Chapter 1551
The Bright Republic enacted all kinds of policies to mobilize the private sector into contributing to its defense.
The government did not coerce mech pilots to fight, but provided incentives to those that did. Forcing those unwilling to fight would never work, as instances such as running away as soon as the sandmen appeared would always take place.
Right now, many Brighters still possessed confidence that their state could weather the storm. They were used to dealing with pressure due to their frequent wars against the Vesians, but that was not enough to explain why so many outfits volunteered to the front.
Everyone was looking ahead.
As long as the Bright Republic defeated the sandmen, it stood to gain immensely. The star systems of the crumbling Coman Federation and beyond were up for grabs.
The only issue was that all of them had been swept to a ruin by the sandmen and required centuries to rebuild. Even so, the payoff would be immense.
With the promise of territory and other rewards to every outfit that participated, this was a golden opportunity for mercenary corps to become something more than a shabby band of mech pilots!
Gaining their own land, industries and more would elevate the mercenary commander into the upper ranks! The mech pilots would benefit as well, becoming vassals that owned and managed important properties.
With this rich promise, the Bright Republic successfully incentivized many profit-seeking outfits to help defend its star systems.
"I'm not aiming to gain more land or territory." Ves spoke to Melkor in the latter's office.
"Then why volunteer our troops?"
"Aside from being the right thing to do, I have three reasons."
Ves raised a finger.
"First, as you know, our Avatars and Sentinels are still very green. The little missions you've accepted isn't enough to forge them into a solid entity. Am I right?"
As the Avatar Commander, Melkor was keenly aware of this. "It's better than before, but we aren't truly united as of yet. It takes true battle to forge the kind of martial tradition we want."
"Right. So deploying them to the front against the sandmen is the best way to do so."
"We'll suffer casualties, though." Melkor cautioned. "When we volunteer our troops, they'll fall under the command of an officer of the Mech Corps. There won't be any slacking off. Depending on how the war will go, we might stand to lose half of the mech pilots we've dispatched."
That was a heavy figure, and the main reason why only half of the Living Sentinels volunteered. While the LMC promised generous pensions to their families if they died, that wasn't as good as returning from the front alive!
"We need a solid core. What is the use of recruiting hundreds of mech pilots if they will all shatter at the first serious blow? A martial tradition can only be forged in battle. Everyone knows that. As long as the Avatars and Sentinels make it through this pass, I will have no doubts about their competence anymore!"
Ves had seen many different outfits and mech regiments in battle. He recognized that there was a vast gulf between an experienced and inexperienced mech force.
No matter how much training an outfit enjoyed, all of it meant nothing if the mech pilots lost heart upon encountering their first setback in battle!
This was exactly the reason why Ves looked down on the Honored Ones from the Reinald Republic.
He raised another finger.
"My second reason for volunteering our forces is to earn more reputation. While it's difficult to see it now that we are in the middle of an existential crisis, the war against the sandmen will become a pivotal event in our star sector's history. Those who have answered the call of duty will become heroes to the state and the star sector. The mech pilots, the outfits and those who dispatched them will earn unsurpassed glory and honor for fighting the good fight!"
Melkor looked surprised, not expecting to hear such a reason. That was why Ves was in charge!
"Is reputation that important to you, sir?"
"It is!" Ves firmly replied. He had seen the effects of having an insufficient amount of reputation! "The galaxy is run by people and organizations. Being smart or wealthy is not a sufficient reason for them to do business with you. If you want to earn their regard, reputation is essential! High society is especially vain and pretentious. Something as simple as dispatching half of my mech forces to fight off an alien invasion will definitely be celebrated in this circle!"
Otherwise, why would nobles and high officials elevate hunting into a prestigious occupation?
After Ves explained his reasoning, Melkor tentatively nodded.
"I think you're right. All of us stand to gain a lot of honor and reputation for battling the sandmen. This might even be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to add descriptions such as 'defender of humanity' and 'alien hunter' to our records!"
Regardless of how the authorities recorded the accomplishments of his mech pilots, they would doubtlessly be able to stand head and shoulders above others!
Those who never contributed to human civilization in this fashion would never have the guts to put on airs around veterans of this crisis!
"There's one more thing, Melkor. It's one thing to miss the fight if you were still a mech cadet or if you are stuck on the other side of the star sector. It's another thing to decline the opportunity to do your duty when you are in a position to do so. The cowards, the foot-draggers, the incapable and the incompetent will all carry the stigma of staying still while others fought to save the lives of trillions of people!"
This wasn't something that Melkor contemplated either! As a Larkinson, shirking his duty sounded alien to him. Yet now that Ves illuminated him, he understood how much dishonor those people suffered if they refused to fight!
Ves raised a third finger. "There is one more reason to dispatch the Avatars and Sentinels to the front. I want to test if my Avatars are loyal enough to do what I ask of them. I won't ask too much of the Sentinels, but I want you to push the Avatars. Either make or break them, but don't be too soft."
"You're asking for a lot, Ves. Every mech pilot who joins the Avatars are qualified enough to join a prestigious mech regiment of the Mech Corps."
"I know that, but what is the point of retaining them if they are unwilling to serve me as much as they pledged? The generous salaries and benefits they earn as Avatars should be enough to buy their loyalty."
Even if his Avatars weren't Kinners, they ought to be considering how much money Ves paid out of his pocket to support his premier mech force!
"Let's move on to choosing our assignments."
Ves and Melkor began to turn to the projection of the map of the Bright Republic. The Mech Corps posted many missions with different terms and requirements.
It took around half an hour to select the missions for the Avatars and Sentinels.
Preferably, Ves wanted to keep them together, but that wasn't always possible. He selected a more arduous mission for the Avatars that called for keeping the majority of them at the front for a long duration. Only a handful of Avatars would be rotated back to Cloudy Curtain to rest and recover.
As for the Sentinels, he still needed to finalize the details with the Sentinel Commander, but Ves picked out a more relaxed mission for them. The Sentinels would merely have to deploy a portion of their mechs and mech pilots to the front, and rotate them out every couple of months.
This was enough to give every volunteering mech pilot some actual battle experience without exposing them to too many risky battles.
"Do you want to meet with Magdalena?" Melkor asked.
"Not today. I already have a full agenda." Ves shook his head. He intended to visit the Living Sentinels and the Battle Criers sometime later when he wasn't so pressed for time. "Convey my intentions to her in my stead, will you?"
"Will do, sir. I have a good relationship with her. She'll understand what needs to be done."
Though Ves didn't know who came up with the decision, Magdalena Larkinson became the Sentinel Commander. From what he could gather, Magdalena used to work her way up the ranks of the Mech Corps before retiring as a Captain at the end of the recent war.
She was also a mother of three young children, which explained her inclinations towards the Sentinels.
Once they ended their discussion, both of them stood up and left the office. Gloriana, their cats and their bodyguards followed silently after the Larkinsons.
After leaving the administrative building, they crossed the grounds of the base before entering a training facility.
Around a dozen young Avatars in uniform awkwardly familiarized with each other at a lounge area. As soon as Ves and Melkor stepped in, they immediately rose from their seats and stood straight.
Though Melkor did not look as grizzled as some of the older veterans, he cultivated his own air of authority, which was enough to make the young Avatars honest.
"Ves, meet the Avatars in the making. They are some of the most promising young mech pilots in our ranks."
He recognized some of the Avatars looking at him with respect, fear or outright adoration.
"Chette Larkinson. Rhode Larkinson." Ves addressed his cousins first. "How confident are you in catching up to Jannzi?"
It seemed like a lifetime ago when the Larkinsons pushed three little chicks onto his hands. Now, one of them transformed into an eagle, far surpassing the remaining two chicks that barely stepped off the finish line.
However, as Larkinsons, they did not give in too easily. Their eyes burned with determination.
"We will catch up, sir!"
Ves nodded in satisfaction. He wanted his Avatars to be bold and confident. Even if they became a little too arrogant, that was fine because he was willing to give them the tools to back up their boasts.
With his spiritual vision, he recognized that neither of them possessed spiritual potential.
That was fine. As long as Ves mastered the art of elevating regular mech pilots into the ranks of gods, he didn't mind giving some of his relatives a life-changing transformation.
He couldn't do too much, though! If he uplifted every Larkinson or Avatar into the ranks of experts, then anyone with a pinch of logic could figure out that he possessed an unimaginable secret!
Ves could only elevate a couple of Larkinsons at most. The reputation his family had built up and its long pedigree of nurturing expert pilots would help allay suspicions.
As for elevating other Avatars, Ves had to show more restraint. He could only afford to uplift a handful of them as best. He could chalk his luck to the selective recruitment policies of the Avatars of Myth.
"Imon, Casella, how are the two of you doing?" He asked after he finished his brief chat with his cousins.
"We enjoy it here." Casella spoke up first. "We recognize that it is a privilege to join the Avatars. We will do our best to meet your expectations."
"Good. I have high expectations for the two of you, but you will both have to prove yourselves in battle."
Though Imon did not show much enthusiasm for their upcoming deployment, both Ingvars knew that this was a test they needed to pass.
Once Ves understood the situation of the Ingvar twins, he directed his attention to someone he didn't recognize.
The young Avatar exhibited much more enthusiasm and fervor than any other Avatar in the room.
Now that Ves paid attention to the fellow, his interest spiked when he sensed a vigorous trace of spirituality.
This was a mech pilot with spiritual potential!
Not only that, but his spiritual attributes felt a bit unusual! Though Ves did not recognize the attributes, he felt a little familiarity in them for some reason.
"Who is this kid?" Ves directly asked, pointing his finger at the Avatar.
Before Melkor could even answer, the mech pilot couldn't hold himself back any longer!
He fell on his knees and pleaded to Ves with his palms grasped together!
"Joshua King! I'm your biggest fan! I grew up piloting your mechs! It is my biggest dream for you to design a custom mech for me! I will defeat every challenger in your stead if you give me a machine that is solely mine!"
An awkward silence ensued.
Chapter 1552
Melkor coughed. "Joshua here is a recent graduate I picked up from Meirling."
"The famed advanced mech academy in Bentheim?" Ves briefly glanced away from the pathetic kneeling mech pilot.
What an odd display!
"He just joined us a few weeks ago, so he's still an unpolished gem. Don't let your first impressions fool you, though. Joshua is a top graduate from that mech academy who received many favorable offers from various mech regiments. He could have accepted a fast-track career at the Mech Corps, but he set his sights on the Avatars."
This young mech pilot became more and more interesting to Ves.
"Sit up, Joshua. You're an Avatar, not a groveler. Have some pride."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
"Why did you choose the Avatars?"
"I'm your biggest fan, sir! Perhaps you don't remember me, but I piloted one of your first virtual designs back when you were publishing mechs under the name of Chasing Clouds. I grew up piloting the Seraphim, the Young Blood, the Old Soul and both Marc Antony versions! I even piloted the virtual versions of your original mech models! I've piloted them all!"
Ves looked a bit astonished. "You piloted my earliest works?"
"I was born and raised on Cloudy Curtain, just like you, sir." Joshua smiled. "Maybe you don't remember me, but you even interviewed me a long time ago."
No wonder Joshua showed so much enthusiasm at meeting Ves. As a fellow Cloudy Curtainer, the young mech pilot probably grew up admiring Ves after he elevated the LMC from a small mech workshop into a large mech manufacturer!
This explained why Joshua was eager to become an Avatar!
The more Ves studied Joshua, the more he became satisfied. Joshua not only possessed an excellent academic record, but also carried spiritual potential with unusual attributes.
"What's his genetic aptitude?" Ves whispered to Melkor.
Genetic aptitude was a very sensitive topic to mech pilots. It wasn't polite of him to ask Joshua directly.
"C+, which is about the same as many Larkinson mech pilots."
A genetic aptitude of C+ was merely regarded as higher-than-average in the mech community. Nonetheless, genetic aptitude was not the sole factor in determining whether a mech pilot could advance to expert pilot or higher. It merely described the maximum load a mech pilot could sustain when interfacing with a mech.
A grade of C+ was more than sufficient to pilot most standard mechs. Once a mech pilot advanced to expert, their minds were capable of doing so much more. At that time, genetic aptitude mostly determined how easily they would be able to advance to the next step.
A monster like Venerable Foster faced much fewer hurdles in advancing to ace pilot than someone with a lower aptitude!
While it sounded unfair, this was simply the way the galaxy worked!
"Satisfactory." Ves softly nodded. "I'm very satisfied with him. Take good care of him, Melkor."
Melkor nodded in acknowledgement.
What pleased Ves the most about Joshua wasn't necessarily his academic pedigree. His spiritual potential, spiritual attributes and genetic aptitude did not warrant too much attention either.
No, the true reason Ves regarded this young mech pilot with favor was the latter's unquestioning devotion!
Biggest fan or not, Ves confidently judged that Joshua was sincere in his admiration!
As far as Ves was concerned, Joshua didn't even have to risk his life against the sandmen to prove his loyalty.
This fanboy and fellow Cloudy Curtainer had already completed his indoctrination ahead of time!
"Maybe we should put more effort into recruiting other locals." Ves remarked to Melkor.
"Joshua is an exception. Most mech pilots from this planet aren't even good enough to join the Sentinels. It isn't until recently our family took over the basic mech academy of Freslin and improved its training standards."
"I see."
Ves spent a few more minutes of his time directing his attention to the remaining young Avatars. It was enough for them to meet their employer in person. The impression he made would be seared in their minds as they matured to become the backbone of the Avatars for many decades.
He ended his visit shortly afterwards. As Ves left the Avatar's base of operation, Gloriana linked her arm with his and walked alongside him with a gentle smile.
"I didn't think much of your 'Avatars of Myth' when I first heard of them, but you've surprised me, Ves."
"Oh?" Ves raised his eyebrow. "What has caught your attention?"
"The quality and potential of some of those young mech pilots are very high. Since I specialize in fitting mechs to mech pilots, I'm very good at judging their quality. Most of them have what it takes to become elites. If their upbringing and augmentations were a little bit better, then they could have enjoyed storied careers in the Hex Army."
That was high praise from someone like Gloriana. "Are my Avatars really that good in your eyes?"
She nodded. "Most of the Larkinson mech pilots I've seen so far are also pretty decent. Whether it's their mindsets or their physical conditioning, they're good material."
While his girlfriend spoke highly of the Larkinsons, Ves believed that part of it was because they were his relatives. She wouldn't speak so highly of them if he wasn't a Larkinson!
Even so, Gloriana never lied when it came to expressing her likes and dislikes. Since this topic was related to her design philosophy, she would never lie to Ves just to make him feel better.
What do you think about the odds of elevating my Avatars to second-class mech pilots?"
"It shouldn't be a problem as long as you invest in the right augmentations for them. Your relatives have a particularly solid foundation, so they should be able to succeed in a couple of years of focused training."
"I understand. Is the Glory Battalion willing to train my men?"
She grinned. "I'll make them accept this assignment. Don't worry, Ves. You'll get your own second-class mech pilots to play with. Just be ready to provide the required support."
The cost of converting a third-class mech pilot to a second-class mech pilot varied. While Ves could make do with investing a couple of million of credits, better and faster results could be achieved if he invested ten or even a hundred times more!
Ves was not in the habit of wasting so much money, though. Investing a few million credits per Avatar was the most he was willing to spend. What if a mech pilot that cost him a billion credits to nurture suddenly got shot down by an enemy mech one day?
Fortunately, as long as his Avatars possessed the right foundation, it shouldn't be too difficult to make the transition.
What Ves should really be concerned about was having the right second-class mechs in place. He had to make sure he became proficient in designing second-class mechs by then because he did not wish to resort to buying someone else's products to outfit his premier mech force.
"I have a lot of studying to do to design the mechs my Avatars deserve." He sighed.
Gloriana pressed closer against him. "I'm sure you'll get it within a year. I'll do whatever I can to help you become a qualified second-class mech designer. Otherwise, how will you be able to prove yourself to my dynasty within three years?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I made an agreement with my mother. We need to accelerate our timeline and produce a second-class masterwork mech within three years!"
"That's way too fast!" Ves clutched his heart in shock. "I'm not even confident I can produce another masterwork mech within a decade!"
It was simply too hard to make a masterwork mech on demand! Even if Ves had made one before and even if Gloriana's design philosophy increased the odds of making one, that still left them with a miniscule chance!
"I know we can do it, Ves." She spoke and grasped his hands. "As long as we develop our synergies, it will only be a matter of time before we manage to make a fantastic masterwork mech."
Though Ves still remained skeptical, he did not reject the challenge. Producing a masterwork within three years would confound any Journeyman or Senior, but Ves was different.
Having finished touring the Mech Nursery, the couple left the complex and returned to the Cloud Estate.
There, they enjoyed a quiet dinner together before relaxing outside during the evening.
Though Ves felt very ambivalent about the presence of so many Larkinsons at his estate, he quickly felt at ease once he sat among his uncles and aunts.
Despite his high standing within his family, the Larkinsons were never very hierarchical to begin with. The elders only enjoyed slightly higher regard. Only the expert pilots in the family enjoyed respect.
"We know you're very busy." An old Larkinson calmly spoke to him. "You're in the prime of your life. When I was as young as you, I dreamed of having a rich girlfriend like you. Who are we to spoil the best years of your life? Cherish these times, Ves."
"I will." Ves nodded with some respect.
He continued to chat with the oldest Larkinsons. Because they had already experienced a fulfilling life, Ves did not sense any ulterior motives from them aside. They didn't even beg Ves to allocate more money and resources to their children and grandchildren.
Ves didn't make those kinds of decisions anyway.
While Ves started to enjoy his time with the old and placid Larkinsons, Gloriana played with the very youngest Larkinsons.
The young kids quickly became bedazzled by her beauty and charm. She giggled frequently as she played along with some of their games.
What surprised Ves the most was that Gloriana did not bring up anything related to hexism at all! She also treated boys and girls with an equal amount of consideration.
As Ves continued to keep an eye on his girlfriend, he began to suspect that she was deliberately trying to charm the Larkinsons!
Why shouldn't she? If she managed to get on the bad side of the Larkinsons, then her relationship with Ves would certainly be in jeopardy! At the very least, the tension would introduce a lot of strain!
It pleased him a lot to see her getting along with the Larkinsons and vica versa. Though it remained to be seen whether she could earn the approval of every Larkinson, she was well on her way to winning the hearts of the younger ones.
They decided to retire after a few hours. It was already bedtime for the youngest Larkinsons.
"Your family is very wholesome, Ves." Gloriana remarked as she accompanied him to the main mansion. "It's different from the Wodins. Every relative of mine has something to prove. Even if we're not as bad as some of the more competitive dynasties, it's very rare to encounter a Wodin who is able to put down their worries and enjoy a simple life."
The two enjoyed different upbringings, but they managed to be compatible so far. As long as Ves continued to get along with Gloriana, he was happy with what he got. He couldn't ask for more in their relationship.
"Will I be able to fit in with the Wodins?" He asked.
"It's... very difficult. Even if we pass our three-year challenge, you'll always be regarded as an outsider by the Wodin Dynasty."
"Don't misunderstand me, Gloriana. I don't want to become a Wodin. I'm a Larkinson. I like to keep it that way."
Both of them smiled at each other. They were both proud of their families and didn't want to lose those parts of their identities.
The time they spent with the Larkinsons somehow brought them closer together. A harmony formed between them that was just as amazing as the synergies they discovered when they collaborated on a design project.
"I love you, Ves."
"I love you too."
"Good night. Let's get back to work tomorrow, okay?"
The two kissed each other at the porch of their mansion.
Chapter 1553
The next morning, Ves and Gloriana met during breakfast but separated shortly afterwards.
Ves still needed to tour more sites before he was ready to tackle work.
Though Gloriana enjoyed accompanying her boyfriend, she didn't intend to spend all of her time with him. She still needed to study, perform research and manage her own affairs.
"I'll be supervising the installation of my lab and workshop equipment." She told him once they were ready to depart. "After that, we'll meet again when you convene your design team, right?"
Ves calmly nodded. "It's not much of a design team. So far, I only have Ketis. I've also been informed that a couple of teenage Larkinsons will be joining us as well. They're the seeds the Larkinsons have selected to learn from my hip. Please treat them well."
"I understand, but Ves, a good mech designer isn't so easy to raise. I don't mean to insult your relatives, but..."
"You don't have to couch your words to me." He spoke. "I know very well that the odds that they'll advance to Journeyman is exceedingly small. I'm not looking to turn them into my successors, though. It's already sufficient for them to become capable Apprentices that can assist me in my work or provide the Larkinsons with at least some measure of financial continuity."
The Larkinsons did not have a tradition of raising mech designers, so Ves did not expect too much from the seeds his family selected. Regardless if they possessed spiritual potential or not, as long as they possessed the right attitudes, he was willing to tutor them from time to time.
Of course, Ves couldn't teach them too much at their young age. The best he could do was to prepare them well enough that they would be able to apply for the best mech design universities in the region.
Not the Ansel University of Mech Design, though. Anything but Ansel.
If the Bright Republic successfully survived the current crisis, then Ves would recommend them to the Dorum Center of Technology and Innovation. With his connections, he could get a stupid pig accepted as a mech design student.
Well, that was for later.
Ves and Gloriana kissed before they went their separate ways. Clixie, Melody and her bodyguards followed after their lady while Nitaa and Lucky accompanied their lord.
As they boarded a shuttle, the vehicle lifted off and flew towards the Mech Nursery. Some aerial mechs of the Sentinels surrounded the shuttle while a couple of landbound mechs of the Avatars followed on the ground.
"What do you think so far of the people you've met at the Cloud Estate and the Mech Nursery?" He asked Nitaa.
"So far, I haven't detected anyone who holds malice against you, sir."
"What does your nose tell you?"
"All of the people we've met on this planet are not involved with the cult as far as I know."
Ves nodded, though he didn't blindly accept her judgement. What if an agent of a splinter organization of the Five Scrolls Compact embedded some spies and informers within his company?
Unless they possessed extraordinary powers like Nitaa, detecting them was incredibly hard!
He left the vital role of identifying spies and informers to Crindon. In his capacity as Captain of the Virtual Security Department, Crindon wouldn't have to conduct his search alone.
Considering how Flashlight operated, Ves knew for sure they inserted at least dozens of spies in his company.
While Ves did not intend to expose them or root them out, he still wanted to identify them. It was better to know and not do anything about it than remaining ignorant he could ill afford it. Doubtlessly, many other organizations may have planted their spies in his workforce as well.
It was one thing to tolerate an informer like Gavin or in the LMC, but it would be devastating if a spy managed to slip into the ranks of his Avatars of Myth!
"Do you have any other concerns, Nitaa?"
"I do, sir. I have been speaking with some of the bodyguards of the Glory Battalion as well as some of your other guards. You are making a lot of waves lately. This also means you are making many people upset. Now that you are making very large moves, I'm afraid the people who lose out will resort to drastic measures to stop you from doing more damage."
Ves scratched his chin. "You're right. I can't avoid disturbing others, but I enjoy a sufficient amount of protection from my backers. The Bright Republic is on my side. Gloriana and by extension her Glory Battalion is on my side. Calabast is on my side. If that isn't enough, I can count on the Avatars of Myth and Living Sentinels to foil any assassination attempts."
"You are sending out the majority of your Avatars and many of your Sentinels to fight the sandmen." Nitaa pointed out. "This reduces your security, especially when you are separated from Gloriana. To be frank, I highly prefer it if you remain with her as much as possible. While the Glory Battalion is tasked to protect her first, they will eliminate any threat that targets you because Gloriana would also be at risk."
Depending on his girlfriend's bodyguards to protect him put a sour taste in his mouth. Wasn't it his intention to cultivate the Avatars of Myth into an elite second-class mech force?
Even if the Avatars became capable enough to fend off all local threats, what if some donkey from the Hegemony or the Coalition decided that Ves had to be wiped out?
The backing and protection he currently enjoyed only shielded him against third-class threats. For the rest, he needed to depend on his girlfriend, which deeply unsatisfied him. The Glory Battalion obviously wouldn't risk their lives for Ves alone.
"I can only depend on something I can build myself!"
He needed to elevate the Avatars into a second-class mech force as soon as possible!
His shuttle arrived at the Mech Nursery a brief moment later. As he entered into the range of the aura of a Desolate Soldier installed as a display model, he took the time to admire the mech for a moment.
"Very adequate." Ves nodded in satisfaction. "It's not entirely flawless, though."
The mech technicians of the LMC had done their best to fabricate the mech without his personal guidance. The Desolate Soldier was a very simple mech design to begin with, and Ves already transmitted detailed fabrication plans to the company.
If his mech technicians were too stupid to follow all of his instructions, then they didn't deserve to work for the LMC!
As much as Ves itched to fabricate a couple of gold label Desolate Soldiers, he did not consider them meaningful.
Who would spend so much effort on crafting high-quality versions of a cheap product?
Ves shook his head and proceeded to his appointments.
For most of the morning, Ves visited the other two mech forces under his purview.
He began with meeting Commander Cinnabar and the Battle Criers. While Ves hadn't paid much attention to them since he returned to Cloudy Curtain, as Kinners they didn't need much babysitting.
The most pertinent issue he wanted to discuss with the Battle Criers was whether they were willing to fight on behalf of the Bright Republic.
"This is what we are made for." Commander Cinnabar replied to Ves. "Do you think that because we're Kinners, we only care about the safety of the Kinner Tribe? We are an extension of your will, now. Your concerns are our concerns. Let alone that this is a fight which mech pilots shouldn't avoid. I can think of no better cause to fight for than protecting humanity against alien aggression."
At this point, Ves already signed a contract with the Battle Criers and bought them out in the Kinner tradition. Even though he knew he held the power to do almost anything he wanted with the Battle Criers, he didn't want to overstep the line.
Hearing Cinnabar's declaration reassured him a lot.
"I'm glad to hear that, commander. If that is so, I won't hesitate. Please deploy some of your Battle Criers to the front. Aside from doing what is necessary, I also want you to focus on hardening your mech pilots. I have no doubts about your loyalty, but your troops can use some more polishing. Since the sandmen are about to flood the Bright Republic, you'll enjoy all the battles you need to hammer your men into shape."
As a mercenary commander, Cinnabar understood Ves' argument. "We've never been cowards. We've already survived our fair share of battles."
"I hope your Battle Criers can prove yourselves once more. To those that survive, I'm willing to invest your development. Becoming second-class mech pilots is not out of the question!"
He had already dangled out this bait, but it didn't hurt to remind the Battle Criers of what they stood to gain.
Once Ves made sure that the Battle Criers were settling in, he departed to the largest base.
Dozens of mechs of the mechs of the Living Sentinels stood on standby right inside the grounds of the base. Every mech pilot wearing the silver uniform of the Sentinels greeted Ves with respect.
He met with Magdalena Larkinson shortly afterwards in her office. A stern lady with an aging face, the Magdalena still radiated strong military vibes.
Not a lot of time had passed since she retired from service. The onset of the sandman invasion coupled with the outbreak of the Komodo War had probably caused her to dust off her and don military bearing.
"Sir." She saluted towards him. "Welcome to the Living Sentinels."
Ves casually waved his hand at her. "Knock it off. We're not in the military."
"Sorry, sir. Old habits die hard."
"Well, I can see how you managed to become the commander of the Living Sentinels."
"Even if we aren't as excellent as your Avatars of Myth, we have a lot of responsibilities on our shoulders. The LMC is our family's main source of prosperity now, far outstripping the meager profits earned by the Larkinson Estate."
Ves was impressed by her dedication. "That's true. I'm glad you are taking your job seriously. It's not meant to be a retirement home for Larkinsons who are tired of serving in the Mech Corps."
"The Larkinson mech pilots who have truly hung up their piloting coats have all gone to become mech instructors for our mech academy." Magdalena smirked. "You should pay a visit to them sometime."
"I plan to do so immediately after this meeting." Ves nodded.
He had some business to do in Freslin. Not only did he want to check out the latest preoccupation of the Larkinsons, he also wanted to talk with Dietrich from Walter's Whalers.
Though Ves hadn't kept in touch with the Whalers lately, he heard that they suffered a very severe setback when they attempted to return to Bentheim and conquer some turf.
Ves got down to business with the Sentinel Commander.
As Ves hadn't been involved in the establishment of the Living Sentinels, he wanted to make sure they hadn't made any decisions he disagreed with. It would be much harder to impose changes once the Sentinels became set in their ways.
He paid especially close attention to their budget. Even though the LMC took care of their bills, he didn't want the Living Sentinels to develop into a bloodsucking parasite.
Fortunately, Magdalena ran a tight ship. The Living Sentinels employed a lot of Larkinsons, and while Ves suspected that plenty of nepotism took place, at the very least his relatives weren't lazy and corrupt.
"I'm very content with your arrangements." He told her. "I approve of your handling. Keep up the good work."
As Ves left the base of the Living Sentinels, he took another look at their mechs before he left.
Though the Avatars of Myth, Battle Criers and the Living Sentinels still hadn't reached their optimal forms, they already held a lot of battle power. With hundreds of mechs at his disposal, Ves no longer felt that he was powerless anymore.
Even if he was still a mech designer, he actually possessed some teeth now!
"I just have to polish them by deploying them against the sandmen." He muttered. "Only then are they sharp enough to bite my enemies to death."
Chapter 1554
Freslin changed a lot since he last visited. The second-largest city on Cloudy Curtain featured a lot of new construction. The sudden relocation of billions of refugees required an enormous amount of services to accommodate their integration into Brighter society.
Hospitals, planning offices, distribution warehouses, high-rise business centers and more dotted the outskirts of Freslin.
When Ves saw the enormous sprawl of construction, he guessed that Freslin might double in size within a year!
As much as Ves was amazed by the scale of construction, he knew that this was only a taste of what was to come.
Only the more daring, risk-taking entrepreneurs invested early in Cloudy Curtain. They saw the ballooning population of Cloudy Curtain and noted that the planet would soon be grossly short on various essential services.
The lack of existing institutions presented savvy investors with an enormous gap in the market!
"Still, aren't they a bit too daring?" Ves frowned as he looked down on the expanding city from the window of his shuttle. "If the Bright Republic fails to repel the sandmen, then all of the money sunk into construction will wash away in a tide of sand."
Certainly, many investors liquidated their assets and pulled as much money out of the system as possible. It was the most prudent course of action to do. What was the worth of prime real estate when it would soon be crushed by the relentless sandmen?
However, those who believed the Bright Republic had what it took to defend its space took the biggest gambles in their lifetimes. They snapped up all of the liquidated assets at fire-sale prices and constructed new institutions on planets designated as dumping grounds for refugees without any hesitation!
The risks may be large, but the rewards were absolutely astronomical!
Even Ves, who liked to gamble every now and then, balked at the thought of going all-in on this daring bet!
From what he read in the news, the government did everything possible to facilitate this risk-taking behavior. Anyone who decided to commit to the Bright Republic and take over the assets sold by cowardly, risk-averse investors received numerous perks and tax breaks.
One of the lessons the Republic learned from the border states was that society could quickly break down if everyone tried to liquidate their assets!
Even though many large investors acquired a bad reputation as leeches and corporate raiders, if they all decided to pull out of the economy, the state would quickly be thrown into chaos!
"Well, I don't have to play this game." Ves shook his head.
His primary concern was to improve his skills and grow his mech company. The money he earned from licensing his latest mech designs already surpassed 200 billion bright credits!
Of course, most of the companies and mech designers who licensed his mech designs probably suffered from buyer's remorse right now. Any variants they designed inevitably featured drastically weaker X-Factors.
Once it became known that it was far more problematic to design variants of his mechs than anticipated, Ves predicted that he wouldn't be able to exploit the mech industry's ignorance again!
"Still, 200 billion credits is a huge windfall for the LMC!" He grinned.
The recent board meetings all concerned how to spend all of this money. Ves had pushed for investing much of the money into expanding the Mech Nursery and building more manufacturing complexes.
The LMC's existing production capacity no longer matched its success level. Ves detested depending on third-party manufacturers to make up for the company's severe shortfall in production.
Naturally, Ves did not bet completely on this plan. If the sandmen defeated the Mech Corps, then all was moot.
"Once the Bright Republic falls, the bright credit is worth nothing!"
Due to all of the economic activity and the government's profligate spending spree, inflation already started to rouse. Even though the LMC was earning more bright credits than ever before, the rising inflation continually tempered their real earnings.
Perhaps there might come a day where a nutrient pack sold for 1 million bright credits!
Ves shook his head at the ridiculous notion. "That will only happen if the Bright Republic loses Bentheim and half of its territory or something."
In any case, Ves and the LMC needed to make the most use out of their windfall by converting bright credits to tangible assets as fast as possible.
"It still feels good to be rich, though." He smiled.
While the money he earned was nowhere close to funding his expeditionary fleet, it represented a good start.
As Ves mused about his expanding fortunes, his shuttle finally arrived at his first stop.
Surrounded by Nitaa and his bodyguards, he exited the shuttle and stepped onto a familiar street.
The low, intimidating aura of his Pride of Dusk immediately affected the nearby locals.
"Look! It's Ves Larkinson! He's back!"
"Wow! He looks more handsome than ever! No wonder he managed to seduce a Hexer!"
Most citizens of Freslin regarded Ves and the LMC very highly.
Ves idly waved at the gawkers before entering a rundown bar.
Unlike last time, not a single patron was present. Even if Ves decided to visit in the morning, he knew the Whalers didn't care for these matters.
Ves immediately spotted the person he sought sitting bored and morose behind the bar. He stepped forward and calmly sat on the barstool right in front of the barkeeper.
"Hey Dietrich."
"Hey."
A short silence ensued as both of them looked at each other. Both of them had changed a lot since they last met.
Whereas Ves looked more imposing due to his confidence and his Pride of Dusk, Dietrich resembled a deflated balloon.
His previous confidence and playboy-like demeanor was nowhere to be seen. His messy hair hung limply on his head and his clothes appeared as if he'd slept in them for several days.
"What happened to you, Dietrich?"
"Bentheim happened."
"I heard. Is Walter.."
"My father is dead. Along with more than a hundred mechs and mech pilots who followed him to fulfill his foolhardy dream."
"Dietrich.. my condolences.."
The son of Walter let out an exasperated sigh. "You don't have to feel sorry for me. My father got what was coming! What did he think he could do with a bunch of green recruits and unreliable mech pilots? Even if we outnumbered the gang we targeted, they bogged us down and confounded us with their superior piloting skills and tactics. We should have pulled out back then, but my father and the old guard insisted on pressing through!"
"What happened?"
"Our opponents called in their friends. Enemy reinforcements quietly surrounded us from all sides. Once they formed a complete envelopment, they attacked us on all sides!"
The outcome was devastating. The Whalers lost eighty percent of the mechs they deployed in battle. The remnants that came back to Cloudy Curtain were diminished, dispired and utterly broken!
"Are the Whalers still around?" Ves softly asked.
"My father died. The old guard died. I managed to survive, and so did a couple of others. Upon our return, I tried to take charge as best as I could and recalled all of our remaining mech forces to Cloudy Curtain. There was no way we could hang on to our other turf at our current level of strength."
"And then?"
"And then, I got kicked out of my father's own organization!" Dietrich slammed his fist against the bar counter. "What a good leader I turned out to be! While my father and the old guard who supported me the most were still around, all of the Whalers remained honest. As soon as this changed, the disloyal bastards who joined the Whalers in the past few years since the Glowing Planet Campaign usurped control from me! Too few Whalers backed me up when the usurpers launched their coup!"
Dietrich freely explained how it all went downhill.
Ves did not look entirely surprised. Walter's Whalers used to be a small-time gang that lorded over Cloudy Curtain because they didn't have any competition. After participating in the Glowing Planet Campaign, they lost a lot of old hands but gained billions of bright credits.
The Whalers could never protect all of their wealth with the meager forces at their disposal, so they underwent an enormous hiring and procurement spree. Their strength and numbers ballooned in a matter of years, so much so that they became local hegemons that claimed other rural planets in the Bentheim region as their turf!
Yet Ves recognized the vulnerability of pursuing such rapid expansion. The Whalers were never very diligent with how they managed their organization. They recruited too many new Whalers, diluting their old culture, loyalty and identity.
While this situation wouldn't have led to any serious problems, a cancer had taken root in the gang. As long as the only deterrent in the form of Walter and his old buddies was gone, Dietrich alone did not possess enough power to retain control over the Whalers!
"...So that's how I end up here by myself in this deserted bar." Dietrich finished. "It's the only piece of real estate that I have left in my name."
"Walter's Whalers left nothing behind for you?"
"They no longer go by that name. They call themselves the Cloud Whalers by now. As for my severance fee, I'm lucky enough to retain this worthless bar and my stupid life! I wouldn't have been able to walk out from the Whalers if it hadn't been for some of the old members speaking up for me. They still turned their back to me, though."
"How come they didn't support you?"
"My father is tainted. We enjoyed a lot of success, but my father and the old guard's obsession with Bentheim threw most of it away! The old members who remained behind weren't mech pilots. They're the administrators, the business owners, the mech technicians and the like who wouldn't have been useful in our attempt to gain a footing on Bentheim. Even if they had been with Walter from the start, they don't have the power to contend against mech pilots."
"I see. The usurpers probably obtained their support before they launched their coup. Their main demand was to preserve your life, on account for the sentiment they held towards your father."
Dietrich sighed. "In hindsight, that was obvious. The usurpers couldn't have taken over the Whalers so smoothly without making a lot of deals."
The new Cloud Whalers no longer had anything to do with Dietrich and his father. If Ves wanted to be poetic about it, then he would remark that Dietrich and the Whalers had broken the bonds of karma between them. With how lifeless Dietrich looked, not even revenge was on his mind.
"Did Walter leave you a nest egg or something? Surely your father wasn't stupid enough to put all of his eggs in a single basket."
"Hahaha!" Dietrich laughed. "You're right. My father did squirrel away a couple of billion credits to a number of secret stashes and bank accounts. The problem is that my dad is really bad at all of this complicated finance stuff, so he entrusted the matter to one of his old buddies who acted as our chief accountant."
"I see."
He didn't have to ask whether this chief accountant stabbed Dietrich in the back. All of the money that Walter saved for his son had fallen into the hands of the usurpers.
The dispossessed heir to the Whalers snorted at his visitor. "You don't have to feel sorry for me, Ves. We all got what we deserved. This is how gangs are like. I'm tired of the Whalers anyway. They're all a bunch of idiots with too many mechs and not enough foresight. My dad and the old guard could have used the windfall they earned from the Glowing Planet campaign to transition the Whalers into a large mercenary corps or security company."
"It takes a lot of training and expertise to set something like that up, Dietrich!"
"We had a lot of money! We could have set up an investment fund and bought a bunch of lucrative companies to live off the profits, but no, my dad insisted on paying back his old grudges!"
Obviously, losing access to all of the wealth the Walters earned stung Dietrich deeply. Ves understood how bad it must be for Dietrich to be a billionaire for a few years before being robbed of all of the wealth that he supposedly owned!
"How about a new start?" Ves extended his hand to the other man. "You're a decent mech pilot. We shared a life-and-death experience together. I just happen to need a lot of mech pilots."
Dietrich snorted. "I know about your Avatars of Myth and Living Sentinels. Every mech pilot on Cloudy Curtain wants to work for them. It's just.. I won't fit in an elite outfit like the Avatars and I don't want to become a glorified security guard."
Ves already anticipated this answer.
"You don't have to join them. I have a third outfit under my command. Hear me out…"
Chapter 1555
In the end, Dietrich accepted his offer to join the Battle Criers. It wasn't as if he had anything better to do.
While Ves hadn't mentioned that the Battle Criers consisted entirely of Kinners, he didn't anticipate many problems. The Battle Criers were ruffians at heart, which meant that Dietrich should easily be able to fit in once he managed to get over the fact that he would be serving alongside a bunch of foreigners.
"You won't regret your choice, Dietrich." Ves smiled and shook the other man's head. "Now go close this bar, clean yourself up and report to the Battle Criers based at the Mech Nursery. I'll call ahead and tell them to give you a warm welcome."
Dietrich eyed him with some suspicion. "Why do I get the feeling you're bamboozling me or something? You're being awfully keen on recruiting me. Even if my skills are decent, you can afford better."
"Some things can't be bought." Ves replied. "I trust you and I have a good feeling about you. It's up to you to decide how you want to reciprocate."
"Let's drink to that."
After retrieving a bottle from the top shelf, Dietrich poured two glasses and offered one of them to Ves.
Both of them clinked their glasses together and gulped down their drinks.
While Dietrich soon began to grow tipsy, Ves remained as sober as ever. At this quantity, alcohol had little effect on his altered metabolism.
"Well, I have to go now, Dietrich. I hope you can pick up your life and find a new meaning to live on. You deserve better than the Whalers."
Ves left the bar and returned to his shuttle. As his vehicle brought him to the outskirts of Freslin, he briefly reflected on Dietrich's experiences while scratching Lucky's ears.
"So much has changed over a year."
As Ves and the LMC rose to prominence, Dietrich suffered an enormous fall from grace.
What struck Ves the most was how quickly Dietrich lost everyone and everything around him. Without the tall trees of his father and the old guard, Dietrich was left naked and vulnerable to the predations of his former subordinates and allies.
Even though Ves considered Dietrich to be a decent fellow, he didn't possess any remarkable strength to suppress any unrest within his former organization.
"Something like that will never happen to me." Ves vowed.
As much as Ves respected Walter, the old gang leader had been way too sloppy and careless. Aside from underestimating the brutal competition at Bentheim, he ran the Whalers as poorly as he did when it was still a small-time gang.
Ves especially disapproved of the decision to expand rapidly. While it felt good to gain so much new strength, the newcomers vastly outnumbered the old Whalers. The latter hadn't made any good attempts to integrate the former into the organization, thereby letting an enormous hidden danger fester underneath their noses.
"In the end, the newcomers were more loyal to themselves than the organization."
The Cloud Whalers were nothing like Walter's Whalers now. Ves predicted that their old heritage would soon be forgotten as the new leaders attempted to wipe away as much of Walter's influence as possible.
"They're not worth my time anymore." He grumbled.
He decided not to meddle in the relationship between the LMC and the Cloud Whalers. Now that the Living Sentinels had been formed, his mech company wouldn't be easy to bully.
What happened to Dietrich served as a valuable lesson to Ves and affirmed his own decisions.
Unlike old Walter, Ves insisted on setting the foundation for his old Avatars of Myth. Even though he could have ordered them to recruit hundreds of mech pilots at once, how could the Avatars possibly turn them into loyal subordinates?
His recent visits to the Avatars and Sentinels vindicated his decisions. Even though both mech forces were still rather young, Ves was very satisfied by their loyalty and dedication to their respective causes.
What was truly critical to the success of the Avatars and Sentinels was the Larkinsons involved in forming them! Any random Larkinson mech officer was ten times better in managing an outfit than Walter!
"Leadership matters!"
Of course, Ves recognized that he became dangerously dependent on the Larkinsons to run two out of three of his mech forces. He needed to make sure they stayed under his thumb. It would be pretty devastating for him if the Larkinsons turned their back to him one day!
"Sir, we've reached our next stop." Nitaa informed Ves.
As Ves stepped out of his shuttle, he swept the tall and expansive campus.
"Welcome to the Larkinson Basic Mech Academy, Ves." An old man walked up to him with a gentle smile.
"Elder Ronsel. I didn't expect to greet you here at the landing zone."
"Haha! You're a pillar of the family now. You deserve the same courtesy as our expert pilots."
Ves hadn't actually taken notice of Elder Ronsel before, but he knew the older man's story.
When he employed his spiritual vision towards Ronsel, he immediately noted the diminished and lethargic spirituality inside his head.
Ronsel used to be a promising mech pilot from grandpa Benjamin's generation. The elder managed to advance to expert candidate, elevating his prospects immensely.
As long as he took another step, he would have become another respected expert pilot of the Larkinson Family!
Sadly, war was not kind to Ronsel. Before he could obtain the chance to undergo apotheosis, Ronsel lost his mech during an arduous battle against the Vesians. Even if he managed to eject, his cockpit sustained moderate damage.
The result? Just like Benjamin, Ronsel lost his ability to pilot mechs! He sustained too much brain damage to interface with a machine!
What was the worth of an expert candidate who was no longer able to pilot mechs? Ronsel's entire career had been ruined!
