to disappoint when it came to the mechs they piloted. The Kinner Tribe still wasn't a prosperous state and its mercenaries couldn't afford to pilot expensive mechs. The best they could do was pilot budget mechs valued at around 20 million bright credits.

The Kinner Tribe instituted all sorts of complicated financial arrangements in order to put a mech in the hands of as many aspiring mercenaries as possible. Otherwise, how could the state keep hiring out mercenaries when they didn't have any mechs to perform their jobs?

If it was possible, Ves would have preferred to replace the mechs of whatever outfit he hired with his own. Yet such an option wasn't realistic. The LMC did not yet possess a robust market presence in the states he intended to visit.

Gavin brought up something else. "By the way, Ves, it's customary for visitors to hire a local guide. Bloodstone is reputed to be a very complex planet. With all the mercenaries and foreigners running around, it can be quite chaotic on the surface."

"Go take care of it, Benny."

As Gavin moved to make the arrangements, Ves returned to staring at all the ship icons displayed on the local plot.

The ships came from all over the star sector. While none of the vessels hailed directly from the second-rate states, citizens of almost every third-rate state converged on Bloodstone II. Ves even noted a couple of lone vessels and small fleets that hailed from the Bright Republic!

"They're a long way away from home!"

Each of these people and influences all traveled to Bloodstone for one reason. The same reason Ves diverted to Bloodstone as well.

Thinking of all the money that must be flowing into the Kinner Tribe's coffers, Ves scoffed. "Even if people aren't able to produce something valuable, they can always turn themselves into products."

The Kinner Tribe's practices leaned a bit too close to slavery for his liking. Ves understood the necessity of it, yet did the Kinner tribesmen truly support these customs, or were they coerced into playing along?

What Ves mostly found disturbing was how the Kinners raised many of their children. Mech pilots were a rarity, so the Kinners resorted to unsavory means to accumulate as many of them as possible. Otherwise, the Kinner Tribe's mercenary pool would have dried up many generations ago.

Too many Kinners grew up knowing that they were hardly worth anything. They grew up in a government camp or institute without ever meeting their biological parents.

Only until they reached ten years old did they have an opportunity to transform their lives. Those who possessed the right genetic aptitude would instantly be taken away and put into a different training regime.

As for those who turned out to be norms, some of them went on to be raised as the support staff for the mech pilots. The remainder just became low-wage laborers who were sent out into other states in order to eke out a living without straining the resources of their home states.

In short, the life of a Kinner from the underclass was barely better than that of a slave. Ves would not want to grow up under those conditions.

After a lengthy period of time, the Barracuda slowly neared orbit of Bloodstone II.

Due to all of the potential dangers involved with letting ships from every state orbit over an inhabited planet, the Kinners instituted a policy where they could park. The Kinners forced every visiting vessel to orbit around Bloodstone II-A, a nearby moon.

Bloodstone II-A was a small, barren rock mostly used as a moon-sized warehouse and storage space. Its surrounding orbit was littered with ships and fleets assigned to specific orbits to prevent collisions.

Anyone who deviated from the instructions of traffic control could be expected to be blasted into pieces by all the defensive installations and mech patrols in the vicinity.

A number of space stations orbited the moon as well, providing visitors and commuters with transit to the surface of the Planet Dyed in Blood.

"It certainly looks like someone dumped a planet-sized bucket of red dye over Bloodstone II." Gavin commented as he and Ves looked out of the transparent wall of the space station they entered. Right now, its orientation offered a distant glimpse of the globe colored in red. "It doesn't help that the Kinners love to incorporate the same shade in all of the architecture."

All of this combined gave visitors the illusion that they were visiting a hellish planet. The ubiquitous bloodstone that made up much of the rocky planet's surface made for relatively poor construction material, but that did not stop most Kinners from using them as the principal construction material of their structures.

"Meow."

Ves readjusted Lucky's body over his shoulder. "Yeah. Bloodstone probably tastes bad for you."

"Meow."

"Oh? You'll help me pick the right mercenaries to hire? Do you even know what to look for?"

"Meow!"

"Yeah, you did help with selecting the least awful board members for the LMC back then.. not that it helped all that much."

Lucky appeared to be looking forward to having a say in the matter, so Ves did not reject the offer. He knew that Lucky could be quite perceptive, but Ves possessed some tricks as well.

Ves briefly brushed his hand against his head, careful not to mess up his hair.

Almost two months had passed since he departed from Centerpoint. During that time, his spiritual energy reserves came closer and closer to returning to its peak level.

By now, Ves regained sufficient spirituality that it wouldn't do him any harm if he employed some subtle spiritual tricks. At the very least, employing his spiritual vision to see if any of the mercenaries in his consideration possessed the potential to become an expert pilot shouldn't be too demanding!

Chapter 1304

The small party waited for a few minutes before a well-dressed Kinner arrived.

"Mr. Larkinson! It is an honor to be graced with your presence!" The middle-aged woman in a culturally-distinct business outfit spoke and bowed. "My name is Kelandra Vassis, and I will be your guide for the duration of your stay on Bloodstone."

Ves shook her hand and noted that her grip was very strong. Kelandra carried the vibe of a veteran, so she must have seen quite a bit of action in her younger years.

"Pleased to meet you, Kelandra. We'll be placing ourselves in your care."

"Good! Please follow this way to the VIP section. One of our best shuttles is awaiting your arrival. We'll be heading straight down the the spaceport before checking in at your hotel. In my experience, it takes clients at least several days or weeks to find the right mercenary corps to hire or buy out. I highly suggest you take your time as it is costly if you change your mind after everyone involved has signed the contracts."

"I understand. I look forward to exploring some of the other sights on Bloodstone during my stay."

"Excellent choice!" Kelandra praised. "We might not be able to offer the greatest comfort, but excitement is everywhere if you know where to look for it! I'll be able to bring you to the best venues on the planet!"

The Kinner tribeswoman accompanied them to a well-built shuttle. As the vehicle descended to the surface of Bloodstone II, Kelandra began to act like a personal tour guide.

"Bloodstone has much to offer to its visitors. Aside from our vigorous mercenary market, we offer many amenities to mech pilots. Bloodstone is one of the premier destinations for aspiring mech pilots to learn how to become a true mercenary. If for whatever reason you decline to hire a Kinner mercenary corps, there are other outfits for hire that you consider instead."

"So a lot of foreign mech pilots in Bloodstone?"

"Yes, though in all honesty most of them consist of exiles or troubled individuals who aren't welcome in their home states." Kelandra admitted.

"If they're so.. troubled, then who would want to hire them here?"

"Some can be reformed. The training programs we run are harsh, but often succeed in beating the misbehavior out of most of the foreigners who participate in them. The best are picked up to supplement the ranks of our Kinner mercenary corps while the remainder form their own outfits. They're substantially cheaper to hire than a Kinner outfit, so Bloodstone has plenty to offer to customers with tighter budgets."

He did not intend to hire mercenaries with mixed and murky pasts. It was all well and good for mech pilots without a home to seek a second chance at Bloodstone, but Ves had the capital to pick up something better.

However, Kelandra's explanation did offer him a great idea. Since a lot of random mech pilots from all over the star sector converged on Bloodstone, a handful of them might have the potential to become an expert pilot!

While their attitude, training level and combat experience may be problematic, the Avatars could easily remedy most of their shortcomings!

"Is it common to hire individual mech pilots?" Ves asked.

His guide nodded. "It is customary for clients to hire mech pilots by group or outfit. They're already familiar with fighting alongside each other. I do not advise you to pick and choose individual mech pilots. If you try to put together a collection of unfamiliar mech pilots, their lack of trust and coordination will result in very poor performance, whatever individual merits they might suggest."

"Is it possible to supplement a Kinner mercenary corps with individual hires?"

"No. Not unless you buy them out. Then they become your property to do what you wish as long as you abide by the contract. If you merely hire a Kinner outfit, you are not allowed to meddle with how they are run. Their mercenary commanders will warn you if that's the case."

"Sounds reasonable. So if I do hire an individual mech pilot, I'll have to organize them separately?"

Kelandra could see that Ves was being serious. "Our Kinner outfits do not allow the entry of unknown mech pilots unless they earn their approval. As long as the strangers prove themselves, it may be possible for them to integrate with the outfit. At the very least, I don't think the outfits mind too much if you instruct them to transport the mechs that belong to strangers."

A decent amount of individual mech pilots brought their own mechs, though their ownership might be in question. It could be that their mechs belonged to their employers and they simply made off with the machine.

Sometimes, the mechs in question belonged to extinct mercenary corps. The surviving mercenary mech pilots who managed to flee while piloting the mechs did not exactly own the machines.

A mercenary corps was a business, and many of them owed considerable debts. Mercenary pilots technically ought to relinquish their mechs in order to pay back those debts, but many of them simply decide to run off with their 'free' machines.

"The legalities of mercenaries who fall under such circumstances are convoluted and complex." Kelandra stated. "Some decide they don't want to inherit the burden of their mercenary corps and decide to operate outside the confines of the law. That's how many pirates and dark mercenaries are born."

Ves nodded in understanding. "As for those who don't want to become a fugitive?"

"They make.. arrangements. The Mercenary Association will often step in and help the mech pilots negotiate with the creditors. Usually, a mech pilot will be able to maintain possession of their mechs by promising to give up a proportion of their salary over a couple of decades. The terms vary widely, but they are usually reasonable enough to make it worth it to the mech pilots."

"Very clever." Gavin noted from the side. "A second-hand mech, particularly one that incurred battle damage from a losing battle, has lost a lot of value. Rather than sell them for half of their original value, why not lean on a mech pilot that may be able to earn back the entire worth of the mech over twenty years or so?"

Naturally, a mech pilot always risked crippling injury and death, but as long as they remained prudent, investing in them was not necessarily a bad idea from the perspective of a debt holder.

The most important reason for mech pilots to play along with this arrangement was that they could preserve their reputation and their standing in the Mercenary Association. They would also be able to own a personal mech, which gave them a lot more agency in every future job they accepted.

As Kelandra continued to elaborate on the types of mech pilots that Ves could find on Bloodstone, their shuttle finally landed at a spaceport.

The group exited the vehicle and went through some security and administrative checks before they were allowed to exit the spaceport.

As soon as Ves stepped outside, he smelled the air and took in the impressive sight.

"So this is Bloodstone. It smells like mechs." Ves remarked with a smile.

Almost everything was cast in the same shade of dusky rust red as the bloodstone that marked most of the surface of the planet.

Almost every building in sight featured exteriors that consisted entirely of bloodstone. Even if they incorporated stronger and more resilient materials underneath, the Kinners still adhered to tradition and insisted on using the stone.

Aside from all of the bloodstone buildings, a lot of mechs wandered around the streets. Many of them consisted of one of the many mercenary corps of the Kinner Tribe, but plenty of independent or irregular mechs appeared as well.

As Kelandra guided the group to a private aircar, she explained the reason for all the mechs in view.

"Our Kinner Tribe does not impose many restrictions on mechs operating on Bloodstone. Enough of our mercenary corps are present on the planet to deter most troublemakers from starting anything."

"The color schemes and symbols of many of the mechs are the same."

Ves easily spotted hundreds of them from the air. That was far beyond the amount of mechs that a typical mercenary corps could field! All of the mechs looked more expensive on average as well, signifying that they weren't typical Kinner mechs!

"The mechs in question belong to our tribal corps." His guide revealed as their aircar took off in the air. "Our tribal corps used to be one of our most successful mercenary corps. At a certain point, the Kinner Tribe recognized their strength and ability and elevated them to their current status. They effectively serve as our military and law enforcement forces."

That caused Ves to become intrigued. "Does that mean the Kinner Tribe lacks a unified state military?"

"All of our tribal corps are part of our defense forces. It is not that different from how other states operate highly autonomous mech regiments. The only difference is that they don't answer to a pompous officer, but directly to the tribe instead."

When put it that way, the tribal corps did not sound so strange. It would be as if mech regiments such as the Flagrant Vandals or the Apocalypse Heralds weren't part of a greater mech division.

It was a very refreshing approach to organize the mech military of a state, but Ves doubted whether all of the tribal corps in existence got along with each other. Overall, all of their autonomy came at the cost of coordination and cohesion at the strategic level, which was probably the main reason why the Bright Republic and nearly every other state hadn't followed suit.

"It is.. a very novel arrangement." Ves expressed.

Kelandra grinned. "Tribal corps are our greatest pride. Each of them enjoy a storied history where they worked their way upwards by toiling as ordinary mercenaries. It is every Kinner mech pilot's dream to join a tribal corps!"

After a short time, the aircar arrived at one of the upscale hotels of the capital city. Ves and the rest exited their vehicle and stepped into the lobby of the hotel.

From the outside, the hotel looked like some kind of primitive desert ruin. The decor was a lot better on the inside as the architect and interior designers dispensed with the traditional decor.

The interior of the hotel lobby exuded class and sophistication. Although it wasn't the most luxurious accommodation in the city, according to Kelandra it often hosted mech designers and business magnates.

The most principal reason for this was that it was owned and operated by a tribal corps. That subsequently insured that its security was very high.

After Ves and Gavin checked in to the hotel and dumped their luggage in their shared hotel room, they returned to the lobby and followed Kelandra back to the same aircar. There was still a lot of sunshine left from the local star so Ves wanted to begin his tour immediately.

Kelandra informed them of their first destination as the aircar rose in the air. "Before we start looking for mercenaries, we'll first pay a visit to the Mercenary Association. Some of the mercenary corps for hire will only agree to work for employers who have signed on to the Association themselves."

"Why so?"

"Mostly for greater guarantees. Employers registered at the Mercenary Association will have to abide by a stricter set of rules and regulations. Examples include putting up the full payment along with a generous amount of hazard and conditional pay under escrow, agreeing to abide by arbitration outcomes, and so on."

"Will that actually make a difference?"

"It does. The Mercenary Association may not be able to enforce their rule and regulations themselves, but they've signed treaties with almost every state compelling them to do so in their stead. This effectively means that each contract you've signed with a mercenary corps will have effective legal force. Every Kinner mercenary corps will only consider doing business to employers who register with the Mercenary Association."

It seemed the Mercenary Association wasn't as toothless as he thought. They might not possess a lot of power, but their influence was quite substantial if even the Kinners trusted in their services!

Chapter 1305

The Mercenary Association maintained a major presence on Bloodstone. How could they not seeing as the Kinner Tribe was one of the major centers of mercenary activity in southern Komodo.

Their regional headquarters consisted of a large and expansive complex. In typical mercenary fashion, the mechs on guard all hailed from several different mercenary corps, though each of them carried markings revealing them to be Kinners.

Even the guards on foot appeared to be hired hands. Ves found that to be an admirable choice. In this way, the Mercenary Association tried to do its best to show that mercenaries could be trusted to guard sensitive and important locations.

As Kelandra, Ves, Gavin and Lucky stepped out of their aircar, they began to cross the extensive courtyard to an administrative center.

Just like every other structure on the planet, the administrative center purposed for servicing visitors was covered with bloodstone. Even so, the center had been built in the shape of a fortification, so the internal structure plating must be quite resilient.

As they entered the administrative center, they immediately encountered a representative that awaited their arrival.

"Kelandra! Good to see you again? Are you bringing another client?" An exuberant man called.

"Yes. This is Mr. Ves Larkinson, Journeyman Mech Designer from the Bright Republic."

"I've read the files." The man in business attire turned to Ves and stretched his hands. "Welcome to the Mercenary Association! I am Torin Viznef, and I will be handling your registration. Please follow me to my office."

As they all began to move, Ves looked around and saw plenty of visitors entering and exiting the administrative center.

"Your Mercenary Association appears to be doing brisk business."

"Mercenaries are always in demand!" Torin proudly stated. "To most people or organizations of means, it is best for them to cultivate a mech troop themselves. Yet this is far from easy to manage. It takes time, expertise, investment and more to establish an adequate protection force."

Ves nodded in agreement. He already experienced the difficulties in trying to raise the Avatars of Myth in a personal force that could keep up with his growth.

"Mercenaries aren't the only option out there. Security companies generally have a much higher reputation."

"They are also more expensive." Torin pointed out with a grin. "Aside from that, the main limitation of security companies is that they only accept defensive assignments deployed closer to civilization or a fixed area. Every mech pilot who works for a security company is an employee. They expect to hop into their mechs, go on patrol for a shift, hop out of their mechs and go back home to spend time with their spouses and kids."

That was indeed the major limitation of mech pilots who worked for security companies and many other regular mech forces for that matter. Mech pilots refused to commit to frequent, lengthy deployments. They would have applied for the military if they were willing to endure these challenges.

"And mercenaries are different?" Ves asked, though he partially knew the answer already.

While Torin replied, they finally reached his office and began to sit down on the chairs that floated down from the ceiling.

"Mercenaries are willing to go through lengths that others don't, for a price." Torin grinned. "Even if they wish to start families, at this stage in their lives they are willing to undergo substantial hardship, separation and risk. They're much more independent and daring, and for this reason they won't mind being on deployment for years at a time. For a price, of course."

"Of course." Ves smiled. "Yet while all of that sounds good, in practice their reliability tends to be.. a bit inconsistent."

Torin momentarily dropped his smile. "That is mostly on the fault of the clients. It saddens us that many clients often underestimate or underreport the actual risk degree of the assignments they hand out to mercenary corps. While the Mercenary Association maintains a policy that mercenaries must do their own due diligence when evaluating and accepting contracts, we do not hesitate to sanction a client if they supplied inaccurate information."

Hiring mercenaries could get very expensive, especially over longer periods of time. Ves could easily imagine the more unscrupulous clients misrepresent the actual danger of an assignment in order to save some money. Unfortunately, such malpractices frequently led to the deaths or flight of mercenaries on assignment.

Perhaps this was why the Mercenary Association maintained a system of recording red and black marks on the records of different mercenary corps. It would be unfair to force them to dissolve after being screwed by their clients.

"I suppose that is what my registration is supposed to reinforce, correct?" Ves guessed.

Torin nodded. "Exactly. The Mercenary Association maintains an active treaty with the Bright Republic and many other states. So long as you register with us and sign the relevant documents, you will have essentially agreed to subject to our rules and regulations. If you ever break them, we can lean on the Bright Republic to sanction you on our behalf."

"I understand. Kelandra already informed me of this arrangement."

"Great! Since you know what you're here for, we can immediately move on with the formalities!"

In the next half hour, Ves signed a number of contracts and agreements. He formally registered as a client in the Mercenary Association. With his membership to the Association, he gained access to much more services, but in return he needed to pay a modest amount of membership dues.

Fortunately, to someone as rich as Ves, he could easily bear the fees.

"Great!" Torin said as Ves signed the last virtual document on the data pad after Torin briefly explained all of the clauses. "You have made the right decision. We here at the Mercenary Association believe that mutual satisfaction is always assured as long as both sides are honest and transparent to each other. Registering with us will mean that many mercenary corps, including this planet's famed Kinner outfits, will become available for hire to you. Mind you, as a newly-registered member, you still have a way to go before you can hire the more demanding outfits."

He nodded. Just like collaborating with his peers in collaborative design projects, the mercenary trade also depended heavily on trust and reputation. He would have to conclude numerous successful assignments with smaller mercenary corps before he entered into the consideration of larger and more prestigious mercenary corps.

Torin began to guide Ves and the others back to the entrance of the administrative center.

"I'm thinking of hiring a Kinner mercenary corps for a year before contemplating whether to buy them out. Do you have any words of advice?"

"I figured you would have that intention. They are Bloodstone's specialty product, after all." Torin eyed Ves with an appraissing expression. "Hmm, despite your youth, you possess several advantages as a client. Mech designers are known for being loaded with money. Poor and destitute Journeymen practically don't exist! As long as you make your status known from the start, I'm very certain that many Kinners will seek your patronage. Kelandra can tell you more about that, I'm sure."

"Aye." Kelandra grinned. It wouldn't do to have Torin steal all of her business. "You're going to be a very popular man among the mercenaries, Mr. Larkinson."

"That's because in Bloodstone and the Kinner Tribe, money talks." Torin rubbed his fingers together in a universal 'pay me' gesture. "The Kinners only care about two things, their children's future and money. Any client who can satisfy both will receive their eternal gratitude!"

They eventually reached the exit of the administrative center. Ves said goodbye to Torin and thanked him for his advice.

As the group entered an aircar that would bring them to their next destination, Kelandra elaborated on Torin's previous remark.

"Kinners love to work with mech designers like you. While Novices and Apprentices are rather iffy, Journeymen can always be counted on to pay generously and without much fuss. Not only that, but due to your profession, you can easily supply your mercenaries with newer, better mechs! For this reason, high-ranking mech designers are one of the most desirable clients a mercenary corps could have!"

Ves nodded in understanding. Mech designers possessed an abundance of wealth due to their business endeavors, but could be killed as easily as a regular human. The MTA did not extend much protection to them because they were perfectly capable of insuring their own safety by putting their earnings to use.

"So as long as I make it clear I'm a mech designer, I'll be able to attract more interest?"

"Yes. I suggest you put a badge on your business attire. The MTA should have given you the right to bear the insignia of an officially-recognized Journeyman mech Designer on your person."

Ah, that was one of the many perks he received when the MTA recognized his Journeyman status. It was just buried underneath all of the other minor benefits he received.

Ves called up the interface of his smart clothing, which was currently configured in a stylish and luxurious green business outfit, and added a hexagon-shaped badge with a recognizable symbol onto the breast of his suit.

"Excellent." Kelandra smiled in approval. "As Torin previously mentioned, money talks, and high-ranking Journeymen are practically walking bags of money in our eyes. Ordinarily, many people will try to swindle you, but with a guide like me around, I'll make sure they'll charge you fairly for their services."

Ves smiled back. "I'll be counting on you for that. You too, Benny."

"Don't worry, Ves. I've studied and memorized all the customary rates for mercenaries!" Gavin proudly beat his chest.

Although Ves was inclined to believe in Kelandra's goodwill, she was a Kinner after all. As a local, Ves did not expect her to work too hard in making sure he got a good deal. Having a second person on hand to help him check and negotiate the prices would help keep his supposed guide honest.

This implication did not escape Kelandra's notice. She sent a knowing glance to Ves and Gavin. Even if she knew that her client was on guard against her, she endured this kind of treatment many times. It came with the job and there was no reason for her to be offended about it. She quietly buried her more sketchy plans.

The aircar only made a short trip before descending back to the ground. The Mercenary Association headquarters wasn't situated very far from the oldest, largest and most culturally-significant mercenary halls.

"Welcome to Askaya Halls, the principal gathering place of mercenaries on Bloodstone." Their guide introduced to them as they took in the hustle and bustle of mercenaries and clients entering and exiting the ancient-looking bloodstone halls. "It is here where the first Kinner tribesmen gave their oaths to foreign clients looking for mech pilots to bolster their forces. A new industry was born since then, and Askaya Halls became the premier destination for qualified Kinner mercenary corps to ply their services and servitude to interested clients."

"This is not the only place where we can find mercenaries, right?" Ves asked.

"Correct. Askaya Halls is where our most honorable Kinner mercenary corps showcase what they can offer. While they do not come cheap, their strength and reliability are absolutely not in question!"

Gavin frowned. "Many of those mercenary corps are priced out of our budget, though. We don't intend to buy an entire mech army."

"My demands are more... modest." Ves nodded in support. "I'm currently looking for a more modest-sized mercenary corps that's only a couple of mech companies strong. More would be.. impractical."

Their guide nodded. "I am aware. You will be able to find such mercenary corps as well at Askaya Halls. Even if you decline to hire any of them here, at the very least you'll come away with a benchmark of what our best has to offer."

The group began to enter one of the smaller halls after a leisurely walk through the dusty, unpaved path. The bloodsand that whipped over their clothes failed to find purchase on Ves' smart clothing, though Gavin was not as well off.

The inside of the hall seemed chaotic to Ves. Despite being the gathering site of the more reputable Kinner mercenary corps, they seemed more like drunken pirates lounging haphazardly at the piece of turf they've claimed.

Kelandra explained the reason for the lack of order. "This was how it looked all those centuries ago when we first hired ourselves out. In order to commemorate that occasion, we have kept everything as it is. The crude surroundings also reminds us of the sacrifices our people have to make in order to survive."

Bloodstone wasn't called the Planet Dyed in Blood for nothing! An endless amount of Kinners had been sent out into the galaxy from these halls, only for their blood to spill all over the stars!

Chapter 1306

Being a Kinner was a harsh life. Ves understood this. Yet despite their hard living and lack of refinement, Ves admired the Kinners so much more than the indolent Kamoners!

Living under the shadow of the mighty Friday Coalition, the Kamon Republic may not hold much value. However, their proximity to the second-rate state gave them an unprecedented degree of security as well as extremely lucrative business ties.

For this reason, the Kamon Republic developed in peace for centuries. They neglected their armed forces as well as their mech community in favor of increasing the standard of living of their citizens to the highest level among third-rate states in the Komodo Star Sector.

Perhaps only the citizens of the second-rate states lived better than the Kamoners!

Yet all of their focus on economic and cultural development came at the cost of their ability to stand up and survive on their own. Most of their industry and trade revolved around consumer goods and commodities that made many citizens happier, but did not help a bit in strengthening their military might!

The Kinner Tribe developed in the opposite direction. Situated a distance away from the second-rate states, the small third-rate state did not enjoy the protection of any big brothers.

In fact, its territory was so poor in resources that everyone expected it to be thrown in the dustbin of history in time!

That it managed to hang on and thrive by dint of their mercenary trade drew a lot of admiration from Ves. The Kinners had no use of frivolous luxuries and pointless consumer goods. They only cared about increasing their strength and providing the next generation with better opportunities.

All of those adherents of the Societal Revival Theory would definitely salivate if they visited the Kinner Tribe. Ves himself was already doing so inwardly ever since he stepped foot on Bloodstone II!

Kelandra guided the group deeper into the hall in order to approach the lounging mercenaries playing Pirate Empires or chatting with their friends on comm. Not a lot of clients had entered the hall this early in the day, so Ves quickly got to talk with a mercenary corps representative.

The Kinner tribesman's eyes lit up as he spotted the approaching visitors and their guide. "Kelandra! Who might you be bringing to us today?"

"This is Mr. Larkinson, a Journeyman who has come all the way from the Republic. He is in search to hire a mercenary corps of your size for a year, with the opportunity to buy it out at the end of the mission."

"So it's one of those situations." The mercenary nodded in understanding. The other representatives in the hall had pitched their ears and heard Kelandra's deliberately raised voice as well. "Well, you've come to the right place!"

The Kinner merc began to introduce the outfit he belonged to. The Roaring Crashers as they called themselves explicitly specialized in offensive operations. The Crashers maintained both a spaceborn and landbound mech contingent, and they were open to attacking both land fortifications and space fortifications.

"Every Crasher is a Kinner of honor and courage!" The representative boasted. "As long as the mission intel is accurate, you can depend on us to crack open any bulwark!"

Ves shook his head. "I apologise, I'm not looking to storm some pirate den or something. I'm mainly in the market for guards and escorts as I tour through the star sector."

"Ah. I see. I'm afraid the Roaring Crashers won't be able to fulfill your request. Guard and escort duty bores us." The merc's face fell.

Kelandra drew Ves and the rest to another gathering of mercs.

"As you see, mercenary corps can specialize in many mission types. The Roaring Crashers for example are very notable for their willingness to take on high-risk offensive operations. While they are very demanding with regards to their prices and conditions, they have enjoyed a lot of success acting as the hammer of their well-heeled clients."

A mercenary corps like the Roaring Crashers could help reinforce a risky offensive operation. Their main draw was their willingness to face danger and their easy availability. For these reasons, hiring them was extremely expensive!

Ves had no desire to pay so much for something he didn't need. Mercenary corps that oriented around more routine missions may not be as ferocious, but they were a lot more affordable.

His guide brought him to another spokesperson.

The stern-looking woman who represented her mercenary corps looked like she had gone through a lot of rough scrapes. She regarded Ves as if she was assessing his threat.

"You've got good judgement, mech designer. Kelandra is a great guide."

"Thank you. Can you tell me about your mercenary corps?"

"Sure! The Emerald Bears came about just over thirty years ago with tribal assistance. We started as a scrappy outfit numbering just half a mech company's worth of spaceborn combatants and a creaky old converted carrier. We mainly started escorting small trade convoys carrying sensitive goods. The pay wasn't all that bad, but we frequently encounter opportunistic pirates and robbers."

"And you beat them without issue?"

"Most of the time. We did well enough that we quickly earned the capital to expand our mechs. That allowed us to take on more elaborate missions. While he mainly focused on developing our spaceborn company, we also raised a landbound company and some guards in order to provide the kind of protection that clients such as you are looking for. Nowadays, we've mostly moved on from escorting trade convoys and entered in the business of protecting VIPs. In our short but storied history, we only failed a handful of times!"

Not every escort or protection mission ended in success. Mercenaries inherently engaged in risky business. Even if they did the best they could, the opposition might still be able to overpower or outwit their defenses.

The Emerald Bears could do little about it except to incur a red mark on their record. However, their failures did little to stop their growth, seeing as they still qualified to hawk their services at Askaya Halls.

"What are your rates?" Ves asked.

The female merc quoted a number of prices in local currency as well as coalition credits and hex credits.

While Ves could somewhat bear the price of hiring them for a year, he felt quite leery about buying them out. Even if he bought them without their equipment, the Emerald Bears still charged a princely sum for their mech pilots!

The woman noticed his hesitation. "All of our mech pilots are veteran Kinner mercenaries with at least ten years under our belt. They've also gone through a lot of supplementary training that increased their systematic performance. You will find none of our mech pilots to be lacking in any way."

Though Ves believed everything she said, the price premium the Emerald Bears charged still fell well outside his psychological limit.

He accepted that acquiring the services of a good mech pilot should cost something. Yet did Ves truly need a mercenary corps as good as the Emerald Bears?

Inwardly, he didn't think so. While he wasn't always conscious about the prices he paid, at these sums Ves did not wish to squander his money!

Eventually, he begged off every offer. "My apologies, but the Emerald Bears seem to be a bit too excessive for what I seek."

"Ah. Is that so? Well, We're always here as long as we are still accepting clients. If you ever change your mind, you'll know where to find us if you are in need of excellent guards!"

As Kelandra took him to a variety of representatives, she managed to gain a better idea of what Ves was looking for. Many of the mercenary corps available for hire were either too large, too small, too expensive or too shabby for his tastes.

"I see now that Askaya Halls likely has little to offer to you." She said after she brought him to multiple smaller halls over the course of several hours. "I hope the visit has still been fruitful for you. These mercenaries are our pride and joy."

"The mercenary corps that I've encountered here are some of the best in the business that I've seen." Ves conceded. "However, it is unnecessary for me to hire the best. It is not as if I wish to enter into a high-risk region like the frontier or the Nyxian Gap. I'll just be touring through some third-rate states. Even if they aren't free of risk, I don't think it's necessary to enlist a mercenary corps that is prepared to wage all-out war."

After Kelandra inquired more about the kind of mercenaries Ves sought to hire, she led them back to an aircar and programmed in a different destination.

"I know exactly where to bring you. Askaya Halls is where all of our best and more reputable mercenary corps ply their business, but the bulk of activity takes place at Ornament Halls. That's where most of the middle-tier mercenary corps have set up. Their price-to-performance ratios are quite high."

"Sounds exactly to my liking."

The site of Ornament Halls was littered with ancient structures. According to Kelandra, the Kinner Tribe used to conduct their most important rituals and ceremonies here. While they had since moved on to more impressive sites, Ornament Halls remained as the most frequented mercenary gathering place on Bloodstone II.

The amount of traffic at this site surpassed that of Askaya Halls by a considerable degree. Whereas Askaya Halls mainly attracted major clients with big budgets, Ornament Halls seemed more like a bazaar where tons of middling clients haggled face-to-face with the mercenary representatives who set up shop in or outside the halls.

A lot more mercenaries from each outfit were present here, giving clients a greater sense on who they could hire. The mercenaries didn't spend their time sleeping or playing Pirate Empires either. They actually made an effort to look more presentable and ready to answer any questions a potential client might have.

All of this seemed to Ves that these middling mercenary corps needed to exert a lot more effort to get hired.

"The competition between mercenary corps is more intense at this tier." Kelandra explained as she led them through a crowd of Kinners, clients, freelance mech pilots and other people. "While you can still find plenty of Kinner mercenary corps here, a lot of foreign outfits have set up shop as well in these halls."

As they passed by numerous mercenary gatherings, Ves noted that the foreign mercenary corps charged considerably less than their Kinner counterparts. In fact, many of them charged a third or less for the same services a Kinner mercenary corps demanded!

"Are any of these foreigners to your liking?" Kelandra asked.

"No thanks." Ves shook his head. "I came to Bloodstone to hire a Kinner mercenary corps. While these non-Kinner outfits all seem decent, I'm specifically in need for men and women I can trust. I'm still open to supplementing my escort with individual freelance mech pilots, though."

"I see. Ornament Halls offer plenty of both, have no fear."

The group entered one of the busy halls where Kelandra guided them to a mercenary representative that had just turned away a potential client.

Unlike the reps at Askaya Hall, the mercenary did not recognize Kelandra, though he did identify her role.

"Greetings, mech designer. I speak on behalf of the Vertion Stoneguards, a proud Kinner mercenary corps of over twenty years."

"Tell me about the Stoneguards." Ves asked, intrigued by their name.

"We Stoneguards excel in protecting our clients. We offer comprehensive protection in space, on land and indoors. We have protected many mech designers like you, some of which contracted us to escort them into the riskier parts of space."

"Are the Stoneguards open to being bought out?"

"I'm afraid not." The merc shook his head. "We have ambitions to grow into a tribal corps. We can't do that when we never have the opportunity to return to the Kinner Tribe for the remainder of our lives."

"Ah. I see. I'll be looking elsewhere then. Take care."

As the group moved away, Kelandra made an important remark. "Many Kinner mercenary corps dream of being elevated to a tribal corps, but few manage to do so. The mercenary business is simply too dangerous and attrition can be frightening."

"It's a worthy dream to pursue regardless." Ves replied.

Everyone should set a lofty goal for themselves. Ves had already done so himself, and many great people did likewise.

Chapter 1307

Ves talked to many Kinner mercenary reps. Each of them offered something interesting, but not all of them expressed willingness to be bought out.

"It's not that most Kinner mercenary corps are unwilling to sell themselves." Kelandra explained. "In fact, at least half of the reps who denied the possibility would have said yes to a more promising client."

"So I'm not good enough?"

"You are a very fine client, Mr. Larkinson, but older and more renowned people and organizations offer much more certainty. Any Kinner mercenary corps will know what to expect when they plead fealty to clients with records that go back decades."

In other words, Ves was largely a question mark in the eyes of the Kinner tribesmen. Who knew whether he would rise to success or run his career into the ground the next five years?

He didn't blame the Kinners for their reticence. They took their oaths and obligations seriously, so it was exceptionally important they went to bed with a client who would still be around for years to come.

"What about the Kinners with looser standards?" Gavin asked. "I've noticed that not all of the reps seem as picky as you suggest."

"You've heard what they offered. It's not as good as the others." Their guide gestured with her hand. "To be honest, even if every Kinner mercenary corps can be relied upon to fulfill their mission faithfully, not all of them are as skilled, lucky and fortunate as the ones who get to demand higher conditions. The mercenary sector is an inherently risky business. A single setback can wipe out an entire decade's worth of progress. Sometimes, even Kinners have had enough. They're more than willing to sell themselves to a reasonable client in order to hang up their mercenary coats."

Gavin smirked. "They're also considerably cheaper than the more successful Kinner outfits. I think we can find some good bargains among those who are tired of working for different clients every few months."

Though Gavin had a good point, Ves wasn't sure whether that was a good idea. "The less demanding Kinners tend to suffer from several problems, though. We've met outfits that are stuck with damaged mechs or ships, lost half of their mech pilots, suffer from low morale and so on. I'm all for saving shaving a few bright credits from the final bill, but I don't want to deal with too much dysfunction."

"Let us explore Ornament Halls for the mercenary corps you feel more comfortable with employing, then." Kelandra announced. "I think I know just the outfits that will meet your needs!"

The group spent several hours talking to various mercenary reps. Ves encountered outfits with names such as Stellar Blaze Flyers, Alfarin's Alphas, Bloodstone Bloodstriders, Huntsmen in Black and more.

A few of them seemed suitable to Ves. Although he didn't sign them up right then, Gavin noted down their contact information so they could always get back to the outfits if they made a decision.

Still, as much as Ves found each of these Kinner mercenary corps suitable to escort him, he still found something lacking.

When Kelandra noticed his hesitation and asked him about what he missed, Ves hesitated over his words.

"It's different to describe. I guess I'm just trying to find a spark between us. I don't want to be surrounded with faceless, unfeeling guards all the time."

"I think I know what you mean." The guide said thoughtfully. "You are looking for protectors who can be your companions as well as your guards."

"Right. Rather than serving me because of their oaths or their contractual obligations, I want my protective detail to care about me and my mission."

"Most of these Kinners give the impression that they know nothing about life except fighting and training." Gavin concurred. "They're very dedicated, of that I have no doubt, but they're too different from the mech pilots we're used to back home."

Kelandra ruefully shrugged. "It's all they know. Too many of our children grow up in massive camps. Too many of them are born from cold, heartless artificial wombs instead of actual mother's wombs. We try to give them the life they deserve, but our resources can only be stretched so far."

The somewhat crude Kinners gave Ves the impression of elite mech pilots but without the impeccable skills. They dedicated their life to the mercenary life primarily due to their upbringing, not because of their own choice.

Was there anything wrong with that? Not necessarily. The Kinners may possess a distinctive culture that compelled them to dedicate their lives to service, but at least they possessed a lot more personality than the elites Ves encountered before.

The Kinners were quite capable of finding reasons to live. Even when they were deprived of many of the amenities that Brighters and other people took for granted, they still faced their lives with hope.

If not for themselves, then at least for their children.

Yet even so, Ves still found them to be lacking in some way.

They continued to approach and chat with different Kinner representatives. Ves did not express too much interest in them because they were simply more of the same.

It wasn't until they approached the thirtieth or so representative that Ves looked up a bit. His spiritual senses, which he put on a low blast, suddenly encountered a notable presence.

While he had encountered a handful of mech pilots with spirituality, they mostly turned out to be rather anemic. Even if the Kinners enjoyed better training, it was doubtful if they would ever be able to develop a force of will.

Not so for the man who sat on his chair with a dour expression. Although his demeanor did not do him a lot of favors in attracting interested clients, to Ves the man practically shone in the dark.

This was a man with an uncommonly high degree of spirituality for a normal mech pilot! In fact, in terms of magnitude, he could even put some expert candidates to shame!

Yet with such abnormal strength, Ves clearly recognized that the man had not developed anything close to a force of will.

"Who is he?" Ves asked his guide.

Kelandra followed his gaze and clicked her tongue when she saw who had caught her client's interest.

"He's.. a bit notorious among us Kinners. He's not a mere representative, but the commander of his own outfit."

"That's unusual. Mercenary commanders don't show up here in person."

"Because they have better things to do. The only reason why the commander is here is because his mercenary corps is in disgrace."

"Tell me more."

Though Kelandra seemed reluctant, Ves nonetheless insisted.

"His name is Oryn Mair. He used to be a member of one of our famed tribal corps, the Hundred-and-Seventeen Blades. The Blades are some of our best swordsman mech pilots in the tribe. Each of them are renowned swordmasters, both in person and in the cockpit."

The revelation surprised Ves quite a bit. "Why is Commander Mair hanging around at these halls if he possesses such a good background?"

"He screwed up." Kelandra said succinctly. "The Hundred-and-Seventeen Blades only fields 117 mechs and mech pilots in total. That is unusually small for a tribal corps but that is also why they are regarded as one of our premier elites. The Blades have developed an elaborate and complicated procedure to allow for new mech pilots to take the place of the old ones. Oryn Mair was the son of a Blade, and he's been training all his life to take over the seat of his father."

"I take it that went wrong."

"Very much so. His training results are excellent and his dedication is not in question. Yet to become an honored Blade, more is needed. A Blade must be capable of fulfilling the same kind of missions that a regular Kinner mercenary is supposed to complete. Full with confidence, Mair threw himself into these missions. It went wrong right away. He failed to stop a suicide mech from bypassing his machine, allowing it to blow up and take out the client's life."

Ves frowned. That did sound serious. "What was the consequence?"

"The client died, so Mair failed the mission in the worst possible way. After numerous investigations, it turned out that Mair spent too much time in the simulator pods and lacked too much sleep. He had been maintaining this pattern for several days despite being on the job. According to the logs of his own mechs, his responsiveness dove off a cliff and he momentarily dozed out just as the assassination attempt went through."

According to Kelandra, Mair had been found to be grossly negligent and received a very damaging black mark on his record. While a black mark could be wiped away, the stain would always remain.

For an honorable tribal corps like the Hundred-and-Seventeen Blades, taking in a mech pilot with such a stained record would lead to a massive outcry among its members!

"So the Blades kicked him out?" Ves asked.

"Worse. His own father, the Blade who Oryn sought to replace, disowned his son outright! You have to know that receiving a black mark on your record is one of the greatest shames of our people! We Kinners prize our word highly. If we accept a mission, we will never fail our responsibilities! We might be beaten, we might be outnumbered, we might be outfoxed, but we will never accept a defeat that's caused by our own actions!"

Oryn Mair dozed off on the job. He skipped out on sleep and injected himself with anti-sleep stimulants instead, figuring that the chemicals would be enough to keep him sharp. This severe lapse of judgement ruined his entire reputation and forced his own father to treat Oryn like a stranger!

"What a tragic story!" Gavin said. "Since he disgraced himself so heavily, how come he's still in business?"

"We Kinners might not look favorably towards him, but the Mercenary Association threw him a lifeline. With their support, he managed to put his superior skills to use and slowly completed a string of high-risk missions that other mercenaries would balk at. With the abundant pay he received for his services, he began to hire a band of misfits and problem cases among our people and put them through excruciating training until they shaped up into decent mech pilots."

"He's doing quite well, it seems."

Kelandra did not appear to be too happy about that. "Not really. His mercenary corps, the Edge of Redemption, are only doing well because they take on tougher missions than most other mercenary corps. The pay is high but the risks are higher. There have been many times when the Edge of Redemption lost a third of their battle strength after a nasty mission. Attrition is horrendous. Many mech pilots who used to serve alongside him are long turned to dust. If you ask me, the Edge of Redemption is riddled with bad luck."

To punctuate her words, Commander Mair did not appear to be having a good day. Most Kinners who passed him openly directed sneers and other rude gestures at him. The clients, witnessing this behavior, all veered away from the pariah of his own people.

Yet to Ves, Commander Mair was like a diamond in the rough. The man's strong spirituality as well as his remarkable story were deeply attractive. How could the Kinners despise such an amazing mech pilot?

Such a man would be perfect in the Avatars of Myth! Not only did he enjoy excellent training, but he possessed an abundant amount of experience in leading and training an eclectic mix of mech pilots.

Best of all, as long as Ves was able to guide Commander's spirituality into developing a force of will, the Avatars might be able to gain their first expert pilot!

As much as Ves wanted to see Melkor or his other relatives become an expert pilot, it would not bring him any benefits. Anytime one of his Avatars broke through to expert candidate, the Mech Corps would just swoop in and poach the lucky mech pilot, leaving Ves with nothing but empty gratitude.

Yet such a cheap incident would never happen with Commander Mair. As a Kinner who pledged to serve Ves for his entire life, the mech pilot would never break his word, especially after incurring such a shameful black mark early in his career!

The fact that Commander Mair called his outfit the Edge of Redemption already spoke volumes of his determination to do better! With an unbreakable Kinner oath of fealty secure, the Mech Corps would never be able to pry off Commander Mair from Ves' grubby hands if the fellow ever surpassed the extraordinary threshold!

"He's interesting! I want to speak with him!" Ves boldly declared.

Before Kelandra could discourage her client, Ves already strode straight towards the proud mercenary commander.

Chapter 1308

Oryn Mair noticed the approach of the group. In fact, with his perceptiveness, he long knew he had been stared at specifically.

To Ves, the man's demeanor reminded him of the war-hardened Larkinsons. That gave him a bit of comfort as well as quite some consternation.

Well-trained, veteran mech pilots had their own pride. They stuck to their principles and did not chase after blind opportunities like their younger and more adventurous counterparts.

Ves automatically adjusted his own demeanor when he recognized the tough customer he was facing. His memories flitted back to his days with the Vandals in the frontier. While he had lost much of his edge after returning from the war, he never truly forgot the depths he had sunk into in order to survive.

"Kelandra. Off to guide another spoiled brat to a bunch of our kids? You've come to the wrong place." Commander Mair grinned at the guide.

"Please indulge my client. He has become oddly interested in your story."

"Am I a circus freak to be laughed and jeered at? I have to admit, you're different from the other brats, kid. You've got some spine in you despite being a mech designer."

"My name is Ves Larkinson. I come from a military lineage in my state."

"Ah, oh really now? Don't think that makes us friends. I care not for the military of other states."

Ves' smile turned a bit harder. "Kelandra spoke right. I can't help but be interested in you and your Edge of Redemption."

The mercenary commander took another look at Ves. Though the two of them recognized an intrinsic quality between them that all veterans of conflict shared, that did not automatically earn the Kinner man's respect.

"What are you looking for?"

"A Kinner mercenary corps that can be depended on. I'm touring half the star sector for a year and I need an experienced and adaptable crew to escort me and keep me safe. After I return to my home state, I'd like to see whether it's possible to buy out the Edge of Redemption if possible."

Mair grunted. "You better look elsewhere, kid. Other Kinner outfits in these halls will be glad to run an easy escort mission. The Edge of Redemption isn't in the business of babysitting little brats like you. We do serious work for serious institutional clients."

"I'll make it worth your while."

"Money is just a possession. The Edge of Redemption is not for sale."

After a stilted back-and-forth, Ves eventually stepped away. The negotiations failed. While he had made multiple offers to hire or buy out the Edge of Redemption, Commander Mair simply refused to entertain any offers.

"Why is the commander even present in Ornament Halls if he ends up rejecting a job? Isn't that counterproductive?" Gavin frowned.

Though he had been met with refusal, Ves did not look displeased. "The most valuable soldiers are always the hardest to recruit."

"Does that mean you'll try again, boss?"

"I don't know." Ves shook his head. "I already had a notion that Commander Mair will be difficult to persuade. When people like him say no, they really mean it. No amount of nagging or haranguing will change the equation."

"I'm not surprised he refused to engage with you." Kelandra said with a calm expression. "Commander Mair is accustomed to performing missions from established institutions and companies. As employers, they are more reliable, dependable and much less likely to undergo any upheaval that changes the mission parameters."

In contrast, working for a supposed 'brat' like Ves came with a lot of disadvantages. His prosperity and his company's prosperity depended highly on himself. If he fell sick or if he made a stupid decision, then he might provoke a very dangerous enemy or suffer a deadly accident!

His relative youth did not make it easier to earn Commander Mair's respect. While Ves had matured a little bit since the start of his career, he looked too much like a rich student who went off to Bloodstone to play with mercenaries.

A client like Ves appealed much more to mercenary bands that lacked the confidence to take tough missions and to survive as an independent outfit.

"Every man has a price." Ves said with a low voice. "I just haven't mentioned the right offer yet."

"You're the Devil Tongue, boss. Why not just talk him into accepting your offer? Back then, I got the feeling that you didn't try your best. I know you've got a lot more verbal tricks in reserve."

Ves reached out and patted Gavin's head. "Do you think it's a good idea to manipulate someone I want to entrust my life to? If I want to obtain Commander Mair's service, I need to appeal with honesty. He'll only resent me if I resort to manipulative practices."

It was the same as if Ves got screwed by a spy like Calabast or Leland. He couldn't afford to make his own bodyguard feel the same way about him. He may suffer from occasional lapses of judgement, but his paranoia did not allow him to make this specific mistake!

His remark happened to meet Kelandra's approval. "Good judgement. We Kinners may not be as sophisticated as the citizens of other states, but we have our own principles. Even a disgraced Kinner like Oryn Mair has his own pride."

"He's a soldier. He deserves at least that much." Ves grunted.

Although Gavin did not necessarily agree, he knew better than to argue the point further.

"Meow."

"I know, Lucky. Commander Mair is the most remarkable mercenary we've met so far. It will be hard to find someone else who matches or exceeds his quality."

Even though Ves privately likened the Kinner Tribe's practices as a disguised form of slavery, the truth was that the Kinners still possessed a lot of choice. The younger and more inexperienced ones might have very little say, but those who had been in the mercenary business for decades and thrived were considerably more challenging to buy.

They knew their own worth and pursued their own goals. Ves guessed that Commander Mair might still be hoping to redeem his honor in the Kinner Tribe.

"Is Commander Mair's father still alive?" He asked.

"Yes, but he's long past his prime." Kelandra answered. "The elder Mair has relinquished his position as one of the Hundred-and-Seventeen Blades and is involved with training the next generation of Kinner mech pilots. He had hoped that his son would inherit his seat, but in the end another promising Kinner took over as a Blade."

Perhaps that must be what was holding Commander Mair. If Ves read the mercenary right, then the disgraced Kinner must be looking for a way to earn back his father's respect and acknowledgement.

The difficulty of this goal must be immense. To Ves, Commander Mair already undertook a lot of dangerous experiences. His sheer dedication to service should have been worthy of recognition.

Yet was it enough to change the mind of what appeared to be a very stubborn and honor-bound Kinner elite mech pilot?

Though Ves was not a Kinner, he already had a good glimpse of local customs.

The reason why the Kinners gained so much fame as mercenaries was that they actually took honor and promises seriously. So much so that any Kinner who broke this custom became the eternal shame of their tribe!

Ves idly scratched Lucky's chin. "Part of the reason why the Kinners look down on oathbreakers is because they tarnish their credibility. Their current success is derived from the reliability and trustworthiness they are known for in the mercenary community. Yet a reputation that took centuries to establish can be tarnished in mere moments by a couple of high-profile failures and betrayals."

Reputation was an unfair currency. Good service and good results did not attract that much attention. It took an extremely long span of time and constant excellence to build up a solid reputation. Yet a couple of cheap scandals might easily cause the house of cards to come crashing down!

For this reason, many Kinners appeared to have adopted a very hardline stance towards the sinners of their tribe.

No matter how much Commander Mair toiled as a mercenary, the tribe would never fully forgive him of his previous transgression. Ves suspected that the mercenary commander knew this truth as well, but still held onto his dream of redemption. Perhaps if he worked and suffered hard enough, Commander Mair might be able to earn back his father's recognition.

It depended whether the elder Mair's love for his son surpassed the values and principles instilled by his tribal corps.

Ves even suspected that this psychological restraint may have been holding Oryn Mair back from breaking through to expert candidate.

He sighed. "Let's leave the Edge of Redemption aside for now. While they are interesting to me, they're not the only viable choice available in these halls."

The group continued to wander the halls and the grounds, talking to various mercenary reps. While Ves did not encounter anyone with such a remarkable amount of spirituality, he did encounter several mercenaries with at least some hint of perceivable spirituality.

Sadly, these individuals were far behind compared to Commander Mair. They needed a lot more training and investment before they could knock on the door to the extraordinary threshold.

Ves had to suppress his disappointment as he chatted with the mercenary representatives.

Inwardly, his heart wasn't in it and his attention occasionally drifted off to possible ways he could secure the Edge of Redemption.

The most convenient way would be to assassinate the elder Mair. Although the older man used to be a formidable member of the Hundred-and-Seventeen Blades, Ves doubted the retired mech pilot was near a mech these days.

A mech pilot without a mech was as vulnerable as a regular human.

That left the question how it could be done without tracing the deed back to Ves. It would be difficult for him to sneak off on his own to attempt an assassination with his inept combat skills.

He eyed his pet thoughtfully for a few seconds.

"Meow?"

His cat still wore the Miniaturized Stealth Generator on his neck. Most people thought it was a collar or an accessory, but its power was so much more.

If Ves could find out the elder Mair's location, he could pass on the information to Lucky and instruct his cat to go end the man's life.

With Lucky's uncommon stealth and infiltration abilities, it was child's play for him to slit the throat of an old and retired Kinner mech pilot in his sleep!

Though was that really the right way to go about it? Assassinating a former member of the Hundred-and-Seventeenth Blades would provoke a scandal of massive proportions. Let alone the extreme reaction of the tribal corps in question, Commander Mair himself might sink into an uncontrollable depression!

If Ves wanted to avoid a greater backlash, then the elder Mair needed to pass on from his life as peacefully as possible. Perhaps Ves could obtain some poisonous substance somewhere and pass it on to Lucky so that his cat could sneakily apply it to the intended victim and induce a quiet and seemingly 'natural' death.

As long as the Kinner authorities uncovered no evidence of foul play, an extreme reaction wouldn't take place. After all, wasn't the former mech pilot already getting it on in years? Dying a bit earlier in their old age was not an unusual outcome to veterans who suffered a lot of battle injuries in their careers.

The only variable remaining was Commander Mair himself. Ves could not predict how the mercenary commander would react to the peaceful death of his father.

Without a way to redeem himself to the person he looked up to the most, what would Commander Mair do next? Would he despair and give up his pursuit, or would he pick himself up and find another reason to live and fight for now that his main goal was forever unattainable?

"What are you thinking about, boss?" Gavin asked with puzzlement. "You haven't been paying attention lately."

Ves drew himself out of his thoughts. "Nothing important."

Chapter 1309

The group took a break from their hunt for Kinners to hire. Kelandra took them to an exclusive restaurant adjacent to Ornament Halls and guided them to a private room to eat lunch.

As Ves chewed some sort of crunchy insect that happened to be a highly-prized delicacy on Bloodstone II, he continued to contemplate the plan he formed in his mind.

Commander Oryn Mair was valuable. Not only was he a mech pilot trained according to the standards of an elite tribal corps, his spirituality also signified great potential.

From what he knew about mech pilots, Ves guessed that as long as Commander Mair adjusted his mentality, there was a strong chance he could break through to expert candidate without requiring too much help!

This would be very convenient to Ves, especially if he succeeded in buying out the mercenary commander and the rest of his outfit! With a near-unbreakable loyalty to Ves, nobody could take the newly-emerged expert candidate from him, not even the Kinner Tribe themselves!

Even if the Kinner Tribe was willing to rehabilitate Commander Mair due to his risen status, they could never openly act in conflict with their own principles!

The Kinners relied so much on their credibility. Their loyalty was absolute, and their promises could always be relied upon!

Once a Kinner was sold, they remained with their new owners forever, barring some exceptional circumstances!

He did not foresee any problems on this end. The only challenge on his part was that Ves needed to overcome Commander Mair's resistance to being sold before he advanced to expert candidate.

"Even if he doesn't agree to my offer to buy out his mercenary corps, I still have an entire year to do so." Ves softly muttered.

"Meow."

For some reason, Lucky hopped away from Ves and adopted a wary attitude. The cat seemed to detect that his owner was contemplating something awful again!

"Oh, come on, Lucky! I'm just thinking about it! Who can blame me for contemplating a solution? I'm a mech designer! Solving problems is in my nature!"

"Meow meow!"

Ves looked despondent. "Yeah, you're right. Even if I can, it doesn't mean I should."

On one hand, he was really greedy to obtain the services of Commander Mair. Ves had met a lot of mech pilots in his life and developed a pretty good sense of what they were capable of. Commander Mair absolutely held promise, both as a regular mech pilot and a potential expert!

To let such a human treasure slip past his fingers left a very sour taste in his mouth. It was like walking past a shining treasure in the mud. As long as Ves wasn't afraid of getting his hands dirty, he'd be able to obtain a valuable asset!

Yet.. Lucky's disapproving glance made Ves hesitate. Should he really sink to such a depth to secure the loyalty of a promising mech pilot?

"It would be so much easier if Commander Mair was a pirate or some other scum." He softly muttered.

Yet despite his earlier failings, Oryn Mair had gone above and beyond to obtain redemption. Such behavior and drive was worthy of respect and admiration. It reminded Ves of some of the greater Larkinsons in his family, those who took their duty and integrity seriously.

Should Ves give in to his more honorable side and afford Commander Mair the respect he deserved?

Or should he set aside his misgivings and enact his plan, leading to a result that in the end provided a lot of benefits to both Ves and the mercenary commander?

Ves did not necessarily intend any ill towards Commander Mair. To Ves, the Kinner was still suffering from a disgrace that should have been forgiven years ago. The man was fighting an uphill battle for redemption, not knowing that the hill he was climbing was endless.