Fortunately, he managed to pick himself up after his departure from the Mech Corps. He may have lost his ability to pilot mechs, but he was still an expert candidate!
Disabled or not, his elevated skills and unique experiences turned him into an excellent teacher.
He soon became known as one of the best mech instructors. Every young Larkinson mech cadet wanted to enjoy his tutelage. Ronsel became so passionate about teaching that he became even better at guiding mech cadets than actual expert pilots!
For this reason, once the Larkinson Family took over the local mech academy, Elder Ronsel had instantly been tapped to become its principal.
"Everything here looks new." Ves commented after he greeted the elder. The two walked alongside each other. "Even the training mechs are all new."
Elder Ronsel gestured towards the brand-new training halls and expansive outdoor training grounds, all scaled up for mechs.
"The old academy ran on a shoestring budget. It was completely inefficient. As soon as we took it over, we razed the old facilities and sold off the battered training mechs. After a lot of investment, our new academy has finally met our standards. We're even in the process of expanding our capacity to handle the influx of mech cadets among the refugees."
Ves turned around and witnessed a lot of new facilities under construction. The Larkinsons already spent billions of credits to reform the mech academy, but now they spent billions more to double or triple its capacity within a few months!
"Isn't this a poor time to invest the bulk of the Larkinson Estate's earnings into a mech academy?" Ves skeptically asked.
"Teaching is a noble profession, Ves. We Larkinsons have always excelled in training mech cadets. It's just that we never had the capital to run our own mech academy before you came into the picture. We're very grateful that you allowed us to fulfill our dreams."
Ves directed a suspicious glance at the seemingly-amiable principal.
"Is that the only reason to throw a lot of money at this pit? Tell me the truth, Ronsel."
"We're building an institution, Ves." Ronsel sighed. "Don't look at how much we spent. Instead, you should look at what we stand to gain."
"Mech academies have never been profitable."
"Money is just one part of the equation, Ves. Think of how many local mech cadets will graduate in the coming years. With our proven Larkinson teaching methods, many of them will become capable mech pilots."
"What's the point of that?"
"Many of them are already highly predisposed towards you and the LMC. They won't forget their alma maters when they graduate, Ves. The mech pilots we educate will become our backbone in the future. Whether they go on to serve in the Mech Corps, the Avatars or the Sentinels, we can always count on them for support."
If Ves intended to stick around in the Bright Republic, he might have appreciated the value of this long-term plan.
However, it took too long for the mech academy to bear fruit. Ves immediately grew less interested.
"Whatever. Do what you want. Show me around please."
In the following hour, Ves toured various facilities to familiarize himself with the mech academy. He observed hundreds of mech cadets undergoing physical conditioning. He witnessed another class learning how to shoot a practice rifle under the stern instruction of a Larkinson.
What interested him the most was live mech practice sessions. Various cheap but extremely robust mechs were attempting to navigate a complicated path through an expansive training ground.
While Ves regretted that he hadn't designed any training mechs, he had to admit that the Larkinsons chose well.
"These mechs are very durable and easy to maintain."
"All training mechs possess these qualities."
"Still, I commend your selection. These are some of the most cost-effective training mechs I've seen."
As Ronsel kept showing him around, Ves had already noticed the presence of his now-familiar Desolate Soldier mechs.
If the Bright Republic started to become familiar with its effects, how could the Larkinsons not be aware?
Ves already counted more than a dozen Desolate Soldiers placed throughout the mech academy!
"Ronsel... do you think it is a good idea to expose tens of thousands of mech cadets to my Desolate Soldiers?"
The old man chuckled. "Our mech cadets became significantly more attentive and dedicated to their studies after we procured your Desolate Soldiers. Even though some of our pupils have begun to slack, they're still a lot more diligent than before."
"Ronsel.." Ves frowned. "I have never tested the effects of long-term exposure to growning young mech cadets."
"We believe the merits outweigh the risks. You wouldn't have published your mech if it wasn't safe for human use, correct?"
"That's true, but.. even if it's permissible, is it the right thing to do?"
The principal adopted a severe expression. "There is a difference between Larkinson mech cadets and normal mech cadets. Our family members have all instilled the proper values in our younger generation. The same can't be said for the majority of our students. Even if we are doing our best to impart the right values into their heads, there is only so much we can do, Ves."
At this time, they reached a parade ground where around five-hundred mech cadets stood in formation.
"Watch this." Ronsel told him before stepping up to the serious-looking kids in uniform.
All of them looked incredibly intense!
"Cadets! Identify yourselves!"
"WE ARE LARKINSON MECH CADETS!"
"What is your cause?"
"WE FIGHT TO PROTECT THE BRIGHT REPUBLIC!"
"Who are your benefactors?"
"WE GIVE THANKS TO THE LARKINSON FAMILY!"
The fervor demonstrated by the mech cadets matched that of the Ylvainans! How long had the Larkinsons been working on these kids?
Ves wanted to scratch his head. Was it necessary for the Larkinsons to adopt a rigorous, military-style training approach at this stage?
This was too excessive!
Once Ronsel dismissed the mech cadets, he guided Ves to a separate training facility.
Aside from touring the Larkinson's pet project, Ves had another reason to visit the mech academy.
It was time for him to pick up William Urbesh from the tender care of the Larkinsons.
Chapter 1556
A young and athletic man collapsed in exhaustion after running his umpteenth lap. No one else was present in the large and well-equipped training facility aside from William and his designated trainer for the day.
Once Ves and Ronsel entered the main training hall, they quickly strode over to the occupants.
Ves peered down at William's sweaty, fit body. This was the body of a warrior and a mech pilot. If anyone told him that the person occupying this body was an abject coward, he wouldn't believe it at first.
"How has this fellow fared under your care?"
"Poorly." Ronsel sighed. "Young William here is by far our most confounding student. We have never encountered a mech pilot who is so completely helpless when it comes to actual mech combat. In fact, forget about mechs, he's not even able to bring himself to spar with our trainers."
The Rim Guardians wouldn't have given up on William Urbesh if his condition was easy to treat. Not even Ronsel managed to overcome William's crippling psychological condition!
"At least he made some progress under your training regime, right?"
"We did. We systematically trained and retrained him. Aside from his affliction, we managed to correct all of his bad habits and expand his versatility. Upon your instructions, we've spent a lot of effort in making him proficient in piloting spaceborn rifleman mechs. It's not much use, though. Even if he's relegated to the rear of a battle line, he still locks up in fear."
What a sad mech pilot. The more Ves stared at the exiled scion of the Urbesh Clan, the more he became disgusted at the sight.
Even though he knew that William was not to blame for his uncontrollable affliction, cowardice was something every Larkinson had learned to detest. No matter if it was Ves, Ronsel or William's current instructor, all of them looked down on William with mild contempt.
"Please carry him back to the locker room to refresh himself. We're taking him with us back to the Mech Nursery."
The instructor approached and easily lifted William up as if he was a sack.
"Unhand me!" The young mech pilot protested! "I can take care of myself!"
No one listened to his words.
Ves and Ronsel talked for a while before William Urbesh reappeared, clean and ready to depart.
"Come with me. It's time to step up the next phase of your training."
Some time later, Ves said goodbye to Ronsel and took William inside his shuttle. As his vehicle rose to the air and departed to the Mech Nursery, William immediately launched a tirade against Ves!
"You! It's all your fault! Why did you dump me onto the laps of your hellishly strict relatives!? I hate you! I hate your Larkinsons! If I was back in Vicious Mountain, I could easily crush you measly third-raters!"
Ves calmly raised his hand. "Nitaa. Please slap some sense in him. His words displease my sensibilities."
Even if Urbesh came from a once-storied clan from a tribe within the vast and powerful Garlen Empire, Ves did not care for William's feelings. The mech pilot was merely a means to an end.
As Nitaa approached, William feebly raised his arms, only for them to get whacked aside. A couple of precisely-controlled punches followed that quickly wiped away the mech pilot's bluster.
"Ahh! That hurts! The Rim Guardians won't forgive you!"
"Again, Nitaa."
"Ahh! Stop it! I'm sorry, Mr. Larkinson!"
"Pathetic." Ves sneered at William. "The mech pilots of Vicious Mountain are known as warriors and tyrants. Has all of the training we put into you gone to waste? A real man ought to stand up for himself!"
"I-I-I-I can't! Your woman is too big and strong! There's no way I can beat her in a fight!"
Ves wordlessly shook his head in disappointment. This fellow was more pathetic than a male Hexer! What would Gloriana think when she finally met William in person?
Once Nitaa taught William a lesson, the mech pilot sat meekly on the opposite side of the shuttle. The man fidgeted uncomfortably under Ves' piercing glance.
It didn't help that Ves slowly raised the pressure emanating from his overcoat. Zeigra's spiritual fragment perpetually radiated a mix of pride, aggression and hatred towards Ves, though everyone else in the vicinity suffered from its aura as well.
"Ahh! Please stop it, Mr Larkinson! I can't take it! I want to die!"
Ves dampened the aura from his overcoat to give the Urbesh clansman some relief.
In truth, Ves performed a brief experiment to see how Urbesh reacted to Zeigra's aura on a spiritual level.
Unlike many other mech pilots, William was lucky enough to possess spiritual potential. Ves observed the mech pilot's trace of spirituality very carefully when he raised his overcoat's aura to the maximum.
As expected, a very intense spiritual reaction took place in William's spirituality. It amplified and resonated with the man's existing fears and other related emotions.
This little test confirmed Ves' suspicions. William's fears were rooted deeply in his personality. So much so that once he developed spiritual potential, the weak trace of spirituality in his head acquired a character that matched his cowardly personality!
The implications of these observations were grave.
If Ves used an unknown means to forcibly elevate William into an expert candidate, then his cowardice wouldn't go away. Instead, as his spirituality developed further, his cowardice would become more magnified!
Even if William advanced all the way to god pilot, his cowardice would be so strong that he wouldn't even be able to hurt a fly despite his immense might!
"What a tricky problem." Ves muttered under his breath.
Fixing this fellow's problem wasn't as simple as performing spiritual lobotomization on his spirituality.
William possessed very little spirituality. The reason why Ves described it as spiritual potential was because it only amounted to potential in this stage.
There was no way that William possessed enough spirituality to augment his piloting and fighting skills.
What was worse was that the spiritual attribute that was most predominant in William's spirituality probably corresponded to his cowardice. The man had lived in so much fear that his spirituality precisely reflected how badly he got spooked!
How much spirituality would be left after Ves cut off the part he considered a tumor? Almost nothing!
Ves had no idea what would happen. Would William lose so much spiritual potential that he would regress to a norm without potential? He couldn't risk this possibility!
As the shuttle approached the Mech Nursery, Ves silently formed a number of approaches. All of them came with various amounts of risks.
Whatever approach he selected, he needed to make a choice very soon. The custom mech destined for William needed to accommodate a mech pilot who was willing to fight.
It was pointless to finalize a custom mech for a mech pilot who would definitely turn around and flee at the first sight of an enemy!
Once the shuttle arrived at the Mech Nursery, the group moved down to the newly-refurbished lab and workshop floor.
As soon as Ves entered the main hall, he instantly became struck by the advanced equipment.
Though Ves didn't know what they were capable of, they looked as sleek, classy and capable as the lab machines owned by Master Olson!
"How luxurious!" He gasped.
"Ves! Over here!"
Ves walked to Gloriana who was wearing a lab coat and exchanged a kiss.
"How have you been?"
"I'm great. This workshop looks a lot better now that I replaced your trash machines with my own equipment. Do you want to see what they can do?"
"Later." Ves waved his hand. "Let's meet with the others first."
A number of people stood aside as Ves and Gloriana kissed and greeted each other. Ketis in particular looked a bit unsettled before she schooled her face.
"Ketis, you've grown up." He spoke.
As he inspected her with his spiritual senses, he sensed that her nascent design philosophy had made a lot of progress.
"With the sandmen sweeping through the frontier, I realized that I can't play around anymore." She spoke with graveness. Her upbeat personality was nowhere to be found right now! "If not for Calabast, my fellow Swordmaidens wouldn't have been able to make it out. I owe a huge debt to you and her. I hope I can pay it back one day."
"You don't have to feel you owe us something." Ves gently smiled at her. "Commander Dise and the Swordmaidens can take care of their own debt to Calabast. As for you, you're my student. Progressing as a mech designer is enough to make me satisfied."
"Thank you, sir, but I'm not a good friend if I don't settle this debt."
"She's a good kid." Gloriana smiled and pressed against Ves. "Smart, too. I don't mind tutoring her a bit when I have some time available."
"Please do. Ketis hasn't received an orthodox mech design education, so she's a little rough around the edges."
"I've noticed. I don't mind. She's dedicated to our craft and cares a lot about her design philosophy. She's a good seed."
Ves wasn't sure if Gloriana was actually sincere or if she merely acted polite in order to avoid badmouthing his first student.
Whatever the case, Ves hoped that both women would be able to get along. They were both his two most important fellow mech designers.
He asked a few more questions to Ketis. She hadn't spent the last year in vain. Aside from designing some variants by herself, she also expanded her knowledge base to the point where she possessed a solid Apprentice-level foundation. She even made some strides towards acquiring Journeyman-level Mechanics, but the sheer amount of knowledge couldn't be picked up so easily at her busy schedule.
Once he became satisfied at her progress, he turned his attention to the four teenagers standing attentively next to Ketis.
"So, are you the hopeful future mech designers the Larkinsons have sent to me? Introduce yourselves, please."
"Maikel Larkinson."
"Rennie Larkinson."
"Maisie Ann Larkinson."
"Zanthar Larkinson."
Two boys, two girls. Each of them ranged from ages fourteen to sixteen. All of them had moved to Cloudy Curtain a while ago and attended a local school. Not only that, the Larkinsons also supplemented their learning by hiring a bunch of excellent tutors for all of their kids.
The four seeds before Ves received the most attention from the tutors. The Larkinsons were very hopeful that they would become the supporting pillars of the family a decade or two from now.
Unfortunately, it was unlikely they would amount to more. At this moment, none of the four seeds possessed spiritual potential. Unless they developed it later on, becoming Apprentices was the most they could achieve in their lives.
That made him wonder how soon a human could develop spiritual potential. Ves mostly spent his time with adults, and they either possessed it or not. He never saw an instance where adults naturally managed to develop spiritual potential.
Did humans acquire it during their teens? Then these seeds still possessed hope.
Ves looked at the four seeds sternly and subtly raised the aura of his overcoat.
To their credit, even though the teenagers looked up to Ves, they possessed enough courage to withstand a moderate portion of Zeigra's fury.
He nodded in approval and gradually dialed down the aura. "All of you are true Larkinsons. I don't know how smart you are and how well you can learn my craft, but don't forget that you are Larkinsons. Courage and discipline defines us. You will each need to work hard and push yourselves to your limits in order to keep up with your studies. Even if we share the same blood, I won't go easy on you, because mech designers never have it easy."
Maisie Ann timidly raised her hand.
"Will we be able to design mechs?"
Both Ves and Gloriana laughed.
"Don't be in such a hurry!" Ves gently waved her down. "Designing a mech can only take place as long as you have become proficient in math, physics, mechanics and so on. The knowledge you require to start designing mechs is something that you won't be able to acquire in your teens."
The four seeds looked disappointed, but Ves didn't want to spoil them too much.
Chapter 1557
While Ves talked with the seeds selected by the Larkinsons, his girlfriend approached William Urbesh.
Her analytical gaze made William uncomfortable.
"So you are William of the Urbesh Clan." She harrumphed. "Well, Ves hadn't been lying when he said you were lacking. How can such good stock be ruined by an inability to face opponents?"
Before William could even open his mouth to defend himself, Gloriana signaled a bodyguard who took the hapless mech pilot and dragged him over to one of the lab machines.
She wanted to get to work on examining William's condition thoroughly! The custom mech she prepared for the Urbesh clansman still needed more adjustments to achieve a better fit!
"Help me! I don't want to go into this machine!"
"Don't complain and sit still!"
"Um, sir…" Maikel raised.
"Don't mind what they are doing. You've heard about William Urbesh, right?"
They all nodded. Who hadn't heard of the cowardly mech pilot the Larkinson instructors had been trying to beat into shape?
Ves quickly moved on and began to lecture the seeds. He wasn't really interested in getting to know them better until they proved themselves. For now, they were just high school students who had a lot to go before they became qualified mech designers.
"Mech design is a great profession to those who have a passion for mechs." He began. "Designing mechs is more than a science. It's also an art. Studying the sciences merely serves as a foundation that makes you eligible to design mechs. It does not guarantee you will be able to succeed. While you should mostly focus on learning at your stage, don't neglect your creativity."
He activated a table projection and quickly summoned up the design schematics of his current commercial mech models.
"A good mech designer is an inventive mech designer. All of my commercial mech models have sold by the thousands because they are unique in some way. Do you think it's easy to compete against the oversaturated mech market? The competition is incredibly intense. Unless you develop a specialty that is both rare and valuable, you won't be able to cut it as an independent mech designer. If you can't be an independent, you'll have to work for someone else, which means you won't be able to earn a fraction of what my mech company rakes in per day!"
He carefully studied the gazes of the four young Larkinsons. Each of them admired the complicated design schematics projected over the table while at the same time dreaming about earning as much money as Ves. This was what every prospective mech designer dreamed!
Ves smirked at their eager faces. It was fine for them to dream. The problem was that it took more than wishful thinking to get to this point.
"To those who enjoy success, designing and selling mechs is incredibly lucrative. Let's take my latest mech model and its variant for example."
He waved his hand, causing every projection except the Desolate Soldier and Holy Soldier.
Now that the two schematics had been isolated, the four seeds faintly sensed the X-Factor contained within.
"Do you know how many Desolate Soldiers the LMC expects to sell within the first two months of release?"
"Ten thousand?" Rennie guessed.
"No, you dolt! Haven't you kept up with the latest news? The Desolate Soldiers are selling like hotcakes right now! The model will probably sell over fifty-thousand times!"
The other two Larkinson seeds gasped.
Ves rapped his knuckle against the work table and smiled. "It's more than that. Our current estimates have reached 100,000 copies! We had to revise our projections upwards because my mech model is more popular than we've anticipated!"
A huge shock ran through the seeds. All of them knew how much they sold for, though they weren't sure how much profit the LMC made per sale. However, with such a huge sales volume, the total profit shouldn't be small!
He smirked. "There's more. Even if my mech company isn't selling any mechs, my design work is already valuable in itself. Do you know how much money the LMC earned from licensing the two designs? More than 200 billion bright credits."
This unimaginably vast sum exceeded the thinking capacity of the young seeds. When money reached this kind of height, no one could keep a clear head anymore!
As Ves studied the expressions and emotions of the interns carefully, he mentally shook his head. He bet that all four of them were imagining themselves in his place!
Ves slapped his palm against the table, forcing the Larkinson students from their delusions!
"Do you think it's easy to get to this point? Do you think I'm earning all of those hundreds of billions of credits with ease now that I'm a Journeyman?"
"It's not?"
"No! Even a Journeyman can fail! No matter how well they design a mech, if it doesn't bring any added value compared to competing designs, it simply won't sell! Don't think of this as a single-player game. Every mech designer is participating in the biggest multiplayer game in the galaxy, and that game is called the mech market."
Every kid played games. The Larkinson seeds instantly understood his simple analogy.
"Think about how many mech designers are operating in the galaxy." Ves said. "Almost all of them are deadweight. Do you know why? Because they don't have the guts to design something different from the norm. Everyone needs to take some risks to distinguish themselves from the crowd."
Ves patted his chest with pride. "I hope you don't forget what it means to be a Larkinson. One of the biggest reasons I made it this far is because I am a Larkinson. Don't think that courage is only relevant to mech pilots. There are plenty of times in your mech design career where you will need to go above and beyond and take some risks in order to achieve success!"
His appeal resonated with the seeds. They were all Larkinsons who grew up in a family that highly prized courage.
When Ves mentioned how their Larkinson heritage could help them become better mech designers, their fires started to get lit!
"Good!" He exulted. "Don't forget this sensation! What you are feeling right now is passion! As long as you are able to summon this sensation again, I'm confident that you'll be able to reach my level in time!"
Perhaps there was some hope for these seeds after all. Of course, his brilliant teaching played a huge role in stoking up their passion.
"Let me give you your very first lesson of the day." Ves gazed at their eyes in a challenging fashion. "Dare to design."
The words contained a profoundness that the Larkinson seeds barely comprehended after listening to what Ves previously said. The succinct phrase neatly encapsulated his beliefs on how a mech designer should develop themselves.
"A mech designer has to be bold!"
"A mech designer has to be daring!"
"A mech designer has to be innovative!"
"Certainly, taking risks is not always healthy. Sometimes, you lose, but so what? At least you tried your best! Caution and incrementalism won't get you anywhere in the cutthroat mech market! If you want to stand taller, then you'll need to push yourself and surpass your potential!"
Ves continued to lecture the seeds along this refrain for the next couple of hours. The seeds attentively hung on his words as if they were starving chicks gobbling up the food their mother bird regurgitated.
He made a very deliberate decision to shape their perspectives on mech design. They already learned the basic sciences at school and from their tutors. There was no need for Ves to waste his time on such a trifling matter.
What mattered more was their mindset and principles. If they didn't develop a perspective that allowed them to survive the brutal mech industry, then they wouldn't be able to accomplish anything even if they absorbed a lot of learning.
Ves had constantly grappled with this dynamic ever since he obtained the System.
As blank slates, Ves wielded a lot of power. The Larkinson seeds all worshipped him because he was a rare and esteemed Journeyman. He made use of the authority he gained from his status and accomplishments to indoctrinate the seeds with a particular set of values.
In the back of his mind, he knew that he would invite a lot of controversy if other mech designers heard what he said. Ves had deviated from the orthodox path by emphasizing risk-taking a lot more than was prudent.
A lot of mech designers were actually very risk-averse! The best that could be asked of them was to take careful, calculated risks every now and then. What Ves currently taught significantly differed from what he learned at school!
It was very difficult to push a cautious mech designer into taking risks. That was why Ves addressed this matter in their very first teaching session.
If the seeds internalized his lessons, then they might end up like little Vesses in the future.
Was that a good thing? Not entirely.
Unlike the actual Ves, the little Vesses did not enjoy his advantages. Lacking the System meant that they would likely fall to ruin if they lost a big bet!
Yet what did it matter to Ves? Let them fail! As long as one of the little Vesses succeeded, then the gains would definitely be bountiful. A single overwhelming success was far more preferable than four mediocre results.
In short, Ves was basically turning his teaching responsibility to the Larkinsons into a high-stakes bet. He wanted the little Vesses to push themselves to the limit and adopt an innovative mindset from the very start!
Even if Ves ended up leading the seeds to ruin, so what? The Larkinsons would probably keep sending him hopeful mech design students who could shoulder the burden of supporting the increasingly voracious Larkinson Family.
If his first four bets failed, then Ves would simply repeat his gamble! Eventually, one Larkinson seed would bloom into a flower. He just hoped that he wouldn't ruin too many seeds to get to this point.
In any case, the Larkinson seeds had it much easier than Ves. When he initially started his business, he didn't enjoy any backing from the Larkinsons.
It was different now. The Larkinsons finally came around to mech design and supported anyone smart enough to pursue it. Those who succeeded would become pillars of the family, while those who failed or fell short could still lean on Ves and the Larkinson Family to mitigate their losses.
Ves didn't mind wiping their butts if it was convenient for him to do so. This allowed his little Vesses to take more risks, thereby increasing the odds of achieving massive success!
"Don't ever think that mech design is easy." He wrapped up his lecture. "In order to stand out from the crowd, you need to swim against the current. At this stage, most of my words don't apply to your current situation, but you should never forget them. You are Larkinsons. Don't forget that. Becoming a mech designer does not mean you have to go against your nature."
The little Vesses all looked dazed as Ves had given them an abundance of instruction, many of which they had never heard.
Ves let them stew over his words and walked up to Gloriana.
Ketis had joined her as well to act as an assistant while they examined William's properties.
The mech pilot wearily underwent numerous tests, some of which pushed him to exhaustion, while others inflicted a lot of pain.
Gloriana needed as much data as possible. A lot of lab equipment she brought in weren't dedicated to the study of exotics or anything directly related to mechs.
Instead, they were dedicated to examining mech pilots.
"How is it going, Gloriana?"
"I still need another day."
"You may have to wait."
"Why so?" She turned to him with a questioning eye.
"Because I intend to start his treatment immediately." Ves grinned.
"Oh? How can you possibly treat his condition? Even the Rim Guardians failed!"
"I have my ways. You may not be aware, but I happen to possess a fair amount of experience in experimenting with people's heads."
His eyes carried the familiar glint reserved for test subjects.
Chapter 1558
The Rim Guardians gave him a deadline of three years to get William Urbesh into shape.
Almost one year had passed, which meant that Ves had two years left to turn him into an expert candidate.
Ves put extensive thought on how to approach William's treatment.
Even the most intensive training from the Larkinsons hadn't put a dent in his psychological affliction. This meant that taking the slow and steady approach likely wouldn't yield any results in the remaining two years.
Ves intended to complete this mission quickly. He didn't want to waste too much time on William.
To do that, Ves needed to follow his own advice and take some risks.
As Ves observed his girlfriend subjecting William to a variety of scans and invasive tests, he mentally went over his possible treatment plans.
Before he could turn William into an expert candidate, he first had to treat his psychological condition.
Only after he completed this step would Ves be ready to consider the next step. No one had ever come up with a method of turning a regular mech pilot into an expert candidate.
If Ves wanted to succeed in pioneering a viable method, he needed to lay the groundwork. He needed to get rid of as many complications as possible.
A crippling fear towards fighting was such a debilitating condition that it could single-handedly ruin everything. Therefore, it needed to go.
The problem was that Ves hadn't been able to come up with a good solution. All he came up with so far were a bunch of flawed solutions. Each of them promised to solve the problem, but demanded a very high price in exchange.
The first solution was his original plan of performing spiritual lobotomization on William. He already dismissed this solution because the dangers were way too big.
Even if he succeeded in cutting off the spiritual tumors without collapsing William's spirituality, what prevented him from growing back another spiritual tumor?
Ves shook his head. "This is by far the worst solution imaginable."
The second solution he came up with was to do the opposite of subtracting from William's spirituality. Instead of cutting away his fear, it might be better to insert some courage.
Ves could draw upon several sources of courage. He could donate his own spiritual energy, for example. He could cut a mote of spirituality from Zeigra, the Solemn Guardian and even the tyrannical Nyxie to obtain the appropriate ingredient!
The only problem was integrating this mote of spiritual courage into William's spiritual potential.
Spirituality consisted of spiritual energy. Spiritual energy was not uniform, but differed by attribute and imprint.
Both needed to match the individual to be able to merge.
For example, the excess spiritual energy that Ves deposited into his P-stones perfectly matched his own attributes and imprint.
Even if his attribute mix changed over time, he could still reabsorb his stored spiritual energy with ease.
Yet what if he tried to insert his excess spiritual energy in someone else?s mind?
From what he knew, there was no reason his spiritual energy would integrate in William's spiritual potential. It was as stupid as injecting William's body with his blood and expect them to get along.
While Ves had developed a spiritual technique that allowed him to manipulate imprints, he had never attempted to expand a living human's spirituality to imprint itself on ownerless spiritual energy.
His successful attempt that led to the creation of Ylvaine's spiritual fragment did not entail many risks. Even if he failed, he wouldn't be able to harm someone who was already dead. He could have simply stolen another relic and tried again.
That would not be the case when it came to a living human like William. Once he made a catastrophic failure, then William's mind and spirituality would sustain severe damage!
The outcome could very well lead to death or permanent brain damage!
Even if he succeeded in expanding a living human's imprint on ownerless spiritual energy, he still had to solve another problem.
William needed to integrate an entire different spiritual attribute.
It would be best if the spiritual attribute was compatible with his existing personality and inclination.
However, that wasn't the case here. Ves wanted to insert a lot of courage in William's spirituality.
Courage happened to be diametrically opposed to William's intrinsic fear. What would happen if opposites met?
"Nothing good."
A violent clash would definitely ensue. Even if Ves inserted enough spiritual energy related to courage to overpower the spiritual energy related to fear, the damage to William's mind might be too much to bear.
To Ves, the second solution was a bit more sound than the first solution, but both inflicted way too much damage while offering few guarantees of success.
Fortunately, he came up with a third solution that promised much less risk.
Normally, Ves considered spiritual contamination to be a detrimental effect. Ves had often been exposed to contamination in various forms. As a mech designer, he used to be sensitive to contamination by another mech designer's design philosophy.
That had changed once he advanced to Journeyman. With his design seed, he no longer needed to worry as much about abandoning his principles and taking over someone else's views towards mech design.
Of course, even if the risks were minimized, they hadn't gone away. His design seed could only sustain so much pressure until it cracked.
Ves scratched his thin. "Fortunately, William isn't nearly as strong."
William did not possess the extraordinary willpower of an expert pilot. Just like Novice and Apprentice Mech Designers, his spirituality was still very malleable.
He just needed to treat it the right way.
Whereas the first two solutions called for adding or subtracting spiritual energy in a very crude fashion, his third solution was a lot more gentle.
Ves wanted to contaminate William's spirituality.
Deliberate contamination was the best alternative he came up with. Spiritual energy was not fixed. If their imprints could change, what about their attributes?
Of course, Ves didn't think it would be so easy.
He first needed to obtain a spiritual spiritual fragment with the right attributes and package it in a way that prevented it from doing damage to William's mind.
The spiritual fragment needed to be strong enough to contaminate William's existing spiritual attributes, but not too strong to the point of inflicting unwanted damage.
"This solution is not entirely without risks." He softly muttered.
When Ves went over his three solutions again and again but believed his last one was the most viable one.
There were still a lot of uncertainties. Would contaminating someone's spirituality also contaminate someone's mind?
Ves hoped so. If possible, he wanted to kill two birds with one stone.
However, he would settle for killing just one bird if that was all he got. He would just have to pick up a different stone to kill the bird that managed to stay alive.
To contaminate a coward's mind with courage sounded crazy, but his intuition did not ring any alarms. With a lack of a better alternative, Ves decided to implement it before he second-guessed his own decision.
First, he had to obtain a spiritual fragment. One that carried spiritual attributes that could overpower William's deepest fears.
The mech pilot was not just a coward, but he was a king of cowards! Just regular courage didn't suffice!
"I need quality instead of quantity!"
Ves reminded himself that William only possessed a tiny bit of spirituality. The spiritual fragment needed to be as small as a mote of spirituality if he wanted to minimize the risk of crushing William's spirituality.
"I have three choices here."
From which source should he draw out this mote of spirituality?
Ves, the mech designer?
Zeigra, the Crown Cat?
Or Nyxie, the ancient alien tyrant?
Though Ves thought highly of his courage, he wasn't so sure if its quality was sound. Perhaps a part of his courage was actually a result of ignorance or opportunism.
"That's more like false courage."
The only advantage of choosing this option was that his control over his spiritual energy was the highest. He could expertly manipulate it because it wouldn't resist his ministrations.
Ves wanted to achieve a solid result. After a bit more thought, he ruled out using his own spiritual energy.
He contemplated his next alternative. It would be fairly easy for him to cut out a mote of spiritual energy from the fragment stored in his overcoat.
While Zeigra's spiritual attributes largely consisted of pride and aggression and so on, they would certainly clash against anything related to fear and cowardice.
Ves considered this option to be better and more effective, if a bit more risky due to his inability to control the fragment as well.
The third option would be to go one step further and draw out a spiritual mote from the most fearless entity he could think of. Nyxie was immensely strong and the quality of his spiritual energy simply couldn't be compared.
With how powerful and effective Nyxie affected people's minds, Ves had no doubt that a spiritual mote taken from the spiritual entity trapped in the Ancient Sarcophagus was incredibly infectious!
The only issue was that Nyxie was incredibly hostile, arrogant and domineering, so much so that Zeigra was like a kitten in comparison!
Yet was that a bad thing in this case?
"Not necessarily."
Why settle for a half-measure like Zeigra when Ves could turn to Nyxie instead?
Ves would never want to contaminate himself with Nyxie's diverse mix of dominance, tyranny and alienness.
He didn't need to. That was what his test subject was for. To Ves, test subjects existed to pay the prices on his behalf!
At worst, William might die or degenerate into a feral human contaminated by an alien spirit.
If this outcome happened, then the only price he paid was failing the mission issued by the Rim Guardians. His life would be completely intact.
He smirked. "I can accept that price."
Though he felt a bit uncertain about settling on this extreme decision, a part of him was incredibly excited.
He really wanted to see what would happen!
Ves started to rub his hands in anticipation. A devious grin was plastered on his face as he outlined and detailed his treatment plan.
He believed it was viable!
Even if he ended up botching the process in some way that resulted in William becoming a psychopath or monster, who cared?
Ves had only been instructed to elevate William into an expert candidate. What did it matter if his mind and spirituality had been twisted by an eldritch alien horror along the way?
As long as the outcome fulfilled the requirements, all the other problems could be left to others!
"Hahaha! I'll just let others clean my mess!"
The moment he formed his plan of action, he withdrew from the lab and workshop floor and visited the vault.
There, he first retrieved some P-stones, his only F-stone and his B-stone lockbox. He then retracted the Ancient Sarcophagus from its storage place.
"Hello, Nyxie. It's time for your regularly-scheduled haircut." He grinned.
Some time later, Ves put everything back aside from his B-stone lockbox that contained a P-stone holding in an angry spiritual fragment.
"I can save this up for my next original mech design project." He nodded.
He only winced a bit at the price he paid to obtain this fragment. The offensive charge in his F-stone had been reduced by another nine percent.
He used a bit less charge than last time because he didn't need more strength. He had a better handle on Nyxie's strength now and hadn't been going in blind this time.
"Maybe nine percent is still too much." He muttered.
In any case, Ves not only obtained a powerful spiritual fragment that he could save for later, but he could also cut tiny motes from it to use for other purposes.
The only issue now was how much he should treat the mote before using it as a contaminant?
Chapter 1559
He decided to spend some time by himself to draw out a larger-than-average mote of spiritual energy and apply some spiritual refining.
Using methods he developed before, he drew spiritual attributes that he didn't want and cut them away.
Ves tried to be as diligent as possible and focused mostly on cutting out the weird, unidentifiable alien attributes. Even if Ves didn't care about how William would turn out after being subject to contamination, it would be bad if the mech pilot started speaking an alien language or began to worship an alien god.
"There are still some limits to how far I can go. William still needs to be a functioning human being."
Therefore, Ves was fairly meticulous in his crude refining process. He kept cutting more and more undesirable parts out of the mote until it only retained a fraction of its essence.
Still, even this tiny fragment was enough to overpower William's spiritual potential.
Ves needed to weaken or dampen it in some fashion. After some thought, he decided to surround it with a spiritual barrier.
Just like how he formed a flexible barrier around Zeigra's spiritual fragment to modulate its aura, Ves was doing the same to Nyxie's spiritual mote.
This way, he could adjust how much the mote's contaminating influence affected its surroundings.
While Ves wasn't sure if his spiritual barrier blocked everything, he didn't sense much threat once his barrier closed around the mote.
"It's probably sufficient. Probably."
The spiritual barrier also acted as a cell that isolated the spiritual mote from attacking or directly affecting William's spirituality.
What Ves wanted to achieve gradual, controllable contamination. An abrupt merger or collision risked way too much.
"This is it." He nodded.
He stowed away the other exotics into the vault and kept the shielded spiritual mote in his mind.
As much as he feared anything related to Nyxie, a tiny spiritual mote could do nothing to a Journeyman of his strength. He was more than confident enough that he would be able to resist contamination from a partially-purified spiritual mote.
Ves headed back to the lab and workshop floor. The four seeds had already left in order to resume their regular studies. Gloriana and Ketis were still in the process of examining William.
Once William came out of a machine, Ves ordered Nitaa forward to claim the mech pilot.
"Hey!" Gloriana glared at Ves. "I'm not finished with him yet! Why are you taking him away?!"
"Huh?" William shuddered in fear. "What treatment plan are you referring to, Mr. Larkinson."
"I've come up with a way to treat your affliction, William." Ves smiled reassuringly at the mech pilot before turning to Gloriana. "I've completed my preparations. I'm not sure how long it will take, but once I'm done he'll probably come back as a different man. By then, it's best if you repeat your prior examinations from scratch."
"That doesn't invalidate the need to perform scans, Ves. If nothing else, we can compare the differences and learn how effective your treatment plan has worked. We can also keep an eye out for any unintended side effects."
While Ves did not think that contaminating William would lead him to grow an alien third leg or something, he recognized Gloriana's point.
Though Ves prized expedience, he shouldn't be too careless when he was about to apply an innovative and risky spiritual operation.
"Fine." He nodded. "I'll let you have William for another day, but no more! The sandmen that have reached the Bright Republic are growing more numerous by the day. I want William to be ready to deploy into battle within a few weeks."
William gasped. "What?! You're sending me to the frontlines! Please no! Please don't do this! I don't want to die!"
Nobody listened to the coward's complaints.
Since Gloriana insisted on delaying the treatment, Ves called it a day and left the lab.
He decided to spend the rest of his time on catching up to other work. He returned to his penthouse office at the headquarters and called up Gavin to hear the latest updates on the sales of his latest mech models.
"Our Desolate Soldiers keep selling as fast as we can produce them." Gavin emphasized with a smile. "What's more, a lot of third-party manufacturers have seen how successful they are and approached us with offers."
"I hope the LMC hasn't been too hasty in extending contracts."
"We know how important it is to maintain adequate quality. We've been busy with auditing the applicants to make sure they are capable of meeting our standards. So far, only a couple of bad apples have slipped through."
Ves studied the money the LMC earned so far and held his breath. The license fees combined with the earnings made from sales combined to a horrific amount of money!
His Desolate Soldiers already netted him more profit than any of his previous mech models! While their margins weren't as impressive as his older premium mech models, the sales volume was absolutely immense!
Perhaps the true road to dominance in the mech market did not lay in the premium price category, but the budget price category!
As Ves grinned from ear-to-ear as he imagined all of the profits he would earn, Gavin gently interrupted his daydreaming.
"It's not all good news, Ves." Gavin spoke after adopting a serious expression. "Inflation is rising in the Bright Republic as well as every other state affected by the sandman invasion. The government and everyone else is spending money like it's their last opportunity to do so! The bright credit has already lost ten percent of its value over the last month and it's projected that its value will reduce by twenty percent the next month!"
Ves almost had a heart attack when he heard this figure! "What does that mean for the LMC?"
"Our current policy is to constantly adjust the prices for our products. We're only able to set the prices for the mechs we produce ourselves or those produced by third-party manufacturers under contract, so our prices are largely consistent. Luckily, everyone is already used to frequent price increases."
Gavin and Ves talked a little more about the consequences of inflation on the company. As Ves had already foreseen, holding an increasing pile of cash at this time was incredibly stupid.
For the duration of the sandman prices, every month its value would reduce by ten to twenty percent. In some months, it might be even worse!
Though the Bright Republic deserved a lot of credit for keeping inflation largely under control even through the worst periods of the Bright-Vesia Wars, the sandman threat was so much greater.
It was better to spend money now than when it was too late to make a difference!
"In a month or two, our Desolate Soldiers will likely be sold for 25 million bright credits. A month after that, 30 million bright credits. By the time the sandman invasion has run its course, it's not impossible for a Desolate Soldier to be sold for 100 million bright credits!"
Even though the numbers kept getting bigger, the actual value kept growing smaller!
The same was happening in every other state threatened by the sandmen. Every local currency was rapidly losing value because every person or organization with savings wanted to convert useless money into tangible assets!
At this moment, mechs but especially ships were in incredibly high demand!
An enormous amount of civilians pooled their money together to order evacuation ships. Private shipyards were working on overtime to pump out vessel after vessel, but they hadn't even been able to make a dent on demand!
The LMC had big plans to spend its enormous windfall, and the onset of inflation increased everyone's urgency. Even if their profligate spending plans contributed to the rise of inflation, no one cared.
If the Bright Republic fell, the bright credit would be worth nothing! Faced with such a ruinous outcome, even the government ran its printing presses like no tomorrow!
"I see." Ves sighed. "I suppose there is so much we can spend on at the moment, right?"
Gavin nodded. "A lot of goods and services are in high demand. The prices of several essential raw materials used in the production of our mechs have risen far above the rate of inflation. These metals and exotics have many different applications, hence their huge demand."
"Does that mean we'll have to raise the real prices of our two mech models?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
A grim silence ensued. One of the biggest appeals of his Soldier product line was that it was a great bargain. Raising its real prices by ten percent or twenty percent would put a severe dent to its value proposition.
Ves silently consoled himself with the fact that other mech manufacturers wouldn't be left out. Depending on how much scarce materials they incorporated in their mech designs, their prices might rise even more drastically.
"Let's leave the planning and the details to the Marketing, Finance and Accounting Department." Ves eventually waved his hand. "As long as our company survives, everything is fine."
After discussing some miscellaneous matters, Gavin raised an important topic.
"The Ministry of Defense has sent us an official letter. You should read it first."
Ves took Gavin's data pad and read through the official-sounding document. What Leland told him earlier had come true. MinDef appreciate his Desolate Soldier model, but found its limitations to be a hindrance to their plans.
"MinDef wants me to design additional variants of my Desolate Soldier." Ves announced and put down the data pad. "Have you read the letter?"
Gavin nodded. "I'm aware of what it says. One point I'd like to say is that MinDef has merely issued a request. While it's a bad idea to deny their requests, you aren't obligated to fulfill their entire wishlist. I think they'll understand if you have problems with some of the suggested variants."
Leland had already mentioned the four proposed variants beforehand. That gave Ves plenty of time to mull over the merits of the variants.
"I think all four merits can play a useful role." Ves gently spoke. "None of them are useless. It's just that some require more design work than others to complete. The time that Gloriana and I must spend on designing the variants will detract from the time I could have spent on another original mech."
"Even so, the success of your Desolate Soldier design practically demands the development of variants." Gavin reminded Ves of the industry standard. "When you've created a hit, the usual answer is to milk it for all it's worth. There is so much more market share we can capture if we just change a couple of elements from the base model."
Both of them understood this logic, but Gavin was not a mech design. He viewed the decision from a marketing perspective, while Ves also had to think about the consequences to his progression.
Designing a completely new mech was much more fulfilling to him than coming up with another spin to an existing product. There was much less challenge and creativity involved in the latter that Ves would barely gain anything despite spending just as much time.
Time was valuable to Ves. He was only willing to spend it if he yielded something more.
This happened to be one of those times.
"Four variants." Ves repeated. He picked up the data pad and scrolled down to the list of specifications.
PRIDEFUL SOLDIER: VARIANT OF THE DESOLATE SOLDIER. AIMED AT IRREGULAR OUTFITS AND ORGANIZATIONS.
MILITANT SOLDIER: VARIANT OF THE DESOLATE SOLDIER. RESERVED FOR MILITARY USE.
WORTHY SOLDIER: VARIANT OF THE DESOLATE SOLDIER. ELITE VARIANT RESERVED FOR HIGHER-END MILITARY USE.
PEACEFUL SOLDIER: VARIANT OF THE DESOLATE SOLDIER. LANDBOUND MECH INTENDED FOR POLICING.
Ves wasn't surprised that MinDef wanted two different military variants. MinDef ran the Mech Corps, after all.
He wasn't surprised that they added in a landbound variant exclusive for policing and peacekeeping operations. His Desolate Soldiers were already quite a hit among Planetary Guard organizations, but their spaceborn nature made them very poor combatants on land.
The only variant that confounded him a little was the suggestion for the Prideful Soldier.
Chapter 1560
The perpetually-cloudy skies yellowed and redded as the local sun began to fade over the horizon.
In the idyllic Cloud Estate, a group of children giggled as they huddled around and played with a pair of cats.
"Meow~"
Lucky purred as a bunch of girls caressed his bone-white smooth exterior.
"Miaow~"
Clixie attracted a bit more attention due to the fact that she possessed actual fur.
Meanwhile, a pair of lovers comfortably leaned against each other as they sat at the porch in front of their mansion.
"I love it here." Gloriana sighed. "There's no pressure at all, unlike back at home. Your Larkinson relatives are so relaxed around each other."
"That's because most of the Larkinsons who reside here are either children or old dogs who have seen their fair share of battle." Ves replied while caressing her dainty hands. "We Larkinsons have learned early on that peace, tranquility and family are the best ways to mend the wounds of war."
"If only more families adopted the ways of the Larkinsons."
"To be honest, I'm not sure if we can sustain this tradition. Our Larkinson Family used to be well-off, but not extravagantly wealthy. There is little point in competing for money and resources when the prize pot is small."
Gloriana curiously turned towards her lover. "You're afraid your family will abandon this tradition?"
"I am. Peace and tranquility will be a thing of the past, and part of the blame lies on me. Already, many Larkinsons who used to spend their idle days in peace have returned to work. I've presented them with a new future, one that offers more than serving the Mech Corps or running the modest holdings of the Larkinson Estate."
"So what you're truly worried about is that your relatives will give up their happiness in order to pursue greater prosperity."
"Prosperity can make people happy as well." Ves spoke. "It's just that I don't want the Larkinson Family to transform into a noble house where competition is rife and backstabbing is not unheard of. That's not who we are, yet every day I see my family taking another step towards this future."
He cherished the Larkinson Family he grew up with. Their core identity used to center around serving the Bright Republic.
Now, those simple days were beginning to fade. Almost every Larkinson found something to do and something to chase after. Parents already started to encourage their children to join the LMC or one of the mech forces under his control.
Less and less Larkinson mech pilots enlisted into the Mech Corps. While joining the military was a noble decision, it didn't earn them that much money. Only the expert pilots among them enjoyed special treatment.
As for the regular mech pilots among the Larkinsons, they fought and died over abstract ideals.
Now that a more attractive and more rewarding alternative became available, who wouldn't want to pass up the opportunity to join an outfit run by a Larkinson?
Gloriana smiled and kissed his cheek. "I think it will be fine as long as you take control and insist on preserving the family's traditions. The Larkinsons are pretty much eating from the palm of your hand at this point. They have no choice but to take your wishes into account."
"That's true." Ves tiredly sighed. "Let's discuss something else. Have you thought about the four variants that the government wants us to design?"
"Three out of four variants will take a lot of time to design. It won't be like the Holy Soldier where you just made some cosmetic changes. The deviances are so great that we need to overhaul the internals and replace existing component models with other component models."
Both of them shared their thoughts on the four variants.
The Prideful Soldier was the simplest to design. Ves merely had to make the mech a little more affordable and tweak its aura. The goal was to offer a more fitting choice for gangs and other underground organizations that disliked the base model's aura.
The Militant Soldier had to be designed according to military standards. This meant that Ves needed to replace commercial components with military components. He also needed to alter the configurations of all of the systems so that the mechs worked well alongside other mechs of the Mech Corps.
The Worthy Soldier was similar to the previous variant, only this time it had to be tailored to elites. MinDef wanted a mech that cost ten times more than the Desolate Soldier that provided much more elevated battle performance while retaining the same strong aura.
As for the Peaceful Soldier, Ves had to make it suitable for landbound combat in order to meet the hot demand for a Desolate Soldier variant that could fight adequately on the ground.
"Each of them aside from the Prideful Soldier will require at least a month for us to design." Gloriana remarked. "In fact, the Worthy Soldier and the Peaceful Soldier are so different from the Desolate Soldier that they might as well be part of an entirely new product line."
"That's what I think as well. While MinDef really wants us to design all four variants, I think they won't kick up a fuss if we give up on one of their demands. It's not like we're the only mech designers who are supplying emergency designs to the government."
In fact, the Ministry of Defense probably wouldn't have approached him in the first place if his product wasn't so useful. The Desolate Soldier's aura kept winning over more and more people.
After a brief discussion, they made their choice on which variant to remove from their consideration.
Ves blissfully enjoyed Gloriana's scent while he explained his choice."I originally envisioned the Desolate Soldier to be a disposable mech. It's a mech borne out of duty and necessity. The word 'desolate' in its name is my attempt to emphasize that performing a duty is difficult. Much is asked of the mech pilots of this mech model. They might find themselves alone, either because they lost all of their comrades to the sandmen or because they have passed on to the afterlife."
A variant did not necessarily have to share a close resemblance to the base model. However, if the divergence turned out to be incredibly wide, then a variant stopped being a variant. It became an entirely new product line.
From a conceptual viewpoint, the Worthy Soldier was everything the Desolate Soldier was not. One was disposable while the other one was valued. One was cheap while the other one was expensive. One crumpled after suffering a single heavy blow while the other one possessed advanced survival mechanisms.
All of these contrasts made it clear that they simply didn't belong to the same family!
Gloriana agreed with Ves and had her own objections. "There is little for us to gain in wasting too much time on developing variants. You need to design a lot of new mechs and prepare to complete my mother's challenge. We need to make the most out of the three years we have to get you ready to design and fabricate a second-class masterwork mech!"
Ves briefly grimaced at the thought. Gloriana was so confident in his ability to repeat his earlier feat that he was afraid what would happen if he failed to meet her expectations.
He didn't welcome the pressure she heaped upon his shoulders.
While he ordinarily thrived under pressure, he always set achievable goals for himself. Now that Gloriana set the goal this time, Ves struggled to cope with the urgency of creating another masterwork mech.
Such a demand was as difficult as winning the lottery two times in a row! While Ves could increase the odds of making a masterwork mech through putting his heart and soul into designing a mech, he couldn't control all of the factors.
Chance and serendipity remained out of his control. The importance of these factors in the creation of a masterwork mech enormously complicated Gloriana's fanciful goal.
No mech designer adopted a business model that centered around making masterwork mechs on demand!
While Ves heard rumors that only very good Masters and Star Designers were capable of making masterwork mechs on demand, he wasn't sure whether they had any merit.
As Ves worried over his chances of success, Gloriana smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. Her long, black hair brushed softly against his cheek.
"It'll be okay, Ves. You're not alone in this. Together, I'm confident that we can meet my mother's expectations."
The two snuggled closer together.
Ves sighed as he enjoyed her warmth. "They say that when someone reaches the point where they can design and make the best mechs, they have reached a legendary state."
"At that point, a mech designer has fully transcended their human roots and become a god."
His lips twitched. "I'm not so sure about that, Gloriana. I much prefer to believe in the legend that a mech designer who has reached this height has acquired the mech touch!"
What did it mean to possess the mech touch?
In legend, a mech designer only had to touch the air in order to design the mech in the galaxy!
With another touch, a mech designer could realize this design into reality in its most perfect form!
Both of them recalled these claims and fantasized about reaching this height.
"A single touch to design a mech! A single touch to make a masterwork mech!" Ves recited while poking his finger into the air.
Ves used to believe that it was impossible for mech designers to accomplish this feat, but now he wasn't so sure. Humanity mastered a lot of high technology, many of which Ves couldn't even imagine they existed!
To achieve a state of drawing a complete mech design with a single touch was not as ludicrous as it sounded at first.
The mech designer simply had to be good enough to design the mech from scratch within their heads in a matter of seconds! The use of implants was probably essential to project a design that was locked within the mind into the air!
As for making an entirely new mech through a single touch, that was a bit more fantastical to Ves. He believed it might be possible to create a mech from nothing with the help of materialization technology.
Certainly, the System was already capable of doing so.
The only problem was that the mech had to be better than a cold, unfeeling reproduction of a mech design. It needed to be a masterwork, which materialization technology had never produced.
Ostensibly.
Of course, the mech touch held multiple meanings. Some mech designers believed that the mech touch was something more metaphorical than literal. To them, possessing 'the touch' was merely an allusion for mech designers who were so good at designing and making mechs that they might as well be gods!
Right now, Ves and Gloriana were too far removed from the pinnacle of mech design to know for sure. Perhaps even Star Designers lost a lot of sleep over achieving this state!
"Let's just focus on the present for the moment and think about our immediate problems." Ves noted to his daydreaming girlfriend. "We have plenty of design work to do and only a limited amount of time to fulfill them all."
From finishing William's custom mech, designing three out of four variants requested by MinDef, designing other mechs to assist in the fight against the sandmen and learning how to design a high-quality second-class mech, Ves and Gloriana had a lot on their plates!
Ves fully realized the lessons he received from old mech designers who regretted wasting their time when they were his age.
Not a single mech designer enjoyed enough time to fulfill all of their goals!
Still, no matter how much time he wanted to spend on designing mechs, Ves also wanted to reserve some time with his friends and family.
He never realized what he was missing when he was largely working alone. Now that he had Gloriana in his life, he realized what a difference love could make. The fulfillment he gained from their relationship made his design work a bit more meaningful than before.
What was the point of life if he didn't live it to the fullest?
To Ves, it was not a waste of time to spend hours with his loved ones every day!
Chapter 1561
The next morning, Gloriana traveled to the Mech Nursery early in order to finish her examination of William's state.
Her specialty demanded that she know as much about a mech pilot as possible. It wasn't enough to learn their physical state. She also needed to gain an understanding of their piloting skills, mental state and so on. All of that required a lot of time to investigate.
On this, Ves didn't want to wait. It wasn't as if they were performing a peer-reviewed study that needed to adhere to academic standards. He was in a hurry to enact his spiritual treatment plan.
If he succeeded, then he could immediately move on to the next step of his custom mech project!
If he failed, then he would simply shake his head and accept this outcome. He didn't feel the need to learn too many lessons from a possible failure because it was doubtful if Ves would mess around with people's minds like this again.
Most mech pilots weren't cowards, after all! Ves could scarcely imagine the need to perform the same treatment on Larkinsons!
"I'm not really sure if I'm even supposed to be messing with people's minds in the first place." He quietly muttered as stepped out of his mansion.
A lot of Larkinsons were leaving for work or school at this time. Large shuttles and aircars flew out of the Cloud Estate every minute.
The sight of all of this traffic further emphasized how many Larkinsons actually lived on his property.
He still scratched his head at how easy the Larkinsons persuaded to turn his 'private' estate into a 'family' estate.
"Well, it's not as if I object to this change."
Ves truly enjoyed the company of the Larkinsons. No matter how old or young they were, being surrounded by family always brought him joy. As long as they didn't solicit him for money or favors, he didn't mind their company.
"Meow." Lucky happily climbed on his shoulder and looked out at the ascending vehicles.
"Am I not enough for you, Lucky?"
"Meow meow."
"Yeah, I see what you mean. I'm not always available if you want to play."
The kids had all taken a liking for Lucky and Clixie. Not only that, some of them also owned their pets. Animals formed an entire population group at his estate!
"Well, let's head to work."
Ves and Lucky boarded their own shuttle which brought them to the Mech Nursery. Upon arrival, Gavin surprisingly awaited their arrival at the landing zone.
Usually, Ves met with Gavin in his penthouse office.
"What brings you here, Benny?"
"Before you head inside, I want to show you something just outside the premises." His assistant answered.
Gavin led his boss out of the landing zone and towards the main entrance of the manufacturing complex.
The closer they approached, the more Ves began to hear the noise and cacophony of a crowd.
Once they reached the enormous but largely symbolic swing gates, a mob of protestors were screaming and chanting at the entrance. Some of them even held electronic placards that projected signs in the air!
Ves read some of the words projected above the heads of the protestors.
CEASE BRAINWASHING US!
VES LARKINSON IS A WAR CRIMINAL!
DO NOT BUY LMC MECHS!
THE DEVIL TONGUE IS EVIL!
THE LARKINSONS HAVE SHOWN THEIR TRUE NATURE!
BANISH THE DEVIL TONGUE BACK TO WHERE HE BELONGS!
Ves grimaced at the sight. He didn't miss the group of journalists capturing the protests with their floating recorder bots. Who knew how many of his customers would watch the footage of the protests by the end of the day!
Since Ves didn't hide his approach, the protestors on the other side of the gate soon noticed his presence!
"Begone, you devil!"
"Go poison the minds of the Ylvainans, you traitor!"
"My father died because he piloted your crappy mechs!"
"We won't let you take over our state! We are on to your nefarious plan to brainwash everyone into worshipping you! You may have already turned the Ylvainans into your slaves, but it's not too late for us!"
Ves snorted when he heard that last accusation. Did they think he was another incarnation of Prophet Ylvaine? He could care less about their lives!
Just as Ves stepped up to teach them all a lesson, Gavin held his arm and pulled him back. "Don't, Ves! I didn't bring you here to argue with the protestors."
Ves frowned. "Why not?"
"No amount of arguing will change their minds. If you step forward and open your mouth, the only thing you'll accomplish is realizing their worst fears. Even if you manage to disperse the crowd, the people who weren't present here would state that your Devil Tongue was at work!"
"That's ridiculous!"
"That's the public perception that your critics have formed! I know it's rather abrupt for you to be confronted with these protests, but they are much larger than the mob you see before you. Trust me, we've tried to stamp them out many times, but there are too many people who bought into the conspiracy theories or gave in to their worst fears."
Ves only vaguely learned of the existence of the movement against his mechs during his previous tour.
He suspected that the movement initially started when a couple of competitors and critics banded together to depress his success.
Gavin explained the latest developments to Ves.
"We used to treat the opposition to our mechs as a serious nuisance. That was back when we still sold Blackbeaks, Crystal Lords and Aurora Titans. All of this changed when we published the Desolate Soldier. Our mechs have begun to proliferate in Bentheim, which means that a lot more people get exposed to our mechs in one of the busiest planets in our state!"
The ubiquity of Desolate Soldiers and their strong effects on people amplified everyone's worries. The protest movement gained a significant impetus when it became clear that the Desolate Soldiers would continue to spread throughout the Bright Republic and beyond!
After a bit of thought, Ves shook his head.
"To be honest, I am not unsympathetic of their concerns." He said. "My Desolate Soldiers can be rather heavy-handed when it comes to influencing other people. That doesn't change my mind that my work is necessary. The fact that more and more institutions have adopted my mechs means that we are fulfilling the needs of our customers."
"That's all and good, boss, but the protestors don't agree."
"So what do you suggest we do?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"It's not wise to engage the protestors directly. We'll be forced to fight on their terms if we open up a dialogue." Gavin clarified. "Therefore, it's best to leave them alone and work behind the scenes. We should let our supporters and our allies do the dirty work of pushing back this protest movement."
Now that Ves thought about it, this was his original plan. His initial plan was to make his mech design indispensable to the states. As long as the people in power needed his mechs, they would inevitably support his business efforts.
There was no way the Bright Republic would allow its own citizens to ruin a mech it appreciated!
However, even if Ves believed the government and other supporters would back him up, there was no way they single-handedly impose their viewpoints on everybody.
Ves crossed his arms while furrowing his brows. "It's difficult to allay people's fears towards my mechs. The fear and stigma against brainwashing is deeply rooted in every human's mind. I can't help it that my mechs strays uncomfortably close towards brainwashing. Even the MTA has acknowledged that my mechs are capable of affecting other people's minds."
That wasn't necessarily bad in itself. Anything could influence a person's mind. For example, if Ves wanted to make people react strongly to him, then he could just strip off all his clothes and parade his naked body in front of the protestors and the press!
Of course, such an act was clearly more explainable. The difficulty that he and the LMC faced was that they didn't really have a good explanation of how his mechs were able to influence people's mentalities.
His mechs didn't release any smells or pheromones.
His mechs didn't transmit subliminal flashes of light that induced certain moods or behaviors on people.
His mechs didn't remotely interface with every bystander in the vicinity.
Settled science couldn't come up with a solid explanation for the unique phenomenon surrounding his mechs.
Mech designers and many other experts all came up with their own theories. Ves definitely believed that a number of them managed to get close to the truth and guess that psionics may be involved.
As much as a part of him wanted him to step forward and confront the protestors with what they were doing, Ves merely scoffed and turned around.
"Let's go, Benny. These ignorant people aren't worth my time."
Gavin followed alongside him. "For a moment, I thought you wanted to lash out at the protestors."
"I considered it, but I wouldn't gain anything aside from venting my frustration. As a mech designer, I've been taught to let my work speak for themselves. I still believe that is the right approach here. Once the sandmen are battering the Bright Republic in earnest, I'll watch closely to see how many people still object to my Desolate Soldiers and all of its variants."
Ves didn't consider himself to be on the same level as the idlers who apparently had enough time on their hands to picket the entrance of the Mech Nursery all day.
Where was their sense of duty?
A devious idea came to mind.
"Benny, please instruct the Living Sentinels to place some Desolate Soldiers in the vicinity of the protestors."
"They won't like that, boss."
"I don't care. If they step back, I want a Desolate Soldier to step forward. Do that until we succeed in chasing them away from our premises."
It looked bad if protestors continued to picket in front of the Mech Nursery. Once they had been driven away, the journalists would quickly cease to broadcast their footage, because protesting in front of nothing did not make for a good news segment.
Once Ves entered his headquarters and entered his main office, he sat down on his comfortable chair and began his work day.
Since Gloriana was still busy with examining William Urbesh, Ves still had to wait until the late afternoon to enact his spiritual treatment plan.
The wait was killing him. He was so eager to begin his experiment that he barely paid attention to the matters that came up to him today.
The only instance where he paid more attention was when Crindon visited his office for a private meeting.
After making sure that jamming was in place, Crindon finally spoke.
"I've performed a preliminary investigation on the LMC. While I've only studied the upper management of the company so far, I've already identified around thirty moles in our headquarters."
While Ves knew that not every employee was clean, hearing that thirty of them were sneakily passing off information about Ves and the company to others was a heavy blow.
"Who are these moles reporting to, Crindon?"
"Some of them are working on behalf of Flashlight and Spotlight. Others appear to be transmitting internal data to competing mech companies. However, I haven't been able to determine the ultimate recipient in over half of the cases. The people and organizations involved are too careful to slip such a thing."
Ves grabbed Lucky and passed his pet over to Crindon.
"Meow?"
"Try and investigate with Lucky's help. He possesses a powerful CFA hacking system."
"This will help, but not as much as you think. Spies are exceedingly careful about exposing their networks and systems." Crindon said as he held Lucky in his arms. "I'll see what I can do, though. What do you want to do to the informers that we have identified?"
Ves shrugged. "Keep the ones who are working for the government, but find a way to kick out the rest."
"It may be prudent to keep known spies around, if only to track what data they are interested in passing along."
"You can determine the best course of action for yourself. I trust in your judgement."
"Thank you, sir. I'll do my best to minimize the damage they can do."
In truth, Ves couldn't be bothered with addressing this problem either. He knew that no matter how many spies and informers they exposed and removed from the company, others would inevitably take their place.
Some enemies simply couldn't be beaten in a straight fight!
Chapter 1562
Time continued to pass until the workday was almost over. Ves left his office and descended to the underground lab.
He walked up to Gloriana and exchanged a kiss.
"Are you done with William now?"
She nodded. "I've collected a sufficient amount of data. You can pick him up and do whatever you want with him. I have one request."
"And that is?"
"Can I come with you? From what I've studied, his fears are deeply rooted in his mind. The Rim Guardians haven't been able to remedy this problem, so I'm very curious to see how you plan on treating William's condition."
"Don't you remember my specialty?" Ves turned towards Gloriana and tapped his head. "While I mostly work with mechs, I've also worked on people. It's just…"
"What's the problem, Ves?"
"The treatment plan I came up with isn't exactly proper. It's not as if I can medically-sound study as a mech designer. What I plan to do is not for the squeamish."
She looked a bit concerned, but quickly resumed her smile.
"I insist on accompanying you. If we want to increase our synergy, I need to see what you are capable of. I promise I won't object to anything you do no matter how ugly it gets. I can already guess that whatever you intend to do to William won't exactly be pretty."
Ves thought about it for a moment. "Okay. I'll allow you to witness my operation as long as Melody and your bodyguards keep their distance."
He waved towards the people he mentioned. Ever since Gloriana started working here, her hounds were never too far away.
To be honest, Ves detested their presence in his sanctum. Their presence constrained his impulses. He always felt he was being observed while he was performing his work. Activating local jammers could only do so much to mitigate the feeling of being stared at while he was doing something related to his specialty.
Gloriana mulled over his suggestion.
"Ordinarily, it will be difficult for me to keep Melody and my guards out of sight, but I think I can convince them to back off this time. This entire floor is highly isolated. No one is here except us, our cats and our guards."
When Gloriana approached Melody to issue her request, the two women held a brief argument before the assistant reluctantly acquiesced.
"It worked, Ves!" She returned and embraced him for a moment. "Will you show me what you can do now?"
"I will." He replied with a smile before turning to his bodyguard. "Nitaa, please bring William to one of the enclosed chambers."
Nitaa wordlessly nodded and dragged William to the isolated testing chamber. Ves originally had it built in order to perform dangerous experiments.
Though initially meant to contain dangerous explosions and the like, the enclosed chambers could also be used to contain recalcitrant test subjects.
Both the testing chamber and accompanying observation room were fully isolated and enclosed from the main lab hall.
This meant that William's screams and convulsions shouldn't reach the guards standing outside.
As Ves closed up the chamber and observation room, Nitaa stood right outside to make sure that neither Melody nor the Glory Battalion would barge in without warning.
"You seem to trust your bodyguard a lot." Gloriana remarked as she helped Ves activate the right observation equipment.
Gloriana hadn't let off this section when she replaced his old equipment with her own!
"She's a Kinner, after all. They're more trustworthy than any guards I can hire from the Republic."
It took some time for them to get the right setup. Their cats huddled together on top of a tall machine and looked down on their owners.
Once Ves was finally pleased, he looked out at the transparent wall where William helplessly banged against the surface.
"Let me out!" William screamed as soon as Ves opened up a communication channel. "What are you doing to me?! Not even the Rim Guardians treated me so roughly! I want to leave! I want to go home!"
"You want to leave? You want to go home?" Ves grinned as his eyes twinkled at his test subject. "I'll only let you go when you grow a spine and advance to expert candidate! Until then, you'll stay under my thumb!"
Ves cut off the comm channel and pressed a button.
A partition formed at the other side of the chamber. A floating platform carrying a very large object entered before the gap disappeared.
Nothing else happened as Ves did not activate any other commands.
A single minute passed without anything taking place. The cats started to yawn and lick each other while Gloriana puzzlingly looked into the test chamber.
Eventually, she couldn't hold in her curiosity. "Isn't that the dangerous Ancient Sarcophagus you've showed me back then? Why did you bring it into the chamber all of a sudden? Is that part of your treatment plan?"
"Not exactly." Ves tentatively admitted. "My real treatment won't begin yet. This is just a separate experiment to satisfy my curiosity. I want to see how a scaredy-cat like William reacts to an object that is capable of inducing fear from a distance."
Ordinarily, it took some time for the spiritual entity trapped in the red coffin to worm its way into the mind of someone else. Ves hoped that Nyxie would hurry up this time seeing as how he brought its coffin very close to a human.
Even though he didn't do much aside from checking the instruments every now and then, he constantly kept his spiritual vision peeled.
He wanted to see whether Nyxie was capable of influencing William without direct spiritual contact.
As twenty minutes passed, William gradually began to grow more and more panicked. The mech pilot kept banging at the surface of the transparent wall while screaming to be let out.
Ves already reactivated the comm channel but kept its volume low.
"This crystal thing is creeping me out, Mr. Larkinson!"
"W-Wait, is there a body inside? Glk!"
"Please let me out! I can't take it anymore!"
"Ahhh! This coffin! This coffin! This coffin!"
While Ves keenly observed William's spiritual potential for any changes, Gloriana began to frown more and more.
"What is the point of this experiment, Ves?" Gloriana sternly asked. "All I'm seeing is needless suffering. Our instruments aren't picking up anything meaningful aside from increasing levels of stress and panic in the poor fellow you've trapped inside the chamber."
Ves briefly turned around to face his girlfriend. "You promised not to interrupt me. Right now, I'm in charge of this session. Everything I'm doing is for a reason."
His unusual intensity took Gloriana aback. She had rarely seen him react so sternly towards her. Usually, he was much more accommodating to her!
Of course, she quickly realized that many mech designers were like this when they engaged in something related to their specialties.
"I'm sorry, Ves. You can continue. I won't interrupt you again."
As Ves turned back to directing his spiritual vision towards William's head, Gloriana continued to frown at Ves and the testing chamber.
No wonder her boyfriend didn't want her to bring in any of her guards. What Ves was doing right now clearly crossed a lot of boundaries!
Yet.. Gloriana couldn't bring herself to feel repulsed. She knew that Ves was following his passion.
While Gloriana dreamily gazed at him, Ves kept his attention on William.
At this point, his panic approached the limit of what he was able to bear. If this simple experiment kept going on, then William would soon scare himself to death!
"I guess this is enough." Ves clinically judged.
He pressed a couple of buttons that caused the Ancient Sarcophagus to float through a partition in the wall.
As the Ancient Sarcophagus kept floating further and further away, William gradually subsided from his panic.
"Mr. Larkinson! Please.. no more.. I can't take it anymore!" Willliam blubbered as tears streamed down his face.
Ves smirked. "You're doing fine so far, William, but the best is yet to come! Your treatment begins now!"
"W-Wait? W-What do you mean by that?!"
Ves concentrated his mind and turned his attention inward. He pulled out the mote of spirituality he cut out of Nyxie's spiritual fragment.
Compared to the real Nyxie, the mote looked a little more diminished. Ves had cut out numerous undesirable portions to purify it a bit, but it still shared a very close resemblance to the source.
The mote was just as domineering, tyrannical and arrogant as Nyxie himself. The only difference was that Ves cut out the majority of attributes that screamed alien.
"I hope this will do." He softly whispered. "Let the contamination begin."
Ves controlled the mote by controlling the spiritual barrier that surrounded it.. The mote floated across the observation room and passed through the thick transparent wall as if it didn't exist.
The mote continued to float forward until it silently slipped into William's head.
The Urbesh clansman suddenly jerked and froze as he felt a very peculiar sensation.
Something that felt much like the red coffin that previously terrorized him had returned! What was worse was that it felt a lot closer to him now than before!
"AHHHHHHH!" William clutched his head and fell to his knees.
Ves was worried that William would bang his head against the wall or something, so he activated another command that caused gravitic fields to force William to lie down on the ground and keep him in place.
"Keep still and don't hurt yourself! Don't resist! Embrace the change!"
Even though Nyxie's mote was just floating inside William's head, Ves could see that the mech pilot's spirituality could clearly sense the new presence!
A lot of turbulence took place as William's spirituality reacted with extreme fear, so much so that Ves sensed that the spiritual attributes related to fear started to expand!
"Goddammit! That's not what I want!" Ves cursed.
He quickly activated some commands that caused the testing chamber to inject some sedatives in William's body.
Though the test subject's body calmed down, Ves could quickly observe from his spiritual vision that the sedatives had done little to William's mental distress!
The presence of that tiny but powerful mote inspired a fear that was far more primal and acute than anything that William had ever sensed before!
What annoyed Ves was that the contamination that he was hoping for hadn't taken place.
"Do I need to increase his exposure?" He mused. "I might as well."
Ves reduced the strength of the barrier blocking some of the mote's influence.
"AAAHHHHH! GHERHEHRRHLELK!"
William began to shout gibberish for some reason as soon as Ves allowed Nyxie's mote to exert more influence.
"Interesting." Ves smiled and observed closely.
Though William's fright quickly approached a breaking point, Ves finally observed a tiny change.
A tiny portion of William's spirituality had shifted in attributes!
Ves had to observe very closely to notice this minor change, but once he did, he smiled. "It's happening!"
The contamination started agonizingly slow. Ves had to inject heavier sedatives into William's bloodstream in order to prevent his heart from beating too hard!
Fortunately, William's body enjoyed plenty of augmentations that massively improved his toughness and physical condition.
If William possessed a baseline human body, then his heart would have already exploded from the ordeals that Ves had subjected him to. There was only so much fear a human could handle!
"Are you succeeding, Ves?" Gloriana curiously asked.
"I am!" He grinned and waved his hand at the convulsing body of his test subject. "He is being transformed in front of our eyes! When we finally pull him out of this testing chamber, he'll probably come out as a different man!"
The contamination began to spread once Nyxie's mote established a beachhead in the mech pilot's spirituality.
Since William did not possess that much spiritual energy in the first place, the contamination rapidly began to overtake the attributes that used to belong to him. Every attribute related to fear started to melt and transform into attributes that fell more in line with Nyxie!
However, Ves quickly stopped grinning when he realized a very serious problem.
The contamination also started to affect William's spiritual imprint! The mech pilot started to lose ownership of his own spiritual potential!
The alien was starting to take over!
Chapter 1563
"Right now, my boyfriend is engaged in a groundbreaking experiment." Gloriana softly whispered as if there was a recorder hovering in front of her. "Both of us are currently pioneering a special treatment for mech pilots who are afflicted with certain disorders that prevent them from unleashing their potential in battle."
Her comm lit up while it recorded a narrow shot of her face. In the background, Ves continued to put his total concentration on William Urbesh, thereby remaining ignorant of what his girlfriend was doing at the moment.
"GHRUERHGGH!" A garbled voice burst out from the speakers. "GhullZizne KWanHansha TOrInOZ ONONMENAIAKKA!"
Gloriana stifled her giggle. "Please don't mind the strange noises you hear in the background. Our volunteer ?— who the Mech Trade Association has entrusted to us for his treatment, by the way ?— is currently undergoing a painful but necessary procedure that will definitely fix his
"MR. LARKINSON! I WILL KILL YOU ONCE I GET OUT! YOU REAWNZ KkTANonzER VEONEW MOEneWINQA OPLZNNE!"
"Wow! Our volunteer is already showing improvement! Previously, he was too afraid to make any threats. Just listen at him now. Isn't he better? Our special treatment is working, hihi!"
She manipulated her recorder so that it zoomed in on Ves, detailing his focused expression and his Pride of Dusk ensemble.
"Just look at how handsome he is when he's so serious!" Gloriana swooned. "Ves is the best lover I can ask for, and he's all mine! Together, we're capable of achieving so many new things. We have some ambitious mech designs in the planning and we can't wait to astound you all with our revolutionary new products! What we are doing right now is merely a taste of what is to come!"
Some of the instruments started beeping alarms. However, Ves paid no attention to them at all despite how urgent they sounded.
Seeing that Ves did not respond to the alarms, Gloriana showed no concern either. She trusted in her boyfriend's judgement!
"To all of the mech pilots out there, have you ever wanted to become gods?" She excitingly whispered. "Well, soon we'll be offering everyone a chance! Whether you're a man or a woman, as long as you commission a custom mech from us, we'll do everything possible to design a mech that is literally touched by the gods! With our respective specialties, our mechs are guaranteed to be the most perfect machines that match your qualities, thereby maximizing the odds that you'll transcend your current place in the six phases of existence!"
As Gloriana kept recording an impromptu promotion for her Commbook page, Ves truly couldn't spare any attention to anything else.
He needed to invest his full concentration in manipulating the transformation that was taking place in William's spirituality!
Ves underestimated Nyxie. Even when he only cut off a tiny mote from a greater whole, its versatility greatly surpassed his estimates.
The mote employed tricks that were so profound that Qilanxo looked like an amateur by comparison!
This fellow was trickier than he thought!
Was this the difference between a sentient alien from an advanced civilization and an exobeast who solely relied on her natural abilities?
He even guessed that Nyxie might have been far stronger when he was in the prime of his life. Only until he was killed and locked up in the Ancient Sarcophagus had his lingering spirituality begun to fade.
Ves probably stood no chance at all if he faced Nyxie in his prime!
Fortunately, spending eons locked up inside a crystal coffin probably wore away a lot of the alien's strength. The only problem was that even if Nyxie lost a lot of strength, his refined abilities still gave Ves a lot of headaches!
The spiritual barrier surrounding the mote started cracking and leaking out all kinds of attacks. Nyxie fully committed to contaminating and outright taking over William's spirituality!
Even though Nyxie only took over a portion of his target, the newly-converted element immediately began to spread out into other parts of William's mind, including his core consciousness!
Just like with Ves a while ago, Nyxie only needed a small beachhead to use as a springboard for a greater invasion! As long as he managed to exploit a vulnerability, it was incredibly hard to overcome his dizzying attacks!
In fact, Ves found it puzzling how much more sophisticated Nyxie had become. The imprisoned alien tyrant hadn't shown nearly as much sophistication in his previous attacks!
Ves remembered back when he first probed Nyxie that the alien only utilized the simplest brute-force attacks that his B-stone lockbox perfectly blocked.
Now, Ves had the feeling that using such a crude method to defend against Nyxie wouldn't work anymore. The alien appeared to have revived some of his cunning and his brilliance from the long eons of isolation and decay!
Where did Nyxie obtain all of this strength?!
A sudden realization came to Ves. Didn't he recently sell tens of thousands of Desolate Soldiers and Holy Soldiers?
Both of those mech models utilized the Solemn Guardian as their design spirit.
The Solemn Guardian was his second spiritual product. Ves made it by combining the broken fragments of an expert pilot and Nyxie with his own spiritual energy as the glue and the spark of life!
Even though the wondrous life creation process resulted in an entirely new living spiritual entity, the Solemn Guardian still possessed some lingering ties to its 'parents'.
This meant that both Venerable Plinter and Nyxie certainly received a substantial spiritual supplement!
Ves regarded these transfers as spiritual dividends. In exchange for investing some of their spiritual energy into the formation of a spiritual product, they became eligible to receive a return on investment.
The more mech pilots used the mechs watched over by design spirits they invested in, the more spiritual energy fed back to them! When the numbers reached tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of mech pilots, the dividends probably reached a very substantial quantity!
Through this interaction, his previous design spirits such as the Black Phoenix, the crystal builder leader, Qilanxo and Prophet Ylvaine all grew in strength, becoming just a little bit more powerful!
It was as if Gloriana was right. They were all akin to gods who grew from the power of worship. With mech pilots as their supplicants, the spiritual investors only had to sit back and absorb the energies flowing to them through the man-machine connection!
The only consolation to Ves was that while Nyxie had revived some of his wits after eons of dormancy, he hadn't actually grown much stronger.
Ves guessed that the quality of Nyxie's spirituality was so high that the alien hardly gained a benefit from low-quality sources.
Even Qilanxo was being hampered by this growth, hence her attempts to elevate her chosen to expert pilots and higher.
In other words, Ves did not have much to fear from Nyxie in the short term. No matter how many mech pilots utilized the Soldier product line, most of them were irrelevant due to their paltry, low-quality donations.
The story would be different if an expert pilot began to pilot a Desolate Soldier, but what were the chances of that happening?
A rickety budget mech would never be able to keep up with the performance of an expert pilot! His Desolate Soldiers also didn't incorporate any expensive resonating materials, thereby giving very little room for expert pilots to express their might!
Still, how long would it take for Nyxie to gain enough supplements to regain his full strength? Years? Decades?
Ves didn't know. All he knew so far was that the Ancient Sarcophagus had probably been designed to trap a much more powerful spiritual entity. The complete inability for Nyxie to escape the bonds of his prison already said much.
The issue was that every cage had its limits.
As long as Ves kept farming spiritual fragments from Nyxie, he would continually weaken the spiritual entity. However, once Ves utilized the spiritual fragments in the creation of spiritual products, the dividends flowing back to Nyxie would increase.
This was the frightening part about investments. As long as they were successful, they returned far more than the investor initially paid.
Ves became more and more grave as he thought of the implications.
He predicted that at some point, Nyxie would earn so many dividends that his growth could no longer be contained!
By then, not only would Nyxie find a way to break out of the Ancient Sarcophagus, but also take revenge on Ves for mutilating him and exploiting him for his spiritual fragments!
He should have figured out this danger before!
"At least it's not too late."
So far, Ves had only used a single spiritual fragment from Nyxie in his mech designs. He could still come up with various means to limit Nyxie's growth.
His best hope was to find a way to manipulate the Solemn Guardian into denying Nyxie his rightful share. By embezzling the dividends he was supposed to receive, Nyxie would not be able to profit from his investments!
"I'll have to look into this later." Ves shook his head.
Right now, Ves was rapidly learning how to deal with Nyxie's tricks. No matter how sophisticated the alien tried to take advantage of the situation, the mote only possessed a miniscule fraction of his total strength.
While it was more than enough to overpower William's spiritual potential, Ves was different.
By employing his full strength, Ves simply resorted to brute force methods to cut off any attempts by Nyxie to take over William's mind and body!
Nyxie utilized thousands of finely-controlled strands of silk to envelop William's mind and consciousness.
Ves formed a giant cleaver with his spiritual energy and hacked at the strands with abandon!
In fact, Ves could have ended the attacks immediately if he destroyed Nyxie's mote of spirituality.
However, he didn't want to end this tug-of-war immediately.
Even through all of the new developments, he always kept his ultimate goal in mind.
William Urbesh needed to become a different man. One that was capable of advancing to expert candidate.
A very serious question came to Ves. Should he allow Nyxie to take over William's mind?
No matter how dangerous and hostile the alien acted, Ves could not deny that it was an exceptional spiritual entity.
If such a strong entity turned William into a puppet, as long as Ves taught it how to act like a human, the 'William' that emerged would likely become one of the most promising mech pilots in the star sector!
Ves was very confident that this version 'William' would easily be able to advance to expert pilot, especially if he fully retained the original William's memories and skills!
In this way, Ves stood a very high chance of completing the mission issued by the Rim Guardians.
"What am I thinking? This is stupid!"
Perhaps he would gain enormously in the short term, but Ves didn't have to think a lot to figure out that 'William' might eventually grow into a monster! Once 'William' advanced to ace pilot or something, he could single-handedly return to Ves and destroy everything he built in order to retrieve the Ancient Sarcophagus and free its prisoner!
There was no way that Ves would allow Nyxie to grow out of control in this fashion!
"What should I do instead?"
When he began to get a handle on Nyxie's varied attack methods, he rapidly contained the alien's attempts to take over William's mind and body.
However, Nyxie's imprint had still taken over a large chunk of William's spiritual potential, replacing the mech pilot's imprint with an alien spiritual imprint.
Ves couldn't allow even a shred of alien imprint to remain in William's mind!
"It seems I'll have to get rid of it all!"
Before he started to manipulate the imprints, Ves first pulled back Nyxie's spiritual mote from William's head. It had already served its purpose and its continued presence was not doing William any favors.
Once Ves returned the mote in his own mind, he began to focus on his test subject's spiritual potential and tried to manipulate it with utmost care.
He had never messed with someone's spirituality in this fashion before. That excited him to no end!
Chapter 1564
William fell silent as the chamber kept pressing him down to the floor. The trapped mech pilot no longer shouted threats and obscenities, whether in standard or alien language.
It was almost disturbing to see him so still. He might actually be dead if not for the instruments transmitting William's active life signals!
Ves stood silent in the observation chamber as his eyes continued to sear at William's prone body. He wasn't watching his test subject with his normal vision right now. He wasn't even employing his spiritual vision.
In order to examine William's spirituality to the finest degree, he directly employed his spiritual senses.
Right now, over sixty percent of William's spirituality possessed a different imprint. Nyxie had wiped away the original imprints and replaced them with his own, all through relying on indirect contamination!
This was a highly advanced application that Ves was pretty sure he could never replicate.
Nonetheless, he took a lot of inspiration from all of the means that Nyxie displayed today. As long as Ves digested them, he might be able to improve his ability to manipulate other people's spiritualities in the future.
For now, Ves needed to tackle the immediate problem. What was he supposed to do?
He knew he had to remove Nyxie's imprint. The problem with doing it straight away was that Ves wasn't sure what would happen next.
Would William be able to reclaim what he lost by expanding his imprint into the territory that Ves liberated from Nyxie's clutches?
"Well, let's try."
Ves summoned up a spiritual projection and brought it forward to William's mind. He began to employ it as a surgery tool, using it to gently wipe away the imprint left by Nyxie.
"It's more difficult than I thought."
Nyxie's imprint was not that easy to remove! It possessed its own intrinsic strength and will and actively resisted any casual attempts to weaken its presence!
Ves felt as if he was trying to rub away a stain on his shirt!
Seeing as his strength was insufficient, Ves reinforced his spiritual projection by pumping it with more spiritual energy. He began to employ a bit more power in his actions.
Though he risked the possibility of harming or outright breaking William's spiritual potential, he finally achieved some results!
"It's working!"
Nyxie in his prime would have easily been able to endure against anything Ves could throw at him, but only a very minute portion of the alien's total strength had transferred over to William.
As high-quality as it appears to be, its quantity was wholly insufficient.
The only problem was that William's spirituality showed signs of heavy strain. If Ves applied too much force, then the consequences would be imaginable.
Ves wasn't sure what would happen if William's spirituality shattered into pieces. Death or becoming comatose were very real possibilities.
Personally, Ves believed the most likely outcome was that William would just suffer some mental damage while becoming spiritually crippled.
Ves didn't believe that anyone could regain their spiritual potential once they lost it. The only way to salvage the situation was for Ves to find out a way to allow a spiritually-insensitive norm to gain spiritual potential.
This was incredibly hard. While Ves hadn't performed much research in this area, with his current understanding of spirituality, he believed it wasn't something he could do at this stage!
It was much easier to work with someone who already possessed spiritual potential. THat was why Ves paid so much attention to hiring people like Nitaa, the Ingvars and so on.
While it wasn't guaranteed that they would be able to make use of their potential, at least the possibility existed.
Ves acted carefully in removing the alien imprint. It became easier when he continued to make more progress. As Nyxie's grip on William's spirituality weakened, his imprint's resistance lessened.
Everything depended on power!
After a tense few minutes, Ves finally managed to remove every trade of Nyxie inside William's spirituality.
Now, a part of William had become ownerless, for a lack of better word. The spiritual attributes introduced by Nyxie suddenly became detached from their source.
Normally, someone with different spiritual attributes wouldn't be able to merge with them. Otherwise, Ves would have already tried to accelerate the growth of his own Spirituality Attribute by plundering the spiritual energy of other entities.
The attributes had to match. That was the rule he discovered.
In fact, Ves believed it wasn't that simple and that more rules were at work that prevented someone from absorbing spiritual energy willy-nilly.
However, this was a special case. The spiritual attributes and imprint had changed very recently. Since spiritual energy was basically related to life, Ves bet that it retained a connection to its old state.
Of course, the most important reason why this was different was that the ownerless portion was still a part of William's spirituality!
The parts that Nyxie temporarily took over hadn't separated from William. Instead, both of their spiritualities remained a single whole as they warred over control.
Ves believed that this was the final step to accomplishing his goal.
If this method succeeded, then he would have another technique under his belt. He called it spiritual attribute contamination.
"Well, let's see if it works."
William's spirituality had sustained severe damage. William himself was half-comatose from all of the trauma he went through.
In addition, as a pathetic coward, William was incapable of launching any attacks. The most he could do was to hunker down and delay the inevitable.
Getting this fellow's spirituality to attack and reclaim the ownerless portion did not succeed. The parts that Nyxie took over may have converted some of William's cowardly attributes into different ones, but there was plenty of cowardice left.
Ves did not expect to be able to remove every trace of William's fears. It was already good enough to take a large bite of it so that it was much less dominant in the mech pilot's spirituality.
Fear was something that every human possessed. Fear was so intrinsic to William that Ves was afraid that William's spirituality might not even be able to connect anymore with the mind it came from. A certain degree of fit still needed to be present.
"The results so far are already sufficient."
What Ves actually aimed for was transforming a part of William's spiritual attributes. Now, over sixty percent of them had been changed into a mixture that conformed to the partially-purified spiritual mote.
That meant that about half of William's spirituality now consisted of attributes related to tyranny, dominance, arrogance, confidence and other such descriptors.
As long as they matched or exceeded the strength of William?s cowardice, then a state of balance could be achieved.
William would no longer be a coward. However, he also wouldn't become a tyrannical monster. He'd be… someone different. Someone in between.
The only complication was that a few alien attributes had also slipped in. This might introduce some anomalies, but not too much as their presence was rather small.
Hopefully, William wouldn't be spurting alien words from his mouth anytime soon. Such an incident might put Ves in an awkward spot.
Ves continued to work on his test subject's spirituality. After applying various means, he finally forced William's imprint to expand on the recently-vacated portions.
Since they originally belonged to William and was still a part of his spirituality, his imprint expanded with only minor issues.
Obviously, William was reluctant to inherit completely new spiritual attributes. Ves continually had to force the process along.
At the end of it, Ves sighed in relief. He inspected William's mind and spirituality for a few more minutes and only observed some gradual changes. None of them suggested that Nyxie's influence was coming back from the dead.