One of the complicating factors was that Ves truly believed that Commander Mair would be better off under his care. Who in the galaxy possessed a deeper glimpse in the creation of expert pilots than him? Hardly anyone could match his unique advantages!

So why was Ves still hesitating?

He turned to Gavin and asked a sudden question. "Does the end justify the means?"

"Uh, what?"

"If I can achieve a great result by doing something awful, is it worth it to do so?"

"What brought this about?" Gavin frowned.

"Just humor me for a moment."

"Hmmm.. I think humanity is better than that."

"Our civilization's long history says otherwise."

"That's because it was necessary for our survival." Gavin flicked his hand. "Our race acted like two-faced, backstabbing bastards during the Age of Space and Age of Conquest, but so what? The pompous alien races who terrorized the galaxy were all worse. They deserved everything we unleashed upon them. In this way, the end indeed justified the means back then. It all depends on who will pay the price."

"In other words, the end only justifies the means if the victim had it coming?"

"Yeah. Nowadays, I think we've outgrown that period in our civilization. Do we really need to revisit our darker sides? Look where that has gotten us. As soon as we stopped targeting the aliens, we turned our darkness against ourselves."

Ves had to admit that his assistant had a good point.

If Ves indeed decided to enact his plan, he might be able to achieve his desired result, but at what cost? Would he be more inclined to make a dirty move towards people who really didn't deserve to be subjected to this kind of treatment?

Perhaps.. he needed to rethink his priorities. At the very least, if Ves was facing some kind of criminal or a bastard, he would have no scruples getting his hands dirty.

Yet that wasn't the case here. Neither Commander Mair or his retired father deserved to be subjected to dishonorable means.

"You were asking me this because of Commander Mair and his Edge of Redemption, right?" Gavin asked.

Ves nodded. "Yeah, but I shelved my plans. As I stated earlier, Commander Mair is a soldier who deserves to be treated with respect. I don't want to resort to my Devil Tongue ways to fool him into working for me. Yet without any special means, I don't have any means to change the stubborn Kinner's mind."

"Earlier you said that everyone has a price. Instead of trying to cheat him into your service, why not try and find a way to give him what he wants?"

Ves grimaced. "I don't think a foreigner like me can interfere in this matter. The entire Kinner Tribe including his own father thinks he's irredeemable. No amount of hard work and excellence in his mercenary career will earn Oryn Mair forgiveness."

He had reached a dead end. While Ves could have offered other rewards to the commander, the man himself stated that money was just a possession. What Commander Mair truly valued was his honor and his father's acknowledgement! Something which Ves could not give unless he was willing to resort to very ugly means!

"To be honest, I still don't understand why you are so hung up over Commander Mair." Gavin said with a hint of confusion lingering in his eyes. "He's definitely something, but is he truly the only choice out here on Bloodstone? There are countless mercenary corps who are more than eager to work for a wealthy mech designer like you. I don't see any reason to tunnel vision on a single mercenary. He doesn't want to work for you, while you don't want to resort to any radical means to change his mind."

Though Ves felt very regretful about passing by a golden opportunity, he accepted Gavin's viewpoint.

"I think you're right. I'll forget about him and turn my attention to other Kinners. No matter how much I want to obtain someone, not everyone is for sale. I just have to accept that some people will always remain out of reach to me. The Mercenary Association did warn me about encountering this reaction."

The Kinners valued reputation and credibility highly. Not just among their own tribesmen, but also to the foreign clients looking to enlist their services.

While Ves achieved numerous feats of heroism back home, all of his shiny medals and accolades meant little this far away from the Bright Republic. The Kinners lacked the context to appreciate his achievements. They only saw him as a young, wealthy Journeyman.

Ves, Gavin and Lucky finished their lunch. To be honest, neither Ves or Gavin found the Kinner delicacies palatable. Only Lucky enjoyed a decent meal among the three as Ves fed him some exotics he bought at a nearby shop.

"Meow.."

Lucky lazily dozed on Ves' shoulder after his sumptuous meal. His tail flitted back and forth with contentment.

Ves sighed and booped his pet in the nose.

"Meow!"

"Maybe I should leave the search to you, Lucky."

Kelandra ignored the antics of her client and led the group to some of the outer halls. Not as many mercenaries and clients frequented these areas as they were usually taken up by less established mercenary corps. More foreign-owned outfits showed up as well, providing potential employers with more affordable alternatives.

It was at one of the outer halls that Lucky suddenly sniffed and raised his head.

"Meow!"

"Hmm? What is it, Lucky?"

"Meow meow!"

There is something remarkable about that pair of mercenaries?"

Lucky pointed him towards a pair of despondent-looking foreigners sitting by themselves in the corner of the hall they were in right now. The two, a man and a woman, looked fairly young and also shared an obvious family resemblance.

Nothing about their appearance appealed to potential clients. Their grumpy faces and haggard faces suggested they were part of a mercenary corps that was down on their luck.

Yet now that Lucky directed Ves to turn his attention on them, a couple of details stood out.

First, their clothes may have started to look like rags, but they used to be part of a military uniform. Ves could easily imagine the badges and insignia that used to adorn their outfits.

Second, though the two mercs looked despondent, they still possessed some steel in their spine. They must have enjoyed a very proud position in the past.

These weren't the first foreign mercenaries he'd seen on Bloodstone who fled in disgrace. In fact, such stories were actually the norm than the exception.

It was just that the losses the two mercenaries suffered must have been fairly recent. Otherwise, they wouldn't have looked so out of place compared to the other mercenaries who learned they needed to let go of their pasts in order to begin anew.

As Ves came nearer, he discreetly brushed them with his spiritual vision. Both happened to possess a mote of spirituality.

Did that instantly make them special? Not necessarily. Ves already encountered numerous mech pilots like them. Numerous Larkinsons shared the same condition.

Therefore, aside from the peculiarities he observed, Ves did not note anything else that caused Lucky to take interest in the pair.

It didn't hurt to talk, though.

"Looks like the two of you aren't exactly eager to enter the mercenary business." Ves started off on a strong note.

The male looked up with resentful eyes. "We did not choose to be mercenaries. It was forced upon us due to unforeseen circumstances."

"You can say that about half the foreigners in these halls. What makes you so special?"

The mercenary shrugged. "We competed for power and lost. Our noble house is in ruins and our titles are struck from the records. Are you happy now, or do you want to laugh at us some more?"

Ah. Fallen nobles. It always hurt more when you fell from a greater height.

"I do not mean to disparage the two of you." Ves gently raised his hands. "I'm just curious. Are the two of you in charge of a mercenary corps?"

"No." The woman shook her head and spoke up for the first time. "They cut and run on us when we arrived at Bloodstone! They took the mechs owned by our house and started their own outfit without us! We've appealed to the Kinner Tribe and the Mercenary Association but they aren't doing anything to return our stolen property!"

Well, that explained why the pair of foreigners looked so crushed. Ves became increasingly more interested in their story. What was it about them that attracted Lucky's notice?

Chapter 1310

The two fallen noble scions turned out to be twins. They came from one of the oddest-named states in the local star sector, the Kingdom of the Three Flowers.

The reason for this name dated back to the 'Flowers' who founded the kingdom. The three were natural triplets. Each of the women who went on to become the Flowers all shared the same genes.

Yet from their youngest years, they had been separated from each other and grew up in isolation from each other. Although they knew they had sisters, the lack of interaction with them led to very little sisterly love.

For what reason their parents chose to raise their children in this fashion, Ves had no clue. They deserved to be whacked in the heads for bringing up their children without coming in touch with each other.

In any case, once the three Flowers grew up and reached adulthood, they each possessed a claim to the territory that would eventually become the Kingdom of the Three Flowers.

Therein laid the complication question. Which Flower should inherit the kingdom?

A lot of proposals had been bandied back-and-forth. All of the Flowers were so different from each other that every faction in the kingdom favored a different one.

To cut the long story short, the factions never came to an agreement. The political fights became so ugly that a civil war to determine the succession seemed inevitable!

Yet at the brink of war, the factions oddly managed to calm down long enough to hash out a compromise.

Rather than deciding upon one of the Flowers, why not elevate all three of them to the throne?

It was an extremely flawed compromise that pleased none of the factions, yet what else could they do to stave off the fighting? A civil war would tear apart the kingdom and make it vulnerable to outside invasion! Everyone would lose out in the end if that happened!

Ever since then, the Kingdom of the Three Flowers formally came into being. They imitated the shared rulership structure of the Hexadric Hegemony, but Flowers weren't nearly as good as the matriarchs in sharing power.

A lot of inner conflict still ensued to this day. While the royal houses no longer fought directly against each other, their vassals were often pushed to fight in their stead, either openly or covertly.

The Royal Houses of the Grey Rose, Black Poppy and White Dandelion each struggled to power while simultaneously keeping each other in check. As a result, the balance of power had never experienced a shift since the founding of the houses.

Even so, that did not stop the Flowers from continuing their toxic competition for power.

The two fallen nobles that Ves had met used to be the scions of House Ingvar, which was subordinate to Black Poppy.

While they were not born into the main branch of their house, they turned out to be potentates. This caused House Ingvar to invest in their training in the hopes of assisting the head of the house in the future.

All seemed well to the two nobles. Their privileged upbringing and decent skills allowed them to become fairly notable mech pilots. Once they graduated from the mech academies and returned to their house, they were placed in charge of a household mech company.

"We thought we'd be able to serve with distinction during this period." Imon Ingvar explained to Ves.

The female, Casella Ingvar, continued the story. "But then Black Poppy turned to our house for an important mission. Even now, we still don't know what the Black Poppy wanted from our house. We merely received some vague orders to mobilize our company and head to a lifeless star system to await our next orders."

They arrived at their destination and waited for their next instructions.

They never came. As the communication channels remained silent, the Ingvar pair finally decided to loosen the restrictions to their quantum entanglement nodes to check up on the latest on the galactic net.

That was when they learned that House Ingvar had fallen!

"How did your house fall all of a sudden?" Ves frowned in puzzlement. "Shouldn't you have protocols in place to warn the two of you of disaster?"

Imon shook his head. "We were engaging in very covert movements. We took a lot of precautions to hide our presence. Too much, it turns out. A sudden assault struck House Ingvar with such might that none of our relatives and retainers who knew about our deployment could spare any attention to us! We were left in the dark!"

What followed afterwards was a lot of doubt and confusion. This was because the main culprit behind the destruction of House Ingvar turned out to be Black Poppy!

For whatever reason, the royal house turned on its own vassals and employed the full might of its mech divisions to crush every Ingvar they could find!

After the two Ingvars truly realized their house was gone, they led their household mech company out of the Kingdom of Three Flowers and meandered their way over to the Kinner Tribe.

"When we arrived, we were short on money and supplies." Imon despondently noted. "Casella and I left our ship to access the backup accounts that House Ingvar maintained on Bloodstone. That was a mistake!"

"Our household troops betrayed us! The mech pilots appropriated the mechs provided by our house while the spacers crewing our carrier hacked our authorizations and took over complete control! What's worse was that they had the audacity to register themselves as a new mercenary corps called the Horseless Riders!"

The Mercenary Association approved of the establishment of the Horseless Riders. Though Imon and Casella Ingvar strongly objected to this move and cried foul, the fallen nobles made very little progress through arbitration.

"Did the arbitration from the MA achieve anything substantial at all so far?" Ves curiously asked.

"Hahaha!" Imon resentfully laughed. "They refused to force the Horseless Riders to return the stolen assets! All of the mechs along with our carrier still remain in the hands of our treacherous servants to this day! The only concession the MA deigned to give us was to return our personal mechs! Two mechs! That's all!"

Both Imon and Casella gritted their teeth at the thought of this result. They only regained a fraction of what they lost, and the MA seemed unwilling to cede them anything else!

Ves shook his head after hearing this sad tale. "If you ask me, the Mercenary Association protected you and gave you a lifeline."

"What?!" Casella burst out. "That's absurd! The MA totally sided with the thieves! They wanted to shut us up by handing back our mechs in exchange for acknowledging we've lost the right of possession of our remaining mechs and ship!"

Ves chuckled, which seemed to make the Ingvar pair even angrier. "Let me explain how I see it. House Ingvar is no more. Their own superiors, the Royal House of the Black Poppy, crushed your house themselves. All Ingvar assets should have been formally seized by Black Poppy."

"Except for ours!" Imon protested.

"Says you." Ves raised his hand. "Let me continue. Suppose what I said has happened. Now, your household mech company should have been the property of your house. Neither of you own the assets of your former mech company, correct?"

Both Ingvars reluctantly nodded.

"So properly speaking, the assets of your household mech company actually belongs to Black Poppy. Now, if you continue to annoy the Mercenary Association with your useless demands, who says they won't confiscate your mechs and send them back to their rightful owners at the Kingdom of the Three Flowers?"

"They can't! We will never allow the murderous Black Poppy to take what little we possess!"

"Have you ever heard the saying that possession is nine-tenths of the law?" Ves raised. "Well, from what I've learned, the Mercenary Association often defaults to this rule when it handles arbitration in cases like these. House Ingvar is no more, and while Black Poppy probably claimed all of your fallen house's assets, it's customary that a few bits and pieces fall through the cracks. If we count your household mech company among them, then they were technically ownerless."

"It should have still belonged to us then! We are the remaining surviving heirs of House Ingvars!" Imon exclaimed.

Yet Ves shook his head. "House Ingvar is dissolved. It doesn't exist in any legal sense. Its estate and all of its assets has been absorbed by Black Poppy. What this means is that your last name has become worthless!"

This revelation came as a huge shock to the two! Both Imon and Casella possessed a lot of pride in their house! Even if it had fallen, they still harbored ambitions to take revenge and restore their house!

However, such an endeavor was much harder to do if no one recognized their house and in turn their noble status!

"In the perspective of the Mercenary Association, a deckhand aboard your carrier has as much of a claim to your ship than the two of you. It all comes down to who can manage to claim and secure possession of the ownerless assets first!"

Most likely, the former household mech pilots each claimed their own mechs. Meanwhile, the spacers collectively split the ownership of the carrier, with the captain claiming the largest proportion.

The former soldiers and retainers of House Ingvar probably left no room for Imon and Casella Ingvar in registering their 'salvage' claims.

Likely, the only reason Imon and Casella regained their personal mechs was because the Horseless Riders hadn't recruited mech pilots and assigned them to the mechs fast enough!

The brutal truth had been laid bare to the ignorant two fallen noble scions. Both Imon and Casella appeared devastated!

"Apart from your mechs and some backup funds, the two of you have nothing left, right?"

Imon listlessly nodded.

"Well, far be it for a stranger like me to advise you, but I suggest you pick yourself up. You may have fallen to your lowest point, but at least you are still better off than most. What has been lost can be regained, but you won't come close to doing so if you keep moping around. Move forward. Think about what you can do in the future, rather than beat yourself up over past decisions that have already been made."

"What's it to you?" Casella narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Why are you trying to help us? Are you pitying us?"

"I only paid attention to you two because my cat thinks you're interesting." Ves patted Lucky's back.

"Meow!"

Lucky seemed pleased at Ves' recognition. The cat always prided himself for his observation ability!

"I don't see anything worth paying attention to, if I'm being honest. I suggest you rethink your current actions and evaluate whether you are doing something productive. I hope you'll wake up and move forward. At that point, I hope you consider working for me. I'm a great boss and as a mech designer, I can provide you with some great mechs."

Ves had Gavin pass their contact information to the Ingvars before they left.

Kelandra spoke up now that they had walked out of earshot from the fallen nobles. "I don't see why those foreigners are worth your time. Nobles who have lost their houses are some of the worst mercenaries imaginable. They constantly pretend they are still special when they are no different from a mercenary! In fact, even our worst Kinner mercenaries are better than those two crybabies!"

"It is true that the two Ingvars don't make for good mercenary material." Ves conceded, though a grin quickly plastered on his face. "Though it's a different story if I can manage to persuade them to join my Avatars of Myth!"

Only when he came in close proximity and studied the pair up close did he manage to perceive what Lucky had already sensed.

There was something special about the two Ingvars!

Chapter 1311

"We haven't achieved anything so far." Gavin noted to Ves after the end of the day. They had returned to their hotel as the sun faded over the horizon. "There were plenty of mercenary corps who seemed decent, but you didn't look enthused."

"Kelandra was wrong." Ves remarked. "At the very least, she hasn't told me the complete story."

"How so?"

"Money talks. This is true. Yet sometimes the currency that matters more isn't hard credits, but reputation. If I was a Senior or had a few more years to burnish my name, I would have been able to persuade the likes of Commander Mair to work for me. As it is, I'm far too obscure to recruit the truly valuable mercenaries."

"We always knew that to begin with, boss. In my eyes, you are setting your standards way too high. Don't forget what we are here for. You wanted protection for your trip and loyal mech pilots to bolster the growth of the Avatars of Myth. While it's great if you can get the best, you can still meet these goals with any other Kinner mercenary corps."

The reminder put Ves to thought as he stared at the bloody red sunset over Bloodstone's crimson surface.

"I think you have a point." He admitted as he relaxingly drank a glass of wine. "I think a bit of Gloriana washed over me. I focused too much on getting the best that I lost sight of the bigger picture."

Lately, Gloriana's insertion into his life made him feel a lot of pressure. He couldn't afford to rest on his laurels. He needed to improve and build up his strength significantly faster than he previously thought.

Yet he got so caught up in trying to squeeze out advantages everywhere that he was starting to lose sight of his boundaries. Growing wealthier, powerful and more capable opened a lot of options that Ves could have never imagined.

With his overactive imagination and his creative mind, he became capable of designing great mechs.

However, his barely-constrained imagination also led him to develop dangerous ideas just because he was capable of putting them into fruition.

Ves noticed that this tendency became increasingly worse over time. When he reflected on his recent actions, he recognized that his common sense and grounded mindset had both been deteriorating for a while.

Was this what all mech designers had to deal with? Or was his artificially-augmented mental attributes to blame?

Maybe Ves was experiencing the same kind of degeneration as all of those infamous admirals and battleship captains back during the Age of Conquest.

The constant pursuit to improve one's raw attributes often led to unintended side effects.

Ves thought that genetic modification had advanced and learned from the mistakes of the past.

Perhaps he was wrong.

The problems might be more intrinsic, making them an unavoidable part of improving oneself. The so-called 'side effects' were so ingrained that they might as well be a core component of the total package.

How many leaders, military officers and dignitaries were running in the galaxy concocting wild schemes and plotting all manner of crimes in order to get an advantage in the current age?

The greater their capabilities, the greater their capacity towards destruction.

The worst part of this realization was that Ves suspected that he was on track to join their ranks.

Did he want to stop or reverse this development?

Not necessarily.

With all the experiences he had been through, he would rather suffer from too much paranoia than be too trusting and naive against a potential threat.

Yet even if he accepted this inevitable transformation, did that mean he had to resign himself to becoming a monster in human skin?

Right now, Ves realized that he always had a solution by his side.

It was the people he kept by his side.

For example, Ves kept Gavin by his side in order to keep him informed and to assist him in passing on instructions and making appointments on his behalf. Yet Ves did not call his assistant Benny for no reason.

Though Gavin harbored suspicions that Ves was suffering from brain damage when he stopped calling his assistant by his real name, the actual reason was much more profound.

At first, it was a conscious way to remind Ves of the danger of letting a gatekeeper gain too much control over his life.

Each time Ves spoke out the name 'Benny', his mind kept harkening back on how Axelar's bodyguard and assistant practically dictated much of the Terran wastrel's life.

After Ves returned from that Master experience, he resolved to never make such a mistake himself. He should always be the one in charge of his own organization instead of the other way around.

However, in his drive to keep up his guard against a trusted subordinate, he overlooked the truth that sometimes a gatekeeper may be right.

Gavin accompanied Ves constantly ever since he returned from the war. Both of them grew up on the same planet, but whereas one became a wildly successful mech designer, the other one still retained much of his common Cloudy Curtain sensibilities.

Each time Ves made an extreme decision, he always did so alone. Yet each time he deliberated on his choices in the company of Gavin, his assistant often acted as a sounding board and a voice of reason.

From the perspective of a mech designer like Ves, it was a matter of specialization. Ves was very much in charge for a reason, but his judgement was only sound in some areas.

In other areas, the judgement of a common space peasant like Gavin was plainly better. The instance of trying to find a way to recruit Commander Mair clearly illustrated this point.

Perhaps the best way to restrain his more unreasonable urges was to have someone at his side who was ready to offer a second opinion.

This was the other function of a gatekeeper. To be a voice of reason whenever their bosses required one.

Ves also had more companions. He had Ketis, Calsie, Melkor, Calabast, his grandfather and so on to help manage his affairs and to provide him with relevant advice.

Just like mechs, no one excelled in every aspect. Multipurpose mechs might claim otherwise, but Ves personally experienced that even they possessed shortcomings.

He was realistic enough to admit that he was nowhere close to a multipurpose mech. He was just good at designing mechs, that was all. In everything else, Ves was far from a knowledgeable expert.

Perhaps Ves should direct his paranoia towards his own judgement once in a while.

"Benny?"

"Yes, boss?"

"Thank you for being with me. Thank you for providing me with sound counsel. Sometimes, I need a good whack to my head whenever I'm contemplating something crazy."

Gavin nervously released a laugh. "You're the boss. That's what you're paying me for, right?"

"Right."

"Seriously though, if there's anything you need that you can't do yourself, just hire someone. Bloodstone may be famed for its mercenaries, but there are more people for hire besides mech pilots. Maybe it's a good idea if you shop around for other experts and specialists while you still have access to one of the best job markets in the star sector."

That did sound like a great idea to Ves. "You're right. Why didn't I think about that? However, hiring someone trustworthy is not going to be easy."

"Then just buy out a Kinner expert, boss. Not every Kinner tribesman is a poorly-educated menial or a mech pilot who doesn't have a life outside fighting, though it may seem that way sometimes. There are plenty of Kinners who studied other vocations that are looking to sign on to a wealthy benefactor like you. Best of all, they aren't as expensive to buy out as a mercenary corps!"

A bulb went off in Ves' mind. "You're right! It's difficult, if not outright impossible to hire assistants who are both trustworthy and capable! One of the only places where this rule doesn't apply is one Bloodstone! Everyone knows that a Kinner's fealty is ironclad!"

Even so, his lingering paranoia cautioned him to take it easy for now. If he relied too much on this assumption, it might come back to bite him in the butt.

They began to trade ideas on which positions to hire in order to bolster the staff.

"How about hiring a financial manager? You need someone to manage your personal fortune."

"Maybe." Ves hesitated. He really did not want anyone touching his personal funds at all, but he recognized that he may inadvertently squander his money due to his lack of financial acumen. "Put it on the list. If we find a Kinner who can be trusted with my personal assets, I'm open to buying them out."

They traded more suggestions, most of which Ves rejected because they didn't seem necessary. Why should he hire a personal cook when nutrient packs and autochefs already did a decent job in filling his stomach? He was not a picky eater.

A small idea crept up to Ves. "Please add a spymaster to the list."

"A spy? Why would you have need of that kind?" Gavin frowned.

"Perhaps I misspoke. I meant a security expert." Ves rephrased. "Corporate espionage is very real, as we both found out at the Ylvaine Protectorate. I truly need someone who knows how to spy and who can beat them at their own game. Proficiency in counterintelligence is my main priority, but if I ever need someone to snoop on my behalf, I want to have someone capable on hand."

"..Okay. That makes sense, I guess."

"It's not just for me, Benny. The expert we hire can also assist the Avatars of Myth in setting up its virtual security division."

After another ten minutes of trading different possibilities, Gavin suddenly mentioned the most obvious option that they somehow overlooked.

"You need a personal bodyguard."

"Isn't that why I'm here in the first place?"

"Kinner mercenary corps are all geared towards piloting mechs to protect you against other mechs. They might be great against fending off hostile mechs, but that doesn't mean they're adept at foiling assassins in disguise and such. A personal bodyguard who isn't a part of the Avatars of Myth but reports directly to you and only you can be your greatest shoulder to lean on in hard times."

That was true, but a personal bodyguard with great power over Ves might also turn into another Benny. Ves fell silent as he weighed the merits against the risks.

Eventually, he decided that Gavin's suggestion had more pros than cons. While he held great trust in his Avatars of Myth, they weren't exactly around right now. In addition, if they ever became compromised for one reason or another, Ves would not be left completely alone no matter how low he sunk.

"Okay, add that to the top of the list. A personal bodyguard is my number one priority."

Though they both came with plenty more suggestions, Ves begged off on filling up any other functions. Just like with the Avatars of Myth, expanding his staff too fast might result in more harm than good.

"You can always return to Bloodstone in the future to hire additional staff." Gavin remarked. "Even if you don't want to travel all the way to the Kinner Tribe again, you can order them from the galactic net or send someone like me to take care of this errand."

"True."

The whole reason for Ves to hire a staff was to rely on them to do the jobs that needed to be done much better than himself. They weren't only there to offer to put their expertise to use in advising him, though that was a very important additional benefit to someone like Ves who possessed sketchy judgement in areas outside of mech design.

Ves idly petted Lucky, who was lounging on his lap. "Naturally, my closest companion will always be you, Lucky."

"Meow."

Gavin, who watched the interaction from the side, shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder whether you truly understand your pet or you are merely making up your own meaning in Lucky's meows."

"Who knows." Ves smirked. "Perhaps I'm talking to myself all the time after all."

"Meow!"

Chapter 1312

The next day, Ves and Gavin woke up and prepared for another day of Kinner shopping.

This time, Ves resolved not to go back empty-handed this time.

His extensive talk with Gavin pulled him out of his obsession of collecting the best of the best, regardless whether they were available to him or not. Continuing to pine over Commander Oryn Mair after the mercenary captain resolutely ruled out working for him should have been the end of the matter.

"It's truly a pity to leave behind a gem in the rough." Ves shook his head in regret. "Still, the price I have to pay in order to obtain an unattainable treasure may be greater than I can stomach."

His actual demands were nowhere near as high. Hiring a decent Kinner mercenary corps ought to satisfy most of his immediate needs with regards to his security.

Rounding that out with a personal bodyguard and an experienced spy adept in virtual security filled up the other gaps. Though Ves could always hire more, his budget wouldn't allow it at the moment. He would just have to stick to the safer parts of space.

After heading down to the hotel lobby, Kelandra greeted them both with an amiable smile. "Good morning, Mr. Larkinson. Shall we resume our search at Ornament Halls, or do you prefer to visit the smaller recruitment venues instead?"

"Let's return to Ornament Halls." Ves decided after a brief moment while holding Lucky. "There are plenty of mercenary corps we haven't encountered yet. I've also readjusted my priorities, so I might want to revisit some of the mercenary representatives that I've spoken to before."

"Alright. We can do that."

As they began to walk towards their aircar, Ves also mentioned his other demands.

"After discussing my lack of qualified help with my assistant, I'd also like to hire some other bodies outside of a combat force."

"Such as?"

Ves listed out his list of priorities.

"I was wondering if you would turn to the rest of our job market." Kelandra nodded in understanding. "Many clients who visit Bloodstone have the same needs as yours. While we are famed for our loyal Kinner mech pilots, not everyone is destined to follow their vocation. Aside from raising logistical personnel to assist our mech pilots, we also excel in raising Kinners who can fulfill other jobs. While low-skilled labor is our most abundant export product, we do offer a fair amount of specialized, high-skilled labor."

"What is their quality?" Gavin asked.

"Do not expect to encounter any exceptional talents. Our systematic education system is geared towards educating a large amount of qualified Kinner experts instead of trying to raise a small number of exceptional talents. Those that do happen to turn out exceptional often join the tribal corps or auction themselves out to our most wealthiest customers."

In other words, Ves should not expect the best. Just like with hiring a mercenary corps, he still lacked the wealth and reputation to buy out the most premier Kinner tribesmen.

The aircar lifted off from the hotel grounds and flew towards Ornament Halls. The short trip ended quickly and the passengers disembarked in order to enter the bustling grounds.

They first resumed touring the halls where the Kinner outfits hung out. Ves talked to numerous representatives, finding out their history, their track record, their fighting strength, their price, their willingness to be bought out and so on. Most reps happily answered his questions.

He kept his spiritual senses peeled for remarkable individuals, but he found no one that came close to matching Commander Mair.

Although Ves could keep looking for better options, he did not wish to prolong his search any longer than necessary.

He decided to take a brief break and discuss his options with Gavin and Kelandra.

"What about the Uliver Dornshields?" Their guide suggested. "While their mech pilots are on the younger side, they are very enthusiastic about signing on to you, Mr. Larkinson."

Gavin shook his head. "They are rather lacking in experience. None of them have ever traveled beyond the region surrounding the Kinner Tribe. I'm not sure they'll be able to handle the situations we encounter as we travel further away from their home state."

"That's a good point." Ves remarked. "While younger Kinners have the advantage of a longer shelf life, their lack of experience can be a serious detriment. We can't afford to train them on the job. I need mech pilots who are already competent and capable of adjusting to different environments."

A short pause ensued as Gavin perused the notes he took on his data pad. "Remember the Pulsar Thieves? They've been around for several decades, experienced various ups and downs and undertook missions on both the Friday Coalition and the Hexadric Hegemony sides of the star sector."

Ves shook his head. "They are kind of washed-up, though. You can see the tiredness in the eyes of their representative and accompanying mech pilots. They just returned from a mission gone wrong and are on the lookout for an easy retirement."

"Yeah. Their drive is obviously lacking. Their average age is also on the higher side, so their shelf life isn't very long. Despite these factors, they still dare to price themselves as if they are still in their prime."

The group entertained other suggestions. Though Ves did his best to lower his standards, he still found some issue that disqualified a particular Kinner outfit from consideration.

Gavin became increasingly more exasperated at the nitpicking going around. "Fine! What about the Battle Criers!? Sure, they're a bit cruder than the other outfits, but they tick most of your boxes!"

"The Battle Criers?" Ves seriously considered the suggestion. "They're a bit.. unorthodox."

Kelandra knew more about them. "No one expected the Battle Criers to last, to be honest. They rose up from humble beginnings after their founder, Hugin Cinnabar, joined hands with a band of like minded former cadets after graduating from the mech academy. Somehow, despite their shabby mechs and limited numbers, they've grown to a respectable height over the years, mostly due to their penchant for accepting odd missions."

"That has backfired on them several times, though."

"True, but it is admirable how the Battle Criers never came close to dissolvement even after suffering a loss. Unlike the Pulsar Thieves, they still managed to retain their fighting will."

The representative of the Battle Criers was a bit.. colorful. Frankly, the Battle Criers reminded him of both Lydia's Swordmaidens and the Flagrant Vandals.

They simultaneously possessed the savageness of the Swordmaidens while pairing it up with the occasional cunning and lack of scruples of the Vandals.

Unfortunately, the Battle Criers did not possess the single-minded devotion to training of the Swordmaidens or the military discipline of the Vandals.

The impression that Ves got out of observing the representative and accompanying mercs was that they were a bunch of courageous but dim-witted ruffians.

Yet how stupid could they really be if they managed to survive for a couple decades?

Ves developed an interest in their mercenary commander. While Hugin Cinnabar was just as old as Oryn Mair, the two were completely different leaders. Whereas Commander Mair enjoyed a privileged military upbringing, Commander Cinnabar rose up from the lowest ranks.

While Commander Cinnabar lacked much of the training and sophistication of Commander Mair, the founder and leader of the Battle Criers still managed to climb to the same height from a much lower starting point.

"Commander Cinnabar must be quite resourceful despite his humble origins." Ves surmised. "It's not easy to start a mercenary corps from scratch and keep it going for two decades."

Though their story was quite remarkable, Kelendra did not entirely approve. "I'm not so sure whether the Battle Criers are the most suitable mercenary corps to protect you. They are much more capable of performing offensive missions. While they are still willing to serve as protective duty, it goes against their instincts. I've heard stories that their men can get unruly if nothing exciting happens."

"I think I can handle that." Ves determined. "If not me, then Commander Cinnabar will surely be able to keep them in line. He's got them this far. If he's willing to accept a protection mission, then he's surely prepared to address this problem."

There were plenty of reasons to hire the Battle Criers.

They were a mixed mercenary corps. They fielded one landbound mech company and one spaceborn mech company. Whether in space or on land, Ves was assured of all-round protection.

They possessed two serviceable light carriers along with one small logistics ship and two transport ships. Such a fleet was sufficient for them to operate in deep space and cut off from civilization for half a year or more.

Their mech pilots were a mix of younger and older Kinners. While they suffered occasional battle losses, they always recruited young blood to invigorate their ranks. In this way, they pooled together youthful enthusiasm with tempered veterancy.

They possessed a good employment history. Only a few failed missions marred their record, and none of them placed the bulk of the blame on their forces.

Best of all, their buyout price was very reasonable, regardless whether Ves opted to obtain their assets.

All in all, as long as Ves didn't mind being around some rough men and women, he'd be able to obtain the dependable and trustworthy Kinner mercenary corps he originally set out to hire.

"Their mechs and ships are still kind of shabby, though. Commander Cinnabar is not a believer in paying for quality." Gavin pointed out one last flaw, as if to deter Ves. "While it's all well and good to replace their old mechs and ships with brand-new ones when you return home, right now we are far away from the Bright Republic. Do you really want to entrust your protection to a bunch of mechs that already look second-hand when bought?"

That happened to be one of the reasons why Ves initially dismissed the Battle Criers. Commander Cinnabar's haphazard command style frequently resulted in losses. This development likely steered him towards purchasing cheaper and more expendable assets.

For this reason, as a fighting force, the Battle Criers depended more on their quantity rather than their quality to win battles. The overall level of training among the Battle Crier mech pilots also left something to be desired.

Compared to Commander Mair and his Edge of Redemption, the disparity in strength was significant!

Yet the more Ves thought about the Battle Criers, the more they started to grow on him. His nostalgia towards the Vandals and the Swordmaidens left him with a lingering attachment towards crude but earnest mech outfits.

"Alright, I've decided!" Ves stood up with gusto while picking up Lucky. "We don't need to hire a crack mercenary troop to fulfill a mere protection duty. The Battle Criers are more than sufficient for the job! Let's go and speak to their rep!"

Though both Kelandra and Gavin still possessed some doubts, this was one choice that Ves was determined to follow through.

After referencing her comm, Kelandra led the group to a hall at the periphery of the grounds that they visited before. Once they squeezed through the crowd of clients and mercenaries, they eventually reached a corner where a rough-faced mercenary representative sat on a chair with his feet propped on a table.

Ves observed the squished carcass of a native Bloodstone bug stuck on the sole of the representative's boots. Its blood and insectile juices had dripped down on the surface of the table long enough to turn dry.

His lips curled up in a rueful smile. He had already resolved to endure some uncouth behavior from his guards.

"Hello again." He began. "We've spoken to you before, remember?"

"Huh?" The representative blearily directed his bloodshot eyes as Ves before taking a huge swig of his cheap beer. "I dun remember you. Fagh! When am I finally done with this boring duty?! PTUH!"

A beer-laden glob of spit landed awfully close to Ves' impeccably clean shoes.

He was starting to have second thoughts about this idea.

Chapter 1313

Kelandra took over after Ves expressed his disgust. After a half-coherent chat with the drunken mercenary representative, their local guide managed to get the man call for his boss for a potential job.

Twenty minutes passed by. Ves stepped well away from the Battle Crier assigned to represent his mercenary corps, not willing to risk getting soiled by the drunken Kinner's vomit and spit.

Despite the disgraceful display, he did not take it to mind. The other Battle Criers sitting deeper looked a bit more sober and decent. They also possessed a confident and energetic demeanor, which meant that there shouldn't be any problems concerning their motivation.

Eventually, the man they had been waiting for arrived at the hall. A large, heavyset man with ragged red hair came to the drunken representative and whacked the fellow in the cheek!

The force of the blow was so significant that the rep immediately collapsed onto the floor!

"You dumb pig! Is this how you're supposed to attract a client!? Go wash yourself up and report back to base!"

"Y-Y-Yes, commander!"

The big man then turned around and spotted Kelandra. "So who's the foreigner interested in the Battle Criers?"

"I am." Ves confidently stepped forward and offered a hand. "Are you the mercenary commander of the Battle Criers?"

"That I am! Hugin Cinnabar, at your service!"

The commander smacked his palm against the offered hand and attempted to shake it in a crushing grip.

Yet the grip from the soft and delicate hand did not buckle from the Kinner tribesman's strength. Instead, it exerted a strength beyond any human reason!

Commander Cinnabar's eyes widened as he quickly ended his pathetic power play. "You're not an ordinary mech designer!"

"You're not an ordinary Kinner mercenary commander." Ves smiled like a shark. Towards brash types like these, he found it better if he established his dominance first. "I've been through some scrapes in my life."

"Clearly you do." The commander replied with evident respect. "It's really refreshing to meet a mech designer who spent some time outside their stuffy labs. You're interesting! Let's talk!"

The group along with Hugin Cinnabar moved behind the table where the rep used to sit.

"Alright, you layabouts! Clear some space for us!"

Once the lounging mercs left their places, everyone sat down at the seats that had been freed up. Ves did so reluctantly as he spotted some dried stains on the surface of his chair.

Commander Cinnabar noticed his actions and chuckled. "Well, let's get down to business, shall we? Who are you and why are you looking into us?"

"My name is Ves Larkinson, a Journeyman Mech Designer from the Bright Republic. I'm looking into hiring a dependable mercenary corps to escort me and protect me during a year-long tour through the star sector..."

As Ves gave his spiel, the commander keenly kept his ears open. All the basic points came up. Ves not only wanted to hire an all-round mercenary corps that could cover him both in space and on land, but he also wanted the possibility to buy out the Battle Criers if he became satisfied with their service.

This really caught the mercenary commander's attention. "We don't get many offers like this. Most employers don't want to spend any more time with us than necessary. Our special Kinner charm is too much for them to handle, you see."

"I like a man with personality!" Ves chuckled. "I used to spend some time with mech pilots who are somewhat closer to the bottom of the barrel. While hiring better trained and better-armed mech pilots is what most people in my position would do, I don't necessarily think that's a good idea."

"What are you looking for, Mr. Larkinson?"

"I want a mercenary corps who cares. I want the men and women fighting on my behalf to have some spirit. I want the people who I entrust my life upon to be loyal to me not just because their upbringing as a Kinner says so, but because they believe in my cause."

"Interesting." The commander paused. The intrigue in his eyes had never diminished. "I never expected to meet with a client as unique as you. Most mech designers I've worked for are so stuck up that they can't even look at the floor anymore because their necks are too used to looking upwards. We don't exactly offer the qualities they are looking for. They wanted well-behaved, good-looking lap dogs."

Ves grinned. "That's the thing. I'm not looking for lap dogs. I'd rather spend my time with hunting dogs. Do the Battle Criers fit in that category?"

"Hehe. I would liken us more to jackals than thoroughbred dogs. We've got a bit of wildness in us. While we don't make for the best guards, as long as you point us at a target, we'll make sure to tear it into pieces!"

Obviously, a mismatch still existed in what Ves demanded and what the Battle Criers could provide. The mercenary corps mainly undertook offensive missions and only occasionally guarded people or facilities.

They did not make for the best guard mech force. A lot of other Kinner mercenary corps were much more adept in defending a VIP against external threats.

Ves ought to consider hiring them instead. Yet he refused to do so. As he continued to chat with Commander Cinnabar, he became increasingly more comfortable at the thought of hiring the Battle Criers.

Though his nostalgia towards the Vandals and Swordmaidens played a major role in driving him towards this decision, more factors played into his decision.

First, studying Commander Cinnabar's record beforehand and talking to him in person made it clear that Cinnabar was a reliable if flawed commander. Though he did not possess that much tactical and strategic acumen, he was very capable leading and inspiring his men.

Ves thought very highly of this particular ability. It reminded him of Major Verle's manipulative but effective means of raising morale among the Vandals. The tougher the times, the more the ability to motivate and inspire the men became vital to maintaining the cohesion of a force.

It could mean the difference between abandonment and sticking to the end!

Although properly speaking the Battle Criers already ought to be loyal to Ves due to their Kinner values, he would rather gain some more assurances.

As long as he managed to stay on the good side of Commander Cinnabar, then he could trust in the mercenary commander to keep the rest of his men on their side.

This led to the second reason why Ves became enamored by the Battle Criers. He went along well with Commander Cinnabar.

Although the Kinner mercenary leader obviously wanted to play nice to the person with all the money, the two hit it off quite nicely from the start.

Ves liked the honesty and lack of sophistication from Commander Cinnabar. The older man may exaggerate the merits of the Battle Criers by a bit, but he was not ashamed to mention the points they were lacking or needed to work upon.

"We don't own the best mechs." The commander shrugged. "Unless you can supply us with new ones, we won't be able to beat every opponent we come across."

"That's not a problem." Ves dismissively waved his hand. "I'll reserve replacement mechs for the Battle Criers when we return to the Bright Republic. Perhaps by then, I've decided to buy you all out sans your existing assets and integrate you into my Avatars of Myth."

The possibility of being absorbed into another outfit evoked mixed feelings from the commander. "I'm not sure whether I can accept that outcome. I spent so much time building up the Battle Criers that I don't want our hard work and our martial tradition to die out."

"Your men can still form distinctive mech companies within the Avatars." Ves offered a concession. "While I will still demand that you get along with the Avatars and align yourself with their martial tradition, I do not object if your Kinners still maintain a distinct grouping within my personal force. The Battle Criers will still live on, if not on paper, then in spirit."

Using the word spirit evoked a mixed feeling inside Ves. If there was one regret about his decision, it was that Commander Cinnabar did not possess any detectable trace of spirituality. This meant that the man was unlikely to become an expert pilot in his lifetime.

Ves did not take this observation to heart. Even if Commander Cinnabar lacked the potential, perhaps Ves might be able to resolve this issue one day if the Kinner performed exceptionally in his service.

Even if Ves ruled out this option, he could always see if any of the other Battle Criers possessed the potential.

If it turned out that none of them possessed the potential, then Ves would just have to accept this outcome. Picking up mech pilots with the potential to break through the extraordinary threshold was more of a bonus objective than a necessity in his eyes.

At the end of their back-and-forth, both sides gained a good insight on what they wanted from each other.

Ves wanted to try out a Kinner mercenary corps for a year and see if they had what it took to serve him on a more permanent basis.

Commander Cinnabar wanted to draw back from the life of a mercenary who constantly danced on the knife edge for a very simple reason.

"I'm married." The rough-looking man stated. "Ever since I tied the knot, I realized I can't keep going like this and expect to be there for my children. I grew up without knowing my parents, you see. While I love my tribe and my culture, I don't want my sons and daughters to experience what it is like to be raised by nanny bots and overworked matrons."

Ves believed the commander. No normal parent would want to bring up their children in such loveless camps or institutions. Even if this practice was somewhat more acceptable in the Kinner Tribe, that was only because the market always hungered for more Kinners.

Commander Cinnabar was in his mid-forties and was almost reaching fifty. While he was still in the prime of his mech piloting career, how long would it last? At some point in time, age would begin to catch up to him, no matter what kind of treatments and augmentations he received.

For him to plan for a transition to an easier life of service at this point in his life was a very logical move to make. Though not all of the Battle Criers were as enthused to leave their freewheeling mercenary days behind, the commander was confident he could get his men to agree to the changes.

Ves smiled. "Family is important. Your children are important. I'll make sure to give you and your Battle Criers the opportunity to spend sufficient time with both. The Avatars of Myth are already set in a way that allows for such. I'm looking to bring you in not because I have a need for hired thugs. I want people who are willing to fight for something greater."

What that 'something greater' actually turned out to be, Ves hoped that it would be him or at least his ideals. Trying to convert the Battle Criers into worshipping his ideals would definitely be a long-term project.

Ves intended to spend a lot of time in indoctrinating the Battle Criers into becoming his most dedicated Avatars!

At the end of their exchange, Commander Cinnabar drew back. "You've given me a lot of food for thought. I'll have to think over your offer and discuss it with my men. This is not a decision to be taken lightly, I think."

"Go ahead. I'll be sticking around on Bloodstone for some time." Ves smiled and waved. "My assistant here will leave behind our contact information. If you have any questions or made up your mind, feel free to call us, commander."

Ves extended his hook. Now he needed to wait and see if the fish would bite.

Chapter 1314

So far, Ves extended offers to both the Battle Criers and the Ingvar siblings. Because of the huge implications of accepting the offers, both parties needed some time to consider them carefully.

Not only would they have to accompany Ves as he meandered his way through the star sector for a year, they would also end up on the 'upper' side at the end of the mission.

If they happened to refuse a further extension of employment, then they needed to cut all the way down to the 'lower' side of the star sector. Such a trip not only took a lot of time, but it could also be expensive if they failed to nab an escort mission heading in that direction.

All in all, Ves did not dare predict whether Commander Cinnabar or the Ingvars would accept or not. A good impression at the first meeting might help tilt the decision in his favor, but there were lots of other considerations to take into account.

"The Battle Criers are obviously at the stage where they are open to settling down." Kelandra explained as she guided them to an aircar that would take them out of Ornament Halls. "However, most of them prefer to settle down closer to the Kinner Tribe. This is because it is easier to get in touch with family and friends and to allow for easier access to its various institutions. This is especially important if the bought Kinners want to send their children back to the tribe."

"I take it the younger mercenaries are less eager to settle down than the older ones, right?" Gavin asked.

"That is generally the case. The younger Kinner mech pilots are always full of fire and ready to prove to the star sector that they have what it takes to reach the top of their profession. The ones in their thirties and forties have gone through enough missions to know that their youthful dreams are nothing but unattainable fantasies. They're much more concerned with spending their time with their spouses and raising their children."

The unspoken warning here was that these were just generalities. None of them knew what the sentiment was like at the Battle Criers. Ves already knew that they were a bit abnormal compared to a run-of-the-mill Kinner mercenary corps, but their colorfulness was exactly why they appealed so strongly to his nostalgic sensibilities.

As for the Ingvar twins, while they seemed to be a bit too inexperienced and problematic to work for Ves, they possessed a special quality that even caught Lucky's attention. This reason alone was enough for Ves to try and see if he could exploit the fallen nobles, but it was up to them to decide whether they should serve a different master and leave their vendetta against the Royal House of the Black Poppy unresolved.

Ves quietly shook his head at the thought. Two lone mech pilots with expired noble credentials could never measure up against an entire royal house.

It sounded as absurd as Ves trying to fight against the seemingly-weak but incredibly deep Royal House of Vesia!

They entered an available luxury aircar which swiftly lifted up in the air. The vehicle quietly flew across the capital city to yet another hiring market.

"Both Askaya Halls and Ornament Halls are fine destinations if you want to hire mercenary corps and batches of mech pilots, ship spacers and other support staff." Kelandra noted. "However, if you are looking for other skilled Kinner labor, then we'll have to travel to Trinity Halls."

"What's special about Trinity Halls?" Ves asked as he idly stroked Lucky's back.

"The former two grounds are much more martial oriented, while Trinity Halls is explicitly oriented towards civil purposes. It isn't managed by the Mercenary Association. All the employment contracts are instead handled by smaller and more local institutions."

This didn't matter much when it came to hiring Kinners. Their background and upbringing already guaranteed their loyalty upon being hired or bought out.

The difference mainly mattered when it came to hiring foreign personnel. Due to the distinct mediocrity of Kinner educational institutions, Trinity Halls featured a much higher proportion of foreign-born and educated job seekers.

Just like in the prior two halls, these job seekers ended up on Bloodstone under irregular circumstances. A lot of tragedies happened in the galaxy every day, and the Komodo Star Sector saw its fair share of defeats and disasters which necessitated abrupt flights from home.

Education was expensive. Skilled people still possessed a lot of value. Just because these people fled from their homes didn't mean they no longer served a purpose.

According to Kelandra, while there were always risks associated with hiring the foreigners at Trinity Halls, most of the time they were glad to be taken far away. If not for the considerable expense of leaving for a different star sector, then they would have left for better pastures.

"What kind of guarantee do employers have that they won't cut and run as soon as we bring them back to the Bright Republic?"

"Not a lot, to be honest." Kelandra shook her head. "Oh, they'll be persona non grata at the Kinner Tribe and will have a debt on their name, but in practice it rarely matters."

"Then why hire a foreigner at all if that's the case?"

This was a question that Kelandra often heard from her clients. She smiled. "Most of the time, the foreigners don't intend to pull off a scam. They're already in big trouble. Burning yet another bridge with one of the few institutions that are willing to give them a second chance is a stupid decision, because we are in touch with all the legal job markets in the star sector. Their only other options after spurning our arrangements is to go underground or go pirate."

The galaxy never ran out of pirates for this reason. There were always people who were stupid and irrational enough to run afoul with the law. Pirates constantly received an influx of new criminals and fugitives and turned them into the next generation of pirates to terrorize the stars.

One curious question arose within Ves. "Are there mech designers for hire as well?"

"There are." Kelandra replied with a smile. "Although they generally seek other options, some mech designers who are really down on their luck can be found at Trinity Halls. The truly useful ones have already found employment, though, so don't expect to pick up betrodden Journeymen or talented Apprentices who have been backstabbed by their rivals."

That dimmed his enthusiasm. "Oh."

He had little use for the castoffs that other employers found unworthy. Although he could always pick up some young, desperate mech designers and mentor them until they bloomed under his care, Ves had no reason to go through so much effort.

Mentoring Ketis into a promising mech designer had been an intensive effort. While Ves felt very proud at what he accomplished at the end, it also taught him that mutual trust and respect were vital components of a good teacher-student relationship.

Who could tell if a mech designer he picked up at Trinity Halls would turn out to become another Carlos?

Ves still couldn't believe his old friend just up and left the LMC after hearing about his supposed girlfriend. To be honest, his long years of separation from his former classmate and subordinate left him with remarkably little regret at the departure.

The LMC was bigger than just him, Carlos and a couple of other employees. It employed thousands and pumped out hundreds of mechs from the Mech Nursery a month.

Aside from that, Ves also moved on. He went through a lot of experiences and made new friends and acquaintances. To him, Ketis had always been ten times more useful to him than Carlos.

He cut off his musings when their aircar finally landed at the parking zone next to Trinity Halls.

Compared to the hive of activity at Ornament Halls, Trinity Halls was a lot more open and less-trafficked. Ves and the rest did not have to squeeze between crowds or bump into disorderly mercenaries who drank cheap Kinner beer for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

After entering the premises, they immediately entered the largest hall on Kelandra's advice.

"You don't want to visit the other halls. They're filled with rabble."

The main hall was larger and more exquisite than any other hiring venue Ves had visited so far. Well-placed booths and seats interspersed with tasteful plants and chique Kinner artwork gave the place a sophisticated air.

It was also multistoried, offering even more space for Kinners and foreigners to meet their next employers.

"Let's start with finding you a bodyguard." Kelandra said and guided them to an expansive section that had partially been converted into a training space.

A firing range, sparring ring and various exercise equipment offered the prospective hires a way to showcase their abilities and to keep themselves in shape.

A decent number of fit men and women were already making use of the facilities. Fortunately for everyone, an inbuilt suppression system muffled and isolated the noises they made, causing them to be confined in their immediate area.

"You wanted to find a Kinner bodyguard, right?"

"Correct. Preferably, a high-class one, but I'm open to other options. I'll have to see for myself and see if we can click."

"If that is what you want. I'll take you to the highest graded bodyguards first."

The Kinners operated elite schools and training academies for a variety of demanding professions, including one for bodyguards. It was actually one of their most profitable ventures as the yields they earned were very extravagant.

It probably cost the equivalent of a few million bright credits to train a competent bodyguard that possessed proficiencies in all the major skills.

This was not that remarkable in isolation. It was only when their well-trained skills combined with the characteristic Kinner loyalty that their effective value ballooned.

Paying the equivalent of ten million, a hundred million or even a billion bright credits for successively better bodyguards was not unusual at Trinity Halls!

To many clients, the value of an excellent and extremely loyal Kinner bodyguard absolutely surpassed that of a fantastic mech.

That was because bodyguards could accompany their clients everywhere, even indoors, while mechs were mostly stuck outside!

Ves himself spent a lot of time indoors, either inside his lab, his ship or his office. He also spent significant amounts of time at someone else's premises.

While Ves and Lucky could take care of some threats himself, they weren't specialized in defending themselves. Hiring a professional who dedicated their entire life to protecting their clients made a lot of sense, especially since Ves continued to become more prominent and therefore attract more danger.

In the next hour, Ves toured the section while Kelandra introduced him to various well-trained Kinner bodyguards. Each of them equaled an elite guard or commando in the sheer amount of skills they possessed as well as the depth in which they polished them over the years.

The more expensive ones also made use of genetic and biological modification to increase their physical attributes. They were noticeably stronger, tougher and more enduring than a run-of-the-mill bodyguard.

Different gene mod templates applied different sets of alien genes in their genetic code, causing them to acquire different inhuman traits. Some were visible, such as turning someone's skin into tough, heat-resistant scales, but most of the changes happened internally.

"Our Kinner medical experts aren't good at developing new gene mod templates." Kelandra said. "We also aren't in the habit of buying the latest versions of templates when they come out. We prefer to stick to tried-and-tested gene mod templates that are renowned for their stability and consistency. We try to avoid unpleasant-looking mutations and try to keep the side effects to a minimum."

As a result, most gene mod templates applied to the bodyguards were decades or even centuries old.

While this meant that their positive effects couldn't match up against newer templates, the Kinners didn't have to be afraid of extreme shifts in mentality or premature breakdowns!

Such a stance neatly showcased the practical attitude of the Kinners. They didn't fancy after the best or latest solutions. They were already content with the affordable ones that worked.

Ves could learn a thing or two from their culture.

Chapter 1315

Ves did not find a bodyguard he wanted to buy out on the spot at Trinity Halls.

Certainly, he met many competent and athletic Kinners who knew how to triage, how to survive in a wilderness and how to operate dozens of different weapons.

Some of the more expensive ones even incorporated alien organs in their body that gave them capabilities that might prove invaluable.

The ability to sniff out toxins, see infrared, fire out bone shards from an organic arm cannon and more offered additional flexibility when their equipment failed.

With the prevalence of hacking, relying too much on technology was a common vulnerability that many unscrupulous actors exploited!

Yet despite all these fancy offerings, the bodyguards themselves seemed to be a bit devoid of.. personality.

Similar to elite mech pilots, these top Kinner bodyguards underwent the most intensive training programs to become so good. This left very little time for self-expression and other activities.

"They're too much like bots." Ves shook his head. "I don't doubt their competence, but I never liked to surround myself with people who don't think for themselves."

Kelandra looked surprised at that. "Oh? That is not what other clients think. They prefer to hire consummate professionals. They're easier to control and they don't have to divert extra attention to keep them happy."

"I'm looking to hire a person. I'm not looking to acquire furniture."

He said this for a very specific reason. Even though spirituality did not appear to play a significant role to people other than mech pilots and mech designers, Ves knew better than to take this assumption for granted.

Throughout his career, he encountered a fair amount of abnormal incidents related to spirituality. The frontier especially showed him that different applications of spirituality did indeed exist.

Although the possibility was faint, Ves wanted to try his luck and see if he could uncover a Kinner with spiritual potential among the bodyguards for hire.

Two of the most iconic examples of humans wielding spiritual power in a personal capacity stood out to him. The memories still haunted him whenever his paranoia flared up at times.

One was an assassination attempt that happened early in his career. Some sniper armed with a railgun of all weapons seemingly marked him with a touch of spiritual energy that harkened to a cold wind snuffing out a flickering candle.

The other was the weird stealth tricks employed by the cultists of the Church of Haatumak.

Ves did not have any hopes of uncovering a Kinner who could do something as crazy as the latter. The worshippers of Haatumak were only able to develop these extreme abilities due to their hidden connection to the Five Scrolls Compact.

In truth, even if he found a bodyguard with dormant spiritual potential, Ves had no clue how to develop it into an actual power.

For this reason, Ves did not perform his search for a bodyguard with high expectations in mind.

After passing over the elites, Ves began to trawl through the lower tiers of bodyguards. While they lacked the proficiency and augments of the former group, they were livelier and more motivated to attract his attention.

Ves found that kind of odd, but Kelandra quickly explained the reason.

"When these bodyguards sign themselves over, they have accepted the possibility that they might have to sacrifice their lives to perform their duties. They do so willingly because they invest all of their pay into their children."

"I see."

"Perhaps it is a little odd to a foreigner like you, but some of the elite bodyguards you've encountered before are products of such sacrifice."

The Kinners were very much oriented towards martial service. They elevated fighting professions above civil professions. For this reason, wanting a child to become a much better bodyguard than themselves did not sound odd to the tribesmen.

Ves privately considered them weirdos, but he knew better than to voice his opinion.

As the hours went by, Ves patiently sounded out a lot of prospective bodyguards. Most of them share similar backgrounds, so none of them diverged too much from each other.

Despite that, Ves still took a liking for a couple of them. Gavin noted his selection and already started to research their background details.

As Ves encountered more and more bodyguards who didn't appear to possess any special qualities, Ves finally diverted his eyes towards a large and athletic woman who entered the sparring ring.

The woman challenged a shorter but equally tough-looking woman for a light spar. Both of them began to circle around each other while darting close to exchange some quick punches and kicks. A remote cushioning system built into the sparring ring made sure that none of the strikes delivered any severe damage.

While Ves hadn't noticed the tall woman with medium, braided blond hair before, the spar she engaged in had tickled his spiritual senses.

The others also stopped to see what caught his attention.

The blond woman made for a remarkable sight. Not only was she taller than Ves, she also possessed an excellent, balanced musculature that reminded him of professional athletes.

Her training outfit did not show off too much skin. What the female bodyguard did reveal was plenty of tattoos, each of them harmonizing with each other in some profound, tribal meaning.

Though her appearance did not conform to the prevalent beauty standards, she attracted plenty of stares even from other Kinners due to her Amazonian physique!

"Don't you already have Gloriana, boss?" Gavin frowned. "How would your 'girlfriend' react when she finds out you've been ogling at another woman? Or are athletically-strong women your type?"

"It's not like that, Benny." Ves hissed. "There's something special about her. She's different from all the other bodyguards I've approached so far."

"I don't see how. Her appearance might be more exotic, but the other bodyguards look much stronger when they spar."

Ves couldn't adequately explain what he found so remarkable about the female bodyguard. Not without bringing up his secrets.

Instead, he turned to Lucky, who was perched on his shoulder. "What do you think, buddy?"

"Meow!"

"You agree, right?"

"Meow!"

"Thought so!"

Gavin looked askance. "Uhm, boss, is it really wise to trust the judgement of your cat? Did he come with a human resource management software package or something?"

"No. Lucky is just astute when it comes to sniffing out remarkable people."

"Well, you're right about that, sir." Kelandra spoke up. "She's a famous one at Trinity Hall."

"Who is she?"

"She's called Fe Nitaa, and she's not a regular Kinner. She used to be a trainee of the Order of Fl'xix."

The way she pronounced Fl'xix sounded so odd that Ves had the impression of hearing an alien!

"What is this Order of Flix all about?"

"It's pronounced Fl'xix. Don't let anyone of the order hear you butcher that word." Their local guide warned. "The order is a secretive organization in the Kinner Tribe. I myself don't know what they do, exactly, but most of us guess that protecting our most revered tribesmen is among one of their duties."

"Since this order is so secretive, why is Miss Nitaa at Trinity Halls looking for another job?"

"She failed to meet the order's standards. The Order of Fl'xix is an elite institution. Every Fl'xixian that has appeared in public has always left an unforgettable impression. Miss Nitaa.. falls short. She has no place in the order."

That sounded fairly brutal to the woman in question. It was very difficult for someone to pick themselves up after investing all their time and effort into meeting the order's unattainable standards.

Still, Fe Nitaa maintained a stoic face. If Ves did not hear her story from Kelandra, then he would have thought that Fe Nitaa was just an odd bodyguard.

Now, he found out that the odd bodyguard possessed a complicated past as well.

"What do you think about Miss Nitaa? It seems like you're familiar with her already."

"For a bodyguard, she's good enough, I suppose." Kelandra replied. "She's not as good as the elites who have been trained for the job from birth, but many of her existing skills cross over with what is expected from a personal bodyguard."

"You'd expect someone like her to get hired already." Gavin noted from the side. "Since you know her by name, that means she's been hanging out in this hall for a while. Why hasn't she been snapped up yet?"

Now that Ves thought about it, that did sound odd.

Kelandra shook her head. "She refused their offers. A lot of clients, particularly men, offered her cushy positions, yet she refused their offers outright. It didn't matter if they wanted to hire her for a fixed period or buy her out for an indefinite time, she all said no to them. For what reason, none of us know."

That sounded like another tough customer to Ves. He already grimaced as he feared another instance like Commander Mair. It was so excruciating for him to find a promising treasure, only to leave it behind.

Nonetheless, nothing ventured, nothing tried. He had to see for himself if Fe Nitaa proved to be an equally unattainable hire.

Ves sent a look to Kelandra, who got the message.

She stepped forward and approached the edge of the ring. She sent a hand signal to the sparring combatants that prompted them to separate from each other. A slightly winded Fe Nitaa stretched her limbs a bit before approaching the guide.

The two leaned close and whispered to each other. After this brief exchange, Nitaa took a deep look at Ves with her yellow eyes.

The exchange lasted for a minute before they separated again. When Kelandra came back, Ves expected a rejection. Why else would Nitaa turn away?

"She accepted your offer of buying her out."

"Wait, what!?" Gavin spluttered. "We haven't even extended her an offer yet!"

Even Ves was taken aback. He took another look at Nitaa, but all he saw was her back as she entered a side corridor in order to shower and freshen herself up.

"According to Nitaa, Mr. Larkinson qualifies." Kelandra said with an odd face. Even she was confused! "She accepts any contract you give her. It matters little to her if you want to employ her for a year or for the rest of her life. Even if you pay her enough money to buy a single nutrient pack, she will still take an oath to serve you as a personal bodyguard for the rest of her life!"

"What?!"

Gavin simply couldn't get his mind around this absurd circumstance.

Even Ves didn't know what had happened. He was too suspicious to believe that Fe Nitaa just took a liking to him after rejecting so many other offers to employ her services.

There was something fishy about Fe Nitaa's premature acceptance!

Even Gavin could tell that something abnormal went on. He turned to Ves. "Maybe you should reconsider, boss. Normal Kinners don't offer themselves to a random client for free. At least even slaves think they are worth something!"

Ves turned back to Kelandra. "Do you know why Miss Nitaa offered those conditions? Is it an imposition from her former order, maybe?"

"No." Kelandra shook her head. "The Order of Fl'xix has produced plenty of dropouts. Many Kinners aspire to join their ranks. Few actually manage to pass their tests. She.. has not been forthcoming with her reasons to me. Perhaps you should ask her yourself."

That was a good idea. So far, Fe Nitaa only expressed verbal approval at any employment arrangements that Ves might wish to make. They hadn't signed any contracts yet. As long as neither of them recorded their agreement in a legally-recognized document, Ves could still walk away if he didn't like what Fe Nitaa had to say.

The special quirk in spirituality that he and Lucky sensed during her spar might be interesting to him, but it wasn't worth a blind leap into the unknown.

Chapter 1316

It took some time for Fe Nitaa to reemerge. She changed out her workout clothes for a stiff, formal-looking suit common to bodyguards. Ves knew that her suit was probably padded with a thin layer of armor in order to help her withstand infantry weapon fire.

Her suit might also hide all manner of weapons, from knives to collapsable rifles.

Even if Ves wore his shield generator, he still felt threatened by her proximity. So long as she hadn't pledged to serve him, she would not prioritize his life over hers.

At least that was how it should have been.

"Mr. Larkinson." She spoke with an impassive voice as she bowed in front of him. "My name is Fe Nitaa. I pledge to serve you for all my life until you deem fit to dismiss me. By the ancient customs of the Kinner Tribe, I agree to serve you in a manner befitting my tribe. In return, I hope you treat me with the dignity and respect of a Kinner."

"Uhh..."

"The pledge is not valid until it is formally registered at the Kinner Tribe." Kelandra stepped in. "Nitaa, we should first draw up a contract and negotiate on its terms."

"I will accept any terms Mr. Larkinson deems fit to set as long as it abides by Kinner standards."

"Nitaa! Are you out of your mind! As a fellow Kinner, I highly advise you to make a careful decision! You are throwing away your negotiating position! At least consult a contract lawyer. There are plenty of them hanging around here at Trinity Halls."

"No need." Nitaa shook her head. "I have pledged to serve Mr. Larkinson. Contract or no, my word is sufficient!"

"That's not how it works!"

"Ladies!" Ves forcefully interrupted. "Kelandra, I understand your concerns. I do not wish to take advantage of Nitaa. How about you go and call for one of those contract lawyers and prepare a proper document? Meanwhile, I'd like to talk to Nitaa in private. Is that alright?"

Though she still had a lot of misgivings, Kelandra reluctantly nodded. At the very least, getting Nitaa outside counsel was a lot better than leaving her to 'negotiate' by herself!

Once the guide left their side, Ves turned to the tall and imposing woman and directed a sharp smile at her. "Now that the distraction is gone, can you finally tell me why you want to work for me? I believe there must be a very special reason why you offered such uncommon conditions."

Nitaa directed her eyes towards Lucky and Gavin before sweeping the rest of the hall. "Not here. I have my reasons, but they are not meant for other ears. There are private conference rooms not far away from here."

They quietly followed her outside of the hall and into a set of corridors that led to various meeting and conference rooms. As Nitaa walked up to an unoccupied room, she turned to Gavin.

"Not you."

"Pardon?"

"It is best for Mr. Larkinson to hear what I have to say alone."

"Oh, come on! I'm his executive assistant!"

"But does he trust you?" Nitaa asked.

For some reason, that question cut very deep.

Before Gavin considered the question seriously, Ves held up his arm. "I'll humor her for now, Benny. For now, stay outside. I'll see what she has to say."

"Your cat is a security vulnerability." She spoke.

"Not really." Ves shook his head. "Let's get inside."

He did not brook any further suggestions and went on to enter the room. This forced Nitaa to accept his decision and follow suit, though she did so with a frown.

Once they closed and locked the room, Ves patted Lucky's head. "Activate your ECM. Put it in a higher strength this time."

A moderate interference field encompassed the entire conference room. It was so strong in fact that it even spilled over into the corridor!

The display was enough to take Fe Nitaa by surprise for the first time. "I did not expect your mechanical pet to be capable of projecting an interference field of this strength. This is high technology."

"That is very knowledgeable of you. Do all bodyguards possess the knowledge to make this kind of observation?" Ves pointedly asked.

His suspicion towards Fe Nitaa deepened.

"What I am about to reveal to you is utmost sensitive, Mr. Larkinson. For your own good, you do not want us to be observed. Are you absolutely confident that your ECM can block every form of observation?"

"I'm pretty confident. It's derived from CFA tech."

"As expected!" A small smile appeared on the tall woman's face.

"As.. expected..?" Ves raised his eyebrow. What was that supposed to mean?

Seeing that Ves possessed a very strong means of blocking outside observation, the woman no longer hesitated.

In a display that absolutely dazzled him, Nitaa began to bow and prostrate before his feet!

"All hail the Holy Son of the immortal gods! All hail the Holder of one of the Sacred Scrolls!"

WHAAAAAAAAT?!

Ves practically jumped out of his skin. His shock and fear was so immense that Lucky immediately yowled in alarm and took on a fighting posture in the air.

"Meow?!"

Meanwhile, Ves took a few steps back to get some distance from the physically strong fighter and drew out the Peaceful Repose from his belt holster. He immediately aimed the muzzle of his custom ballistic pistol at the woman who knew one of his secrets!

"What is the meaning of this! Who are you?! Why do you think I'm this 'Holy Son'?!"

After years since his return from the frontier, Ves quietly buried the incidents related to the Metal Scroll and the Five Scrolls Compact to the back of his mind.

While the secretive trans-galactic cult that rivaled the MTA and CFA in scope had its tentacles everywhere, their strength was very dispersed. Ves always suspected that the Compact only inserted a handful of informers and offshoot organizations in the Komodo Star Sector.

The chance of encountering one of their ilk was very low. For them to be able to figure out that he was a mythical Holy Son should have been an even more unlikely occurrence.

Yet all of his calculations couldn't account for coincidence and bad luck!

Nitaa continued to kneel in supplication, taking no notice at Ves' barking tone or the fact that he pointed a deadly weapon at her head.

"You need not be concerned, Your Holiness. I am not a member of the Order of Fl'xix. If I was, my responsibilities would be very different. At this moment, I represent myself in kneeling before your august presence."

The hell?! Ves wanted to scream in frustration. Out of everyone in the galaxy, he just had to meet another person who knew one of his secret identities. Worse yet, Fe Nitaa managed to sniff it out from a distance! Wasn't his true status supposed to be undetectable aside from a special blood test?!

"How did you know?! Tell me!" Ves barked. He didn't bother to deny Nitaa's assertion that he was a Holy Son. The situation had already moved beyond that point. "Does the rest of the Order of.. can other Kinners do what you have managed to do?!"

"You.. you are not of the Compact?" Nitaa frowned even as she faced the ground.

"No! I've been trying to avoid their detection for years!"

"I see." Fe Nitaa sighed. "You have no need to fear me, Your Holiness. While the Order of Fl'xix is indeed connected to the Compact, I am different. I am certain that they do not have the capacity to detect your brilliance."

"How so? What makes you different from the others? How sure are you that no one else can do what you can?"

"Because.. I am no longer a formal member of the order." Nitaa admitted. "They used me. The order, the Compact... I devoted my life to them, yet they treated me as a failure and an experiment. If not for my oaths, I would not have left the order peacefully."

"What was this experiment supposed to accomplish?" Ves narrowed his eyes.

"I can sense a Sacred Scroll on you with my special nose. I have never smelled this immaterial scent before, but as soon as my special nose picked it up, I received an unspoken message in my head!"

That immediately set off additional waves of panic inside Ves. If Fe Nitaa could already do such, how many other people were out there in the galaxy sniffing around for any trace of the Metal Scroll?!

The woman took no notice of his distress. "There are some in the Compact who believe that the Metal Scroll has never been destroyed. Such an incredible artifact should never be vulnerable to material means of destruction! Even if you throw a Sacred Scroll into a black hole, it should still be able to escape under its own power!"

Ves grimaced. Fe Nitaa sure knew a lot for a Kinner! How deep was she involved with the Five Scrolls Compact?

Though his mind was roiling in turmoil, the crisis he faced forced him into adopting a more decisive attitude. He suppressed his panic and forcefully asserted control.

This was not the time to run around like a headless chicken!

Seeing that Fe Nitaa not only recognized his status as a Holy Son, but also supplicated herself in front of him without any hesitation, Ves began to take that as a sign that Nitaa might not have any malicious designs on him. He relaxed a bit and tried to assert more control over the situation.

"Tell me your connection to the Compact."

"I was part of the Order of Fl'xix as a trainee. Every trainee comes into contact with the existence of the Compact, although we are very much aware that we are only loosely connected to it. Those who pass will have the opportunity to know more. Those who perform best may even be rewarded with a referral to the Compact."

"What about the failures like you?" Ves asked. "I would have thought that your order would tie up loose ends."

"There is no need for that among Kinners. We have taken an oath not to reveal the existence of the Compact! Failed aspirants such as I are expected to make ourselves available for hire or purchase in order to expand the reach of the order and assist them as long as it does not conflict with my other oaths."

"Then.. why are you so free with me? Aren't you supposed to report me to your old masters?"

"You are the Holy Son. I have always been taught to revere the brothers and sisters of the Five Scrolls Compact over even the most senior members of the order. The hierarchy is clear. Of the Compact, there is no one who is more holy and more deserving of obedience than the Holy Sons and Daughters!"

This was the first time Ves heard of the existence of Holy Daughters. That was a small detail that he buried in his mind.

"I see. I am not connected to the Compact, though."

"It doesn't matter. A Holy Son is a Holy Son!"

Ves understood what was going on. Fe Nitaa essentially exploited a loophole in her oaths and instructions. The question was why.

"You could have chosen to do something else." He stated flatly. "Why betray the intentions of the order and the Compact? Why choose to reveal your cards to me so openly?"

"Because.. I am no longer a formal member of the order." Nitaa admitted. "Although I have been given a set of instructions, I have no obligation to follow all of their strictures anymore. The order, the Compact... even if I devoted my life to them, they treated me as a failure and an experiment. If not for my oaths, I would not have left the order peacefully."

Apparently, Fe Nitaa harbored a considerable amount of grievances against the Order of Fl'xix. If she was to be believed, the reason why she was so eager to make use of the loopholes in her oaths was because she wanted to spite the order and the Compact!

Even knowing that Ves was not part of the Compact, she still chose to side with him! In fact, it was better for her that Ves didn't possess any ties to the notorious cult!

The two actually had a lot more in common than Ves anticipated!

While all of this sounded great, Ves never believed in free gifts. Fe Nitaa's odd submission towards him was so convenient that it only stoked his paranoia even further.

Why should he believe Nitaa's story? What if she lied? Although she claimed to abide by her oaths as was expected of a Kinner, what if she wasn't? What if she only pretended to be a Kinner?

Even if she was a Kinner, who said her oath truly allowed her to betray the order to side with Ves?

Chapter 1317

A huge headache threatened to engulf Ves. When he planned to go on a tour through the star sector, he never expected to confront one of his latent fears in the first leg of his journey!

What was the chance of meeting an agent of Five Scrolls Compact? Extremely low. Yet Ves inadvertently bumped into one just because he wanted to find a personal guard!

To hear that the secretive and mysterious Order of Fl'xix in the Kinner Tribe was actually another splinter organization of the Five Scrolls Compact shocked him immensely.

It made him wonder how many other assets the Compact inserted into other states. Did the Bright Republic have its own branch of the notorious organization?

A shudder went through his back.

Right now, Ves faced a huge dilemma. On the surface, Fe Nitaa spoke truthfully. She expressed complete willingness to place his own interests over the Order of Fl'xix and the Five Scrolls Compact.

According to her, the will of the Holy Sons and Daughters trumped above all. This instruction had been hammered into her over and over again. They were the figureheads of the Compact and the absolute authorities of the expansive cult.

Evidently, despite the immense size of the organization and its loose, cell-like structure, the leadership at the top was very centralized.

The Holy Sons and Daughters had absolute say.

Yet when Fe Nitaa and the other prospective members of the order swore their Kinner oaths, her teachers made a small oversight.

Her first and most important priority is to revere and obey the instructions of the Holy Sons and Daughters.

Her second priority was to revere and obey the instructions of the brothers and sisters of the Five Scrolls Compact.

Her third priority was to obey the instructions of her superiors in the Order of Fl'xix.

The hierarchy here was crystal clear. The Holy Sons and Daughters held absolute control. Their direct instructions superseded every existing arrangement.

Yet these simple instructions came with a very significant hole. It was a mistake typically made in programming where the programmer in question failed to account for an unlikely but faintly possible scenario.

What if the Holy Son or Holy Daughter did not belong to the Compact? What if they were enemies?

The brothers and sisters of the Compact should have known that some of the Scrolls landed in the hands of others. In particular, the CFA and MTA should have obtained the Fire Scroll when they supposedly rebelled against the secretive organization that used to control humanity behind the scenes.

Ves decided to ask this question directly.

"Fe Nitaa. Your instructions supposedly compel you to obey a Holy Son over the rest of the Compact. I understand that the implication of this instruction is that a Holy Son or Daughter is always a part of the Compact, but what if this is not the case, like now?"

A short silence stretched.

"I.. I do not think the leaders of our order ever contemplated this possibility. We hear very little about the core secrets of the Compact. To be honest, this is the first time I've learnt that a Holy Son exists that is not aligned with the Compact!"

After a brief round of questioning, Ves clarified the situation a little.

The Order of Fl'xix may be an influential organization in the Kinner Tribe, but it was a non-entity in the larger scheme of things.

The Kinner Tribe was one of the smaller and weaker third-rate states in the star sector. The Komodo Star Sector itself was one of the most remote and underdeveloped star sectors in human space.

To a behemoth like the Five Scrolls Compact which was likely the third-most powerful trans-galactic organization in human space, how much attention did they really pay to their cat's paws?

Perhaps not even the regional leaders of the Compact in the star sector knew the order even existed!

From what Ves could surmise from his prior encounters, the Compact operated an extensive network of offshoot organizations.

The Church of Haatumak, the Angel's Wing Foundation and now the Order of Fl'xix. All of these organizations and more served as the low-cost eyes and ears of the Compact.

Their loose, distant and indirect connection to the Compact turned them into disposable entities that could instantly be cut off whenever they became exposed.

It was also due to their low importance that the Compact never filled them in with all of the core secrets of the cult!

Ves tested this out by asking her whether she knew the whereabouts of the Fire Scroll.

"I don't know. Such information is never passed to lowly ones like me." Fe Nitaa shook her head. "My fellow trainees and I always presumed they were safely in the hands of the Holy Sons and Daughters hiding in the galactic center. There was no conceivable way we would ever suspect that the most eminent leaders of the Compact would ever stray into the galactic rim!"

So his guess was right! The Order of Fl'xix or at least their trainees never knew that the Compact lost most of its Sacred Scrolls!

While this was a major oversight on the part of the Compact, in practice it was unlikely to bite them in the butt. What were the odds this unimportant order would ever come into contact with the Holy Son of an enemy faction?

It was too ridiculous to contemplate!

A combination of laziness, excessive secrecy and lack of investment meant that the Order of Fl'xix had never been prepared to face an existence like Ves!

Certainly, due to the persecution of the Big Two, the Five Scrolls Compact was forced to adopt a decentralized, cell-like organizational structure throughout the galaxy.

It established numerous regional cells, each of which would not harm the main organization if they ever got uprooted by the relentless hunters of the MTA and CFA.

These cells in turn set up their own cells throughout the star sectors they occupied in the form of offshoot or splinter organizations. The additional layer of disconnect meant that these disguised organizations lacked much of the knowledge that a typical brother and sister of the Compact possessed.

"Has the Compact truly never thought about instructing the order and other offshoot organizations of the existence of enemy Holy Sons?" Ves frowned.

Nitaa shook her head. She stopped supplicating completely, but still remained on her knees. "From what I've learned from my basic teachings about the Compact, the Sacred Scrolls are more than scrolls. Their material forms are just containers of an immensely powerful artifact that is capable of thinking for itself! They have always chosen their Holy Sons from among the Compact!"

This was a very interesting detail! If true, that meant that even if the CFA and MTA got their hands on a scroll, it might not be a given that they would have their own Holy Son!

As for the claim that the Scrolls were self-thinking, Ves already accepted it. The System's very existence confirmed it. Perhaps the only point of doubt was why the System did not seem so eager to reunite with the Compact.

That was a question for another day.

He turned to another issue that caused him to feel some doubt. "For someone who knows so little, you still managed to determine that I'm a Holy Son. Earlier, you said you received a message in your mind. What was that all about?"

"When I turned my attention to you back when I was at the sparring ring, I directed the senses of my special nose at you. I immediately encountered a very strange and overpowering presence that was mixed in your scent. As I explored it further, I received a direct message in my mind. It told me that you were a Holy Son."

Ves frowned. "Directly? In plain standard language?"

She nodded. "The message was loud and clear. It left no room for doubt."

Another grimace appeared on his face. He sure did not transmit such messages himself, and Lucky would never pull off a stunt like that. This left only one remaining self-thinking entity on his person who could have conveyed this very message.

The System!

For all these years, Ves had grown used to the System's inaction. It seemed content to act out the role of an impersonal, passive virtual interface.

He treated the System like a virtual shop front, essentially. As long as Ves did not spend his DP, he always assumed the System went dormant and never acted out on its own initiative.

This time was different. If his suspicions were correct, then the System proactively reached out to Fe Nitaa, directly spilling one of its user's secrets!

The worst part about it was that the System acted without his express consent!

The thought of it made him want to tear his hair out!

It was as if the Barracuda suddenly gained a mind of her own decided to crash into the sun instead of existing a star system!

Ves could not blame the System for acting against his own interest. This time, it probably did the both of them a huge favor!

Yet just because he benefited this time did not mean the next time would be the same.

Ves always believed the System never acted in his interest. Instead, it pursued its own goals!

For now, both of their goals aligned with each other, but how long would it last? One day, decades or centuries from now, their priorities might diverge. What would happen then?

He would have to be stronger than the System by the time this fateful moment took place. Otherwise, he could forget about surviving the System's betrayal!

Whether the System would ever do so, Ves didn't know, but he never discounted the possibility that the worst might happen one day! His paranoia didn't allow him to dismiss this potential threat!

"What a headache." He shook his head and turned his attention back to the present. "Okay, I understand what went on. It seems my disobedient little 'Sacred Scroll' decided to spill the beans."

The worship in Fe Nitaa's eyes intensified. How could she not revere him?! Each Sacred Scroll was a mythical entity that lowly ones like her would never have the privilege to be in contact with in their lives! To encounter a Holy Son in the wild all of a sudden uprooted all of her assumptions!

Though Ves wasn't sure yet whether Nitaa told the truth and sincerely cooperated with him, he became more inclined to believe him. The System wouldn't reach out to someone at random.

In effect, Nitaa already carried the System's seal of approval.

That wasn't quite enough for him, though, considering that Ves didn't fully trust it in the first place.

He turned to Lucky, who had always remained alert and onguard in the air ever since Ves became distressed.

"Lucky? What do you think about Nitaa? Do you think she tried to deceive me in any way?"

"Meow."

"No?"

"Meow."

"She's sincere?"

Even Lucky vouched for Nitaa's honestly, which was a huge point in her favor. Although he couldn't explain why, Ves trusted Lucky more than the System!

With all signs pointing out that Nitaa was being honest, Ves finally let down his guard a bit.

He reluctantly embraced the assumption that Nitaa was just as she said, a former member of a splinter organization of a regional cell of the Five Scrolls Compact.

"Tell me one thing, Nitaa. Are more people capable of sniffing me out?"

"I don't know the answer to that question, Your Holiness." She shook her head. "The experiment was so unsuccessful that the visiting Compact researcher aborted it when it kept producing failures. In truth.. he may have been too impatient. A year after the experiment, my nose transformed. By concentrating my mind on my nose, I managed to empower it in some way that allows me to smell scents that I never knew existed!"

This may have been the ultimate goal of the experiment! The Five Scrolls Compact may have wanted to develop a nose like the one that Nitaa possessed in order to track down the Metal Scroll, which they might have suspected hadn't been destroyed at all!

Though the researcher presumed the experiment failed, what if that wasn't true? What if other survivors of the experiment like Fe Nitaa possessed the same ability?

Also, the Compact researcher was just one among many. What if other brothers and sisters of the Compact engaged in similar research? What if one of them succeeded?

Perhaps right now, the Compact might be spreading human bloodhounds throughout the entire region in order to catch him in a net!

Chapter 1318

Fe Nitaa was so low on the totem pole that she knew nothing about the intentions of the Five Scrolls Compact in the region.

"I'm just an experimental subject to the Order of Fl'xix, and a failed one at that." She raised her eyes. "However, if you wish to avoid detection from others like me, perhaps I can help."

That caught his attention. "How so?"

"There are ways to interfere with my special sense of smell."

The two began to dive in deeper on the nature of her so-called special nose.

From what Nitaa could tell, the experiment performed on her messed with her olfactory senses. Her nose had been modified to sense smells that ordinary people could never sense.

At least that was the intention. For some reason, this ability came online months after the Compact researcher declared his experiment to be a failure.

"What is the nature of the new smells that you're able to sense with your empowered nose?"

"I don't know. All I know is that I am not smelling something in the air, but something that exists in another medium. I know this because I've smelled something unusual even when I'm wearing an airtight vacsuit in space."

It might be spirituality that she sensed!

Ves decided to put this assumption to the test. He flared out his Spirituality, causing him to be surrounded by a nearly-perceptible aura.

"Do you sense anything different about me right now?"

She frowned. "No.. I do sense something, but not with my nose."

Then how did her special nose even work?! If she didn't smell any physical or spiritual scents, then what was it about him that triggered her olfactory senses?!

"Your Holiness, although I am unable to explain how my special nose works, I can tell you that other objects trigger it as well. You may be able to mislead those with similar senses like me by masking your 'scent' with other overpowering smells."

Ves easily understood her suggestion. It was just like jamming a sensor by blasting it with noise and junk data. The only difference here was that the jamming happened through a mysterious medium instead of conventional signals.

"What kind of smell can mask my scent?"

He eagerly needed to know the answer in order to take steps to avoid the Compact's sweeping search!

"Spicy Nyx dogs."

"...What?"

"Spicy Nyx dogs. It's a variation of the classic hot dog, and it's a specialty in the Nyxian Gap. After I developed my special nose, I began to explore all over Bloodstone in order to see what triggers my smell. Aside from sensing something unusual from a small amount of random, seemingly unconnected people, I also encountered a number of anomalous smells from other sources."

"What makes these spicy Nyx dogs so special to you, then?"

"Their scent is overpowering. Although I would have to be close to detect them, once they enter the range of my nose, I'm hit with a burst of intensity that is unlike anything else I've smelled! Anyone who eats one will continue to carry its scents for days!"

While Ves never heard of spicy Nyx dogs before, it was a prevalent snack in the Nyxian Gap. So much so that it even spread throughout the 'lower' half of the Komodo Star Sector.

"After I began to investigate this snack, I found out that only a small number of them triggered my special nose. The majority of the spicy Nyx dogs sold on Bloodstone elicited no reaction."

Ves chuckled. "Because they're fake, right?"

"Right. The most authentic recipe calls for using a blend of spices native to the Nyxian Gap. One of the spices responsible for adding most of the heat happens to be geril spice. It's difficult to come by in the Kinner Tribe, and it's so expensive that most food vendors resort to substitute blends that are sourced locally."

"I see. So the key is geril spice. As long as I eat a spicy Nyx dog or something else flavored with geril spice, I can mask the scent of my 'Sacred Scroll'?"

"That is my guess, Your Holiness. I am unsure whether it works, but even now, my memory of the intensity of its smell is significantly more powerful than your current scent."

Though Ves was unsure if her special nose worked that way, it was worth a try!

If her suggestion worked, then Ves had a very effective way of misleading the Compact's efforts to track down the Metal Scroll.

Unfortunately, while it might delay detection, it did not solve the problem entirely. People who came in touch with geril spice and other substances that overpowered the special nose they developed would definitely attract closer scrutiny.

If the Compact ever performed a follow-up investigation, then eating a dozen spicy Nyx dogs a day might not be enough to keep him out of their reach forever!

However, that was a problem for another day. Right now, Ves focused on avoiding the initial sweep. As long as he did not get caught immediately, he would have plenty of time to figure out how to avoid the subsequent investigations!

He turned his gaze back to the kneeling woman. Despite being taller and more physically imposing than him, Fe Nitaa utterly showed no hint of dominance towards him. In fact, Ves happened to be the one that loomed over her like a master inspecting a slave!

"Oh, stand up already."

She did so, forcing Ves to crane his neck upwards in order to meet her eyes.

He never considered himself to be too short or too tall, but in this instance, Ves felt very insecure about his height for some reason!

He liked it a lot better if Nitaa kept kneeling!

Still, it would be awfully petty of him to order her back to her knees.

A sigh of exasperation escaped his lips. "Alright, that's enough for now. This isn't exactly the most secure place to talk. Let's resume this discussion for another time."

"If that is your wish, Your Holiness."

"Don't call me that! Exercise some prudence, please! Either in public or in private, it's unacceptable to refer to me as the Holy Son. No one except myself, Lucky and a handful of other people know the truth. Everyone else is in the dark, including my closest companions."

"I understand. I will address you as if you are a normal employers, Mr. Larkinson."

Ves smiled. "That's better. Let's head back out and meet with Gavin and Kelandra before they think we are doing something untoward. We'll handle your contract as well."

At this point, Ves implicitly accepted the existence of Fe Nitaa in his life. Though she possessed a definite connection to the Compact, he believed her when she stated that she held no loyalty towards the cult or the Order of Fl'xix.

Multiple sources aside from herself backed up this assumption. Even his intuition hinted that Fe Nitaa did not harbor any ill intent towards him, at least consciously.

That still didn't rule out more exotic possibilities. Perhaps she had been bio-programmed to act as a deep cover spy in his circle. Once she encountered a trigger, her entire personality might flip from a seemingly honest servant into a dastardly Compact agent.

Still, how likely was this true? Ves did not wish to entertain endless suspicions. Though he planned to perform some additional investigations, he was highly inclined towards making a leap of faith and put his trust in Fe Nitaa.

"Lucky, you can deactivate your ECM field now."

"Meow."

Once Ves, Lucky and Fe Nitaa emerged from the conference room, they met a small crowd of bewildered-looking people.

"You sure took your time in there, boss." Gavin began. "Are you.."

"Let's move on with forming Miss Nitaa's employment contract." Ves quickly waved his hand. "I've agreed to buy her out as my personal bodyguard."

It didn't matter what Ves said because Nitaa would agree to his words regardless.

Though Gavin kept looking at him in a funny manner, they eventually moved to a different and smaller office space in order to hammer out the terms of the contract.

Half an hour passed by as the contract author served up a standard model contract and modified it to suit the current circumstances.

Overall, Ves did not suggest any significant changes. He even demanded he pay the full market value of buying out a personal bodyguard of Fe Nitaa's caliber, which amounted to the equivalent of 60 million bright credits.

This was a rather steep price, but then again the loyalty of a competent Kinner bodyguard made up of at least eighty percent of that number!

Ves could have saved himself enough money to buy an extra premium mech. Fe Nitaa would not have objected if he bought her for just a single bright credit.

He would never do such a stupid thing. Not only would such an event be incredibly news worthy, thereby attracting a lot of unwelcome attention to the transaction, but it would also thoroughly offend the Kinner tribesmen!

Valuing one of their own at such a price was the equivalent of saying that a Kinner was worth as much as a nutrient pack!

Every Kinner who recognized him on the streets would beat him up!

Nonetheless, Nitaa showed obvious discomfort. The market price for her eternal service was way too much to the woman in question! Ves already had the right to command her for free!

"This might be more money than you have ever handled in your life, but did you forget who I am?" Ves pointed his thumb at himself. "I'm a mech designer! I can earn this much money in my sleep!"

"..If you say so, Mr. Larkinson."

After concluding a completely standard contract with no abnormal clauses, no one should have cause to scrutinize or object to the trade. Once Ves and Nitaa signed the virtual document, the latter kneeled down in front of her new employer to swear her Kinner oaths, as was tradition.

"I pledge to serve you in the Kinner ways, to uphold your wellbeing and interest over others..."

"I swear to prioritize your life over my own, and will not hesitate to reactively and proactively protect you against any possible threats..."

"I acknowledge that I will always be a Kinner and hold on to the customs and traditions of my tribe..."

Each oath was different as the Kinners weren't really good at sticking to the exact same forms. However, every Kinner generally stuck to the same points, as was required by tradition.

Just like Ves, Fe Nitaa did not stray from the convention. She did not show Ves any abnormal favor and merely made a standard pledge to bind herself to Ves while affirming her rights as a Kinner.

At the end of the brief but solemn ritual, Ves gained his first Kinner.

He felt very strange about it. Though he merely acquired the services of a permanent employee, it felt a lot like buying a slave.

Fortunately, everyone was happy with the trade. The contract lawyer smiled and shook everyone's hands before he left. As the person who facilitated the transaction on behalf of the tribe, he stood to earn a tidy commission.

Kelandra looked relieved as well. She turned towards Nitaa and patted her shoulders. "I'm glad you did not sell yourself away for a pittance."

"I can give it back to my owner." Nitaa flatly replied.

"What! You shouldn't!"

As Kelandra pulled Nitaa aside to give her fellow Kinner a stern lecture, Gavin approached Ves.

"Is there something funny going on between you and your new hire?"

"No. There's nothing going on."

"Then why did you hire her? She's not even that good compared to the other bodyguards for hire!"

"That can always be changed as long as I invest in her training. I believe that anyone can be trained to become an elite as long as they receive sufficient investment. I favored Nitaa over the other possible candidates because of her unrestrained loyalty and other qualities that can't be improved no matter how much money I throw at them. Some traits can only be stumbled upon, not found."

Encountering a discarded asset that used to be tied to the Compact was an amazingly opportune find! Even though it took a push from the System to pull them together, Ves carefully embraced this development.

The only problem was that Gavin kept looking at him in a weird fashion. "Uh. huh. Whatever you say, boss. Just make sure you square it away with Gloriana. She might not be pleased when she hears about what you've done!"

Ves look confused. "What does she have to do with this?"

Chapter 1319

After concluding the transaction, Fe Nitaa formally entered into Ves' service. From now on, she was sworn to serve him as a loyal Kinner bondswoman.

The only way she would leave his service was if he crossed the few lines that shouldn't be crossed. Among them was deliberately driving Kinners to their deaths or harming their children.

Another notable rule that Ves needed to abide by in order to retain the loyalty of his Kinners that he could not make overt moves against the Kinner Tribe. Any action that harmed the interests of the state would be met with heavy disapproval from the Kinners in his service.

If the transgression happened to be severe enough, then the Kinner bondsmen had the right to set aside their oaths and pledges and leave his service!

This was a very impactful rule, because it tied the hands of many people!

How many people employed Kinner bondsmen? A lot. Once they bought out a Kinner, they effectively renounced any possibility of launching any attacks against the Kinner Tribe.

This single restriction was one of the most prevalent means of protecting the Kinner Tribe. As long as they kept selling their Kinners to every influential person in the star sector, hardly any state could muster up the support to attack the Kinner Tribe directly!

Although his move to buy out Fe Nitaa was partially a sham, the oaths she swore were very real.

If Ves ever forced her to choose between her loyalty to a Holy Son or her loyalty to the tribe, she would fall into an incredibly difficult dilemma.

It was best if Ves never pushed her to this point!

Ves, Gavin, Lucky and Kelandra waited for a half hour more for Nitaa to finish her business. Now that she sold herself to Ves, she needed to check out of Trinity Halls, pack her luggage, get her paperwork in order and bid farewell to her acquaintances.

During the wait, Kelandra wore a sour face. She did not seem pleased at Nitaa's abnormal reaction to Ves.

"I hope you don't mistreat Miss Nitaa, Mr. Larkinson. She is an unfortunate woman who has never been right in the head ever since the Fl'xixians kicked her out of the order."

What did Kelandra think he was, a slavedriver?!

"You don't have to be concerned. I plan to employ multiple Kinners, remember? They'll keep each other company and make sure that they're treated right!"

The excuse was enough to placate their guide.

Once Nitaa returned, she positioned herself behind Ves, making it abundantly clear that she had begun her duty.

"I think I've had enough for the moment." Ves spoke. "Let's take a break before I resume my search for other positions to fill."

"Where would you like to go?" Kelandra asked.

"I'm feeling a bit hungry. Is there a notable food market nearby?"

"There is one not too far away. Many clients and Kinners here at Trinity Halls frequent the stalls when they are hungry."

The group did not need to take an aircar this time as the distance was only a couple of minutes way on foot. As they exited the premises of Trinity Hall and neared the bustling food market, they looked no different from any other well-heeled tourists.

"We Kinners love food." Kelandra said as she guided them to a stall that sold candy made on the spot. "After many years of subsiding on nutrient packs and other cheap food in our distant past, we have developed a craving for real food."

An old Kinner smiled at them as he manipulated the controls of his machine to produce a unique blend of flavors into a single piece of solid hard candy.

"While Bloodstone offers many restaurants that offer fine dining experiences that are not too shabby, most Kinners like to eat out in the streets."

Their guide gestured her arm down the street, which was filled with rickety, dusty stalls. Various chefs and vendors cooked up authentic meals using simple ovens and furnaces.

Despite the somewhat shabby cooking progress, lots of Kinners happily sat on the cheap chairs as they ate their hearty meals.

A wonderful blend of aromas suffused the air. Ves' nose constantly twitched as his mouth started to leak saliva.

He quickly shook his head and wiped his mouth. This was not the time to give in to temptation! He was here for only one goal!

"Ahem. Let's tour the market. Perhaps I'll find something yummy enough to eat."

Though the market streets were rather tight and crowded at some places, giving Fe Nitaa an immediate problem in ensuring his safety, Ves liked the atmosphere. No pretentiousness could be found among the patrons as they each let down their guards and enjoyed their meals.

"Some of the food here is cooked with love." He said with a smile.

This spoke right to the heart of his own design philosophy. Although Ves was incomparable to a mere street chef, they both worked to satisfy their customers.

Some of the local Kinner chefs at the market were passionate about their craft. They cooked with a smile and prepared their meals with gusto.

Despite the effort they put into their cooking, they never charged excessive prices for their items. This was not a fancy market and the vast majority of patrons consisted of local residents.

Yet Kelandra was right that Kinners loved food. Aside from selling local Kinner staple foods, many vendors also served foreign delicacies.

Gavin bumped his elbow against Ves. "Hey, look at that stall! Isn't that our cloud rice?!"

The group drifted over to a stall that sold fried rice bowls. A steamy and oily aroma overcame their noses as they stared at the chef tossing his big, dented wok.

Ves and Gavin both shook their heads after a few seconds. "It's fake."

There was no way authentic cloud rice would be sold this cheap at a street stall. The true cloud rice was a premium staple that already cost a fair bit to eat on Bentheim, let alone import to a state on the other side of the star sector!

While Ves couldn't figure out what kind of rice the stall was using, he was familiar enough with the real thing that it couldn't be the same.

Neither of them made a fuss about it, though. That would only land themselves into trouble over a cause that neither of them cared about. The two turned away from the stall lest they developed a greater animosity towards the Kinner who thought it was a good idea to butcher one of their local specialty products.

"It's an unfortunate fact that many of the specialty foods sold here use adapted recipes." Nitaa spoke out on her own accord, relaying the results of her own prior research. "We Kinners have fallen in love with regional specialties, but that doesn't mean we are willing to pay half of our daily wages to enjoy a meal."

In order to meet the expanding palates of their customers, the enterprising Kinner chefs resorted to substitute ingredients.

For this reason, a lot of pricy specialties were sold at just a tenth or just a hundredth of their actual worth!

"Do all of these Kinners even know they're eating unauthentic versions?" Gavin frowned.

The deception taking place in this market went a bit too far even from him! Chefs could get into real trouble if they pulled something like this off in the Bright Republic!

"Our people are not very.. refined." Kelandra stated. "If we never tasted the authentic version, how would we know if we are eating fakes? Besides, plenty of chefs here state that they are using their own recipes instead of the classic ones."

Ves shook his head. "It's still a form of misrepresentation. Do the customers here even know they are eating imitation meals?"

"When I looked into it, I found out that they aren't particularly interested in finding out the truth." Nitaa spoke from behind. "Whenever I confronted someone with the facts, they took offence. It can be a very prickly matter to expose that they weren't consuming the real thing for many years."

"Then how do the authentic recipes even get sold here if all these fakes are undercutting their prices?"

Nitaa smiled and gestured at one of the less-frequented stalls. "There are certain Kinners and plenty of foreigners who can tell the real from the fake. Look at the chefs charging vastly more for their meals."

Though not a lot of customers frequented the stall, it nonetheless served a small handful of customers, which meant that it was doing good business.

As Ves looked around and spotted similar stalls around him, he noticed that most of them were frequented by better-dressed Kinners as well as foreigners.

"I see." Ves murmured. "It's kind of an open secret, then. Those who can't afford anything better can enjoy the illusion of eating foreign delicacies. Those who are more informed usually have the money to afford the meals cooked with authentic ingredients."

Something like this would never take place in the mech market on a wide scale. While counterfeit mechs did exist and sold at significant numbers in the underground markets, everyone who bought them knew what they were getting.

Buying a mech on the black market that was thirty to fifty percent cheaper than the legal version meant that the buyer certainly knew that some corners had been cut!

Instances where mech buyers got fooled into buying a counterfeit mech while paying the price of an authentic version happened very infrequently.

Any mech buyer knew that their mechs should come with MTA certification. Counterfeit mechs didn't come with this essential proof.

Ves didn't ask why the local Kinner authorities refused to crack down on the chefs that were lying to their customers. This kind of deception may not be entirely ethical, but it was largely harmless seeing that the customers all enjoyed their meals.

As the group slowly meandered through the varied food offerings, Ves began to engage in casual conversation with his bodyguard.

His decision to hire her was rather abrupt, after all. They barely knew each other for more than an hour!

"Where do you come from, Nitaa?"

"Bloodstone." The tall woman grunted. "Born and raised here all my life, Mr. Larkinson. I'm a vatter."

"That's the local slang for a Kinner born from a facility that houses thousands of artificial wombs." Kelandra added.

Ves found that to be rather remarkable. He also held a presumption that people who lived monotonous lives were less likely to develop spirituality.

Yet this rule was anything but set in stone. Despite Nitaa's low birth and basic upbringing, she nonetheless managed to develop a hint of spirituality with a quality that Ves hadn't seen before.

Ves had closely studied it during their initial meeting. Her small but vigorous pool of spiritual energy had interacted with her nose, which must have been the primary reason why she could tell he was someone unusual.

"There is not much to tell about my youth." Nitaa shrugged. "I grew up like any other young Kinner in one of the camps. I mostly played with my fellow yearmates back then. When I reached ten, I was disappointed to learn that I couldn't pilot mechs, but I kind of already assumed this outcome so I quickly got over it. I still wanted to become a fighter, though, so I applied for combat training."

Nitaa had actually been a good performer when she began her combat classes. So much so that the Order of Fl'xix took a liking for her for some reason and added her to the next batch of trainees.

As for what happened after that, Ves already knew. Her training results began to slip as the order kept demanding more out of their growing trainees.

Ves didn't ask why she failed to keep up. This must be a very sensitive topic for her and a busy market wasn't the place to air out something so personal.

At this time, Ves finally spotted what appeared to be a hot dog stand. However, what was different was that aside from selling regular buns with meat, it also sold various other variations as well, one of which happened to be the spicy Nyx dogs that he craved!

In fact, the tangy, hot smell of a fresh spicy Nyx dog happened to pass through his nose!

Strong! Spicy! Hot!

No wonder Nitaa suggested that it might be strong enough to overpower his 'System scent'!

"I don't know about you guys, but that smells great!"

Chapter 1320

As Ves took a bite of the bun, a ball of spice exploded in his mouth!

"Hot!"

A mixture of spices prickled his mouth and barraged his tongue with a grand feast. Chief among them was the much-anticipated geril spice.

The taste of it was indescribable. All he knew was that his mouth would faintly carry the odor for hours if he didn't cleanse his mouth afterwards!

While everyone else enjoyed their spicy Nyx dogs, Ves quietly tried to analyze his food.

What was it about geril spice that made it so exceptional?

His spiritual senses revealed nothing of note. However it worked, it did not do so on a spiritual level.

While its material properties were already quite remarkable, Ves doubted that any of them served as the key to its ability to overwhelm Fe Nitaa's special nose.

He needed to perform some thorough research.

"Benny." He said after swallowing a bite of spicy Nyx dog. "Please inquire where we can buy the Nyx dogs or more preferably the ingredients in bulk. I've taken a liking for this snack."

"Uh, pardon?"

"Am I not clear? I've fallen in love with spicy Nyx dogs! Let's bring it back to the Bright Republic! It's best if you order a container's worth of ingredients or more!"

Though Gavin looked bewildered by Ves' sudden love for a peculiar but relatively simple hot dog variation, he nonetheless did as ordered.

Initially, the food vendor adamantly refused to divulge his source. No one liked to facilitate a competitor, after all.

It was only when Ves urged Gavin to pull all the stops did the negotiations proceed.

Anything could be bought with money. After offering a modest bribe and a very generous commission, Gavin negotiated a deal for a single container's worth of ingredients.

Several barrels filled with geril spice happened to be included as well, though it was by far the most expensive ingredient.

When Gavin returned to Ves, he shook his head. "I don't know why you're so insistent on getting the ingredients for spicy Nyx dogs. The vendor knew you were rich enough to care nothing about the expense, so he drove a hard bargain. I think we must have overpaid for the ingredients by a factor of ten!

How could this paltry amount of money ever compare to evading the nosy hunters of the dreaded Five Scrolls Compact? Let alone spending a few hundred-thousand bright credits, he would gladly pay a billion credits to secure the ingredients!

"Some pleasures in life are worth pursuing. Who knows if I can find any authentic spicy Nyx dogs when I return to the Bright Republic? Make sure the vendor arranges the delivery of authentic ingredients to the Barracuda. With how much we're paying, I absolutely don't want to see any fakes. Hire a food inspector if needed in order to verify that nothing is amiss."

The weird emphasis on spicy Nyx dogs confused Gavin to no end, but he did as instructed.

To her credit, Kelandra managed to maintain a polite facade. She had dealt with plenty of eccentric clients.

"Do you wish to explore the food market any further?"

"No thanks. I've already seen most of what it has to offer. Let's go."

The group began to exit the food market and return to Trinity Halls. While finding Fe Nitaa had been an unexpected find for him, he still intended to expand his staff by at least another hire.

He definitely couldn't do without a spymaster! This might be the only opportunity in years for him to hire a reliable Kinner spy or security expert, so he definitely couldn't leave empty-handed!

During the journey back to the halls, Ves casually drifted over to Nitaa by slowing down his pace.

"Are there any others like you at Trinity Halls?"

Nitaa nodded. "Order rejects like me are not uncommon, sir. I am unsure of their priorities, however. Not all are resentful of the Fl'xixians after they had been rejected. Hiring them on without ascertaining their true sentiments is.. not wise."

"I understand. Are you able to detect anyone that shares your.. former loyalties?"

He didn't refer to the Order of Fl'xix this time. Fe Nitaa should be clever enough to figure out his true meaning.

She shook her head. "Not as much as I wish. We come in many forms. Disguising my true self is a habit that I've learned by heart."

"Does that mean that anyone from the 'order' can sneak into my employ without me getting the wiser?"

"I am capable of detecting most of those who have been trained by the order. I'm also capable of recognizing those who possess the same enhancements as mine. As for those who are only related to the order, they come in so many forms that I cannot guarantee that I can identify them in a crowd."

In other words, Nitaa could detect other members of the order as well as the humans employed as bloodhounds by the Compact. She couldn't detect the brothers and sisters of the Compact, though, which was a big shame, because Ves feared them the most.

Nonetheless, he shouldn't look at a gift horse in the mouth. Nitaa brought a lot to the table. Aside from her detection capabilities, she also possessed a deeper insight into the Five Scrolls Compact than other people.

Ves definitely intended to question her about the Compact in further detail once they had some time alone!

Considering Nitaa's peculiar spiritual attribute, Ves became reasonably confident he could detect others like her. That did not mean she was redundant, as Ves could not keep up his spiritual senses active all the time without expending his reserves.

Once they returned to Trinity Hall, Kelandra guided them to the third floor of the main hall. She led them to the back of the hall where a number of virtual security experts, hackers and other people with related professions lingered.

"Did you take us to the right place?" Ves asked.

His words caused Kelandra to smirk.

"Please recall who you wish to hire. Would anyone of their ilk broadcast their capabilities?"

Of course not. A spy would have a much harder time to do their jobs if their identities were in the open!

"How many of them are here?"

"Not much, Mr. Larkinson. Perhaps one out of twenty among the job seekers are the ones you wish to find."

"Then how will we know we got the right one?"

"Leave that to me." Kelandra smiled.

This was the benefit of hiring an insider. Ves didn't know how she managed it, but she began to guide the group towards specific individuals sitting or standing in wait to appeal to a potential client.

At least half of the job seekers consisted of foreigners, though. Since Ves firmly wanted to obtain a Kinner spy, that did not leave him with much choice.

"Don't expect too much from the ones who have been waiting here for a while. Very keen employers already took the good ones away." Kelandra warned.

"I'm aware."

The search and negotiation for Kinner spies turned out to be a very subtle dance. Neither Ves, Kelandra or the prospective hires mentioned the truth. Trinity Halls was a very public venue and it was a given that every interaction would be recorded.

For this reason, on the surface, Ves simply appeared to be on the lookout to hire a mundane virtual security expert. He asked relatively standard questions while the men and women looking to get hired by a rich mech designer did their best to showcase their actual skill without giving away any clues about their true vocation.

Most of the spies also tended to be on the younger side. Their lack of experience meant that they did not have any prior ties to other employers, which was good.

Less good was judging their actual competence. Without a track record, Ves found it difficult to evaluate how much they exaggerated their capabilities.

His visit to the food market earlier in the day taught him that Kinners were still capable of lying.

The aid of both Nitaa and Kelandra proved to be invaluable.

His guide had a better sense of judging the truth coming out of the mouth of her fellow Kinners. She possessed an abundant amount of experience in helping clients, so she could tell when a prospective hire went too far with their boasts.

As for Nitaa, her tall presence was sufficient to restrain the job seekers. The intricate tattoos on her face made it clear that she used to be a part of the Order of Fl'xix, which commanded a lot of respect and apprehension from the Kinners.

After interviewing the handful of spies hidden in the crowd of security experts, Kelandra could find no more.

"That's not all of them." She said with a mild frown. "There are more people in their midst who might be interesting to you. It is just that they refused to expose themselves."

Just like with Commander Oryn Mair, they looked down on Ves. He lacked the reputation or institutional weight to reassure their concerns.

Every Kinner wanted to latch on to winners but especially to known quantities. Someone like Ves who emerged fairly recently did not have the track record to prove that he would be a stable employer.

For all they knew, the new boss they promised to serve for the rest of his life might go bankrupt next year, putting all of them on the streets!

His ample connections played much less of a role than he anticipated. What did it matter if his girlfriend was a notable member of the Wodin Dynasty? Partnerships and alliances always ended at the most inconvenient times.

If Ves lost the protection of others, how well would he be able to fare in the galaxy by himself?

He was still confident he could make it somehow, but the spies looking to serve a master lacked the same confidence. For this reason, Ves could only choose among a paltry selection of six spies.

Each of them were rather bland and unexceptional. While being unassuming was definitely an asset to spies, none of them inspired a lot of confidence in Ves. At best, they might be able to hold their ground against Leland.

His hopes of finding a hidden gem who might possibly stand equal against Calabast were dashed.

He should have known better.

"Are there any other places where I can obtain what I want?"

"I doubt it." Kelandra replied. "More exclusive venues exist, but they will not open their doors to you. Only the most generous and loyal clients are eligible to receive invitations."

"What about places similar to Trinity Halls?"

"I would not advise you to frequent those venues. Every person at Trinity Halls is vetted by the Kinner Tribe. The other establishments do not offer the same level of assurance."

Bloodstone was a huge planet, and the amount of Kinners educated as spies looking for employment was quite considerable.

It was just that most of them had already been taken away by foreign organizations in need of extremely loyal spies. What Ves essentially got was a selection of their leftovers.

He sighed. "While I'm sure they're competent, none of them stand out to me. I might as well leave the decision to my cat."

"Meow?"

"That's right, Lucky. You get to choose! Which one do you like the most?"

"Meow."

Lucky carefully extended his paw towards a thin, reedy man.

"What do you think, Nitaa?"

"I don't detect anything of note that raises my concern."

Neither Lucky or Nitaa expressed any misgivings about the man, though they didn't look very enthusiastic either. The choice was merely.. Sufficient. Enough to fulfill the job, but nothing more.

One of the biggest disappointments to Ves was that none of the prospective hires possessed any noticeable spirituality. While he could still visit the other job markets to find a spy with spiritual potential, they wouldn't be as reliable despite their Kinner upbringing.

He shrugged. Not every member of his staff needed to be a latent superhuman. Someone like Gavin already proved to be invaluable to him despite his utter normality.

"Alright, let's see if he makes the cut."

Chapter 1321

Michael Crindon looked no different from the other computer and virtual security experts among the crowd dressed in business attire.

Of course, none of the other spies gave themselves away. He even wore the same kind of bulked-up comm module on his wrist.

While the ability to blend into a crowd or to assume another identity sounded useful, Ves sought something different.

Ideally, he wanted to get his hands on a spymaster, someone capable of setting up a network of spies and informers that worked on his behalf.

Crindon fell short of that. He was probably a reasonable spy in an individual capacity, but it would take time for him to gain experience and acquire the necessary learning for him to be able to set up a larger organization.

What Crindon did have in his favor was that he was quite competent in the fields counter-intelligence and virtual security. Working with computer systems happened to be one of his specialties, which was something that Ves always felt he lacked among his existing staff and personnel.

Hiring Crindon meant that Ves would immediately be able to put him to work in bolstering the security systems of his ship and many of his gadgets. They'd be much less vulnerable to outside intrusion.

And this was just the start. He intended to invest in all of his personnel. Michael Crindon was young and had plenty of years to earn back his value.

Spies happened to be one of the specialty products of the Kinner Tribe. Their loyalty premium was significantly greater than others!