Instead, William's cowardice maintained a feeble balance against his newly-acquired traits. How much the state of his spirituality reflected the state of his mind and emotions remained to be seen.
Ves knew that they were connected, but so far he had mostly witnessed someone's emotions shaping someone's spirituality. He had never seen the reverse taking place until today when Nyxie tried to hijack William's mind by capturing his spirituality.
"I don't even know how that can even be done."
Even though he had a front-row seat of Nyxie's insidious methods, Ves understood very little of it. Nyxie's application of spiritual energy was so advanced that it seemed to be a highly-developed specialty or discipline.
The entity trapped within the Ancient Sarcophagus became more and more formidable to Ves.
Once Ves reflected enough on what he learned, he shoved the rest to the back of his mind and directed his attention on the immediate situation.
"It's done." He said with a relieved voice.
"Really?" Gloriana quickly shut off her comm with a puzzled smile. "You.. didn't do anything. You just stood there while William started screaming and convulsing. What in the galaxy did you do to the poor boy?"
Ves turned to his girlfriend. "I thought I told you that I would be applying my design philosophy to treat William's affliction. Haven't you been paying attention?"
"I did." Gloriana innocently blinked. "I haven't seen anything."
"You're not supposed to be able to see anything with your eyes. Didn't you feel anything?"
Gloriana shook her head.
"Huh. Well, whatever." Ves shrugged. "Let's bring William to an infirmary and inspect him in person."
While he believed that Gloriana was able to sense spirituality, her spiritual perception probably wasn't sensitive enough to feel what went on in William's mind.
Nyxie's spiritual mote wasn't very strong to begin with. The scale of everything that happened today was very limited because William simply couldn't cope with anything stronger.
Ves, Gloriana and their cats exited the observation room.
Moments later, a hovering stretcher brought out an unconscious William from the chamber. A bodyguard took charge of the stretcher and guided it towards an infirmary at the manufacturing floor.
Considering how many heavy parts and machinery were at that floor, workplace accidents occasionally took place. Mech technicians needed to be treated immediately, hence the floor held a very comprehensive infirmary.
As they all moved to the infirmary, Ves let the doctors inspect William for a while before placing him in an isolated room.
The doctors asked plenty of questions about William's strange state and all of the sedatives that Ves had pumped into his bloodstream, but that was all. Since Ves was the boss, he outright refused to answer the questions.
"All you need to do is make sure that William recovers. Understand?"
Afterwards, Ves and Gloriana left. They moved back to the lab and workshop floor in order to process and analyze the sensor readings.
"These readings are useless." Gloriana scowled and waved at the graphs and figures projected in front of her. "Pure divinity can't be captured by sensors!"
"Humanity has only managed to find a way to detect and measure resonance." Ves remarked. "And that is only a single facet of what is actually taking place. It's a shame you can't see what I can see. You're missing out on a lot."
"Can you teach me?" Gloriana asked with a hopeful smile.
"I'm not sure. I always thought it was something I was born with. It could also be a side effect of my design philosophy."
The more they cooperated with each other, the more they became aware of each other's strengths. Gloriana quickly figured out what she needed in order to gain a deeper understanding of his abilities.
Yet just as how Ves wasn't able to make much headway with Gloriana's methods, Gloriana wasn't able to emulate him either. They were simply too different.
Gloriana accepted his answer and didn't push any further.
Both of them were mech designers. Both of them understood each other in a way that a non-mech designer never could.
They spent a few hours studying the data they gathered before transferring it all in a secure data chip. Ves personally stored it in the vault in order to keep it safe.
"Done!"
Chapter 1565
After Ves observed William's physical, mental and spiritual state the next day, he judged that the mech pilot might be out for a short while.
After the doctors flushed out the chemicals from William's body, there shouldn't be anything wrong with his physical state.
The main problems lay in his mental and spiritual state. Both experienced a fair amount of turmoil. Though Ves found it difficult to describe what was going on, he had the impression that a very deep transformation was taking place.
"Good." Ves smiled.
This was exactly what he wanted to see. Ves welcomed any change regardless of the outcome because anything was better than what William was like before.
Once Ves patted William's unconscious head and moved up to his office, Gavin immediately brought something disconcerting to his attention.
"Did you know what your girlfriend just did?"
"What?"
"It's better if I show you."
Gavin activated his comm and visited a Commbook page. He played a recording that had just been put up yesterday.
Ves immediately recognized the footage and turned grave.
"Right now, my boyfriend is engaged in a groundbreaking experiment…"
"GHR—BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP."
"Wow! Our volunteer is already showing improvement!…"
"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP."
"Just look at how handsome he is when he's so serious!…"
The recording lasted for a couple more minutes before it ended.
Ves waved his hand, silently ordering Gavin to shut off the projection.
"Boss?"
"Let me think." Ves replied and went still.
Anger coursed through his mind. However, this was not the time to act impulsively! If he acted impulsively, he might make a decision that strained his relationship with Gloriana without achieving anything in return.
In a situation like this, Ves needed to think with his mind instead of his heart.
He patiently waited for an entire minute for his anger to mellow out a bit. Now that he calmed down somewhat, Ves began to consider seriously what Gavin had just displayed.
Apparently, Gloriana recorded a very sensitive experiment that Ves was engaged in yesterday. He never intended to bring her along, but she requested to observe his treatment.
Since Ves trusted Gloriana quite a bit, he gave in to her request and let her into the observation room while he performed his experiment.
Instead of standing still and watching William turn into a lunatic, she recorded a portion of what was happening and even slipped in some self-promotion along the way!
Ves did not mind the self-promotion, but he deeply objected to publicizing something which wasn't meant to be published!
Gloriana pretty much aired some of his dirty laundry in public!
The one saving grace about what she had done was that she censored William's ravings. The footage came across as much less severe, since Ves said very little and mostly stood still like a rock.
As a result, the recording largely centered around Gloriana's words. Though she said plenty of discomfiting stuff, she hadn't actually said anything too alarming. Only a follower of hexism would take her words seriously. Everyone else would probably dismiss her claims as the ravings of a religious nut.
Did that make the situation better? Somewhat. At the very least, Gloriana shouldn't have said anything that the MTA already knew.
That still didn't make this right. Ves felt incredibly violated by her actions. What possessed her to cross such a line?
Perhaps it was best to ask her himself. Now that he thought over the situation, his anger had fully mellowed out into a smouldering simmer.
While he was still angry, he believed he regained enough rationality that he wouldn't be doing anything stupid anytime soon.
Ves breathed deeply and sat down behind his desk. He placed his fingers together and looked at Gavin.
"Please summon Gloriana to my office. Tell her that she better be here in ten minutes."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
Once Gavin relayed the message, he observed his boss in order to figure out what might happen.
"Are you okay, Ves?"
"I think so. I'm still pissed. She posted something that she shouldn't have posted."
"I think it's okay, Ves." Gavin reassured him. "The footage didn't show off anything interesting aside from you standing in front of an observation chamber. I didn't even get to catch a glimpse of the 'volunteer' that you were busy with. Was it William, by the way?"
Ves nodded.
"I thought so. The scream I just heard at the start sounds like his voice before the beeping sounds blocked out the rest."
From the way Gavin reacted to the footage, Ves understood that the true nature of his experiment hadn't been revealed.
Gloriana might make some strange decisions every once in a while, but she wasn't stupid. Ves never underestimated her smarts.
It took some time for Gloriana to arrive. Once she entered, she quickly read the atmosphere.
"Is there something wrong, Ves?"
Ves waved in front of his desk. "Please take a seat. I want everyone out, including your bodyguards."
By now, the Glory Battalion was quite familiar with Ves, so they did not put up much of an objection.
Of course, part of the reason why they did so was that Clixie remained at Gloriana's side. While Ves had never seen a Rubarthan Sentinel Cat in action, he knew that they served as powerful protectors.
As for Lucky, Ves had no idea where his cat went off too. The little bastard frequently went on unannounced excursions.
Oh well. Ves would just have to conduct his meeting without his pet distracting Clixie.
"Gloriana." He began. "Can you please explain what you just uploaded on your Commbook page?"
"Hmph?" She tilted her head while twirling a lock of her dark hair. "Oh that? You looked so handsome back then. The way you became so intense and focused on your experiment was so awesome that I simply had to record it for posterity!"
BANG!
"Be serious with me!" Ves shouted while leaning forward with his fist pressed against his desk. "If you wanted to record something, that's one thing, but publishing it onto your Commbook where the entire galaxy is another thing!"
"I didn't publish anything sensitive!" Gloriana pouted at him and crossed her arms. "I made sure to censor William's words and fade out the readings in the background."
"Who knows whether you were thorough enough! Do you still have the full footage stashed somewhere? Delete it as quickly as possible! In fact, take the entire data chip or storage unit and melt it down!"
"What?!"
Ves glared at her. "Do you know how much I care about secrets? A lot! I trusted you with some of my secrets. That does not give you a license to air them on Commbook!"
"But I didn't, Ves! My recording was mostly about you and me, not about your experiment!"
BANG!
This time, Ves used both of his fists to slam against his desk!
"That doesn't excuse your actions! Even if you think you've been thorough in cleaning up the footage, what if you miss something?"
Gloriana grinned. "I never make mistakes."
"EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES! You're still human! You aren't perfect! If you wanted to publish a moment, then why not make one while we are relaxing at the Cloud Estate or something?"
"That's boring." The woman replied flatly. "I already uploaded plenty of moments like that on my Commbook. My friends and cousins are all bored of seeing us cuddling up together. I wanted to publish something fresher!"
This woman!
Ves wanted to tear his hair out!
He forcibly paused in order to calm himself down.
"What you want isn't necessarily what I want." He spoke with forced calmness. "Did you ever consider my opinion when you recorded me yesterday?"
"I did. I thought you'd approve. I didn't upload anything sensitive, at least I think so. How could I know you'd make such a big fuss out of this? I never make a mistake, Ves!"
"You! Urgh! If this recording is just meant to show something fresh, then what about all of the self-promotion? That doesn't sound like you're appealing to your friends!"
"I'm not lying, Ves! Do you know who my friends are? They're all part of powerful dynasties! Many of them are either mech pilots or are related to mech pilots! Do you remember my mother's challenge? I was just scouting around for potential customers!"
"What does it matter?!"
"It matters a lot, Ves! We can't design a custom mech for a low-tier mech pilot from my state! If we really want to demonstrate our value, then we need to be capable of designing high-performing custom mechs! Those are really expensive machines, you know? Finding a skilled mech pilot that is willing to pay a lot of hex credits for a high-performing machine isn't as easy as you think! We're just Journeymen in a state where many Seniors are more than willing to design custom mechs for distinguished clients!"
Ves knew that nothing could be gained from further arguing. He understood his girlfriend well enough that she believed in her reasoning. At most, she only regretted that Ves did not agree with her on this point.
The two of them weren't normal people. Even if they weren't as stubborn and intractable as expert pilots, as Journeymen they weren't used to conceding.
As the uncomfortable silence stretched on, Gloriana began to show a bit more remorse.
"Ves.. please don't stay angry. I'm sorry, okay? I'll delete the recording if you want."
"Please do so right away." Ves sighed.
She quickly activated her comm and wiped away the recording.
"It's done."
"How many people watched the recording?"
"According to Commbook… 135,343 people."
"What?! How many friends do you have?!"
"My Commbook is public! A lot of strangers are following my Commbook page. I think most of them are bots and AIs that are merely logging and aggregating what people are doing on Commbook!"
"That means that all of those bots and AIs have probably downloaded the recordings and stored it into their databanks." Ves darkly concluded.
Even if Gloriana deleted the recording, more than a hundred thousand copies still existed! It was impossible for Ves to track them all down and erase them from existence!
As Ves became more and more angry, Gloriana seemed to sense that he was upset.
"Ves.. I'm really sorry. I won't do something like this again, okay?"
Tears began to well in her eyes, making her appear extraordinarily vulnerable. She looked so lost and forlorn that Ves simply couldn't maintain his anger.
It was as if her tears doused his fire.
However, even if Ves couldn't remain angry at her, that didn't mean that he forgave her. Ves needed more time to process what had happened.
"Please leave me alone, Gloriana." Ves waved her away. "I don't want to deal with you right now."
"Ves!"
"Leave." He said more firmly. "I can't guarantee I'll remain polite if you stay. It is taking me a lot to hold back my words."
Although his anger had subsided, his resentment hadn't faded at all. His inner Devil Tongue eagerly wanted to lash out at Gloriana, but Ves forcefully suppressed this impulse.
He could not subject Gloriana to this treatment. She was not his enemy. She was just a crazy woman who did something crazy.
Ves had let down his guard, he realized. He knew that Gloriana didn't think and act normally, but in the month they had been together, she rarely exhibited any oddities.
In fact, Ves had been charmed by how well she accommodated him. If not for her Hexer beliefs, then she was little different from a Brighter girlfriend!
Unfortunately, how could there be anything perfect in the galaxy? Gloriana wasn't perfect, and so wasn't Ves.
Though Gloriana looked as if she wanted to say something, she held herself back. She stood up, wiped away her tears and brought Clixie out of the office.
Once the doors closed, Ves remained alone.
"Where is Lucky?" He muttered. "I could really use some company right now."
Chapter 1566
"Gloriana may be capricious, but I don't think she's dumb." Ves stated to Gavin the next day.
Ves believed that Gloriana hadn't been entirely forthcoming in their earlier conversation. As a habitual liar himself, he recognized when someone was acting in a self-serving manner.
His girlfriend possessed another motive. Ves was sure of it. The feelings he sensed from her did not entirely match her facade.
For his part, Gavin partially agreed. "Prominent Hexers such as Gloriana are certainly aware of what they should or should not publicize. The Wodin Dynasty has an image to maintain. In their circles, I imagine that it's a big taboo to air dirty laundry on the galactic net."
"Then why did she went through with this idiotic act?"
"I think.. Gloriana doesn't see it as an unwise act." Gavin slowly guessed. "I know what you're like. You're very touchy about your secrets. Your girlfriend isn't like that. When I first watched her recording, I didn't see anything remarkable. I only brought it to your attention because the setting is rather odd."
Ves recalled what he saw. The footage only depicted a narrow shot of him standing still. His spiritual manipulation couldn't be sensed by normal people, let alone electronic recorders. William's body was fully out of sight and Gloriana censored almost all of William's screams.
Now that a day had passed since he confronted Gloriana with the footage, Ves realized that the damage wasn't as big as he imagined. At the very least, someone wouldn't be able to detect anything incriminating from the footage alone.
It was just.. Ves still found it perplexing that Gloriana saw no problem in uploading the recording. Since she sanitized the footage, she must have known that it was a sensitive moment.
"Gloriana isn't stupid." He repeated with a pensive expression. "What does she have to gain from this act?"
Was it really to solicit customers from her circle? Ves doubted it. She could have approached her friends and acquaintances in a more discreet manner.
Both of them entertained some suggestions, but neither of them came up with a compelling answer.
Ves turned to his bodyguard. "Nitaa. You're a woman, right? You've listened in on everything. Do you understand what Gloriana is after?"
The tall woman leaning against the far wall shrugged. "While I'm capable of discerning the intentions of many people, Miss Gloriana is beyond my capabilities. All I can say is that Gloriana likely holds no malice towards you. In her eyes, she saw no harm in her own actions."
Though Ves found it difficult to accept that viewpoint, his girlfriend's perspective was very different from his own.
Not only did she carry less secrets, her trust in institutions was still intact! As a result, she lacked the paranoid and suspicious mindset that Ves had developed over the past few years.
With threats such as the MTA, CFA and the Five Scrolls Compact looming over his head, Ves had become extraordinarily sensitive to secrecy!
Maybe it was a bit too unreasonable for him to expect the same degree of caution from Gloriana.
Having grown up in a largely-protected environment, she had no reason to develop the same level of paranoia as him. With no devastating secrets to hide and with the Wodin Dynasty as her backer, why would she be as touchy as him? Maybe it was him who overreacted!
"I think you're right, Nitaa." Ves nodded. "However, I still have an uncomfortable feeling about this. There must be something more behind her actions."
"I can't suggest anything further, but I think someone else may be able to shed a light on this matter." Nitaa said.
"Who?"
"Your spy associates."
"No." Ves immediately replied.
Approaching Leland was not a good idea. Flashlight followed its own agenda, and they may or may not have an interest in manipulating his relationship with Gloriana.
As for Calabast, she was not impartial either. As a Hexer and a woman with her own agenda, she would never let go of this opportunity to further her own interests!
Nitaa thought for a moment. "Then.. perhaps you might want to invite Casella Ingvar to your office. As a former noble, she's capable of thinking on the same level as Gloriana."
Both Ves and Gavin looked intrigued.
"Casella is a former scion from the Kingdom of the Three Flowers, which is just a third-rate state." Ves recalled. "I doubt she is fully able to understand Gloriana's context."
Gavin disagreed. "She's a noble, therefore she's highly trained in social interactions. Some things are common to all nobles. While nobility technically doesn't exist in the Hegemony, her status there is pretty much identical. I think it doesn't hurt to hear what Casella has to say."
After a bit of contemplation, Ves agreed with Gavin's suggestion. He called Melkor and told him to send Casella to his office.
Fifteen minutes later, Casella Ingvar stepped into the room. Her golden Avatar service uniform enhanced her dignity to a degree that made a very powerful impression.
She strode forward in a stiff gait and bowed towards Ves. "You called, Mr. Larkinson?"
"Yes." Ves blinked before shaking off his fascination for Casella. He activated his desk terminal and ran the recording that Gavin had saved. "Please watch this while I describe my situation."
He explained what happened with Gloriana while Casella watched the recording multiple times. Her frown increased as she heard his speculations.
"I think your suspicions aren't unfounded sir." She eventually spoke. "Although I haven't interacted with Miss Gloriana, a woman of her station would not make such an elementary mistake. Can you show me her Commbook page?"
"Certainly."
Once Casella started to browse Gloriana's Commbook page, she began to hum and nod.
Ves, Gavin and Nitaa watched wordlessly as Casella continued to observe Gloriana's social media interactions.
After ten minutes of browsing through numerous posts that mostly consisted of an image of Ves and Gloriana together, Casella finished forming her judgement.
"I think I understand what Miss Gloriana is aiming for." The newly-recruited Avatar said with a firm expression. "This is just my personal opinion, so please don't assume that I'm a hundred percent sure."
"I'll keep that in mind. Go on, please."
"From what I think, Miss Gloriana has a very simple agenda. She wants to make the two of you inseparable."
"I already figured that out." Ves replied dryly. "I don't mean this as a boast, but she's always been pretty obsessed with me since we first met."
Casella scrolled through Gloriana's commbook page. "Look at how much activity there is. Every day, she posts at least five different recordings and images of you and her together. Although it looks excessive, she's pursuing a very deliberate strategy. She wants her friends and family to develop a deep association of the two of you as a pair."
"You mean.. she's attempting to indoctrinate her circle into accepting our relationship?"
"That's right, sir. Her goal is to make fellow Hexers think that she is always alongside you, and that you are the only man who deserves to be by her side."
"Why?"
"Because it's difficult to build up acceptance for your pairing." Casella sounded more sure of her judgement. "High society is very meticulous about relationships. The problem with your current relationship is that there is a very wide disparity between you and your girlfriend. You're a third-rater from a quant military family. She's a Hexer from a notable Hexer dynasty. The vast gulf between you can't be bridged within a day."
"We developed a plan to bridge this gap." Ves replied. "We intended to develop a mech that is so good in their eyes that any other suitor in the Hegemony pales in comparison."
"That's a good plan, sir, but that is only one measure. Even if you succeed, not everyone will be comfortable with your relationship. Gloriana likely believes that more support is needed to get her circle to accept your right to stay by her side."
Somehow, the explanation fit. It matched his impression of Gloriana. It explained her frequent occupation with Commbook. An ambitious, hardworking mech designer like Gloriana would never waste too much time on idle activities.
"I think you're right, Casella." Gavin looked impressed. "I'm not a noble, but it sounds like something one of their kind would do. I bet that a lot of Hexers, including her own friends and family, look down on us third-raters. What would they think if a dirty space peasant suddenly rose up and smacked them in the faces by outshining their local mech designers?"
Ves tried to imagine the scenario. His face grew more and more grim. In all of his haste to improve himself, he never considered the reactions of other Hexers aside from Gloriana's mother and family.
"So her real goal is to build social acceptance for our pairing." Ves concluded. "If she just told me that, I would have played along. Why didn't she tell me that?"
"Maybe it's something she doesn't want to burden you with." Casella speculated. "She considers it her responsibility. You won't be able to help."
Ves grimaced. Of course a Hexer would think so. A 'boy' like him had little say in Hexer society.
Though Gloriana hadn't behaved like a stereotypical Hexer, that was mostly because she purposefully controlled her behavior. Having spent a lot of time with her, Ves was pretty certain that her ordinary conduct was not as friendly and accommodating as she appeared.
Instances like this revealed the depth that Gloriana wanted to hide from him. A Hexer like her was used to taking charge. That was what Ves had already glimpsed from studying her private correspondence.
"Even if what you say is true, I still find it puzzling that Gloriana thinks that there's nothing wrong with uploading her latest recording."
"It's exactly because it's a sensitive moment that Gloriana wants to share this moment." Casella easily replied. "It shows that the two of you are close at work. All the other Commbook postings mainly show the two of you together in your leisure time. That doesn't tell others whether you are getting along with her during work. Her latest recording strongly suggests that the two of you readily share your most important research with each other."
"I see."
The discussion lasted for a while before Ves finally dismissed Casella.
"Thank you for your insights. You've been very helpful. Keep up the good work and I'm sure you'll go far in the Avatars. I might summon you again from time to time to hear your thoughts."
"It's my honor to serve you, sir."
Casella bowed before turning around and leaving the office.
"What an ambitious woman." Gavin muttered.
"Why would you say so, Benny?"
"She was obviously trying to increase your opinion of her." Gavin grinned. "Not in a romantic way, I think. Casella knows you're off-limits. Instead, I think she worked hard to distinguish herself so that you would shower her with more attention. Once Melkor notices that you've become friends with her, he'll follow suit."
"Ah. Well, I don't blame her for taking advantage of the situation."
He had always considered the Ingvar siblings to be relatively indecisive about working for Ves until recently. Once they realized how much he achieved and how far he could go, they became a lot more committed.
"Well, it's fine." Ves dismissed the issue. "Ambition is not prohibited in my organization as long as it's fruitful."
Now that Casella shed a light on Gloriana's motives, Ves no longer felt as if he was in the dark.
"You should speak to your girlfriend, Ves, and soon. The longer this awkward situation persists, the more our suspense is killing us. We really don't want to see what happens if Gloriana explodes."
"I guess you're right."
Even Ves feared the worst if Gloriana was left to stew on her own.
"Where is Gloriana?" He asked.
Gavin briefly checked his data pad. "According to the Sentinels, she's currently back at the Cloud Estate."
"What is she doing?"
"She's socializing with your relatives."
Ah.
Chapter 1567
When Ves arrived at the Cloud Estate, Gloriana was calmly chatting with a group of aunties. They chuckled and giggled as they talked without abandon.
Now that Casella had clued him in, Ves realized what Gloriana was doing. She wanted to earn the approval of the Larkinsons.
She didn't have to, of course. The Larkinson Family never really meddled with relationships because they didn't matter. Even if the Larkinsons disapproved, the most they could do was kick the offending Larkinson out of the official family ranks.
Even if the Larkinson Family did not possess that much power, Ves still preferred it if Gloriana was able to live in harmony with his relatives.
From a practical point of view, the Larkinsons made up a key part of his hierarchy. Several of their retainers still occupied the top management positions in the LMC. Melkor and many other Larkinson mech pilots formed a solid and dependable core within the Avatars of Myth and the Living Sentinels.
If Gloriana had a falling out with the Larkinsons, then Ves would be put in a very difficult position. He wasn't sure whether he would side with the Larkinsons or Gloriana if he was compelled to make a choice.
"It's best if I'm never confronted with this dilemma."
Gloriana must have understood how difficult it was for Ves to choose between her and his family, because she had been socializing a lot with the Larkinsons at the Cloud Estate.
He stepped forward until his girlfriend noticed his presence.
"Let's talk." Ves jerked his head towards his mansion.
He turned around without seeing her reaction. He was sure she would follow.
Once they entered his mansion and sat down on some couches in an opulent living room.
Then, they both faced each other in silence.
Ves studied Gloriana's expression carefully. Unlike what he imagined, she did not show any guilt or apprehension. The tears she shed yesterday were nowhere to be seen.
When Ves attempted to study her emotions through the spiritual fragment stuck in his mind, he could barely make sense of her head. There were so many emotions roiling in her head that a poor man like Ves instantly became lost.
"Women. Why is your kind so complicated?" He muttered under his breath.
"What's that, Ves?"
"Ah, nothing."
The awkward silence stretched for a while. Eventually, Gloriana couldn't take it any longer. She sighed, stood up from her seat and moved over to sit besides him on the couch.
"Ves.." She stretched out her hand and placed it on his chest. "I already told you I'm sorry. I regret making you so upset. I know better now. I'll make sure to get your approval before I post anything on the galactic net. Is that okay?"
Her appeal made it very difficult for Ves to keep up his distance.
"Earlier today, I asked around. Someone suggested to me that you were working to gain social acceptance of our relationship to the people in your state. Is that true?"
Gloriana looked surprised.
"So it's true?"
"Yes."
"You don't have to keep things from me. If we're in this together, then you should be more forthcoming with me. What are you worried about?"
"You're not a Hexer, so you don't know how we think." She reluctantly said. "Do you know how boys like you are treated in our state?"
"Like kids?"
She shook her head. "Not exactly. More like.. prize pets or trophies. Your pedigree is of utmost importance in our society. Who you are and what your personality is matters little to the Hexers who make up our ruling class."
What he just heard really did not sit well with him. "I'm not a pet like Lucky for you to parade around."
"I know, Ves. I don't want to treat you like that either. I love you, Ves. I really do. Different Hexers have different ideas on how boys should be treated. For my part, I never wanted a useless ornament. I want a partner who can be my equal and can help me go further in mech design. In my eyes, you are far better than any of the boys I've met back home."
"I've heard that several times. What makes me different from the 'boys' you're used to? Describe them to me, please."
Gloriana sneered. "They're too useless. Many female Hexers think that's a good thing. To them, boys ought to be subservient and devoid of initiative, which is completely unlike you. Collaborating with male Hexer mech designers is a waste of my time. They never make any proactive suggestions and always ask for my approval before implementing something to a mech design."
"That sounds really awful." Ves remarked. "Why would any female Hexer even agree to such a thing?"
"To be honest, many female Hexer mech designers simply use the boys under their control as their subordinates. Even if they're married, the boys are simply relegated to an assisting role in any collaborative projects. As a result, hardly any synergy can be achieved. True synergy only arises if at least two mech designers work from each other's strengths."
That made a lot of sense to Ves. He could see why Gloriana disliked such a working relationship even if it was the norm in the Hegemony.
"If a relationship between a male and female Hexer mech designer is so unproductive, why hasn't the mech industry in your state gone to ruin?"
"Hehe. Real collaborations take place between women. Think of your friend Calabast."
"Ah."
"The women don't have to be intimate to each other to develop a long-term partnership. A lot of recurring collaborations take place among female mech designers. That said, lesbian relationships are very common in our state. Many women even believe that the Hegemony should outlaw male-female relationships entirely because it's obsolete."
"What will happen to the men if that happens?"
"You don't have to worry about that. Only a couple of extreme factions advocate for this policy. I just mentioned it to give you a sample of what certain Hexers think of boys. Any boys they bring along are merely treated as assistants and accessories. If they have any useful specialties, then they're solely added to apply them to a mech design."
"So how does that relate to you, me and your Commbook posts?"
"I think you can guess it now, Ves. I've been trying hard to get my friends to see you as something more than a boy. My mother, my relatives and my friends are all set in their ways, so it will take a long time to make them see you as something more."
"Do all Hexers dismiss men as boys?"
"Some do. Almost every boy from our state is like this. We can be a bit insular, but there are enough Hexers who recognize that foreign men aren't necessarily weaker than them. Only Hexers who live in their own bubble believe that they can impose their standards on everyone else."
"How do they even interact with the men serving in the MTA and CFA?"
She shrugged. "Some Hexers still consider them boys. They just have access to too much power than they can safely wield. They'll inevitably let their juvenile emotions get the better of them and ruin the galaxy somehow. Once that happens, it's time for women to rise up and clean up the messes the boys have made."
That sounded like a horrendously patronizing attitude towards men! Hexers even looked down on the men serving in the Big Two! That took a lot of guts!
Gloriana continued to elaborate on how Hexers viewed men and boys. While Ves had already read up on the topic, hearing Gloriana confirm many of his worst impressions was a real eye opener.
During the conversation, Ves relaxed a bit and took the initiative to cozy up to Gloriana. She was obviously pleased with his actions and melted against his side.
Ves no longer held on to his anger. He simply couldn't. While Gloriana made a mistake, Ves couldn't completely fault her for it considering what she wanted to achieve.
Even as Gloriana continued to describe all of the deplorable ways Hexers treated boys, she frequently reminded him that she would never treat him in this fashion.
"Is your attitude even acceptable to the Hexers back home?" Ves curiously asked.
She shook her head. "Not exactly. That's why I've been working so hard to change people's impressions of us. As long as everyone accepts that we belong together, we have a lot more leeway. Once the Hegemony beats the Coalition, this entire star sector will fall in our hands! By then, it will be important to gain enough approval."
Ves briefly smirked. If the Hegemony really beat the Coalition, then Ves did not intend to return to the Komodo Star Sector. Let the Hexers transform the rest of the star sector into a society where women reigned supreme. Ves would be long gone by then!
He didn't mention his intentions to his girlfriend. Not yet. He could clearly tell that Gloriana was quite attached to the Hegemony. The thought of leaving her home state and the Wodin Dynasty behind to accompany him elsewhere was still a very bold suggestion.
The key to resolving this situation was to deepen his relationship with Gloriana. He needed to make her more attached to him than her home state. Once Ves confronted her with a choice, she would likely choose the lesser of two evils and opt to stay with him rather than to return to her home state.
Ves wouldn't have to live in a society where men were treated like irresponsible boys!
The biggest reason why Ves was still reluctant to raise this topic with Gloriana was that it would be unfair to force a binary choice on her. Ves even considered it outright manipulative.
Yet.. between his own wellbeing and Gloriana's wellbeing, Ves did not feel guilty at all in choosing to advance his own interests.
He was really doing Gloriana a favor, actually. The sooner he pulled her out of the reach of Hexer society, the faster he could change her impression of men and boys.
"Are we okay now, Ves?" Gloriana looked in his eyes.
Ves nodded. "I think so."
Both of them came closer and kissed. The pure love that radiated from their lips caused both of them to sink into each other.
They separated after a short while because Melody was already starting to make some noises.
"We should get back to work." Ves suggested. "William Urbesh will probably wake up soon. We'll have to study his condition and see if he's fit to undergo examinations."
"What did you exactly do to him, anyway? I still don't understand."
"It's not something I can easily explain. It's too fantastical and obscure. I just hope that William has at least reached a state where he can actually fight back when faced with an opponent."
This was not a good place for him to describe what he did to William. He didn't mind sharing some more details, but that would have to wait until he was in a better and more trusting mood.
"Ves?"
"Yes, Gloriana?"
"I'll make up for what I've done."
"You don't have to. I'm already fine as long as you don't repeat your mistakes."
She vigorously shook her head. "That's not enough! I really made you angry. I realize that. Even if you held yourself back, I knew you were about to explode on me yesterday."
"It's fine." Ves caressed her hand. "I don't want to hurt you."
Gloriana sighed. "That just makes me feel more bad about what happened. Just you wait, Ves. I'll be sure to come up with something that will make you happy!"
Ves dismissed her words. She didn't need to do anything special. As long as she adjusted her behavior a bit, that was enough to make him happy.
The two eventually stood up and exited the mansion. This incident had already taken up enough of their time. They had a lot of work to do!
Chapter 1568
Once Ves and Gloriana reached the Mech Nursery, they stopped by the infirmary to check up on William.
The Urbesh clansman still hadn't woken up, but there were some encouraging signs. His brain activity began to normalize. The doctors predicted that he would wake up within two or three days.
If William still hadn't woken up by that time, then he needed to be moved to a better-equipped hospital in Bentheim.
Ves preferred it if they didn't have to resort to this cumbersome movement. Not only would it take time to get William back to Cloudy Curtain, there was a chance that William would find some way to escape his clutches.
No test subject was allowed to run from Ves before he was done with his experiments!
"I think William will be fine." Gloriana remarked and gestured at some of the doctors wearing different uniforms. "I've assigned some of my own men to facilitate his care."
Ves noticed that. Some of the medical equipment in the infirmary looked very different.
While he didn't mind the changes, it rankled Ves a bit that she didn't ask for his permission.
"Gloriana… I thought we talked about this. Don't make any unilateral decisions when it concerns us both. The Mech Nursery is still my property."
"Ah, I'm sorry. It slipped my mind."
Ves could already tell that this would be a recurring habit of his girlfriend. Whenever she saw something imperfect that she could address, she would go ahead and fix the problem in her own way.
The root problem with Gloriana was that she was far too used to acting decisively that asking for his approval was still something alien to her. Perhaps she was capable of deferring to others, but the only people she answered to was her mother or other authoritative women.
Even Gloriana stated that she didn't see Ves as a boy, she was very much a Hexer. Her unconscious bias against men and boys still affected her conduct while she stayed with him on Cloudy Curtain.
He foresaw a need to have another serious talk with Gloriana. Not now, though. He wasn't in the mood right now.
Once Ves and Gloriana headed down to their lab, they convened together with the four Larkinson seeds.
They hadn't been staying idle all this time. Ketis had been attentive in guiding their studies while the others were preoccupied with other matters.
"How are the kids, Ketis?" He asked.
"They're all very bright." She replied with a smile. "Not as smart as me, but at their age they're already quite impressive."
Ves turned towards the four Larkinson teenagers and studied them with a scrutinizing gaze.
As expected, none of them could keep their composure when their idol studied them in this manner.
He didn't stare at them because he wanted to intimidate them. Instead, he was looking out for certain abnormal signs.
He finally managed to spot something abnormal. Maikel Larkinson's neck featured a very faint blue mottled pattern.
No normal human possessed skin that looked like this. Unless it was a bruise, it was very likely that Ves detected a disconcerting sign!
"Did any of you undergo genetic modification?"
All four Larkinsons nodded.
"Yes, sir." Rennie Larkinson answered. "Before we got sent to Cloudy Curtain, our family sent us all to an exclusive gene clinic at Rittersberg. The clinic is very renowned there for selling genetic mod templates that increases intelligence when applied to someone's genes."
"I see." Ves said flatly. "How much did it cost?"
"Around 80 million credits per operation."
"That's a very significant amount of money to invest in a person."
Zanthar Larkinson confidently smiled. "Our family is very hopeful about us. We were all doing very well at school before we've been selected to study under you. Now that our genes have improved, I have no problem with keeping up with my studies while spending lots of time here!"
The other three Larkinsons nodded in agreement.
Ves sighed and placed his hands against his hips. "What about the side effects? There's always a catch."
The four of them exchanged awkward glances.
"Tell me now, or I'll ask your parents. Either way, I'll find out."
"You don't have to, sir. We'll tell you. There's a bunch of side effects, but the main one is that we need to hydrate ourselves more often. The gene mod template was derived from an aquatic species."
"Well, that doesn't sound so bad. What else?"
A bunch of other quirks and warnings followed. None of the potential side effects sounded very serious to Ves. No wonder it cost 80 million bright credits per operation at pre-inflation levels.
The side effects were severe enough to make them a bit bothersome, but not so cumbersome to require a reduction in price.
It wasn't really that expensive to apply a gene mod template to someone. The main reason why the price was jacked up so much was that the templates were often licensed from biotech companies at exorbitant prices.
The experts in genetic modification that were qualified to conduct such operations were also very hard to come by. It took a lot of study and training for people to become capable of applying genetic treatments to a variety of different people.
Once Ves finished questioning the four kids, he turned to Gloriana. "What do you think?"
"The template doesn't sound very good by my standards, but its footprint isn't very big. I think there's a lot more room for improvement and alterations. The genes of these kids aren't set in stone yet."
That relieved Ves a little. He was afraid that the Larkinsons had inadvertently ruined the future of their little seeds. Fortunately, they already took these issues into account.
"Are you okay with our genetic mod template, sir?"
"It's fine." Ves casually waved his hand in dismissal. "Genetic augmentation is something that is very common in the upper ranks of society. If you ever find yourself in a position where you can go further, then continued augmentation is pretty much essential. You have to make sure that you apply the right treatments to your genes. I'll talk to the Larkinsons about this later so they'll refrain from doing this again. As for you, don't undergo any further augmentation unless I say so. I'll kick you out myself if I find out you went behind my back!"
"Why are you making such a big fuss out of it? Isn't it good that we've all become smarter?" Maisie Larkinson asked in confusion.
"Not every gene mod template is as good." Ketis answered for Ves. "I can speak from personal experience that applying the wrong templates on you can potentially lock your future or ruin your life. I managed to correct my mistake, but many other people are stuck with their choices for life."
Ves nodded in appreciation towards Ketis. "She's right. Reckless genetic modification is one of the reasons why the second half of the Age of Conquest became such an awful time was because the cutting-edge gene treatments turned many leaders mad!"
"That's in the past, right? Genetic modification is a lot more regulated these days."
Ves and Ketis scoffed. Even Gloriana slightly shook her head!
"Naive!" Ves shouted. "Genetic modification is just as dangerous as before. The same technologies from back then are being used today! The only difference is that geneticists are a lot more careful and actually pay some attention to the repercussions of their works. That doesn't mean that they've managed to remove the effect their treatments have on someone's personality and emotions."
Ves, Ketis and Gloriana each lectured about this topic to the four seeds. Maikel, Maisie, Rennie and Zanthar all grew more grave when they learned how much they risked when the Larkinsons paid for their gene augments.
If the Larkinsons hadn't been diligent enough and paid so much money, they could have all been screwed!
After an hour of lecturing, Ves clapped his hands.
"That's enough I think. We're mech designers, not geneticists. Let's turn back to our work. You four can sit back and listen while we discuss our next projects, okay?"
The four seeds nodded. Obviously, this was not the time for them to raise their hands to ask questions or provide suggestions.
Seeing that the four Larkinsons understood his intentions, Ves turned to Ketis and Gloriana. "Alright, let's get to the next three projects I want to start. You're all up to date on the request issued by MinDef, right?"
"Yes."
"Yes."
"Then let's talk." He said. "Out of the four variants that MinDef suggested, Gloriana and I have already ruled out the Worthy Soldier. Its concept deviates so much from the Desolate Soldier that it actually calls for designing an entirely new mech."
"Maybe that was what the government was after." Ketis speculated. "If you fell for their trick, then they would have pretty much gotten an original mech design for the price of a variant."
Ves harrumphed. "If they think I'm stupid enough to fall for that trick, then they've severely underestimated me. Let's put that aside and focus on the variants that I've agreed upon."
The three of them began to discuss their thoughts and expectations on the Prideful Soldier, Militant Soldier and Peaceful Soldier.
"I'm not really digging those names." Ketis remarked. "Peaceful Soldier doesn't match my impression of the Planetary Guard. Maybe we should call it by another name?"
Ves shrugged. "If you have any suggestions, then feel free to raise them. I think it's a decent name."
He did not say that because he coincidentally owned a custom ballistic pistol called the Peaceful Repose.
"I don't have much of an opinion on the names. What I'm worried about is how much time we need to spend on developing these variants." Gloriana stated. "Just look at the list of requirements for the militant Soldier and Peaceful Soldier. They're very divergent from the original Desolate Soldier. We'll have to incorporate entirely new components and redesign the internal architecture of those mechs from the ground up. Even if the variants resemble the base model on the outside, their insides won't be anything alike!"
"I know it's a lot of work, but we're mech designers." Ves replied. "I think we can finish these projects in a couple of months, especially if we run them concurrently. In fact, I can finish the Prideful Soldier in a matter of weeks. The demands for this variant are by far the lightest."
Ves could retain much of the same design while substituting some components with cheaper equivalents. He also had to tweak its X-Factor so that it was not as obnoxiously pure.
Apparently, gangs and other underground organizations really didn't like it when their mech pilots acted like goody two shoes.
Both Gloriana and Ketis saw no problem with that.
"We still need some help if we want to run two projects at the same time." Ketis remarked. "Neither Gloriana and I are very useful in this project."
Ketis specialized in swords and swordsman mechs, while Gloriana's strength lay in custom mechs. Neither of them could showcase their full ability in projects centered around mass market mechs.
"I have a suggestion." Gloriana raised her head. "The government settled lots of refugees on this planet, right? Why don't we visit the local administration and see what kind of people have ended up here. There's bound to be a number of destitute mech designers among the refugees who have fled their fallen states. Maybe we can offer them all a job."
Ves looked skeptical. "I'm not sure if any mech designer is among the refugees here. They're not exactly average people. Those who are good enough have probably found better passage, while those who don't meet my standards are better left at the temporary farming settlements."
"That's just your opinion, Ves. Who knows what kind of hidden gems are hidden in the masses. I think we should head out and look for useful people to recruit. This is a great chance!"
Though Ves wasn't initially sold on the idea, he became more and more intrigued as Gloriana advocated for this suggestion.
Was there really a treasure hidden among the refugees?
Chapter 1569
The suggestion to scout useful mech designers and other notable helpers sounded intriguing to Ves.
Now that he thought about it, many of the refugees fled in haste. They came from all walks of life, but because of the crisis they had all devolved into confused and frightened humans.
The sandman did not discriminate by wealth, class, rank or profession. The tides of sand washed over everyone regardless of their human qualities!
He briefly checked his comm to research his options.
A problem quickly emerged. He found out that he couldn't just hop into a shuttle and fly to one of the many recently-built farming settlements to pick up a useful refugee or two or something.
Only approved vehicles were allowed to approach the settlements!
The government strictly wanted to cordon them off until they systematically processed the destitute foreigners!
"This is a policy from the central government, so it's not possible to gain access by bribing the local politicians." Ves noted. "I think they want first dibs on the talents and highly-skilled people."
Ketis tilted her head. "Can't we just sneak inside and smuggle out the people we want?"
"We'll get into legal trouble if we do that. The government hasn't sorted the refugees yet, but they did perform some basic registrations, which included taking names, images, blood samples and etc. We'll be in a fair amount of trouble if our actions get exposed."
"Why not ask for a favor from the central government?" Gloriana suggested. "Didn't you say that the Bright Republic sees you as an asset now? Something as small as claiming a number of refugees is trivial in their eyes. Out of the billions and maybe trillions of refugees your state received, I don't think they'll mind letting a handful of them go beforehand."
"Hmm.. I think you have a point. This might be a hidden opportunity for those with connections or favored by the Republic to obtain some benefits."
The state definitely wouldn't quibble since they already employed a lot of talents. What the government probably wanted to achieve was to reward the power players who made the courageous decision to support the Bright Republic in its time of need.
"I'll tell Benny to make the arrangements." Ves stated and composed a quick message to Gavin.
He saw no need to contact the relevant officials in person, though he suggested his assistant to approach Leland first. Flashlight alone could probably accomplish the job.
Gavin and Leland belonged to the same side anyway, so Ves did not expect any problems from that end.
"Damn spies." He muttered.
"What was that, Ves?"
"Ah, nothing. Anyway, let's leave the refugee recruitment aside for the moment. Regardless if we manage to recruit a couple of new mech designers, we still have to integrate them into our organization. That will take a month or so at least. So for now, let's just assume it's just the three of us working on the three variant projects."
That was a paltry amount of manpower for three different projects. Even if the Prideful Soldier required relatively little work, the other two variants could have been standalone mech designs due to all of the work they demanded.
Time management was a very important aspect of project management. Ves was very well aware that the sandman invasion imposed very harsh time constraints on any mech designer.
Mech pilots needed his new variants as soon as possible! The longer it took for him to complete their designs, the more opportunities he missed to expand his influence!
After an extensive discussion, Ves and the other two mech designers formed a basic plan.
First, they would allocate a single week to design and release the Prideful Soldier.
Second, they would work concurrently on the Militant Soldier and the Peaceful Soldier project. Although both of them were very different projects that required different approaches, Ves believed he could manage to juggle two of the projects at once.
"It will be a bit challenging for us to match our mental focus on the right project at the right times." Ves warned Ketis and Gloriana. "However, this is also a form of training for us. Maintaining concentration is one of the key demands of working on projects where I'm involved."
Both of them had worked with Ves long enough to realize this condition. The girls were also smart enough to infer some of the things that Ves only hinted at. Gloriana especially caught on fast due to her unwavering belief in his abilities.
"We'll have to alternate on the projects in unison." Gloriana remarked. "If Ves and I work separately, then we won't be able to achieve the synergy we want. Ketis here can make some checks and refinements on the other project in the meantime. What do the two of you think?"
Ves strongly agreed, though Ketis appeared more reluctant. She was pretty much being sidelined, but that was also because her design ability couldn't catch up to the two Journeymen.
Overall, he was fine with this approach. While juggling multiple projects at the same time imposed a mental burden on all of them, sometimes it was better to pause working on a project.
The extra time allowed them to reflect over their design choices even if they worked on something else.
There was no room for patient deliberation if they constantly rushed to complete a single project at a time. A lengthy pause would just extend the time of completion.
"Alright!" Ves clapped with a smile. "Now that we formed a plan, let's get to work! We should tackle the Prideful Soldier first!"
Ves reread the document sent by the Ministry of Defense.
"The goal of the Prideful Soldier is to develop an alternative to the Dutiful Soldier. Mindef has outlined some suggestions, but we don't have to follow all of them. The only basic requirements that we have to follow is to make it cheaper and less obnoxious than the base model."
"What does it mean to make a less obnoxious design?" Gloriana asked in confusion.
"Think of the target audience of this variant. It has to be made suitable for the thugs and lowlives of the mech community. Think of gangs, dark mercenaries, underground organizations and even pirates!"
"Even pirates?!" She gasped.
She wasn't the only one who looked shocked. The four Larkinson seeds all became frightened at the mere mention of this dirty word!
As for Ketis, she controlled her reaction as well. Her interest had obviously been piqued, but she did her best to camouflage her true feelings on the matter.
"Even pirates." Ves slowly repeated, emphasizing the seriousness of the matter. "Right now, a lot of pirate gangs that used to prey on human trade vessels and settlements are no different from us, victims of the sandman invasion. While many of them have fled to the inner star sector, plenty of them have decided to stick around and fight the sandmen for whatever reason. The Bright Republic and many other states have offered amnesty to those who are willing to put their lives at risk to defeat the sandmen!"
Everyone gasped. It was unthinkable for all of them to forgive the heartless pirates. The MTA and CFA always demolished them on sight whenever they encountered the cruel and lawless scum!
"Are you surprised?" Ves raised his eyebrow. "You shouldn't be. The third and fourth line of defense are probably going to be pushed to the brink. If ten thousand pirate mechs are added to the frontlines, then that can make a crucial difference! Every mech counts!"
He knew almost as well as Ketis that pirates differed enormously from each other. Some were pure scum and filth. Others were noble but helpless in their lot in life. Ves did not mind if the latter redeemed themselves in the fight against the sandmen.
At this stage, the Bright Republic couldn't afford to quibble over the legal status of those who could assist!
Every mech counted!
"Do pirates even want to purchase our mech?" Ketis asked. "Usually, many pirate gangs are rather poor. They like to reuse older mechs because they don't have the funds to purchase new ones. Now that many of them have fled from the frontier or their home bases, It's very likely that they've been forced to abandon some of their wealth."
"The Prideful Soldier ought to be 25 percent cheaper than the base model. That amounts to 15 million bright credits at pre-inflation prices."
That would put it in the lower end of the budget price range. Such a price was still a short distance away from bargain bin territory, which was what pirates usually preferred.
Ketis immediately shook her head. "Too expensive."
"I'm not going to make the Prideful Soldier any cheaper, Ketis. That would mean a more extensive overhaul which we can't afford right now. Besides, the Prideful Soldier mainly targets established gangs and underground organizations. The government wants to mobilize as much of them as possible to assist in the defense."
That made the price a bit more reasonable.
Making the mech cheaper not only allowed more people to buy a product of the Soldier line, but also ensured they wouldn't get anything too good. A 25 percent reduction in cost meant that its performance would also sink.
When Prideful Soldiers were pitted against Desolate Soldiers, the latter would always win handedly. Considering that the latter was also favored by legitimate groups, this was exactly what the government wanted.
The Prideful Soldiers only had to be decent enough to fight against the sandmen! Anything else was not important!
The second major change that Ves had to implement was altering its obnoxiously pure aura. To do that, Ves would have to tinker with the X-Factor.
He already had a few ideas he wanted to implement immediately.
He first tasked Gloriana and Ketis with finding cheaper substitute components to license. The two women sat behind a terminal and browsed the MTA's virtual catalog, leaving Ves alone to perform his own assignment.
Ever since he first heard about MinDef's assignment, he already settled on his choice on how to tweak the X-Factor of the Prideful Soldier.
"It's pretty much in the name." He smirked and patted his overcoat.
He concentrated his mind and focused on the spiritual fragment residing in his clothing. Zeigra's perpetually-angry spiritual fragment still hated Ves to the bone.
"It's time to pay some rent, boy."
Ves effortlessly shaped a spiritual projection into a knife and cut a very delicate amount of spiritual energy from the fragment. The mote of spirituality he obtained from Zeigra was very small, but sufficient for his purposes.
He stored the mote in his mind and began to construct some extra images to influence what kind of flavors he wanted to add to the Prideful Soldier.
Pride. Aggression. Contempt.
Ves infused these abstract images with a hefty dose of spiritual energy, giving them a lot of weight. Once he was done, he wrapped them around Zeigra's spiritual mote so that they would all get used to each other.
"That was easy."
Ves only needed to take one final step before he was done arranging the design spirits of his variant. He decided to leave it to the end.
"This is the advantage of accumulation." Ves grinned. "I've already done most of the hard work beforehand."
The more design spirits he employed, the more he could mix and match them together in various ways.
He just had to build up his initial collection first. Once he formed thirty or so different design spirits, Ves no longer had to hunt for newer ones every time he wanted to design a new mech. He could just keep reusing his existing ones until he was faced with a situation where no spiritual entity, fragment or product fit the mech he wanted to design!
Of course, Ves was a long way from reaching that point. The only reason why he had it easier right now was that he was working on a variant instead of a completely new mech.
Chapter 1570
The Coman Federation was splintering apart. Having long adopted a superior attitude, the transhuman fanatics hadn't been able to solicit the Bright Republic or other neighboring states to assist in its defense.
The Comen had been left on their own to face the brunt of the sandman invasion. No matter how much they trusted their bionic augmentations, implants and artificial limbs hardly made any difference in fighting off the sandmen!
In fact, the sandman devoured the heavily-augmented Comen much more eagerly than normal people!
Engulfing flesh and blood hardly yielded anything useful to the silicon-based lifeforms. They would much rather eat energy sources and valuable metals, something which most bionic augmentations possessed in spades!
Something unexpected happened. The sandmen devoured the Coman Federation with much more fervor than anyone initially expected! Their eagerness to wipe out the Comen led them to attack their star systems with a bit more urgency than normal.
The increased pressure was too much for the Federation. Not only did the increased pressure led to a greater number of desertions and flight, the Comen also lost their star systems at a rapid rate.
Within a month, the Coman Federation as an independent state ceased to exist! All that was left was a collection of splintering star systems which became engulfed in total chaos! Every Coman left behind desperately tried to flee their crumbling homes, but all the starships of the Federation had already left by now!
Countless Comen died from the tides of sand every day. The messages and recordings transmitted by the sobbing civilians flooded the galactic net. It was as if almost every doomed person wanted to leave proof of their existence.
Even if they died, they would not be forgotten! Their names, faces and voices were all included in a virtual memorial that continuously registered an alarming influx of entries!
Due to the rapid collapse of the Coman Federation, the Bright Republic began to experience more than a couple of sporadic sandmen fleets.
The Bright Republic's war against the sandman had commenced in earnest.
During the initial battles, existing rifleman mechs formed the Republic's mainstay. These mechs already existed long before the crisis and their mech pilots spent years to get in tune with the machines.
Only some of the new rifleman mechs saw battle. Nonetheless, their performance during these initial battles already proved that they were sufficient for the job.
Against the sandmen, the quality of the mech did not matter as much. As long as a mech could fly in space and fire out kinetic or ballistic rounds, then they were already useful!
Having learned from the lessons of the states that fell before, the Bright Republic allocated most of its resources into defeating the sandmen in space. While the government still fortified the surfaces of important planets such as Bentheim, it largely gave up on reinforcing the surfaces of lesser planets.
It was just too difficult to defeat the sandman under the various limitations of landbound combat!
Everyone started to put more emphasis on spaceborn mechs that could fight the sandmen at a distance.
Mechs like the Desolate Soldier began to showcase their capabilities during actual combat.
In one corner of the Bright Republic, a half-company of Desolate Soldiers calmly fired at the sandmen in steady, synchronized volleys. The sandman vessel they targeted continually lost significant chunks of sand as the explosive shells blasted them out into space!
However, the scale of the explosions paled in comparison to the mass and volume of a sandman vessel!
Not only that, but there were six of them orbiting an even greater sandman mothership!
The only upside to fighting a standard sandman fleet like this was that their ranged offensive power was very poor. Though the sandman vessels fired powerful lasers, their firing rate left much to be desired.
This gave the twenty-or-so Desolate Soldiers plenty of time to whittle down the advancing sandmen.
"Keep up the fight, men." A mercenary captain shouted over the communication channel. "There's a vulnerable planet behind us! If the sandmen reach the surface, all of the people who are living there will die!"
His words gained more strength due to the collective auras working together to amplify their sense of duty.
Compared to the other units resisting the sandmen that invaded this rural star system, the half-company of Desolate Soldiers immediately distinguished themselves.
The Rescue Particle Generator module placed at their 'hearts' caused them to look especially valiant. While the mechs themselves weren't very impressive, the orange modules released bright red vapor trails that marked their passage in space.
With around twenty trails forming in unison, the half-company of Desolate Soldiers clearly attracted the most attention!
Their performance stood in stark contrast to the other units participating in this battle. Only the small detachment from the Mech Corps fought the sandmen more valiantly than the commercial mechs!
"We are the light in the dark! We shall not let a bunch of commercial mechs upstage our military machines! Fight harder!"
The competition from the Desolate Soldiers spurred the detachment from the Mech Corps to fight even harder!
However, not every unit was doing so well right now.
Even if the other units were made up of more expensive mechs, the fear and stress of battle against an implacable foe such as the sandmen took a significant toll on their courage.
Lasers struck out every couple of minutes. These bright red beams were far stronger than the typical laser beams fired by mechs. They were so powerful in fact that the beams often melted through the torso of a mech, instantly wrecking it and harvesting the life of the mech pilot inside the vaporized cockpit!
"Larry! No!"
"Hang on, Cassie! Keep firing your rifle! Larry wouldn't want you to break down in the middle of a battle!"
Every mech pilot participating in the current battle had to keep their composure. That was getting harder and harder to do as the strain on them increased.
Each bright laser beam that lit up the battlefield promised guaranteed death upon getting hit!
Just as a formation of mercenaries began to grow increasingly more ragged, a couple of Desolate Soldiers arrived.
The reinforcement of a couple of mechs ordinarily wouldn't achieve much of an effect. In fact, adding unfamiliar elements to another outfit was usually a recipe for disaster!
No one liked to fight too close alongside strangers!
Yet this time, the beleaguered mercenaries did not react too negatively at the addition despite their lack of consent.
Why? Because the auras they brought instantly relieved some of the pressure subjected to them! Each and every mercenary suddenly became more resilient.
The pressure subjected to them didn't feel so bad all of a sudden!
"So the rumors are true! Those strange mechs that are on the news all the time really do help in battle!"
"Focus on your mission, men!"
"Yes, sir!"
Soon enough, the sandman vessels were whittled down one by one. Numerous mechs met their end after a giant laser passed through their frames, but even so the survivors never wavered in their discipline.
At the cost of eleven mechs and eight precious mech pilots, the defense force managed to repel the sandman fleet.
By itself, the battle ended up in a massive victory for the humans. The sandman fleet possessed a lot of power, but its poor configuration and battle tactics meant that much of its potential had never been utilized!
Nonetheless, this was just one of many sandman fleets about to batter the Bright Republic. The opening act had just begun, and thousands of sandman fleets would soon arrive to devour every single occupied star system!
With so many battles in store, the attrition would become unimaginably brutal.
Almost no battle ended without at least a couple of casualties! No matter how well the defenders fought off the sandmen, at least a number of mechs and mech pilots lost their lives!
With how immense the sandman civilization measured, the aliens had more than enough sandman fleets to overrun entire states!
"Not bad, but it could be better."
After the battle ended, Ves wiped his hand, clearing away the footage. He leaned back on his chair and placed his boots on his desk.
"It was their first battle." Gavin noted as he fiddled a bit with his data pad.
"The defenders in that recording simply faced a bog-standard sandman fleet!" Ves retorted. "I've seen how easily they succumb when I was assigned to the Vandals!"
Ves did not fail to see that the performance of the mercenaries fell short. As the battle went on, their salvos had grown ragged. Mech pilots fired their rifles too rapidly, causing them to jam, run out too fast or disrupt the rhythm of the coordinated salvos.
"The important thing now is that this is prime footage that shows the value of our Desolate Soldiers! Whether gathered together or dispersed throughout an allied force, their effects have proven pivotal in keeping up morale!"
"I'm glad that my customers are using my products in the ways I intended them to be used." Ves smiled in satisfaction.
He expected that some of his customers would misunderstand or misuse the special qualities of his Desolate Soldiers, but the outfit that employed them in the battle surprised him. They already knew how to best employ them on the battlefield!
"Many battle recordings are already being posted on the galactic net. Many news portals have broadcasted clips on their own platform."
"Let me guess, Benny. The sight of my Desolate Soldiers flying backwards while colorful stripes of vapor are generated from their chests makes for a very striking image, right?"
"Exactly! Your choice of applying this module in this fashion has worked out great! All the news portals and the people watching the footage can't get enough of them! The more Desolate Soldiers in a formation, the grander this sight becomes! It has boosted the demand for our mechs even further!"
The LMC was well on track to sell over 100,000 Desolate Soldiers two months after release! All of the free publicity helped immensely in propagating the use of this brand-new mech model!
The Desolate Soldiers even started to steal the thunder from other mechs designed by well-known Seniors!
Even though their mech designs showcased their own strengths, much of it wasn't really relevant against a stupid foe like the sandmen!
Ves did his best to avoid becoming conceited, though. It was impossible for the established competition to accept the rise of an upstart mech designed by a mere Journeyman.
One of the reasons why he reserved his judgement was that the sandmen fleets had already begun to improve and evolve.
Every sandman admiral started off from a standard template. They were like rookies who had never experienced any combat in their lives.
However, as long as they survived a couple of battles, the stupid sandman admirals would learn a lesson or two. In response to the tactics that their enemies have employed against them, these sandman leaders would form various countermeasures.
These experienced sandman admirals were the biggest threats to the Bright Republic!
Some would split up their sandmen into thousands of smaller globs. Others would merge into one titanic entity. Already, the sandmen had already exhibited a lot of variety.
These mainstays of the sandman invasion force had emerged continuously as they succeeded in overrunning the border states.
Even if a lot of sandman fleets had already been defeated, the addition of these abnormal sandman fleets only increased the danger!
For this reason, better-performing mechs still played an important role. The Desolate Soldier was not the only viable mech by far. It was just that it performed very well against the most common form of sandmen.
Whether the Desolate Soldier would be able to hold up against more complex sandman fleets remained to be seen.
"Keep an eye on how many abnormal fleets show up in the Bright Republic." Ves ordered his assistant. "If there are too much of them, then our Desolate Soldiers might not be enough!"
Gavin nodded. "Will do, boss. I think you should have more faith in your product, though. Everyone fears fighting against a tricky sandman admiral. Having your mechs around would do wonders to stave off panic."
He had a point.
"We'll see."
Chapter 1571
Now that the sandmen have begun to attack the Bright Republic, a solemn mood had swept over the entire state.
Even as Ves, Ketis and Gloriana collaborated on the Prideful Soldier project, many Brighters began to deploy to the front.
The star systems facing the defunct Coman Federation were very clearly next. While a small number of sandman fleets might skip the star systems at the border in favor of going deeper, most sandmen admirals preferred to take more immediate hops.
As a result, the fighting at the border between the Bright Republic and the former Coman Federation had already begun to flare up! Hundreds of mechs and mech pilots already started to fall as the sandman race began to bleed the state of vital assets.
Losing a mech wasn't so bad. The government freely spent its money to encourage every mech manufacturer to produce as many mechs as possible!
The real problem was that mech pilots weren't so easily replaced. The Bright Republic had already lost many precious mech pilots during the previous war, and now the brave warriors and soldiers had to put their lives on the line yet again!
If too many of them died, then eventually who would be left to pilot the mechs? There was no way a state could resist the sandmen once their stock of mech pilots ran out.
Already, the Mech Corps had begun to draft numerous potentates who quit their training or dropped out of the mech academies for whatever reason.
No matter how deplorable they performed, as long as they could interface with a mech and point the muzzle of a rifle in the direction of a sandman, that was enough!
During this tense and uncertain times, the first detachments of Avatars of Myth and Living Sentinels were ready to set out for the front.
Ves, Gloriana and Ketis personally arrived at the landing zone in order to send off to the volunteers.
Ketis, who was clutching Lucky in her arms, admired the Desolate Soldiers entering the mech bays of the landed light carriers with an emotional sigh.
"There's not a single melee mech among them. I feel as if I've been born in the wrong time."
Ves patted her back. "Don't look too down. This is simply part of what it means to dedicate yourself to a narrow category of mechs. You've made your choice. Instead of regretting it, you should be looking forward to the times when a swordsman mech is the best possible solution to a difficult problem!"
"I know, Ves. You don't have to console me. I'm not as dimwitted as I used to be!"
Lately, Ves had been spending a lot of time with Gloriana, which meant he hadn't been able to get up to speed with Ketis.
It was difficult for him to juggle his time because his girlfriend always demanded much of his time.
His relationship with his student wasn't as close as it used to be. Ketis had grown up now. She was used to acting on her own and no longer needed him to hold her hand all the time.
In some way, that was good. Ves was confident that Ketis could already make it as an independent mech designer.
However, another part of him regretted the loss of the dynamic he had formed with her before his journey to Centerpoint.
He belatedly tried to make it up by reminding himself to pay more attention to her. So far, he hadn't achieved much success.
Fortunately, he wasn't alone. Despite some indeterminate tension between the two, Gloriana was more than willing to provide some guidance to Ketis.
"Mech designers with Class VI, Class VII and Class VIII design philosophies often band up with other mech designers. That way, they won't be rendered helpless when they face a situation like yours. Staying with us is the best decision you have made. In the times where you won't be able to make your mech designs useful, you can lean on Ves and I to cover your moment of weakness."
That sounded surprisingly insightful. Ves nodded in agreement. "Gloriana is right. While mech designers are mostly fine when they work by themselves, it is so much better to work in a team."
They chatted for a bit until the Avatar Commander and the Sentinel Commander stepped forward.
Compared to the mature and grizzled Magdalena, Melkor appeared way too young.
Nonetheless, the authority he projected was sufficient for him to hold his ground. Ves predicted that as long as Melkor saw more action and gained more experience in commanding his troops in battle, his commanding demeanor would soon match that of the former Mech Corps captain standing besides him at the moment!
Both commanders saluted Ves once they reached him. "Sir!"
Ves tiredly waved his hand. "I thought I told you to cut it with the salutes and stuff. We're not the Mech Corps and we shouldn't pretend we are. The Avatars of Myth are supposed to be champions and heroes. Strict discipline is even less appropriate for the Sentinels. A lot of mech pilots joined the Sentinels because they don't like the rigid structure of the military."
Magdalena Larkinson frowned. "These are trying times. Military customs and courtesy can do wonders in maintaining discipline and confidence."
In other words, she had no intention of cutting her act.
When Ves turned his gaze towards Melkor, the visored man said nothing, but his rigid stance signalled that he agreed with his aunt.
Among the Desolate Soldiers entering the carriers, a number of Aurora Titans stepped into the ships.
The Avatars and Sentinels only needed these two mech models. No more.
"Who will be rotating to the front first?" Ves asked.
"I am, sir." Melkor stated. "Between the two of us, I'm in dire need of experience."
"It'll be dangerous." Ves slightly frowned. "People are still figuring out how to deploy the Desolate Soldiers in the most optimal fashion. If you participate in the opening act, you'll have to figure things out on the fly."
"I believe I am up to the challenge, Ves."
Though Melkor was never an intense person, the quiet confidence he radiated possessed its own form of intensity.
Ves felt that Melkor was someone with something to prove. Having sat out most of the previous Bright-Vesia War, his cousin was probably unwilling to remain on the sidelines.
Now that the Avatars had matured into a smaller but more focused mech force, Melkor had all the tools he needed to excel in the coming battles!
As if thinking the same, Magdalena nodded at Melkor in respect. "Every Larkinson must answer the call of duty. This is the greatest conflict the Bright Republic has ever faced. Our state has never been pushed so close to the edge. To resist the sandman and protect the lives of trillions of Brighters is a noble calling!"
Melkor nodded. "I know. I'm not just doing this for myself. I'm fighting on behalf of our home state."
As trivial and weak as the Bright Republic seems on the galactic level, it was still their home! Each and every Larkinson had been born and raised on a planet of the Republic. This gave them an indescribable connection to the state.
Once Ves was satisfied with Melkor's resolve, he shared one last hug with his cousin.
As soon as Melkor turned around and marched to his carrier, the Avatars standing in ranks began to shout!
"We shall sweep the stars of the sandmen! We will crush every grain of sand into dust! We must protect the Republic with our lives!"
"Why?"
"Because we are the Avatars of Myth!"
The Avatars shouted those cries with such intensity that Ves could feel the raw emotions in their voices. His eyes widened for a short moment as he recognized a familiar sensation.
The Flagrant Vandals projected a similar sense of unity, camaraderie and purpose.
Of course, the Avatars were nothing alike from the Vandals, but both of them had cultivated the essential qualities that bound mech pilots together.
Brotherhood!
As Ves studied the older Avatars and the younger Avatars, he noticed that all of them showed nothing but trust to each other and trust towards Melkor.
For Melkor to have bonded his highly-skilled Avatars together in such a unified fashion, his command skills weren't for show!
That made Ves feel a lot better about sending Melkor off to the front.
As for Commander Magdalena, it was best for her to remain at Cloudy Curtain in order to hold the fort. The Mech Nursery and all the other properties of the LMC on the planet still needed protection.
Leaving at least one senior commander behind ensured that the Avatars and Sentinels left behind wouldn't be running like headless chickens in the event of an emergency.
Ves stood at the side of his older aunt as they watched the light carriers close up and begin to boost off the ground.
"Those light carriers can't sustain many hits from sandman lasers." Magdalena remarked in a deceptively casual tone. "It's a bit of a pity that for all of the money the LMC is earning right now, we haven't been able to get our hands on a single combat carrier."
Her words carried an implicit rebuke towards Ves. Even as the LMC earned hundreds of billions of bright credits in the past month, the company was spending most of their newfound wealth in building up its infrastructure!
In particular, Ves heavily pushed for to construct more manufacturing facilities. He wanted his company to become less dependent on third-party manufacturers!
"We have already discussed this, commander." Ves pursed his lips. "Every shipyard is chock full of orders. The demand for starships is insane. The second-hand market has been swept clean of savvy vultures. The price of starships has already tripled, and still demand hasn't subsided yet! How can I possibly buy combat carriers under these circumstances?"
"Aren't you supposed to be a mech designer with allies and connections? From what I've heard, you're a man of importance in the Bright Republic!"
Ves grimaced. "That's true, but I'm hardly the top dog in the Republic. I still stand no chance against the members of the founding families, the established Senior Mech Designers and the powerful business families that have kept the economy in their grip for generations. All of these people have far better connections."
Magdalena let him off after hearing that. "I see. You're still a long way from joining their ranks. What about your girlfriend, then? Can't she help?"
"It's not politically wise to leverage her identity to obtain advantages in the Bright Republic. I'll just piss a lot of people off and make more enemies."
"What about ordering the combat carriers from the Hegemony?"
"It will take months to deliver my order. The war will at least be halfway done by the time they fall into our hands. Besides, I don't think the Hexadric Hegemony is in any position to fulfill these kinds of orders. From what I've read in the news, their shipyards are already occupied with the Komodo War."
Both of them adopted grave expressions when they thought about the destructive conflict between the Coalition and the Hegemony. The Komodo War already claimed many billions of lives! The amount of powerful second-class mechs that had fallen simply boggled the mind.
If all of those second-class mechs had been sent to fight the sandmen, then the aliens would have probably lost so hard that they wouldn't even be able to set foot in the Bright Republic!
"What an enormous waste!" Magdalena lamented.
Ves nodded in agreement. "Even when the aliens are harvesting so many human lives, the Coalition and the Hegemony are still preoccupied with their private vendettas."
Both of them felt inordinately disappointed at the conduct of the second-rate states of their star sector. Many third-raters looked up to the second-rate states for leadership.
In a moment that was prime for them to showcase their power and magnanimity, they perplexingly decided to forsake their responsibility to the star sector!
At least Melkor answered the call of duty!
Chapter 1572
Sending off Melkor and the first rotation of Avatars and Sentinels to war only served as a small diversion.
Ves, Ketis and Gloriana quickly turned back to work and began to shape the Prideful Soldier in rapid tempo.
After picking out the appropriate parts, they quickly substituted them into the design and began to mesh them together as best as possible. Because of the similarity of parts, this did not require too much effort.
The only problem was that a lot of tiny tweaks still had to be done because the reduced parameters of so many parts had fundamentally altered the balance of the design.
After roughly a week, the small design team finished making most of the major alterations.
"The design is 95 percent finished." Ves nodded in satisfaction. "It's the remaining 4 percent that's a bit difficult. The Prideful Soldier is already a decent mech, but we need to perform more simulations and testing in order to optimize its design."
Ketis furrowed her brows. "That only comes up to 99 percent in the end. What about the last percent?"
Ves smiled mysteriously at her. "The final percent is the final touch which I'll add at the end. I already have that covered, so you don't have to be concerned about that part."
After a bit of discussion, they decided to let Ketis manage the simulation and prototype testing phases. It would occupy her for a couple of weeks and allow her to be in charge for a while.
Of course, she still needed to check in with Ves to make any serious alterations to the design in response to the results she gained.
Though Ketis was still rather young and inexperienced, Ves believed she was competent enough to manage these phases by herself.
Off-loading the work to Ketis allowed Ves and Gloriana to move on to the Militant Soldier project and Peaceful Soldier project without any excessive delays.
"What do you think, Gloriana?" Ves asked.
His girlfriend eyed their four interns with a speculative expression. "We need more manpower. While I enjoy nurturing these four kids, they're not exactly useful at their current stage. We need real professionals with degrees in mech design to help us manage all of these projects. Having Ketis here is already a huge help to us. Think of how we can increase our productivity if we have ten of her around!"
Ves sighed. "You're right, but it's harder than it sounds to recruit mech designers. There are so many employment opportunities out there that working for me is hardly anyone's first choice."
If he wanted to, he could probably recruit some bottom-tier mech designers who were starving on the streets. Yet what good would that do? These failed mech designers were either too incompetent to be trusted with even the most unimportant tasks, or too untrustworthy that no employer dared to hire them. Adding them to his design team would do more harm than good.
Right now, the mech industry was undergoing a major upheaval. Plenty of mech designers already fled the Bright Republic. Many already found jobs elsewhere or accepted one of the many job offers from prestigious employers such as Seniors or the Mech Corps.
Working for a Journeyman was ordinarily a decent option to low-ranking mech designers, but Ves was still too young and erratic to be seen as an attractive employer.
Even if his Desolate Soldiers sold extremely well at the moment, it might have just been a fluke. His current success did not guarantee future success, which was something very important to many low-ranking mech designers looking for a tall tree to shelter under.
"You need to expand your recruiting efforts." Gloriana advised him. "You don't have to do everything yourself. Just tell your managers to set up a recruiting operation that is dedicated to scouting universities and job markets for mech designers that meet your requirements."
"You're right." Ves sighed. "I should have thought of that myself. I'll send a message to Calsie right away. Even if it's a little too late at this stage, it's better than nothing. We really need some extra hands to handle all of our future work."
As Ves composed a brief message to Calsie, he recalled the time he held a guest lecture at Rawlings University in the Sentinel Kingdom.
In normal circumstances, the students who signed preliminary employment contracts with him should have been on the way to the LMC after some time.
Unfortunately, the sandman invasion disrupted everything. The Sentinel Kingdom was still a fair distance away from the border to the frontier, so the powerful state had little to fear from the sandmen.
Which Sentinel mech designer would be crazy enough to leave their safe harbor and go travel to a state directly under threat by the sandmen?
Ves had already received notifications that the mech design students he recruited at Rawlings had broken their contracts. They would rather pay the penalty and stay home at Sentinel than brave the dangers of working in a sandman-infested state!
He did not blame them for their choices. Not every mech designer was like him who didn't mind a little excitement every now and then.
The only surprising part was that Mayer Torto hadn't torn up his contract yet. Apparently, he was still committed to work for the LMC when he graduated.
"Will he truly stay?" Ves frowned.
Maybe Mayer believed he could still gain the most under his tutelage than working for someone else.
"Well, I won't let him regret his choice."
Talents like Mayer Torto were not that easy to get a hold of. Every institution that taught mech design was filled with scouts and recruiters who kept their eyes on promising future mech designers.
In addition, ambitious mech designers rarely sat still and waited for offers to come to them. Oftentimes, they proactively applied for internships in prestigious mech companies, hoping to transition their temporary jobs into permanent jobs.
The LMC was still too new and volatile to attract any serious consideration from mech design students.
"No matter." He muttered. "The LMC can slowly build up their recruitment capabilities."
If Ves wanted to get his design teams up to speed, then he needed at least two teams with ten mech designers each. They didn't have to be particularly smart or talented. As long as they possessed a strong grasp on the fundamentals, Ves could teach them the necessary knowledge to allow them to perform their tasks.
Before the pair of Journeymen tackled their next projects, Ves finally received the message he had been waiting for. He tapped Gloriana's shoulder.
"Let's head to the infirmary. William has finally recovered from his treatment."
"He's awake? That's great! We can finally complete his custom mech!"
The two walked to the infirmary and entered William's room.
The Urbesh clansman looked awake and alert. His back was straight as he sat rigidly on his bed.
His intense eyes glared at Ves with silent resentment.
Ves smiled. "You dare?"
William didn't respond immediately. Instead, he glowered at Ves as if he wanted to do nothing than skewer this mech designer that had put him through so much torture!
"Good." Ves nodded in satisfaction. He paid no attention to William's grievances towards him! "I like the way you look. It doesn't matter what you think of me. As long as you can think aggressively, you're light-years ahead of your old self!"
William didn't respond. In fact, Ves found it rather unnerving that William kept staring at him like a bug to be squashed.
How much of Nyxie's influence had warped William's mentality? Ves had a sneaking suspicion that the ancient alien spiritual entity had contaminated William's mind a bit more severely than he planned!
"Can you even talk?"
"Yes." William finally said with a hoarse voice.
Even though he finally opened his mouth, William somehow appeared even more unsettling!
There was something very wrong with the mech pilot!
Nonetheless, Ves did his best to repress his latent fear and suspicion. Right now, William showed a remarkable amount of courage. This was not something which Ves wanted to lose.
As long as William was not a coward, nothing else mattered!
Ves waved his hand. "Gloriana, I think it's best if your bodyguards take him back to the lab. Go perform your examinations and such. We'll finalize William's custom mech after we understand his new condition. Is that alright?"
"Mmhmm." Gloriana wordlessly nodded while studying William with an analytical expression.
As someone who specialized in matching mech pilots to mechs, she was very observant when it came to people. She immediately recognized that William possessed a radically different demeanor after recovering from his strange treatment.
Whatever Ves did to William, her boyfriend succeeded in altering the Urbesh clansman's personality!
The only worry they both held was the repercussions of the treatment. How many side effects had occurred? How much damage did William sustain? Gloriana was determined to answer these questions.
As Gloriana and her bodyguard guided the taciturn William out of the infirmary, Ves lingered behind as he processed what he sensed with his spiritual senses.
From what he perceived, William's spiritual potential had achieved a new state of balance. His spirituality managed to tentatively integrate the foreign spiritual attributes left over from Nyxie's failed attempt to take over his mind.
A profound mental and spiritual transformation had taken place. In fact, William's mentality was still in flux. It might take weeks or months for William's personality to settle down!
Ves welcomed the change. Anything was better than the old William. As for the many deficiencies and side effects that ensued as a result of his spiritual treatment, that wasn't his problem!
"William should be glad to gain the opportunity to advance! Don't you think so, Lucky?"
His cat lazily clung to his shoulder.
"Meow."
Ves affectionately patted Lucky on the head. "
Both Ves and Gloriana diverted a few days to work on completing William's custom mech. The Desolate Soldier had gone through major alterations. Though it still used the same parts, Ves found it astounding to how much it diverged from the base model.
A true custom mech designed for a single mech pilot always ended up as an intrinsically-unique iteration. A mech model that served the masses featured so many compromises that not a single mech pilot would ever be able to achieve a perfect fit with such a machine.
While Gloriana preoccupied with studying William's new condition and tweaking the design of their custom mech in response, Ves largely devoted his attention to the spiritual component.
For the new William, the standard X-Factor of the Desolate Soldier was too unsuitable. His mass market product centered heavily around the concept of duty.
Right now, William didn't appear to be the type of person who would sacrifice his life to do his duty.
Instead, according to the personality tests that Gloriana had conducted, William had become a bit more aggressive and assertive. Combined with his old traits such as self-centeredness and egotism, the new William was anything but altruistic!
"I'll have to do something similar to the Prideful Soldier, then." Ves concluded.
He came up with an altered concept and also settled for a fitting name for William's custom mech.
"What do you think about calling our custom mech the Resentful Soldier?" Ves suggested to Gloriana.
"That doesn't sound very pleasant, Ves."
"It fits, though. I've tweaked the spiritual component of the Resentful Soldier by mixing the spiritual component it inherited from the Desolate Soldier with an extra flavor. It feels a lot more.. resentful."
The addition of Nyxie's semi-purified mote of spirituality gave the Resentful Soldier a very different character. Its duty-oriented aura and X-Factor had been heavily warped by this deceptively small influence.
Duty had warped into purpose! Anything that hinted at responsibility had disappeared, and in its place was a kind of anger and selfishness that made it abundantly clear that the Resentful Soldier did not fight on behalf of others.
The Resentful Soldier purely fought on behalf of itself!
"What a huge change." Gloriana remarked when they finalized their design. "I can feel how different it is from the base model."
Ves smiled in satisfaction. "You can do a lot with a couple of minor changes. I think this is sufficient. Shall we go and fabricate this mech?"
Gloriana instantly perked up. "I've waited too long for this moment! Let's see how close we can get to fabricating a Masterwork mech! With all the work we've put into the Resentful Soldier design, I refuse to accept a sub-standard outcome!"
Chapter 1573
"The fabrication process of a perfect vessel is a ritual." Gloriana told Ves in a solemn voice. "The mech has to be produced successfully at the very first attempt."
"I don't think the worst case scenario will happen." Ves smiled at her. "Regardless of how much we customized it, the Resentful Soldier is still a simple mech design. With our level of skill, it's impossible for us to fail our first attempt."
The two had moved over to the workshop hall where they awaited the delivery of the raw materials required to fabricate their mech. Ves had already spent some time familiarizing himself with Gloriana's high-quality production equipment.
The 3D Printer, assembly system and so on surpassed anything the LMC possessed. With such high-quality equipment, the chance of fabricating a masterwork mech was a little bit better than normal, which was exactly what Gloriana wanted.
"With how much effort we put into this mech, we have to aim for masterwork!" Gloriana declared with a determined expression. She raised her dainty fist at Ves. "You better make sure to put in your full effort. Show me the strength that enabled you to fabricate your first masterwork!"
Her intense demand forced Ves to take this job a lot more seriously than he initially planned.
In truth, Ves did not regard his chances highly. Their collaborating in this project had not been very smooth. They barely achieved some synergy and there was still a lot more room for improvement.
On a creative level, he also wasn't very emotionally invested in the Resentful Soldier. He cared little for William Urbesh and mainly saw the project as an introductory work to see how well he collaborated with Gloriana.
As long as the mech came out decently well, Ves was already satisfied.
Obviously, Gloriana saw the project in a different light. She wanted their first collaboration to be as perfect as possible. Perhaps sensing that Ves wasn't as motivated as her, she prodded him plenty of times in order to get him to adopt a serious attitude.
"Okay, okay!" He raised his hands. "I'll put in my best effort, okay!? Just give me some time. I work best when I enter into a focused and inspired mood."
Gloriana clearly didn't need any preparation. She had been looking forward to this moment since the very start she designed a custom mech with Ves. The outcome of this fabrication attempt served as concrete proof of how well they collaborated with each other!
If their mech ended up as a disappointment, then that would seriously affect her confidence in continued collaboration attempts.
Ves didn't share her concerns. The Resentful Soldier not only inherited much of its simplicity from the Desolate Soldier, it also contained some wondrous interactions between their respective design philosophies.
As Ves studied the finalized design carefully, he sensed that the mutual strengthening effect was very much present. Gloriana's specialty naturally leaned towards empowering the specialties of other mech designers. Ves himself had tweaked the spiritual foundation of the Resentful Soldier to be more receptive towards her ideals.
All of their efforts resulted in a slightly more powerful expression of X-Factor than the Desolate Soldier.
Resentment, aggression and desperation poured out of the mech design as if the beast inside desperately wanted to escape its prison!
That suddenly reminded Ves of something.
Nyxie's influence was very pervasive in this project. Not only did he form the main ingredient of the design spirit of the mech, he also gained more direct influence due to the direct addition of his mote of spirituality!
If that wasn't enough, William's treatment also left the mech pilot with a contaminated mind and spiritual potential! The alien entity trapped inside the Ancient Sarcophagus had wormed his way so deeply into William's psyche that the man was nothing like his old self now.
Having surmised all of this, Ves began to ask a very disconcerting question.
"What will happen if William and the Resentful Soldier are put together?"
Nyxie left a very heavy footprint in both of them. They could even be seen as an extension of the ancient alien's influence.
Perhaps something very significant might happen once William interfaced with the Resentful Soldier.
Even so, Ves wasn't deterred. He only cared about completing his assignment. Right now, that meant designing a mech that allowed William to participate in the battles at the front!
The conflict between the sandmen and the humans living in the Komodo Star Sector became known as the Sand War.
Though the name was fairly unimaginative, no one laughed or made light of it. The two words put together invoked a lot of fear and anger from people.
The sandmen were too difficult an opponent to deal with! Their vast numbers and endless fleets had already battered more than a dozen states in the star sector!
Any single battle against the sandmen resulted in at least some deaths. No mech pilot looked forward to facing the sandmen for that reason.
However, Ves did not entirely see that as a negative. A typical sandman fleet wasn't very difficult to defeat. The occasional casualties suffered by the defenders was not excessive, at least at first.
With a relatively high survival rate for mech pilots, the circumstances seemed ideal for stimulating mech pilots into breaking through!
"This is the perfect stage to push William past his limits!"
Though risky, Ves wanted William to gain some actual battle experience for a few months.
If William did not come close to advancing to expert candidate after participating in numerous battles, that was fine.
Ves would just have to visit in person and subject William to another experiment. After his last experiment, he gained an increased understanding in the nature of spirituality and how it tied to the mind of a living human.
Was he confident enough to develop a treatment that uplifted a mech pilot with spiritual potential into an expert candidate? Not really. He still had ideas, though.
As long as Ves understood the nature of force of will a little better, he was confident he could crack the code.
"Are you ready, Ves?" Gloriana asked. "I don't want to delay too long."
Ves shook his head and peppered himself up. "I'm prepared. Let's begin."
The two Journeymen formally started their fabrication run.
The workshop hall began to hum as several machines went active. Because Gloriana wanted Ves to express his ability to the fullest, she insisted on letting him do the bulk of the work.
"I'll assist you on the side and make sure that all of the materials and parts will go to the right places." Gloriana explained her own role. "I'll also inspect all of the parts thoroughly to make sure they don't have any faults."
Their start had been fairly shaky. Despite familiarizing himself extensively with Gloriana's production equipment, Ves still needed some hands-on experience in order to increase his fluency in operating all of the advanced machines.
Just the 3D printer alone was a marvel of advanced Hegemony technologies! One out of five parts that Ves had fabricated came out as defective in Gloriana's standards.
"Not good enough!" She yelled at Ves while throwing down a delicate sensor part against the deck! "Are you being lazy, Ves?!"
Ves frowned deeply at her. "I already told you. I'm still getting used to your tools! If you had just left my old equipment in place, I would have been able to hit the ground running!"
Gloriana smacked him in the side. "Aren't you supposed to be good at fabricating mechs?! Even Clixie can spit out better parts than you!"
"Miaow?" Clixie raised her head for a moment.
"Meow." Lucky pressed her head back down with his paw.
The two Journeymen ignored their cats and went back to work as best as possible.
After a few learning pains, Ves finally achieved the necessary fluency he needed to operate the machines smoothly.
Afraid of earning Gloriana's ire, Ves made sure to concentrate as much as possible as he fabricated part after part.
For her part, Gloriana actually began to smile again as the quality of the parts all surpassed her acceptable threshold.
To someone with standards as high as Gloriana, that was very difficult!
Once they completed all of the parts, they inspected them again and replaced those that seemed to be a little wrong with substitutes.
Only when they became satisfied with the quality of all of the parts did they begin to move to the assembly stage.
The pair worked slower than usual in assembling their mech together. Gloriana was especially sensitive towards mistakes.
With Ves continuing to take the lead, the Resentful Soldier started to become more and more whole.
The more the mech became complete, the more its aura became evident. Its spiritual nature already started to affect the moods of everyone in the vicinity.
Gloriana slowed down.
Their bodyguards held their weapons tighter.
Lucky and Clixie lept back until they reached the other end of the hall.
Only Ves remained unaffected. Since he created it, why should he fall under its influence?
Now that Gloriana no longer watched over his back, Ves finally loosened up and entered his groove. He focused on his vision as best he could to ensure its X-Factor remained as pure and untainted as possible.
"This is kind of difficult." Ves muttered with a slight frown. "Holding on to a positive emotion is much more helpful in fabricating a mech than concentrating on a negative emotion."
The Resentful Soldier, as its name suggested, mostly carried an ill will. Its bad temperament and negative attitude were not very pleasant to maintain.
He still persevered. If he couldn't even handle a difficulty like this, then he might as well give up on fabricating mechs.
"I won't back down from this challenge."
The Resentful Soldier became more and more complete. As Ves slowly put the final pieces together, the mech pulsed on a level that only Ves could sense.
"Complete." He whispered.
He calmly stepped back and admired the finished product alongside Gloriana. They both studied the finished mech carefully.
Only after several minutes went by did Gloriana finally react.
She sighed. "Not a masterwork. A pity."
Ves gently caressed her back. "It is too unrealistic to expect to fabricate a masterwork upon our first collaboration. Our teamwork still needs some work."
Shortly after he started the fabrication run, he could already tell that there was little chance that the Resentful Soldier would end up as a masterwork.
Ves encountered too many problems, and Gloriana's frequent demands and interruptions constantly interrupted his flow.
With all of these complications, it wasn't surprising that Ves failed to enter an inspired state.
"It's okay. I'm fine." She said. "The Resentful Soldier is still a success. Just not a great one. Its quality is more than satisfactory."
Even if Ves hadn't done a perfect job, that didn't mean he had done a sloppy job. With a single masterwork under his belt, his mech affinity had risen to a height that was difficult for others to reach.
With the help of his increased mech affinity, Ves could still rely on his strong intuition and grasp on his skills to fabricate a very fine mech.
"The quality is more than enough to outshine the works of most Journeymen and Seniors." Ves confidently stated.