In fact, he was three times more expensive than Fe Nitaa, which meant that Ves had to fork over the equivalent of 180 million bright credits to buy him out!

"No wonder nobody else snapped him up yet." Ves shook his head.

Anyone who wanted to hire a regular spy could easily do so with a fraction of the cost. Yet how reliable would they turn out to be? The absolute trustworthiness of Kinner tribesmen who pledged to serve their employers afforded them a value that was unsurpassed throughout the star sector!

Just like Nitaa, Crindon shared a similar background. Born as a vatter, he never knew or met his parents. Crindon grew up in a crowded camp on Bloodstone and began to excel in computer-related classes.

This allowed him to transfer to a different institution which specialized in turning Kinner kids into Kinner spies. Aside from gaining competences in the main fields related to spycraft, Crindon further excelled in examining computer systems and protecting them from tampering.

Unfortunately, many other spies excelled much better in these areas than Crindon. While a man like him was always useful, plenty of clients balked at the thought of paying the equivalent of 180 million credits to secure his services.

Even Ves was having second thoughts.

Crindon was perceptive enough to notice that. He smiled at Ves. "Mr. Larkinson, you will not regret buying me out. I am well-versed in detecting potential vulnerabilities. For example, I can see that your mechanical cat is an extremely advanced creation, likely custom-made from the galactic heartland or even the galactic center. However, most of your other gear is not as secure."

"Oh?" Ves raised his eyebrow. "What stands out to you, then?"

"Your smart clothing is a standard Coalition product." Crindon pointed out. "It offers many advanced features, such as allowing you to float in the air. However, did you know that second-class hackers can intrude in its systems with some effort and forcibly disable its antigrav modules?"

A few seconds passed in silence as the horror of this possibility dawned upon Ves!

If anyone hacked his smart clothing while he activated it to reach a floating structure, then he would definitely fall to his death if the altitude was high enough!

"Your holstered pistol appears to be a very expensive custom piece. While the software suite of a custom firearm is always better than that of standard weapons, it is not impossible for someone to pervert its programming. The weapon might misfire upon pulling the trigger, thereby robbing you of your ability to defend yourself!"

Crindon was just getting started!

"The multitool on your toolbelt appears to be extremely advanced. It is definitely not a product from this star sector. Its risk factor is low."

"From the material and appearance of your comm, it's a luxury civilian model. It's a fine product for most working professionals, but a Journeyman like you belong to a different caliber. I wouldn't be surprised if it's already compromised by half-a-dozen organizations."

"The underlayer vacsuit you're wearing underneath your smart clothing is a standard commercial product. Most people don't think about it, but a vacsuit runs on processors as well. I wouldn't trust its integrity with my life."

Ves felt like he was on the receiving end of what he usually dished out to others as Crindon factually exposed his weaknesses.

The man already started to move onto Nitaa's gear before Ves raised his hand!

"Enough! You have proved your point, Mr. Crindon! Since you are adept at recognizing these vulnerabilities, are you capable of addressing them so they will no longer pose any problems?"

The spy for hire let out a mild smile. "It depends on your budget. Some of your gear, particularly the more expensive ones, are fine as long as I replace their security suites with better ones. As for your cheaper gear.. I highly advise replacing them. Not just your own, but also that of your staff. Everyone in your orbit is a potential vulnerability."

His words rang true. Ves appreciated Crindon's honesty. The Kinner spy did not hesitate in criticizing the glaring vulnerabilities that Ves had always overlooked.

Even if Crindon's spying skills were not very exceptional, his worth as a trusted virtual security expert made it a lot easier for Ves to stomach the 180 million credit price tag!

Though Ves already decided to hire Crindon, he did not show too much enthusiasm on his face. Instead, he turned to Gavin and gestured to his assistant to negotiate a buyout contract.

The negotiations didn't last very long. While Crindon wasn't a pushover like Nitaa, he didn't have that much leeway in setting the terms.

To put it simply, Crindon was essentially a product of the state. This meant the Kinner Tribe essentially reaped the bulk of the payment.

"This is how it works for most Kinners." Kelandra clarified. "Our tribe invested significant resources in his training and upbringing. They expect to earn a healthy profit from his sale."

Considering that the state dictated the terms, Gavin failed to draw down the price. The most he could do was demand some adjustments to the contract to make it a little bit more favorable to Ves.

Once they hashed out the terms, they quickly formalized the contract. Once Ves and Crindon both handled the necessary paperwork, Crindon performed the same ritual as Nitaa did earlier in the day.

Once he finished swearing his loyalty to Ves, he made a very helpful suggestion.

"Before you proceed with anything, I highly advise you replace some of your more vulnerable gear. I know some stores on Bloodstone that sells premium vacsuits and other equipment that is much more secure than what you and your staff are currently using right now."

Since Crindon swore his oath, Ves did not have any qualms in trusting his latest hire's judgement.

"Check with Kelandra to decide where to go. Maybe she has some suggestions as well."

It turned out she did. Both Kelandra and Crindon held different ideas where they should go to buy the most secure gear. In the end, they took an aircar to the nearest store that served well-heeled customers like Journeymen.

The place reminded him of Renny's Outfitters, though it was a bit less classy. Everything was being taken care of by bots. Only a single human manager oversaw the store.

An afternoon went by as Crindon thoughtfully selected replacement gear for Ves, Gavin and Nitaa for equipment that was too vulnerable to patch with software fixes.

As for their more advanced gear, the store also sold various specialty security suites.

With his new boss' approval, Crindon bought plenty of spares for every member of the staff, including himself.

Fashioning Fe Nitaa with an entirely new set of combat gear took up the most time. While her normal gear was already serviceable, Ves could easily afford better.

"I've frequently faced threats to my life." He explained. "While I haven't been targeted directly lately, who knows if this streak will last. I'd rather spend some of my hard-earned fortune now than regret it later when we find ourselves outmatched and outnumbered."

Though Nitaa expressed some reluctance at the thought of buying expensive, custom combat armor and weapons, she quickly changed her tune once she tried them out.

Ves gave her a budget of 200 million bright credits, because why not. Even converted to the local currency, that was still a lot of money.

In the end, Nitaa opted to purchase a set of concealable light combat armor.

Called the Swiftback, it added a very subtle hump to Nitaa's strong back underneath her formal clothes. Upon a single activation, it could fold out and encompass the Kinner bodyguard's entire body in less than half a second!

Her choice surprised Ves a bit. "I would have thought a big bodyguard like you would opt for something more robust."

"The tougher the armor, the more it slows me down. Although the servos and the anti-grav modules built into the heavier combat armor mitigates this problem, my agility and reaction time will never be as good as now."

In the event of an incident, her main priority was carrying or escorting Ves to safety. The faster she moved, the sooner she was able to drag him behind cover.

Neutralizing the threat wasn't her main priority. She would only fight back when their way was blocked or if there wasn't any other choice.

"I'm not as defenseless as you think." Ves said.

"Meow."

Nitaa violently shook her head. "I would never allow you to come to harm, sir! My life is never as important as yours!"

She would rather die than let a Holy Son come to harm. Ves pressed his lips but let the matter go. She'd learn in time that this mech designer was anything but a toothless coward.

In the meantime, Nitaa continued to outfit herself with other pieces of gear. They didn't buy anything fancy this time as the Swiftback already expended most of the budget that Ves had set.

By the time the group stepped out of the store, Nitaa not only wore the Swiftback under a deceptively-plain suit, but she also hid some premium weapons and gadgets underneath her clothes.

Among the gear she carried was a pair of foldable swords, a pair of laser and ballistic pistols, a multiscanner geared towards detecting and analyzing toxins and more.

Michael Crindon stepped out of the store with his own new set of gear as well. Unlike Nitaa, Ves did not fashion him with an extravagant purchasing budget.

The spy simply made do with a simple-looking but deceptively durable business suit. His outfit offered reasonable protection against distant blasts, environmental hazards and limited weapons fire, but it was no suit of combat armor.

Aside from gearing himself up with some concealed knives and a noiseless ballistic pistol, he also carried a much-slimmer comm. In fact, it looked no different from a civilian-model comm!

Despite its smaller size, it featured much better hacking, security and communication capabilities than his old comm! Most of its internal parts incorporated exotics that vastly improved its processing power, storage capacity and more.

Though Ves inwardly smarted a bit at all the money he spent today, he didn't regret his choices. All of that money wasn't doing anything rotting in his bank account. He might as well trade it away in exchange for vastly improving his physical and virtual security needs!

He should have done this sooner!

Chapter 1322

With two new members on his staff, Ves finally had someone other than Gavin to talk to on a daily basis.

After comprehensively upgrading everyone's gear at Crindon's advice, they retired to the hotel.

They upgraded to a larger hotel suite to accommodate the extra additions. Though Ves could have rented another room for his two Kinner bondsmen, they both suggested they room together in a larger suite.

"If anything happens to you, we'd be able to react in an instant."

Ves still had to get used to the Kinners he bought. Different from Gavin, the latest two members of his staff didn't have a choice in their employment!

Despite their similar births as Kinner vatters, Fe Nitaa and Michael Crindon both diverged from each other in many aspects.

The Kinner Tribe had been in this business for so long that they became very good at differentiating their human products.

Yet despite their differences, their addition to his staff significantly improved his security situation.

Though Ves would never be able to defend himself against every possible attack, he shouldn't make it easy for his enemies either. Both Kinner bondsmen added valuable expertise to the table that he desperately needed but always held back because of his lack of trust in others.

It said something about him that he only gave in when he had the opportunity to buy some slaves.

Oh, the Kinners weren't technically slaves. Yet despite all the rules, customs and traditions surrounding their job markets, they were pretty much engaging in a polite form of slave trade.

Instead of shackling their own tribesmen with physical shackles, they instead bound their minds from birth. The Kinners spent a lot of effort in instilling their distinctive culture into the minds of their childrens. By the time they grew up, their beliefs in the values of the tribe was so strong that they would rather die than betray the tribe!

Still, Ves found it rather odd that the Kinners managed to succeed so well in keeping every Kinner loyal. Instances of betrayal happened very little.

This made him suspect that the Kinners might have perverted the genes or bodies of the Kinners.

Since the Order of Fl'xix was tied to the Five Scrolls Compact, who could say that the rest of the tribe had been left off?

Ves shook his head. Such a suspicion was a bit spurious, since the MTA and CFA would have found out by now if an entire state was tied to their mutual enemy.

In any case, everyone believed that once a Kinner swore their oaths to someone, their loyalty was virtually assured. Barring obvious abuse or neglect, Ves should be assured that Nitaa and Crindon would never stop serving him for the rest of their lives.

"That still sounds like slavery." He sighed.

In truth, the practices of the Kinner Tribe did not meet with universal approval in the star sector. The notion of buying and selling humans, even if done willingly, reduced them to commodities rather than unique individuals.

One of the few collective values that the overwhelming majority of humanity agreed upon was that they were special!

As a whole, their race was the strongest in the galaxy! Although their individual might and prowess may be negligible compared to the Seven Apex Races, their quantity and birth of exceptional people more than evened out the score!

The huge accomplishments humanity had secured during the Age of Stars and Age of Conquest made every human proud.

This individual pride manifested in a belief that every human, even the most lowliest of space peasants, was worth more than the most exceptional alien leader!

In practice, few people took human supremacy to such extremes. Instead, they took the middle ground and elevated the value of humans slightly above a typical alien race.

Essentially, the prevailing belief was that while humans and aliens were mostly equals, the latter were just a tad bit inferior.

"Humans are still proud of themselves, though." He muttered. "Slave trade is still a taboo, hence why it only takes place outside human space or in a disguised form."

The pirates in the frontier not only found slavery to be acceptable, but they depended upon it to keep their ships, mechs, space stations and other facilities running!

Compared to the open and undisguised form of slavery practiced in the frontier, the Kinner Tribe managed to do the same without incurring public outrage.

How can Kinners be slaves if they willingly sold themselves to clients for eternity? They got paid! They retained their rights! They were never coerced!

None of this screamed slavery, so most people simply shrugged it off as a weird Kinner quirk.

The people that did take offense at the resemblance to slavery did not enjoy strong support. They were mostly idealists, and mostly came from the middle classes of their states.

The upper echelons never expressed a lot of objection to the Kinner Tribe's practices, because a significant portion of them happened to be their customers!

"The Kinner Tribe is quite ruthless." Ves quietly snorted. "By selling its own people, they keep their state secure and free from political opposition!"

The practice of bonding Kinners to foreigners for substantial sums went on for so long that Ves began to doubt whether it was even necessary. Surely the Kinners must have earned enough money to diversify their economy and develop new means of creating wealth, right?

Yet throughout all the centuries since the Kinner Tribe first turned to desperation, they never scaled back their Kinner trade. In fact, the opposite happened. Industrial birthing factories became more prevalent, and more and more vatters came into the galaxy only to be told throughout their entire youth that they were nothing but products in the making!

Was this what humanity was supposed to be like? Raising children en masse in conditions that were barely acceptable enough to stave off criticism, only to sell them to other humans in order to 'protect the tribe' and 'provide a future for the next generation' went way beyond a desperation strategy!

How much money were the Kinners at the top earning these days? How much did they spend on developing the tribe, and how much did they siphon the sums into their own pockets?

The worst thing about it was that the 'slaves' themselves fully supported the practice, as evidenced by Nitaa and Crindon's attitudes!

"Your sympathy is appreciated, but unneeded." Crindon said back at their hotel suite. "We can tell you have misgivings about 'buying' us, but we are very pleased to work with you, Mr. Larkinson."

Nitaa nodded in agreement. She didn't even bother to suppress the glee on her face. "That goes double for me! Working for a.. mech designer.. as exceptional as you is my greatest honor! I earnestly believe that you will go far!"

Both of them expressed their devotion towards Ves in different ways. While Nitaa was almost fanatical in her service to him, Crindon maintained a calmer and more professional demeanor.

At least Ves could pretend that Crindon was just a normal employee.

Now that they were by themselves, Ves could finally have a moment alone with Nitaa.

"Mr. Crindon, please work with Benny to see if the Barracuda, my personal ship, requires any upgrades."

"Who is Benny?"

"It's me." Gavin sighed. "Let's go in the other room and let Ves have his fun with his new 'bodyguard'."

"Oh!"

Gavin and Crindon snuck away, leaving Ves and Lucky alone with Nitaa.

"Lucky, activate your ECM field. Also, make sure no one is snooping in on us, including the two who have just left."

"Meow."

An ECM field came alone, giving them some measure of security. Ves had also dimmed the windows of the room, turning them completely dark.

Yet Ves did not feel completely assured. Considering that he was in the company of someone related to the Compact, he felt a bit more willing to reveal some of his tricks.

His bodyguard would likely be accompanying him for a long time, after all. Though Ves did not dare to guess whether Nitaa would still be around after a century, he needed to at least show some trust in order to maintain a good working relationship.

Her adoration towards the so-called Holy Son might fade one day when she realized how weak he truly was. By then, Ves hoped he appealed to her in a different way.

With a single mental command, his System comm materialized on his wrist. It rested above his new premium comm that Crindon assured was one of the most secure models on the market.

Mainly because it was fairly basic and limited. It offered as little vulnerabilities as possible while still offering the basic functionality that everyone expected from their comms.

Only when Ves activated his Privacy Shield did Ves feel assured. Perhaps it was a little overblown on his part since Lucky hadn't detected anything amiss, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Alright, it's safe to talk now." Ves began. "Tell me what you know about the Five Scrolls Compact. First, do you know where they are based in the star sector?"

His new bodyguard grimaced. "I can't tell you much. The Order of Fl'xix barely knows anything to begin with. A failed trainee like I know even less. Still, I did hear rumors. We trainees talk a lot to each other. I'm not sure whether they are true."

"Just tell me. I'll keep your words in mind."

"The Five Scrolls Compact maintains a very small presence in this region. It can never match up against the local CFA and MTA garrisons in a head-to-head fight, so they are holing themselves in the only region of space that even the Big Two are reluctant to enter."

"The Nyxian Gap."

"Exactly. While it's already difficult for the warships of the CFA to penetrate the Gap, the Compact makes it even harder by employing various spatial warp machines or something that destabilizes the surrounding space. Not a single ship that enters this region can maintain integrity."

It made sense. The Komodo Star Sector and its surroundings did not offer a lot of hiding spots that could block the Big Two's pursuit. Only in dangerous, anomalous regions of space did the notorious cultists have a realistic chance of staying a step ahead.

He nonetheless grew concerned. If the Five Scrolls Compact maintained a hideout in the depths of the Nyxian Gap, how did his father fare?

His choice of hiding out in the Nyxian Gap was an extremely daring choice! While hiding in the close proximity of the Compact was extremely risky, the same conditions that made it hard for the Big Two to hunt them down also applied to his father!

"Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer."

"Pardon?"

"Nothing." Ves waved his hand. "How sure are you about this rumor?"

She shrugged. "I can't say. Some of the older trainees are closely in touch with the senior members of the order."

"Are there any other places in the star sector where the Compact has a presence?"

Nitaa thought long and hard and managed to dredge up a couple of scraps from her mind.

"The Compact is very reluctant to maintain a permanent presence in civilized space. From what I hear, they prefer to rotate a small number of their brothers and sisters from their bolthole in the Nyxian Gap."

This meant that a number of Compact cultists were definitely roaming around the star sector, likely in disguise or in very deep hiding.

"How many?"

"Maybe ten?" She guessed. "Not that many, but each of them are extremely formidable. They're mostly scientists who extensively modified their bodies."

That did not sound like much to Ves. The chances of stumbling upon a cultist member among the trillions of people that lived in the star sector was extremely improbable!

Just as Ves started to relax, Nitaa dropped a bombshell.

"However, I did hear some news about a dignitary from the galactic center making a personal visit to the Nyx branch of the Compact! He's been on his way here for decades, and word is that he's about a decade away from arriving in our star cluster! Word is the dignitary is a representative of the Ruined Temple, which is the core of the entire Compact!"

"What?!"

Ves immediately became concerned! For what reason would someone from the central headquarters of the Compact travel all the way to the periphery of the galaxy?

Seeing that Ves did not realize the significance of this news, Nitaa offered some clarification.

"They say that every dignitary who is stationed directly at the Ruined Temple is a direct subordinate of the Holy Sons and Daughters of the Compact!"

!

If Ves already became distressed, now he erupted into full-blown panic!

There was only one reason for the Compact to dispatch such a major figure to this star sector!

Chapter 1323

Several years after receiving the System, Ves often thought of his parents. Both his father and mother turned out to be more than met the eye.

Ves sometimes wondered if he ever truly knew his mother. His memories of her before her death and after she reappeared as a ghost were as different as night and day!

The more he thought about it, the harder it was for him to deny that the gentle and completely normal mother who raised him was a facade.

His real mother turned out to be a whole other beast, a wolf in sheep's clothing who attempted to raise Ves as another sheep.

If Ves did not come into contact with the System, then he likely would have never learned the truth.

Yet this course of events did not come to pass. As soon as Ves obtained the System from his father, his entire life took a radically different turn.

His mother didn't want him to become a wolf. He became one regardless as various events stripped him of his sheepskin and unearthed his true nature.

While his transformation brought him great benefits, it also exposed him to a very huge vulnerability. Ever since he first heard about the Five Scrolls Compact from Doctor Jutland, his fear towards the origin of the System kept growing.

To hear that a dignitary from the most central portion of the Compact was on their way to the Komodo Star Sector alarmed him to no end!

Why would someone so important travel all the way out to the most remote and underdeveloped star sectors in human space?

He bet it definitely involved the Metal Scroll!

Over the years, Ves figured out that the Five Scrolls Compact might not know as much as he feared. Otherwise, his father wouldn't have fled civilized space while simultaneously dumping the System on his lap.

Yet even if the Compact was in the dark about Ves, the experiments their researchers conducted meant that they probably suspected that something iffy was going on in this region of space. Something important enough for the so-called Ruined Temple to take note.

"What is the Ruined Temple?" He asked.

"It's the ancestral temple of the Compact." Nitaa explained. "We were always taught to revere the temple and the dignitaries that are fortunate to be selected by the Holy Sons and Daughters to serve them in person. Each dignitary from the Ruined Temple holds absolute sway over the brothers and sisters stationed throughout the galaxy."

"Why is it called that way? Do you know that?"

"It's due to the Great Betrayal! Rebels turned against the Compact and launched a surprise attack against the Great Temple! The blow they struck was so awful that they subsequently formed the CFA and MTA, suppressing Compact influences throughout the galaxy and proclaiming that a new age has come!"

The Age of Conquest was very much a period of time where the Five Scrolls Compact held great sway. The Age of Mechs that followed afterwards shaped up to be an age defined by the Big Two that succeeded the secretive cult.

Unfortunately, Nitaa could tell Ves little more than that. Unlike Virtual Rear Admiral Ordoth, who had been created by a very high-ranking informer or spy of the Compact, his bodyguard had not even entered the bottom floor of the cult.

The stories imparted to her therefore consisted of basic, targeted information meant to instill awe and devotion to the Compact. If they ever defected or got caught by the authorities, the Compact wouldn't be worried because someone like Nitaa knew nothing of value.

Perhaps most pertinent to Ves was that Nitaa knew nothing about the disposition of the Sacred Scrolls.

She didn't know that the Compact only retained possession of the Water Scroll and the Earth Scroll.

She didn't know that the CFA and MTA snatched the Fire Scroll from the Great Temple.

She didn't know the Wood Scroll went missing during the chaos of the Great Betrayal.

She didn't know that the Metal Scroll was in fact only a short distance away!

While she knew that Ves had to be in possession of a Sacred Scroll, she did not know which of the five he possessed.

"If I may ask, sir.. which Scroll.."

"It's the Metal Scroll."

"Ah! I see! That's why you're a mech designer!"

Well, that wasn't quite right, but Ves did not quibble over the details. Instead, he focused on getting answers.

"Do you know who this dignitary is and how powerful they are? Can you tell me anything about the forces at their disposal?"

Nitaa shook her head in regret. "I have no idea, sir. The Fl'xixians are highly excited, though. They believe that the procession that is heading towards us will bring a lot of beneficial tech and enhancements. Everyone related to the Compact is hoping that the dignitary's arrival in the star sector will massively improve their strength and capabilities, thereby altering the balance of power in the entire star cluster."

This sounded incredibly worrisome to Ves. The dignitary would likely stay in the region for a while considering that he took decades to travel here. Ves would never be able to stay safe in the Komodo Star Sector once this huge figure settled in the Nyxian Gap!

"Can you tell me anything about the timeframe of this great person's arrival?"

"No. I've heard estimates ranging from a decade to three decades from now. The distance from the Ruined Temple to our star sector is immense. I don't even know what FTL method is being used to carry the dignitary to our region of space."

This left a very huge cloud of uncertainty over Ves. Ever since Nitaa revealed that a prominent figure of the Compact was on their way, he already began fermenting plans for a long-term vacation to a different star cluster.

The best way to avoid detection was to be well away from the areas being searched! The dignitary wouldn't be able to track down the System if it wasn't there in the first place!

The only problem was that such a move came with severe repercussions. Not only would he have to separate himself from most of his friends and acquaintances, the LMC's momentum would also stall without his direct presence.

Nonetheless, those drawbacks paled before the threat of the Five Scrolls Compact! None of his ambitions in the Komodo Star Sector held any meaning if he landed in the hands of their insane researchers and cultists!

All of this required careful thought. Planning such a major move not only demanded careful planning, but also a reasonable excuse to avoid arousing any suspicion.

Considering that the dignitary's arrival was at least a decade away, Ves had plenty of time to consider his future options carefully.

"Alright. Thank you for this warning, Nitaa. You've been very helpful to me by forewarning me. I really don't want to land in the hands of the Compact."

"It is my honor to serve you, Your Holiness."

"I told you not to call me that. It's a Compact custom, and neither of us are aligned with them. Just call me by something normal."

A troubled expression appeared on her face. "I.. It's hard for me to do so, Mr. Larkinson. You are the most eminent individual in the star sector! Not even the councilors of the MTA at Centerpoint can match your august height! You carry one of the five greatest artifacts that helped propel humanity to the dominant race in the galaxy!"

Ves crossed his arms and sighed. "I'm not as impressive as you think I am. The Metal Scroll I carry is.. not quite right. It's weaker than you think. Possessing it doesn't mean I'm capable of withstanding orbital bombardment or stopping a mech from stomping me flat with its foot. While the Scroll does provide me with some advantages, it takes time for me to match your expectations."

This dose of reality disappointed Nitaa immensely. "I see..."

"I am all by myself. I don't have anyone other than Lucky and my parents who are in on these secrets. I haven't built up an organization around me that can help me fight back against the Compact. I am constantly hiding in plain sight."

He took a risk by revealing his weak state. His bodyguard would be spending lots of time with him, so she would find out sooner or later that being a Holy Son did not mean he held the power of life and death over everyone in the star sector.

Even though Ves plainly exposed himself, secretly he had been on guard. He observed her with his spiritual vision. He could summon the Amastendira within moments, and Lucky also diverted some attention to the tall woman in case she made any threatening moves.

Fortunately for everyone involved, Nitaa displayed no hint of malice.

"I believe that you will one day be able to wield great power of humanity, Your Holiness. This is the destiny of all of those who the Sacred Scrolls found worthy to bear them! The entire galaxy will one day learn of your greatness!"

To be honest, Ves did not know whether Nitaa spoke the truth or just recited some lie made up by the Compact. They certainly did everything possible to elevate the stature of their Holy Sons and Daughters.

He easily came around to the idea that the Scrolls weren't inert and could in fact think for themselves. Yet did they really select their own bearers? What were their criteria, and did they all have to be aligned to the Compact's crazy beliefs?

So far, the System did not compel him to worship the so-called immortal gods, but Ves had a feeling his version of the Metal Scroll was brain-damaged. Recovering from its presumed destruction during the Great Betrayal must have been immensely difficult for it to repair.

Perhaps it even lost a significant chunk of its memories and directives!

He questioned Nitaa some more about the Compact, but other than some meaningless rituals and unsubstantiated rumors, she did not have that much to say.

"I am not even that well-versed in the Order of Fl'xix." She said with regret. "While it is intricately tied to the Compact, we understood very early that we are primarily serving as their arm in this region of space."

The implication was that more organizations like the Order of Fl'xix existed in other states. Ves wouldn't know which one was in cahoots with the Compact as they were very good at hiding themselves. Having Nitaa by his side might help in identifying them, but mostly the different groupings of the Compact weren't even aware of each other's identities.

This was the annoying part about opposing a threat in the dark. The Compact adopted a tried-and-true clandestine cell system which involved setting numerous autonomous cells.

The disadvantages of such a structure were aplenty. The cells often performed redundant tasks. They couldn't pool their resources together to pursue large-scale efforts. In some cases, they might even fight against each other without knowing that they were on the same side!

Yet for all of these weaknesses, the Compact valued the secrecy it brought. The destruction or defection of a single cell would never be able to threaten the security of the Ruined Temple and the true cadre of the organization.

In essence, while the Five Scrolls Compact wouldn't be able to wrest control of the galaxy from the Big Two anytime soon, exterminating them was impossible!

Neither the CFA and the MTA managed to wipe them out, so it was a complete fantasy if Ves thought he could defeat the powerful cult by his own efforts!

The best he could do was figure out a way to dismantle their regional cell in the Nyxian Gap. While he already resolved to leave the star cluster before the dignitary of the Ruined Temple arrived, it wasn't in his nature to flee without taking a parting shot at his bogeymen!

Plans already began to form in his mind. His next two steps in his tour would bring him to the Sentinel Kingdom, which practically bordered the Nyxian Gap. Perhaps he might be able to inquire more about the Compact in that state.

Chapter 1324

Once Ves obtained all the relevant information Nitaa possessed about the Compact, he lost interest in inquiring any further about her situation.

The few crucial pieces of information he obtained already loomed heavily on his mind. He cared little about the plots of the Order of Fl'xix or what the rejected trainees of the order were doing when they sold themselves to foreigners.

He turned his eyes back to Nitaa. Though he still held some reservations about trusting her, he was okay with bringing her onboard as a bodyguard.

"Alright, Nitaa. That's enough for one day. Please bring Mr. Crindon to me. I need to have a talk with him as well."

While she exited the room to carry out her errand, Ves deactivated his Privacy Shield and returned his System comm back into his Inventory. Compared to his sensitive talk with Nitaa, he did not plan on raising any sensitive topics with his new virtual security specialist.

"Meow."

"Yeah, Nitaa is a lot more willing to work for me than Crindon. I have the feeling that he would have been fine with working for any other wealthy patron."

Once the skinny man entered the room and closed the door, he directed an interesting stare towards Lucky.

The cat was still radiating its ECM field.

"That is a very interesting functionality, sir." He said with mild awe. "I have never seen a mechanical cat employ an interference field of this caliber. Even my new comm is rendered impotent in this field!"

Ves smirked. "It's CFA tech."

"Impressive! With such a function at your disposal, I have a lot more confidence in fulfilling my responsibilities! Can I ask whether your cat contains other CFA functions? An ECM field rarely comes by itself."

"I think Lucky has access to a lot of useful software and hardware. I'll tell him to cooperate with you so that you can take advantage of what he has to offer."

"Meow!"

Lucky objected to that? What was he, a cat-shaped comm? He was more than just a tool!

Of course, Ves would have none of it. "Just do it. This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't assimilated my CFA equipment. It's your own fault we have to make use of you to access those functions!"

"Meow meow!"

"Would you rather let us be hunted down by our enemies?"

"Meow.."

"Thought so."

Ves turned back to his new permanent employee. "So, Mr. Crindon. What do you think about my security arrangements?"

"I am still trying to get up to speed with all of your security arrangements. After communicating with the crew of your starship, I can already tell you though that she is reasonably secure against hacking. There's only one issue, though."

"The Leemar Institute of Technology probably built a backdoor into her systems, right?"

Crindon nodded. "They would be crazy to let this opportunity go by. From what I heard, you received her as a prize for winning a contest. It makes sense if this institute would want to keep an eye on you. While your ship's security suite has always been kept up to date, it will never pose a hindrance to its own developers."

His words rang true. Even without proof, Ves could very well believe the Barracuda was riddled with bugs that relayed everything they observed back to the Friday Coalition.

He never cared too much about it until recently. Before he made his last and final visit to Leemar, he always considered himself to be in the Friday Coalition's camp. His distant but very real connection to Master Olson deterred the Coalition from making any overt moves against him while he was her apprentice.

Yet Ves no longer enjoyed the protection of the umbrella of this status! He'd been kicked out of Master Olson's sphere of influence, thereby depriving him of a shield to fend off Coalition probes!

Now that it appeared that he was beginning to side with the Hexers, the Coalition would definitely monitor his starship carefully. Who knew what they would do with all of the data they gathered!

"Is there a way to stop the Coalition from snooping in our ship?"

"I advise replacing your ship with another. The most secure ones tend to be ships imported from other star sectors or ships that are made and sold in Centerpoint. The latter are extremely expensive, though."

None of those options appealed to Ves.

He estimated that buying an imported ship would definitely entail a downgrade in most parameters. The money earned from selling the Barracuda wouldn't be enough to buy a ship with the same level of performance.

Buying a ship constructed by one of the ship-building enterprises related to the MTA would be even more expensive. Because they weren't built by a state, they only possessed one backdoor for the MTA instead of backdoors for both the MTA and the state in question.

This was extremely valuable, as the MTA were mostly hands-off and rarely meddled in the affairs of the local states it supervised!

Perhaps the only way for Ves to get completely rid of every possible backdoor was if he built a starship by himself from the ground up. That was way too far-fetched to him as designing and constructing a fully-functional starship from the ground up was a huge endeavor! Their sheer size and functions meant they were incomparably more complex to build!

All of these options were either too expensive or too unrealistic for Ves to contemplate.

"Is there really no other way to get rid of the Barracuda's vulnerability to eavesdropping by the Coalition?"

"Hmm..." Crindon thought deeply. "With your mechanical pet's help, I think it may be possible for me to rid your ship of most software backdoors. That still doesn't address the hardware vulnerabilities, but there may be an answer for that as well. We'll simply have to replace the gate."

The theory of his suggestion was simple. No matter what kind of backdoors had been baked into the components of his ship, they wouldn't be able to transmit their data to the Coalition without piggybacking on the communication channels of the ship!

As long as they beefed up the security of the gates leading into and out of the castle, they could ensure that no data would be transmitted to any third parties aside from the Big Two!

"It will require a weeks-long overhaul to tear out all of the transceivers built all over the hull of the ship and replace them with more secure ones." The Kinner bondsman determined. "The most delicate operation entails modifying the quantum entanglement node. It is crucial to replace the systems that translate and convert the data transmissions it receives before passing them on to its core components for transmission to another node that is many light-years away."

The entire story was a bit technical, but Ves possessed enough understanding in signals and communications technology to understand what his staff member tried to convey.

It was beyond Ves to replicate the core portions of the quantum entanglement node that enabled instantaneous communication throughout the galaxy.

Yet the systems surrounding the portion responsible for sending out messages weren't as difficult to decipher.

These systems sorted the data and stuffed them into packages before sending them out. Replacing them with imitations made by a different organization would ensure the Coalition no longer had access to the sensitive data surreptitiously snuck into the packages.

The only problem with that solution was that the replacement systems would henceforth carry the backdoors of their manufacturers instead! The entire operation amounted to replacing one voyeur with another!

Both of them recognized this thorny problem. Crindon shook his head. "The only way to address this problem is to make the quantum entanglement node systems yourself. Since you are a mech designer, it might be possible for you to do so, but it requires a lot of specialist knowledge in order to design it from scratch."

This wasn't a realistic solution either. Ves estimated that it would take months of focused study to accomplish something like that, and he didn't have the time to spare on an endeavor that was much more relevant to ship design than mech design.

"How about sourcing the replacement parts from the Hexadric Hegemony?" He eventually suggested. "Right now, my relationship with the Coalition has deteriorated. While I can't say for sure whether my ties to the Hegemony are getting warmer, I trust them more than the Coalition at this point."

"If you fear the Hegemony less than the Coalition, then it's a viable solution, sir. I still suggest you find a way to replace the vulnerable systems with more secure ones down the line, but as a stopgap solution I can work with your suggestion. We just have to find the right time and place to put your ship into drydock."

"Can we do it here?"

"We can, but I don't advise you to. The Kinner shipyards and drydocks aren't famed for their quality and capabilities. We'll also have to order and possibly arrange for the shipment of the replacement parts from the Hegemony in advance."

The two began to hash out a plan regarding the overhaul. After Ves revealed his itenary to Crindon, the Kinner advised him to book a drydock at the Sentinel Kingdom.

"It's one of the largest third-rate states in the star sector and it is vastly more secure than the Chuko Republic where you are traveling next. Its industrial infrastructure is excellent so the modifications can be achieved as quickly as possible without much risk."

"Alright. Speak with Gavin and tell him to put this plan on the agenda. Please work with him to prepare all the arrangements. If you encounter any hindrances with regards to access, for example procuring the Hegemony-built replacement parts, just get back to me so I can throw my weight around."

"Understood, sir." Crindon nodded. "Addressing the vulnerabilities of your gear and the ship will go a long way in preventing third parties from obtaining damaging data."

"Alright. Go ahead and take Lucky and see what you can do with him. I'm sure he's been hiding a lot of goodies from me. Make sure you get everything out of him that can help us beef our security even further!"

Though it took some pushing from Ves, Lucky grumpily allowed Crindon to pick him up and move him to a different room so that he could perform his duties without disturbing anyone.

Ves wasn't worried that Crindon might possibly tamper with Lucky. He instead would be a lot more concerned about his bondsman's life. He paid the equivalent of 180 million bright credits to secure his services, after all! He still wanted to get his money's worth out of his perpetual employee!

Now that he had a moment to himself, Ves loosened his shoulders and sank into a couch.

"What a day."

Encountering Nitaa and hearing her explosive revelations seriously upended his long-term plans.

He always figured he could keep his head down and quietly progress his mech design abilities in peace. Yet the Five Scrolls Compact was not content in leaving their questions unanswered.

For a dignitary to depart from the galactic center decades ago and still be on the way to the Komodo Star Sector strongly hinted that the envoys of the Ruined Temple would be here to stay.

This threw a huge wrench into his plans! It might even be severe enough to compel him into moving to another star cluster for a time!

"Holing up in Vicious Mountain or Majestic Teal won't be enough. It's too close to the Nyxian Gap."

He needed to move further ahead. While he didn't have to run all the way to the other end of the galactic rim or all the way to the galactic heartland, he at least needed to cross over into another star cluster.

"Yet how can I leave behind my ventures in the Komodo Star Sector?" He questioned.

Could he afford to leave behind the LMC and the Larkinson Family? Comm calls and remote interactions helped a lot in keeping him in touch, but it was no replacement to being physically present.

"I'll have to think about it carefully." He sighed.

Chapter 1325

After several hours of contemplation, Ves developed a tentative series of steps he should take in order to mitigate the damage and make his move plausible.

First, he needed to have a reason to move to a different star cluster. No normal mech designer would leave behind his company, his connections and his other endeavors in order to start anew in a completely different region of space!

He would have to come up with a good excuse for him to do so, and for now the only one he came up with was to expand the reach of the LMC.

It sounded premature. Expanding a company's reach to a neighbor star clusters made sense to someone like Master Olson.

It did not make sense for a lowly Journeyman. The general rule was that Journeymen ought to focus on growing their presence in their home markets. If they specialized in niche mechs, then expanding to the rest of the star sector was an acceptable strategy to pursue.

For various reasons, it was incredibly difficult for Journeymen to export their mechs across star sectors. Even founding branches of their companies in another star sector in order to produce mechs abroad was rife with complications.

"It's already problematic for me to do business in another star sector. Moving to another star cluster is even harder!"

There was only one way he could succeed. He needed to gain access to the Rim Guardian's extensive logistics network and secure their guarantees.

To do that, he needed to obtain their favor, which meant completing the thorny assignment they dumped on his lap.

"Goddammit.. I'll have to pull out all the stops in order to turn William Urbesh into an expert candidate!"

If Ves failed this mission, he would face a significant amount of delay in earning the MTA fraternity's favor. By the time he received another opportunity to prove his value to them, the Ruined Temple envoys might have reached their destination by then!

While other organizations existed that rivaled the Rim Guardians in this capacity, Ves did not have a convenient introduction on hand to get his foot in their doors.

The Rim Guardians are my only choice." He muttered.

Once he secured their favor, he could redeem his contributions for their backing in his business venture. Only when he obtained this assistance would he have a viable reason to divert to another star cluster.

Yet.. what would this imply for his mechs?

The main reason why Journeymen mostly stuck to their star sectors was because the abstruse effects of their mechs no longer worked when they moved too far away from their designers.

For example, if some rich kid from the Terran Confederation took a liking for his Blackbeak for some reason, he could order someone to import a gold label of the mech.

After decades in transit, the mech that the Terran received would look completely dull and unremarkable compared to when it was in its prime! This was because the distance between the mech and Ves was simply too far!

According to what Delta-Gina imparted to him back then, the reach of a Journeyman only encompassed a couple of star sectors at most.

"That's basically the equivalent of a star cluster."

Moving to another star cluster would help distance himself from the Ruined Temple envoys when they arrived at the Nyxian Gap.

Yet the same move would also distance himself to the vast majority of mechs designed by him and produced by the LMC and other manufacturers.

The increased distance would definitely rob all of those mechs with the special qualities that his customers valued. Those qualities were the only reasons for mech buyers to purchase his products!

"However, does this rule even apply to me at all?"

The assumption that hampered the expansionist hopes of many mech designers may not apply to his own designs.

That was because Ves imparted his designs with their own spiritual sources!

The design spirits he bestowed to his mech designs may be sufficient to empower the mechs, even without his design seed's assistance!

His eyes lit up. If his guess was true, then his designs might be able to sustain their psionically-empowered effects even if Ves departed from the galactic rim!

He came up with another hypothesis as well. He guessed the reach of his designs might actually be related to the strength of his design spirits!

A relatively weak design spirit like that of the aging Blackbeak likely depended more on Ves than the pale images he instilled in his design.

It was only when he designed the Crystal Lord did Ves begin to make use of external sources of spirituality to empower his images.

The strength of the spiritual fragments that Ves made use of varied significantly. The Aurora Titan's design spirit incorporated Qilanxo's spiritual fragment, which was the strongest spiritual entity that Ves had ever encountered!

"It's very possible for the Aurora Titan to work throughout the entire galactic rim!" Ves shockingly realized.

His other designs were not as fortunate, particularly the Blackbeak and the Crystal Lord.

"Fortunately, I'm already planning to phase them out." He murmured. "By the time I revise these two designs, I'll probably revisit this aspect."

The Mark II editions of his Blackbeak and Crystal Lord designs would fully reflect the lessons he learned since he designed their predecessors.

Ves had no obligation to keep the design spirits of his older designs! In fact, if he wanted to, he could probably replace or upgrade the design spirit of the current Mark I incarnations on the spot!

He shook his head. "There's no reason for me to do so."

Not only would such revisions disrupt the piloting experiences for the people using his Blackbeaks and Crystal Lords, but it was also pointless to invest in aging designs.

Rather than go through all that effort into propping up a pair of old designs, Ves would rather save his powder for the Mark II editions where he could introduce a host of new improvements.

"Both of them will fully reflect my strength as a Journeyman."

Getting back to the question of the reach of his designs, Ves believed he possessed a unique advantage in this area.

"If I'm right, I'll face one less obstacle in setting up shop in another star cluster!"

He still needed to test this effect. He raised his arm in order to activate his newly-purchased secure comm. He composed a brief message and sent it to Calsie.

It was extremely expensive for a mech company to transport a mech across multiple star sectors. All the cargo capacity of shipping vessels built for trans-sector travel were already reserved by wealthy insiders.

Outsiders such as Ves and the LMC needed to pay a sky high price to transport an entire mech over such a huge distance. Not only that, but it might take years for the Aurora Titan Ves wanted to send out to reach its destination.

"Fortunately, I can afford to wait."

Assuming that the experiment would confirm his guess that his designs were able to sustain their spiritual qualities by themselves, Ves would be partially unbound by geographic restrictions.

"Perhaps it doesn't matter as much where I design my mechs."

He could conceivably design mechs for both his home star cluster and the star cluster he visited and have them at full strength in both regions.

This was the unique advantage of his spiritual techniques!

Once everyone else learned about this potential property, they would probably look at him in a new light!

It would also attract some unwelcome scrutiny from the MTA, so Ves did not plan to publicise this possibility until he could no longer hide it. He did not wish to invite their scrutiny after he successfully deflected their attention on his eccentric design philosophy.

"This little feature will probably be regarded as another quirk of my weird Class IX design philosophy."

Class IX design philosophies acquired a reputation of breaking the rules and achieving unconventional effects. Perhaps he wasn't the first mech designer to violate the range rule to an extent.

As long as his new assumptions worked out, Ves not only faced less obstacles in moving to another star cluster, but he might even have a very compelling reason to do so!

"If I have the power to expand the reach of my designs, then I'd be stupid to ignore it! I have to take advantage of this property!"

With such a great reason for him to flex his design abilities in another region of space, the Five Scrolls Compact wouldn't suspect he was actually trying to evade their encirclement!

While he was essentially trading attention from the Compact for attention from the MTA, he vastly preferred the latter over the former.

Attracting the Compact's attention meant death.

Attracting the attention of the MTA meant Ves would simply have to pretend to be a nut in order to explain away his irregularities.

"Maybe Gloriana can help me in this area."

An interesting possibility came into mind when Ves thought about collaboration. Perhaps the same range-breaking effect might also apply to the design philosophies of other mech designers who contributed to his designs!

This would give him an excuse to take Gloriana along with him. Though her existing designs might lose their strength, she developed so few of them that she could easily offer compensation to her customers.

"She only designs custom mechs, after all. Replacing twenty mechs is a lot easier than replacing twenty-thousand mechs!"

Ves felt very apprehensive at the thought of roping in Gloriana for his journey. Yet it might be the only way he would have permission to leave the Komodo Star Sector. Knowing how highly she valued their relationship, she would never allow him to depart the star sector on his own!

The only reason why Ves did not object to bringing along his 'girlfriend' was because he could use her craziness to camouflage his own suspicious points!

"Ves and Gloriana, the two crazy mech designers enjoying their decade-long holiday in another star sector."

Yup, it sounded completely crazy. Hopefully, everyone else would stop thinking deeper about the reason why he really wanted to flee his home star cluster.

The only challenge was that he would have to raise the suggestion to Gloriana. Ves had no idea how she would react and what kind of conditions she might raise to agree to the suggestion. She would have to abandon many of her ventures in the Komodo Star Sector in order to accompany him on his trip.

He also assumed that the two of them would still be an item at that time. Anything could happen in a decade. Perhaps Gloriana moved on to obsessing over another mech designer in a couple of years.

"...Yeah. No chance of that happening!"

Their compatibility was simply too high! Though Ves still harbored a lot of resentment against Callisto Professional Relations, their matchmaking was still largely on point despite the faulty data they worked with. The odds of Gloriana finding a more compatible mech designer was quite low!

Even if they separated for some reason, Ves could just make do on his own. He would just have to find some other way to come across as crazy or eccentric in order to deflect unwelcome attention.

"Alright, that's the plan!" Ves clapped his hands.

He needed to make a lot of preparations before he was ready to move to another star cluster. Depending on how long the Ruined Temple envoys stayed in the Nyxian Gap, Ves might have to stay away for half a century or more.

The only way he could return sooner was if the MTA and CFA managed to uproot the Compact presence in the Nyxian Gap!

"I'll have to help the Big Two make that happen somehow! Who knows how long those pests will squat in my home star sector!"

Despite his misgivings about this plan, a part of him felt excited as well. Journeymen were meant to travel. Stepping outside his star cluster and entering into a completely different one would expose him to vast differences in mech cultures.

His Mastery experiences already gave him a lot of glimpses on how mechs were used differently in other regions of space. Choosing the right star cluster would allow him to get into touch with completely new paradigms, such as immersing himself in a star sector that predominantly adopted bestial mechs!

Chapter 1326

The next day, Ves experienced a completely new day. The addition of Nitaa and Crindon to his staff made him feel a lot more at ease because he was finally able to offload some of his concerns to his new bondsmen.

With the imposing form of Nitaa following behind his back, people started to divert to the sides in order to avoid bumping into him. Aside from her deterrent effect, she also possessed a sharp judgement as she frequently managed to spot the more dangerous men and women in the vicinity.

As for Crindon, Ves did not bring him along during his forays in Bloodstone. As a spy and a security expert, it was much more appropriate to deploy him in the background than in the foreground.

Currently, Ves ordered the Kinner bondsman to take a shuttle ride to orbit and board the Barracuda. From there, he could begin to sweep his ship for bugs and determine which portions were suspect.

In the meantime, Ves spent a few days touring Bloodstone and stopping by the job markets to see if he could pick up another bargain like Nitaa. Kelandra guided him through all the famous sites and job markets and introduced him to many possible hires.

No luck.

While the Kinner Tribe offered plenty of Kinner professionals of all vocations, Ves did not find anyone too exceptional.

It was extremely unlikely for most people to develop spiritual potential. Those that did mostly possessed unremarkable attributes. Drawing out their potential took a lot of effort on his part, so he at least wanted to obtain something worthwhile out of all of that trouble.

Someone like Fe Nitaa possessed a remarkably different spiritual attribute than others. Ves suspected that it may have even been the essential prerequisite for her to make use of her empowered nose.

Best of all was that she could already sense unusual presences despite the immaturity of her spiritual potential. As long as Ves managed to find a way to develop other people's spiritual potential, Nitaa's mysterious smelling ability might become incredibly potent one day!

Thinking about exploiting unusual spiritual potential reminded him of the offer he extended to the Ingvar twins. The two fallen noble mech pilots should be facing a lot of trouble trying to keep themselves afloat.

The offer that Ves extended them should have been the first and most attractive one they received, but whether they accepted it or not was still in question.

Nobles tended to be very proud of themselves. Ordinarily, they always looked down on mercenaries. Mech pilots who tended to go mercenary usually weren't cut out for the military or more elite and prestigious outfits.

Some stuck-up people even considered mercenaries to be just a step above pirates!

To be fair, the lowest mercenaries often turned out to be little different from thugs with mech. Their lack of discipline, training, altruism, commitment and other desirable traits did not endear them to their peers.

Yet the mercenary community as a whole was very diverse.

At the upper end, the life of a mercenary was often romanticized in the dramas, and for good reason. A mech pilot brought on to a mercenary corps with a good reputation received excellent pay and enjoyed a lot more freedom than a military mech pilot.

They traveled from star to star, experiencing new sights while participating in important missions that made the galaxy a better place.

All kinds of mercenaries and mercenary corps existed, and to Ves it seemed that Bloodstone encompassed almost every variety that existed.

The Kinner Tribe featured elite tribal corps like the Hundred-And-Seventeen Blades which could give the elites of the Bright Republic a run for their money.

They also featured more haphazard mercenary corps such as the Battle Criers which Ves recently extended an offer to as well. While they were not exactly his first choice, he valued their resourcefulness and scoundrel-like nature.

Compared to a more rigid mercenary corps like Commander Oryn Mair's Edge of Redemption, the Battle Criers could make do with less supplies, pay and preparation.

A more flexible outfit like the Battle Criers also wouldn't object as much if Ves ever ordered them to do something questionable.

Ves needed the right tool for the right job. Considering his current plans, the Battle Criers were much more suitable because they had already traveled widely.

That was not to say that a more disciplined and well-trained outfit like the Edge of Redemption lacked utility. It was just that they served best as a hammer to smash through solid obstacles.

Forcing them into other roles such as acting as his escorts was a significant waste.

In the future, he might require the services elite mech troop that could act as his hammer. If that time ever came, Ves much preferred to raise a troop from the ground up rather than buy one ready-made.

He wanted his strongest mech element to be trained in the use of his mechs from the start. They would become his most elite Avatars, the ones who were better than all the other mech pilots in his employ other than his expert pilots.

Setting something up like that would take years, perhaps even decades. Ves always imagined that he would have plenty of time to build up an elite mech company within the Avatars, but considering his new plans he might have to accelerate his timeframe.

"If only I can buy out the more skilled or elite Kinner outfits." He sighed.

Kelandra offered him a pat on the back. "You are still young. You should return to the Kinner Tribe when you've become a more established mech designer. Once you build up a lot of renown and grow your company to an impressive scale, the pickier Kinners will be glad to knock on your doors."

That would take too long. The Five Scrolls Compact presence in the star cluster would experience a major transformation in the future.

The coming arrival of the Ruined Temple envoys meant that the Compact's local cells would definitely become extraordinarily active.

The dignitary from the Ruined Temple would likely initiate a search for the Metal Scroll in Ves' possession!

Under such threatening circumstances, Ves did not dare to venture to the Kinner Tribe knowing that their Order of Fl'xix was actually an arm of the Compact!

In fact, getting out of the star cluster and vacationing elsewhere sounded like a really good idea!

Faced with this distant but approaching threat, Ves no longer occupied himself with hiring additional Kinners. He merely passed the time while waiting for follow-ups from his outstanding offers.

While touring the various monuments and historical sites, Ves also managed to squeeze a moment to drop off a very special package.

Ves passed on a familiar-looking cube to a Shadow Courier who met him in an isolated alleyway. Kelandra and Gavin waited outside, leaving only Lucky and Nita by his side.

"Package received. We will ensure it will arrive in the hands of its intended recipient." The man hidden in his dark robes replied. "Please be assured that we will do everything possible to deliver it as fast as possible, but due to the distance involved the delivery might take three or four months."

"I'm aware of the difficulties."

"If you are transmitting data, I highly advise you to allow us to transmit it over our highly secure channels. Delivery can be completed in a matter of days instead of months."

Ves shook his head. "No thanks. This will do. Make sure that no one messes with the package, or else its contents will be lost."

"Have no fear, customer. We always ensure sound delivery, or your money back!"

"Yes, yes, just get on with it. By the way, tell the recipient not to bother me unless he sends me another package!"

"That will cost extra."

"Urgh!"

With that errand done, Ves resumed touring Bloodstone, though he soon lost interest in the sights. The ubiquitous bloodstone and the monotonous architecture made the cities look the same.

The Kinners possessed a very practical mindset, but they blended it with ancient tribal customs. This combination essentially froze their culture in time. Many Kinners embraced their shabbiness and felt very little desire to modernize their culture and living conditions.

This stood in complete contrast to the Kamon Republic he visited before. The Kamoners, flush with wealth and devoid of threats, pursuit comfort and refinement, so much so that their strength and readiness had declined to disastrous levels.

The reluctance of the Kinners to engage in hedonism and materialism elicited a lot of admiration from Ves. Yet the downside of that was that most Kinners exhibited a lot of division.

A disproportionate amount of Kinners counted among the lower classes of the tribe. Those who were a bit more well-off were few in number. Their numbers were kept down to the the high amount of taxes and other contributions the state demanded of its people.

The observations he made in the past few days lessened his admiration of the Kinner Tribe. While he still ranked them higher than the Kamon Republic, it was anything but perfect.

"No state is perfect." Kelandra ruefully smiled. "Yet the Kinner Tribe is still my home."

It was because of this widespread sentiment that the Kinner Tribe remained so stagnant. None of them truly questioned whether their expansive Kinner trade went too far. Hardly any of the money the state earned from the trade was reflected back on Bloodstone. Where did the bulk of the money truly go?

No one knew.

"It's almost been a week." He remarked after they visited some museums. "The offers I extended to the Battle Criers and the Ingvar twins will expire tomorrow."

That the mercenaries waited so long before answering was not a good sign. A hint of uncertainty lingered in his mind. Did he have to revisit Ornament Halls to hire a more readily-available mercenary corps?

While plenty of Kinner outfits expressed their willingness to work for him, they lacked the colorfulness and camaraderie of the Battle Criers.

Fortunately, Ves soon received one of the messages that he had been waiting for. His eyes lit up as he read the message.

"Commander Cinnabar is ready to sign a contract with me! Let's head back to Ornament Halls!"

His group interrupted their boring tour and immediately hopped into an aircar that took them to the familiar grounds.

After entering one of the halls, they filed into an office where Commander Cinnabar already waited for him with a contract lawyer and another official.

"So you made up your mind?" Ves hopefully asked.

"We had a long discussion about it. Some of my mech pilots weren't enthused about moving to the Bright Republic. It's too far away from the tribe." Cinnabar admitted.

"Will that be a problem?"

The commander smirked. "Nope. It took some convincing, but my Battle Criers all came around to the idea of settling down somewhere new. While we have a lot of friends in this region, we also pissed a lot of people off. It will ultimately be better for us if we moved away and leave all that ugliness behind."

It sounded like the Battle Criers had done more than stir up some trouble. Regardless of what they did in the past, once Ves bought them out, their past deeds no longer mattered.

For now though, neither Ves and the Commander were ready to make that step. Instead, they signed a simple one-year contract that was subject to extension if both sides agreed to it. Ves would have the opportunity to buy out the Battle Criers if he was happy with their performance.

It took hours to go through the contract and all of the additional paperwork that came with hiring an armed mech force. An official from the Mercenary Association witnessed the agreement and approved of the terms.

"Alright! From now on, you work for me. I will be placing myself in the care of your mech pilots, commander."

"I'll do my best to keep my men in line." The burly mercenary commander grinned as he shook the hand of his new employer. "It will take some time for us to get used to escort duty, but I'll get it done."

With a Kinner mercenary corps in his pocket, Ves had met his primary goal for his visit to Bloodstone.

"Now, there's only the Ingvar twins left." He whispered.

Chapter 1327

The sun began to fade over the horizon. Ves began to lose hope that the Ingvar twins would accept his offer.

He found that to be a bit of a pity. While the two mech pilots of a higher caliber than the mech pilots of the Battle Criers, Ves really valued them for their unusual spiritual potential.

While their spirituality was as faint and undeveloped as the ones present in the minds of others with potential, their attribute was very peculiar. It was something that Ves had never encountered before.

"The two are like a splash of color in a sea of grey."

What their unusual spiritual attribute represented and what capabilities it brought to the Ingvars when they developed was a mystery to Ves. All he cared about was developing their potential to see what kind of surprises their mysterious attribute produced.

"Meow." Lucky padded his paw on his head.

"Yeah, you're right." He sighed. "There's no use pining over people who don't want to work for me. I'd have to be a Senior or something if I want to access the good stuff."

Despite advancing to Journeyman, Ves had not yet reached the apex of the local power structure. Most of the Kinner Tribe's premier products still remained out of reach until he proved he wasn't a flash in the pan who quickly fizzled out in a couple of years.

Just as Ves was ready to return to his hotel, his comm lit up, informing him that he received another message. He immediately activated the interface to read the message.

"Yes! They accepted!"

In the end, necessity trumped pride. The situation of the Ingvar twins might be better than other mercenaries since they piloted their own mechs, but it was a far cry from their old station back when House Ingvar still stood proud.

Once Ves took in the message, he diverted back to Ornament Halls, which was in the process of emptying out. Ves and his company squeezed past the mercenaries who were done for the day and met the Ingvars in another office.

Imon Ingvar went straight to the point. "Mr. Larkinson, we thought long and hard about your offer. After considering our options, we have decided to accept your offer."

Both Imon and Casella looked a bit more composed compared to last time. Back then, they were smarting from all of the setbacks and betrayals they suffered.

This time, they seemed resigned to their new circumstances. Ves could tell that they gave up any hope of recovering the former mechs and ship they lost at the hands of their mutinous subordinates.

"Are you sure you want to work for me?" He asked. "The contract requires that you will have to stick with me for at least a year. We'll be moving away from the Kinner Tribe during this time."

Casella Ingvar brushed aside her platinum hair from her face. "We are aware. We thought about staying in this region in order to hatch a plan to take revenge against those who betrayed our noble house, but... it's impossible for us to strike back at Black Poppy without a ship."

"Distancing ourselves from the Kingdom of the Three Flowers sounds like a better idea." Imon continued. "It's the only form of revenge we can realistically take. By staying alive, House Ingvar will still continue to exist."

Ves crossed his arms as he leaned back against the office chair. "I hope you don't harbor any unrealistic expectations that I will help you take revenge against Black Poppy. I'm a mech designer, not a revolutionary. The affairs that take place in Three Flowers don't concern me. My company may even sell its products to Black Poppy in the future. Are you willing to stomach that from me, or would you rather look elsewhere?"

He wanted to draw a very clear line from the start. Right now, Ves might hold some curiosity towards the Ingvar siblings, but that did not mean they entered his inner circle. They weren't as loyal and reliable as the Kinners, so Ves needed to handle them with a lot more caution.

The Ingvars both appeared conflicted, yet Casella quickly regained her composure. It appeared that she was the calmer and more analytical sibling.

"We know what we are getting into." She said with a deliberately professional tone. "We do not wish to interfere with your business activities. We are only hired to pilot mechs and fight. Everything else is not our concern. We only hope that you will be mindful enough to spare us of any interactions with our enemies."

"I won't force you to play nice with Black Poppy or the Kingdom of the Three Flowers." Ves let out a reassuring smile. "While I won't specifically accommodate your desires, I can give you at least this much if you inform me of any potential objections beforehand."

That wasn't enough for Casella. "It would make us feel a lot better if this is added to the contract. We would like our employment contract to contain a clause that allows us to opt out on any orders, missions or instructions related to the Kingdom of the Three Flowers without incurring any penalty."

Ves lazily waved his hand. "Granted."

As the contract lawyer added the requested terms to the contract, Ves asked another question.

"Are you the only survivors of your house, or have other Ingvars managed to escape with their lives?"

Imon grimaced. "We do not know. There are a number of Ingvars stationed in other states at the time of the betrayal, but most of them died at the hands of assassins. While we are sure that some of our distant relatives have managed to slip the net, we do not have any way of organizing ourselves. All the channels of our house are definitely monitored by our enemies. Gathering in a single place will only present a convenient target to the hunters assigned to clean up any trace of our noble house."

Ves expressed some interest in collecting a couple more Ingvars. He wanted to see whether some of the Ingvar survivors with spiritual potential possessed the same special attribute as Imon and Casella.

If that was the case, then this trait might be hereditary, which opened up a lot of possibilities!

He felt a little disappointed that he wouldn't be able to gather more Ingvars. He quickly pushed it aside when he realized that he started to regard the Ingvars in the same way as the Kinners.

Not every human was a product! Ves had to show a lot more mindfulness towards his subordinates.

As the contract continued to take shape, the Ingvars asked their own questions.

"Will you be fine with our old mechs or will you assign us with new ones?" Imon asked.

"It depends on how long you stay in my service." Ves answered. "If you decide to continue to stick with me, I'll transfer you to my Avatars of Myth, where you will be assigned to different mechs, mostly of my own design. What mechs do you specialize in, by the way?"

He hadn't looked that up yet, which was a major oversight on his part.

"We are both trained in spaceborn mech combat, though we are not novices when it comes to piloting landbound mechs."

Most mech pilots who specialized in spaceborn mechs knew how to pilot landbound mechs as well. Yet their lack of training in this area meant they lacked many of the nuances and tactics employed by dedicated landbound mech pilots.

"Which mech types do you pilot?"

"I specialize in piloting spaceborn rifleman mechs." Casella answered. "In fact, I excel at long-range marksmanship, so laser weapons are my go-to loadouts. I also possess some command training. I was the commander of my former detachment."

"I prefer to duel my enemies up close. I pilot a spaceborn swordsman mech, though I can pilot other melee mechs if needed. As long as I'm not getting shot at by an entire mech company, I'm confident I can fell most mechs who block my way." Imon added.

That was a good mix, though Ves took their words with a grain of salt.

He might be able to employ Imon as a mech duelist or champion who could fight on his behalf. Yet the man did not possess the emotional fortitude to excel in this area.

Someone as determined and passionate about mech duels like Raella Larkinson wouldn't cry like a sorry little kid after suffering a small setback.

As for Casella, Ves put a lot of question marks on her command ability. Even if she did take classes, the fact that her household mech company mutinied meant that her actual performance in this area was very sketchy!

Her command ability was a far cry from that of Commander Cinnabar, who easily managed to maintain control over his band of ruffians!

Fortunately, Ves did not require the two to serve in those capacities. He was fine with letting them work as regular mech pilots. They might learn a thing or two about the mercenary life from the Battle Criers.

Time passed as the contract reached its final form. Neither side requested anymore additions, which meant that both of them signed the agreement in short order as witnessed by the Mercenary Association.

Unlike his previous hires, the Ingvars did not bow or kneel to him to swear a ritual oath. They weren't Kinners whose oaths were taken a lot more seriously. This meant the Ingvars had now hired themselves on to Ves with remarkably little fanfare.

A moment of silence stretched as the contract lawyer and the other officials filed out of the office.

"It is.. strange." The female Ingvar said with a hollow voice. "Even if we have only agreed to work for you for a year, I feel as if I've signed my life away."

Imon embraced his sister in a hug. "It's all the Kinners around us that give you that impression. We are different from their kind. Remember who we are and where we came from. House Ingvar may have fallen, but as long as we are alive, we can one day restore it to its former glory!"

While the two siblings had their private moment, Ves turned around to Kelandra. "Now that the Ingvars accepted my offer, my stay at Bloodstone has come to an end. I will soon depart for the Chuko Republic."

"Chuko isn't exactly the most pleasant destination, I've heard."

"That is what the Battle Criers and the Ingvar pair are for. While the news coming out of Chuko is fairly troubling, I'm confident my new escorts are more than capable of fending off any trouble we'll meet on the way. I don't plan to travel outside the most established trade routes anyway."

Once they completed all of the formalities, Ves instructed his latest two hires to pack up their bags and join the fleet of the Battle Criers in orbit of Bloodstone II-A.

"What about our mechs, sir?" Casella asked.

"Benny, please arrange shipment of their mechs."

"On it, boss."

His visit to Bloodstone came to an end. As Ves and his staff returned to the hotel, they only planned to stay for one more night before they departed from the planet.

A smile appeared on his face as he thought of all the new people he hired. Aside from the Ingvar siblings, his new subordinates consisted entirely of Kinners.

"I might have more scruples about hiring other mercenaries, but the Kinners are different."

"Meow."

Lucky climbed on top of his stomach as he lied down on a couch in his hotel room. The cat curled into a ball and squinted its eyes on contentment.

"Hehe, looking forward to our next destinations, are you?"

"Meow."

"Yeah, you're right. We're getting closer and closer to the Nyxian Gap. The Sentinel Kingdom is especially close to this dangerous region. I wonder if I'll be able to obtain more spicy Nyx dog ingredients. I'm becoming addicted to this food!"

"Meow!"

Chapter 1328

The next day, Ves and his staff said farewell to Kelandra and took a shuttle ride to orbit. They reached a space station orbiting a moon and took another ride back to Barracuda.

"Welcome aboard, sir." Crindon greeted Ves at the entry hatch. "We've made some minor overhauls to some of the systems of your ship. Please mind your step as some of the sections are still being worked on by her crew and myself."

Ves noted that some of the deck panels had been removed in order to access the ship components underneath.

Having performed similar kind of work in the past during the war, he recognized that Crindon had been in the process of replacing one of the Barracuda's many internal communication nodes.

"Keep up the good work."

"Thank you, sir."

"How long will this go on?"

"Months." His new security expert admitted. "The crew and I are trying to accomplish as much as possible before we arrive at the drydock we've booked at the Sentinel Kingdom. In the meantime, much of the internal communication and monitoring system will be taken offline as we can't determine to what extent they've been compromised."

Ves frowned at that. "Will that impact the functioning of my ship?"

"Not as much as you think." The Kinner bondsman smiled. "Your comm is sufficient to keep you securely connected to the ship's virtual network. The signal transmissions may be a little weaker than you'd like, but you won't notice the difference during normal usage."

The overhaul would continue to take place during travel. Even if Crindon cut the wrong cable or something, it wasn't as if the Barracuda would crash out of FTL. Starships featured a lot more redundancy and could still maintain some functionality even if they lost a third of their hulls.

After inquiring a bit more about the nature of the ongoing overhaul, Ves left the matter in Crindon's hands. While he could assist his subordinates in replacing the suspect parts with new ones, it was a waste of time for him to engage in this kind of menial labor.

He was a mech designer! Even if he'd been distracted by his hiring decisions lately, that did not detract from the fact that he should be spending most of his time on his work!

"I really should start coming up with a vision for my upcoming design project." He muttered to himself.

After waving Crindon goodbye, he entered the bridge in order to check up with Captain Silvestra before retiring to his stateroom.

While Lucky jumped to his bed in order to take a nap, Gavin and Nitaa both stood before his desk.

Each of them had something to address. Ves looked at the two of them before gesturing towards his executive assistant.

"You first, Benny."

"Ahem. I was just checking in with Commander Cinnabar. His fleet is already prepared to depart. All supplies have been loaded and the two Ingvars are safely aboard the Ion Tracker, though squeezing in their mechs took a lot of effort. They had to be stowed in the cargo bay, which means that deploying them during a battle is exceedingly risky."

With the addition of the Battle Criers, the Barracuda no longer traveled by herself. She formed the center of a new formation of five additional vessels.

Two of them consisted of the light carriers of the Battle Criers.

The Ion Tracker was the flagship of the Battle Criers and hosted their spaceborn mech contingent. Commander Cinnabar also resided on the Ion Tracker and could even take to the field with his personal striker mech if the situation became dire.

Their second light carrier was the Glaze Hopper, which hosted all of the landbound mechs of the Battle Criers. The Glaze Hopper was just as fast and agile as Ion Tracker but possessed the additional ability to land on planets as long as the gravity wasn't too high.

She was no combat carrier though. Just like every light carrier, their armor left a lot to be desired. Armor was by far the most expensive component of a ship, and most mercenaries couldn't afford to purchase anything but the vessels with the barest amount of protection.

Aside from these swift but highly fragile light carriers, the Battle Criers also brought along three additional vessels.

The Purple Star functioned as their logistics ship. She was smaller and less potent than any other logistics ships that Ves encountered. Her industrial capacity was tiny, but it was sufficient to service the needs of two regular mech companies during ordinary times.

The Belfast and Okuri were a pair of transport ships that carried most of the Kinner outfit's supplies. Smaller and lighter than a typical cargo hauler, they were also capable of landing on a planet. The Battle Criers often made use of this fact in the past by stuffing their cargo holds full with loot and salvage they scavenged off the battlefields.

As Ves recalled the composition of the Battle Crier fleet, he realized that each of its vessels shared a common trait.

They were fast. When Commander Cinnabar slowly built up his fleet, he prioritized the acquisition of fast but affordable starships.

Each of the vessels accelerated decently fast and their thrust-to-mass ratio each surpassed that of a skinny cargo hauler.

This turned the Battle Crier fleet into a fairly mobile element that could outrun any superior opponent while catching up to most inferior prey.

This was the kind of fleet composition one would find from a raiding force or a pirate force.

Obviously, the Battle Criers penchant for offensive missions was partially due to the vulnerability of their ships. They were very vulnerable to enemy fire if they ever ran into ambush. By taking action themselves, the Battle Criers could stow their ships somewhere safe and deploy their mechs at their leisure.

This didn't mean that their vessels fell apart after suffering a single volley of enemy fire, but Ves understood what Cinnabar meant when he said they were not used to taking on defensive missions.

"There are only two issues." Gavin continued, bringing Ves' attention back to the conversation. "First, the Ingvar siblings aren't really getting along well with the Battle Criers. Imon and Casella Ingvar may have fallen on hard times, but they used to be of noble blood. As for the Battle Criers..."

Ves immediately understood the problem. "Most of their ranks consists of Kinner vatters. The lowest-born citizens of the Kinner Tribe."

"Exactly. The two are getting along like fire and water by all accounts."

Ves sighed. The Battle Criers were a bunch of ruffians, which was fine to Ves but not to those who used to be aristocrats.

While he was tempted to order the Ingvar twins to tough it out and learn what mercenary life was really like, he didn't want to push them too far. Unlike the Kinner bondsmen he acquired, hired hands such as the Ingvars could leave whenever their contract ran out.

If Ves mistreated the pair two much, he could say goodbye to studying and exploiting their special spiritual property.

He sighed. "Call Commander Cinnabar and tell him to send the two brats to the Barracuda via shuttle. I'll take the pair off his hands for now."

"I'm sure the Ingvar siblings will be much relieved at your choice. However, taking them aboard this ship will mean they'll have to take a shuttle ride back to the Ion Tracker in case you want them to deploy with their mechs. The delay will be quite significant."

"I know, Benny, but the Battle Criers are already capable of fielding forty spaceborn mechs. If any threat we encounter is too much to handle for a full mech company, then adding an extra two mechs won't make much of a difference."

While neither of them thought this was the right solution, Ves couldn't come up with a better solution off the top of his head.

Once Gavin relayed the instructions, he addressed another issue.

"The second point I wanted to raise with you is our next destination. The situation at the Chuko Republic has deteriorated in recent weeks. Back when we set your itinerary, the news coming out of Chuko hadn't sounded this bad. I highly suggest you reconsider stopping by this state."

"No."

"It's dangerous!"

"It's still within an acceptable range." Ves retorted. "All the trouble popping up in the news happens in the periphery of the state. We are traveling nowhere near the trouble spots."

"I don't know, boss. If you ask me, Chuko is like a powder keg that can erupt at any moment. The central government is already on the edge of teetering."

"They've been saying that for years." Ves casually waved his hand. "A complete breakdown of order benefits no one except pirates. Everyone with a stake in the conflict is better off with the status quo."

Gavin failed to change his mind. Even though his concerns were valued, this only made the Chuko Republic more attractive.

A ton of different outfits and forces frequently clashed in the state. It had become a melting pot of various influences. Its weak internal security allowed neighboring states, dark mercenaries and even clandestine powers from Vicious Mountain to treat its territory as their playground.

A low-intensity struggle for power paralyzed the weak republic for two decades and counting, but the seeds of the conflict had been laid a long time ago. The trajectory of the Chuko Republic deteriorated with each year that passed, and the common citizens were the biggest victims of the lack of stability.

Compounding the problems plaguing the state was its enduring brain drain. Every professional with valuable skills emigrated elsewhere as soon as they could book a passage.

Even though the government and the local powers did their best to hinder the outflow of valuable scientists, doctors, administrators, artists, mech designers and mech pilots, they simply didn't have the strength to form effective blockades.

Blockades were very expensive. While they hindered people from leaving, they also hindered everyone trying to enter. The state couldn't afford to put up too many barriers lest they scare away the meager amount of trade that still sustained its fractured economy.

Certainly, anyone who heard about Chuko's conditions would steer away from the state like Ves ran away from Gloriana on their first date.

Not this time. Gloriana might creep him out, but the chaotic situation at Chuko was a walk in the park compared to the pervasive danger in the frontier.

Gavin sunk his shoulders and slunk out of the compartment. He did not look forward to entering a state where half-a-dozen skirmishes erupted on a daily basis.

That left Fe Nitaa.

"I won't need you looming over my shoulder while I'm in my stateroom."

"I'll stand guard outside the hatch."

"No need. Just relax or train. No one is able to sneak aboard our ship while we're traveling faster than light."

"I will still stand guard regardless during the periods when this ship is out of FTL."

Ves sighed. "Fine. Just don't tire yourself out, alright?"

"I can manage, sir." The tall woman grunted. "I am still getting used to my position."

"We're all getting used to this situation. I'm confident you can fulfill your duties."

"While I appreciate your confidence, I can't do everything."

"Look, I've already discussed this." He sighed. "Even if you aren't equal to the better bodyguards on Bloodstone, I'm more than willing to invest in your training. Gavin should have already set up a budget for you and Crindon. Both of you will be allowed to study and train in your free time."

Both Nitaa and Crindon received a couple of million bright credits each, which was more than sufficient for them to purchase specialized handbooks and virtual training courses from the galactic net.

Once Ves returned to the Bright Republic, he planned to usher his two bondsmen into specialized training programs. While the Kinner Tribe did a decent job in educating them both, they still had a lot more to go, and Ves was willing to invest in their development in order to increase their value.

Since both Kinners were in it for the long haul, he might as well try to elevate their quality so that he'd be able to enjoy a handsome return on investment over the lifetime of his bondsmen!

"Gotta milk them cows!" He grinned under his breath.

"Pardon, sir?"

Ves awkwardly coughed. "Nothing."

Chapter 1329

"You called me! I'm so happy!" Gloriana gushed while pressing her slender palms against her chin. "I thought so long and hard about calling you, but you said you needed space so I refrained from calling you! If I knew you'd call me, I would have worn something cuter! Hey, I might as well do that now!"

She inputted a quick series of commands in her comm, causing her tight white lab coat to morph into an even slimmer sundress that tantalizingly showed a hint of promise.

"There! I can greet you properly now!"

"You didn't have to go through that trouble for me. I just wanted to talk to you about something."

"Nonsense! I will always present my best side to you! The perfect boyfriend deserves nothing less than the perfect girlfriend!"

As Ves awkwardly greeted Gloriana, Lucky padded over to the projection of Clixie.

Both cats pawed each other's bodies, only to go right through the intangible projections on their end.

They couldn't touch each other!

"Meooow."

"Miaow!"

Ignoring the distress of their pets, the pair of humans tentatively made themselves comfortable and sat down. The closeness of their respective projections gave them the illusion that they sat right next to each other.

"So, what did you want to talk about with little old me?" Gloriana smiled coyly while twirling around her lustrous dark hair. "Have you made up your mind already?"

"About what?"

"About tying the knot! Hihihi!"

"That's way too soon!" Ves hastily said. "I was hoping to raise a decision I've made recently. Although it sounds drastic, I think it's the best choice for me to develop."

Gloriana restrained herself upon seeing that Ves looked serious this time. "Oh? What did your clever mind come up with this time?"

Here goes nothing. Ves took a deep breath before starting with the spiel he prepared.

"If you recall my design philosophy, then you will note how it isn't tied to mechs, but rather the interaction between mechs and humans. Studying mechs is easy. Studying humans is harder. Through my travels, I've realized that I improve significantly faster if I come across many different people and become exposed to different cultures, values and beliefs. For example, if I hadn't visited the Ylvaine Protectorate, I would have never designed a fantastic custom mech like the Transcendent Messenger!"

Her eyes lit up. "I see! In my opinion, Your Transcendent Messengers are your best works! All six of them are fantastic in their own way, but together they make for a great set! You're already halfway to becoming a follower of hexism at this rate!"

"Let's not talk about that." Ves briefly grimaced.

"Awww.."

Producing six Transcendent Messengers was a complete coincidence! He was just fulfilling Calabast's commission! Besides, the True Believers managed to abscond with his prototype, thereby technically raising the amount of copies in the wild to seven!

"The nature of my design philosophy means I benefit a lot more from exploring different cultures." He continued. "Mechs may operate the same way regardless of where they are used, but the people who make use of them are vastly different from state to state, star sector to star sector, star cluster to star cluster. How can I ever design mechs that appeal to large swathes of human space if I only limit myself to a single star sector?"

"Is that why you are traveling around right now?"

"Yeah. I've already harvested some minor gains from visiting Centerpoint, Kamon and Kinner." He nodded. His travels were no secret to Gloriana. She probably ordered a hacker to lift the logs from the Barracuda a long time ago. "Yet even though the Komodo Star Sector offers a lot of diversity, many of the cultures here used to be formed by historical fringe groups. It's very dangerous to assume the rest of human space is the same."

Some of what he said was true, but he also added in some exaggerations here and there to strengthen his case.

A hum emanated from Gloriana's mouth as she contemplated his words. "I can see how that's important to you. The mech pilots who use your mechs are all distinct from each other. My own specialty also explores the fit between mech and mech pilot. We're closely alike in this regard, hihi!"

He smiled. It seemed his argument managed to resonate with Gloriana. "Humans are different. Their needs are different. Exploring a multitude of different norms and values broadens my perspective and allows me to express my design philosophy in different ways. For this reason I've been contemplating something drastic, but extremely helpful to my development."

"You're building up to something. I can tell. Just tell me, Ves."

He decided to cut to the chase. "It's this.. While the Komodo Star Sector is both my home and my base of operations, I don't think I'll progress very fast if I remain cooped up inside this frontier star sector. I'm looking to move to a more developed star sector in an entirely different cluster. Vicious Mountain and Majestic Teal are both great destinations, but they're too close to home for me to experience something truly novel."

A silence fell in their conversation. Though their pets continued to meow at each other in the background, Gloriana paused for a moment.

"Journeymen can achieve great harvests when they travel, though they will have to set the right goals and choose the right destinations. Where do you intend to go and how long will you be away?"

"I haven't decided on my destination yet. I'll probably choose between one of the adjacent star clusters next to our own. As for the duration... I don't plan to take a brief vacation. I want to immerse myself in foreign cultures, and that means spending a long time abroad. Preferably, I'd like to adopt the nomadic spaceborn lifestyle and base myself on a fleet for a time. That will allow me to experience the most cultures with the least amount of disruption during the decades while I'm away from home."

Making a fleet his principal base of operations during his travels also made him elusive and hard to pin down. He wanted to be ready to move at any moment in case the Five Scrolls Compact or some other threat wanted to sniff him out.

"Decades? Did I hear you wrong?"

"I'm very serious." Ves said gravely. "I know it's unusual for Journeymen to travel this much, but if you've studied my designs, you know that they possess unusual strength. The strength that my mechs relies upon.. will continue to hold regardless of how far I travel."

He couldn't be too direct with his explanation. The MTA prohibited him from talking about psionics, even to fellow mech designers. The two of them might be cleared for the information, but the people that eavesdropped on their conversations may not be authorized!

Ves also wanted to avoid revealing his insights on spirituality. While he fancied Gloriana to some extent, it was far too premature to reveal his secrets to her. Only when their relationship became more solid would he be willing to open himself up to his partner.

Still, the implications of what he said already dawned upon Gloriana. "Will this effect extend to my own design philosophy as well if we collaborate on a design?"

"I'm reasonably confident it will."

He already thought about what would happen. With the way the Aurora Titan—his first collaboration work with another contributing designer—shaped up, Ves was certain that Qilanxo's spiritual fragment possessed more than enough juice to sustain its full strength even if Ves and Professor Ventag were gone.

As long as the design spirits continued existing, Ves may have already reached the most elusive goals of mech design, which was to achieve permanency in his designs!

While he didn't tell her about this impactful hypothesis, the claims he already revealed were more than enough to keep Gloriana occupied.

Shortly after he answered her question, she burst out into smiles. "Okay!"

"Okay what?"

"I'll accompany you! It'll be so romantic! Two loving mech designers touring the galaxy while exploring new ways to apply our design philosophies! It will be an unforgettable phase in our lives!"

"You.. you're okay with my intentions?"

"Sure!" She happily chirped. "I love you, you know that? I'll support you anyway I can. It's not like I have to pay a huge price to leave my home for a time. I'll miss my parents, but I'm sure I can get them to support our decision. It'll be so perfect! You and me, together on a cozy ship for years upon years upon years upon years upon—"

"—Okay, okay, I get it, Gloriana!" Ves interrupted her before she continued with her infinite loop. "I'm very glad you're okay with this. I don't plan to depart immediately. I'll have to make a lot of preparations, and I also have to make sure my enterprises in the star sector are capable of operating on their own."

His girlfriend vigorously nodded. "I'll pitch in! Let me take care of the fleet! I've just got a great idea! Why not let me arrange for a factory ship? That way, we can design and fabricate mechs on the go! It'll be perfect!"

The sheer enthusiasm and support from Gloriana overwhelmed Ves. He thought he faced an uphill battle in trying to persuade her to go along with his harebrained idea. Yet her adoration towards him made her much more pliable than he thought!

If there was one benefit to having an obsessive girlfriend, it was that Ves could get away with a lot more from his partner than usual!

Naturally, Ves was not naive enough to overlook that Gloriana had her own intentions. Her coy and devious smile she hid behind her fists as she squirmed on her seat already signalled to him that she was already developing her own plans for the upcoming journey!

Whatever she had in store, it was fine as long as she agreed to accompany him. Her status and wealth allowed her to obtain much better assets than he could ever obtain in the next ten years!

Ves briefly had the illusion that Gloriana was his sugar mommy. The disparity between their wealth and status effectively relegated him to a parasite who depended on his rich and powerful girlfriend to get the toys he wanted.

Yet so what? Though it stung his pride to depend upon his girlfriend, his life and freedom were far more precious than his worthless feelings!

With the Five Scrolls Compact presence in the local star cluster about to receive a massive boost from their brethren from the galactic center, Ves did not have the luxury to pull himself up by the bootstraps and build up a formidable caravan fleet by himself!

If Gloriana put her much greater financial strength to use in pulling up his bootstraps on his behalf, then by all means Ves was more than willing to play along!

As a man, he still felt bad for depending so much on a girl. Even if it was the most rational decision to make, he still disliked being the weaker partner of their relationship.

"Thank you, Gloriana. I know that my demands may have been a bit excessive, but I truly need this if I want to increase my hopes of advancing to Senior or Master within my lifetime."

His sincerity touched her deeply. She offered him a lovely smile.

"It's alright, Ves. No matter what kind of schemes you hatch, I'll always be there to support you. That's what girlfriends are for. You don't have to bear the weight of the galaxy on your shoulders by yourself. I'll always be there to take over the burden!"

Wasn't that what men were supposed to say to their women? Ves brushed aside his confusion.

"Since you're onboard with my plan, let me explain the details."

He began to elaborate on the decisions he made. Setting up this endeavor wouldn't be easy to Ves, but if Gloriana offered her own assistance, they could accomplish a great deal more!

Though Ves felt a little guilty for misleading Gloriana by withholding the true reason for this journey, he didn't think it was a big deal. Both of them stood to gain a lot of benefits from their travels, so that ought to be enough to justify his omissions.

Chapter 1330

At the end of their lengthy conversation, Ves expressed his tiredness. Just as he said goodbye and cut the channel, Gloriana's projection leaned forward until her face was millimeters away from his own!

If they weren't talking by remote, she would have kissed by now!

"Tell me, Ves. Do you like me?"

"I do."

"Do you love me?"

"...Maybe. You know my feelings on this matter. A couple of meetings doesn't mean we're the right person for each other."

Obviously, Gloriana thought very differently about their compatibility. Ves did not need to be a telepath to know that she had already made up her mind concerning their relationship!

Despite his attempt to insert some distance into their relationship, she didn't seem discouraged. She was confident she could capture his heart!

She giggled. "Since you thought of me when you came up with this scheme, does that mean you consider me your girlfriend now?"

"Uhm.."

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY NO." She ferociously hissed.

"Uhm, yes! I'm happy that you're my girlfriend! I'm so lucky to have a smart, beautiful, and compatible woman by my side, hahaha!" He nervously laughed.

She turned all smiles again. "Great! It's official then! I'm glad you came around to the truth. Once we begin this grand expedition of yours, the two of us will become inseparable! Hihihi! You don't mind if I resume spreading the news of our happy union, right?"

"Ehhh..."

"Okie dokie! Goodbye, Ves! I'll call you next time!"

Her projection winked out as she quickly cut the call. Not only did Gloriana disappear from view, but Clixie left as well, leaving Lucky cut off in his own conversation with the organic cat.

"Meow!"

"Don't be so dramatic, Lucky! You'll have plenty more opportunities to play with Clixie."

He sank back into his seat to reflect on what he accomplished.

"Convincing Gloriana to put aside her ventures to travel with me was easier than I thought." He murmured.

All of the reasons he presented to justify his travels caught on remarkably easy. To be sure, he already knew that Gloriana didn't have to give up a lot to join him on his lengthy, generation-spanning journey.

To her, staying alongside Ves trumped every other concern. As long as they lived and worked together on a daily basis, their design philosophies would likely flourish by interacting with each other. Whether this took place in the Bright Republic, the Hexadric Hegemony or on a massive factory ship in the middle of nowhere didn't matter.

The only 'downside' to roping in Gloriana was that she expected more commitment from him. With all of the help she was willing to provide, Ves needed to play the role of a devoted boyfriend in order to keep her happy.

Trying to play nice with a woman like her was easier said than done. Yet Ves found it infinitely more preferable to deal with her mild version of craziness compared to the full-blown insanity that regularly plagued the researchers of the Five Scrolls Compact!

"If I have to choose between the two, I'd rather go with the option that wants me alive!"

Nonetheless, both choices entailed giving up a measure of his free-spirited freedom. To someone who prized his autonomy as much as him, this was a grievous price to pay.

Nothing came for free. Even the material assistance that Gloriana promised to prepare for their journey wasn't actually 'free'.

In essence, the two established an implicit contract with each other. In exchange for Gloriana's support, Ves would have to accept their relationship.

The moment Gloriana soured on him and their relationship ran aground, she would take away her factory ship and all of her other assets. Such a sudden parting would definitely weaken him to an enormous degree!

"Is this what a vulnerable woman has to worry about when they marry a powerful husband? How scary!"

Of course, the ironic part about this situation was that Gloriana firmly held the upper hand in their relationship. That was nothing strange to a hexer like her, but Ves couldn't stand the thought of depending on a woman for the rest of his life!

He shook his head. "I'll just have to work harder than her. One day, I'll be the one she has to look up to! I'm sure of it! No matter how exceptional she is, she can't beat my advantages!"

"Meow."

"You're dreaming, Lucky!"

After concluding his talk with his somewhat official girlfriend, Ves pushed the matter to the back of his mind. He had a lot of time to think and prepare for his grand expedition, as he already started calling it in his mind.

"I'm not going on a simple trip, but neither do I intend to abandon my home. An expedition sounds about right."

A lot of expeditions took place since humanity took to the stars. Space was so vast that there was always something to explore, especially in the vast but sparse periphery of the galaxy.

Most of them attempted to explore unsettled star systems and virgin planets, though. The grand expedition that Ves had in mind would not stray into dangerous territory blindly. He would just be replicating his current tour but on a much grander scale.

All that traveling around would not help him grow his business, he thought. That was until he heard Gloriana's offer of acquiring a factory for them. Depending on its scale, it might be possible for him to establish a viable mech manufacturing operation on the move.

He might be able to operate as a nomadic trading caravan, selling ship-produced mechs for all kinds of specialty goods and exotics from every state he passed through.

During each visit, he could evaluate whether the local conditions were favorable enough to set up a branch of the LMC in the state. If not, then no harm came to pass. There were plenty of states where the LMC could set up shop.

"Expanding the LMC isn't the main goal here. It's nice if I can expand its reach, but my own development comes first."

With all the goals he had set, trying to juggle them was becoming increasingly more difficult. His intentions to embark on his grand expedition disrupted many of his original plans.

The LMC at home would still do fine as long as he supplied his company with new designs on a regular basis. His personal absence would still make it difficult for the company to grow as fast as he previously hoped.

"A lot of business is accomplished through leveraging connections." He rubbed his chin. "Maintaining friendships with local stakeholders will be harder if I can only speak with them through comm calls."

Nonetheless, the slowdown in growth in the Komodo Star Sector could be compensated by the expansion he accomplished elsewhere. Ves had never pushed the LMC to pursue a strategy of local market dominance because his products were so peculiar and niche.

"My mechs are also more expensive in relation to their specs. Not everyone wants to buy a premium product."

Making his products available in many different markets allowed him to gather a handful of devoted customers in each different state. He would not have to make a huge investment in each individual market in order to squeeze aside the hefty competition and wrest away their precious market shares.

Lucky floated over to Ves and laid down on his lap.

"Meow."

"I know. We can't go on this grand expedition alone. We'll have to bring a whole host of people along."

He needed to bring a considerable amount of subordinates from the Avatars of Myth and the LMC along. Perhaps a considerable number of Larkinsons would join him in his expedition as well.

The problem was that he still needed to leave some people behind. Some might wish to stay at the Bright Republic considering that it was their home, but others might feel snubbed by him if he refused to take them along.

One of the main complicating factors of his grand expedition was its extensive duration. Ves planned to be gone as long as the Five Scrolls Compact still scoured the surrounding star sectors for whatever they were looking for that required the direct intervention of their Ruined Temple.

"They can't run roughshod over the star sector forever, though." He judged.

Eventually, the MTA and CFA would learn of the scope of the Compact's resurgence in the star cluster and begin to move against them. Even so, the complex environment of the Nyxian Gap would massively hamper their attempts to stamp out the resurgent Compact presence.

It would only be safe for him to return home under one of two conditions. Either the Big Two successfully chased out the Ruined Temple envoys, or they left this barren region of space on their own accord.

Either way, Ves loosely determined that might take two to four decades, which essentially spanned an entire generation.

"If I'm gone from home for thirty years, what will I encounter when I finally return home?"

Calsie would have grown middle-aged. His grandfather's health might deteriorate to an awful state. Many of the strongest serving Larkinsons such as Ark Larkinson might have retired from frontline service by then and transitioned into advisers, administrators or teachers.

Lanie Larkinson would bloom from a cute little sprout into a lovely young woman. Expert candidates such as Jannzi Larkinson and Tusa Billingsley-Larkinson would have matured into middle-aged expert pilots who already enjoyed a great career.

It dawned upon Ves that thirty years was an incredible amount of time to people who couldn't afford to undergo life-prolonging treatment.

Ves never worried about this issue since he went through three rounds of gene optimization treatment courtesy of the Starlight Megalodon, which pushed his estimated life expectancy to 180 years.

As a well-heeled Hexer Journeyman, Gloriana definitely wouldn't grow old and feeble anytime soon!

One of the reasons why the MTA encouraged pairings between high-ranking mech designers was because they stood a better chance at keeping each other company even if they lived through several centuries.

If Ves and Gloriana were truly committed to their relationship, then their pairing would be unlike that of a normal couple. Their lengthy lifespans allowed them to live through their lives at a vastly more gradual pace than others.

Yet just because they could take it slow didn't mean that the others were also so fortunate. The unfortunate reality was that the vast majority of people in the galaxy could never earn enough money to purchase the first round of life-prolonging treatment.

At best, as long as Ves advanced to Master in record speed, he might be able to afford his closest relatives and companions an extension of their lives.

He sighed and shook his head as he stroked Lucky's back. "It's not really an ideal situation. Short of being able to synthesize life-prolonging treatment myself, I'll just have to accept the fact that many people around me will grow old and die while I'm still healthy and spry."

Many high-ranking mech designers and even certain mech pilots faced this reason he was so melancholic about this reality was that going on his grand expedition entailed missing out on a huge chunk of those he left behind.

The Larkinsons he cared a lot about such as Melinda Larkinson and Raella Larkinson already pursued their own careers in Bentheim. Ves did not intend to pull them away from the lives they built for themselves, but leaving the Bright Republic for other parts of space meant that he would inevitably grow distant from much of his family.

"Well, staying in touch through the galactic net will help stave off our isolation to some extent."

Ves knew he would have to face this reality someday. His abrupt shift in plans only brought it forward ahead of time.

"I will still do it, though."

While he exaggerated a bit, he didn't lie when he stated that traveling a lot would help him progress faster.

This was important, because in order to deal with the Compact on a more permanent basis, Ves needed to grow in power and influence!

Just because he planned to run away like a rat did not mean he was content to stay a rat forever!

Chapter 1331

The Barracuda, accompanied by the ships of the Battle Criers, briskly crossed the stars in the next couple of weeks.

The small fleet left the territories of the Kinner Tribe without fanfare and cut through the numerous other states that led to their next stop, the Chuko Republic.

Though Gavin continually hinted that they'd be better off making a wide circle around the problematic state, Ves resolutely stuck to his choice.

"It's just a couple of isolated incidents, Benny. You're far too much of a worrywart. The odds of encountering raiders is exceedingly small." Ves calmly replied as he scratched Lucky's chin.

"That does not make our journey any less dangerous! Recently, there have been stories about convoys being waylaid by well-armed raiding forces! The attacks all took place on the major trading lanes as well!"

"Those attacks made sense because those ships were carrying valuable trade goods. Please recall our fleet composition. Does the tiny Barracuda and the shabby and skinny vessels of the Battle Criers look like we're carrying any valuables?"

"Uhh.. "

"Exactly! Our cargo capacity is pathetic compared to conventional trade convoys! Any decent pirate with a miniscule brain could figure out that the Ion Tracker and the Glaze Hopper, our largest vessels, have devoted most of their capacities to carrying mechs! As for the Purple Star, Belfast and Okuri, the three support ships are so small that it's incredibly obvious that they are only carrying low-value supplies!"

"You're worth something, boss. The market price for a captured Journeyman Mech Designer is enough to make an entire pirate gang set for life! Heck, even the Barracuda herself is worth a great fortune if she's captured intact!"

"..That's true." Ves admitted. "Yet they'll have to get to us first. Our fleet is much more mobile than a typical trading convoy. None of our ships are floating tubs who require half a day to finish cycling their FTL drives. If we happen to stumble in an awful situation, the Barracuda can jump into FTL ahead of time, thereby depriving the raiders a reason to keep fighting against the Battle Criers."

He already thought about every likely scenario that might pop up during their entry into Chuko space. Even if the state degenerated into a microcosm of the frontier, Ves still expressed confidence that most of the belligerents involved would rather turn their against each other. There was no benefit to assailing a random bystander like him who was just passing through the state!

After packing off Gavin and his concerns for the day, Ves still had to spend some time with the other guests on his ship. He checked in with Nitaa and Crindon who were off performing their duties. Nothing much had changed on their end so the conversations remained brief.

Only then did Ves divert his attention to the more problematic guests aboard the Barracuda. Ves held Lucky in his arms as he entered the ship's lounge.

"Well. I thought I might find you two here." He spoke upon entry.

Imon and Casella Ingvar still dressed themselves in their impeccably sharp household guard uniform. It was as if they still clung to the illusion that House Ingvar still stood proud.

"Mr. Larkinson.""Mr. Larkinson."

"Have you moped enough yet?" He spoke. "I'm not paying you to act like passengers. I'm paying you to pilot mechs."

"We've been keeping our skills sharp by practicing in the simulators!" Casella protested.

Ves slammed his fist against his palm. "You're not doing your jobs! Even if we aren't forced into battle, there are plenty of responsibilities that mech pilots ought to fulfill. You used to be the commander of your household mech company, so you should know them very well, Casella!"

"We can't! Those uncouth Battle Criers disgust me! They disgust us both!"

"Imon Ingvar, are you a mercenary or are you a noble?"

His question cut deep. Both Ingvar siblings became downtrodden all of a sudden. They tried to reject the reality as long as possible, but they were simply staving off the inevitable.

"Look, regardless of your dark and dreary pasts, you are working for someone now. You may think little of the Battle Criers, but the Kinner mercenary corps has dutifully deployed patrols whenever our fleet arrives at a new star system. They've been keeping all of us secure without any of the whining that you exhibit. Tell me, please. Between the Battle Criers and you two, who has been productive and who has acted like lazy bums?"

The Ingvars looked more and more depressed as their employer confronted them directly on their lack of work ethic.

While Ves had been more than understanding of their personal circumstances, at some point they just had to pick themselves up and move on with their lives. He didn't hesitate to bring out his inner Devil Tongue in order to give the pair a good kick in the butt.

"He's right." Casella spoke. She had always been the more rational and calm-headed of the pair. "We are not doing ourselves and our employer a favor by avoiding the Battle Criers."

"But Casella! Those unwashed brutes are completely incapable of acting with decorum! They smell! They laugh! They get drunk whenever they aren't at their posts!"

"At the very least they refrain from intoxicating themselves while they are on duty." She replied.

Ves scoffed. "The first steps you need to take is recognize the reality of your new status. From the way I hear you talk, you still turn up your noses whenever you think of the Battle Criers. Are you really better than them now that you are fellow mercenaries? In fact, the Battle Criers are more than justified to laugh and turn up their noses at you! The reason why those Kinners mock you is that you act like you're better than them while you are technically their juniors in the mercenary community!"

Again, Ves landed another fatal blow at their fragile prides. To their credit, Casella Ingvar managed to accept the reality of their situation a lot better than he expected.

It seemed that her previous leadership failure in allowing her former household guard company to mutiny humbled her deeply. After suffering such a grievous blow to her self-inflated sense of worth, how could she still pretend that she was still hot stuff?

Unfortunately, her brother Imon still required more convincing. "The Battle Criers are more like civilized pirates then proper mercenaries! I wouldn't be surprised if they engaged in surreptitious piracy between missions!"

"Are you willing to say that to Commander Cinnabar to his face?" Ves pressed as he stepped closer.

That caused the brash brother to look a lot less sure of himself. While Imon was confident he could beat the Kinner mercenary commander in a fair mech duel, if it came to fisticuffs he did not possess as much confidence!

"..The commander is a fine mercenary leader."

Ves nodded in satisfaction. "There's nothing wrong with being proud. Pride in yourself, your heritage and your accomplishments is essential to maintaining your confidence. But pride without the requisite strength to back it up is arrogance. If there's one thing I know, it's that arrogant people don't last long in the galaxy."

The harsh lessons he shoved through their throats might hurt, but they all rang true. While Ves disliked adopting a tough approach, weeks had gone by without any hint of significant progress. At some point, something had to give.

Fortunately, Ves had built up quite a bit of experience in dressing people down. It was all about presenting himself as an authoritative figure who knew what he was talking about. The fact that he was their employer already gave him a lot of leverage.

In the end, the two reluctantly decided that it might be best to get their lives back in order. Ves heavily pushed them towards returning to the Ion Tracker and trying to see if they could get along with the 'uncouth' and 'barbaric' Battle Criers.

"Don't take their attitude too seriously." He advised the Ingvar siblings. "For all of their rough exterior, the Battle Criers are an accomplished mercenary corps who have been through more battles than you've been in school. All of them are blooded warriors who have a wealth of wisdom to teach you as long as you respect their honor."

"Truly?" Imon asked skeptically.

"Don't take my words for it. Look up their record at the Mercenary Association's virtual portal. They have a long list of verified battles to their name. While their list of victories is already respectable, they've suffered some losses as well, but they always managed to bounce back. That is truly worthy of respect."

One of the reasons why Ves liked the Battle Criers was that they had seen their fair share of hardship. Each time they suffered disaster, Commander Cinnabar always managed to lead his mercenary corps back up its feet.

They were no fancy ornaments who looked impressive but broke into pieces when knocked.

After Ves called for the Ion Tracker to send a shuttle to the Barracuda to pick up the two mech pilots, he returned to his stateroom.

Upon entering, he tossed Lucky into the air like usual and sat behind his desk.

"I've studied enough about bestial mechs and smart metal tech to start with the design process."

Too much theory and not enough practice led to overcomplicated designs. While Ves still had much to learn, his lack of experience in the two aforementioned fields meant that some of the most advanced literature became a bit too abstract for him to comprehend.

"Mech design revolves around application of knowledge. People like me fare best when learning by doing."

He was itching to unleash his pent-up creative desires. The last time he designed a mech was when he completed the Transcendent Messenger. A long time had passed since then, and more than enough time had passed for his once-depleted spiritual energy to return to an optimal level.

"If I don't start designing mechs very soon, it'll become crazier than Gloriana at this rate!"

Ves had no idea how other mech designers coped when they couldn't design mechs.

Having thought long and hard about how to resolve the inherent contradiction between bestial mechs and smart metal tech, Ves came up with a very practical soltuion.

"Bestial mechs sacrifice flexibility for rigid performance, while smart metal tech introduced flexibility at the cost of raw performance. Combining the two sounds like an awful idea, but who says the entire mech needs to be made out of smart metal?"

When Ves thought about smart metal tech, he instantly recalled the amazing smart metal mech that Axelar once witnessed during a mech games match. The mech dazzled him with its infinite transformations, but the machine eventually faltered against an opponent that beat its malleable form with overwhelming force.

"Bestial mechs and tiger mechs specifically will fare exceptionally poorly if their internal frames aren't robust enough to handle the stress."

His solution to that problem? Avoid incorporating smart metal in the internal frame of his mech design!

A much smarter application of smart metal would be to implement it to his design in a targeted manner. Only the parts that benefited from the properties of this soft but flexible substance ought to be molded with smart metal!

Framing the issue in this perspective gave Ves a lot more hopes about the viability of his design project.

"So the starting point will be a tiger mech frame. Which parts would perform better if they were made out of smart metal rather than rigid alloys?"

At first, nothing stood out. The tiger mech type had been refined over several centuries, and many mech designers worked to define a set of standards that worked great for everybody.

"The only issue is that those standards and conventions are fully geared towards mechs with rigid frames." He thoughtfully rubbed his chin while Lucky was ruffling up his hair in revenge for tossing his cat in the air. "If I want to apply smart metal onto a tiger mech that is more than just a gimmick, then I'll have to revisit the entire concept of this ferocious mech type."

Chapter 1332

The advantage of resorting to nanomachines rather than uncontrollable atoms and molecules was that they could be ordered around to change shapes. This was the principal advantage of smart metal.

Yet for this single property, smart metal gave up a lot.

"The limitations of smart metal tech are many." He reminded himself.

Instead of consisting of solid slabs of metal, they could better be described as a collection of tiny little machines that hold themselves together on the microscopic level.

As Ves had already witnessed beforehand, applying brute force could easily overwhelm those 'active' defenses.

In addition, the forces the nanomachines exert on each other in order to hold themselves together needed to be powered. Once they ran out of juice, they were held together by very weak physical bonds which could easily be snapped after suffering some light hits.

The third limitation of smart metal was that they were more expensive and provided less significantly less performance than an equivalent solid material. The effective strength of smart metal vastly improved when they incorporated exotics, but this rapidly increased the cost.

"A smart metal mech can easily cost twice or thrice as much as a regular alloy mech despite sharing comparable specs!"

In essence, a smart metal mech at least doubled the price in exchange for gaining the option to transform!

Whether this function was worth the cost or not depended on the needs of the customer.

However, the general consensus in much of the Komodo Star Sector was that smart metal mechs were gimmicks at best and a trap at worst.

"It's easy to see why everyone considers them to be traps with the amount of money they consume."

A state that converted its mech military entirely to smart metal mechs would basically be committing suicide. They were only able to field half as many mechs as before, but those machines weren't necessarily twice as good to compensate for their reduced numbers.

For this reason, fielding smart metal mechs simply didn't make any sense from a macro perspective. They only truly showcased their value during exceptional circumstances where a flexible mech might survive where a rigid mech may not. They also might be able to achieve surprising results in the mech games.

Yet for most parts of human space, smart metal mechs firmly acquired an awful reputation in the mech community.

"It's going to be a real challenge trying to design a smart metal tiger mech. While I'm known to design some whacky mechs, this will be pushing it too far."

Unless he designed a compelling mech design that achieved a level of performance far above the industry standard, he might as well forget about aiming to bring his work to the market.

The market simply expressed no demand for mechs that were twice as expensive, required constant power to maintain integrity and would falter easily against heavy impacts.

His solution? Aim to minimize the inclusion of smart metal. By applying it only to the parts which benefited from the additional flexibility, Ves could avoid weakening its essential structural support.

Yet as much as he wanted to, the System limited how far he could go. He recalled the wording of the upgrade mission and it stated that he had to design a 'smart metal mech'.

While the definition of a smart metal mech was not entirely precise, the nerds over at the MTA literally debated for decades on this very topic.

No smart metal mech completely consisted of smart metal. It required at least some solid components to perform essential functions. For example, the power reactor and the cockpit really did not fare very well when they were made out of smart metal.

It didn't help that the average proportion of smart metal in this mech classification varied greatly. Some only possessed as low as fifteen percent while others incorporated eighty percent.

Eventually, the MTA set down its foot and came to the consensus. A proper smart metal mech incorporated at least twenty-five percent of this remarkable material.

"Twenty-five percent is a good threshold." Ves noted. "That's the point where smart metal significantly shifts the mech concept of the design in question."

A floor of twenty-five percent was a lot more than Ves was comfortable with. If he had to replace twenty-five percent of a conventional tiger mech frame with smart metal, it would definitely perform like a cripple on the battlefield!

For this reason, Ves saw the need to abandon the standard convention of tiger mechs. Instead of blindly adopting this bestial mech type, he instead went back to the drawing board.

"It feels as if I'm reinventing the wheel again. In an age where solid wooden or metal wheels are common, can I invent an inflatable tire?"

Many mech designers tried and failed to develop a mech type that did justice to smart metal tech. Even Masters ran aground when they tried to square the circle.

"The most successful attempts are actually partial failures." He muttered.

"Meow."

Lucky floated down on his desk and curiously poked the projection of various smart metal mechs in action.

Ves chuckled. "No, Lucky. Eating smart metal is a bad idea. You'll just grow weaker in exchange for some mild transformation abilities. Do you really want to become more vulnerable?"

"Meow."

"Even if you have all of your stealth tricks at your disposal, you're too precious to risk it. Be content with what you have!"

"Meow!"

As Lucky grumpily jumped away, Ves gloomingly crossed his arms. His reluctance to see Lucky turn into a smart metal cat exemplified his own misgivings on this matter.

"If I don't want Lucky to incorporate smart metal, then how can I ever impose this indignity on a mech pilot?"

As Ves puzzled over this issue, he simply found it too difficult to come up with an altered mech concept that added real value.

"Perhaps it can't be done."

Ves possessed a lot of confidence in his abilities, but that didn't necessarily mean he disrespected every rule in the book. When he initially came up with a vision for his Aurora Titan design, he spotted a flaw in common convention.

This time, he lacked an obvious direction he could pursue to design a smart metal mech that at least maintained parity with regular mechs.

The immense difficulties he faced right now made him rein back his ambition. Reinventing the wheel was all well and good, but he didn't think it was possible for him to invent an inflatable tire with his current skills.

If Ves wanted to complete both of his Upgrade Missions with a single design, then he needed to to be more creative and see what was actually permissible. He recalled one of the Upgrade Mission in order to see where he could find a loophole to exploit.

[Upgrade Mission - Metallurgy]

Mission: Design and Fabricate a smart metal mech

...

Description

...

Study the use and applications of smart metal without aid and employ them into a viable mech design that meets the Mech Designer System's standards. Then fabricate it and sell it to a worthy customer.

...

"Hmm. Now that I recall the wording, there's quite a lot open to interpretation."

Ves focused his attention on the demands set by the System. He listed out the key words.

"Smart metal mech. Viable mech design. Meeting standards. Fabricate a copy. Sell the copy to a 'worthy' customer."

That was quite a lot to go through, but Ves broke it down into pieces. First, the demand to design a viable smart metal mech that met the System's standards meant he could not make a half-hearted effort.

He recalled he once cheated the System by designing an absolute abomination of a mech design just so he could fulfill the letter though not the spirit of its requirements.

He snorted. "I guess I can't outright design another piece of junk this time."

The mech at least had to be attractive enough to appeal to an actual customer.

The definition of worthy customer varied from person to person. Ves probably guessed that the buyer needed to be at least a conventional mech buyer.

"Are collectors included in this definition?"

He was inclined to say no. The mech community generally did not regard collectors as worthy customers because they bought mechs for purposes other than deploying them in battle.

"Buying a mech only to squirrel them away in a depot or putting them up for display is a perversion of their actual purpose."

A lot of purists hated people treating mechs like a fancy statue or accessory. Mechs were machines of war! Their true home was on the battlefield!

Considering what he knew about the System, Ves guessed that it wouldn't let him get away with designing an ornamental mech only to sell it so a gullible collector that liked to gather shiny mechs.

Ves had to design a smart metal mech that was actually viable in battle.

Yet... the definition of viable did not mean viable in every situation. "There are mechs that are tailored to many specific circumstances! Even a smart metal mech may perform exceptionally well in the right conditions!"

Instead of trying to do the impossible and design a mech that performed well in general circumstances, why not focus on one specific circumstance instead?

He already did it before. His Enduring Protector which he designed back on Aeon Corona VII could also be called a conditional mech. This was because he expressly designed it to counteract the pervasive breakdown effect that caused regular mechs to malfunction exceptionally frequently.

Ves just needed to find the right circumstances where a smart metal tiger mech performed much better than usual due to the presence of anomalous effects or weird planetary conditions.

"When it comes to anomalies, nothing can beat the Nyxian Gap on this front!"

The vast weirdness of the Nyxian Gap was in itself a huge anomaly! Inside this enormous stretch of asteroid-filled space, numerous large satellites consisting of strange materials threw up all kinds of whacky hazards to outfits wanting to exploit their rare resources.

"There's probably at least one strange place out there where a smart metal tiger mech can be of actual use."

Having decided to design a conditional mech, the next step would be to determine his budget. How much money should he invest in this project?

Ves was inclined to invest as minimum as possible. While he still possessed an ample amount of money, his current spending pattern was unsustainable.

"I should really stop throwing my credits around so much."

The cost to design a single mech was immense. It wasn't that much expensive to design a mech with an eye towards mass production.

The problem was that Ves did not possess a lot of suitable component licenses. Not only did he need to acquire a whole new set of component licenses that were specifically tailored for bestial mechs, he also had to acquire a rather expensive smart metal license.

Even if he cheaped out, he could easily imagine facing a total bill of two billion credits or more for all the licenses!

An ugly grimace appeared on his face. "It might be worth it if I design at least one commercial mech with those licenses. It's definitely not worth it if all I intend to produce is a single copy."

Although Ves sometimes had the illusion that money came easily to him these days, 2 billion credits was still a significant amount of capital.

Faced with this unpleasant reality, Ves opted to take a more crooked alternative.

He decided to pirate some licenses and make use of their component specifications without paying the requisite license fees.

Although such practices rapidly earned the ire of the MTA, Ves just had to make sure no one found out about it. Plenty of pirate designers made use of licenses without paying a single K-coin and always got away with it! Why shouldn't Ves be able to do the same?

"It's fine as long as I don't mass produce my work. No one will care." He determined self-confidently.

Chapter 1333

After making his choice to design a conditional mech that made use of pirated licenses, Ves began to perform a lot of research.

Not only did he need to find the most appropriate licenses to borrow without paying, he also had to find an appropriate environment to design towards.

A lot of weird planets, moons, asteroids and other crazy satellites and land masses existed in the galaxy. Within the Komodo Star Sector, the Nyxian Gap stood out as a hotbed of anomalous satellites!

Most of them did not offer any opportunities for a smart metal mech to showcase their capabilities.

Nonetheless, after days of searching and reading through scattered reports with questionable accuracy, he narrowed down his choices.

Of the selection, he made a careful consideration and kept ruling out more and more environments until one was left.

Within the Nyxian Gap, a rogue planet existed in complete darkness.

The Nyxian Gap partially received its name due to its absence of stars to provide warmth, heat and a solid gravitic anchor to ease FTL navigation.

The rogue planet that Ves had settled upon should have been a cold, lifeless freezing ball floating randomly in space.

Yet due to its very active internal geological processes as well as the presence of strange exotics, it managed to be significantly warmer than the absolute freezing point!

The planet called Mournshell was still cold enough to freeze water, though, but colonies could potentially settle on the planet if not for one major caveat.