To be honest, Ves had hoped to achieve more. If the quality of the mech was higher, then Ves could apply one of Lucky's gems to cheat his way into completing his second Masterwork.
Even if this method was a little dishonest, the increase to his mech affinity was very real! With such a rich reward on the line, Ves would readily give up one of Lucky's rarest gems to obtain a permanent improvement in his ability to work with mechs!
Sadly, that wouldn't happen today.
As Ves was about to order the Resentful Soldier to be shipped to a testing ground, Gloriana raised her hand and halted him for a moment.
"The Resentful Soldier isn't very expensive, Ves. It doesn't cost us anything to fabricate another copy. Why don't we try again?"
That was a very valid question. Should they try again or settle with the current copy of the Resentful Soldier?
Chapter 1574
Ves shook his head. "No."
"Why not?" Gloriana glared at him. "Our first attempt was hardly a stellar example in perfect teamwork. You messed up so much at the start that you weren't working at your best throughout the first run!"
"You know that the first copy of a new design is always the most significant, right? A second attempt will have less meaning. It will be difficult for me to produce something that surpasses our first copy."
Both Gloriana and Ves looked a bit regretful.
What he said was true. Masterwork products were exceptionally hard to make and almost always arose through special circumstances.
The very first attempt was a process of discovery, fulfillment and completion. The meaning and emotions it provoked simply couldn't be replicated a second time.
Ves was aware enough to realize that he probably wouldn't be able to enter into an inspiring mood.
Only in rare cases did someone manage to fabricate a masterwork mech after making many attempts.
These special situations mostly occurred with professional fabricators who knew a mech design from inside out. As long as they entered into a transcendent state, they gained a chance to merge all of their insights of a particular mech design into a brilliant reproduction!
Such an exceptional event required a large dose of luck as well as years of accumulation. Ves had no patience to spend such an excessive amount of time for a single custom mech.
"There is a second reason why I think it's better to settle with this attempt. Time itself is a valuable resource. Fabricating additional copies of our custom mech is not a good use of our time. The sandman tide has already reached the Bright Republic. The fighting has only just begun. In these circumstances, we should prioritize mechs that can equip the most people as opposed to mechs that only helps a single mech pilot."
Though Gloriana was unwilling to give up, she could not ignore his logic. His arguments were sound and she knew that he was right.
"..Fine." She clenched her fist. "I don't like this at all. There are still too many imperfections in our mech."
"Then how did you manage to fabricate your own custom mechs?"
"I all considered them disappointments. Not a single mech I've designed and fabricated in my career has ever come close enough to reaching my standards!"
That was certainly an extreme position. Ves tried to console her as best as possible.
"Now that we have worked out some of the kinks, we can do better next time. I'm sure of it. We just have to complete our next two projects to give us two more attempts."
"You're right. I'm tired, today. Let's wrap this up and go home."
The two of them cleaned up the workshop and made sure to deliver the Resentful Soldier to the testing ground.
Though they didn't intend to submit the design to the MTA, it still needed to be checked.
"Since the machine is designed for William, he will need to come to the testing ground and pilot our mech under our auspices." Ves spoke.
"I agree." His girlfriend nodded. "We should witness the initial tests in person to see how well our specialties played out. I think the Resentful Soldier will make quite an impression tomorrow."
Now that they finished all of the hard work, they took some time out and retired to the Cloud Estate to relax.
As Gloriana began to chat with some aunties, some of the younger Larkinsons approached him with curious expressions.
"I have a question, Ves." A teenage female Larkinson asked.
"Go ahead and ask."
"Are we turning into Hexers?"
Ves almost puked out blood. "No! Absolutely not! Don't let Gloriana stuff any strange ideas in your head! You're a Brighter, not a Hexer! Remember your roots!"
"Ah, yes sir! Sorry, sir!"
The teenager actually appeared disappointed by his answer.
Fortunately, the boys looked just as scandalized as Ves.
"What are you saying?! Do you want us to turn into babies under your care?! We'll never embrace the Hegemony!"
Once Ves entertained the squabbling teenagers for a while, he waved them off. Since they had been taught to always respect Ves, they didn't object to his dismissal.
As Ves watched them go, he continued to frown and scratch his head.
The Larkinsons had no reason to pick a side in the Komodo War. While the Friday Coalition shared many ties with the Bright Republic, the Larkinson Family wasn't among the groups with ties.
However, the Larkinsons would not get along with the Hexadric Hegemony. Ves always had the impression that the family always leaned towards masculinity due to its military orientation. Both men and women earned the same regard as long as they proved themselves.
To fall under the sway of the Hegemony and adopt their contempt for male gender would not sit well with half of the family. In fact, Ves believed that even the women among the Larkinsons would object!
What was good for them wasn't necessarily good for the family, and vice versa.
"It is best if they can just come with me on my grand expedition." He whispered.
That way, regardless of who won or lost the Komodo War, the Larkinsons maintained most of their identities and traditions.
Ves yawned and stretched his arms. "I should sound out more Larkinsons to see if they're interested in coming along. My expedition can use a lot of reliable manpower."
"Meow." Lucky crawled over his lap and began to purr.
"Oh, you want some company as well, do you?"
"Meow!"
As Ves spent the rest of the day playing with Lucky, chatting with the Larkinsons and hanging out with Gloriana, he received a surprise visitor.
"Calabast! You scared me!" Ves dramatically clutched his heart as the spy popped out from behind.
His strategic partner smirked at Ves. "We should talk. Let's go inside your home office in your mansion. It's secure there."
Ves followed after Calabast, bringing Lucky with him but no one else.
Though Gloriana saw where the two were going, Calabast merely waved her hand at his girlfriend to halt her attempts to follow.
This silent interaction revealed that Calabast and Gloriana had already come to an understanding with each other. Otherwise, his girlfriend would never allow him to sneak off somewhere else in the company of a gorgeous woman!
"Are you surprised?" Calabast teasingly asked as if she knew what he was thinking.
Ves merely shrugged. "You have a girlfriend, right? Evidently, you're one of those Hexers who look down on boys."
"I'm not your typical Hexer, kid. I've long shed my biases and preconceptions when I underwent training. After all, we wouldn't make for good spies if we constantly despise the men around us, would we?"
"That makes sense." Ves nodded in agreement. "How do you actually see the Hegemony, then?"
"Even though I'm not a typical Hexer, I haven't abandoned my roots. The Hegemony is still my home, just as the Bright Republic is your home. These ties will always have meaning for us. To uproot yourself and let go of your home is not a pleasant way to live."
"The spaceborn clans do just fine."
"That's because they made their ships their home. Isn't that what you're planning?"
"Maybe." Ves shrugged. "I haven't really formed any concrete plans for my grand expedition other than getting out of here."
"I suggest you think deeper on what you want. While it's possible to roam the galaxy forever, I don't recommend you do. Everyone needs a place to settle down for a while."
"Do you have any suggestions?"
"Let's enter your office first."
They walked to the top floor of the mansion and entered his opulent office. As soon as Calabast activated the necessary security precautions, they sat down and began to talk.
"Where have you been, Calabast?"
"Around." She said cryptically. "I've mostly been taking care of the Swordmaidens while building up my infrastructure in the state. Since the sandman invasion has turned everything into disarray, this is a golden opportunity for me to put my men into place."
"How many people are working for you? What do they do?"
She smiled at him but didn't answer his question. He knew better than to insist.
"Fine. Keep your secrets then. Can you at least tell me if you've accomplished anything that I should know of? It's hard to appreciate your presence when you keep withholding information."
Calabast reached out and tapped her finger against his forehead. "There's a very good reason for that, kid. Most of the information I've collected is unreliable and unverified. It would do you no good for me to pass on rumors and scattered clues to you. One of the reasons it took so long for me to get back to you is because I needed to verify my intel."
"So what did you want to tell me?" Ves curiously asked.
The woman adopted a serious expression. "I have several pieces of intelligence to pass on. Let me start with the biggest one first. While not reliable, I think this news is important enough for you to hear. There are signs that the MTA will soon be announcing the next mech generation."
The next mech generation!
This was an event that every mech designer in the galaxy had been anticipating!
"How soon?"
"I'm not sure. I don't have an inside source in the MTA. My best estimate is that it shall commence within a year."
Ves frowned. "That's helpful, but not as much as I've hoped. The range is a little large. It already lines up with my own guess."
"There's more, Ves. From what I've gathered, the MTA stalled the commencement because they plan to make another major announcement. One that will affect all of human space."
Now that sounded interesting! Ves immediately sat more upright and paid more attention.
"Do you have any idea what the MTA has in store for us all?"
"It's a major, galaxy-wide announcement. From what I can gather, their second announcement likely has a relation to the MTA's period of dormancy. I think it hasn't escaped you that the Big Two have been staying quiet over the past couple of decades. You don't have to be an intelligence analyst to guess that the biggest human powers are preparing for something. It seems that we will soon have our answers."
Ves quietly processed her words. What she told him certainly matched his own impression of the Big Two. The MTA had especially been quiet lately, to the point of abandoning some of their duties.
If the MTA wasn't so preoccupied with something else, they would have dispatched a powerful force to crush the sandmen!
Their continued inaction made every citizen from the beleaguered state bitter, including Ves.
"The MTA better have a good reason for ignoring the sandmen!"
Calabast smiled at him but shook her head. "The MTA has better things to do than worry about the opinions of some trivial citizens from the galactic rim. I wanted to tell you this to prepare you beforehand. I believe whatever the MTA intends to announce will involve all of humanity. This means that there might be an opportunity for you to mix with them or assist them in whatever they are doing."
That sounded intriguing to Ves. However, he knew that it would be far more complicated that Calabast suggested. The people who were worthy to work alongside the MTA were almost always exceptional. Someone like Ves still needed to distinguish himself in some way to become eligible to any opportunities that arose.
This made his mission from the Rim Guardians all the more important. Ves needed to prioritize turning William into an expert candidate!
"Okay. I think I get it. I'll make sure not to piss the MTA off during this time. Is there anything else?"
"Yes." Calabast nodded. "My second piece of intelligence is related to the Wodins. I believe that it is very possible that some of her relatives will come to visit you soon."
'What?! Aren't the Wodins busy fighting the Komodo War?! Why would they come out all the way here?!"
Ves already had his fill of Hexers with Calabast and Gloriana. He could not handle any more, especially Gloriana's relatives!
Chapter 1575
By passing on valuable and relevant intelligence, Calabast showcased her value to him. Even if she blackmailed him into becoming his partner back at the Starlight Megalodon, a one-sided relationship never ended well.
If she exploited him without giving anything in return, Ves would only grow more resentful at her. This meant that she would have to continue to find more ways to coerce Ves while watching her back for any betrayals.
Instead of pursuing this short-sighted course of action, Calabast made a decision that reflected the best of her Hexer heritage.
She decided to take advantage of the situation to become an equal partner to Ves.
Though Ves didn't want to admit it, her approach was working.
To ride the transit shuttle, you needed to pay the fare.
Providing intelligence and working to protect Ves in the dark was Calabast's way of paying the fare. By keeping Ves content, she could continue to ride him all the way up to top.
This way, both of them benefited from each other. As long as nothing altered this balance, neither of them had any reason to break their mutually-beneficial relationship.
After warning Ves about the MTA's coming announcements and the possible arrival of some of Gloriana's relatives, Calabast turned to more local matters.
"Your Desolate Soldier mechs have continued to make a lot of waves. In fact, they're even starting to be fielded in states such as the Reinald Republic and the Hertog Dominion." She spoke.
"I know that. Many states are just as in danger as the Bright Republic. Since my product is useful in my home state, it should also be useful in foreign states."
"A lot of people have taken note of the explosive popularity of your Desolate Soldier model." Calabast said gravely. "Disrupting the market to this degree and attracting this much attention is not always desirable, kid. You're just a newly-risen Journeyman and already you're starting to sell as many mechs as an experienced Journeyman or a relatively fresh Senior."
"What do you think I'm supposed to do, then? My Desolate Soldier is just that good. Now that it has gained some market traction, it's impossible to ignore the value proposition of my design."
Its attractive price point, its ease of maintenance, its adequate performance against the sandmen, its lack of wasteful gimmicks, and most of all its ability to inspire duty all combined into an immensely attractive package!
Against ordinary sandman fleets, it really didn't matter too much if a rifleman mech performed ten or twenty percent better than the Desolate Soldier.
More expensive mechs fell just as easily as cheaper mechs when struck by a devastating sandman laser beam!
Only when a mech became as tough as an Aurora Titan or a heavy mech would a machine stand a chance of blocking such a powerful attack
Any mech that failed to reach this degree of defense might as well strip its armor down to the bare minimum and rely on dodging and evasion to confound sandman targeting systems!
Therefore, even without its aura, the Desolate Soldier already won some praises from the market!
"Do you think the competition is sitting still?" Calabast pointed her finger at him. "I've already managed to ascertain that a group of Ansel Senior Mech Designers have come together to design a direct competitor to your Desolate Soldier design! They are aware of the threat your mech poses to their dominance in the mech market!"
Ves grinned and crossed his arms. "As long as it's fair competition, I'm not afraid of challengers. The market is always fair. They can decide for themselves which product is more attractive."
"Your competitors aren't limiting themselves to fair competition. They've also been pulling strings in the dark, you know. I still don't have a complete picture of what they are doing."
"Can you tell the schemes you did manage to discover?"
She nodded. "Let's see. So far, I've detected a number of attempts to hinder you. They range from demanding the Ministry of Economic Development to limit you from contracting third-party manufacturers, getting various authorities to forbid you from exporting your mechs abroad and attempting to drag you over to trial in front of the Bentheim Mech Court!"
That last one should have made Ves jump in fright. Instead, he just raised a single eyebrow.
"On what charge?"
"Brainwashing and influencing people's minds without their consent."
That sounded very grave, though Ves retained his calm. "Why haven't I heard anything from the Mech Court then?"
"The Ministry of Defense and the Mech Corps immediately put a halt towards any attempts to accuse you of any crimes." Calabast nodded to Ves with a measure of respect. "You have powerful allies in the government. Even without any backers, the central government would have intervened on your behalf. They value your Desolate Soldier design too much to allow a bunch of jealous Seniors to ruin its proliferation."
"Sounds like the government knows what is best for the Republic." Ves smiled in satisfaction.
"I wouldn't be so smug if I were you. Seeing that any solicitations to the government have fallen on deaf ears, your enemies, which doesn't just include Ansel, have taken to employing detestable means. Haven't you heard about certain irregularities in supply?"
"You mean the raided shipments and the bombing of production facilities?" Ves frowned.
Lately, bewildering incidents like this took place everywhere. With how every state had fallen into crisis, a lot of people became discontent and started to lash out.
Strangely enough, the Bentheim Liberation Movement wasn't among the troublemakers this time. The rebel group kept oddly quiet during this time, though Ves did not find that too surprising.
As a group that advocated for Bentheim's independence, any attacks on the Bright Republic were self-defeating. Once the Bright Republic fell, Bentheim would fall as well, because the sandman completely disregarded political affiliations!
"Certain people have hired pirates and dark mercenaries to harass the infrastructure involved with producing your Desolate Soldiers as much as possible." She spoke. "Since the Mech Corps is fully preoccupied with fighting the sandmen along with many other mercenary corps, it's difficult to secure the shipment of goods and mechs, even in the rear."
Ves shrugged. "The scale of these attacks are fairly small. It's impossible for my enemies to sabotage every shipment or production facility. If they become more brazen, then the government will definitely take notice, and that will be very bad for the masterminds behind this scheme. Besides, the attacks have only struck our external partners so far. The LMC itself has remained unaffected thanks to the protection of the Living Sentinels."
Though Ves and the LMC already dispatched a portion of Living Sentinels to the front, plenty more remained behind to protect the LMC's existing assets and shipping routes.
There was no way to attack any property owned by the LMC without employing a huge amount of mechs!
As for the damage suffered by third-party manufacturers? That was none of the LMC's business! It was their fault that they skimped on security!
Even if an external partner lost the ability to produce Desolate Soldiers, the LMC could simply dump them and hand over the contract to another company!
"The actions in the dark aren't limited to harassing the operations of your third-party manufacturers. They're also targeting you in person."
"Hahaha!" Ves laughed. "I'm already used to that! Let alone my Avatars of Myth, any assassins will have to go through the Glory Battalion before they get to me! I've survived so many crises that you can call me a space cockroach!"
Calabast pursed her lips at him. "The people who are plotting against you are well aware of that. Instead of attempting a series of feeble assassination attempts, they're preparing for something grander. They know that they can only make a single attempt at your life before the government becomes alarmed."
"Who are these people, exactly?"
"I'm not sure. They're being very careful, as can be expected when so many interests are at stake. I'm certain that at least a couple of Seniors from the Ansel alumni network are involved, but it's difficult to pin down their names."
"Doesn't the entire network pretty much hate me due to my association with Professor Ventag?"
"Ansel is not a monolithic entity, kid. From what I've heard, Professor Pendleton, who you've already met, is fairly persistent in trying to beat you fair and square. He believes that mech designers should beat other mech designers in the arena of the mech market. He's one of the lead designers of the collaborative design project meant to form a solution against your Desolate Soldiers."
That sounded surprisingly fair of his old foe. While Ves always disliked Professor Pendleton, he admired the Senior's principles.
Ves mentally tipped his hat to Professor Pendleton.
"I'm eager to see how these Ansel folks plan to upstage my Desolate Soldier's value proposition." He grinned in anticipation.
Calabast shook her head at the sight. Ves wasn't taking her warnings seriously!
Fortunately, she wasn't entirely on her own. In addition to the organization she built up, she also snapped up the Swordmaidens as well as other desperate outfits.
In truth, Ves did appreciate her forewarnings. Having someone like Calabast passing on crucial information would allow him to prepare for threats in advance!
That was much better than before, where he had to deal with many dangers out of the blue.
The two began to talk about less acute developments. For example, Calabast shared some of her thoughts on what the government was doing at this time.
"It's all hands on deck at the central government." She said. "They can barely afford to divert some of their time towards you and your Desolate Soldier model. In particular, they've reached out to numerous states and organizations for entreaties."
"What does that mean?"
"The Bright Republic is looking for allies to shoulder the burden."
"That sounds hard."
"It is, but the government believes it's worthwhile to forge greater cooperation. You'll probably hear the results within a couple of months."
Aside from this, Calabast didn't really offer anything that aroused his interest. After she finished informing Ves of what he needed to know, she revealed some of her own plans.
"Right now is an especially volatile time. A lot of elements are moving and a lot of opportunities have arisen. I'd be remiss if I don't take advantage of this situation as much as possible."
"Will you be gone, then?"
She nodded. "You can already take care of yourself to an extent. With my existing arrangements, I'm confident I can stop or hinder any small actions targeted against you or your company. I'll have an assistant visit you periodically in order to inform you what my organization has achieved."
"Does your organization have a name?"
"You can call us the C-Men."
Ves immediately chortled in reaction. "What kind of name is that?!"
"I'm just joking, kid." Calabast shook her head at his infantile reaction. "I haven't settled on a name yet. It's very difficult to come up with a name that makes my people proud while giving away as little as possible to our enemies."
"You previously worked for a Hexer intelligence agency called DIVA, right?"
"I see you've fallen into its trap. DIVA is an acronym meant to make people underestimate the organization. Its propensity to hire agents from the prominent dynasties of the Hegemony means that men are especially prone to underestimating what it's capable of. If you think that DIVA is filled with vain and air-headed divas, then think again."
Ves stopped smiling. "I see."
After they were done laughing, Calabast stood up and turned to the exit. "This will be my last visit for a while. We'll keep in touch through other means. Until then, stay out of trouble!"
"I know! You're not my mom, Calabast!"
"I might as well be!"
Once she left, Ves sat back down and processed what he learned. He obtained a decent amount of critical information, though he heard nothing too pertinent that demanded him to take immediate action.
What concerned him the most was the MTA's imminent announcement and the development of a direct competitor to his Desolate Soldier.
While Ves believed that his monopoly on spiritual components gave him a huge advantage, he was not the only mech designer who could offer something unique. A lot of Seniors developed their own advantages which they relied on to gain a solid footing in the market.
"If a single Senior designs a mech, then I shouldn't be worried." He considered while rubbing his chin. "If five of them have banded together, then that is something different!"
Chapter 1576
There were limits to collaboration. How could a mech design accommodate an endless number of specialties and abstruse effects?
It was impossible for hundreds of mech designers to contribute their distinctive strengths to a single mech design.
Even if their specialties miraculously didn't overlap, a mech or mech design simply couldn't contain so many exceptional elements!
In part, this was because a mech design could only accommodate a finite amount of design philosophies. Adding more than a mech design could handle would only dilute the strength of existing abstruse effects.
The general rule when it came to collaborations was that the total capacity of a mech design largely depended on the size of the mech and the capabilities of the lead designer.
The bigger the mech, the more specialties it could accommodate.
The better the lead designer, the more room he or she could open up in the design.
This was why the identity of the lead designer mattered so much.
The exact capacity a design philosophy occupied depended on many factors, such as the degree of contribution of its mech designer, the strength of the mech designer, the exact nature of the design philosophy and how extensively it affects a mech design.
It was difficult to come up with exact figures for that reason.
In the case of Journeymen and Seniors, the MTA issued a general guideline that no more than five peers should collaborate on a single mech design.
Adding any more to the mix would only reduce the strength of every specialty and increase the amount of interference. Stuffing too many design philosophies inevitably led to friction and other negative side effects.
Ves heard that it was a different case for Masters, but that wasn't something he should consider at his current stage.
"If I assume that the Ansel mech designers will adhere to this guideline, they'll only pool the specialties of five Seniors at most."
It was relatively rare for five Seniors to collaborate on a single mech design. Every Senior was an esteemed mech designer, especially in a third-rate state like the Bright Republic.
Even if they were part of the same network, they still competed against each other without too much reserve!
For five of them to come together to work on a single killer mech design signalled how serious the Ansel alumni network intended to dethrone his wildly successful Desolate Soldier model.
"Isn't this bullying?" Ves frowned.
Sadly, the mech market was never fair. Seniors and foreign megacompanies dominated the Bright Republic's mech market for very good reasons.
An upstart like Ves who managed to capture so much market share was a clear anomaly.
Anomalies never lasted long.
Did this mean that Ves hated his competitors?
Not really. Even if a bunch of Seniors with nothing better to do wanted to knock down his Desolate Soldier by developing a better alternative, Ves already earned enough profit.
Even if his Desolate Soldiers faded in popularity a few months later, it didn't change the fact that hundreds of thousands of mechs were already being put to use against the sandmen!
Ves considered it a supreme honor for one of his products to achieve this unprecedented level of market penetration!
"No mech can reign supreme forever."
Even if his Desolate Soldier got upstaged by a better model, it still offered something indispensable to many forces. Ves highly doubted that any of the Ansel Seniors could come up with a substitute for the auras of his mechs.
This was the true reason why he remained confident.
Naturally, Ves also acknowledged that his current connections played a huge role in covering his back. If not for the government's favor towards him, he would have encountered numerous hindrances.
For now, he needed to make sure he remained on the good side of the Bright Republic. At the very least, he should keep his allies happy.
"Hmm. Maybe I should talk to someone."
He decided to call a former collaborator. After placing a call, his comm soon projected Professor Ventag's face.
"Ves. It's been some time. You're doing quite well, it seems."
"Extremely well." Ves answered. "I hope I haven't given you a lot of trouble."
The professor casually waved his hand. "It's fine. When it comes to competition, every mech designer ought to do their best. You should never hold back even when trampling over your own friends. This is the only way the mech industry can remain strong."
Ves knew that Professor Ventag had already published a mech that occupied a similar role to the Desolate Soldier.
Unfortunately, much like any other budget-priced spaceborn ballistic rifleman mech, their unique strengths paled in comparison to what Ves had to offer.
"Are you truly doing okay?"
"I've already pivoted to other projects. I'm personally designing a defensive mech that can give full play to my design philosophy and I'm also involved in several military projects."
Ves recalled that Professor Ventag specialized in damage control. Such a specialty was normally useful in every case, but the sandmen ruined this dynamic. Mechs either returned from battle whole or with a giant melted hole running through their frame.
A specialty like damage control was of little use in these circumstances!
He still tried to console the Senior. "I think your product might merit a second look in the future, professor. Now that several experienced sandman admirals have shown up, mechs like yours will definitely become more useful."
"You underestimate the power of inertia." The professor shook his head. "Even if another mech becomes more useful due to changing circumstances, it costs a lot of time, money and effort for mech forces to replace an older mech model with a newer mech model. This is why the first-mover advantage is so powerful."
The two chatted for a bit about their respective works. Aside from talking about their published mech designs, they also started to talk about their ongoing projects, though they made sure not to mention anything confidential.
Ves did not consider his current projects to be anything secret, as the Ministry of Defense hadn't classified anything.
This meant he was free to talk about them with a fellow mech designer on a relatively unsecure comm channel.
What did it matter if others were eavesdropping on their conversation?
Ves did not fear any competition. MinDef didn't care either. In fact, they welcomed competition if that meant they gained more choice!
As Ves described the criteria and requirements for the Militant Soldier and the Peaceful Soldier designs, Ventag started to frown.
"These projects aren't light."
"I know. I've already taken that into account."
"Good." The professor smiled. "I can give you some tips on how to approach the two projects. First, let me ask you, did MinDef pose any requirements to you with regards to collaborations?"
Ves recalled the lengthy documents that MinDef sent. "I don't think so."
"That's fairly unusual, Ves. The Mech Corps and the Planetary Guard are normally very meticulous about this. Mechs designed by multiple mech designers tend to be more rounded and less prone to extremes. The requirements they posed to you also sounds remarkably less rigorous than those issued to others."
"Why is that?"
"It could be that an ally within MinDef has lobbied on your behalf. It could also be that MinDef prioritizes speed and doesn't want to add to your burden."
"I think both might be true. My relationship with the government is pretty good, and my grandfather is a senior advisor in the ministry."
"Whatever the case, you've been granted with a lot of leeway. Be sure to make use of that to spread your ideals in the Mech Corps and the Planetary Guard. Ordinarily, a young Journeyman such as you isn't qualified to supply mechs to those organizations. After all, they already employ their own Seniors. This is your chance to get a head-start from your peers and catch up to the older generation."
Ves nodded in understanding. "That's what I intend as well."
"Let's address the variants individually. First, don't expect your Militant Soldier to become a mainstay in the Mech Corps. As I've mentioned earlier, the Mech Corps does not lack for mech designers, many of which have earned the trust of their respective mech regiments."
"Then why encourage me to develop a variant for the military in the first place?"
"Because the military wants to offer every mech regiment a backup option. If the resident mech designers aren't able to design a mech that fares well against the sandmen, then they can always decide to adopt your Militant Soldier design instead."
"That.. sounds unlikely. There are definitely Seniors in charge, right? Would they be willing to admit defeat to a Journeyman-level design?"
The professor sneered. "If the Seniors aren't willing to recognize reality, then the brass will force them to. A military variant of your Desolate Soldier design is exceptionally threatening because of your unique strengths. The Mech Corps doesn't actually need any mech regiment to adopt your Militant Soldier. Just the threat of its existence in its internal database is enough to light a fire underneath the mech designers employed by the military!"
"I see! No wonder that MinDef hasn't made any excessive demands!"
Just as the Desolate Soldier forced the Ansel mech designers to work harder, now the military wanted to obtain their own version to threaten its own mech designers!
Though Ves felt dirty for being used like this, he didn't object too much. He was certain that several mech regiments might embrace his Militant Soldier design for the same reasons the private sector appreciated his mech so highly.
After giving his thoughts on the Militant Soldier, the professor turned to the Peaceful Soldier.
"The Planetary Guard is normally involved in peacekeeping operations, so it's no surprise that they have asked for a landbound variant for your Desolate Soldier design. What you need to keep in mind is to design it as a flexible platform."
"Why so, professor?"
"To give the Planetary Guard organizations some choice on how to employ them. I believe that many units will come to favor this product due to its strange effect on people. For the duration of the Sand War, it's most appropriate for the Peaceful Soldiers to wield ballistic rifles. When it's over, the Planetary Guard will have to withdraw at least some of their lethal armament and switch to non-lethal armament. If your Peaceful Soldier can be made compatible with the fluid projectors the Planetary Guard favors, then that will save them a lot of inconvenience."
This was a very valuable piece of advice. Ves bowed his head in thanks. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind, professor."
"No problem, Ves. We are both friends. I'm very satisfied with how our Aurora Titan model turned out. Even now, sales hasn't stopped since it's apparently capable of blocking a single heavy laser strike. Perhaps I might approach you for another collaboration once the Sand War is over."
"I welcome any opportunity for cooperation as long as I can make a significant contribution." Ves smiled back.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll become a very popular collaboration partner after this war is over!" The professor laughed.
Once the comm call ended, Ves closed his eyes and sunk into his chair.
He couldn't help but notice that Professor Ventag was exceptionally friendly towards him. This affirmed his belief that his value was beginning to get recognized.
In fact, the professor plainly admitted his hope for future collaboration.
Ves did not object to working together on another project with Ventag. He benefited a lot from the professor's guidance.
In addition, he wanted to make sure he could continue to enjoy the backing of an established Senior.
"Why do I feel like I've become a politician?" He sighed.
Though Ves disliked depending on connections, his current level of prominence was too dazzling to exist by itself. Ves alone wasn't strong enough to keep up with his incredible success.
Only by borrowing the strengths of Professor Ventag, Flashlight, Senator Tovar, Gloriana and etc. would he be able to exploit his design philosophy openly while remaining secure!
"Speaking of borrowing the strengths of others, I should check in on how William is doing..."
Chapter 1577
Ves and Gloriana paid a visit to the LMC's spaceborn testing ground. Set in an asteroid belt to guarantee some privacy, they witnessed the performance of the Resentful Soldier piloted by William Urbesh in person.
In response to a request, the testers pitted the Resentful Soldier against a Desolate Soldier in a practice duel. Both of the mechs had been issued with purpose-built practice rifles instead of their normal armament.
Right now, both mechs fought furiously against each other. The mechs trailed in space in dazzling circles and corkscrews as they maneuvered wildly in an attempt to spoil the aim of their opponents.
The range between the two mechs was rather close due to the limitations of their weapon type.
Right now, William was making a very good account for himself. His Resentful Soldier only sustained seven hits while his opponents suffered twice as much!
"Wow!" Gloriana watched the projection tracking the practice duel with admiration. "William is finally showcasing his real skill!"
"He's no longer a coward." Ves smiled in satisfaction.
This was exactly what he set out to achieve! Even if William never emerged out of his treatment quite the same, at the very least the mech pilot no longer jumped at shadows whenever he faced an actual opponent.
Even if William only engaged in a practice duel, he clearly demonstrated his ability to fight!
He was cured!
As Ves studied some of the telemetry, he noted that William's life signs did not fluctuate too much. This meant that William wasn't forcing himself.
Instead, he embraced the fight!
"William is quite a good mech pilot now that he isn't gripped by fear." Gloriana commented.
"That's a given considering his background."
William wasn't quite as good as a typical second-class mech pilot due to his lack of combat experience. However, his time with the Rim Guardians had given him a very solid foundation.
It was just that William's combat effectiveness always sunk to the bottom whenever he was actually put inside a mech.
Now that Ves washed away the dirt and polished William to a shine, he was finally able to unleash his formerly-hidden strength!
"He's actually better than most Larkinsons at his age!" Ves judged.
As a Larkinson, Ves knew exactly how skilled his family was in piloting mechs. While there was a huge variance in skill level, on average a Larkinson mech pilot easily outperformed an average mech pilot.
For William to display a level of skill that was significantly beyond the level of a typical Larkinson mech pilot showed that he had a bright future ahead of him. The only caveat was that he needed to show off the same level of performance against real opponents.
A simple practice duel still fell short of actual battle. It remained to be seen if William kept his nerves during his first sortie against the sandmen.
Once the Resentful Soldier finished its tests, it flew back to the small space station that served as the testing ground's main facility.
Ves and Gloriana headed down to the mech bay to greet William in person. The mech pilot calmly exited the Resentful Soldier and faced the two Journeymen with a stoic expression.
"William. Good job today. You performed well with the Resentful Soldier."
The mech pilot stared back at Ves without saying anything.
Ves began to get somewhat unnerved. Even if Ves had mentally and spiritually tortured the poor fellow with an ill-conceived experiment, couldn't William show some appreciation to his benefactor?
A mech technician awkwardly walked up to them. "Sorry, sir. Mr. Urbesh here hasn't spoken any word since we first received him. As far as we know, he's a mute."
"Mute?" Ves grumbled.
Was this one of the side effects of his treatment? That was pretty bad. If Ves managed to cure one affliction only to cause William to suffer another, then that meant his treatment method still needed a lot more refinement.
Oh well. Ves still achieved his primary goal. Test subjects like William existed to tease out unanticipated consequences such as turning mute.
"Can he still communicate?" Gloriana curiously asked.
"Sure, ma'am. Mr. Urbesh, please lift your left arm."
William lifted his left arm without any hesitation. His face remained impassive while he moved his limb.
"Please lower your left arm and raise your right foot."
William did as the mech technician instruction.
"Okay, that's enough." The mech technician said to William before turning to Ves. "As you see, sir, there is nothing wrong with William's hearing or judgement. If he wants to communicate, he mostly gestures with his arms. If he wants to say something more complex, he'll take the time to write his words."
"Oh. That's okay then."
If William was capable enough to write, then that meant that Ves hadn't completely scrambled the mech pilot's mind.
However, no matter how many questions he asked, William refused to communicate to Ves. Considering what he'd been through, Ves did not blame him too much.
It was enough that William could still be brought to fight.
"Good luck on the remaining tests." Ves awkwardly said and patted William on the shoulder. "You'll be deploying to the front very soon as part of the next rotation. The Avatars of Myth will make sure your Resentful Soldier will be able to showcase its strength."
William didn't respond. Ves had no idea what the Urbesh clansman thought about being sent into a thankless battle to defend a state he didn't care about.
Oh well, it was pointless of him to refuse. Ves made sure to surround William with enough people to keep him in line. If he ever rebelled, there was no way he could get away!
As soon as they were done with their visit, Ves and Gloriana returned to Cloudy Curtain aboard the Stellar Chaser.
Having been warned by Calabast, Ves made sure the Glory Battalion escorted them all the way back. The sheer amount of protection gave no opening for sneak attackers to take out Gloriana's personal ship.
No incidents took place during the way back. Once they reached the surface, Ves and Gloriana proceeded to work on their next projects in earnest.
Now that they already collaborated on the Desolate Soldier and Resentful Soldier project, their cooperation already reached an acceptable state.
Ves first decided to focus on the Militant Soldier project.
"To satisfy the Mech Corps, we'll have to incorporate military standards and military components in our design." He began. "Fortunately, I have a decent amount of experience in working with them both. Not much time has passed since I came back from the war so many of the components I'm familiar with should still be current."
He took the initiative to select the component designs needed to make the Militant Soldier. The important part about the mech design was that it had to be good enough to satisfy the mech pilots serving in the Mech Corps while also making it compatible with all of the prevailing standards and hardware.
Though the Mech Corps employed thousands of different mech designs, the mech regiments easily supported this diversity by adopting one single set of standards and protocols. From slots to energy cells, as long as the mechs shared enough in common, the logistical burden would still remain in an acceptable range.
For various reasons, the standards of the Mech Corps differed from the standards prevalent in the open mech market. In fact, many different mech designers propagated their own individual standards in order to encourage customers to make use of their entire mech catalogs at once.
Picking components was easier than Ves expected. It turned out that the Mech Corps had already filtered out a narrow list for him. This was mainly to prevent him from leaking the complete list of component designs adopted by the Mech Corps.
With only a limited selection available, it didn't take too long for Ves to make his choice. Whoever composed the list must have been a knowledgeable Senior who already had a good idea what the Militant Soldier ought to look like.
"I like working with professionals." Ves smiled.
Once he selected the parts, he began to sketch out a draft design together with Gloriana.
Both of them thought hard to develop a suitable vision for the Militant Soldier.
"Maybe we don't need to alter that much besides its components and internal architecture." Gloriana suggested. "The Desolate Soldier's divine nature is already very suitable to the military. I don't think your Mech Corps will object if they get the same thing. They must have already studied our Desolate Soldier design extensively and found it acceptable."
"You're right." Ves nodded in agreement. "Let's just envision our Militant Soldier as a straight military conversion of the Desolate Soldier."
Neither of them felt eager to expand the scope of this project. Changing out so many parts already posed a significant burden to them. Ves himself couldn't think of any way to make his Militant Soldier's aura become more suitable to the Mech Corps without borrowing a new spiritual fragment somewhere.
Should he borrow a spiritual fragment from a Larkinson expert pilot or something?
Though it sounded abominable, Ves seriously considered the idea before shaking his head.
"It's not necessary, and I'm not sure this is the good time to injure one of our own expert pilots."
Though a part of Ves felt as if he made a lazy decision, he forced himself to accept this decision.
To be honest, both Ves and Gloriana would rather work on something else. Designing variants of an existing mech design was not as great as designing an entirely new mech.
Still, Ves couldn't ignore the request from the government. It didn't cost him much except time to design the variants, so he might as well spend some months to complete them before moving on to his next project.
During this time, Ketis also finished testing the Prideful Soldier. Once Ves inspected the design for the final time, he decided to leave the matter of publishing and marketing it to his subordinates.
"Take care of it, Benny."
Gavin studied the schematics. Of course, as a layman, he could only judge the Prideful Soldier on its surface.
"I will, boss. The LMC has already formed a marketing plan to promote the Prideful Soldier."
"How well do you think it will sell?"
"Quite well, especially considering the feeling it gives off. There's nothing like it, Ves. I like how you managed to stain the Desolate Soldier's effects. It's much more aggressive and feral. Just watching the design is pumping me up!"
Ves smirked at Gavin's reaction. The addition of Zeigra's mote of spirituality had given the normally-pure X-Factor of the base model an entirely new character!
"Can you be more exact?"
"Not as much as the Desolate Soldier, if that's what you're hoping." Gavin tempered his expectations. "It will still be a success, though. Plenty of gangs and underground organizations already appreciate the Desolate Soldier. Now that the Prideful Soldier can go on sale, they'll highly favor this variant."
"Will the production capacity at our disposal be able to produce enough Prideful Soldiers?"
"That.. is going to be difficult." Gavin reluctantly admitted. "While keeping up with the production side of things isn't my ballpark, I've heard plenty of warnings that it's getting harder and harder to contract third-party manufacturers."
"There are no more mech companies available who are willing to lend their production capacity to us?"
Gavin nodded. "Right. We've exhausted the available supply. We're not the only ones who are looking to depend on external manufacturers to produce mechs. Not only are we facing competition from other mech companies, we also have to jostle for production capacity against the government. All of those turrets and defensive platforms don't come from nothing!"
"Even if that's so, I'm surprised that production capacity has already run out. I thought we still had plenty to spare."
"That's because the military has recently started a new initiative."
"And what is that?"
"Producing spacefighters."
Chapter 1578
The concept of small spacecraft or starfighters enjoyed mixed success during humanity's ascendance and dominance over the galaxy.
Swift, agile and cheap, starfighters performed fairly well as cheap weapon platforms that could harass large, sluggish targets from a distance.
In fact, humanity initially deployed drones to serve this role, but they became too prone to hacking. Any rival with a bone to pick could sneak in and sabotage the AIs controlling the donres, causing them to fire on their allies instead!
This meant that piloted starfighters actually played a respectable role during the Age of Stars and Age of Conquest.
Yet when humanity finally started to fight against the big boys of the galaxy, the downsides of fielding starfighters became very prominent.
Their small size meant that they became exceptionally vulnerable to massive, ship-scaled armaments with huge areas of effects. In fact, detonating a few nuclear missiles or anti-matter bombs in the middle of a formation was enough to wipe out hundreds of them at a time!
Casualties mounted to such an extent that the romanticism surrounding starfighters quickly faded. Deploying starfighters in the middle of a battle between huge warships was as idiotic as deploying infantry in a battle between mechs!
Just a few powerful weapon discharges was enough to kill huge swathes of annoying ants!
Even after the end of the Age of Mechs, the rise of mechs eclipsed every other weapon platform during the Age of Mechs.
Certainly, starfighters were more viable than before. The absence of warships in most of human space meant that smaller weapon platforms could actually play a role.
Sadly, when starfighters were pitted against mechs, the latter always gained the upper hand.
The advantages of mechs over starfighters were very clear.
Mech pilots were practically born for the job. When paired with a suitable mech, they made their machines come to life. Skilled mech pilots distinguished themselves by directly controlling many functions of a mech to make the most of their machines.
In contrast, starfighters piloted by norms lacked the advantages of a man-machine connection. Though cheap, the dependence on automation and the lack of fluidity in employing starfighters meant that they always fared worse against an equal force of mechs.
States stopped pumping money into making starfighters because the costs outweighed the benefits. War during the Age of Mechs had subsided into smaller, more focused conflicts centered around conquering territory and pushing ideologies.
Once the Age of Mechs took off and everyone began to fall in love with mechs, the Mech Trade Association began their fatal assault on alternate weapon platforms!
A whole swathe of weapon platforms such as starfighters, defensive platforms and the like were subject to numerous restrictions!
Their use in human conflicts had to be constrained at all costs!
Certainly, the MTA made a very persuasive argument for their case. When the outcome of a conflict solely depended on mechs, the damage inflicted to the parties involved was a lot less severe than if other weapon platforms entered the mix!
The benefit of mechs on the other hand was that its numbers were always finite. The amount of mechs a state could field would always be limited by their limited pool of manpower.
Only around 3.5 percent of humans possessed the right genetic aptitude to pilot mechs. Of that 3.5 percent, only a portion of them actually became mech pilots.
By narrowing the scope of human infighting to battles between a small number of highly-trained professionals, much of human vigor would still be preserved after the end of a war.
In other words, less people died.
Scarred by the mass deaths and genocides that characterized the latter days of the Age of Conquest, many humans embraced this logic.
The approval of the masses, the power wielded by the MTA and the tacit consent of the CFA all supported the new policies.
Since then, the restrictions on starfighters and other competing weapon platforms came into force!
Both Ves and Gavin recalled the history surrounding the ruling that was meant to put the nail in the coffin for starfighters.
Therefore, Ves was a bit surprised to hear that they would be making a return.
"Has the MTA approved?"
"They did." Gavin nodded. "Every state intending to mass produce starfighters has received the greenlight to pull out all the stops. Since aliens aren't entitled to the protections enjoyed by humans, we don't have to abide by as many restrictions."
It would be stupid to fight with one hand tied behind your back against the aliens. In fact, people even began to wonder whether they would be allowed to construct warships again.
Unfortunately, that was a bridge too far for the Big Two. For now, deploying lots of starfighters was the most a state could get away with at this time.
"Now that I think about it, resorting to starfighters make a lot of sense." Ves mused while rubbing Lucky's back. "Starfighters are simply smaller and mobile versions of defensive platforms that are placed in the orbit of planets. The biggest downside to orbiting defensive platforms is that they have to wait for the sandmen fleet to come within firing range before they can do their jobs."
At that stage, a sandman fleet almost reached the end of its destination! Even if hundreds of defensive platforms orbited a planet, just one sandman vessel had to go through and make landfall in order to wipe out a city of millions!
On the other hand, if starfighters could be deployed in the outer reaches of a star system, they could whittle down a sandman fleet over days. This put the populated planets out of danger.
"A lot of states threatened by the sandmen have started to get in on the action." Gavin summoned a small projection which showed snippets of recent news broadcasts. "The Bright Republic has already recruited their first batches of starfighter pilots from the auxiliary regiments and they're recruiting more. A lot of desperate norms who feel powerless in the face of alien annihilation have applied in spades."
"Well, at least the Bright Republic isn't lacking for volunteers. Do you know how the military intends to deploy the starfighters?"
"The bright senate has authorized the creation of the Starfighter Corps to field the new machines. It's a new branch and they're still working out the details. I think we'll be witnessing the first new starfighter wings in battle within a month."
"That fast?"
"The government has been cooking up this plan for months, boss. Did you know that one of the reasons why most of the shipyards in the regions no longer accepted any orders? It's because the governments all placed orders for lots of light carriers!"
"Light carriers? Isn't that kind of.. flimsy?"
"Many states are running into money problems. Everything has to be done as cheaply as possible. The training of starfighter pilots is rushed as fast as possible. The starfighters themselves are cheaper than frontline mechs. The carriers that bring them to battle are so shoddily constructed that they won't even last an entire decade!"
All of these measures make it clear that the deployment of starfighters was nothing more than a desperation plan. Unlike the Mech Corps which enjoyed a generous budget, the Starfighter Corps had to field as many fighter craft as possible at a fraction of the budget!
That made Ves a little mollified. As a mech designer, he selfishly favored the primacy of mechs. The rise of alternative weapon platforms such as starfighter posed a threat to the dominance of mechs.
"It's good that the states under threat can alleviate the pressure from the sandmen in this manner." Ves charitably said. "Do you have any more details?"
"The starfighters won't be anything fancy. They'll be mounted with side thrusters that can rotate in a full circle, thereby allowing them to fly forwards and backwards without changing their orientation. They'll be mounted with a cheap but efficient ballistic gun that can only fire forward. To cut down on cost, they don't have any armor to speak of. The goal behind their designs is to waste as few exotics as possible."
"That sounds like cannon fodder." Ves remarked. "An awful starfighter like that doesn't have the flexibility, armor or mobility to defeat a mech."
"They're not meant to be deployed against mechs. According to the analysts, the starfighters will mostly be deployed alongside mechs to add extra firepower to the fight while attracting the attention of the sandmen."
Ves realized the brilliance of this plan. "I see! The sandmen have never shown themselves to be selective in their targeting! Whenever they fire their heavy lasers, they always seem to pick a random target!"
The sandmen's dreaded heavy laser strikes constantly exacted a toll on the defense forces. Its sheer might meant that few mechs ever survived the blow when struck. The only reason that mechs managed to cope with it was due to its poor firing rate.
In such circumstances, adding more stuff in space gave the sandman vessels more targets to fire at. If half of the targets consisted of cheap, disposable starfighters, then the casualties suffered by mechs would probably be cut in half as well!
"The value of a mech is incomparable to the value of a starfighter." Gavin noted. "Aside from the cost difference, the manpower issue is even more crucial. Don't forget that our state has recently gone through a war. Compared to the Ylvaine Protectorate, we actually have less mech pilots per capita!"
As a mech insider, Ves was well aware that the Bright Republic had fallen into a low point with regards to their mech pilot reserves. By alleviating the pressure on mechs and mech pilots by attracting firepower away from them was a great solution.
The only downside was that this solution required the sacrifice of others.
"A lot of starfighter pilots will die."
"They're norms. Even if thousands of them die, we can replace them with a million more." Gavin grinned in a bleak manner. "Manpower for starfighters is the one resource that the government is the least worried about. Not only does the Starfighter Corps have a huge population of Brighters to draw from, they can also hire tons of refugees to take revenge against the sandmen!"
The logic surrounding starfighters became more and more compelling. Both the humans and machines were purposely kept as cheap as possible to add as much cannon fodder to the battlefield as possible.
"The more interesting question to me right now is how this will affect our business. Will our Desolate Soldiers still sell as much?"
"Our analysts don't expect demand to change. Mechs still play a leading role. It's just that they have a lot of company now. It's kind of like where before we only waged war by deploying cavalry. Now, we decided to add a lot of infantry to our armies."
That was a good analogy. Both cavalry and infantry had their own roles to play.
"What is the longevity of starfighters and the Starfighter Corps?"
"I don't know. If you ask me, unless there are other alien races bearing down on us, the Starfighter Corps will probably fade into the background after the Sand War."
That satisfied Ves. He really didn't want starfighters to stick around and divert attention from mechs.
In truth, he felt a little uncomfortable. The reintroduction of starfighters signalled that mechs alone could not shoulder the burden of protecting a state against external enemies.
Even though the second-rate states hadn't moved out in force against the sandmen, resorting to starfighters still represented an indictment against mechs.
"Do you think mechs have a future, Benny?"
"They'll always be around, I think. I'm not sure they'll remain as popular as you would like them to be. The Sand War has exposed the biggest defect of mechs. We simply don't have enough mech pilots to field as many mechs as we like."
Ves had no good response to that. The limited supply of mech pilots could only be alleviated if genetic aptitude no longer restricted humans from piloting mechs.
What were the chances of that happening?
Chapter 1579
Ves could already predict that the launch of the Starfighter Corps would definitely result in a huge success. The brutal attrition that the sandmen relentlessly inflicted on their victims would become a lot less effective once it shifted from mechs to starfighters!
The only complication was that the effectiveness of starfighters might drop when deployed against abnormal sandman fleets.
"I'm not sure that committing so many resources on starfighters is a sure bet." Ves voiced his doubts.
Aside from the basic configuration, newer varieties emerged for quite a while now. Though rare, the Komodo Star Sector witnessed enough of them to form loose categories.
From the titanic monolith configuration to the incredibly insidious swarm configuration, dealing with them always demanded a different response.
Of the current known modes of sandman fleets, Ves could already tell that the starfighters would fare especially poorly against the swarm configuration.
This was basically a sandman admiral's attempt at imitating mechs. Deciding to fight fire with fire, they split up their huge and cumbersome sandman vessels into tens of thousands smaller sandman 'drones'.
Though small and fragile, their sheer numbers and the fact that they were all capable of firing weak lasers meant that defense forces were always heavily outnumbered!
It was the best configuration the sandman race came up with to counter mechs. Its relative success compared to other configurations meant that more and more sandman admirals adopted this trend!
Of course, the swarm configuration also suffered from a critical weakness. The sandman admiral no longer enjoyed excellent protection. It had to hide itself by hiding itself in a regular drone.
Destroying this camouflaged drone would always guarantee that the rest of the swarm lost cohesion!
Naturally, the chances of this happening was not very large. The drone carrying the sandman admiral was always positioned away from the enemy.
Just as Ves was about to go on the galactic net to get the latest updates on the Sand War, he received another message from Gavin.
[Check out these news reports!]
Ves clicked the links and observed the footage that Gavin picked out for him to watch.
A large number of mechs that Ves instantly recognized as Desolate Soldiers flew in unison. The mechs all faced the advancing sandman vessels while flying backwards.
Since Ves already knew that his Desolate Soldiers would mostly be flying backwards, he specifically selected an omnidirectional flight system for their design.
Nothing about the footage stood out to Ves except for all of the orange vapor trails they released from the Rescue Particle Generator mounted on their chests.
As Ves intended, the trails of vapor lingered for at least a minute, resulting in an iconic sight where the trails marked the passage of the mechs.
Sometimes, the formation of mechs flew backwards in a fairly straight line, thereby producing an incredibly inspiring sight.
Mechs only did that to make themselves and their outfits look good. During actual battles, the mechs adopted irregular evasion patterns, thereby producing crooked trails that didn't look as clean as straight trails.
Even so, the Desolate Soldiers still made a powerful impact in the media with this gimmick alone!
Some outfits even started experimenting with shifting the color of the trails. When Ves switched to the next clips, he encountered formations of Desolate Soldiers that adopted different colors.
From a rainbow pattern to imitating the colors of the flag of the Bright Republic, each squad or company of Desolate Soldiers expressed the playfulness of their mech pilots in a different fashion!
Even the Ylvainans got in on the action and switched the default pure white trail of their Holy Soldiers into other colors to accentuate their devotion to the Great Prophet!
"This is good publicity!" Ves smiled in satisfaction.
Such sights only served as needless distractions during regular battles between mechs. It was only because the sandmen were so stupid most of the time that the mech pilots resorted to this method to alleviate their stress and worry.
"Everyone needs some hope during these trying times."
When Ves watched the next clips, he began to see more and more mechs releasing vapor trails in formation.
The only difference was that Ves distinctly didn't recognize their models.
"..What?"
Ves quickly leaned closer and studied the mechs carefully. Just like his Desolate Soldiers, the unknown mechs featured a Rescue Particle Generator over the position where the heart should be.
"Have other mech designers stolen my idea?!"
His anger rose at the thought. This required deeper study!
Zooming in to the deepest detail revealed the shoddy jury-rigging that took place to install the module to a mech that originally lacked this part.
Other mechs featured the same improvised addition, making it clear that a bunch of mech technicians were responsible.
"This footage is only a week old." Ves noted.
He switched to more recent footage and saw more and more mechs adopting the same trend. Since the Rescue Particle Generator was incredibly cheap and simple to make, it was stupidly cheap and easy to add this component to every mech!
Within a matter of days, the trend had spread throughout the entire Bright Republic and Ylvaine Protectorate!
Not wanting to be left out, even the Kronon Dynasty and the Mech Corps started to add similar modules to their own mechs!
Like wildfire, the trend rapidly spread through every state involved in the Sand War! The journalists responsible for publicising this trend far and wide even came up with a name
Stripes of Humanity!
"So long as the Stripes of Humanity fly, our state shall never fall!"
Some news reports even mentioned that the Starfighter Corps planned to adopt this trend as well!
Soon, thousands of starfighters would be releasing the Stripes of Humanity on the battlefield!
"Copycats!" Ves shouted.
He quickly calmed down, though. He didn't exactly own this idea. Most people at least became aware that he was responsible for forming it in the first place. The news media also did a good job crediting the Desolate Soldiers as the product that started this trend.
Wherever the Stripes of Humanity spread, the demand for the Desolate Soldier increased!
While every mech started to mount particle generators, a lot of customers were interested in obtaining the original machines that started this trend!
"So this is why Benny told me that I would love this development."
His assistant was right. While his Soldier product line may have lost their exclusivity, it had already made its mark in history!
"All of the history books about the Sand War will feature this sight! My Desolate Soldier model along with any derivatives will surely earn a place there!"
A very grand mood overcame Ves all of a sudden. As a mech designer, he always hoped he would be able to influence the development of states and the course of history through his products.
Before, Ves always got the sense that his mechs were just a few machines among many in the huge mech markets.
Now that his Desolate Soldier model achieved massive success, its influence reached a height that Ves could only dream about a few years ago!
"Is this what it feels to be immortalized?"
Every human wanted to be remembered. With an uncountable amount of humans living in the galaxy today, it was extraordinarily difficult to earn fame. It was even more difficult to be remembered after death.
While the Desolate Soldiers only affected a single star sector, Ves already knew that it would probably become known for years in the states that survived the Sand War.
To Ves and the LMC, that amounted to a massive publicity coup!
After Ves calmed down a bit, he checked up with the LMC and learned that they had already formed a plan to capitalize on this trend.
"Good. The people working in my company aren't good-for-nothings."
When Ves cuddled up with Gloriana sometime later at the Cloud Estate, they shared their thoughts on the matter.
"It's pretty remarkable how this idea of yours caught on so much." Gloriana said admiringly while she leaned against him. "Did you plan to spread this trend so widely?"
Ves chuckled. "I wish! All of my mechs feature a particle generator. I've always used these components to enhance the look of my mechs. I came up with the idea of leaving behind a lingering trail because I didn't want to add anything too ostentatious to what is supposed to be an affordable mech. It's only because my mechs are fielded in such large numbers all of a sudden that the Stripes of Humanity became a sector-wide phenomenon!"
The Stripes of Humanity rapidly dominated the news cycle. Many battles that ordinarily seemed depressing suddenly gained an inspirational quality due to the proliferation of so many colored trails!
"Perhaps this will be the first of many trends started by you." Gloriana said hopefully as she leaned her head over his chest. "You're such a creative mech designer that I'm sure you'll dazzle the galaxy once everyone gets to know you. Mechs like yours shouldn't be confined to a single star sector."
Ves softly leaned in to smell his girlfriend's lovely scent and kiss her head. "That's my hope, Gloriana."
As the two lovebirds continued to cuddle with each other, several kilometers away, a shimmering form crept up to the Cloud Estate through a picturesque forest.
Since the Cloud Estate was built atop a hill, it took a fair bit of climbing to reach the estate grounds. Mechs and other security measures constantly scoured the vicinity, thereby leaving no stone unturned.
Just as the invisible form took another step, it suddenly collapsed to the ground!
A smaller form shimmered into view. Lucky crawled up to the form it had just clawed and chewed on something invisible.
Soon, the cloaking field disappeared, revealing a man clad in a very sophisticated infiltrator suit. A backpack carrying the components of a gauss rifle was mounted on the dead man's back.
Once Lucky made sure the man was very much dead, the gem cat began to devour any hard metal objects on the body. He did not even let off the entire backpack!
"Meow~" Lucky squinted his eyes in delight.
"Miaow."
Clixie jumped out of a tree and landed on the ground in a graceful posture. With her tail raised in curiosity, she approached the corpse and licked the puddle of blood.
"Miaow!"
The Rubarthan Sentinel Cat spat out the blood and hissed in disgust. When Clixie gazed at Lucky, she arrogantly raised her head and padded away!
Unlike Lucky who was content with eating literal garbage, Clixie only ate the finest cat food from Gloriana!
"Meow?" Lucky opened his eyes to look at his departing companion.
"Miaow Miaow!"
"Meow."
Lucky simply returned to munching his spoils of war.
Only when he was done with his meal did the gem cat depart back to the Cloud Estate.
As soon as the cat went out of sight, a patrol of Living Sentinels who had already arrived beforehand approached the corpse.
"The cat could have left some evidence behind." A guard grumbled as he inspected the infiltrator's body.
A superior knocked the guard on the head. "Don't talk nonsense. You know these sneaky types don't leave any incriminating evidence on their bodies."
This was the sixth infiltrator that Lucky had caught. The Living Sentinels long stopped asking questions on how the cat was able to detect intruders far in advance of the Living Sentinels or the Glory Battalion!
The fact that these infiltrators were equipped well enough to evade the detection methods of the Glory Battalion meant that the culprit was very powerful! The infiltrator had likely been despatched by a power from a second-rate state!
"Okay, let's clean up this mess and file up a report. Commander Magdalena will have something else to report to our boss tomorrow."
The patrol expertly removed the body and cleaned up the traces. Soon, the site appeared as pristine as before.
Yet another attempt to infiltrate the Cloud Estate and assassinate Ves had failed.
Chapter 1580
Work on the Militant Soldier and the Peaceful Soldier projects continued at a rapid pace. Ves and Gloriana both wanted to complete the projects quickly so that they could divert their time to more fruitful pursuits.
Designing the Militant Soldier went smoother than Ves initially expected. Ves and Gloriana were already practiced with overhauling the Desolate Soldier design to accommodate different needs.
Though the Holy Soldier and the Prideful Soldier required relatively little work, the Resentful Soldier required a lot of extensive overhauls.
All of this work allowed the two to accumulate an even greater degree of familiarity with the Desolate Soldier design. Nothing was a mystery to them anymore. They not only understood what the mech was capable of, but also knew how far they could push it in different directions.
Furthermore, the two also developed a thorough understanding of each other's design styles. Since they no longer wasted any more time on exploring different methods, they achieved greater progress than before.
All of this meant that their productivity had practically soared.
An extra bonus was that Ves knew the properties of the military components he picked out by heart. Having worked with them extensively in real wartime conditions, he was well aware of their individual quirks and traits.
The result of these factors was that the Militant Soldier project progressed a lot more smoothly than either of them anticipated.
It was only until they began to tackle the Peaceful Soldier project that they began to encounter obstacles.
"It's not that straightforward to convert a spaceborn design to a landbound design." Gloriana noted. "Practically every component has to be switched."
"According to the requirements set by MinDef, we'll have to design the Peaceful Soldier using component designs commonly used by the Planetary Guard organizations. They have their own set of licenses and technical standards."
As Ves and Gloriana began selecting components from a limited catalog, they had a harder time making their choices.
"I'm not familiar with these parts." Ves sighed in disappointment.
"It's okay. I don't expect you to be all-knowing, Ves. It's normal for mech designers to start with completely unfamiliar component designs. We'll slowly understand them better as we integrate them into our mech design."
Once they began to draft and envision the Peaceful Soldier, they quickly fell into a routine.
The main challenge was to translate the Desolate Soldier into a viable landbound mech. Since the base model was fairly simple to begin with, this did not entail too many complicated transformations.
In particular, the removal of the flight system freed up a lot of capacity. Though Ves had to reserve much of the freed capacity towards accommodating the varied weapon systems and external backpack modules of the mech, he also made good use of it to empower the Peaceful Soldier's mobility.
The original Desolate Soldier mainly relied on its flight system to traverse space, so its legs and mech engine were very weak and underpowered.
Remedying this problem demanded completely new solutions that Ves and Gloriana hadn't employed in other projects.
"Mobility is very important to police forces." Gloriana taught Ves. "In populated settlements, mechs are often spread out over large areas. When an incident takes place that requires the intervention of mechs, the police have to respond as fast as possible. Aside from deploying aerial mechs, your Planetary Guard also seems to favor light and fast-moving medium mechs."
"You're right." Ves thought about the Planetary Guard mechs he observed on Bentheim. "I've never seen the Planetary Guard deploy a heavy mech."
"That's because they're too slow to respond to incidents and too destructive to deploy in urban districts. They're also a strain on the budget."
Ves continually nodded at her insightful words. "How do you know all of this?"
His girlfriend bumped him with her elbow. "Have you forgotten my mother's position? She's the Planetary Minister of Security of Scimitar II! She ordered me to customize several law enforcement mechs over the years! While the mechs I've worked on are a lot more advanced than the ones employed by the local Planetary Guard, the priorities are still the same. Just leave this matter to me, Ves!"
Recalling what Constance Wodin did for a living caused his body to shudder. For some reason, Ves deeply dreaded meeting Gloriana's mother.
His fears notwithstanding, Gloriana's personal experiences with working on law enforcement mechs came in very handy this time.
The Peaceful Soldier project progressed almost as rapidly as the Militant Soldier project.
In addition, just as Ves expected, working on multiple projects at the same time gave them more time to think on difficult issues.
If they ever encountered a problem they weren't sure about, they could simply halt the current project and work on the other one until they came up with a solution that wasn't immediately apparent.
The only thing that could make their cooperation better was if they had more help around. Hiring additional mech designers became a higher and higher priority to Ves. In fact, he already obtained permission to pick up a couple of refugees and offer them a job at the LMC.
"Let's go visit some of the refugee settlements tomorrow." He suggested. "It turns out that there are a number of mech designers mingled among the refugees. Most of them are worthless, but there are a couple of people who stand out."
"Really?" Gloriana frowned.
"Really. I'm not talking about students or failed mech designers here."
During the chaotic fall of the border states, a lot of people got mixed up. Even an Apprentice Mech Designer with a lot of money could barely obtain passage on an overcrowded cargo ship that had hastily been converted into an evacuation vessel.
As Ves worked on the variants and planned his upcoming recruitment trip, he also made sure to spend some time with others.
Though Gloriana always demanded attention, Ves still needed to make the rounds every now and then. Even if nothing required his attention, merely waving the flag did wonders in motivating others.
He deliberately paid a visit to the Battle Criers one day. He'd been neglecting the outfit lately ever since they arrived at Cloudy Curtain.
It wasn't hard to see why. The Living Sentinels were more than enough to protect the assets of the LMC while the Avatars of Myth had an easy time protecting Ves since he mainly spent his time at the Mech Nursery and his Cloud Estate.
When Ves visited the newly-erected base of the Battle Criers met up with Commander Cinnabar, the Kinner bondsman privately aired the complaints of his men in his office.
"Our men didn't sign up to sit on their thumbs. We've already received our batch of Desolate Soldiers from your mech company and we've had more than enough practice to get the hang of this new mech model. When will you send us into battle?"
"Are you that eager to fight?"
"We're born for battle. You know that."
He knew. In fact, he also knew that Cinnabar likely meant that literally.
Ves leaned forward and placed a data chip on the commander's desk. "Sorry for the wait. Here are your orders."
Cinnabar eyed the data chip with suspicion.
"Why do I feel as if you intend to do more than dispatch us to the front?"
"Fighting the Battle Criers is just a distraction." Ves pressed his fingers together. "What I really want your men to do is to hunt down a couple of individuals."
"We're not bounty hunters, sir. We don't specialize in tracking down people."
"I'll introduce you to a contact who developed an extensive information network throughout this region. You'll have all the information you need."
"Can you tell me who exactly you want us to hunt?"
"You can read that for yourself. The data chip has all the instructions you need, commander."
"Do you want us to bring in your targets alive or dead?"
"Preferably alive, but don't take too many risks. It's fine if you have to resort to killing them. Just bring proof and make sure to destroy the brains."
Cinnabar nodded after taking the data chip and slipping it into his uniform pocket. "We'll carry out your orders as best we can. With the Sand War heating up, a lot of outfits are moving around. Our movements won't attract too much attention."
"Good to hear."
The two discussed some details about their missions. This wouldn't be the last time Ves intended to dispatch the Battle Criers to run a dirty errand.
Though Ves could have issued a request to Calabast or her C-Men, it was better if he could rely on his own forces to deal with certain matters.
"As long as you complete my errands without issue, then I'll entrust you with more important missions. You'll all be eligible to participate in the training to become second-class mech pilots."
"We'll fulfill your orders to the best of our ability, sir!" Commander Cinnabar replied fervently!
Even Kinners lusted after piloting second-class mechs. Ves found that dangling this reward in front of mech pilots proved to be an extremely effective means of motivating his mech pilots.
Once they finished discussing various matters, Commander Cinnabar showed Ves around. They visited various facilities and looked at the new batch of silver label Desolate Soldiers that had just arrived from the Mech Nursery.
Even when they were dormant, their strong duty-oriented auras impacted every Kinner.
Not that they needed more devotion to their duty. Their loyalty and willingness to work for the person who bought them out had already reached an extreme. The actual effect of the auras only marginally increased their conviction.
Among the group of off-duty Battle Criers milling about, Ves immediately recognized a familiar face.
Wearing the brown-and-red uniform of a mech pilot of the Battle Criers, Dietrich already managed to worm his way into their ranks.
Regardless of whether he was the only foreigner among the Kinners, the former heir to the Whalers already treated his fellow Battle Criers as brothers.
"Looks like your latest recruit is already fitting in." Ves smiled at the sight.
Commander Cinnabar smiled as well. "Mr. Kotz here is a welcome surprise. He's not as stuck up as Casella and Imon Ingvar, for one. He has never looked down on us even once, which isn't a surprise considering what we managed to find out about him. He's also a decent leader. If you ever want to expand the Battle Criers, then I suggest putting him in charge."
That sounded surprising to Ves considering that Dietrich lost control over the gang he was supposed to inherit after his father's death.
"How is he a good leader?"
"Oh, he isn't suitable to run an entire outfit like me, but he'll make for a fine mech officer after a couple of years of seasoning. He just needs to get up to speed on how to run a mech unit."
"Make sure to guide him as best as possible." Ves instructed. "Dietrich is a friend of mine, so I want him to succeed. Make sure not to go easy on him. One of the reasons why he suffered a huge setback is because he's been far too complacent. Some pressure will do some good in drawing out his potential."
"That's what I think as well."
Once the two approached the group of mech pilots, the Battle Criers quickly stood up.
"Sirs!"
"How are you doing, Dietrich?"
"I quite enjoy it here. I feel right at home with the Battle Criers."
"That's good. I've just handed over some tasks to the Battle Criers, so you'll probably be on your way soon. Are you okay with leaving Cloudy Curtain?"
Dietrich shrugged. "I don't care. While this planet is still my home, it doesn't belong to me anymore. The Cloud Whalers have made it more than clear that it's their turf now. Maybe leaving this mess behind will help me get over what has happened to me since my father failed."
"I hope you can find your way again with the Battle Criers."
"I hope so as well. I didn't imagine myself working for you, but now that I am.. I kind of enjoy it. It's a very welcome change not to be in charge of everything for once."
The lost tone in Dietrich's voice revealed that he still had much to go before he was actually ready for a senior leadership position.
Chapter 1581
Sales of the Desolate Soldiers shot higher and higher. As did the sales for the Holy Soldier.
The introduction of the Prideful Soldier opened up a third meteoric sales run. Many outfits and organizations who found the Desolate Soldiers to be uncomfortable finally received a viable alternative.
The lower price point along with the aggressive, prideful aura became an instant hit among gangs and underground organizations!
The Soldier product line was on track to become the defining mechs of the Sand War. Due to the product line's cost efficiency, auras, proliferation in the media and the Stripes of Humanity, the LMC heavily overperformed to the point that the industry started to compare them to companies run by Seniors!
The LMC contracted an unprecedented number of third-party manufacturers to meet the astronomic demand of the local mech markets. Pretty much every state under threat and even the states not under threat began to harken for the Desolate Soldier model or its variants.
With the Militant Soldier and the Peaceful Soldier halfway to completion, Ves anticipated an even greater boost of sales!
In the second month of the Desolate Soldier's release, the LMC and its partners already shipped almost 200,000 mechs!
200,000 mechs! That was an immense figure that completely blew the sales figures of the LMC's older mech models out of the water!
Though there were already signs that the sales for the Desolate Soldier had reached a high point, it stood to reason that the LMC earned an immense amount of money!
"Sadly, inflation keeps getting worse." He muttered.
In the first month since the Desolate Soldier's release, inflation averaged at around 10 percent.
In the second month, inflation had already approached 20 percent, which meant that everyone's savings and cash accumulations were worth that much less!
The consequences of inflation reached far and wide, disrupting nearly every aspect of the regional economy. Both mech manufacturers such as the LMC and average people felt the pain of rising prices and decreasing discretionary incomes.
When the Desolate Soldier model first went on sale, a bronze label edition could be bought for 20 million bright credits.
Now, the same mech sold for 26.4 million credits. Inflation grew so significantly each day that the LMC was forced to correct its list prices every day!
Even though the LMC's monthly earnings surpassed 100 billion credits due to high sales volumes and rich license fees, the actual value of these piles as cash was not as immense as everyone hoped!
"The rate of inflation tracks the growth of prices from a huge and diverse basket of goods and services." Ves reminded himself. "Some products have outpaced the rate of inflation, and they just happen to be the ones that we need the most!"
He could outright forget about buying a starship unless he promised to fork over ten times the price. Even a second-hand rust bucket built in the time when his grandfather was born suddenly became as expensive as a light carrier!
If not for the immense scale of the mech industry, the prices of mechs would have outpaced the rate of inflation as well!
While inflation brought plenty of bad news, Ves recognized an unanticipated benefit from this recent development.
Didn't the rise in prices mean that the System awarded him with even more DP than before?
His eyes widened! He shot out from his bed in his mansion, grabbed Lucky who was staring at him creepily and raced towards his bathroom!
Once he sat down at his toilet and activated the necessary security precautions, he activated the System.
"Come on, come on, gimme more DP!" He hollered excitingly.
The System took an unusually long time to boot up. It was as if it was prolonging its user's anticipation!
After a minute, the System finally booted up. A notification instantly popped up but Ves swiped it aside.
"Status!"
All he cared about right now was ascertaining how much DP he earned in the last few months!
[Status]
Name: Ves Larkinson
Profession: Journeyman Mech Designer
Specializations: Spiritual Man-Machine Symbiosis
Design Points: 1,183,622
Attributes
Strength: 1.6
Dexterity: 1.6
Endurance: 2.0
Intelligence: 2.2
Creativity: 2.1
Concentration: 2.1
Spirituality: 1.8
Neural Aptitude: F
Skills
[Assembly]: Journeyman - [3D Printer Proficiency IV] - [Assembler Proficiency IV] - [Masterwork Mech Assembly I]
[Battle Mechatronics]: Apprentice - [Knight Mech Mastery I] - [Rifleman Mech Mastery I] - [Space Knight Mastery I] - [Hero Mech Mastery I] - [Custom Mech Design II]
[Business]: Apprentice
[Computer Science]: Journeyman - [Mech Hacking II]
[Electrical Engineering]: Journeyman - [Structural Pathway Configuration IV] - [Energy Storage IV] - [Conductors III] - [Ultracompact Energy Storage I]
[Materials Science]: Journeyman - [Crystallography III] - [Crystal Laser Propagation II] - [Lithic Materials I]
[Mathematics]: Journeyman - [Simulations IV]
[Mechanics]: Senior - [Jury Rigging IV] - [Speed Tuning IV] - [Mechanical Fault Detection I] - [Fine Motion Control I]
[Metallurgy]: Senior - [Alloy Compression III] - [Fixed Armor Specialization III] - [Flexible Armor Specialization I] - [Smart Metal IV] - [ASMAS III] - [Internal Structure Specialization I]
[Metaphysics]: Apprentice - [X-Factor IV] - [Spiritual Senses II] - [Spiritual Exploration I] - [Spiritual Manipulation II] - [Spiritual Engineering II]
[Interfacing]: Novice
[Physics]: Senior - [Directed Energy Weapon Optimization III] - [Gamma Laser Weapons I] [Lightweight Armor Optimization II] - [Mediumweight Armor Optimization IV] - [Melee Weapon Optimization IV] - [Polarizing Shielding II] - [Rapid-Fire Laser Weapon Operation II] - [Optics III] - [Ballistic Weapon Optimization IV]
[Propulsion]: Journeyman - [Flight Systems IV]
[Salvaging]: Apprentice - [Field Repairs III]
[Signals and Communications]: Journeyman - [Anti-Stealth Detection II]
[Stealth and Cloaking]: Novice
Abilities
[Superpublish]: Available. Can be activated once a year.
[Inventorize]: Unavailable.
Evaluation: A qualified Journeyman Mech Designer with developing spiritual abilities.
"Over 1 million DP! Hahahaha! I'm rich!"
Ves practically went into an ecstasy when he saw how much his DP he earned since he lasted activated the System!
"Meow?" Lucky titled his head as he lay in the washbowl of the bathroom.
"Hahahahaha—wait a minute! Shouldn't it be more?"
The LMC sold well over 200,000 units of mechs these past two months. Even though much of the mechs had been produced by third-party manufacturers, they still adhered to his design, which meant the System still recognized them as his own.
The System used the full sales price of the mech to determine how much DP Ves was entitled to receive. Even if the mech sold at a loss, Ves would still gain in DP because the System did not take expenses into account.
According to the formula the System used to calculate his DP earnings, 1 million bright credits corresponded to 1 Design Point.
Ves did not need to draw upon his Journeyman-level Mathematics Skill to know that 200,000 mechs that sold for at least 20 million bright credits each corresponded to more than 4,000,000 DP!
In fact, it should have been even greater due to the consequences of inflation!
"Where is my missing 3 million DP! Answer me System!" Ves roared at the System comm.
As usual, the System didn't respond at all, but Ves wasn't satisfied with the lack of answers!
He removed the comm from his System and slammed it against his toilet bowl!
Fortunately, Ketis designed his toilet to be extraordinarily resilient. Made with expensive exotics, it took a mech to inflict actual damage to the toilet bowl!
Loud impact noises echoed loudly in the bathroom as Ves attempted to force an answer from the System!
After the twentieth strike, Ves subsided a bit. There was no point tormenting the System like this. With how exceptional his System comm looked, it was probably tougher than his toilet bowl at this point!
"Wasn't there a notification at the start?" He suddenly recalled.
Ves manipulated the System's interface until he came back to the message he initially brushed off in his haste to view his Status.
[Congratulations for earning 1,000,000 Design Points from a single mech design! Reaching this pivotal achievement marks the end of your introductory period.
The Mech Designer System has observed your growth and improvement throughout your usage of the various services made available to you. Your progress during your introductory period has been deemed adequate.
As a reward for passing the introductory period, the Mech Designer System now deems you an approved user.
Becoming an approved user means that your usage rights have been expanded. The following changes will be enacted as a result of your change in status:
An approved user can extend or revoke access to the Mech Designer System to other mech designers.
An approved user must exchange 1,000,000 Design Points to extend access of the Mech Designer System to other users.
The Mech Designer System will not refund the Design Points when access is revoked. The full amount must be exchanged again to extend access to the same guest user again.
Guest users who have been granted access to the Mech Designer System cannot earn Design Points.
Guest users can only spend Design Points from the account of the approved user that has given them access.
An approved user will no longer be eligible to earn Design Points under the subsidized awarding scheme.
From this point onwards, an approved user can only earn Design Points upon designing a mech and making notable achievements such as creation masterwork mechs. The Mech Designer System has adjusted the awarding formulas as a result.
Skills from the Skill Tree and items from the Shop will no longer be offered at subsidized terms.
Please endeavor to complete the Supply Missions issued to you to improve the current terms of exchange.]
Ves practically puked blood at this incredibly shocking announcement!
What introductory period?
What subsidized awarding scheme?
"Are you messing with me, System?! At least give me back my 3 million Design Points!"
CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
This time, Ves slammed the System comm against his toilet bowl for three straight minutes! Abusing it for one minute for every million DP he missed out on did nothing to relieve his heartache!
"Meow!"
Lucky was so alarmed as Ves' insane behavior that he floated all the way up to the ceiling of the bathroom!
After some time, Ves finally grew tired of tantrums. He wearily inspected the System's interface in order to see what kind of benefits he received as an approved user.
[Mech Designer System Menu]
Status
Designer
Missions
Skill Tree
Shop
Lottery
Inventory
Access Management
He ran down the menus one by one and tried to see what changed.
The Designer suite had expanded. The System offered him a lot more tools while empowering the existing ones to offer him more assistance.
Ves hardly cared about this benefit because it wasn't wise to use the Designer in the company of others.
Missions remained unchanged, and so did Inventory.
Shop and Skill Tree experienced major changes. Ves could only obtain some of the items and goods on offer if he met certain prerequisites.
The amount of DP he needed to exchange for a Skill had also been increased! In fact, the prices would increase even further as Ves accumulated more and more Skills and Sub-Skills, as if the System discouraged him from overloading his mind with too much irrelevant knowledge!
What alarmed Ves quite a bit was that while he could continue to upgrade his existing Skills and Sub-Skills, he already reached the limit of what he could learn!
In fact, according to the System, he overdrafted his current limitations, which meant that at this moment, he couldn't buy anything else!
His nagging suspicion from before that he couldn't accumulate an endless amount of knowledge had been proven right!
"How can I expand the amount of Skills I can learn?!"
[Please complete your Supply Missions or increase your Intelligence to raise this limit.]
"Is this your revenge on me for neglecting your Supply Missions?!" Ves shouted. "How am I supposed to learn anything new?! Is my mind full?!"
[This limit does not apply to self-learned knowledge.]
Ves relaxed a bit. He was not without options. The limit on accumulating Skills only applied to knowledge exchanged from the System, so he could still expand his knowledge base if he hit the books.
He continued to inspect the System by checking out Lottery. He noticed that all the lower-tier lottery tickets had been removed. The only offering available to him at the moment was a golden lottery ticket, and the System charged him a whopping 500,000 DP to exchange a single ticket!
"What a ripoff! How am I supposed to earn so much DP now that you are no longer awarding me any points for selling my mechs?!"
[An approved user and mech designer must rely on their own achievements to achieve success. The Mech Designer System has generously eased your growth by lowering many requirements and offering various subsidies. As a result, a substantial deficit in energy has arisen which must be addressed to ensure the continued functioning of the Mech Designer System.]
"Does that mean this whole 'approved user' nonsense is nothing more than an excuse meant to cut back on what I can exchange from you, System!?"
[Please contact customer support if you require any assistance.]
CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
Chapter 1582
Ever since Ves received the Mech Designer System, he became astounded by how much it was capable of. It could materialize objects out of nothing, integrate a lot of knowledge in his mind, transport his consciousness back into the past and more.
Yet one question always haunted him in the back of his mind.
Where did the System obtain all of the resources and energy to accomplish these reality-bending feats?
Someone as paranoid as Ves never took the System for granted. The more wonders it showed off, the more suspicious he became at the price he needed to pay.
"Nothing comes for free. Not even the System is exempt from this rule."
Now, the truth came out.
Whether the System had always intended to end its so-called 'introductory period' once one of his designs earned him 1,000,000 DP or not, Ves would have exhausted its generosity at some point or another.
The System finally had enough of his easy earnings and his lavish spending. It turned out that the bills he racked up in using the System had never been forgiven. The System only deferred his debt to the future.
Once Ves finished venting his latest bout of anger, he stopped bashing his System comm against the toilet bowl and began to process what he learned.
"Earning a lot of DP won't be as easy as before. Many offerings have also become more expensive."
It was impossible for him to retain the same level of benefits at his current stage. Only when he advanced to Senior or Master and became incredibly good at designing mechs would he be able to reach the same level of prosperity as before.
Ves always considered Design Points to be a fantasy currency. The System never explained what it represented and why it rose in response to his achievements. It turned out that the sales volume of his products wasn't as important as he thought.
At the very least, the System cared much more about creating new mech designs than profiting off existing ones.
The result was that Ves could no longer rely on designing a single extremely successful mech like the Desolate Soldier and sit back for a decade while the DP kept rolling in as more and more copies got sold.
"This also puts an end to profiting from selling virtual mechs." He muttered.
Selling virtual mechs had always been a source of great DP income to Ves. Even though the System capped its income to 250,000 DP for up-to-date mech designs, that was still a hefty bonus!
The drastic changes in the System's remuneration schemes essentially meant that Ves would have to keep designing mechs regardless of the commercial success he enjoyed.
Such an abrupt transition did not seem entirely unfounded.
Low-ranking mech designers predominantly obsessed over earning money to fund their careers. Regardless of their abilities, as long as they weren't able to earn any money, they could forget about progressing further!
High-ranking mech designers no longer shared those concerns. Any casual mech they designed was bound to sell. While Journeymen and Seniors still cared about their earnings, they cared even more about their progression.
The System's changes directly reflected this change in priorities. Incentivizing Ves to keep designing mechs was an indirect way of encouraging him to remain on the correct path.
"This also means that I shouldn't waste too much time on designing variants."
Designing variants may enhance his sales and business success, but did not yield that much design experience and DP to him. Only when he designed original mechs did he feel as if he gained the most in terms of progressing his design philosophy.
Now, it had also turned into his primary source of DP income if he interpreted the System correctly.
"Designing lots of mechs has been my intention anyway." He grumbled. "Were you worried that I would stop being so diligent just because I wanted to wait until the next mech generation has commenced?"
Ves could have designed more original mechs in the same amount of time if he focused his full efforts in doing so. However, he did not regret the way he spent his time in the past few years.
He experienced so much and learned a lot from his various adventures and experiences.
For example, Ves would have never developed such an enormous repertoire of spiritual techniques if he didn't get inspired by various circumstances.
"Well, whatever. What's done is done. I can only accept this new reality."
The main problem that underpinned his relationship with the System was that he held no leverage at all. He was completely at the mercy of the whims of the System.
Perhaps the only reason the System hadn't taken complete advantage of him was because of the deterrent of his mother.
"She definitely holds some leverage over it or tampered with it somehow." He guessed.
Aside from this, what stood out to him was that the System kept reminding him of his long-stalled Supply Missions.
To be honest, Ves had nearly forgotten about them entirely. For the System to remind him of their existence meant that it really wanted to absorb those exceptionally rare exotics!
"It seems like I can't derive too much benefit from you unless I sate your hunger, is that what you're trying to tell me, System?"
Ves owed a debt to the System, simple as that. As a fair, honest and principled mech designer, he did not entirely object to the notion of paying back what he owed.
"It's just that you're demanding a lot. I still haven't heard anything about the materials you've mentioned in your Supply Missions, let alone get anywhere close to getting them into my possession!"
To be honest, he hadn't tried very hard in searching for them. He hadn't even approached Gloriana to help him in tracking down the required materials.
He was deeply afraid that if the Five Scrolls Compact got a hold of this list, they would instantly figure out that he held their long-lost Metal Scroll or something!
"Maybe too much caution is not a good thing." He crossed his arms and adjusted his posture on his toilet. "I don't know what other surprises the System will spring on me if I keep stalling those Supply Missions."
One final detail about the changes came to mind. Perhaps it had listened to his thoughts and ramblings, because his approved user status had given him the right to allow others to access the System.
How exactly, he didn't know. Would they have to approach Ves every time they wanted to access its interface? Would they receive their own System comms?
Whatever the case, the introduction of Access Management meant that the System tacitly approved of his intention of allowing others to benefit from the System. The only caveat was that he would have to pay for all of their DP spending.
"Everything depends on earning DP! Without DP, this function is useless!"
He couldn't help but notice that Ves currently accumulated a bit over 1,000,000 DP. This was just enough to exchange for the right to extend access to a single person.
"What a coincidence." Ves harrumphed.
How much energy and resources did it cost for the System to extend access to another user? Probably not that much. This meant that the System profited immensely every time Ves introduced another guest user!
Paying such a high price was especially grievous to Ves because the guest users benefited from the System at his expense!
The more people he introduced, the higher his total spending burden.
Fortunately, Ves never intended to extend the System to too many people. At most, he only considered turning Gloriana and possibly their heirs into guest users. That would not amount to too many people.
As for extending guest access to people outside of his immediate family?
"Hahaha!" He laughed. "I would never do such a stupid thing!"
Once he went over the implications, Ves reflected over what they all meant to him. How should he use the System in the future?
"I'll just continue to use it in moderation like I always have."
He eventually realized that even if the System curtailed his spending, it did not impact his current trajectory very much. All the regular Skills and Items no longer held that much attraction to him at his current level, though they might still be useful to any potential guest users.
What Ves truly valued from the System at this point was that it granted him the opportunity to obtain rare and valuable things.
The copy of the Amastendira was one of the amazing items he obtained from the System. The Grand Dynamo Elixir he obtained after redeeming a radiant lottery ticket was another life-changing prize!
The System also continued to offer him access to lots of smaller valuables such as Attribute Candies which he could redeem in order to empower the people around him. Their ease of use and lack of side effects made them far more preferable to any genetic modification treatments!
Such fantastic benefits that far exceeded anything he could obtain by himself. For this reason, Ves still had a need for it despite his ambivalence over its origin and its motives.
"I don't really need anything from the System at this moment. I should just let it be. I'm not in a hurry to grant Gloriana guest usage rights either."
He still wasn't sure whether his relationship with Gloriana would work out. Even though she seemed more than willing to commit herself to him, her family might not agree.
Only until he earned the Wodin Dynasty's approval would he be willing to rethink his choice.
"I have enough of sitting here. I should get ready for work."
After Ves freshened himself up, he met with Gloriana downstairs for breakfast.
As they enjoyed their sumptuous meals, Gloriana quickly noticed something different about her boyfriend.
"What's wrong, Ves? You look kind of weary today. Did you have a good rest?"
Ves sipped his coffee and sighed. "It's nothing."
"Your current condition doesn't look like nothing."
"To be honest, a change took place that I'm not entirely pleased with. I can't really describe it to you at this moment."
She quickly grew more concerned. "Is it related to your design philosophy?"
"You don't have to worry about that." Ves smiled to reassure her. "I'm still as capable in designing mechs as before. It's just that some of my future plans require some adjustments."
"Okay."
As they continued to eat breakfast, an idea suddenly came to mind.
One of the limitations the System imposed on him was a cap on the amount of Skills he could redeem from the Skill Tree.
Right now, he simply acquired too many Skills. The System outright blocked him from acquiring more.
Fortunately, it also gave him two potential ways to raise this cap.
One method was to complete a Supply Mission.
Another method was to increase his Intelligence.
Recalling the reason for Gloriana's insane 2.4 Intelligence score, Ves began to take an entirely new interest in cranial implants.
As long as he could bump his Intelligence at her level, he would probably be able to compensate for his overdraft in Skills! He might even be able to open up some breathing room to acquire additional Skills!
This was very important to Ves as many of the Skills and Sub-Skills offered by the System were extremely rare and difficult to obtain through conventional channels.
In addition, some knowledge could only be obtained through practice and experience. It was very difficult for Ves to learn them from a textbook.
As long as Ves could find a way to safely and securely install an implant into his head, his capacity to absorb knowledge from the System would probably receive an enormous boost!
The Archimedes Rubal he obtained from the Starlight Megalodon seemed exceptionally suitable for this purpose! Though it wasn't very versatile, it excelled in storing lots of data!
"Gloriana?"
"Yes, honey?"
"Do you happen to know a trustworthy biotech expert who is good at installing cranial implants?"
Chapter 1583
"In fact, I do Ves. Our Wodin Dynasty employs and retains many fantastic implant surgeons." Gloriana calmly answered his question.
"Can they be trusted?"