Its upper surface shifted frequently. Sometimes violently. Sometimes gently. Yet the terrain never remained the same after the passing of another day.

If that wasn't enough, the rogue planet was also a heavy gravity planet! Although its gravity was only a bit more than three times standard gravity, these conditions already imposed significant penalties on conventional mechs trying to operate within its gravity well.

In many other cases, planets without an atmosphere tentatively made it possible for spaceborn mechs to operate in their airless skies.

Yet the heavy gravity of Mournshell threw a significant wrench in those plans! Most spaceborn mechs performed very poorly when subjected to standard gravity, let heavy gravity!

A couple of other conditions complicated the planet's already problematic environment. The omnipresent asteroids floating in the Nyxian Gap led to a lot of collisions that not only threw the surrounding lands in disarray, but also sometimes introduced new exotics that came with their own strange effects.

"This also makes Mournshell attractive."

One of the defining properties of Mournshell was that all of the exotics interacting with the planet and each other resulted in detectable interactions. Value medium and high-grade exotics that were usually inert and extremely hard to detect would suddenly broadcast their presence upon dropping onto Mournshell!

This was very exceptional because the odds of digging into a random asteroid in order to uncover valuable exotics was very small and not economic!

As a result, Mournshell turned into a small hotbed of activity as a number of outfits vigorously competed to retrieve these valuable exotics!

The planet's hazardous, unpredictable and ever-changing environment meant that flexible mechs were in much more demand there. The only reason why none of the outfits made use of smart metal mechs was because they were too expensive and high maintenance to make them fully viable.

"There should be at least one customer among them who is stupid enough to buy my mech." He muttered.

Having set Mournshell as his target environment, Ves now possessed a solid direction for his design project. While he still needed to refine a suitable mech concept to base his vision around, it would only be a matter of time before he produced a workable draft design.

"That's enough for now."

He decided to pause his work at this time in order to mull over the configuration of his upcoming mech. He closed down his terminal, stood up from his chair and stretched his body.

While he could continue to wrack his brains over his mech concept, he didn't feel very inspired at the moment. He also didn't feel like forcing the creative process at the moment.

"It's best to stew on it for a couple of days. I might come up with something fantastic in the meantime."

He idly sauntered over to his bed and picked up Lucky, who was peacefully lounging on its surface.

"Meow?"

"You big baby. Are you suffering from constipation or something? It's been months since you crapped out a gem!"

"Meow."

"Maybe I should feed you something that works as a laxative in your systems. Should I feed you another nutrient pack wrapper?"

"Meow!"

Lucky angrily squirmed out of his hands and turned intangible before sinking beneath the deck. The thought of eating another nutrient pack wrapper still gave him nightmares!

Shaking his head, Ves left his stateroom in order to stretch his legs. Just as he exited the hatch, he encountered Fe Nitaa standing guard in the corridor.

"I thought I already told you that it's redundant for you to stand here while our fleet is in FTL."

"I'm sorry, sir. I've been taught to take my duty seriously. There is always the possibility that a stowaway might be lurking on this ship for many days."

"That's unlikely. Lucky would have sniffed the intruders out by now. His senses are much more formidable than you think."

"I doubt an animated machine can smell what I can sense." Nitaa stoically replied. She never saw Lucky in action so she still regarded him as a luxurious toy. "Even if your confidence is not misplaced, some redundancy never hurts."

He couldn't argue with that. "Very well. I suppose you can perform your duties as you see fit as long as it doesn't slow down your training. How is that going by the way?"

"My progress is.. sufficient. There are only so many hours I can spend on studying and exercising. I dislike staying idle, and performing my duties gives me the peace I need to reflect on my gains. At my current rate of progress, I estimate I'll obtain my first new certifications in a couple of weeks."

"Do you have any hobbies or things you do for fun?"

"..."

"I see."

"Kinners such as me are simple people. We try to avoid extravagance. The ideal Kinner is one who takes pleasure in the vocations they have been trained to perform."

This was an excellent way to keep Kinners like Nitaa motivated, but it also had a more insidious element. By indoctrinating the Kinners to derive their main form of satisfaction from their work, they were much less likely to protest their slave-like circumstances.

Perhaps that was what always bothered Ves about Nitaa and the Kinners. They were so dedicated to their work and other Kinner values that they hardly had anything left to spare on other priorities.

To Ves, the Kinners were the results of humans trying to program other humans from birth in a very deliberate way.

He doubted that the Kinners who grew up in overcrowded camps actually possessed any real choices. Their lives were largely out of their own hands. Instead, the tribe decided everything.

The lack of agency was definitely one of the reasons why the Kinners easily submitted to orders and rarely questioned authority.

This turned Nitaa into a very strange entity to Ves. Many times, he mistook her for a bot with how little consideration she demanded out of him. The Kinners truly trained their own people well!

He harbored some hopes of opening her up a bit and reverse some of her bot-like traits. He knew it would be an uphill battle that might take years before achieving any results. It was never easy to get someone to unlearn something they'd been taught was right for their entire life.

After a quiet walk, Ves entered the small lab and workshop area of his ship. Placed on one of the work tables was a container that held one of his purchases from Centerpoint.

Over the last couple of months, he occasionally dropped by his lab in order to study the properties of the spiritually-reactive rock.

As he moved the rock out of its container, he studied its outward, grey meteorite exterior.

Its lack of reactivity in normal circumstances along with its deceptively boring appearance made it exceptionally difficult for Ves to find any noteworthy points about the exotic.

He also failed to find out why the rock interacted with spirituality in the first place. Its material composition was no different from that of a bog-standard metallic asteroid that consisted of regular elements such as iron and nickel.

Yet its one distinguishing feature was enough to set it apart from all the other asteroids!

"It's like how all humans look the same, but some of them are more remarkable because they can pilot mechs. Of this small group, only a handful of them are expert pilots or higher."

The important point was that despite this disparity, it was very hard to distinguish them from each other if they didn't make their identities clear!

Ves faced the same problem with the material he tentatively named the P-stone. The P stood for psionically reactive, because that was what the rock did. It reacted to his spirituality when the vast majority of other materials might as well be intangible!

He held the rock in his hands and tentatively injected a small mote of his spiritual energy in the rock. The mote joined a larger but still insignificant ball of spiritual energy he injected in previous times.

"Hmm. Seems like it's not full yet."

The donation of spiritual energy discomfited Ves a bit. His mind was already starting to churn faster in order to produce a new batch of spiritual energy to replace what it lost.

Right now, he only possessed a single sample of P-stone, so he was very reluctant to perform any damaging tests on it. After he put it through a host of scanners, Ves had stalled in his research because of the need to keep the P-stone intact.

In that light, he decided to make use of the P-stone as a storage container for his excess spiritual energy. He had experimented with donating and retrieving his spiritual energy several times.

So far, Ves did not experience any apparent problems with absorbing previously-donated spiritual energy. It appeared that it wasn't subject to any decay or degeneration within a timespan of a few months.

It remained to be seen if his spiritual energy would still stay 'fresh' after spending years locked inside the P-stone. So far, Ves had not perceived any measurable losses, but he could only judge by feeling as no instrument could measure the exact quantities of spiritual energy.

"I feel like I'm merely scratching the surface of what it is capable of." He muttered as he placed the P-stone back onto the work table.

So far, using it as an impromptu storage container for his excess spiritual energy was already a boon.

When his spiritual energy level reached its maximum capacity, his mind stopped producing more of it. This was a big waste in his eyes as it didn't seem it required anything but time and a bit of thought and emotion to produce new spiritual energy.

Due to his abnormally high mental attributes, Ves frequently suffered from an excess of thoughts as his creativity continued to bounce inane ideas in his mind.

Since his overactive thinking seemed to be doing more harm than good, why not put it to better use as fuel for his spiritual energy production?

Whether it actually worked or not, Ves could at least count on accumulating an emergency reserve of spiritual energy. If he ever ended up in an emergency where he would be forced to exert his Spirituality in a very consuming fashion, he might be able to top himself up again in a matter of hours with a charged P-stone!

That wasn't all. Aside from using the P-stone to store his own spiritual energy, what would happen if he stuffed someone or something else's spiritual energy into the mix?

The possibilities were endless, but only if he figured out a way to make them work!

"If only I had more samples!"

Chapter 1334

Possessing a single P-stone already opened up so many options to Ves. Yet he only had one of it so far. Due to its very faint and indistinct properties, finding another P-stone was going to be incredibly difficult!

All Ves had to go on was the vendor's claims that some of the people who came in touch with it fainted for no apparent reason.

This was a very vague criteria that made it incredibly difficult for him to find another sample on the galactic net. Too many weird space rocks did something similar, though usually toxins, radioactivity or some other mundane was the cause.

"Still, if I ever post a purchasing request for this rock, I'll probably be inundated with millions of people offering worthless asteroids to me! It's too hard to distinguish the real ones from the fakes by remote!"

In order to test the authenticity of the P-stone, he had to brush them with his Spirituality. Observing a projection of the offered samples wouldn't allow him to do so. Only by coming across them in person would he be able to determine if he was being scammed!

"It's a nightmare!"

The P-stone certainly didn't make it easy for him to accumulate large quantities of it, but that made it all the more valuable. The single application he found for this remarkable exotic already excited him to no end!

"I really hope it's not a unique manifestation and that more samples exist in the galaxy!"

It was an unfortunate fact that some exotics were so rare that only a single known sample had been found by humanity.

Doubtlessly, a large part of why no other samples became known was because a lot of researchers jealously kept their findings to themselves.

Even so, Ves might have to face a possibility where the P-stone he possessed right now might be the only sample of its kind! This made him even more reluctant to experiment with it further.

Finding another P-stone sample therefore became another priority to him. He already set up automated search routines that regularly trawled the news for any mention of suspect exotics that caused people to faint.

So far, Ves only came across false positives and dubious matches. It really didn't help that he failed to find something to distinguish P-stone from any other metallic asteroid that others could actually measure.

He looked around the tiny lab of his ship. A number of small lab machines graced his sight. All of them were smaller, miniaturized versions of proper lab equipment. The limited selection and notable absence of lab machines that took up a lot more space meant he still hadn't recorded every parameter of his P-stone.

"I need access to a better and more complete lab."

A normal lab wouldn't do. His intuition told him that the P-stone resembled normal asteroids so much that he would likely find nothing of use in a normal lab.

"I need to access a fully-equipped lab from a second-rate state!"

He knew what better labs looked like. Not only did he visit Master Olson's expansive underground workshop with Oleg a couple of years ago, he also came in touch with fantastic CFA lab equipment during his time on the Starlight Megalodon.

Compared to those wonderful lab equipment, the tiny machines aboard his ship were laughably shallow and underpowered!

Yet.. where could he access such a lab?

"Don't tell me I have to ask my girlfriend for a favor?"

Just the thought of stepping foot in the matriarchy-dominated state sent shivers through his back!

"No thanks!"

After he poked the P-stone around, only to achieve no new results, he dejectedly left his lab. Arranging access to a better-equipped lab would take some doing. Considering that his to-do list continued to grow, Ves decided to put the issue in the backburner for now.

"Maybe a convenient opportunity will present itself during my tour." He muttered.

Days continued to pass by as Ves continued to work on various matters. Between developing a mech concept, playing with his P-stone and managing his relations with his new Kinner hires,

As the Barracuda and her escort came closer and closer to crossing the border into the Chuko Republic, Ves decided that enough time had passed for him to address a long-simmering matter.

It was time for him to talk to Ketis.

Deciding that it was best if he had some moral support, he tracked down Lucky who was lounging at the engineering bay for some reason.

"What the heck are you doing crawling all over the FTL drive?"

"Meow."

"Whatever. Come over here. I need your help in keeping Ketis from becoming depressed or erupt in some stupid outburst."

"Meow?"

"Just come with me, you little critter."

After grabbing Lucky, he returned to his stateroom and placed a call to Ketis' comm.

Half a minute went by before Ketis appeared into view. Her projection showed her wearing typical work clothes. The smudges on her garments made it clear that she had just come out of performing hands-on work to a mech.

"Ves.. I didn't know you'd call."

"I would have called sooner, but I have a lot of work to deal with." He said lamely. "Uhm, Lucky missed you."

He held out Lucky.

"Meow."

Lucky's cute impression finally managed to elicit a smile from the girl. "Ohh, you're so cute!"

After Ketis babbled a bit with Lucky, she finally turned her attention back to Ves. "Thanks for that. I really missed Lucky. I wish I had my own version, but all I have to keep me warm in bed is his gift shop plushie."

That reminded him of something. "Ah, I did promise to get a pet for you. I'll be sure to grab one for you during my trip."

"That would be.. Appreciated." She offered a brief smile before tackling something more serious. "Ves... about Gloriana..."

Uh oh.

"Yes..?"

A short silence stretched as Ketis tried to find the right words to say. After bowing her head for a time, she finally found her courage and faced him head-on without any trace of doubt.

"I'm happy for you. Truly. Gloriana sounds like a great gal and she's certainly really happy to be with you seeing how vocal she is. You really deserve to be someone who can keep up with you. That's something I can't match."

"Ketis..."

Her demeanor radiated utter seriousness, which was a far cry from the playful girl he knew before.

"Look, I've had months to think over it. I admit that I took a fancy on you, but it's over now, alright? I wised up. I looked at myself and saw that I wasn't acting anything like a Swordmaiden. That's over now."

"What does that mean?"

"A Swordmaiden's primary responsibility is to look out for herself and her fellow sisters. After spending so much time in civilized space, I started to lose sight of that, but no more. Nothing is more important than for me to become a better mech designer. Only by becoming a Journeyman can I truly help Commander Lydia lead the Swordmaidens to their former glory."

"That's a very admirable determination, but you've already been working towards that, right?"

"I'll do everything possible to help my sisters." She reiterated. "Right now, that means I want to continue to work and study under you. I won't let my feelings get in the way of what's important. Someday, there may come a time where I'm in a much better position to help the Swordmaidens by returning to their side."

That meant that Ketis would definitely be leaving him and his company. Ves always knew that this possibility might come one day, but hearing her mention this meant that her determination to leave at some point grew stronger.

Ves did not blame her for this decision. Keeping Ketis as a permanent member of his design team was no longer possible.

"I'll support you regardless of where you go. As your mentor, I hope you can find your own way."

She smiled. "Thanks for that. You're a really great mech designer. I still have much to learn, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon."

As she spoke, Ves contemplated whether he should reveal his intention to go on a grand expedition to her. Once he embarked for another star cluster, it would be inconvenient to bring her along.

He decided to break the news.

"Ketis, to tell you the truth, my plans have changed. Due to the special nature of my design philosophy, I..."

He gave her the same spiel he gave Gloriana. Though his 'girlfriend' easily bought his story, Ketis on the other hand narrowed her eyes on him. The way she studied him made him feel as if she figured him out!

"You know, running away is something that always happens in the frontier. Sometimes there are threats that are simply too overwhelming to confront head on. There's no shame in distancing yourself from something you can't beat. Don't you agree?"

Ves tentatively nodded. "Right."

"So your plan is to leave the star cluster ten years later?"

"Yeah. It's not set in stone. I might depart a few years later than that, but not much longer."

The implication was obvious to the both of them. Ketis "Okay, Ves. That probably sounds like the right time for me to return to the frontier. Until then, I'll make the most of my stay here. Will that be alright?"

"That's fine. I won't mind if you decide to join me on my expedition. You'll always have a place in my crew."

She firmly shook her head. "No thanks. I don't want to get in the way between you and your girlfriend."

They moved on from this awkward topic. Once they strayed away from Gloriana or her eventual departure, their discussion became much more pleasant.

He quickly queried her about her current work. "How is your variant coming along?"

"I'm at the prototype testing stage. In fact, I was just in the process of tweaking my first prototype, hence my messy clothes."

This was in line with his expectations. It didn't take much time to design a variant, but since this was her first time, he expected her to take it slow.

"How has your prototype fared during the tests?"

"Pretty good. My variant already performed to my expectations in the simulations. The prototype hasn't deviated that much from its theoretical performance. I'm not trying to do anything too fancy for my first attempt."

She declined to say anything else about her work. "I'm sure you can lend a hand, but my variant already incorporates too much of your influence already. While I'm not too picky about that, I don't want your influences to drown out my own."

"That's an admirable sentiment. I've always stressed the importance of figuring out solutions by yourself. When do you expect your variant to be ready for publication?"

"A month, maybe, but not much longer. I've already showed the design to Calsie who thinks it might be good enough to attract some sales. While its demand isn't likely to match any of your mechs, it'll be nice for me to satisfy my first customers."

"I'll look forward to seeing your finished product."

"Don't worry on that front. I've applied all of the lessons you've imparted to me. Some of the woozier stuff you talked about such as mechs being more than lifeless machines has started to make more sense to me now that I'm working on my own project. It really feels like I'm designing my own baby."

Ves smiled. "I'm glad you see it that way. I really do believe your designs will be better off if they receive your love and devotion. It's important to approach the design process in a focused mindset without any distractions. A muddled mind will only produce a muddled mech design."

Even though he was technically imposing his own ideas on her, Ves truly believed she would be better off if she listened to him on this front.

Chapter 1335

Ves ended his call to Ketis on good terms. The worst hadn't happened.

"She'll do fine, regardless if she stays with me or returns to the frontier."

He had hopes for her. Secretly, Ves wanted to keep her by his side despite knowing that she always stated that her main priority was to help the Swordmaidens.

For now, she was in no state to do so. In a decade, she would be completely different. With her enhanced mental attributes, reaching Journeyman should not be a faint possibility.

Even if she failed to pass through the extraordinary threshold, she should at least be a very formidable Apprentice like Ves had been a year ago. That should be more than enough to provide a lot of value to the Swordmaidens.

He sighed and stroked Lucky's back. "The galaxy doesn't revolve around me. People change. Even those I care about will eventually depart from my side."

"Meow."

"Yeah, you're right. Even if she goes back to the frontier, she'll always be a friend and ally of mine. Frankly, it might be best for her development if she tries to make it on her own after learning my lessons. She'll never make it to Journeyman if she keeps depending on me for all kinds of conveniences."

The eventual parting of Ketis did not signify an end to something. Instead, it represented the beginning of a new phase.

With how much connections mattered in the mech community, the personal and professional bond he fostered with Ketis was unbreakable. Whenever Ves wanted something from the frontier, he could always enlist her aid and the aid of the Swordmaidens in order to take care of his errands.

It was much like the bond that Masters shared with their Apprentices. The decision made by Master Olson to withhold extending ties to Ves after she 'graduated' him from her tutelage happened extremely rarely.

In most cases, as long as the younger mech designer wasn't incompetent or got caught committing crimes against humanity, they would always serve as potencies of their former teachers or mentors.

Ves believed his own relationship with Ketis would take the same shape. Not only would she be available whenever he wanted to collaborate with her, they might even be reunited one day.

He shook his head and looked down on Lucky. "Even if the future I envisioned doesn't apply anymore, life isn't a machine. It's foolish for me to think I can design my own life."

"Meow."

"Yeah. Life is full of unexpected setbacks and happy accidents. Nothing is foreordained."

He felt he had gained a very remarkable insight, one that simultaneously resonated and clashed with his design philosophy.

"There is an inherent contradiction with what I'm trying to accomplish." He realized.

Machines weren't born. They were made.

Humans weren't made. They were born.

His design philosophy revolved around the connection between them. In essence, every design project he'd been involved, he paid a great amount of attention to the mech as well as its end mech pilot.

While every mech designer barring eccentrics like the Skull Architect took the end users of their products into account, few went as far as Ves and perhaps Gloriana. Both put the mech pilots central to their designs.

Yet can mech pilots be designed as easily as mechs?

Not really.

That did not mean this posed a problem to him. Yet.

In case of commercial designs, Ves may not be able to model a single random mech pilot accurately, but he could make an overall generalization of his target audience. The Mastery experiences he went through provided him with significant help in this matter.

In case he designed a custom mech, then Ves could easily gather a wealth of information about the sole mech pilot in question.

In both cases, the randomness and variability of mech pilots played no role in the appropriateness of his mech designs.

This was also the reason why he hadn't thought about this contradiction before.

Yet now that he saw his initial plans for Ketis run aground, he developed a notion that the inherent chaos and unpredictability of life should be central to his design philosophy!

"My design philosophy aims to make mechs alive! How can they truly be 'alive' if every aspect about them is under my complete control?"

Running with this train of thought, he thought back on how he started resorting to external means in order to cheat his natural ability.

The spiritual fragments he obtained from various sources empowered his mechs and mech designs to an amazing degree. Yet their accomplishments had little to do with himself. Other than obtaining the fragments and turning them into design spirits, Ves played no other role!

Lucky squirmed and left just as Ves wanted more cuddles. The cat had enough pats and wanted to nap elsewhere!

What just happened between him and Lucky was emblematic of his relationships with his design spirits. They were uncontrollable entities that Ves had borrowed from somewhere but never claimed ownership!

Only now did he realize that he was making use of spiritual fragments in order to compensate for the lack of consideration of the variability of life in his design philosophy!

When he first started working with spiritual fragments, he became enamoured by their possibilities. Instead of relying on artificial images with little life of their own, he achieved much greater results when he resorted to the spiritual remnants of other entities.

The main reason why they appealed to him so much was because of the life these fragments still contained! Life and spirituality were intertwined. One did not exist without the other. Ves had made this realization long ago.

Yet when it came to his design philosophy, Ves thought remarkably little about the balance between what ought to be designed and what should be left to the randomness of life.

"If I want to make mechs alive, does it even make sense for me to design them in the first place?"

Obviously, mechs were machines designed for a specific purpose. This would never change and Ves did not plan on overthrowing this paradigm.

Yet how could he maintain this position while simultaneously recognizing that life was intrinsically uncontrollable that could not be designed?

Ves felt as if a haze of fog cleared up in front of his eyes. For the first time since he advanced to Journeyman, he began to see a possible way forward. Multiple ways, in fact.

He imagined standing on a crossroads. Three different paths leading to three different directions unfolded in front of his inner vision.

Each of them offered a different way of addressing the contradiction between what ought to be designed and what ought to be left to the vagaries of life.

The first and most orthodox path was to adopt the quintessential outlook of a mech designer. Most of those who shared his profession believed that almost every aspect of a mech design ought to be within their control.

A mech designer who couldn't even determine whether his products would turn out well was not a competent mech designer in their eyes!

The very act of designing implied control. Randomness and variability should be minimized in order to achieve as much consistency as possible.

Chance occurrences might lead to happy accidents that resulted in unexpected improvement, but that happened rarely.

It was much more likely than an unexpected event led to a much worse outcome than before. Ves did not find it surprising then that most mech designers looked down on leaving matters up to chance.

"The classical, orthodox mech designer is in complete control over their mech design. As many aspects as possible are under control."

Ves had the notion that a mech designer such as the Skull Architect pursued this path to the extreme. The fugitive's specialty already revolved around technical performance, and his obsessiveness in maximizing it also meant he detested uncontrollable aspects to an enormous degree.

"This must be why he has such a huge hole in his mentality when it comes to accommodating mech pilots."

He always found it puzzling that the Skull Architect never seriously took the limitations of his target audience into account when designing his mechs.

Now he suspected that it was a side effect from the direction the Skull Architect chose in developing his design philosophy.

In his quest to achieve maximum efficiency and maximum performance, he developed many theories and applications that helped him squeeze out the potential of what he could control.

Yet the mech pilots that were meant to pilot them fell outside his modeling. They didn't have a place in his paradigms at all!

It might even be one of the obstacles preventing him from achieving any further progress in his career.

Ves recalled one of the principles of the MTA. In many instances, the MTA always emphasized that mech designers ought to place themselves at the disposal of the mech pilots who made use of their products.

While Ves could hardly be called a poster boy for the MTA, he recognized that most of their principles were generally sound.

"The reason why the MTA harp so much over this principle is to avoid people like us from becoming arrogant with the power at our disposal."

As mech designers continued to improve, their ability to control and understand every aspect about a mech improved. They gained a rush from their improved control, so much so that at some point they became enamored with the illusion that they were playing god!

Yet mech designers were very much anything but gods!

"A real god is capable of designing lives! Mech designers are nowhere close to that!"

When mech designers forgot that mech pilots couldn't be designed, they pushed themselves onto a very difficult path.

Did this mean that the Skull Architect basically led himself into a dead end?

"Not necessarily." He shook his head. "Nothing is impossible. That's one of the central creeds of high-level mech design. As long as he's innovative and inventive enough, it's not impossible for him to develop a completely new solution that breaks the rules."

Every Master accomplished the impossible to some extent. That was what made them special. Just because the Skull Architect apparently bit off more than he could chew didn't mean he could slowly nibble down his mouthful of food. It would just take a very long time and a lot more effort than usual.

Ves thought of the Skull Architect's circumstances for a reason. That was because the first path, the path of determinism, closely resembled the path the infamous Senior took as well.

Even though the Skull Architect turned out to be an obsessive, single-minded, tunnel-visioned sociopath, his brilliance couldn't be denied. Out of all the Seniors he met, none came across as more driven, passionate and innovative as this daring mech designer!

Yet was this the direction that Ves wanted to pursue as well? He tried to imagine how his design philosophy developed if he tried to pursue determinism, the belief that everything had a cause and that everything could be calculated.

Chaos, free will and random occurrences would become antithetical to his sensibilities. In essence, Ves could easily imagine becoming a control freak like the Skull Architect if he started obsessing over trying to control every aspect of both his life and his mechs!

"That's impossible to accomplish!"

Even if Ves boldly believed that nothing was impossible, he would have to fight tooth and nail in order to achieve significant progress at the later stages.

Just like the Skull Architect, he would likely face a lot of insurmountable roadblocks on his journey to become a Master!

Setting aside the difficulty of pursuing this direction, was it really suitable for him to follow this path in the first place?

He could easily imagine trying to lessen his dependence on spiritual fragments to empower his designs. From the perspective of a mech designer who wanted to be in complete control, a spiritual fragment was too chaotic and random to be relied upon.

Instead, Ves would be better off trying to replace the role of borrowed spiritual fragments with his own version of them. He could pick up his research and development of self-created image.

His goal would be to come up with more sophisticated methods to create images that were as powerful and lifelike as spiritual fragments. However, the key difference here was that while spiritual fragments couldn't be designed, it was different for his images!

"If I pursue this path, would it be possible for me to take it one step further and create life out of nothing when I reach Master?"

That implied that he might actually become a god at that point!

Chapter 1336

Yet... did Ves become a mech designer in order to become a god?

"No." He shook his head. "I never entered this business with the intention of becoming an all-powerful god. I simply became a mech designer because I love mechs."

It was important for him to reaffirm his original intentions. Even if he had changed a lot from his younger, naive self, his endless fascination for mechs never diminished.

Even if he became a mech designer in order to make his own mechs, he never pursued anything more than designing great mechs. Nothing about his intentions demanded him to pursue wild, megalomaniac ambitions such as attempting to create life out of nothing or to become a god.

"Does any of that still have anything to do with mech design?" He frowned in thought.

On the surface, pursuing the path of determinism was all about getting more and more factors under his control. At some point, this inevitably ventured to mech pilots as well, because people were intricately tied to mechs.

"At least.. that's the convention."

One possible direction he could take when pursuing the path to determinism was to cut out any variables that couldn't be controlled.

In his case, that might mean removing the mech pilot from consideration!

"Wouldn't that just be a giant-sized bot?"

Not necessarily. Just because a mech wasn't being controlled by a mech pilot didn't automatically turn it into a bot. What if he attempted to replace the an undesignable mech pilot with another living entity that could be designed?

What if he could make the role of mech pilots redundant by letting the design spirit or a living image take the reins of the mech directly?

"It's like cutting out the middleman." He whispered. "A mech without a mech pilot. Not quite a bot, but not quite a mech either. It would be something new. Something radical. Something so innovative that the entire mech community will call me insane!"

The notion was so bold and unheard of that it instantly ruffled his competitive spirit. A part of him deeply wanted to accomplish the impossible and create something unprecedented!

Fortunately for his sanity, he quickly reined himself in and doused himself with a healthy heaping of reality.

"Just because I can do something doesn't mean I should."

Pursuing this deterministic path implied that he would share the same difficulties as the Skull Architect. While he didn't mind an uphill battle, the outcome had to be worth it and to his liking if Ves wanted to maintain his passion!

He predicted that he would eventually come to change his mind about the role of mech pilots. Rather than see them as an asset to mechs, he would instead come to see them as uncontrollable burdens.

The entire reason why the Skull Architect got chased out of civilization in the first place was that he attempted to have his cake and eat it too. Reno Jimenez thought he found a way to influence some of the uncontrollable factors of his mechs.

Was he wrong?

"Maybe not. Perhaps it made sense in his sick, twisted logic."

Ves was much better off in this regard. The nature of his design philosophy combined with his keen perception and understanding of spirituality meant that he possessed a lot more means of turning the impossible into reality!

Yet just because he could, didn't mean he should.

When he thought about trying to design autonomous mechs that essentially piloted or fought by themselves, he felt very ambivalent about this possible outcome.

On one hand, he deeply admired the courage it took to go against the common consensus and try to develop a true pilotless mech.

On the other hand, he questioned whether mechs that piloted themselves was something that the mech community even needed.

"When mechs run themselves, are humans still necessary?"

He was afraid the answer would be no. What if he became so obsessed with designing a mech that required no human intervention at all that he inadvertently unleashed a new, artificial lifeform? What if these sentient mechs decided to turn against their creators?

Ves deeply feared he might become so obsessed with trying to make this dream into a reality that he might inadvertently unleash another Sigrund onto the galaxy!

While the original developers of Sigrund arrogantly believed they had everything under control, they could never account for all of the variables. Just a small number of accidents resulted in the birth of a horrible sentient AI that potentially had the power to cripple the entirety of human civilization!

"It's a fallacy to believe that someone can control everything! Mistakes and oversights always take place!" He shook his head. "Besides, trying to cut out the mech pilot from the mech is an ambitious goal, but it's not what I wish to see."

From the beginning, he always put the needs of the mech pilot into account when designing a mech. Why should he minimize or abandon this fundamental principle when it played such a central role to his design philosophy?

"The central purpose of mechs is to serve the needs of its users. Taking a step back, mechs are devices designed to benefit and strengthen humanity!"

Distancing humans from mechs was a philosophically dangerous development because humanity might one day end up fighting against the very tools they created to solve their problems!

These days, humanity rightfully possessed a very dim view on automation. The CFA may be more open-minded on this controversial issue, but the MTA firmly rejected any moves towards introducing more automation into human civilization.

While Ves had no qualms in rejecting the MTA ideas when it suited him, on this issue he was very much on the same side as the overbearing organization.

Humans still needed to be in control of their own lives! Humanity as a whole should still keep a firm grip on their own civilization!

The moment they started farming every task and function to bots and AIs, the human race would cease to innovate and progress!

Ves crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "The MTA is right to prevent the encroachment of greater automation."

In short, Ves rejected any approaches that entailed disconnecting mechs from the people they served.

He imagined himself turning away from the path of determinism. Not only did this road closely resemble that of an unhinged mech designer like the Skull Architect, it also led to an outcome he actually wasn't willing to accomplish.

"I have to pick a direction that more closely aligns to my principles and ideals." He reminded himself.

Two more open paths beckoned to him, though Ves was sure that additional paths existed as well. He just hadn't discovered them as of yet.

He did not consider those undiscovered alternatives yet. He still had to go through his other two choices, starting with the opposite of the previous path.

"If one path leads to absolute control, the other path leads to absolute freedom."

Perhaps freedom was the wrong description. The path of life embraced the chaotic and unpredictable nature of living entities.

Instead of seeing chance and free will as detrimental factors, the path of life instead saw them as intrinsic treasures that empowered mechs beyond their technical limits!

Of course, this did not mean surrendering himself to total chaos. It merely meant that if he tried to make mechs alive, he needed to treat them less like machines and more like actual living entities.

Wouldn't that mean the path of life attempted to pursue something similar to the path of determinism?

Instead of fearing the possibility that his 'living mechs' might run out of control one day, he might as well embrace it if he pursued the path of life!

In fact, to create living mechs that could fully think and act by themselves did not have to turn out into the civilization-ending disaster that Ves and everyone feared.

If he accounted for this possibility beforehand, he might be able to shape mechs into an unassailable ally of humanity.

"Yet.. the same problem that plagues the path of determinism applies here as well. Does the mech market truly ask for living mechs? Regardless of whether they still need mech pilots or not, just allowing them to think for themselves can turn out disastrous if they begin to question the necessity to fight!"

The path of life also introduced another problem. On a more philosophical perspective, how could Ves even 'design' a living mech?

Pursuing a path opposite to the path of determinism essentially entailed diminishing what could be designed. Instead, he would try to pursue the more radical option of leaving it up to chance.

Ves already did some of that when it came to his specialization. Instead of relying on images that he designed by himself, he began making use of external spiritual fragments.

Aside from finding them and extracting them from their former abodes, he possessed remarkably little influence in their future direction. While he could partially influence them by having them absorb some of his images, the spiritual fragments essentially retained full autonomy, especially once they settled into his mech designs as their design spirits.

If he pursued the path of life in a restrained manner, then he could easily see himself trying to expand this methodology and turn it into an essential feature of his mech designs.

If he decided to take a more radical bent in this direction, then he may even attempt to veer away from designing mechs in favor of conceiving them! He could easily imagine himself trying to create organic mechs that started small but grew into formidable giants in their prime!

"That's a step too far."

He didn't feel very enthused about designing organic mechs. Instead, he turned his attention back to the more restrained direction which essentially focused his priorities towards maximizing the use of external spiritual fragments.

Ves imagined that if he pursued the path with a laser focus towards exploiting spiritual fragments, he may one day be capable of many tricks. The existence of his mother in the form of a spiritual ghost hinted that spirituality was capable of doing so much more.

If he invested much of the development of his specialty into this field, he might be able to match or surpass the powers of his mother. In fact, he might even be following in her footsteps!

He widened his eyes. "Perhaps it's in my blood. I just didn't realize it until now."

Would he be able to shed his incorporeal body and live on as an undying spiritual ghost? Would he be able to stave off the inevitable deaths of his friends and family and implant them into mechs or other artificial constructs so that they could live past their natural lifespan?

The temptation of this possibility was so incredibly strong that Ves had to press a firm mental hand onto his mind in order to stop him from making the choice.

"Even if all of that can be done, what does that have to do with mechs?!"

The possibilities he fantasized just then sounded more like something a cultist of the Five Scrolls Compact would pursue! The connection to mechs became a lot more tenuous.

After spending some time to mentally sober himself up, he attempted to look at the path of life in a more critical light.

"The path of life diminishes the role of design. Even if designing mechs is still necessary to some extent, it won't be my focus anymore."

Was that what he really wanted? To treat mechs like a means to an end?

That didn't sound like him. His goal in mech design had always been to make mechs something greater than lifeless commodities!

"I shouldn't take the words 'living mechs' too literally!"

His primary aspiration had always been to make mechs more appreciated. He wanted them to acquire the same intrinsic value as a living human being.

"That does not mean giving them human rights or the capacity to literally live like humans!"

The point of setting this goal was for him to develop a means to empower mechs in a way that made them more useful to their mech pilots. Power shouldn't be pursued for their own ends.

"The path of life is very tempting, but... it will lead me to value the wrong priorities." He concluded.

While he might still develop some of those powers he imagined earlier, they would not be something that ought to be central to his design philosophy.

"As a mech designer, I should not lose sight of my core purpose, which is to design fantastic mechs!"

His current means of using external spiritual fragments to add some extra oomph to his designs shouldn't be seen as a holy grail. Instead, it was just one of many possible tools at his disposal.

Trying to put his focus on spiritual entities instead of mechs was a grave mistake in his eyes. If he really decided to delve into this field, then he might become no different from the likes of Doctor Jutland in the end!

Chapter 1337

Having rejected the two extremes of the path of determinism and the path of life, only one more road remained in his mental vision.

The option that remained happened to be the road in the middle. It stretched straight before him as if he'd already been walking on it without even realizing it through all the fog that previously obscured his imaginary sight.

"This is the default choice. The boring choice. The most straightforward choice."

That didn't necessarily mean it was the worst choice. Determining whether this path was best for him or not depended on what he was trying to achieve and how well this direction allowed him to accomplish his goals.

As its placing suggested, the middle path pursued a middle ground between the path of determinism and the path to life.

The extremes of the latter two paths evoked a lot of misgivings to Ves.

He didn't believe in the deterministic ideal that everything could be controlled or designed. Even if Ves pursued this path and reached a point where seemingly everything was in control, reality simply didn't work that way. Life and existence could never be brought under total control, and it would be a grave mistake of him to think otherwise.

He reached a point where he began to think of himself as a god who was capable of designing life, then he might just begin to miss the possibilities that didn't fit into his paradigms!

Much like how the Skull Architect became fundamentally incapable of accommodating his own customers, Ves could easily imagine himself developing similar blindspots!

The path of life came with its own problems as well. It was just as self-centered as its opposite, only expressed in a different fashion.

An overemphasis on the value of life would detract far too much from the design aspect of his profession. Why should he leave everything to chance? Why should he surrender so many aspects to his mechs or the spiritual fragments that formed their spiritual hearts?

The path of life had more to do with the insane experiments of the Five Scrolls Compact than the sober mech design that the MTA espoused.

"I'm not a mad scientist." He affirmed. "Even if what I'm attempting to accomplish is anything but normal, at least I'm better than those deranged madmen!"

The System described his design philosophy as spiritual man-machine symbiosis. It was his specialization while still holding onto his foundational skills.

"It's important to remind myself that I'm still a mech designer. The moment I think of myself as something more than that is the moment I'll lose sight of what I should be working towards!"

His design philosophy was a means to an end, not an end by itself. What this meant was that Ves shouldn't get too hung up over the methods he developed in order to advance his goals.

"Both the path of determinism and the path of life have their good points!"

They also had their pitfalls, and some of them were so deep that they were practically bottomless.

The main point was that Ves did not have an obligation to stay pure on either path. While pursuing them to the extreme might lead to exceptional accomplishments, were they really necessary?

If Ves maintained his sights on designing better mechs, then his enthusiasm for the more extreme paths diminished. Why go down the rabbit holes when there was a perfectly functional slide in the middle?

The middle ground entained a pragmatic and conscious approach to the development of his specialization. The focus would always remain on spiritual man-machine symbiosis. The description from the System already hinted to him of the importance of balancing out the living and non-living aspects of his work.

"The nature of a symbiotic relationship is that both sides benefit from their association with each other." He reminded himself. "Man and machine. Living and nonliving. Made or born. Everything is in balance. Synergy is the key!"

Why did the inventors of mechs decide to pair humans with mechs? Because they worked well with each other!

Humans by themselves were physically weak but very creative, inventive and devious.

Mechs were awesome machines of war that could unleash a great amount of devastation, but could easily be exploited if controlled by an inflexible AI.

It was a given that the original developers of mechs decided to combine the two. By pairing humans with mechs, they got the best of both while conveniently covering up for each other's weaknesses.

It was a match made in heaven and a winning formula that persisted for over four centuries, so much so that they defined the current era of human history!

While all of this was basic knowledge that each first-year student of mech design learned at school, reiterating it during his state of introspection kept him centered. It helped him maintain perspective and prevent him from giving into temptation.

"I have to make a grounded choice! Passion alone is not enough! It has to align with what I want to accomplish!"

Choosing the middle ground made a lot of sense. By selectively incorporating elements from the path of determinism and the path of life in his design philosophy, he could thread the needle and accomplish his goals without dipping too much into the craziness of both sides.

Of course, in the perspective of the other paths, the middle ground was the craziest path.

"Instead of adhering to a single logic, I'm just mixing and matching bits and pieces whenever it suits me. There's no overarching theory binding them together."

This would probably be his main challenge moving forward on the middle path. By refusing to get carried away by the extreme paths, his understanding of both directions would always be shallow and incomplete. He'd only be able to make use of the more shallow applications of the path of determinism and the path of life.

"There's always a price. I can't have it both ways. I'll be lucky enough to reach my goals at all given how haphazardly I'll sling from side to side when I progress down this path!"

He would have to be very careful and conscious about his subsequent dabblings in the path of determinism, the path of life and all the other paths that he might uncover along the way.

Throughout it all, he needed to find a way to resolve the inherent contradiction he identified earlier and that the purer paths attempted to solve in their own way.

"Both the path of determinism and the path of life offer a solid endpoint."

The path of determinism resolved the contradiction by maximizing the design aspect and minimizing the human element.

The path of life resolved the issue by maximizing the life aspect while minimizing the design aspect.

Meanwhile, the path of the middle ground sought to achieve a stable balance between both aspects.

"In other words, I should just continue to design what can be designed."

As for what couldn't be designed? Leaving it up to the irrational existence of life was no big deal. He just had to maintain at least some direction by selecting the right spiritual fragments or whatever else he might use to breathe life into his designs.

"In a way, it feels like I haven't moved at all."

His decision to take the road he was already inching towards sounded anything but groundbreaking. Yet internally Ves felt he had passed through his first major milestone in his design philosophy ever since he formed his design seed.

He finally found his direction! He was no longer blind and stuck at the starting point because he was unsure of the way forward!

Now that he explored all his options and made a conscious decision, striding forward no longer made him shake in trepidation!

A mental roadmap appeared in his mind, giving him a direction on how to deepen his specialization and expand the capabilities of his design philosophy.

Not only that, but the certainty he felt in his mind also sublimated his design seed to a degree. A mysterious transformation seemed to take place in the depths of his design seed that configured it in a way to better accommodate his chosen design direction!

His spirituality became invigorated as well, as if it celebrated his evolution of thought!

"This won't be the last time I stumble across a crossroads." He muttered.

From what Ves knew of design philosophies, a mech designer could still shift its direction along the way. Even Journeymen or Seniors could steer their course to some extent depending on the decisions they made along the way.

To Ves, this meant that he could always start leaning more towards the path of determinism or the path of life if he encountered a significant obstacle that made it extremely difficult to push straight forward.

"As the pendulum swings one way, it will eventually have to swing in the other direction in order to maintain balance."

Ves had to take a lot of care in balancing his directions. Leaning too much into the path of determinism or path of life meant he was all but adopting them entirely.

While this wasn't necessarily a disaster that would lead him to a dead end, it still invalidated his earlier choices in favor for the convenience of a path with a simpler but extremely radical narrative.

That was not his choice! His multitude of bad experiences with fanatics and purists who thought that their beliefs were unquestionably right left him with a very bad taste for mindless adherence to a single ideology!

This was one of the driving reasons why he opted for the middle and most pragmatic path.

Though Ves felt very satisfied and self-confident about his choice, a brief sliver of doubt momentarily assailed his thoughts.

It was all well and good to choose the least committed path forward, but how well would he be able to hold his sensible direction when coming into touch with a more radical design philosophy?

"What will happen if my design philosophy interacts with Gloriana's design philosophy?" He asked.

Despite never having studied her design philosophy up close, everything he witnessed so far led him to believe that she chose differently than him. She explicitly pursued perfection, which was very problematic in many ways.

"In theory, our design philosophies shouldn't affect each other's direction. It's the mech designers who hold them that hold the reins."

Nonetheless, Ves didn't believe it was as simple as that, especially when it came to trying to achieve synergy between their specializations. Perhaps at some point they found a way to push their design philosophies to the next level, but only if they borrowed the help of each other.

Ves shook his head. "All of that is way too far away. I should be thinking about myself before adding others such as Gloriana to the equation."

Even if the best results could be achieved by combining the strengths of multiple mech designers in a single design, Ves had to stand on his own before he could think about leveraging synergies.

"I have to walk before I can run."

That meant that Ves had to progress a fair amount before he felt he had the confidence that he could contribute something solid when he and Gloriana finally attempted to collaborate on a design.

As he slowly subsided from his introspective state, he recognized that his perspective on mech design had fundamentally changed.

Although he reaffirmed many inclinations he held before, he also became more open to the idea of borrowing radical elements without dipping too much into the craziness associated with them. He just had to maintain a firm grip on his priorities and his sense of self.

"I am and will always remain a mech designer. Nothing more. Nothing less."

He spoke those words with a greater level of certainty and confidence than before.

As he began to contemplate what he could do to progress his design philosophy in the short term, he began to lean in the direction of the path of life.

Right now, his spirituality was too weak and he lacked the underlying theory to design better images. If Ves wanted a more immediate boost to his mech designs, then refining his utilization of spiritual fragments sounded like a better idea.

"In a way, I've already been doing this to an extent. The only difference now is that I'm more aware of my limits and how far I can go before I cross the point of no return."

Chapter 1338

Although on the surface Ves appeared to have suffered a brainfart, he actually experienced a profound enlightenment.

His thinking on mech design grew more sophisticated and structured. The immediate benefit of driving away the fog was that he firmly knew his own place as well as the surrounding landscape of his complicated, multifaceted design philosophy.

Ves never expected to obtain these significant gains after concluding a long overdue talk with Ketis.

"It goes to show that even the most mundane experiences can potentially enrich a mech designer's understanding of their craft."

Such possibilities made it all the more important for people like him to step out of the lab and explore the galaxy.

That Ves gained his enlightenment after something as simple as a conversation with his student also strengthened one of his other theories.

"A mech designer's conduct is indicative of their design philosophies."

He already developed this notion before and encountered various pieces of proof that corroborated it. The only difference now was that he became aware that he could control the direction of his personality change.

"Mech designers such as Professor Ventag and Tristan Wesseling are probably not pursuing anything too extreme." He judged. "They're quite personable and in control of themselves."

In contrast, the more extreme mech designers such as the Skull Architect and Gloriana embraced more radical directions. This in turn reflected back to their personality as they applied their high standards on every other aspect of their lives regardless if it had something to do with mech design.

What did that mean for Ves?

Thinking about his past conduct, he had to admit he hadn't exactly been the most honest kid in the class.

"What are my defining traits?"

Ves did not entirely like what he saw in himself.

The immediate words that came to mind to describe him were deceptive, manipulative, self-serving, reckless and stretching his sanity.

"What does that say about my mech designs?"

They essentially did the same things as he did, if he was being honest. However, since his mechs were generally designed to empower the mech pilot as much as possible, the aforementioned qualities benefited both his mechs and his customers.

His eyes lit up. "This is because of the symbiosis characteristic of my design philosophy! No matter how self-serving my mechs may become, their mech pilots will always benefit as well!"

This simple modifier completely upended his evaluation of his own design philosophy.

No matter what kind of shady stuff he pulled off, it was all fine. That was because his mech design would redeem his sins on his behalf!

"In fact, they've already done so!"

No mech design was more emblematic than this than the Transcendent Messenger. Even if Ves literally desecrated a holy record and even if he only produced six authorized copies of his design, the Ylvainans largely forgave him in the end!

Ves knew that if he continued to design mechs with A-grade X-Factor, he might get accused of trying to unduly influence anyone who interacted with his mechs. Their auras could get very strong and hardly anyone were able to resist their allure.

His critics might even accuse him of outright brainwashing his audience through his mechs! They'd definitely pull in the notorious Farund Affair as an example of how bad it could be when mech designers tried to indoctrinate their mech pilots into becoming their repeat customers!

"Yet... so what?"

What he did was no different from companies trying to appeal to the market by airing advertisements. Plenty of companies turned their marketing activities into a highly manipulative operation that was expressly designed to distort their target audience's emotions and judgement.

Ves just did it on a psionic level in the eyes of his fellow high-ranking mech designers. They would probably feel jealous at him when they found out about his ability to market his products in this fashion!

All of it was for the good of mech pilots, of course. The LMC regularly monitored the satisfaction of its customers, and hardly any buyers felt any remorse over their purchase despite the hefty amount of money they forked over.

While the actual value of his company's mechs relative to competing products still had to be determined over a longer period of time, preliminary signs showed that his mechs already lasted longer than average.

Whether it was because their mech pilots appreciated their machines more, or if the X-Factor significantly improved their effective performance, Ves rightfully felt proud at his work.

"As long as my products benefit my customers, who cares what I do? Anything is permissible!"

Compared to the likes of the Skull Architect, Ves was a lot better off personality-wise. The Senior's fatal flaw was that he became so self-assured in his judgement that he inevitably got caught with one of his misdeeds!

Ves would never make such a mistake again!

Getting caught by the Ylvainan Inquisition had been a very tortuous moment for him. He was lucky that he managed to get out from a potentially fatal situation.

Ever since then, he realized the need for greater caution whenever he did something iffy. He should never become too conceited of himself. Caution, moderation and a certain degree of self-control were necessary for him to avoid following in the footsteps of mech designers who tripped themselves up when they overreached.

"Nonetheless, too much restraint is not a good thing in itself." He muttered while rubbing his chin.

Though he didn't have a handy example on hand, he intuitively felt that managing his passion and enthusiasm for mech design ought to be a critical requirement.

Too much passion and he might go too far in pursuing his goals.

Too little passion and he would lack the drive to persist in pursuing daring opportunities.

"In a way, I have to balance my passion as well." He surmised. "A bit of madness is okay. I just have to make sure it doesn't grow to the point where it lands me in trouble."

In the following few days, Ves set aside all of his work in order to digest his gains. He continued to reflect on himself and his design philosophy. Though everything he did remained locked in the confines of his mind, he vaguely sensed that his design seed had become a little more potent than before.

He could tell, since the spiritual waves it emanated on a constant basis grew twenty percent stronger.

He smiled. "This will probably help me out when I'm ready to design my smart metal tiger mech."

As Ves continued to reflect on himself, he realized that he had neglected to contact someone who had a very strong interest in his decisions.

It had been a long time since he last talked to Calabast.

Ever since he left the Ylvaine Protectorate, most of their interactions happened through their companies and the joint venture they set up. There was hardly any need for Ves to talk to Calabast in person.

In fact, according to her, it would be better if Ves refrained from contacting her too much. They might draw too much suspicion if Ves constantly bugged her for advice.

With seemingly nothing going on that required both of their personal attention, their current business interactions elicited little to no suspicion from others.

Nonetheless, Calabast would probably appreciate being informed of something as sudden and drastic as his plan to embark on a grand expedition.

He tentatively placed a call to her comm.

Two minutes went by before she finally answered it. Her projection appeared in front of him in her mild and unassuming guise of Madame Cecily Curin.

"Mr. Larkinson. I trust you wish to discuss something of importance to me seeing as you attempted to contact me directly."

"I do."

"Is this about your new 'girlfriend' I've been hearing about lately?"

"It's mainly about something else." He replied. "You ehh heard about Gloriana?"

Despite her disguise, Ves sensed the ire and rapprochement in her eyes. Obviously, what she heard hadn't pleased her very much!

"A man like you is destined to go far, but only if you apply yourself and focus on what is important. Dallying with a girl is a dangerous distraction at best and a security risk at worst. I will not see our business relationship founder because of your ineptness."

Did she really object to his relationship to Gloriana because of those concerns or did she had a more personal reason to object to his girlfriend?

Apparently, she managed to read his thoughts, because she grunted in frustration. "Don't get any crooked ideas, Mr. Larkinson! I am purely indignant because you are potentially putting everything at risk by hooking up with a woman you barely know!"

Though Ves may feel a bit ambivalent about Gloriana, he wanted to push back against Calabast's disapproval.

"Gloriana is a brilliant and talented mech designer who can potentially help me advance even faster." He said, emphasizing her practical use for him. "Our design philosophies are highly compatible. Even if I'm confident that I can eventually advance to Master, many mech designers have made similar statements but came up short in the end."

"You could have chosen someone more trustworthy than Gloriana to hook up with." She spoke. "Hell, even your student Ketis is a much better option because of how much she adores you without any complicated motives that might pose a risk to our business relations."

Ves shook his head. "Madame Cecily, my love life is not your business. Ketis is my student, nothing more. I will not break this rule."

"Since when has that ever stopped you, Bright Martyr? You were quite willing to steal and desecrate the holy relic of our faith." She chuckled darkly.

"It's still wrong!"

Calabast erupted in full-blown laughter, breaking her role as a composed and refined lady of the Curin Dynasty!

"In the one instance where you could have turned your life for the better, you suddenly turned into a goody two-shoes and stuck to this rule that no one cares about! News flash, Mr. Larkinson, romantic relationships between teachers and students are rife in the mech community!"

Ves was like a solid block that stood firm despite all the spit tarnishing its surface. "I've made my choice and I don't regret it. Ketis deserves to be with someone who values her more than I do. While Gloriana is a complicated woman who had brought her fair share of trouble, she's the first mech designer I've met who I feel can truly keep up with me. What's your problem with her anyway?!"

"Everything I've read about Gloriana paints a complicated, tangled picture." She sighed, reining in her anger. "The Wodin Dynasty occupies a prominent place in the power structure of the Hexadric Hegemony. Her relatives are aligned with the Evern Matriarchal Dynasty, who happen to lead the most religious, hardline, aggressive and expansionist faction within the Hegemony."

"I know that. Gloriana herself may have taken on some of those traits, but she's first and foremost a mech designer. Politics doesn't interest her or suit her. As long as they don't interfere with her business, she sees no reason to dabble in that murky swamp."

Calabast smirked at Ves. "I think you have a mistaken impression of your own girlfriend. Her very identity as a young and promising Journeyman Mech Designer has raised value within the Wodin Dynasty. Despite what you think, she's a swamp monster. If you aren't careful, she might grab you and drag you into the swamp!"

Though Ves recognized her good intentions, Ves adored Gloriana too much to be swayed by a mere warning.

"As I've said before, I'm not changing my mind on this matter. I really want to make my relationship with Gloriana work!"

"I'm glad you love me, Ves!"

"What?!'

Ves swiftly turned around as a second projection had quietly formed behind his back! Gloriana's virtual form appeared right behind his back! If she was physically present in his stateroom, then he would have felt her breath on his neck!

"Since when did you get here?!"

Gloriana cockily pressed her hand against her hip. This time she wore a slim and form-fitting business suit that tantalizingly drew attention to her slender form.

"Oh, you silly boy. I've programmed a monitoring routine that records and analyses everything you do, hihi! When my monitoring routine detected that you were talking about me, it notified me. I got here as fast as possible!"

With the level of access she had to the Barracuda despite the ongoing overhaul that Crindon performed on the communication systems, Ves should have taken something like this into account.

Who knew what kind of recordings she made of him while he was on his ship!

Quietly, Ves decided to activate a signal jammer each time he went to the bathroom. It was better to be safe than sorry!

Chapter 1339

Ever since Gloriana made her unsolicited presence known, Ves fell in an awkward spot.

The two women immediately held a silent staring contest. Tension flared between the women while Ves awkwardly stood in between them. With Gloriana's projection leaning so closely against his body, he experienced much of the heat and animosity that Calabast directed towards his girlfriend!

Neither women liked each other!

Ves tried to figure out the signals they sent to each other with their postures and changes in expression, but he failed to decipher their silent communication.

Even if he was capable of interpreting the meows, roars and grunts of many different animals, women happened to be a whole other species!

It was as if he stopped existing in their eyes. Both Gloriana and Calabast only had eyes for each other. Neither relented in their unspoken dominance game.

Eventually, both women slightly averted their eyes.

"Hmph!" Gloriana crossed her arms. "I don't know who this floozy is and what she means to you, but I can tell she's more than she seems."

"You're a very dangerous person yourself, Miss Wodin." Calabast smiled acidly.

Ves nervously waved his arms in an attempt to reduce the tension. "Come on, please. Gloriana, Madame Cecily here is just a business partner."

"The two of you were quite intimate in your conversation!"

"I know more about Mr. Larkinson then you ever will." Calabast taunted, not helping the situation at all!

"Come on! Please stop arguing!" Ves begged.

"SHUT UP!""The adults are talking right now!"

Ves cringed from the twin rebuke. The two women weren't willing to back down!

After another tense pause, Calabast eventually opened her mouth.

"Let's take this elsewhere. The little kid doesn't need to hear what we have to say to each other."

"My thoughts exactly." Gloriana nodded ardently. "I don't want to show my ugly side towards my boyfriend."

"Uhm, women.."

Both Calabast and Gloriana ignored him and simultaneously activated a comm command that turned their three-way conversation into a two-way conversation.

Ves had been kicked out of the comm call he originally started!

"Damnit! I haven't even told her about my grand expedition yet!"

He had no idea what Calabast and Gloriana were talking about. It might be just like last time when Calabast held a private discussion with Venerable Foster on the Starlight Megalodon.

Hopefully, the outcome would be the same here where the two women agreed to keep the peace between each other.

"Whatever."

Later in the day, Ves received a comm call from Calabast. He accepted it, causing her projection to reappear in front of him. She had fully regained her composure, though Ves sensed some lingering disaffection in her eyes.

"Your proactive girlfriend and I engaged in a very extensive discussion." She began. "While I don't particularly approve of her, she has made it abundantly clear that she is here to stay."

"Okay...?"

"This doesn't change anything between us, Mr. Larkinson. Our current business relations will still continue apace."

Obviously, she hadn't managed to obtain a decisive advantage in her talk with Gloriana.

Deep within his mind, Ves wondered if he could make use of his girlfriend to get rid of Calabast. He hadn't exactly gotten in bed with the spy willingly.

Just as he contemplated the possibility, he quickly brushed it aside. With how careful Calabast must be, she must have prepared for every possible eventuality. Getting rid of her would come at a much greater price than tolerating her meddling.

"So are you cool with Gloriana?" He asked.

She grimaced. "I would not use that term to describe my thoughts on her. Suffice to say, I suppose I can tolerate her. I think she feels the same way about me as I've expressed no interest in competing with her on your affections. Sorry to let you down, kid, but you're not my type."

"I never thought about it." Ves nervously laughed. Whether he was telling the truth, who knew? Right now, he just wanted to avoid any further arguments. "By the way, did she mention anything about my future plan?"

Calabast. "I've heard. Gloriana was quite willing to rub your supposed 'grand expedition' in my face, especially seeing as she gets to travel by your side."

"So.. what do you think?"

She crossed her arms and eyed him in a critical manner. "I know you well enough that even if some of your decisions are idiotic, you always have a goal in mind. While I don't exactly know why you are so eager to depart to a different star cluster at such a timeframe, I think I can make a guess or two. The answers are already written on your face."

"I guess I can't hide much from you." He nonchalantly shrugged. "The Komodo Star Sector is nice and all, but I think a lengthy expedition to another part of human space will do a lot of good for me for multiple reasons."

"I see that one reason in particular has played a larger role in your decision than the others."

"True. I can't really talk about it on an insecure channel, though. Let's just say that whatever you think is probably true."

"I'll pay a visit to you when you return to the Bright Republic." She nodded in understanding.

They moved on to what would happen if the grand expedition went through.

"I should caution you not to take too much stock in your future predictions." She lectured him. "Your judgement may be wrong. Your sources may be inaccurate. Accidents might happen along the way that can completely upend your plans. You should develop multiple scenarios and be prepared if the worst might happen early."

"I've already taken that into account. I can be quite cautious if I need to be." Ves nodded. "By the way, when I'll be heading off, what will you do?"

"I have my own plans. They are contingent on other conditions which are not present as of yet." She flatly replied. "I don't intend to accompany you on your trip, if that is what you are wondering. Your 'girlfriend' won't tolerate my presence, and I am already occupied with my own ventures."

"So our business relationship will just persist as usual?"

Calabast immediately shook her head. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, Mr. Larkinson. I'll make sure to keep in touch with you in some way. Who knows what kind of decisions you'll make without sound counsel by your side."

"I have Gloriana."

She wordlessly raised her eyebrow.

"Uhh.. yeah. I see what you mean." He sheepishly replied.

"While Gloriana is a capable mech designer, I truly fear what the two of you will do if left to your own devices." She theatrically shuddered in fear as if that was a bad thing! "At the very least, I'll arrange for a more secure means of communication so that we'll both be able to discuss more sensitive matters by remote. Don't discount my value."

Of course she would say something like that. If Ves truly bought the idea that he could replace her with Gloriana, then Calabast would likely teach him a lesson he would never forget!

She was just as scary as Gloriana, but in a different way!

Ves and Calabast turned to other topics after that, but they didn't have all that much to talk about without giving too much away. Gloriana already proved that their comm channel was as compromised as a public toilet.

Even she expressed her frustration at this inadequate communication method.

"If I knew you decided to go on an impromptu tour through the star sector, I would have prepared a more secure means of communication earlier."

"..Sorry."

"I know this isn't your fault. Well, it is, but that's just who you are." She said in an exasperated manner. Dealing with him sure strained her patience! "When you swing close to the Nyxian Gap, don't linger for long. The scum that infests this region are more dangerous that the bottom feeders that lurk in the frontier."

With that, she cut off the call. Ves sighed and collapsed onto his chair. He was glad his talk with Calabast hadn't led to anything more serious.

In addition, while the spy hadn't outright approved of Gloriana, she could probably live with his relationship to the Hexer.

Ves did have an inkling that she was up to something, though. The Calabast he knew had likely concocted a scheme by now to take advantage of his grand expedition.

He wondered how long she would continue to disguise herself as an Ylvainan scion. While Calabast preferred to work in the shadows, her current cover identity became less and less relevant as Ves and the LMC grew stronger.

Calabast would never let him get the upper hand. He just knew she would find a way to become more relevant again. Her current distance and her lack of overt moves did not mean she remained dormant in the shadows.

"I probably did annoy her to no end by springing my grand expedition on her. Much of her plans are probably moot."

If Ves guessed right, Calabast should have been in the process of building a network of spies and informants throughout the star sector. While her efforts were not in vain as long as the LMC maintained a solid presence in the local mech markets, the Komodo Star Sector wasn't indispensable to him anymore.

With another region of space for him to play with, his business in the Bright Republic would inevitably become a background concern for him.

To be honest, Ves had already spent less attention to his business that he ought to. He focused much more on his personal development than the growth of his company.

He knew the reason why. "It's just that there isn't anything pressing to me that requires a lot of money."

That wasn't exactly true. He always wished he had more money so he could buy more goodies. From overpriced exotics that resonated with his design philosophy, to ships that would make up his grand expedition, he would never run out of something useful to buy.

The issue was that he did not feel particularly deprived of something at the moment. Investing in his ability to design mechs sounded like a much better idea because his earning ability increased significantly as long as he made his mechs a little more attractive.

Considering that the secret of his grand expedition became increasingly shaky, Ves decided to inform other stakeholders of his intentions.

For example, when Ves called his grandfather Benjamin Larkinson, he was met with astonishment and disbelief.

"What is the matter with you, Ves?"

Ves offered a brittle smile. "I didn't plan to leave the star sector either, but there are good reasons behind my move. I would like to think my parents would be proud of me for venturing outside our boring little star sector and see what else the galaxy has to offer."

"Your parents want you to be safe."

Ves pointedly looked in his grandfather's projection in the eyes. "That is true."

Hopefully, his grandfather received his implicit message.

"I.. see." The older Larkinson eventually said. "I can't say I'm happy about your decision, though. While I'm very glad to hear you finally have a girlfriend and a very impressive one at that, I'm not enthused at the thought of seeing my great-grandchildren grow up in the form of projections."

Seeing Benjamin acting so melancholic all of a sudden prompted Ves to make an impulsive decision.

"How about.. coming with me?" Ves suggested. "There should be enough room on the fleet that I'm preparing for the grand expedition to accommodate the entire Larkinson Family. I don't mind bringing you and any other Larkinson who wants to experience a change of scenery along. I'm already planning on bringing much of the Avatars of Myth with me anyway."

The offer did sound intriguing to Benjamin. "If I didn't have so many responsibilities right now, I would have said yes. I'll keep your offer in mind. Ask again when you are about to embark. Perhaps I'll be a retired old man by then. I'm already getting on in years anyway."

Chapter 1340

After his fruitful talk with his grandfather, Ves felt a lot better about himself.

His grandfather expressed tentative approval of his intention to spend his time in another star cluster.

As long as the expeditionary fleet had room for Benjamin and a number of other Larkinsons who were willing to depart from the Bright Republic, the Larkinson Family wouldn't object to the absence of Ves at home.

He could leave the Bright Republic without too much guilt. He wouldn't be leaving the Larkinson Family and most of his friends and family hung out to dry.

After he finished with his calls, he turned back to the present. After almost two months of constant travel, the Chuko Republic finally came within reach.

Ves had been looking forward to visiting the Chuko Republic, though Gavin was much less enthused with the decision.

"Well, I can't blame my assistant. Chuko is definitely in a mess right now."

Sitting squarely in the middle of three states, none of which were friendly, the Chuko Republic's sovereignty no longer stood on solid ground.

Piracy and attacks by unidentified forces frequently plagued the border regions of the state. The constant raids became so pervasive that most shipping traffic to the periphery of Chuko practically ceased. Aside from large, extremely well-protected relief convoys, most of the outlying planets were basically left to fend for themselves!

Closer to the heartland of Chuko, the provincial governments held sway. Since the central government grew increasingly feeble and less capable of securing the safety of its territory, its three provinces gained increasingly more sway in the lives of the average citizens.

The situation was analogous to that of the Vesia Kingdom where their royal house were no longer able to control the powerful ducal houses that held most of the power.

"There are still a couple of differences, though." Ves murmured.

The Chuko Republic's government showed some signs of recent revival after a new leader came into power.

Having seen the writing on the wall, President Dominic Qkwanve enacted a wide sweep of reforms as soon as he assumed his office.

Predictably, he ruffled a lot of feathers in his attempts to clean up the rot and strengthen the state. The provinces weren't happy. Its greedy neighbors weren't happy. Many other stakeholders inside and outside the state would lose out as well if the reforms came to pass.

Yet did the Chuko Republic have any choice at this point? With dwindling trade, frequent slaughters, destructive mech battles, fleeing citizens plaguing the state, everyone could tell it was on a downward spiral.

"President Qkwanve just has the courage to make a serious attempt at reversing this trend."

Too bad it came too late. Every news article on the galactic net predicted that the Chuko Republic had already passed the point of no return.

With so much awful news coming out of the Chuko Republic, a lot of people around him expressed surprise that he would want to visit the failing state. Was Ves out of his mind?

He smirked. "The Chuko Republic is a state that is about to burn the brightest before it inevitably falls. The desperate events I'll be able to witness will definitely be worth the risk."

He had other motives in mind when he visited the state as well. Despite all the restrictions holding sway over the local star systems, Ves hoped to pick up some bargains from the dying state.

Perhaps he might be able to pick up promising but persecuted mech designers. Maybe he could hire more remarkable mech pilots like the Ingvars who were looking to leave their deteriorating factions.

Plenty of Chukans were already in the process of moving their people and assets elsewhere. Though Ves didn't expect to obtain a share of the good stuff, who knew what treasures might come into possession just by being in the right place at the right time.

The only concern of his was to manage his risk and avoid veering into regions of space with acute security risks.

Fe Nitaa requested a meeting with Ves to discuss this very topic.

"Do you know if the Order of Fl'xix has any friends in the Chuko Republic?"

"I can't say." His tall bodyguard replied. "The Chuko Republic is rife with different organizations, many of which are infiltrated or outright fronts for various foreign influences. According to my research, this problem is so pervasive that a single hidden influence can hardly do anything because it will inevitably bump into all of the other hidden influences."

The subtext here was that even if the Five Scrolls Compact maintained a front organization within Chuko, they shouldn't be very powerful.

Nitaa was right that other foreign influences likely held more sway in the faltering state. The Hegemony-aligned Hinsen Protectorate, the xenophobic Traditional Tribe and the Vicious Mountain-related Phantasm Republic each wanted a piece of Chuko, and didn't want to share their spoils with others!

"Okay, then. I guess we should worry more about the other factions."

"Of them all, the Hinson Protectorate is probably the one that is most inclined to respect us." Nitaa spoke. "Since it borders the Hexadric Hegemony, Hinson's ties with the second-rate state is deep, and it's often considered as an informal potency of the Hexers. Considering your relationship with Gloriana, their forces in Chuko should steer well away from you. The last thing Hinson wants to see is pissing off your girlfriend and by extension the Wodins!"

That was one of the benefits of having a powerful girlfriend. Ves did not feel any shame in taking advantage of her status and wielding it like a club to further his goals.

"What is not so certain is our ability to remain on the good side of the Redwell Province." She continued. "Governor Alinc detests the Hegemony because they indirectly enable the aggression of the Hinson Protectorate.

Governor Alinc ruled the Redwell Province located on the upper slice of the Chuko Republic. Further upwards sat the Hinson Protectorate, which in turn bordered the southern side of the massive Hexadric Hegemony.

Just like the Kamon Republic's relationship with the Fridaymen, the Hinson Protectorate had turned into the playground of the Hexers. A lot of investment and other economic activity took place between the two disparate states.

Though Hinson hadn't signed any formal treaties with the Hexers denoting its status as their vassal state, everyone and their mother knew that the two possessed very friendly ties.

Naturally, that didn't mean Hinson got to throw around their weight by virtue of their powerful backer.

Unlike Ves who knew that Gloriana didn't mind that he took advantage of her status, the Hinson Protectorate had less options. The ambitious state wasn't allowed to leverage its good relations with its powerful neighbor to its diplomatic advantage.

Otherwise, who knew if the Hinson Protectorate completely went off the rockers and started to provoke a suicidal war against the Friday Coalition!

For this reason, the second-rate states maintained a distinct degree of separation between their neighboring third-rate states. The Coalition and the Hegemony both cultivated beneficial ties with the small fries, but never allowed them to dictate their foreign policies.

In fact, states like Hinson had to restrain their behavior even further! As an unofficial vassal of the Hegemony, any move they made reflected back on their big brother!

This left the Hinson Protectorate in an awkward position. It sensed a lot of weakness in the Chuko Republic and already started to eye its Redwell Province.

Yet it wasn't really allowed to attack another state while it was so intertwined with the Hexers.

Without the possibility to act in the open, Hinson instead sought an alternative means to conquer the Redwell Province.

What if the Redwellers wanted to secede from the Chuko Republic and voluntarily apply to join the Hinson Protectorate?

Ordinarily, such an occurrence should have been impossible. The Chuko Republic stamped out every element that advocated for defection.

Yet.. the brutal suppression in the open only drove the seditious talk underground and behind closed doors. A significant proportion of Redwellers secretly hankered for stability. They didn't care whether they paid taxes to the Chuko Republic or the Hinson Protectorate.

What they really cared about was being ruled by a strong and secure state that ensured that everyone's lives would improve in the future!

Currently, the frail and increasingly powerless Chuko Republic failed to deliver the safety, security and prosperity its citizens expected of their government!

Informally, the citizens that supported defection were called Whitewellers.

This was because their detractors believed the traitorous Chukans were proverbially raising the white flag in surrender!

Instead of sticking to their home state through its most difficult time, the Whitewellers would rather give up their entire identity and culture!

This was an incredibly serious betrayal to the Chuko Republic!

The more fanatical Chukans who were diehard supporters of the Chuko Republic or the Redwell Province always butchered the Whitewellers whenever they uncovered them. The more ardent loyalists of the Redwell Province became known for engaging in many violent incidents!

News reports of lynchings, witch hunts and pogroms regularly littered the regional news. The radical Redwellers, often hiding their identities behind red hoods or masks, were subsequently Bloodwellers!

The reason for their name should be obvious.

To their credit, the extreme acts perpetrated by the Bloodwellers successfully frightened many neutral Redwellers from joining the Whitewellers.

The Bloodwellers also rooted out many Hinson spies and infiltrators that attempted to sow chaos and division in order to boost the Whiteweller cause!

"The population of the Redwell Province is bitterly divided between the Whitewellers and Bloodwellers." Nitaa grimaced. "Both groups are violently at odds with each other, though the latter are particularly rabid. The entry of foreigners like us in their province will be met with a lot of suspicion by the Bloodwellers. Your association with the Hexadric Hegemony is very toxic in the Redwell province."

Despite her words, Ves merely stretched his arms behind his back and leaned into his chair. "The Chukans won't dare to do anything to me. Even the Bloodwellers know better than to touch my hair."

She couldn't quite believe what she heard. "That does not protect you against threats from the dark! There are plenty of interest groups who would love nothing more than to assassinate you! If something happens to you in Redwell space, the local situation will definitely be inflamed! The Wodin Dynasty might even push the Hinson Protectorate to be more overt in their attempts to take over the Redwell Province, thereby giving the Hinsoners and the Whitewellers exactly what they want!"

In other words, the Hinsoners and the Whitewellers may possibly be plotting to kill him in order to advance their political cause!

These were exactly the groups that Ves wanted to engage! He especially eyed the Whitewellers as possible targets for recruitment and other business!

"We'll just have to manage the risks carefully." He reiterated. "With you and Lucky by my side and the Battle Criers covering us with their mechs, any attackers will have to think twice. They'll be in huge trouble if they become exposed."

"That still leaves way too many options to attack you, sir. Their motives for doing so are very strong."

Ves nodded in agreement. "This is why the key is to stick to Redwell's Provincial Government. While they are sympathetic towards the Bloodwellers, they won't dare to pull off any shenanigans. Inflaming the situation is not in their best interest."

He had to admit it sounded like a mess. While public security hadn't deteriorated to the point where assassinations were rife, Ves didn't dare to enter the Redwell Province without a hefty escort.

Fortunately, the strength of the Battle Criers should be enough to deter most outfits from seeking trouble with him. In addition, he was confident he could navigate the complicated web of Whitewellers, Bloodwellers, Chukans and Hinsoners.

In his eyes, the Chuko Republic was already becoming as murky as the frontier. The key to surviving in the frontier was to make at least some friends who could cover his back.

After studying various options, Ves decided to approach a particular mech designer in Redwell Province.

Chapter 1341

With the fleet's arrival to the Chuko Republic imminent, Ves decided to devote the remainder of his time on his current design project.

Ever since his recent enlightenment, his perspective on mech design and in particular his design philosophy had changed.

He developed the inkling of a theoretical framework to place his work into a more understandable context.

"Each mech I've designed up until now sits squarely between the path of determinism and the path of life." He observed while steepling his fingers above his desk.

Like any other mech designer, he started walking the path of determinism. Yet as soon as he developed his design philosophy, he started shuffling away from the path of determinism and approached the path of life.

This shift in direction happened very gradually when Ves mostly worked with his self-created images.

That changed one day when his mother showed him a new facet of spirituality.

By gifting him with the spiritual fragment of the long-dead crystal builder leader, Ves veered sharply towards the path of life.

Ever since then, he had been moving further away from the path of determinism in order to refine his usage of spiritual fragments.

Right now, Ves believed there was much more he could gain by exploring this direction further. He just had to make sure he didn't commit too much and lose sight of his vocation.

"Whatever I do, I should always remember that I'm a mech designer. Everything I do is meant to improve my mech designs."

He wanted to utilize his new insights and put them to the test. He wanted to explore what the path of life had to offer.

He theorized that it may be possible to utilize the design spirits of his mechs in another fashion.

While their presence enhances and breathes into mechs through the X-Factor, what if they affected a mech more directly?

What if Ves followed the logical train of thought that was central to the path of life? What if he gave his design spirits more direct control over the mech?

"Not completely. Just a portion."

He had just the idea.

Recently, he hadn't made a lot of progress in designing his smart metal tiger mech. He still lacked a good vision based on a viable mech concept.

Now, he was starting to have ideas. Radical ideas. Good ideas. Bad ideas.

With the path of life illuminated before him, he wanted to unearth more of its potential.

What better way to make mechs more alive than actually allowing them to express themselves?

His existing methods wouldn't change. He still intended to work with design spirits to empower the X-Factor of his mechs.

Yet that wasn't enough for him. Not anymore.

"One of the biggest weaknesses of my methods is that too many mech pilots are clueless on how to maximize their use."

By necessity, Ves always obscured his usage of the X-Factor. He resorted to euphemisms, misdirections and outright lies in order to hide the fact that he was making use of a facet that many mech designers could only dream of using.

Yet.. was it still necessary for him to be so circumspect now?

Ves smirked. "Not anymore. My situation is completely different now."

In the early days, Ves always imagined that he needed to hide his secrets to the death. He imagined he could only be more open about his secrets when he gained more strength and fame.

When he was still a Novice or an Apprentice, he was deeply afraid that the MTA or some unscrupulous mech designers would kidnap him and lock him up in their dungeons to extract his golden secrets.

Now that he became a Journeyman and became more exposed of the thinking within the MTA and the high-ranking mech design community, he realized that his concerns had been overblown.

"It's not that they're interested, but it is not worth making a move."

The Mech Trade Association may have turned into a pushy galaxy-spanning behemoth that imposed a lot of rules, but at its core it was still a trade and industry association. Its main purpose was to govern and regulate the mech industry and the mech market.

Every mech designer barring those on the run or gone pirate fell within their governance. Whether a mech designer became an internal or external member, they frequently submitted their mechs and designs to the MTA for certification or validation.

"This essentially means that they can track every mech designer's progress." He muttered.

All of the data they collected was probably being used to constantly evaluate a mech designer's worth. Perhaps they also tasked others to figure out the mechanisms behind their design philosophy in order to broaden the knowledge pool of the entire mech industry.

In essence, many mech designers already donated much of their data to the MTA! Rather than hoarding their design schematics and such, they freely submitted it to the MTA in order to receive their seals of approval!

"There's nothing inherently wrong with this scheme. It's a voluntary and mutually beneficial transaction!"

Ves admired the insidious ingenuity of the MTA. If mech designers had their way, they would have hoarded all of their secrets to their deaths. But by offering various attractive incentives, they managed to entice every legitimate mech designer into offering the Association some very close looks at their works.

No one got worse off. Ves had submitted a handful of mech designs to the MTA for validation and never felt very indignant about it. The practice was so normalized that every mech designers simply began to see it as something akin to submitting their homework for grading.

He scoffed. "The MTA just puts on a friendly teacher's coat and manages to deceive trillions of mech designers that they're just here to help."

As mech designers began to progress their design philosophies and become more formidable, the MTA keenly understood their development. How could they not when they could observe every change and improvement in the mech designs they submitted for validation?!

And when a valuable, high-ranking mech designer reached Master or neared the end of their lives, then the MTA could really pick up a bargain.

Due to the Big Two's monopoly on life-prolonging treatments, the MTA could simply dangle the opportunity to live another century more and receive the secrets they wanted in exchange for a procedure that was likely a lot cheaper to perform.

"Everyone wants to live longer."

The MTA knew this and invested a lot in keeping life-prolonging treatments in their own hands. Aside from the CFA and Five Scrolls Compact, they prevented anyone else from offering the same services.

Mech designers had no choice but to cough up their most valuable trade secrets. Not even Masters were exempt from this reality.

What Ves had learned from his visit at Centerpoint was that the MTA weren't interested in impermanent design philosophies. The trade secrets they valued the most were the ones that had been refined of all of their flaws and impurities and withstood the test of time.

Those who advanced to Master by realizing their design philosophies were the end products that the MTA truly sought for. As for the design philosophies that belonged to Journeymen and Seniors, the Association only slightly paid attention to them, but not to the point where they felt tempted to steal them in an underhanded manner.

Why steal an incomplete and underdeveloped design philosophy? It was akin to stealing a half-finished product that only displayed a fraction of their potential.

Not only that, but resorting to this move would definitely kill or ruin the mech designer they robbed, thereby stopping the incomplete design philosophy from developing any further!

The MTA was an immensely huge organization. It regularly interacted with countless mech designers, some of whom possessed very interesting design philosophies. The Association encountered so many strange phenomena that they had the luxury to sit back and wait for some of them to be realized.

Until that happened, every Journeyman and Senior had very little to fear that the MTA would cast greedy eyes on their unfinished design philosophies.

The same applied to Ves, especially since he left a distorted impression of himself when he paid a visit to the sector headquarters.

Ves did not regret pretending to be a nutcase in front of Professor Oodiv of the MTA.

It was true that his ill-thought decision led to a host of unexpected outcomes. He never intended to acquire an obsessive girlfriend or encourage Master Olson to kick him out of the Friday Coalition.

Nonetheless, these changes weren't entirely bad. They also led to a host of advantages, so Ves did not feel the need to lament over the changes forced upon his life.

"The key is that I successfully achieved my primary goal."

The entire reason he painted his design philosophy in an awful light was to give the MTA a mistaken impression of his beliefs.

Now that he pulled it off, the MTA would probably dismiss most of his unique accomplishments as extensions of an insane and irrational design philosophy.

"If it works for the MTA, I can make it work for everyone else."

If Ves amped up his eccentricity, he would be able to make other mech designers discount him as well.

Even if he started incorporating weird applications of spirituality in his mech designs, it was still fine.

As long as they associated it with the negative stereotype of Class IX design philosophies, they would subconsciously dismiss the value of his accomplishments.

If by some chance a mech designer started to cast greedy eyes on his design philosophy, what could they do? It wasn't as if a Journeyman or Senior could abandon their life's work at the drop of the hat and replace it with another. Their design seeds wouldn't allow them to trash their original design philosophies!

Novices and Apprentices were still capable of adopting different design philosophies, but it was all moot as long as they hadn't advanced to Journeyman yet. For a low-ranking mech designer to steal a radical and unorthodox design philosophy and expect to advance was close to impossible!

In summary, whether it was the MTA or other mech designers, Ves did not have to be so afraid of them anymore. As long as he wore the coat of a stereotypical Class IX mech designer, he could get away with a lot more than he previously thought possible!

"Maybe this act isn't even necessary in the first place!"

Whatever. He had already chosen his course, and he figured that adding some extra insurance on top of the general apathy of rival mech designers couldn't hurt. With at least two layers of insurance protecting him, his chances of attracting trouble by showing off a radical expression of his design philosophy decreased immensely.

To a paranoid mech designer like Ves, this meant a lot!

"This will help me a lot in exploring the path of life."

Much of the potential of the path of life lay in its emphasis on making mechs more closely resemble living entities. While Ves did not outright desire turning mechs into a new living species, he nonetheless expressed some interest into dipping his toes onto this fascinating path.

His next design would incorporate his first new innovation since he first made use of spiritual fragments.

His mind cast into his mental design space where he spontaneously envisioned his mech concept.

He began with imagining a standard-looking tiger mech. Once he fixated its overall shape and dimensions, he began to seek instances where he could cleverly incorporate smart metal.

"Although the overall structure has to be resilient enough to absorb the strong forces the bestial mech is subjected to, there is still a role for smart metal."

Smart metal was already used in many mechs, particularly more advanced ones, to act as shock absorbing cushions.

A simplified way of describing it was that mech designers used smart metal as very advanced springs. Unlike regular springs, they couldn't absorb as much overwhelming force in a single instance.

However, these smart metal shock absorbers possessed an advantage that regular shock absorbers lacked.

They could regenerate and self-repair. Once they absorbed so much shock that they broke, much of the force had already been absorbed. It had already performed its purpose in that instance.

Once the crisis had passed, the broken shock absorbers could easily piece themselves back together. Depending on the type of smart metal being used, this might happen in seconds, which was very crucial in intensive battles!

A tiger mech with constantly-regenerating shock absorbers could withstand a lot more chronic abuse than regular mechs! It would be a treasure on high-gravity planets where every mech had to endure a continuous degree of heavy shocks!

"And that's not all!"

He hadn't even gotten to the fun part of his tiger mech, the part that showcased his new understanding of the path of life!

Chapter 1342

Now that he determined that he could be a lot more open about the applications of his design philosophy, he wanted to design something that could make a splash.

"Starting with my tiger mech is a good idea."

He did not intend to proliferate its design. Merely producing a single copy should be enough for him to complete both of his Upgrade Missions.

For this reason, he began to consider his upcoming design project as something more than a way to explore a couple of unfamiliar directions in mech design.

He saw it as a golden opportunity to perform a bold experiment.

An experiment related to the path of life.

The premise of his idea was simple. Rather than relegating his design spirits in the background and limit them to influencing the performance of a mech through the X-Factor, why not allow them to control a portion of a mech directly?

"It's like automation, but on a different level!"

Every mech incorporated at least some form of automation. It was unavoidable as a single human mind couldn't possibly control every single variable of a complex war machine.

Yet the automation that Ves had in mind went much further than that. With the design spirit acting in place of an AI or automated routine, he wanted to give it sole, tangible control over a limb!

"And maybe even more limbs!"

A tiger mech possessed five limbs.

Its front and rear limbs played an essential role in the locomotion of the machine. Ves did not intend to mess with the mech pilot's control over those essential limbs.

He instead directed his attention to the often-neglected rear limb, the tail.

"Many mech designers even leave that out entirely."

Organic tigers used them as means of communication and a way to help them balance their bodies during maneuvers.

Mechs that adopted the body shape of tigers had no need for those functions. Mech designers could tweak the body structure of a tiger mech to make the balancing function of a tail redundant. As for the communication function, the signalling function of a tail only played a role in situations where there was very strong jamming or where any conventional communication attempts might signal the enemy as well.

Some mech designers even turned the tail of a tiger mech into a strong antenna that amplified their communication capabilities.

Nonetheless, most mech designers merely added tails to a tiger mech because that was what their customers expected. Seeing a tiger mech without a tail was a slightly jarring sight so some mech pilots. Even if it made the mech more expensive, they insisted on adding articulating tails to their mechs because they wouldn't have the illusion of embodying a giant tiger machine without this cosmetic limb!

For his current design project, Ves planned to turn the tail of his tiger mech into a smart metal limb. Not only that, but he planned to give full rein of it over to the design spirit!

"It'll be an autonomous tail controlled by an entity other than the mech pilot of the automated systems of the mech!" He exulted. "For the first time, my mechs can finally express themselves more directly! They'll be able to influence reality without asking for permission from their mech pilots!"

He called it spiritual automation! Of course, he would refer to it as metaphysical automation in public if anyone asked.

He couldn't wait to see what the mech community thought of this novel addition to his mechs. The new application he came up with was so crazy and radical that Ves couldn't help but erupt in laughter!

"Hahahahaha!"

"Hahahahahahahahaha!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Meow?!"

Lucky, who was leisurely dozing off on his desk, suddenly jerked up his feet. After seeing his owner getting drunk off one of his insane ideas again, he decided it was best to go elsewhere for a while.

Who knew what craziness Ves might do next! Lucky wanted no part of his dumb schemes!

"Meow!"

As Lucky phased through the deck as fast as he could, Ves subsided from his laughter.

It was all well and good to exult in his ideas, but without putting them into action, it was wholly premature of him to rest on his laurels.

"I still have a lot of work to do in designing the mech." He stated, centering his focus away from his previous rush.

Though his earlier conduct was a little shameful, the outburst succeeded in invigorating his drive. With his passion fired up, he deeply wanted his next design project to succeed!

However, designing his mech was easier said than done. If he wanted to meet the demands of both his Upgrade Missions at once, then he had to turn at least thirty percent of his tiger mech into smart metal.

"Incorporating smart metal shock absorbers in a typical tiger mech will only net me five percent at most." He surmised. "It might be possible for me to double it if I tweak the design to maximize their use."

That still left him with twenty percent to go. He supposed he might be able to turn additional components or subcomponents of his tiger mech into smart metal.

"Certain sections of the limbs can be turned into smart metal as well." He thoughtfully rubbed his chin. "It's best if I turn certain sections of armor into smart metal as well, but the cost of doing so is prohibitive for third-class mechs."

Smart metal used as armor had to be formed out of exceptional materials. Their license costs were also high, though Ves didn't care since he planned to pirate the necessary licenses anyway.

"Even if I'm prepared to invest a lot of money in this project, it's best to keep it as limited as possible."

The incorporation of smart metal meant that regardless of what he designed, it would cost at least 200 million bright credits at minimum to fabricate a copy.

This left out all the overhead costs such as the price of making use of the clandestine facilities that allowed him to fabricate his mech in secret. It also left out the license costs that would have added billions of bright credits to the total bill!

Trying to stay as frugal as possible was going to be very hard to Ves as he tried to meet his goals. Everything would be so much easier if Ves invested ten billion bright credits into acquiring the best materials and produce resilient but adaptable smart metal armor plating.

He shook his head. "It's too extravagant!"

Inwardly, he left the option to splurge his money as a backup option. If he failed to design his intended mech with all of the limitations he imposed on the project, he had no qualms in spending extra to forcibly overcome an intractable problem.

His pride and his wallet wouldn't be happy, though.

"I'm still spending more money than I make at the moment." He muttered.

Though he still possessed a healthy reserve of money, he wanted to save the bulk of it for a rainy day. Spending billions of credits to forcibly complete a design project was like cheating in a way.

While Ves did not mind cheating every once in a while, doing it in this instance would deprive him of a valuable learning opportunity.

"This design project is a test of my ingenuity. If my design ability is good enough, I can surely overcome this problem with a reasonable budget!"

He began to draw up a very loose draft of his upcoming design. He activated his terminal and drew the contours of a typical tiger mech.

He then modified and tweaked its shape in order to incorporate smart metal components wherever he could get away with it. Aside from implementing shock absorbers and other minor sections, he also added an oversized tail to the mix.

Even then, Ves only brushed up to ten percent at most, which only represented a third of his target.

"I need more!"

He decided to convert more components and subcomponents into smart metal. While this reduced the overall strength of the frame, the mech became a lot more capable of restoring its functions after suffering an impact.

After a few hours of drafting and sketching, he tentatively managed to turn fifteen percent of his tiger mech into smart metal.

This was already a lot. The substitution of so many strong parts with weaker ones took a toll on his draft design. If he wanted to squeeze in even more smart metal, then he needed to make a more drastic reimagining of his tiger mech design.

"This is not enough! I need at least double!"

Trying to increase the proportion of smart metal in his draft design without resorting to replacing the armor plating was immensely difficult.

He decided to take a break and set his design project aside. Perhaps by allowing his thoughts to precipitate, he might come up with a better way.

"I still have plenty of time before I have to complete my design."

He wanted to be ready to fabricate his mech by the time he reached the Sentinel Kingdom, which was still a few months away. He still had to go through the Chuko Republic first!

Tomorrow, his fleet would be crossing into Chuko space and enter the outskirts of Redwell Province.

This was a risky region of space. A lot of pirate bands prowled the peripheral star systems due to their distance from major star systems. Though the Redwell Province's military deployed frequent patrols to the border, their forces had already been stretched beyond their limits. They simply couldn't cover enough territory to provide adequate protection over their entire stretch of border systems.

Fortunately, the Barracuda and her escorts firmly stuck to the main trading lanes. Even if trade had largely dried up, the security around the channels shouldn't have deteriorated too much. The Chuko Republic and the Redwell province couldn't afford to discourage any more traders shipping essential supplies and goods!

Ves decided to call Commander Cinnabar on the Ion Tracker to hear his advice.

As the call came through, the red haired man's projection appeared in front of the desk.

"Boss, what do you want?"

"Have you visited the Chuko Republic before?"

"Eh, I have. That was a long time ago, though. Chuko was in a much better state back then. People didn't believe that the state would fall at that time."

"Can you tell me anything useful about Chuko that you haven't already included in the reports?"

Commander Cinnabar scratched his scraggly red beard. "Maybe. I'm not sure whether I'm still right."

"Just tell me what you think is useful about Chuko or the Redwell."

"Well, my first piece of advice is that you should get in touch with the underground faction. If you aren't squeamish about mingling with shady organizations, then you can find a lot of useful goods at bottom prices."

Ves raised his eyebrow. This sounded interesting! "Oh? Why is that so?"

"Everyone still needs to make money. The extraction industry has been in constant decline due to the frequent conflicts, but they haven't stopped mining exotics. The problems the Chukans face is that it's becoming very difficult to export them to other states. Many trade convoys carrying significant amounts of valuable resources never reached their destination."

"So there's a glut of goods piling up in the state?"

"Yeah." The Kinner mercenary commander confirmed. "The central and provincial governments regularly dispatch their highly-guarded trade convoys to pick up the accumulating reserves of goods, but the interval between these visits can stretch up to weeks or months. That's a lot of goods piling up in warehouses, you know."

"So the people who are close to those warehouses surreptiously skim off the top and sell them at the black market?"

"Pretty much. Even the gangs have to make ends meet."

Instances like this reflected the malaise affecting the Chuko Republic. With hardly any private trading vessels diverting to the deteriorating state, it was no surprise that they resorted to these means.

Chapter 1343

"I'll keep your earlier advice in mind." Ves smiled. "Do you have any other suggestions?"

"You might want to hire a local mercenary corps."

"Oh? Do you lack the confidence to guard me, commander?"

He hired the Kinner mercenary corps with the confidence that they could cover most of his security needs. If Commander Cinnabar thought he couldn't do it, then what was the point of hiring them in the first place?

"I'm still sure that my Battle Criers take care of most threats coming your way, sir." Cinnabar quickly added. "It's just that having a local guide will help us avoid any trouble spots and introduce us to the right people."

"Why not hire an actual guide like Kelandra back at Bloodstone?"

Commander Cinnabar shook his head. "A civilian guide will help you navigate regular society better, but they're not much use when you want to navigate the murkier side of the local region."

"I already intend to visit a local mech designer who might help me on this front."

"That will help, but they won't be able to smooth over everything, particularly if you get into a conflict with the more unscrupulous groups. There are smaller mercenary corps for hire in the Chuko Republic who have made it their business to keep visitors like you out of trouble. They're a lot pricier than normal, but you're effectively paying tribute in exchange for a promise of safety."

"Are those mercenary corps in bed with the groups that might threaten us?" Ves asked suspiciously.

The commander grinned. "Very likely. That doesn't mean that the local mercenary corps are untrustworthy. Crisis situation or not, the Mercenary Association is still respected there, I think. If mercenaries become as trustworthy as pirates, then that's the moment when the Chuko Republic has really fallen."

That was a bold claim to make, but it made sense. The role of mercenaries declined during peacetime. Lack of conflict was bad business in their eyes.

When a moderate amount of conflict occurred, the mercenary industry enjoyed a boom time. There was plenty of work for them available and customers paid handsomely in order to secure their properties and trade convoys.

The situation at the Chuko Republic had gone beyond that. The awful security situation, the lack of trade and the deterioration of institutions meant that many companies had shuttered or were already teetering on the edge of solvency.

Many of these struggling companies hardly had the money to spare on hiring mercenaries.

The mercenary corps themselves found it increasingly more difficult to purchase fuel, supplies, mechs, ships and other goods. Without an adequate infrastructure, the prices for these goods and services increased to a level where many mercenary corps found it untenable to continue to operate in the Chuko Republic.

Many of them had packed up their bags and exited the Chuko Republic. Those that remained behind for various reasons barely made ends meet.

It did not surprise Ves to hear that these leftovers resorted to crooked means to supplement their income.

In the end, Ves decided to accept Commander Cinnabar's suggestion. Bribing the local power players in order to avoid any opportunistic attacks was a necessary price to pay for mingling in a troubled state.

"Please explore some options for me and send the list to me." Ves instructed. "I'm sure you know the local landscape a bit better than I. Try and sound them out as well to see if they can offer something special."

"Will do, boss. I made some old friends a long time ago. I'll get in touch with them again and see if they can give us a hand."

The commander did not have much to say beyond that. His knowledge of the Chuko Republic was rusty and out of date, which meant that most of his experiences were no longer relevant.

After Ves ended the call, he decided to contact someone else while he was at it. He called up Tristan Wesseling on a whim.

The call did not come through. After several minutes of ringing, Ves finally gave up with a disappointed sigh. "He's probably busy or isolated."

Just like Ves, not every mech designer appreciated being interrupted by comm calls while they were in a crucial phase of their design projects.

Who else could he talk to outside of business matters?

One name stood out. Gloriana would definitely answer his comm call. Yet the thought of talking to her made him nervous. There was only so much Gloriana he could handle at a time.

Ves had a hunch she might be watching him through the ship's monitoring system right now.

He turned his head to a random direction. "Gloriana, if you're watching me right now, at least give me the illusion of privacy. Also, don't bother trying to sneak a peek at me when I'm in the bathroom. I've already taken precautions."

No projection of a certain woman popped up after he had spoken, but he was sure she would get the message.

"Goddamn backdoors."

If he wanted to enjoy more thorough privacy, then he either needed to carry an active jammer all day or he should obtain a starship without any holes in its security.

He let out a rueful chuckle. "Unless I build a ship from the ground up, I can forget about obtaining a truly secure ship."

The best he could do in a reasonable amount of time was to start a shipbuilding company. He'd also have to hire some young shipwrights fresh out of university before other organizations got their hooks into them. Then he'd have to wait for years as they built up the necessary skills to progress from simple cargo haulers to being able to design and build more advanced spacecraft.

"That's way too much trouble." Ves shook his head.

Mech designers that diverted into shipbuilding were only distracting themselves from their actual work. People like Professor Velten of the Flagrant Vandals already warned him not to take other vocations lightly.

Right now, Ves ought to focus fully on reaching Senior as fast as possible. Not only would he have more say in matters, but he could also stay a step ahead of Gloriana.

"Who can I call?"

He wanted to try and call Carlos, but he figured that might just inflame his animosity towards him further.

After a bit of thought, he decided to call Professor Ventag. He had some questions about the way forward for a Journeyman and could use some advice from a friendly Senior Mech Designer.

Though Ves met numerous Seniors, he could only really approach two of them. Between Professor Ventag who he collaborated with and the insane Skull Architect, he definitely preferred to take advice from the former!

The call took some time to get through. He first had to get through a secretary before the Senior himself appeared in front of him as a projection.

The man looked a bit more tired and stressed than usual. Ves always found the professor to be a model of composure.

"Ves. It's been some time since we've talked." The professor sat down on a chair on his own end. "The Aurora Titan is still selling like hotcakes, though so far it has rarely seen battle."

"Only the wealthy outfits and security companies have bought the copies. It's no surprise that no one wants to test their mettle." Ves replied.

"Indeed. Anyway, I doubt you wanted to talk about the Aurora Titan. It's a great design and an enduring seller but not the kind of product that will achieve much market penetration."

"I wanted to ask for some advice, actually." He paused for a bit. "Recently, I've become a bit troubled by the.. changes in mentality."

The professor smiled. "I'm sure you've observed that mech designers like us can come in all shapes and sizes. Some are.. not as composed as normal people. This is a known phenomenon in the mech community. The MTA has poured a lot of investigation into this subject and the general consensus is that it's related to one of the secrets that you no doubt heard when you visited their sector headquarters."

Ves nodded. The professor referred to psionic power.

"I'm kind of worried about keeping my personality under control."

"This is a concern that every developing mech designer faces. My best advice is not to worry about it too much."

"Oh?"

"It's simple. Mech design is difficult the higher up you go. People like you and me have displayed the drive that has allowed us to step past the limitations halting many ordinary mech designers from progressing any further. The moment mech designers become cautious and timid, they'll become a lot less likely to make any further progress."

"So mech designers ought to be more bold if they want to increase their chances of breaking through."

The professor shook his head. "It's not as straightforward as that. It's not the case that bold mech designers are always successful or that cautious mech designers are universal failures. In truth, there are many factors in play that affect a mech designer's probability of breaking through, and it's impossible to determine all of them and calculate the best behavior that you can adopt in order to maximize your chances."

"Mech designers are humans, and humans are complicated." Ves summed up.

"Exactly. This is exactly why mech designers exist. We utilize our human ingenuity to develop creative new solutions to service the demand for better mechs."

"So ultimately mech designers should just be themselves?"

"Within reason. The MTA's recommendation is to stick to their guidelines as much as possible, and I think they have a lot of merit. Controlled passion is the key phrase here."

The professor didn't tell Ves what he already knew. Mech designers ought to be themselves while balancing their passion and control. Although this did not ensure the best success, it was the best consensus position to take.

Perhaps the only reason why the MTA did not push for full control was because many mech designers wouldn't be able to restrain themselves anyway.

In addition, the MTA was still racing against time to improve the overall standard of mech design before warships made their inevitable reappearance. If a couple of nutcases like the Skull Architect occasionally popped up, then that was an acceptable price to pay!

"What do you think, professor?" Ves pressed. "Is there anything else you can tell me besides parroting the MTA line?"

Professor Ventag chuckled. "If you ask me, your concerns on this matter are wildly overblown. From my interactions with you, you're a bright and thoughtful mech designer. While your ambitions are great, they've mostly been a boon to you. As long as you are passionate in your craft, I'm sure you will grow farther. You're a lot more brilliant than I was at your age."

"Thanks for the compliment." Ves awkwardly smiled.

The professor evidently didn't know him very well. Their interactions had always been polite and Ves barely ever showed a different facet of himself to the esteemed Senior.

The two chatted about other subjects as Ves asked some minor questions. The professor's replies didn't tell him anything exciting, but his advice was very practical.

"How will the Bright Republic react if I continue my relationship with Gloriana?" Ves suddenly asked.

"You're not the first Brighter who has entered into a relationship with a prominent second-class citizen." The professor easily replied. "Miss Wodin is an exceptional woman. While the Bright Republic as a whole maintains various ties with the Friday Coalition, the state isn't concerned that you will do anything untoward unless you make explicit moves to influence government policy."

"Will the state really remain uninvolved?"

The professor crossed his arms. "Do you think you're the first Brighter who snagged a powerful lover? There are rules for this. The Hexadric Hegemony won't allow Gloriana to unduly exert pressure on the Bright Republic through her relations with you. The same applies to Fridaymen as well. The only reason for the Bright Republic to pay more attention to your relationship is if hostilities between the two second-rate states begin to flare."

"Will I be in trouble if that happens?" He frowned.

"It'll be fine. If the big boys ever come to blows, the Bright Republic and the other inconsequential states will merely be relegated to the sides. When the dust finally settles, everyone who aligned themselves with the losing state will probably become the friends of the winning state in short order."

Professor Ventag's words expressed the general helplessness the Bright Republic faced. Ves was glad of that, since it didn't sound as if Ves would incur any serious repercussions if he continued to associate himself with the Hexers.

Chapter 1344

After his talk with Professor Ventag, Ves realized that he no longer paid much attention to the Bright Republic. His deliberate strategy to enter foreign markets as well as his personal travels abroad made him less inclined to see his home state as an important consideration.

"It's home, but it's so small." He whispered.

He always imagined that his business was destined to outgrow the Bright Republic. With the advantages he possessed, Ves would have to be a dunce if his business activities failed to outpace the companies owned by other peers.

Nonetheless, the pace of his outward expansion exceeded his earlier projections. His perspective had also changed. Seeing the majesty of Centerpoint firsthand opened up his eyes to the diversity and prosperity not too far from his home state.

It became harder and harder for him to direct an adequate amount of attention to the Bright Republic.

"Is it too small for a mech designer like me?"

He shook his head. He shouldn't get too conceited. The Bright Republic was still the foundation of his mech business. It posed the least barriers to him and he could always count on it to have his back whenever he met with difficulties in his business ventures.

The Bright Republic extracted a juicy amount of tax from the LMC, after all. Flashlight also harbored a lot of ambitions to reach foreign states through a company they held shares in. His home state had taken plenty of preemptive measures to keep the LMC and Ves firmly in their claws.

"Yet... if I really want to, I can probably break out of their cage." He realized.

With a rich and powerful girlfriend like Gloriana, he could probably ask her to apply some pressure to extract some concessions from the Bright Republic.

Yet what would be the point? Not only would he uproot himself from the place of his birth, his defection would also affect the standing of his fellow Larkinsons.

"The Larkinson Family is rooted in the Bright Republic. I can't imagine they are willing to abandon centuries of loyal service and development." He muttered.

In the future, Ves would have to make an important decision. Two decisions in fact.

First, should he pull off a 'Patricia' and move the center of his business and design activities to a better place?

Second, should he transition from designing third-class mechs to second-class mechs?

Ves had resolved to stick to the status quo on both questions fairly recently. Yet with the sudden events that overtook him recently, he began to doubt the wisdom of his earlier decisions.

The two questions were deeply intertwined. Not only did they affect his future trajectory to an enormous degree, the choices he made also influenced the development of his design work.

The question whether he should transition to designing second-class mechs became very thorny for him recently.

One of the biggest shortcomings between his relationship with Gloriana was that she was a second-class mech designer. While she could probably design a third-class mech in an emergency, she would no doubt hate the many cost, resource and tech limitations these mechs imposed.

As for Ves, while he was confident he could get the hang of designing second-class mechs in time, he would have to familiarize himself with their characteristic design principles over a lengthy period of time before he could really hit his stride.

Ves shook his head. Though the other side looked really attractive, he had just come off a conversation with Professor Ventag who emphasized that he should stay true to himself.

"I can't discount his advice."

Though the professor's advice was really boring and perfunctory, his words nonetheless reflected a fundamental truth to every mech designer.

Their work reflected their heart.

For now, uprooting his foundation in order to make a permanent move out of his home was way too jarring. It wouldn't do his future development any good if he constantly chased after shinier toys.

"Well, that's for later. The Chuko Republic awaits!"

The Barracuda and the accompanying Battle Crier vessels quietly entered Chukan space after many weeks of travel. Many other vessels had already made a detour as they came close to the infamously troubled state. Only a handful of vessels still continued onwards despite the perils.

Fortunately, his fleet encountered no hindrance until they arrived at the Vindar System of the Redwell Province.

The Vindar System used to be one of the Chuko Republic's many moderately industrialized star systems. Vindar's mech industry used to be small but burgeoning. Now, it was teetering on the edge of irrelevance as domestic mech designers dealt with many problems arising from failing institutions, worsening security situation and dysfunctional logistics.

The latter problem was really acute. With trade and shipping drying up, the cost of materials ballooned. The supply of materials only sold outside the Chuko Republic became so limited that some of their prices increased by an order of magnitude!

A lot of mechs became too expensive to produce because some of their components cost ten times as much to make! This forced many mech designers out of business while compelling the remainder to design more sober mechs that made do without critical materials that they took for granted.

The Chuko Republic's mech industry entered into such dire straits that foreign mech sales heavily overtook domestic sales.

"The Chukans lost confidence in their domestic mech designers." Ves observed.

This made a lot of mech designers desperate to leave for better pastures. Unfortunately, the central and provincial governments didn't let them. After the initial waves of brain drain occurred, the government quickly clamped down on emigration.

The moment a state lost its brightest mind was the moment where their futures were cut off!

Right now, his visit to the Chuko Republic was very conspicuous for that reason. He was sure he'd be eyed very closely by the government authorities. The moment he made any moves to poach their local mech designers or researchers, he'd probably arouse their ire.

Even Ves did not dare to overstep his boundaries lightly in Vindar.

Once the fleet successfully transitioned into the Vindar System, Ves observed the local plot and saw nothing of note. Ship traffic was fairly anemic even for industrial star systems in a slump.

"Captain, please set course for Vindar VII."

"Will do, sir."

The Vindar System possessed two habitable planets. Vindar V proved to be a mildly favorable planet for the cultivation of food and luxury crops. Right now, handled the bulk of the food needs of Vindar VII and a handful of surrounding star systems.

Vindar VII served as the industrial, administrative and commercial heart of the star system. It used to be a bustling regional center in this corner of the Redwell Province, but times had changed. With lots of businesses shuttering their doors, the planet suffered from high unemployment.

Putting all of those people out of work with hardly any alternative except for basic handouts to keep them fed led to a lot of discontent. In fact, Vindar VII experienced frequent spats of fighting due to the growing ranks of locals joining the banners of the Whitewellers and Bloodwellers.

Despite these unfavorable conditions, Ves nonetheless pressed through with his visit. This was because Vindar VII housed a very interesting mech designer.

After a quiet journey where the Barracuda and the Battle Crier ships were subjected to strict inspections from the paltry, bribe-hungry garrison, they successfully reached orbit.

Due to the strict measures the Redwell Province implemented to prevent smuggling or trafficking, all traffic from orbit to surface and vica versa had to be taken care of by government or military-owned ships.

As everyone was ready to depart to the surface, Ves allowed Crindon to remain behind in order to continue the overhaul of the Barracuda.

Ves, Nitaa, Gavin, Commander Cinnabar and Lucky proceeded to board a worn-out shuttle operated by the planetary government.

The landbound mechs of the Battle Criers would join them later. Due to the various restrictions Vindar VII imposed, Ves was only allowed to bring just six mechs down to the surface for his own protection.

"You should be glad you're allowed to bring some mechs down to the surface at all." Commander Cinnabar helplessly shrugged. "Despite all the violence raging in the back streets, the planetary government doesn't want to inflame the situation any further."

"I suppose it doesn't matter as soon as we meet with the mercenaries you've contacted, right?"

"Yup. The limitations won't apply retroactively, so if we sign a contract with a local mercenary corps, we can effectively exceed the cap on mechs."

This was one of the many ways in which the government attempted to encourage local spending.

The shuttle landed at a heavily-guarded spaceport in Wilxyr, the jewel of Vindar VII.

"Well, it used to be shinier here last time I visited." Commander Cinnabar belatedly noted.

The city sure did look like it enjoyed better days. While the cityscape didn't feature too much grime or ruined structures, Ves noted that many of them appeared to be empty or out of business.

The general mood among the people in the streets didn't seem very encouraging either. It was as if the local citizens experienced so many setbacks that they became numb to their deteriorating circumstsances.

"We should wait for the mech escorts to arrive." Fe Nitaa advised. This time, she opted to wear a suit of medium combat armor instead of her more low-profile bodyguard outfit. "The risks of encountering trouble after stepping out of this spaceport is too significant. If you look outside, there aren't enough peacekeepers on the streets to deter attacks."

Everyone else except Ves nodded in agreement. Even Lucky agreed!

"Meow!"

Ves bowed to their collective wisdom. "Okay. I guess we can wait until the customs office releases our escort mechs."

Unfortunately, that took another round of bribes to facilitate. If they didn't, the officials working there might decide to hold the mechs back for a few days!

"You should keep your bank account ready." Commander Cinnabar warned. "I've visited a handful of places like this where every bureacrat stops giving a damn to their superiors."

The prevalence of bribes was a good way to gauge how well the local society functioned. Having already been forced to bribe the inspectors, the shuttle and transport crews as well as the spaceport customs office, their opinion of the Vindar System had dropped to rock bottom!

Ves already knew what he was getting into. "Vindar is far from a paradise, but it's not an outright disaster zone."

"I'm not so sure, boss." Gavin remarked. "I always thought it was a bad idea to visit the Chuko Republic. What I've seen so far suggests the situation is much worse than I thought."

The executive assistant really didn't want to come down to the surface.

"Relax, Benny. Once we contact the local mercenary corps, we'll probably be in the clear."

Once the Battle Crier mechs were finally let go, the group began to move to the outskirts of Wilxyr.

Ves studied the landbound mechs of the Battle Criers that surrounded their shuttle. He had already studied them before. They were generally budget models with quite a few years of service already behind them. While they were not as impressive as the mechs of the Avatars of Myth, they were all dependable and rugged, which was a key trait to any mercenary corps who wanted to make ends meet.

"As long as you stick with me, your Battle Criers will get to play with better mechs." Ves promised to Commander Cinnabar.

"We'll see." The Kinner replied noncomittedly.

They soon arrived at the grounds of a small and shabby-looking base. While the sight did not inspire a lot of confidence in Ves, Commander Cinnabar swore that the mercenaries occupying the base was one of the most reliable outfits around.

Whether that was truly the case remained to be seen. In any case, it wasn't as if the alternatives were that much better in the first place. Not after so many years of decline.

Chapter 1345

Ves and his staff entered the base owned by an outfit called the Vindar Dustravens. They were different from many other outfits in that they exclusively fielded aerial mechs.

When times were good, their services were in high demand. Yet when the Chuko Republic's economy continued to tumble downwards, the Dustravens found themselves with very little jobs.

According to Commande Cinnabar, in order for them to keep paying the bills, they began to cooperate with the shadier organizations in Vindar.

Commander Inteo Meivin of the Dustravens greeted the commander of the Battle Criers with a hearty hug.

"Hugin! It's been almost half a decade!"

"Hahaha!" Cinnabar laughed as they let go of each other. "You look older than before! Times sure have changed."

"And not for the better." Commander Meivin commented. "Let's leave the unpleasant topics for later. Mr. Larkinson, welcome to Vindar VII. Although I can't promise your stay will be pleasant, as long as we are around, we'll do our best to make you feel secure."

Ves smiled at Meivin. "I'll take your word for that. What I've seen so far of this planet doesn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence."

"Let's discuss the contract further in my office. I've already prepared the arrangements beforehand."

Once they entered the administrative building of the Dustravens, Ves and Meivin quickly hashed out a limited agreement. The Dustravens would escort and accompany Ves during his entire stay in the Redwell Province.

"Are you confident you'll be able to protect us outside of the Vindar System?" Ves curiously questioned.

"Our mechs might not look like much, but we have many ties to many different organizations." Commander Meivin confidently replied. "We Redwellers have to stick together, you see. If every Redweller has to fend for themselves, then our province will quickly cease to be a part of the Chuko Republic."

Ves took that to mean that Commander Meivin was inclined towards the Bloodweller side.

"Alright. Commander Cinnabar is confident in your capabilities, so I'll take your word for it. I better hope your ties are as extensive as you've boasted."

It wasn't as if Ves could determine the truth. This kind of information wasn't mentioned in any public records. Even if Ves approached another mercenary corps, he would just face the same problem anyway. He might as well give the Dustravens a chance.

Ves left the subsequent details to Gavin. As the contract was being finalized, Ves started to pump Commander Meivin for information.

"How is the overall level of security on Vindar VII?"

"It's been better, Mr. Larkinson. Since Vindar is not a border system, we aren't plagued by frequent fighting. While violent incidents do occur from time to time, they're mostly scuffles at the infantry level."

"Oh? What about mech-on-mech violence?"

"That happens surprisingly little here. Outfits like us are already struggling to make ends meet with our existing roster of mechs. Replacing them when they get wrecked can get extremely expensive, so everyone with mechs will have to think twice before they risk them in battle."

That was a welcome piece of news for Ves. He did not fear any threats on the infantry level. It was only mechs that posed a significant threat to him. Shield generator or not, it wouldn't protect him for long if a mech kept stomping its feet into his body!

"What do you know about Terrence Reedan?" Ves asked.

"Old Man Terrence? He's the only remaining Journeyman Mech Designer in Vindar. He's getting on in his years. As far as I know, his business is all but dead and he's done nothing against it. Everyone knows the old man has given up on his life. He has no wife and no kids and his standing in the mech industry isn't very high."

According to the information that Ves had found, Terrence Reedan had turned out to be a mediocre Journeyman. He advanced rather late in his life and barely improved afterwards.

This signified that Old Man Terrence hadn't made any significant progress towards Senior. Considering the older man's Class VIII design philosophy, Ves wasn't surprised.

According to the limited record that Ves managed to access from the MTA's database, Terrence Reedan's specialty dealt with neural interfaces. The exact details escaped him as research into neural interfaces was a very sensitive subject matter in the mech community.

Ves spotted an opportunity ever since he came across Terrence Reedan's situation. This man was a potential goldmine of knowledge about neural interface technology.

Just like Iris Jupiter and the Jupiter Family of the Vesia Kingdom, Terrence Reedan was one of the few mech designers who received permission from the MTA to research neural interfaces!

From his own haphazard experiments with neural interfaces, Ves knew first-hand how thorny it was to connect the mind of a human to a machine.

Yet Ves couldn't stop his fascination for this field. The man-machine connection played a central role to his design philosophy, so the limited amount of knowledge he accumulated from various sources would eventually hamper him from developing better mechs.

"Has Terrence received any visitors over the years?"

"Not as far as I know. Reedan Mech Industries has already downscaled its production a long time ago, so hardly any business had come his way. I've heard that other mech designers haven't bothered to maintain their relationships with him either."

Ves understood why. The man was already old and had no hopes of advancing to Senior and thereby earn enough money for the first round of life-prolonging treatment.

In addition, domestic mech designers didn't have much interest in making use of customized neural interfaces during this period of decline. It was much safer and cheaper to incorporate the standard neural interface models that the MTA provided to every mech designer for free.

Only an oddball like Ves would still think to approach a mech designer who specialized in this controversial and problematic field.

As Ves and Commander Meivin continued to chat, the contract finally took shape. After both of them signed it, the Dustravens were officially under the employ of Ves for a maximum of two months or until Ves departed from the Redwell Province.

They shook hands.

"You've made the right choice, Mr. Larkinson."

"I hope so." Ves smiled back. "Please coordinate your deployments with Commander Cinnabar. He is already responsible for every mech-related matter."

"Will do."

The addition of the Vindar Dustravens to his mech protection detail plugged an important gap that the Battle Criers hadn't been able to address.

The aerial mechs of the Dustravens were fast and light. From what Ves heard, the Dustravens used to field medium aerial mechs in the past, but they gradually ditched them as their fuel or energy consumption became too burdensome to a declining mercenary corps.

The light aerial mechs that remained were mostly of the harasser type. They were designed to pelt distant enemies from afar while maintaining their distance.

Overall, the Dustraven mechs fared poorly in melee combat, so any aerial light skirmisher that sneaked up on them could quickly dice them apart.

Nonetheless, the chances of that happening was low since the Dustraven mechs were already fast to begin with. They wouldn't allow an enemy mech to approach without paying a hefty price.

Perhaps the only other shortcoming of the Dustraven mechs was that their firepower was very light, but Ves already took that into account. He prized them more for their deterrence against assassins and other troublemakers on foot.

As the two mercenary commanders hashed out their arrangements, Ves and his entourage quickly entered their shuttle and slowly flew towards the headquarters of Reedan Mech Industries.

For such a grand name, the company looked anything but industrious. As Ves arrived at the empty parking zone of the headquarters, Ves studied the building with a critical eye.

"Nine out of ten offices are empty."

"I'm surprised that one and ten are still present." Gavin noted. "Is there any reason to clock into work at all? It's been years since Reedan Mech Industries sold a mech!"

"Maybe Terrence Reedan kept them on the payroll so that they wouldn't starve on the streets."

The structure itself had seen some better days as well. Rusty cleaning bots erased the graffiti splattered over its walls. The guard posts were empty. The defensive turrets and other installations had all been ripped away as the security company that used to guard it had moved away.

The group entered the lobby, where they were met with a single feeble-looking assistant.

"Ah, Mr. Larkinson. You are right on time. Terrence Reedan is waiting for you upstairs." The man who looked to be almost as old as Reedan said.

The assistant was probably Reedan's version of Gavin.

They stepped into an elevator that brought them straight to the top. Once there, they entered into an expansive office that should have displayed the power and prestige of a Journeyman Mech Designer.

Right now, most of the furniture and ornaments that used to decorate the office was absent. This gave Ves and the other visitors a very desolate impression of the room and its principal occupant.

"Mr. Larkinson." A husky voice whispered. A speech enhancer amplified the volume of the old man's voice. "Please step closer. As for your guests, my assistant will lead them elsewhere. You won't need them here."

"Sir." Nitaa stepped forward, but Ves raised his hand.

"Some matters between mech designers are best discussed amongst ourselves, Nitaa."

She eventually acquiesced after some convincing. Only Ves, Lucky and Old Man Terrence remained in the office after the others left.

Ves kept Lucky in his arms without asking permission, figuring that Old Man Terrence likely wouldn't mind.

The other mech designer indeed made no comment about the presence of his pet.

Once Ves approached the man's desk and took the only available seat, they began their discussion.

"So. A new Journeyman wishes to exchange with me?" The shaky old man chuckled. Among all the senile people Ves had met, only Venerable O'Callahan of the Flagrant Vandals looked closer to death! "I must profess my lack of understanding why a vigorous young mech designer like you are interested in my tales. There are many other mech designers you can hear from instead."

"That is true." Ves replied while stroking Lucky's back. His confident posture gave him the impression that he was the one in charge in the office! "I'm not interested in boring tales, though. Can you guess why I've come?"

The old man hackingly coughed. "I can think of no other reason than to obtain information that mech designers like you aren't supposed to obtain. That is dangerous, young man."

Ves innocently spread his hands. "I'm not interested in obtaining classified knowledge on neural interfaces from you. Instead, I'd like you to pass on your general insights related to this field."

"There is much that I can't say."

"I'm not asking for technical details or secret formulas, Mr. Reedan. I just want a better impression on the effect a neural interface has on both ends."

Ves knew his limits and he knew it wouldn't be wise to ask for more. Just learning some of the accumulated insights of a mech designer who had been in the business for over seventy years was valuable enough.

The restraint shown by Ves impressed the old man somewhat. Old Man Terrence fell into a thoughtful mood.

"Since I am not long for this galaxy, I might as well impart a portion of my insights to a fellow practitioner of the craft. You're not the first mech designer who asked me about neural interfaces, but you're the only one who approached in these declining times."

Well, that was easy. Ves thought he had to do a lot more convincing to get the old man to open his mouth.

"Thank you, Mr. Reedan. I'll do my best to make good use of your knowledge. A part of your work will always live on in my mech designs."

"You don't have to flatter me, kid. My legacy is worthless." The old man bluntly stated. "Well, enough about that. Let's get started with this exchange, shall we?"

Chapter 1346

Ves and Old Man Terrence made themselves comfortable in their seats.

While Terrence leaned over his desk, Ves continued to pet Lucky in a leisurely manner.

The owner of the office pressed a button on his desk which caused a signal jammer to engage. Once the jamming field came into force, the old man began to speak."

"Let me start with something basic. Do you know why neural interfaces never became popular until the advent of mechs?"

This was an easy question to Ves. "That's because the early incarnations of neural interfaces were very crude. Because they are so intricately tied to the human minds that connect to them, permanent brain damage occurred very frequently. This depressed any further research into these devices."

"Right. While neural interfacing technology has made substantial leaps since then because of their widespread use in mechs up to today, the same problems that plagued the early models still exist to this day."

Ves frowned at that. "Are you suggesting that modern neural interfaces are dangerous?"

"Don't believe in the MTA!" The man released a feeble cackle. "They have done their best to paint their 'standard' neural interface models as the safest and least problematic devices in use today. That much is true, I admit, but the bar they set is not as high as you think. Each time a mech pilot interfaces with a mech, there is a non-zero chance that they will suffer adverse effects, which may or may not lead to permanent damage to the mech pilot's brain structure."

This was a very alarming revelation! Ves had no idea that something like this took place behind everyone's backs!

"Then.. if this problem exists, why isn't there a big stink about it? Shouldn't the MTA be more responsible?"

Old Man Terrence looked at Ves like he was an idiot. "And scare everyone away from piloting mechs? Do you really think the MTA is so responsible as to do that?"

Right.

"I see." Ves subsided. "If the problem is as severe as you suggest, then what is being done to protect mech pilots against the mechs they pilot?"

"I never said the problem was severe." Terrence knocked his fist against the surface of his desk. "The issue is more complex than that. What actually takes place is that the brains of mech pilots begin to adjust to the enduring neural interfacing sessions they experience. This is a known phenomenon. What the MTA and neural interface specialists like I don't mention is that sometimes the adjustments miss the mark."

"So.. it's a side effect of the normal long-term adjustment process?"

"You can describe it as such. These 'side effects' aren't necessarily a big deal either. Human brains are very fragile but also very resilient in a way. Veteran mech pilots no doubt accumulated a collection of miniscule scars or bumps in their brain structure. In most cases, that hasn't led to a deterioration in their cognitive functions. The changes happen so gradually that their brains can easily implement adaptations to retain most of their functionality."

"Then why mention this issue if it's just a side effect?"

"Because there are several instances where the 'side effects' can become serious." Terrence replied seriously. "The most prevalent instance is when a mech incurs heavily damage. Neural interfaces are some of the most protected components of the cockpit of a mech, but if by some chance they are damaged, then the man-machine connection can quickly turn from something benign into something dangerous."

"My grandfather used to be an expert pilot. He was forced to retire because of brain damage."

"Exactly! Now, if you have spent some time with your grandfather, did you notice that he is incapable of functioning normally?"

Compared to all of the crazy people Ves had met, his grandfather Benjamin was a beacon of normality!

"No."

"Then you see why the MTA doesn't feel the need to disclose this uncomfortable truth to the galaxy." Terrence sighed. "Interfacing changes brains. This is the fundamental reality the mech community has to work with. Categorizing the changes in brain structure is a controversial topic in itself. What is considered a benign adjustment and what is considered a malignant development? Sometimes, the changes can be both."

"How can they be both?"

"By providing a benefit that comes at a cost! Let me tell you something. If mech pilots are able to interface five percent more effectively in exchange for giving up five years of their cognitive lifespan, will they be willing to make this trade?"

That was a very difficult question! Ves paused his petting of Lucky, which caused the cat to let out a disgruntled meow.

"I think... some mech pilots harbor a lot of ambitions. Those who want to advance to expert pilot or those who want to do their utmost to defend their state will gladly pay this price. But not every mech pilot will want to make this trade. Those who see mech piloting as an easy job to earn a lot of money will just want to do their time before they retire with a comfortable amount of savings and a generous pension."

The Chukan mech designer smirked. "What if I tell you that mech pilots don't get to make that choice? What if the MTA has already decided on their behalf?"

"You mean.. The standard neural interface models.."

"As I said, the MTA may paint them as safe, but the truth is completely different! Even I can design a neural interface that is half as likely to result in adverse changes to a mech pilot's brains! Yet will anyone pilot a mech with my neural interface? No! Because its performance parameters are inferior compared to the more dangerous models!"

This was a lot to take in for Ves!

"So if I'm understanding it correctly, the MTA hasn't chosen the safest option because they want to squeeze more performance out of mech pilots?"

"Right, Mr. Larkinson. To their credit, they picked a reasonably safe threshold. They could have gone for much worse but they don't want to ruin too many mech pilots."

"Why exactly are the more dangerous neural interfaces more rewarding?"

"Because they allow for greater connections." The old man replied. "You can see it as a consideration of risk. If the connection is deeper, the mech pilot is more immersed with the mech. The higher degree of immersion means that their exposure is subsequently greater. If some sort of catastrophic incident occurs, a mech pilot with a shallow connection will be able to pull out the connections a lot faster and easier than one who is practically submerged in the systems of their own mechs!"

A lot of factors went into determining how deep a mech pilot could connect with their mechs. Some of it depended on the mech design, some of it depended on the neural interface model and configuration and the rest was up to the mech pilot themselves.

Ves knew that mech pilots could draw back or further engage their connection with their own mechs on their own volition.

However, from his Mastery experiences, he knew that mech pilots frequently got caught up in all of the excitement. They instinctively wanted to achieve greater performance, so their connection to their mechs unknowingly deepened, sometimes to a degree that they had never reached before!

"What kind of damage does a deep connection do?" Ves frowned. "I don't quite understand what risks the mech pilots incur. You mentioned something about decreased lifespan, but is that the only negative consequence?"

Old Man Terrence closed his eyes for a moment. "The damage can come in many forms. As you've already surmised, a decreased lifespan is just one of the consequences. This is also one of the hidden reasons why life-prolonging treatment is much more difficult to arrange for mech pilots. The standard treatments are only partially effective on the most critical organs of their bodies, their scarred and altered brains. The more they pilot, the greater the degree of abnormalities that hinder the treatment from taking effect."

This was another huge revelation! Visiting Old Man Terrence had already been worth it as far as Ves was concerned!

"So that is why life-prolonging treatments for mech pilots is so difficult to arrange."

"Do you think the MTA shows so much favoritism to expert pilots because they are fans of them?" Terrence Reedan scoffed. "Do you think one of the Big Two treat them with kid gloves because they are special snowflakes? It's because their numbers would heavily diminish if they haven't implemented all of these favorable policies! With how difficult it is to tailor life-prolonging treatments to take effect on a heavily-altered brain structure, expert pilots are some of the most unfortunate people in the mech community. They bloom so brilliantly, yet they last so short."

Unlike talented mech designers, who could generally get access to life-prolonging treatments without too much hassle.

In this, the difference between Ves and Old Man Terrence became very stark. Ves had a full life ahead of him. He had more than enough time to innovate and progress his design philosophy.

In fact, Ves believed that the first round of life-prolonging treatment was already redundant for him due to all of the gene optimisation treatments he received beforehand!

As for Old Man Terrence, the man was a storied Journeyman, but despite his lengthy career, he was unable to make the critical breakthrough.

Yet despite his sad situation, he showed no pity towards himself. Instead, he pitied expert pilots!

That was true dedication to mech pilots, Ves realized. Old Man Terrence respected mech pilots to a much greater degree than himself!

"Aside from diminishing the lifespan of pilots and making it harder for them to enjoy life-prolonging treatment, there are other debilitating effects as well." The old man continued. "When mech pilots begin to deepen their connections to mechs and embody their mechs, they will feel the damage the mech suffers on a deeper level."

"It would be as if their own bodies suffered those wounds?"

"Exactly. While there are medicines and treatments to suppress these side effects, the human body and mind are simply too complex. Solutions designed to be as compatible as possible will never be able to take effect to every mech pilot that suffers from lingering trauma. There is always a proportion of mech pilots that fall through the net."

"I see."

That explained why some of the retired Larkinson mech pilots at the Larkinson Estate didn't appear to be in good shape.

"Aside from the physiological changes, the psyche of the mech pilot is also affected." Terrence shook his head. "This is a very advanced and controversial topic. I'm not allowed to say much about it other than that there are at least two sides of this discussion. One side advocates that changes to a mech pilot's psyche is beneficial while the other side considers it to be contamination."

This caused Ves to sit more upright in his chair. The effect of a mech on a mech pilot's psyche was something that was highly relevant to his own specialization!

"Does this mean that the personality of a mech pilot can shift depending on the type of mech he pilots?"

"It's a difficult topic, Mr. Larkinson. For example, it is known that mechs designed to fulfill a specific purpose such as knight mechs will naturally make mech pilots more inclined to become protective and resilient. Now, think about the cause of this gradual shift in personality. Is it because the mech pilot is simply focused on performing defensive tasks with their mechs all the time? Or is it because the mech has already been designed with defensive inclinations that the machine somehow contaminated them to the mech pilot through a more esoteric process?"

The possibilities stumped Ves. He didn't know which one was true!

"Confused, Mr. Larkinson? Then you're not alone! Every specialist in neural interface technology is confused as well! We don't know the answer! So much research has been done in this topic but the experiments have continued to deliver contradictory evidence! Even the fancy, extravagantly-funded research institutions based in the galactic center don't know any better!"

Each time Old Man Terrence opened his mouth, Ves continued to be astounded by the complexities regarding neural interface technology. He had no idea that so many problems, devious dilemmas and unresolved mysteries surrounded this field!

No wonder the MTA encouraged such a stigma around it! Anyone who delved into this field lightly could unleash a slew of tragedies if they used their knowledge wrongly!

"I never knew that neural interfaces are associated with so many issues." He whispered. "I always learned during my mech design classes that neural interfaces have matured and that they've been made as safe as possible."

Terrence let out an ugly cackle. "That's what the MTA wants everyone to think. Mech designers like us who possess actual expertise have developed a saying amongst ourselves."

"What is this saying?"

"Neural interface technology is the devil's technology!"

Chapter 1347

"Are you surprised?" Terrence smirked. The old Chukan mech designer revelled in airing the dirty laundry of his specialty field! "Much of the galaxy sees neural interfaces as safe, mature devices because trillions of man-hours have been poured into developing and refining them for widespread usage. Yet almost no one knows that most of those hours only broadened our perspectives to how serious neural interfaces can fail!"

Throughout this 'exchange' with Old Man Terrence, Ves had fallen into continuous shock. Almost every neural interface specialist should be aware of all of the pitfalls concerning the technology.

Even Iris Jupiter, who introduced him to this field, must have known as well!

What Ves found egregious was that the MTA's deliberate stance to conceal the actual risks of neural interface technology. By propagandizing that neural interfaces were much more sophisticated than the dangerous, pre-Age of Mechs models, an enormous amount of mech designers and mech pilots readily embraced something that must had led to an immense amount of damage!

In Old Man Terrence's case, the damage the tech had caused must have weighed heavily on his conscience! Now that he was nearing the end of his life, Ves found himself in a strange position of hearing the aging Journeyman's confession.

"Neural interface tech is the devil's tech." Terrence reiterated with a shaky fist. "Every mech designer unknowingly incorporates pieces of tech that slowly and gradually degrade the cognitive functions of the users of their products. Does that sound responsible for you? Are we truly serving mech pilots to the best of our abilities, as the MTA often likes to instill in people of our profession?"

"We swore an oath to serve mech pilots!" Ves retorted.

The old man laughed. "Hahaha! That is true, but the devil is in the details! There are multiple interpretations we can choose from. For one mech designer, it may entail minimizing the repercussions of piloting their mechs as much as possible. For another mech designer, it may entail pushing the limits as far as possible regardless of the consequences! Who decides which interpretation is right?"

Ves could very well imagine that different mech designers would not agree on a common interpretation.

Mech designers such as the Skull Architect would definitely try to push his neural interfaces to an extreme!

Having studied his mech designs extensively, Ves knew very well that the pirate designer cared nothing about mech pilots! Instead, he would seek to exploit every opportunity to raise the performance parameters of his mechs as much as possible!

If the lifespan of the users of his products halved as a consequence, then what did that have to do with the Skull Architect?

Perhaps paradoxically, a mech designer like Gloriana might choose the opposite. As crazy as she seemed, she genuinely seemed to care about the mech pilots of her mechs. As a principle, she would not allow her mechs to be marred by dangerously volatile neural interfaces that posed a clear threat to their mech pilots.

As for Ves? He was still in way too much shock to make up his mind!

He turned his attention back to the conversation. "I take it then that the MTA has already decided on the right interpretation on behalf of every mech designer."

"Correct! One of the main duties the Mech Trade Association has taken up for themselves is to set universal standards for mechs. After an extensive study in the risks associated with neural interfaces, their wise councilors at the top have decided that a certain amount of risk is acceptable!"

"Then wouldn't that make every mech in existence a defective product in a sense?"

The old man laughed again. "Again, there are multiple interpretations! The MTA just chooses to select the most convenient ones to suit their own needs. From my perspective, mechs aren't necessarily defective. Instead, they are all experimental products!"

"That's..."

"Mech designers like you unknowingly sell dangerous mechs to ignorant mech buyers who subsequently assign them to oblivious mech pilots. All of this would have been ethically sound if everyone was aware of the true risks associated with the neural interfaces built into the mechs. Unfortunately, the cold hard reality is that no one except a select group is aware! You can thank the MTA for keeping your conscience clean!"

Until now, Ves silently whispered. Calling it the devil's technology sounded very apt to him now. Every mech designer who made use of the so-called standard neural interface models made available by the MTA unknowingly treated every mech pilot as their experimental test subjects!

He wasn't surprised to hear that the MTA acted in a hypocritical manner. He just wanted to understand their reasoning.

"Mr. Reedan, what does the MTA get out of standardizing higher-specced but unsafer neural interfaces?"

"What do you think the MTA stands for?" Terrence prompted. "The answer is mechs! They worship mechs! They will do anything for mechs! If they have to choose between the wellbeing of people and speeding up the development of mechs, they will choose the latter each time!"

That sounded very extreme even for Ves!

"Unsafer neural interfaces speed up mech development?"

"Of course! While I've mentioned numerous negative consequences of using unsafe neural interfaces, risks are always associated with rewards! Perhaps the single most important factor is that unsafe interfaces are correlated with a higher emergence of expert candidates and expert pilots!"

This was another explosive revelation! If this was true, then Ves could definitely see why the MTA pushed for unsafer standards!

"So it's all about increasing the probability of expert pilots emerging from the masses of oblivious test subjects!"

Old Man Terrence grinned. "I see you understand. The MTA has performed several covert experiments to test whether there is a relationship. They secretly implemented divergent regional standards for neural interfaces across different star sectors. What did they find? Star sectors that made use of safer neural interfaces produced as much as twenty percent less expert pilots compared to star sectors that used highly unsafe neural interfaces!"

Naturally, the MTA conducted this grand experiment without disclosing the risks to the test subjects in question!

"The MTA cares a lot about expert pilots. The more, the better, right?" Ves questioned. He still possessed some doubts. "Why did they decide to set it at the point you mentioned when they could have pushed the limits harder?"

"Other than risk exposure, which would be very bad for the MTA?" Terrence chuckled. "They secretly tried it out in a couple of star sectors. What they found was that while the probability of expert pilots emerging from the ranks definitely increased, their quality deteriorated remarkably. An alarming proportion of them suffered from a host of issues such as suffering from personality disorders, premature aging of their brains or a total loss in interfacing ability. Over a longer period of time, these star sectors fielded less expert pilots than usual because too many of them died or ended up crippled!"

Ves knew that if not for the total decline in the number expert pilots, the MTA would have definitely pushed for more extreme standards!

"How many victims have these 'experiments' produced?"

"Too much to count." The old man shook his head. "While the experimental measures have helped propel many mech pilots to heights they ordinarily couldn't reach, plenty of talented mech pilots who might have been able to advance to ace pilots died or retired far before their time."

This was the real human cost of engaging in experiments. The MTA could have acted according to their own ethical standards and performed their experiments in a transparent and voluntary basis. Yet they instead opted not to disclose the risks, no doubt so they could keep the true nature of neural interfaces a secret while obtaining the most accurate data.

"Where do we sit now, Mr. Reedan?"

"The MTA performed various experiments over several decades in many different star sectors. Their internal research teams subsequently modeled and simulated these gains in order to determine the sweet spot that produces the maximum amount of expert pilots."

"I see." Ves nodded while resuming his petting of Lucky. The cat was getting rather grumpy about the lack of pampering! "So their current standards for neural interfaces is a mathematically-derived result."

"The neural interface standards still fluctuate from generation to generation and from region to region." Old Man Terrence warned. "The truth is that the sweet spots are different for each state and each star sector. Not only that, but the MTA sometimes wants to influence the amount of expert pilots that emerge from a specific region of space. For example, if they think the Komodo Star Sector needs more expert pilots, they might tweak the limits of the next generation of neural interfaces made available specifically for this region."

"So the MTA indirectly influences the rate of expert pilots emerging from star sector to star sector?"

"Yes! Don't think the MTA is completely politically neutral. In some cases, their decisions have accelerated the defeat of one star sector over another simply because the former hadn't been able to produce as many expert pilots!"

"What?! Shouldn't mech designers like you know about this?"

"So what? We are all complicit in this matter." The Chukan smiled ruefully. "While my hands aren't as drenched in blood as that of the MTA, I am still carrying the stains to this day. This is the price that every neural interface specialist has to pay."

A brief silence stretched as Ves processed the latest revelations. Both the MTA and neural interface specialists like Old Man Terrence had become accustomed to running dangerous experiments without disclosing the risks to mech pilots.

To Ves, it seemed like this entire field was rotten to the core! In order to maintain the popularity of neural interface, every neural interface specialist voluntarily turned into devils in order to advance this devil tech!

He suddenly recalled something important about Old Man Terrence.

"According to your record, your specialty is related to the relationship between neural interfaces and genetic aptitude."

"Indeed." The old man nodded. "Like many mech designers, I had a dream. Genetic aptitude plays a central role in how far a mech pilot can go. Those whose aptitudes are graded as D can barely pilot a frontline mech, while those whose aptitudes are graded as A have a much higher probability of becoming expert pilots. Doesn't this sound unfair to you, Mr. Larkinson?"

"Nothing is fair." Ves repeated one of his central beliefs. "Some people are simply better at something than others. Like many people, I used to dream of becoming a mech pilot when I was a kid. Reality gave me a good whack in the head when I became ten."

"This is true. Not everyone is capable of piloting mechs. Even I did not attempt to tackle this problem. My interest lay more in elevating the effective performance of mech pilots with lower-than-average aptitudes. My ultimate goal was to equalize the playing field between low-potential mech pilots and high potential mech pilots!"

That was a very ambitious dream! Ves felt a lot of admiration for Old Man Terrence for choosing to pursue such a far-reaching goal!

"Have you made a lot of progress in solving this problem?"

"Hahaha! No!" The old man laughed at himself. "I would have been in a much better position if I had! I severely underestimated the role genetic aptitude plays in facilitating the man-machine connection! It was a fool's dream for a lowly mech designer from a third-rate state to think they can solve this problem when even the best minds at the MTA failed to develop a solution!"

Ves narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He wasn't fooled by the old man's self-depreciating act. "You should have at least made some gains over your long years of designing mechs, right?"

"To tell you the truth, I have. What's it to you, though? My design philosophy is fundamentally flawed to begin with. I barely moved forward when I already encountered a dead end! Perhaps a more ingenious mech designer might have been able to climb over it, but it's impossible for the likes of you and me! The moment I conceded defeat against the strength of genetic aptitude was the moment I ceased progressing my design philosophy any further!"

Mech designers constantly struggled to make the impossible into a reality! Confidence was vital to their progression.

Giving up on pursuing their overarching ambitions was one of the worst outcomes that could happen to a mech designer!

Chapter 1348

No matter how much Ves tried to convince Old Man Terrance to share his research gains, the Chukan mech designer adamantly refused.

"The findings I've made are paltry and of limited utility." The man shook his head. "In addition, it's tainted knowledge. In order to further my understanding on how genetic aptitude interacted with neural interfaces, I've engaged in many covert experiments with each mech design I've published. Looking back on my track record, I went too far. Though my customers themselves didn't realize it, I looked closely at how my customers fared. Too many of them fared worse than usual."

This was the blood on the older mech designer's hands. The man raised his wrinkled hands in front of Ves, as if showing off the invisible red stains marring the skin!

"Look at me." Old Man Terrence demanded. "Don't end up like me. I made decisions that I shouldn't have made. I took risks I shouldn't have taken. I ruined the lives of so many mech pilots who didn't deserve a premature end to their careers or lives."

"Why did you do it, then?"

"Because the payoff would have been worth it! Even if I was never destined to make genetic aptitude grades irrelevant, merely reducing the handicaps for low-potential mech pilots would have been enough to make me a celebrated mech designer! My service to the mech community would have been so great that the MTA would have definitely rewarded me with an extension of my life!"

Unfortunately, Terrence Reedan failed. His progress after he advanced to Journeyman was far too meager compared to the substantial human cost he incurred.

"We neural interface specialists constantly tell ourselves that the end justifies the means. It helps us sleep better at night."

"Do you still agree?"

"Of course, Mr. Larkinson! I dare say that every enterprising mech designer has engaged in some experiment or another to advance their design philosophies! You'd probably be no different if you look back on your own track record!"

That.. was admittedly true. Ves had carelessly incorporated many new innovations in his mech designs without adequately testing whether they were safe and working as intended.

He simply didn't bother with the lengthy trials that scientists ought to hold. Ves had never thought about it before because the mech industry operated on a trend of introducing innovations as fast as possible.

Just like the geneticists that constantly pursued breakneck innovation in genetic modification during the Age of Conquest, mech designers turned out to be no different during the Age of Mechs!

Mechs were so popular and ubiquitous that hardly anyone paid attention to the risks and dangers associated with their development and use!

Did this mean that Ves would henceforth slow down and hold extensive trials for each changes he made?

Probably not.

He didn't want to slow down. He was confident in his mech design ability. He also did not regard his design philosophy as something that came with unduly great risks. Perhaps he would be more concerned if he specialized in neural interfaces, but his specialty was only tangentially related to the devil's technology.

At most, his specialty was more of a half-devil than a pure devil.

"In the end, it's all about the results." Ves sighed. "Mech designers who fail to achieve any significant results will have to live with the guilt of their crimes. Those who succeed are absolved by the valuable gains they've passed on to the mech community."

The ends only justified the means for mech designers if they had at least reached some ends. Someone like Terrence Reedan had failed to manage even that, so it was no wonder that he was extraordinarily bitter.

Old Man Terrence ran out of time! Redemption had firmly escaped his grasp! Without achieving any measure of absolution, he faced an extraordinarily dreary ending. Weighed down by a troubled heart and unfulfilled ambitions, Ves genuinely pitied his older counterpart!

Privately, Ves resolved to never end up like Terrence Reedan! He should definitely do his best to achieve at least some solid contributions.

"There are so many design philosophies in the galaxy." The old man sighed. "Countless Journeymen and Seniors are doing their utmost to realize their dreams. Even if few will ever succeed to realize their design philosophies, it's amazing to think how many amazing ideas have turned into reality."

"It is the reason for our existence." Ves affirmed.

"Indeed. While mech design isn't the only field that produces constant technological innovations in this age, it is the biggest driver, no doubt. Not even the CFA can match the breakneck technological progress the MTA has achieved, although they are probably close."

"What does the CFA think of neural interface technology?" Ves asked as he voiced one of his doubts. "I haven't heard any stories about the CFA implementing neural interfaces in their shuttles or ships."

"That's because the CFA and MTA fundamentally disagree on the value and utility of neural interfaces, Mr. Larkinson. Mechs are fundamentally dependent on neural interfaces to provide their mech pilots with the greatest degree of control over the machines. A mech is not a mech without a functioning neural interface."

"Neural interfaces aren't necessary for every mech." Ves frowned. "For example, it's optional for many industrial mechs."

The old man laughed. "Hahaha! Very funny! Let's not kid ourselves that mechs purposed for non-combat use are real mechs. The only mechs that define our current age are mechs designed for battle!"

That was true. No one raved whenever a company released a new industrial mech model.

"Back to my question though, why hasn't the CFA embraced neural interface technology?"

"There are several reasons why. First, it's not necessary. Human warships have functioned without any freaky, risky voodoo technology without any problems for several millennia. Second, the few attempts made by shipwrights to force neural interfacing technology onto warships have either ended in catastrophe or produced no measurable improvements at all!"

"There hasn't been a single successful implementation?"

Terrence shook his head. "Not as far as I know. Even if the CFA did manage to produce a beneficial result, their bias against neural interface technology is far too strong. They won't change their minds if the advantages are too negligible to bother."

"Can you tell me about the exact outcomes of their experiments?"

"I've only heard rumors." The old man shrugged. "As far as I know, warships are far too complex and run thousands, if not millions more systems and subsystems than a typical mech. All of their size isn't taken up by empty space, you know. If you attempt to establish a man-machine connection between a typical potentate and one of the most powerful, most destructive weapons of war that humanity has ever conceived, what do you think will happen?"

"The potentate's unfortunate brains will fry. Or worse."

"Their heads may physically explode." Old Man Terrence grinned darkly. "I know it sounds impossible, but trust me, neural interfaces are more than capable of overloading the heads of potentates!"

Ves very pointedly did not mention that he had indeed witnessed such a sight in person. "I wouldn't want to be the person responsible for subjecting a test subject to such an awful end."

"One of the causes of this extreme reaction is the sheer amount of data being dumped into the mind of the test subjects. They can't handle the sheer influx of data. In order to mitigate this problem and rein back the data that is being transmitted through the man-machine connection, the CFA researchers decided to filter, compress or limit most of the data that is being sent to the test subject."

"I take it that is the reason for the negligible results, right?"

"Right. So many functions and essential data streams are left out of consideration that the test subject barely has anything left to work with. What is the point of interfacing with a starship when most if not all of their human crew is still necessary to keep the systems running smoothly?"

"Starships aren't mechs. They haven't been designed to accommodate neural interface technology."

"Exactly, Mr. Larkinson. While the CFA still harbors some ambition in reducing the headcount that is necessary to run a fully-functional warship, their progress has been lackluster so far. Too much automation and delegation is required to make neural interface technology practical for starships."

"They still haven't found a solution up to this day?"

"As far as I know, no, but I may be wrong. One story I've heard is that some research teams have come up with a very radical premise to solve this fundamental problem. In order to make massive warships work with a single human mind in control, the CFA has thought about developing much better AIs. In fact, the holy grail they regard as the ultimate solution are sentient AIs!"

That almost caused Ves to jump out of his seat, alarming Lucky! "Sentient AIs?!"

"I did not misspeak, Mr. Larkinson! Reportedly, the CFA believes that as long as a starship is operated by a sentient AI, the test subject can safely interface with the vessel! The researchers have faith that their artificial partners can intelligently control and manage the throughput of data and assist in controlling the lesser functioning of the ship! In fact, the CFA hopes that sentient AIs can do so much more!"

"They failed though, right?" Ves nervously asked while he heavily petted Lucky.

"Miserably!" Old Man Terrence exulted in the CFA's misfortunes. "Their pampered researchers squandered so much funding and resources into this rabbit hole, only to find out that they've never managed to make a return on their investment. They found out too late that the rabbit is actually a black hole!"

Ves very pointedly did not mention the existence of a sentient AI who emerged from a crashed CFA warship called Sigrund.

"Is this really true? Has the CFA really failed to create a single sentient AI?" He asked.

"If they truly did, the Age of Mechs would have already been over! Once they cracked this vital barrier, their next generation of warships will have experienced qualitative improvements in so many different areas! There is no way they will continue to share power with the MTA!"

That.. did not sound realistic to Ves. "Wouldn't the MTA just steal the secrets of sentient AIs from the CFA and make them available for mechs?"

"Haha! As if the CFA would give their biggest rival the time to adjust!"

The old man did not have that much more to tell about the CFA. What he just passed on to Ves merely consisted of unreliable rumors spread among the circle of neural interface specialists.

Though Ves accepted that the information might be unreliable, he didn't believe so. From what he already knew about the CFA, the rumors made too much sense!

As Ves continued to weigh the information he received, Old Man Terrence nonchalantly waved his shaky hand. "Enough about me and my specialty. You wanted to have an exchange with me, right? So far, I've been doing most of the talking. If you have any sense of integrity in your bones, you should share some of your insights with me. Even if I am at the end of my life, I don't want to die without learning at least one explosive insight that changes my perspective of mechs!"

"Ah, that's true. I've been remiss in that so far, Mr. Reedan. The insights you've told me is a lot to take in. I already knew that neural interfaces are complicated, but I had no idea how much dirt lurks underneath the surface!"

"Well, you can feel shocked in your own time!" Old Man Terrence barked with an unnerving degree of excitement! "Come now. Please air your dirty laundry. I want to hear whether your so-called 'metaphysical man-machine symbiosis' design philosophy is just as tainted as mine!"

Really now, was Mr. Reedan still a mech designer? Ves wanted to shake his head at the sight. The older man was no different from a nosy grandpa who wanted to swap naughty and embarrassing stories with others!

Chapter 1349

An exchange between two equal mech designers was a time-honored tradition in the mech industry.

Mech designers were more than capable of innovating by themselves. Yet they did not work in a vacuum, but were part of an immense community of fellow peers.

All of those mech designers shared a lot in common as they each studied many of the same scientific subjects. Yet these mech designers also diverged heavily when it came to their specialties.

Most of the time, mech designers weren't able or willing to share their exclusive insights with other mech designers. Why should they help out a competitor design better mechs by imparting them with their valuable insights?

Information was power.

Power had a price.

Therefore, information possessed intrinsic value.

The problem was that it was hard to set a price on the insights that mech designers accumulated over the course of their careers. The MTA made a decent attempt at it, but information held different values to every different mech designer.

Nonetheless, mech designers still hankered for insights from other mech designers who specialized in related fields.

This need led to the emergence of informal exchanges between mech designers.

While not something formalized in rules, the mech industry adhered to a number of informal customs.

First, exchanges between mech designers should take place between peers or equals.

If a Journeyman exchanged with other Journeymen, then that was completely fine.

If a Journeyman exchanged with a Senior, then that was not okay. The latter was so much more powerful and insightful that the former was at a heavy disadvantage. An unscrupulous Senior might be able to forcibly alter the research direction of the younger mech designer!

Aside from this custom that was meant to protect and benefit both sides, exchanges also had to be fair.

One mech designer couldn't keep demanding for insights without paying something in return.

Most often, the repayment came in the form of other insights. A mech designer who was interested in the related research of another mech designer could usually contribute a lot of useful insights in return!

For example, in this instance, Old Man Terrence's specialty lay in neural interfaces. This was highly relevant to Ves because his own specialty relied heavily on neural interfaces to express its effects.

As for Ves, his unique understanding of the man-machine connection could potentially revolutionize Old Man Terrence's use of neural interfaces!

The only problem right now was that Ves did not like to share his secrets. While he was willing to reveal some lesser insights, that didn't leave him with a lot of choice.

Nonetheless, Ves had an obligation to reciprocate Old Man Terrence's earlier generosity. The Chukan mech designer could have simply uttered some vague words for a few minutes, but he freely revealed much more.

Ves believed in the principle that mech designers ought to treat each other fairly if they behaved properly. Mech design was a noble profession and those who dedicated their lives to it should at least respect each other's contributions.

For example, this underlying principle was the reason why Ves and Professor Ventag allowed the heckling Professor Pendleton to attend their product reveal for the Aurora Titan.

Not everyone believed in respecting other mech designers. It wasn't unheard of for mech designers to violate the custom of equal exchange.

However, doing so was generally not a good idea. If word went out that a mech designer failed to reciprocate in an exchange, no one else would be stupid enough to enter into other exchanges with the offender.

Ves knew that if he tried to weasel himself out of this exchange with Terrence Reedan, the cantankerous old bastard would probably spread the news over his entire network!

Other outcomes such as Old Man Terrence dying just after Ves exited the headquarters also wouldn't work.

If Ves wanted to stick to his principles and avoid becoming a toxic pariah within the mech industry, he had to reveal some of the extremely valuable lessons he learned.

While Ves thought about telling lies, something he did as easily as breathing, his heart hitched up. His sense of self as a mech designer strongly discouraged cheating in this instance!

He gave up on trying to act in a dishonest fashion. Instead, he wracked his mind for something to say that wouldn't give too much away.

Even if Old Man Terrence only had a few years left to live, who knew what he might do with the insights imparted by Ves. His own interests had to be preserved at all costs!

After a bit of thinking while Ves continually petted Lucky's back, he eventually came up with a suitable topic.

"Alright." He began. "I"m sure you've studied my public record, since you are aware of how my design philosophy is defined. While we are both interested in the man-machine connection in relation to mechs, we focus on different aspects of it. You specialize more in the hardware and the measurable interactions between man and machine, while I focus on the unmeasurable aspects that take place through this exchange."

"I presume this is the reason why your design philosophy mentions metaphysics." The older mech designer noted. "By any chance, does this have to do with a certain secret known to Journeymen?"

Ves smiled as if in confirmation. "I'm not too clear about the mechanics behind the interactions that arouses my interest. All I can say is that mech pilots are much more intertwined with their mechs than everyone realizes. The results I've accomplished so far is proof that I'm on the right track."

"According to the articles and records I've studied, your mechs exert a very real influence on the mood and emotions of both their mech pilots and any bystanders in the vicinity. This effect is even present in your virtual mechs, although in a much more diminished form!"

None of that was a secret by now. Ves readily nodded in admission. "I have been developing and refining my application of my design philosophy."

"It sounds like you've been doing more than that. Metaphysical man-machine symbiosis implies that your advantages only apply to the mech pilots of your products, but it goes beyond that. The ability of your mechs to dazzle and astound both bystanders and opponents has become increasingly more notable! I'm told that your latest mechs, the Transcendent Messengers, have even changed the direction of an entire state by their appearances alone!"

"That is.. true."

"How do you do it? How are you able to influence the minds of mech pilots and the people in the vicinity without resorting to mind-alerting tech?"

"Belief."

"..Belief?"

"I hate to say it to you, but part of what makes my design philosophy work is belief. I know I sound crazy, but what if mechs are alive?"

Old Man Terrance sent a glowering glance towards Ves. "Are you pulling my leg?!"

"Please don't judge this premise. It's no more unrealistic than trying to flatten the performance differences between different genetic aptitude grades."

That caused the older mech designer to subside a bit. "You're right. I've been too inflexible lately. The most brilliant mech designers often pursue unthinkable ideas."

"Exactly. What I just said doesn't necessarily make sense on the surface from what the general mech community knows about mechs. I had a different idea, and I was confident enough to base my entire design philosophy around this premise. The result is as you've seen."

"You did rise up remarkably quickly for someone with an oddball design philosophy."

"Mechs are alive. At least, they are capable of living. Rather than see the man-machine connection as a channel between a living human being and a lifeless, logic-based machine entity, think of it as an interaction between two living entities."

This time, it was Old Man Terrence's turn to experience shock! This insight, if true, blew up a major assumption that he had always held about mechs!

Perhaps he had been working on mechs in a very flawed fashion over his career! If Terrence Reedan didn't carelessly treat mechs as unliving machines, how far could he have gone? He might have been able to advance to Senior if he looked at mechs in a different light!

Regret poured out of Old Man Terrence's body as he hunkered down over his desk. This single revelation, though not definitely proven, was enough to put him into much greater turmoil than Ves himself experienced earlier!

On his part, Ves felt a little guilty about what he was doing, but this was what a professional exchange was all about. A fruitful exchange occurred when both mech designers could improve their mech designs in light of the insights they've received!

Ves already looked at neural interfaces in a completely different manner after hearing the old man's stories.

As for Terrence Reedan, the man looked like he obtained an insight so crucial that his core paradigms were in the process of shifting!

Minutes stretched on as the Chukan mech designer quietly submerged himself in his own train of thought. The single piece of information that Ves threw out was enough for the older Journeyman to make hundreds of valuable deductions!

As someone who frequently deliberated in his mind, Ves knew what it was like to enter into a thinking fugue. He remained silent as he let the old man process his new thoughts at his own pace.

Around fifteen minutes later, Terrence finally regained his wits. "My apologies, Mr. Larkinson. Your insight has caused me to revisit my past works and see if what I've just learned is relevant to them. I've designed a lot of mechs over the years, so it took quite some time to go through them all."

"You don't have to apologise. We are mech designers. Even if we are stuck here for weeks, it's worth it as long as we both come away with a broader outlook on mechs."

Besides, Ves comfortably passed the intervening time by playing with Lucky. The cat was so content that he was already dozing off on his lap!

"Let's return to what you've imparted to me. Telling someone that mechs are alive is a bold statement to make. But just as with the MTA, I believe that interpretation here is key. How do you define life in this instance?"

"That's a question that I'm still trying to answer myself, to be honest. Life can come in many forms, and this is what makes it so difficult to define it in exact terms. Some people claim the sandmen race isn't alive. Instead, they see the sandmen as something akin to sand-like processors gone rogue."

"I see." Terrence's eyes lit up. "If sandmen can be alive, why not mechs? Life does not necessarily need to come in organic, fleshy forms. The galaxy is so broad and diverse that life has taken surprisingly different shapes! From sentient clouds of gas to lifeforms that purely exist in energy form, it is not that big of a leap to say that mechs can also be alive!"

"To me, life means chaos. Life means spontaneity. Life means that mechs might behave in a way contrary to their designer's intention. A mech that can express its liveliness can both enhance or detract from a mech pilot's performance. It all depends on whether they like each other or not! If they do, then I believe that mechs and mech pilots can achieve amazing feats when they fully combine their forces! That is the meaning behind the symbiosis aspect of my design philosophy!"

Old Man Terrance practically looked dazzled at this revelation! His entire view on mechs shattered yet again, and he needed to do a lot of thinking in order to rebuild!

"Symbiosis. How strange. As a neural interface specialist, I'm well aware that the act of interfacing with a mech fundamentally alters the mind of a mech pilot. If your implications are correct, then this may be a two-way street! The mech alters the mind and brain structure of the mech pilot, but in turn the mech pilot alters something deeply hidden inside the mech!"

Ves smiled. It somehow gave him a lot of pleasure in converting another mech designer to his eccentric beliefs on mechs. "That has been my understanding for years. Perhaps the most crucial addition that I've derived from your insights is that this relationship may not be purely beneficial for both sides. If mech pilots can suffer from negative side effects, then it may be possible for the mech to suffer as well!"

This was the most practical insight that Ves had formed during this exchange! Symbiosis may not be present in every relationship between a mech and mech pilot!

What would happen if the mech hated their mech pilot and vica versa?

Chapter 1350

Ves exited from Old Man Terrence's headquarters in a contemplative mood. Gavin and Nitaa quietly followed him out as he slowly sauntered back to his guarded shuttle.

Meanwhile, the mercenaries readied their mechs for moving. Though the formation of landbound and aerial mechs surrounding a single shuttle looked excessive, no one laughed at the abundance of caution. Not even the Vindar System escaped unrest.

"Did you make any gains, boss?" His assistant asked.

"A lot." Ves paused. "More than I thought, actually. Professional exchanges between mech designers can be very fruitful. All the months of traveling to the Chuko Republic has already paid off. The insights I've gained from the exchange will definitely improve my future mech designs, in particular my next work."

His perspective on neural interfaces underwent a sea of change. No longer did he consider them to be carefully shackled components that performed a vital function.

While neural interfaces were still essential to mechs, Ves finally regarded them with the caution and apprehension they truly deserved.

Almost every neural interface utilized in mechs in human space extended the influence of the MTA! By tweaking the safety and performance parameters of each neural interface model they regularly published, they could discreetly push through humongous regional changes that effectively strengthened or weakened the amount of expert pilots that emerged at a given star sector!

Worse, Ves had the feeling this was only the tip of the iceberg of the MTA's manipulative dealings!

During the exchange, Old Man Terrence effectively opened one of the closets of the MTA, revealing the skeletons they hid inside.

Yet a huge and immensely powerful organization like the MTA possessed hundreds, if not thousands of closets! How many skeletons had they buried over the years since they assumed power?

The impression that Ves previously held towards the MTA as a powerful, self-serving but largely neutral organization had been thoroughly erased today.

The MTA may profess innocence and benevolence, but like any organization, it wanted to exert the power it accumulated to further its own agenda.

In short, Ves recognized that the MTA was inevitably no different from any other organization run by humans. It was greedy, hypocritical, duplicitous and above all else ruthless.

To be honest, he had already started leaning towards this direction. Becoming aware of the existence of factions within the MTA such as the Rim Guardians and the Prime Humans already hinted that the organization was anything but free from the pursuit of greater power.

As Ves still processed the revelations he learned, the group took a break. They ate lunch at one of the few upscale restaurants still in business in the vicinity. As Ves ate a sandwich, he retrieved a pouch from his suit pocket and sprinkled some powder on the toppings.

The stench of the spice spread over the dining table before the ventilation system quickly freshened up the air.

"No offense, boss, but I like the older you when you weren't picky with your food."

"What can I say, Benny. Geril spice is the best spice in the galaxy in my eyes!" Ves chuckled as he took a big chomp from his sandwich. "I'm kind of hoping to obtain some more, though. I'd like to build up a stockpile since it will probably be very hard to obtain more geril spice the further away we go from the Nyxian Gap."

"Meow."

Lucky also scrunched his face as he paused from munching the exotics placed in a bowl on the table.

Geril spice emanated such a pungent smell that his ability to sniff out juicy minerals became impaired!

Meanwhile, both Commander Cinnabar of the Battle Criers and Commander Meivin of the Dustravens looked at each other for a moment.

"The sale and distribution of food on Vindar VII is strictly regulated by the planetary government." Commander Meivin revealed. "Everyone here is subject to a quota of foodstuffs they can buy. It's necessary since import of food from foreign states has declined. I doubt spices, especially imported ones, are widely available here."

Ves halted in his chewing and directed a narrowed glance at his latest hire. The mercenary commander of the Dustravens looked like he knew his way around.

"I suppose there are people who don't necessarily agree with the measures?"

Meivin smirked. "Right. Not only that, but they're willing to pay a pretty good amount to express their disagreement. In a quiet place. Among like-minded people."

Aside from Commander Cinnabar, everyone including Ves found it hard to believe that people were still willing to splurge on food during times of deprivation. Where did these buyers get their money?

Still, Ves knew that this was simply the way the galaxy worked. Nothing was ever perfect and people with power always demanded more than what they currently enjoyed.

"You can take us to one of these... gatherings?" Ves obliquely inquired.

"I can, Mr. Larkinson. While the gatherings aren't really that big in Wilxyr and elsewhere on the planet, there might be some interesting goods for sale. Vander VII used to be a prosperous planet, and while most valuables have already been sold or traded away, the upper ranks are constantly sifting through their vaults and collections. While they hate to let go of their treasures, they hate eviction even more."

This was something very understable to everyone. Gavin scoffed as he sipped a cup of coffee.

"We might be able to pick up a bargain or two in the right circumstances, boss. Trinkets and other goodies aren't as valuable anymore to the former magnates of this planet. When their principal sources of income are cut off and their savings start to dry up, they won't care as much anymore about getting the best prices for their goods. The situation has developed far beyond that stage. The heavy trade restrictions also make it harder for these businessmen and leaders to sell them to well-heeled foreign buyers."

"That might be true, but some of the sellers are very stubborn about the value of their trinkets. The prices are all over the place. Don't expect them to conform to logic." Commander Meivin warned.

As they slowly began to wrap up their lunch, Ves asked another question to the local mercenary commander.

"How has Vindar VII still managed to stay upright throughout this persistent economic malaise?"

The Dustraven commander shrugged. "I'm not really sure either. We manage. We persist. We continue to hope for a better future."

"That sounds very optimistic of you, but..."

"Heh." Meivin smirked. "You don't think we can do it? Well, you're not the first foreigner who expressed skepticism. I still have faith. It's the only thing that still sustains people like me. Redwell Province is stronger than the Chuko Republic. Governor Alinc will see us through this crisis."

Like any patriotic Redweller, Commander Meivin put all of their hopes on Governor Riley Alinc. The provincial governor's proactive leadership and bold power grabs during her time in power had transformed the Redwell Province from an administrative entity into a highly autonomous power within Chuko.

Governor Alinc garnered a lot of praise and admiration from the Bloodwellers in particular.

Nitaa asked a question as well. "How big of a role does the conflict between factions play on Vindar VII?"

"Not that much." Commander Meivin sighed. "Even though the Vindar System used to be industrious, aside from the food production at Vindar V, there isn't anything worth fighting here. All we have left are ruined businessmen and disgruntled citizens, some of whom are looking for some way to vent their frustrations. At the top, a small collection of officials keep the situation as calm as they can so they can continue to rake in the bribes."

That was good news for all of them. Though some friction between the two main factions definitely took place, at least it didn't sound as if the fighting would spill onto the streets.

"Has the Hinson Protectorate stirred any trouble on Vindar VII?"

A scowl appeared on Meivin's face. "We've found plenty of signs. Their agents are remarkably elusive. It's sad to say this, but sympathisers for the foreign invaders are also rife on this planet."

Personally, Ves thought the Whitewallers had a good point. What was the point of staying loyal to the Chuko Republic when it was falling apart at the seams?

But then again, Ves did not grow up in the Redwell Province. He lacked the emotional investment of the locals, who seemed to be more than willing to endure some hardship in order to retain their collective identity.

Perhaps Ves might think differently as well if the Bright Republic ever came under threat.

Once the group wrapped up their lunch, Ves resumed visiting other mech designers to carry out professional exchanges. His great success with Old Man Terrence increased his expectations for the subsequent exchanges.

Unfortunately, the other two Journeyman Mech Designers he met in Wilxyr were much more reticent with their insights. Both of them were younger than Old Man Terrence and obviously still harbored hopes of making more accomplishments despite the bad business climate.

As the evening started to arrive, Ves exited the headquarters of the second mech company with a dejected posture.

"It didn't work out again?" Gavin asked.

"No. The catty woman inside wanted to ask way too much. Getting her to tell me her insights was like pulling out teeth. She wasn't interested in conducting an equal exchange from the start."

"Couldn't you have used your Devil Tongue to get her to change her mind?"

"I could." Ves ruefully smiled as they boarded their shuttle. "In fact, I planned to do so. Yet ever since I conducted an exchange with Old Man Terrence, I changed my mind. Applying pressure in these situations violates the spirit of professional exchanges. If my counterparts aren't willing to open their mouths, then they're probably not that good in the first place."

The most successful mech designers in the Age of Mechs each shared a few traits in common. The most relevant one to this situation was confidence. They were confident in their beliefs.

The two Journeymen he met before both behaved insecurely. That doused his enthusiasm to inquire after their insights. How valuable would their findings really be if they jealously guarded what little they achieved?

The disappointing visits brought Ves back to reality. His initial exchange with Old Man Terrence turned out to be an exception rather than the rule.

"I should try and exchange more with senile mech designers." He quietly muttered. "People with one foot in the grave are a lot more willing to share their accumulated wisdom."

He gained a lot from aging mech designers such as Professor Velten and Old Man Terrence. Their urge to express their regrets and teach the younger generation to avoid their mistakes made them a lot less reticent about sharing their insights.

Perhaps Ves should specifically tweak his schedule so that he could visit more dying mech designers.

"Let's call it a day. We can visit the black markets tomorrow."

Once they reached their hotel, they settled in for the night. Fe Nitaa insisted on remaining awake and on guard throughout the night. She had already taken some pills beforehand to stave off sleep for a few days.

Ves did not discourage her excessive caution this time. Despite the Battle Criers and the Dustravens maintaining a rotation of patrols outside the hotel, they could not protect him from threats inside.

Another reason why Ves found her caution to be prudent was because Lucky found a number of high-powered bugs and listening devices in his hotel room.

Though every hotel room he stayed in was monitored to an extent, they could usually be cut off with ease to accommodate paranoid guests.

These bugs were different. Not only were they more sophisticated and hidden than usual, they also continued to function after Ves disconnected the regular monitoring system.

Ves frowned as he pointed his Vulcaneye multiscanner at a seemingly normal flower vase.

According to the scan results, implanted deep within the stem was a tiny, microscopic listening device.

"Meow!"

"Good job, Lucky. Is this the final one?"

"Meow."

"Okay."

As Ves disposed of the flower by chucking it in the garbage chute, he began to frown. The presence of sophisticated bugs suggested that he was being stared at by a powerful individual or organization.

"Trouble is in the air." He whispered.