"Of course! As long as they are given time and resources to prepare, they never botch an implantation surgery. They've served the Wodin Dynasty loyally and almost never threatened the lives of my relatives when they were put under their care. I can refer you to the surgeon who implanted my Erestal-015 implant in my head if you want the best!"
Ves slowly shook his head. He had little doubt of the competence of the biotech experts working for the Wodin Dynasty. The problem was that they only answered to the Wodin Dynasty. Who could say that they would have his best interest in heart?
Cutting open his head and messing with his brains was one of the most precarious situations he could imagine! Someone as paranoid as him would never allow a stranger to have unfettered access to his head!
Who knew if Constance Wodin ordered a surgeon to slip in some kind of control implant.
Would he take an expert's word that they hadn't tampered with the Archimedes Rubal bioimplant?
Unless he could obtain much greater assurance from the surgeon in question, Ves simply didn't want to take the risk of anything going wrong!
He tried to explain his concerns to Gloriana as carefully as possible. Her face grew grave as she learned of his worries.
"You don't trust our surgeons?"
"I'm sure they've been nothing but loyal and diligent in the service of your dynasty." Ves replied. "It's just that they ultimately answer to your matriarch, right?"
"Matriarch Xiaphna is in charge, but even she has to answer to the Wodin Hexagram." She corrected him. "I understand your point, though. Even if I refer you to one of our implant surgeons, I can't guarantee they'll abide by our wishes. My mother or any other senior member of my family has much more say. If they happen to dislike you..."
"...then they can easily sabotage my treatment." Ves finished her sentence. "Please think for a moment and consider whether it's possible your dynasty would resort to such a means to eliminate me from contention."
She paused for a while and thought it over. Her face grew grimmer and grimmer as she began to entertain several unpalatable scenarios.
"It does sound like something some of my relatives would do." She admitted reluctantly. "I'm sorry, Ves."
Ves waved at her. "It's fine. I'm aware your dynasty has a lot of vested interests and factions. What I'm asking for is if there is an implant surgeon or relevant expert who you can trust with operating on me. Can you think of anyone who is suitable?"
"Well.." Gloriana pressed a finger on her lips. "We'd have to rule out our retainers. They work on behalf of our entire dynasty, which means they effectively answer to Matriach Xiaphna. She's quite distinguished and old, so she probably doesn't favor our relationship."
"Then there is no one you can trust?"
"I didn't say that, Ves. I can still turn to a relative I'm close to. In fact, I know exactly who to approach!"
"Wouldn't that basically be the same?" Ves frowned.
Gloriana shook her head. "My younger cousin Ranya won't stab me in the back. We've been close to each other since we were young! We pretty much belong to the same faction within the Wodins, so she won't listen to any of our opponents within our dynasty. She just happens to graduate as a biotech expert. I'll see whether she's available and willing to travel to the Bright Republic."
Though Gloriana expressed a lot of confidence in this Ranya Wodin, Ves remained on the fence.
"I'm not sure, Gloriana. I really want to take your word for it, but that's not enough. I'll reserve my judgement until I meet her. If I meet her. Won't she be busy now that the Komodo War has erupted?"
"She's just a fresh graduate." His girlfriend dismissively remarked. "Right now, she isn't needed or valued. It would be as if she was a Novice or Apprentice Mech Designer. As long as I call her and promise her enough rewards, she'll probably race to the Bright Republic as fast as possible. She's always short on money."
"Why is that? Aren't you Wodins rich?"
"Not everyone has a mother like me, Ves. Ranya had to make do with much less investment. Her research is also a huge burden."
"Won't she be able to earn that money herself in the Hegemony now that she graduated?"
"Maybe. Perhaps if the war hadn't broken out, she could have started her own company and attracted a lot of investment. Now that our state is engulfed in war, I don't think any investor has any attention to spare on her odd research projects."
"What does she specialize in?" Ves curiously asked.
"Something about combining plants with humans." Gloriana murmured. "What matters is that she's capable of installing implants in human bodies."
"I don't know. It sounds rather iffy to entrust something as important as this to a fresh graduate. No offense to your cousin Ranya, but experience matters."
Even if Ranya Wodin studied at a prestigious medical school in the Hegemony, Ves knew very well that inexperienced professionals still needed to prove themselves.
The two discussed the matter for a moment before making a decision.
"I'll contact Ranya and see if she's willing and able to visit us." Gloriana promised. "If she isn't available, I'll try and contact a close friend. I'm not sure whether they'll be available due to the war, but I'll do my best to lure them over."
"That sounds great." Ves nodded. "I'll see if I can't recruit more qualified implant surgeons on my side. I would feel much better if more than one knowledgeable biotech expert is involved. They can keep each other in check that way, especially if their backgrounds are radically different."
He activated his comm and browsed the personnel database of the LMC and his mech forces. While his organizations actually employed a fair amount of doctors and medical personnel, how many of them worked with implants?
A ten-minute search revealed that Ves employed no suitable specialists.
That meant that if Ves wanted to hire an additional surgeon to keep Gloriana's cousin in check, he would have to recruit one from somewhere else.
His thoughts quickly turned to the masses of refugees milling about at one of the many farming settlements that had sprung up on Cloudy Curtain.
From what he heard, all kinds of professionals and skilled workers were currently stuck in the refugee settlements because the government couldn't deal with them at the moment.
Over time, the government would eventually sort all of the professionals out and find some way to make use of their services, but right now the Starfighter Corps and many other defense efforts required their attention.
This was also why a window had appeared where powerful and well-connected people and organizations could poach the refugees in advance.
Ves already ordered his subordinates to draft a list of potential recruits. He composed a quick message to Gavin so that he could add a biotech expert that was capable of performing implantation surgery to the list.
Once they finished breakfast, the two rode a shuttle to the Mech Nursery. While Gloriana hummed and headed to the underground lab, Ves first diverted to his office.
He had a morning appointment to meet.
"Marcella!"
"Good to see you again, Ves." The middle-aged woman nodded at Ves with respect as she waited outside the door to his office. "Let's get inside. We have a lot to talk about."
While Ves hadn't spoken to Marcella Bollinger in person for quite some time, he still kept in touch with her through the LMC.
As a minority shareholder who supported the company from the beginning, Marcella enjoyed a special status in his orbit.
Even though the LMC had recently surpassed the scope of what her mech brokerage firm originally dealt with, she hadn't been sitting idle while the dividends kept rolling in. From what he heard, she invested billions into expanding the reach of her firm, allowing her to gain access to a lot of foreign markets.
While Ves preferred it if the LMC could depend on entering foreign markets by itself, he didn't mind letting Marcella continue to play a role.
Once they sat down in his office, Marcella grinned and looked at him appreciatively.
"Well, you're certainly grown up a lot. No wonder you managed to attract a rich girl like Gloriana. You know, it doesn't surprise me at all that you're into Hexers."
Ves glowered a bit at her. "Let's not joke around, please. Our time is valuable."
"Oh, come on, Ves! We're old friends, right?"
"We are, but right now we are in a very hectic time. Every second we waste is another second the sandmen get closer to annihilating our state."
Marcella scoffed. "Relax, Ves. Even if you slack off, the Bright Republic won't fall so easily. You may have forgotten this, but you're not the only mech designer around."
"Well, my Soldier product line is making a pretty great impact in the Sand War."
"Don't get complacent too soon, Ves." Marcella warned him. "Your competitors are already on the move. Not just in the Bright Republic, but also in other states."
Ves smiled confidently. "I welcome any honest competition. If someone manages to upstage my Desolate Soldiers, then I'll readily acknowledge my defeat."
Such a thing would never happen, of course. There was no way another mech designer would be able to overcome his spiritual component monopoly!
Marcella helplessly shrugged. "Have it your way, then. Let's get to business since you're so eager to get back to fiddling with your mechs. Do you know why I've come?"
"Yes. You said something about presenting an important proposal that will have wide political ramifications." Ves recalled before frowning. "You know I don't like to get involved in politics."
"From what I've seen so far, you're doing quite well for yourself on that front. Everyone knows you're implicitly backed by the Tovars."
"Not entirely by my own will, I might add."
"That's not important. In fact, the reason why I mentioned the Tovars is because my proposal is related to this founding family."
"What do they want? And why go through you instead of someone else?"
"That's because this proposal, or should I say commission, is very controversial. If you don't have someone like me to smooth things out, this could easily blow up in everyone's faces."
"Stop teasing me and just tell me. What is this commission about?"
Seeing that Ves was reaching the limits of his patience, Marcella grinned and placed a data pad on his desk.
As Ves reached out to pick it up, he couldn't as Marcella kept pressing it against the desk.
"Will you let me see already?"
"Only if you promise not to go bonkers."
"I'm a mech designer, Marcella. We never lose control."
"We'll see."
Once Marcella let go, Ves quickly swiped the data pad and read through the first document.
"Hmm.. a commission for a completely new custom mech, huh? Demands that both Gloriana and I will take part in the design. Well, someone sure did their research. The customer is..."
Ves fell silent while the data pad dropped from his fingers. The device clattered against the surface of his desk.
While Ves remained in shock, Marcella did her best to stifle a laugh.
"Are you kidding me, Marcella?"
"I'm very serious, Ves. From what I've heard, Senator Tovar personally approved of this commission! He thinks it would be a nice way to forge friendly ties with old enemies!"
"But.. THIS IS VINCENT RICKLIN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!" Ves erupted and lifted himself off his seat. "THIS BASTARD IS A MURDERER AND A TERRORIST!"
Marcella sighed and closed her eyes. "I agree, but times are changing, Ves. Later this afternoon, the bright president will hold a press conference where he'll grant full amnesty to the Bentheim Liberation Movement. As long as they agree to fight on behalf of the Republic, the government will wipe the slate clean!"
Chapter 1584
"You have to accept this commission."
"No!" Ves stubbornly shook his head. "I can't accept the Bentheim Liberation Movement as my customer, let alone Vincent Ricklin! Do you know how much trouble I got into when he used the mech I customized for him to tear apart the Ricklin Family?!"
Early in his career, when he was still desperate to earn money, he couldn't afford to be picky with his customers. Accepting Vincent Ricklin as his customer was one of the worst decisions he had made, especially considering how much trouble he got into afterwards!
Marcella patiently allowed Ves to vent his objections to her. "I understand your frustrations, but it's exactly because of your contentious history with Vincent Ricklin that we need you to take this commission."
"Who is this 'we' you're talking about?"
"Everyone who supports reconciliation with the BLM."
Ves sighed and saw that this issue was a lot more serious than he thought. He sat back down on his desk.
"Explain, please."
"Let's start at the beginning. First, do you know what the BLM are fighting for?"
"They want to turn Bentheim independent. Feh, as if that would ever happen."
Marcella nodded in agreement. "It's a fool's quest, but plenty of Bentheimers support their cause. Do you remember that at the recent Bright-Vesia War, the Vesians launched a strong offensive that tore straight in the direction of Bentheim? It seemed that after several centuries of war, this was the closest that Bentheim directly came under contention."
"I remember." Ves nodded grimly. He had been on Bentheim during that time busting a BLM smuggling ring at the Kadar-Neyvis Group. "People also started to fear if the rebels would launch a huge uprising at the same time the Vesians invaded the Bentheim System. Attacked from within and without, the Mech Corps and the Bentheim Planetary Guard would be forced to fight a battle on two fronts."
"It's a good thing the war did not extend past this point. The Vesians merely used the threat of invading Bentheim as a bargaining chip in the negotiations for peace. While we're still paying a price to the Vesians because of that, it beats tearing Bentheim apart."
Both Ves and Marcella had seen their fair share of war, so they both favored this solution.
"The sudden onset of peace disrupted the BLM's plans, right?" Ves pointed out. "I remember that after the war, a sentiment began to spread that the BLM wouldn't be able to hold back their accumulated forces."
"Those were dark days. Luckily, nothing happened. The BLM simply withdrew and hid their forces, which exist to this day. This is exactly what gives the BLM leverage. Even if they're rebels, do you think they are weak? Since they seriously planned to attack the most populated and prosperous planet in the Bright Republic, they can give the heavily-fortified garrisons a serious run for their money!"
Ves was starting to see why the Bright Republic sought to compromise with the BLM. "You mean..."
The mech broker nodded. "The Sand War threatens every Brighter, no matter if they live on Rittersberg or Bentheim. The Bentheim Liberation Movement isn't exempt from this. In fact, they have more to lose than everyone else because Bentheim will almost certainly become a magnet for the sandmen!"
"Isn't Bentheim being fortified as we speak?"
"We can't underestimate the sandmen, Ves. We don't know many fleets the sandmen have in reserve. Under these circumstances, the mech divisions stationed at Bentheim as well as the Bentheim Planetary Guard will have to put as much effort as possible into repelling the relentless flood of sandman fleets."
"Thereby leaving them less able to guard against the BLM." Ves concluded.
Marcella nodded gravely. "The government is in an awkward position. According to their internal projections, it's very much possible that Bentheim will fall if they don't commit enough assets. However, if even a portion of their mechs are assigned to guard critical infrastructure on land, then that means there's a lot less mech pilots that can be assigned to defeat the sandmen in space."
Due to Bentheim's insane population density and large accumulation of materials and energy sources, it would be devastating if even a single sandman vessel made landfall. Beating the sandmen in space had to be prioritized at all cost!
The Bentheim System concentrated an immense amount of industry and trade. No other star system in the Bright Republic carried as much economic and industrial weight as this vital port system!
The loss of Bentheim to the sandman represented the death knell of the Bright Republic. The fallen border states already showed everyone the consequences of losing such a pivotal economic center. Just the impact on morale alone was enough to make the rest despair!
With all of these consequences looming over everyone's heads, Ves came to an uncomfortable conclusion.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"To be more precise, the struggle on both sides has been supplanted by a greater threat from afar. If the sandmen win, both the Bright Republic and the BLM will lose everything. Freeing Bentheim becomes meaningless if there's nothing but broken wrecks and tides of sand proliferating on its surface. Do you think it's any surprise that both sides have put down their animosity towards each other to defend against the greater threat?"
Rationally, such a decision made a lot of sense. Emotionally, Ves couldn't accept it. How could centuries of death and destruction be forgiven in a matter of months?
"There's way too much bad blood on both sides, Marcella. The BLM are all fanatics. How can they ever stomach fighting alongside government forces?"
"I agree that the relationship between the central government and the BLM is precarious. As a Bentheimer myself, I can see both sides of the equation. However, I'm also aware that the sandmen really do need to be addressed. This is why Senator Tovar and a number of other high officials took the initiative to negotiate with the leaders of the BLM. These crucial negotiations have been rocky because it's incredibly difficult for both sides to lay down their grievances towards each other. After a few months of arguing, they finally managed to agree to a difficult compromise."
"Do you know the details?" Ves curiously asked.
She nodded. "It's not a secret by now. The gist of it is that in exchange for committing the bulk of their accumulated mech forces against the sandmen, the BLM and all of its members will receive full amnesty. In fact, the government will help the BLM transition into a legal political entity that can take part in the planetary political process. The military wing will have to be divested from the political wing, though, but their mech forces are free to form outfits as long as they don't grow too powerful."
Ves raised his eyebrows. "Full amnesty? You mean that even the most murderous rebels with a lot of blood on their hands get to start anew?"
"The BLM accepted no less. While there is a lot of discontent in the government for agreeing to this demand, in the end the decision has been made. In exchange for letting off every separatist no matter how many crimes they have to their name, the BLM agreed to divest and fracture their military wing. This is a very important concession that will ensure future stability as long as the Bright Republic survives the Sand War."
"Is that all to it?" Ves frowned suspiciously. "So far, it sounds like the BLM agreed to be defanged for a single concession. There got to be more to this deal, right?"
Marcella nodded. "The grievances of the BLM can't be assuaged with amnesty alone. The central government has decided to grant several important concessions to the BLM. These include giving Bentheim's planetary government more autonomy from the central government and drastically reducing the amount of money that Bentheim transfers elsewhere."
"Isn't that basically giving in to nearly every demand of the BLM?"
"The central government has little choice. They need to placate the grassroots of the rebel movement by giving them the impression that the cause they have fought for has not been in vain. Short of granting Bentheim independence, the BLM has essentially received everything they wished!"
A short pause ensued as Ves processed the situation.
"I can hardly imagine the central government stomaching these concessions." He remarked. "How in the hell can the powers that be swallow such a huge surrender?"
"That's the problem, Ves. Even if Senator Tovar and his allies are highly in favor of this solution, the more militant factions are less than pleased with the situation. The compromise the government has struck with the BLM is extremely shaky, make no mistake. If even a single thing goes wrong, the government could turn against the rebels and vica versa. Such a devastating outcome in the middle of the Sand War has to be avoided at all cost!"
"What does this have to do with the commission you've sprung on me?" Ves asked in confusion. "All of this sounds way over my head! I'm not a diplomat, Marcella! I'm just a mech designer!"
"Don't belittle yourself, Ves." Marcella grinned. "While you're right, you also happen to be a Larkinson and a famed war hero. In the eyes of the government, you're an In order to prove that both sides can get along with each other, the government has started a large number of initiatives. As an ally of Senator Tovar and a famous mech designer, you'll have to do your part as well to facilitate the integration of the BLM into our society."
"I really don't like getting caught up in another political game, Marcella!"
"Our masters don't take no for an answer, Ves. When your history with Vincent Ricklin became known, the masterminds have instantly concocted a plan to show that both of you have reconciled with each other. Seeing a prominent Larkinson and one of the public faces of the BLM getting along will help a lot in convincing everyone that a new future has arrived!"
"Public face?"
"You haven't been to Bentheim lately, it seems. Vincent has made quite a name over the years. He's very charismatic and photogenic. He's the ultimate bad boy in the eyes of many women on Bentheim. The BLM purposefully put him forward as one of their heroes in order to maintain public support!"
"That's ridiculous!" Ves slammed his palm against his desk. "Even if I haven't stepped foot on Bentheim very often, I still keep up with the news! None of the local news portals have mentioned anything about this so-called 'bad boy'!"
Marcella smiled ruefully at Ves. "All of those media outlets are controlled by the government, Ves. They would never publish anything that puts the BLM in a good light. That doesn't stop the BLM from running their own underground press outlets. Vincent has grown a lot over the years. He's not the scrappy young man he used to be. He worked his way up to become a cadre and a mech captain in their ranks!"
Everyone changed over time. Back when Vincent turned against the Ricklin Family and defected to the BLM, Ves had been just a trivial Novice Mech Designer who just took his first steps in the mech industry.
Now, both of them no longer resembled their earlier selves! While Ves had grown to become a prominent Journeyman, Vincent had become an idol of the BLM!
Ves found it hard to stomach that a lowlife like Vincent managed to survive and thrive as a fugitive and a rebel.
Was it too much to ask for Vincent to be caught and executed by the authorities? How come this bastard managed to live long enough for him to become involved in a scheme meant to foster cooperation?!
"I really don't like this, Marcella." He frowned. "And I don't believe that I'm not allowed to refuse. I'm no longer a small and inconsequential mech designer!"
"You're right. But do you truly think you can refuse the likes of Senator Tovar without suffering any consequences? This is why I've been chosen to break the news to you. While it's true that your status in the Bright Republic is different, you shouldn't rely on it too much. Fulfilling favors like this will strengthen your position and keep your allies content. You don't want to have a falling out with the Bright Republic, do you?"
Ves glowered at Marcella. Whose side was she on, anyway?
Chapter 1585
After some thought, Ves understood Marcella's position.
She was a Brighter, a veteran and a Bentheimer. Her loyalty towards the Bright Republic was unquestionable. She also cared a lot about Bentheim and supported any solution that made it safer.
Even if she was a shareholder of the LMC, she saw no conflict between supporting the company and supporting her home.
"While it may seem to you that the politicians at Rittersberg have made huge concessions to get the BLM on their side, think about what will happen after the sandmen are defeated."
A short moment passed before Ves came to a realization.
"A lot of real estate has freed up." He murmured. "With the fall of the Coman Federation and the border states, the Bright Republic stands to gain a huge amount of territory as long as we manage to dislodge the sandmen!"
Marcella grinned. "Exactly! Just imagine it! Our state can easily double or even triple our claims!"
"While you're right, I don't think that it will be as easy as it sounds to defeat the sandmen that have taken over the planets and rebuild all of those settlements from scratch. Won't the Bright Republic need even more money to fund this expansion?"
"The bright senate has already thought of that." She retorted. "There's already word of a bill being drafted that will give private individuals and organizations the right to run the newly-resettled planets as long as they cover all of the expenses! It won't strain the government's budget any further while providing everyone who has remained loyal a way to profit from the war!"
The cost of doing so was that the central government surrendered a lot of authority to the people and organizations who were wealthy enough to fund the reconstruction efforts.
If Ves actually cared about becoming a landowner, he might feel tempted to join this race as well.
"It will take a long time for those settlements to generate revenue. Decades, at the very least." Ves guessed.
"The government is patient, and so are the investors. Once these new settlements get up and running, the tax revenue they bring in will compensate for the loss of tax revenue from Bentheim. This is the key argument that Senator Tovar and the other supporters of this plan have put forward."
As far-fetched as it sounded, the plan still had a basis in reality. Though it depended on numerous assumptions, it was evidently enough to placate every faction.
"Even if the government has made nice with the BLM in this fashion, I still can't get over the fact that you're putting me up with Vincent again!"
In her eyes, she probably thought that Ves was making too much of a fuss about his animosity against Vincent Ricklin. Even though the latter was a scumbag, he happened to be a famous scumbag.
Of course, getting Ves to accept the commission was harder than she anticipated.
He had many objections to working for Vincent and the BLM. Aside from getting caught in the aftermath of Vincent's crimes, Ves also had another reason to turn up his nose at this commission.
"This guy had the temerity to demand a ridiculous mech from me." Ves growled with gritted teeth. "Just remembering that shameful mech is enough to ruin my day!"
He regarded the second mech that he had ever built in his career as a black mark on his record. Not only did Vincent abuse it to slaughter a lot of innocents, he also forced Ves to implement a ridiculous cosmetic addition to his custom mech!
A codpiece!
After the disastrous events that took place during that time, Ves did his best to forget the customized Marc Antony Mark I he built and delivered. Who knew that the government and the BLM would one day come together and shake hands!
Now that Vincent Ricklin was on track to receive full amnesty for his deplorable actions, Ves could not use Vincent's fugitive status as an excuse to refuse this commission!
However, as a respectable professional with a reputation for excellence in mech design, Ves simply couldn't stomach the idea of designing another mech that matched Vincent's aesthetic standards.
Ves was 100 percent sure that Vincent hadn't changed in that regard!
"Look, Ves, it's just a simple commission. One mech and you're done. You don't have to do anything else to help the integration of the BLM into society. Don't forget that your allies in the government have given you a lot of cover since your return. Do you think everyone is okay with your Hexer girlfriend and your affiliations with the Hegemony? Do you think the Ministry of Defense would be so lenient to support your Desolate Soldier model to the point of requesting a couple of variants?"
Ves looked at Marcella in the eyes with a measured expression. He was beginning to think that this minority shareholder of his company wasn't purely advocating for herself.
She was still a friend, though. Ves respected her and didn't particularly see anything wrong with her stance. It was just that the details rubbed him in the wrong way.
In the end, Ves thought it was unwise to appear ungrateful for all of the support he enjoyed so far. This was the nature of how connections worked. If someone scratched his back, he needed to return the favor.
Even if the other monkey's back had turned into a stinking, festering cesspool filled with lice, Ves found it difficult to refuse his obligations.
He sighed. "Alright. I'll do this if it keeps everyone happy. Don't expect me to be enthusiastic, though. If Vincent turns out to be a prick who wants to make things difficult, this venture is over, am I clear?"
"I'll pass that on." Marcella smiled in relief. "Thank you, Ves. As long as you do a good job, the Bright Republic will continue to support the LMC. In fact, do you know why the Ministry of Defense requested you to design the Prideful Soldier?"
Ves widened his eyes. "Don't tell me..."
"You guessed it! As you know, the BLM has a lot of mechs, but most of them are landbound machines. If the BLM is to meet their obligations, they will need to acquire tens of thousands of spaceborn mechs! Our Prideful Soldier is one of the models that is in contention for this massive procurement spree!"
Ves could barely contain his emotions when he imagined the BLM fighting the good fight with his products.
Compared to providing a custom mech to Vincent, this was much worse! If the BLM held any ill intentions, the consequences would be ruinous!
Nonetheless, a deal was a deal. Now that Ves agreed to fulfill the commission brought up by Marcella, he had to make sure to complete it to the best of his ability.
This wasn't just about pleasing his allies. His principles also compelled him to set aside his private grievances and fulfill the demands of his client.
As long as someone became his client, Ves would always put his full effort into completing the job. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to call himself a professional.
Even so, that didn't forbid him from grumbling about the situation.
"I didn't imagine I would still be put in the position of following someone else's orders." He wearily scratched his chin.
Ves was growing rather tired of his smooth-shaven skin. Maybe he should grow out a stubble or a beard in order to make himself appear more mature. He'd look much less like a pushover.
"It's war time, Ves. We can't let our biases and old hatreds get in the way of saving the Republic. Everyone needs to do their part, including you. At least you're spared from being drafted by the Mech Corps. Instead, you merely have to fulfill a few requests and repay some favors. Doesn't that sound like a good deal?"
From an objective point of view, Ves agreed with her. From an emotional point of view, Ves held nothing but resentment.
However, he did his best to suppress his belly of anger. There was no point acting like a spoiled kid right now. Marcella was absolutely right that designing a custom mech for Vincent as part of some publicity stunt was incomparable to the risks he took in the past.
Now that Marcella completed the main goal of her visit, she relaxed and began to talk about other topics.
There was no way she wouldn't bring up the explosive success of the Soldier product line.
"Right now, all of your Soldier models are doing well." She smiled. "The Desolate Soldier is still on track to sell over 100,000 copies a month. The Holy Soldier and Prideful Soldier models aren't slouches either. It's too bad that the margins aren't very generous and that the money the company is earning is rapidly losing its value. According to various sources, the authorities aren't going to loosen their spendthrift ways anytime soon. The most they will do is keep monthly inflation within 20 percent."
This was devastating news to any institutions with large piles of cash. Within less and a year, the same amount of money would effectively be worth ten times as less!
All kinds of awful consequences followed when money lost value this rapidly. As someone who studied the mech markets and made deals for a living, Marcella's livelihood was also at stake.
"Will there even be a functioning economy left if the Bright Republic survives the Sand War?"
Marcella nodded confidently. "Whatever ruin inflation has wrought on our economy, it beats total annihilation. There is no point in holding back if it reduces our chances of surviving the Sand War. Everyone needs to make some sacrifices to stave off complete and utter defeat."
The Sand War was very different from the Bright-Vesia Wars of before.
As much as the Vesians wanted to conquer Bentheim, their Mech Legion would always start to run out of steam after a few years.
At that point, furthering war would no longer benefit the Vesians. Instead, they needed to pay an increasingly greater price to make more achievements. The losses plainly outweighed the gains, so there was ample reason to end the war at that stage.
This was not so against a stupid race like the sandmen. Even their upper caste appeared to be dimwitted and inflexible compared to human leaders.
When the sandman leaders suddenly went crazy and sent enormous swathes of sandmen into human space, no one believed the war before one side or the other got wiped out in their entirety.
Since humanity occupied half of the galaxy, there was no way the sandmen would be left alive after the Sand War. Not a single human expected to compromise with the accursed aliens.
While human civilization as a whole could easily swat this bug, the same could not be said for the states that made up part of human space.
Humanity was destined to win, but the Bright Republic and many other struggling states might fall before that happened.
This was the reason why everyone was resorting to all kinds of unthinkable means to mobilize more forces against the sandmen. The Bright Republic needed to hold the line and defend its star systems until the sandmen finally exhausted their military might!
"You're right on one thing, Marcella." Ves sighed. "The Bright Republic will become a very different place after the Sand War is over."
"Well, the Sand War isn't the only crisis that will determine the fate of our Republic. The Komodo War is also hanging over our heads! Regardless who wins, the Komodo Star Sector will be their oyster!"
If the Hegemony ever triumphed over their foes, the rest of the star sector had no choice but to align themselves with the winner.
While it was unlikely that the Hegemony would bother to annex the poor and impoverished third-rate states around them, it hardly even mattered.
Cultural and economic diffusion from the Hegemony to the weaker states would ensure that the entire star sector would soon take on a single, dominant identity.
"At least you're a woman." Ves remarked. "If the Coalition wins, you won't lose anything. If the Hegemony wins, you might even gain something!"
Marcella chuckled. "Guilty as charged!"
Chapter 1586
Marcella stayed for half a day as she and Ves discussed all kinds of issues.
As a well-connected Bentheimer, Ves got to learn all kinds of news that wasn't publicly known.
The mech broker and marketer freely divulged all kinds of details that gave Ves a greater understanding of Bentheim.
"Bentheimers know that their planet and star system will attract countless sandmen." She explained. "Maintaining public confidence is crucial in keeping its existing economy and production functioning. If panic ever spreads, then everything will stop working in Bentheim. If Bentheim stops working, the rest of the Bright Republic will quickly fall apart!"
"Our state is too dependent on Bentheim." Ves concluded.
"Exactly. That has always been a problem, but a manageable one. Now that an enemy like the sandman race has emerged, the faults of concentrating so much economic and industrial weight in a single star system has become painfully clear. The politicians have already resolved to reduce their dependence on Bentheim. As long as the Bright Republic manages to survive and annex the territories of the former Coman Federation, everything will be fine in the end."
"How do you think the local Bentheimers will react to the deal the central government has struck with the BLM?"
"They'll be pleased, of course. Even though not everyone agrees with their cause, they're still considered folk heroes by many locals. The working classes who benefit the least from all of the economic activity will be particularly enthusiastic about the concessions. They will probably expect that all of the revenue that was ordinarily sent to other star systems to be spent on improving their living standards."
Ves studied Marcella's sardonic smile carefully. "You don't believe that will happen."
"Of course not. Those in power always occupy most of the wealth. That won't change whether Rittersberg or the former rebels are in charge. The people at the top will always prioritize their own interests first before considering anything else. Once the former leaders of the BLM transition into politicians and administrators, they'll be faced with enormous temptations. Who can keep their fingers off the vast amount of money that is circulating on Bentheim?"
Human nature was always like this. Even if the former rebels fought on behalf of the poor and disadvantaged locals, once they came into power, it was hard to remember their original mission.
At least Marcella thought so. Her words conveyed a cynical prediction of the future.
"Is that what the central government is after, Marcella? They readily agreed to pardon the members of the BLM and even gave in to their demands to grant Bentheim greater autonomy so that the BLM would be on the hook for everything that followed?"
Marcella's grin grew wider. "Exactly. It's easy for the separatists to boast that Bentheim will do better under their rule, but now that their wish has come true, will they be able to back up their boasts? The government doesn't think so. The BLM is good at stirring up trouble, but they don't have any experience in solving actual problems."
"I take it that separating the armed wing from the political wing is a crucial part of defanging the BLM."
She nodded. "The upper echelon maintains a solid grip on their cells. That's not acceptable to the government. Forcing the upper echelon to give up direct control and letting the cells go their own way will reduce the leverage that the former rebel leaders hold. While they can still unite again if the government fails to keep their word, as long as everything abides by the agreement, nothing of the sort will happen."
"By separating the armed wing from the political wing, the former cells will slowly drift from the control of the upper echelon. They will also veer away from the central ideals of the BLM. Once the former military wing of the BLM becomes divided, the BLM will cease to pose a threat against the Bright Republic."
"This is especially the case if the leaders-turned-politicians become divided as well, right?"
"Correct. With so much power and money at their fingertips, it's impossible for any single leader, faction or ideology to remain in power. The higher-ups will quickly begin to squabble and fall out with each other. New factions will emerge that each promote a different their own ideas on how Bentheim ought to be run."
Ves had to hand it to Senator Tovar and his band of schemers. They sure laid out a wonderful plan to transform a former threat into a bunch of harmless interest groups.
However, if Marcella could spot the problem, so should the BLM.
"Will the BLM seriously fall for this trap?"
"It's an open conspiracy, Ves. Even if the rank and file of the BLM are clueless to the political and societal implications of the deal, the higher ups and the senior cadre aren't stupid. They know that once the BLM has accepted this deal, their unity will soon be a thing of the past."
"Then why..."
"Do you think it's glamorous to be a fugitive? To live a life where you are being hunted every second of the day? Now that the central government is amenable to the idea of issuing blank pardons to the separatists, why should they refuse? The pressure from the sandmen along with getting almost everything on their wish list is enough to push them into a corner. If the separatists won't agree to such an attractive deal, the BLM will probably fracture!"
"What about the upper ranks?"
"They'll all become future commanders, politicians and administrators. That sounds quite cozy to me. It's better than living a life on the edge. Vincent Ricklin is senior enough to become one of the beneficiaries of this transition. That's why it's important to earn his support. As long as he plays along, he won't be using his substantial voice to agitate against the deal."
Ves grimaced at that. This was one more reason why he should do his best to fulfill the commission.
"Let's not talk about this stuff anymore. All of this statesmanship sounds way over my head." He said tiredly. "Tell me about the commission. What kind of mech am I supposed to design?"
"Vincent will come to Cloudy Curtain in person to convey his demands. However, I can already tell you that the BLM and the central government has both invested a substantial amount of money for this publicity stunt."
"What's my budget?"
"530 million bright credits."
"What?! Is the BLM that rich?!"
That sum amounted to around 400 million pre-inflation bright credits, which was still a hefty sum for a single mech!
"As I've already mentioned, the government is footing at least half of the bill. Vincent insists on piloting a powerful mech to inspire his fellow comrades in battle. He's not getting it for free, of course. Not only will he set a heroic example for the former separatists who have now been drafted into a war against the sandmen, he'll also put his full support behind the deal."
"And that's worth half a billion bright credits?"
"I think we got off rather cheap. While Vincent doesn't have that much sway among the higher ups, he's definitely capable of swaying the opinions of the lower ranks. He's simply that popular."
Ves wanted to palm his face. How could a sleazy kinslayer like Vincent ever become a role model for so many rebels and Bentheimers?
"What else does Vincent want?"
"He wants a mech that is similar to the Caesar Augustus and Marc Antony Mark I and Mark II's. So that means a hybrid mech equipped with several diverse weapon systems. Of course, all of them have to be adapted for the Sand War, so you can leave out the laser weapons."
Hearing those names made Ves reminisce about the past. Back then, the System awarded him with the license for the Caesar Augustus. With his paltry finances, he had no choice but to work with this complex, lastgen mech design.
In hindsight, Ves believed that it wasn't a coincidence the System dumped the troublesome Caesar Augustus license in his lap. The white elephant forced him to innovate a lot in order to solve the mountain of issues associated with the premium mech design.
Ves had definitely learned a lot from the experience. So much so that he did not blame the System for foisting a problematic mech design on him. He wouldn't have improved so fast and attracted Master Olson's attention if he took it easy during that critical period.
"Anything else?"
"That's all I know, Ves. If you want to know more, you'll have to hear it from Vincent himself."
"I can't entertain this commission immediately. I still have my hands full with designing the Militant Soldier and Peaceful Soldier."
"How soon will you be able to finish their designs?"
Ves made a quick estimate. "Three weeks. Gloriana and I are halfway into completing their designs."
"I'll pass that on to the relevant authorities. We don't want you to delay the release of those two variants. They're sorely needed right now."
"Sounds good." Ves sighed in relief. "Aside from repaying favors, can I expect anything else in return for playing along with this scheme?"
"I'm sure you can gain enough leverage to demand some small favors. For example, isn't your Larkinson Family trying to gain approval to start an advanced mech academy on Cloudy Curtain? You can easily speed this process up and block rivals from gaining approval."
"That benefits the Larkinsons, not me..."
Seeing that Ves remained unswayed by vague promises and minor favors, Marcella leaned in. "I'll let you in on a secret, then. I've heard some big plans from some of my contacts. Certain factions in the government believe that it would do them a lot of good if they assist you in propagating your Desolate Soldiers and other highly-promising mech models."
Ves narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that the LMC won't have to promote your products on your own. You'll have the entire Bright Republic standing behind you and your mech designs. While your mechs have plenty of detractors, it's undeniable that they are very useful in the right situations."
"That sounds very iffy, Marcella."
"The government already owns 21 percent of the LMC. It's in their best interests to see your company flourish."
"And gain greater influence and control over the LMC as a result."
"No one loses out, Ves. To be honest, these kinds of arrangements aren't unusual. The government usually extends this kind of support to companies run by Seniors, though. It's virtually unheard of that a young Journeyman like you gains the support of the state. That makes this move all the more remarkable! The Bright Republic is essentially willing to declare that your mech designs have so much promise that they'll be able to sell in many different mech markets!"
While Ves could see the immediate upside of government support, Ves never depended on it in the first place. The entire reason why Ves played along with Flashlight's games during the war was because he wanted to get rid of the tentacles of the odious Ministry of Economic Development.
Wouldn't it be rather backwards if he suddenly turned around and embraced government intervention?
"The LMC doesn't need any government support. As long as the authorities stay out of the LMC's way, I'm confident the company will grow regardless of any assistance. My mechs are just that good."
He made his stance loud and clear, which did not entirely sit well with Marcella.
"I'm not sure you're making the right decision, Ves." She slowly responded. "Perhaps we should explore this idea further with the board of directors. You're not the only person who has a say in the company. The Larkinson Estate and the government own a fair chunk of the company. If my vote is added to the mix, then you've lost your majority."
"Hahaha!" Ves burst out. "I'm not the naive little Novice Mech Designer of before, old friend. That trick won't work on me. Regardless of how many shares I own, I'm the lead designer of this mech company! If I'm no longer around, the LMC will soon become worthless!"
He brazenly pointed his thumb at himself!
"Like it or not, I am the LMC!"
Chapter 1587
Ves watched Marcella leave his office with a mixed expression.
For old times' sake, he refrained from pushing back too hard.
Yet his forbearance had its limits.
His relationship with the Bright Republic had gone through a sea of changes. While he was not yet the equal of Seniors in several ways, his specialty and his future potential was much more promising.
Ves thought that his allies would have recognized his new value the best, but evidently not everyone received the message.
He had to offer a rebuke to that old coot who was used to treating people as pawns that he was already reaching the end of the board.
The fantastic sales of the Soldier product line and its increasing proliferation in the star sector already hinted at his great appeal.
No other product in the market could match the benefits brought by his mechs. His Transcendent Messengers already transformed the Ylvaine Protectorate and now his Soldier product line was about to take the Komodo Star Sector by storm!
He was no mere pawn. Not anymore.
If he was by himself, then the people at the top might have been tempted to strengthen their control over him. There were many ways for Senator Tovar, Flashlight and other factions to exert pressure on him. If Ves would just let himself get rolled over all the time, then how would he ever get rid of the shackles that bound him to petty officials and regional snakes?
"Fortunately, I'm not alone. Gloriana is my biggest talisman."
Even though his girlfriend was a foreigner, her status was incomparable. Few Brighters would ever dare to mess with her directly, let alone touch someone she professed to love.
While her presence at Cloudy Curtain was rather awkward due to the heating Komodo War, as long as the Hexadric Hegemony remained in contention, there was no way the government would dare to go too far.
However, that did not preclude smaller actions and more indirect ways to influence him. Sending Marcella to convince him to repay the favors he received from the government certainly qualified. Though his business partner approached him with a smile, it did not change the fact that she convinced him to design a custom mech for someone he hated.
"Can I still trust her?" He seriously questioned.
Right now, the answer was no. Ves highly suspected that she had been bought by Senator Tovar or Flashlight because of her relationship with him and her minority stake in the LMC.
"Someone like Marcella is a nobody in the eyes of the higher ups. They don't have to put much effort into converting her to their cause."
He learned an important lesson today.
He had outgrown his old friends.
Perhaps at the start, Marcella used to be a figure he looked up to. Her wealth, connections, experience and capabilities were far beyond his reach.
Back then, he needed to borrow from her strength to gain a footing in the mech market.
Yet that was in the past. Now, the tables were turned. Ves succeeded in designing a mech that sold over 100,000 units a month. His products sold well in dozens of markets and several variants derived from the original design also fared very well!
In comparison, how did Marcella do? Though she had benefited hugely from her bet on Ves early on, she was still the same mech broker as before.
The only thing that had changed was that she invested much of the dividends she received in expanding her firm and setting up branch offices in many foreign states.
"All that is well and good, but at the end of the day, Marcella is still bound in Bentheim. Her network doesn't extend past her home planet."
As the LMC continued to focus on expanding outwards, his old business partner became less and less relevant. The LMC's Marketing Department could already take over her role entirely with just a modest drop in effectiveness.
Once his company got used to establishing relations and opening up markets on its own, there was no meaning in keeping Marcella around anymore.
"She should relinquish her 5 percent stake in the LMC." He muttered.
Unfortunately, this was not the time to do so. For now, he had to let Marcella maintain the illusion that she still had the ability to influence Ves and the direction of the company on account of their friendship.
"I should still send a signal to express my dissatisfaction." He mumbled.
Ves began to rub his clean-shaven chin while contemplating ways to change the status quo. He originally wanted to keep his head down and quietly design mechs, but the situation forced him to reconsider his approach.
"I should throw my weight around."
He spent a few minutes to consider his options before settling for one of the plans he had prepared. He activated his comm and sent a quick summon to one of his subordinates.
Fifteen minutes later, the door to his office opened to let in Captain Crindon. The Kinner walked all the way up to the desk before calmly sitting on the chair vacated by Marcella.
"You called, sir?"
Ves nodded. "How much progress have you made in your spy hunt?"
"At this moment, I've identified over a hundred suspected personnel that I'm reasonably confident are spies or informers. It's difficult to determine who they are answering to. Even with... your cat's help, there is far too much data to comb through."
"Let's just get rid of them all."
"Pardon?"
"Fire them all. I want to get rid of them immediately!"
"Sir, let's not be too hasty here! Some of the suspected individuals occupy key positions in your company! Simultaneously terminating their employment will disrupt many operations and lead to preventable mistakes and interruptions!"
"I don't care!" Ves roared and slammed his fist against his desk! "We need to draw a line here! People are messing around with me, thinking that I'll just take it like a good boy! Well, no more!"
Though Crindon cautioned calm and suggested further deliberation, Ves did not see the need to delay. He wanted to send a powerful message as soon as possible. To delay his actions for a few days would signal that he still had scruples.
"Crindon, while I respect your opinion, frankly I don't give a damn right now. I'm confident that the LMC is robust enough to weather this storm. There are so many capable people under my employ that I'm sure that there are plenty of replacements for the traitors I plan to get rid of. Even if some friction occurs.. it's better than leaving these parasites in place."
"This isn't how the game is played, sir. Didn't we agree beforehand that we would depend on tact and patience to remove the suspect people from your company?"
"Patience is a virtue, but too bad I'm a devil." Ves smiled deprecatingly at himself. "It's time to let the rest of the galaxy know that. Execute my orders, captain."
Crindon looked troubled, but he had no choice to obey. "Very well, sir. I will work with Miss Calsie to see if the people on my list can be removed without any incident."
Though Ves clearly dismissed his subordinate, Crindon remained on his seat.
"What's the matter?"
"There's one notable individual on the list which requires special attention. This person's position and influence in the LMC is exceedingly high."
"Who?"
"Jake Altern. One of the longest-serving executives and the Chief Operating Officer of the LMC."
A small shock went through Ves as he heard the name. He slowly closed his eyes and began to recall the early days when his company still operated from a modest workshop in the suburbs of Freslin.
The Larkinson Estate bequeathed Jake to him in order to beef up the early management of the LMC. With the help of an old and experienced hand like Jake, the LMC grew from operating a single workshop to a major mech manufacturer that produced thousands of mechs in-house and many more through external partners!
Ves never worried too much about Jake. As a Larkinson retainer, the most he might do was pass on information back to the Larkinson Family.
"Tell me more."
Right now, Ves needed to know whether Jake answered to the Larkinsons or to some other party.
If the latter was the case, then Ves had no choice but to see another old friend out.
Crindon activated his comm and projected some of the evidence he gathered.
"Mr. Altern initially did not come to my attention, but due to his high position in the company I diverted a lot of time in monitoring the actions of the LMC's top management team. My patience has been worth it, because I've caught Altern acting very suspiciously in several instances. In particular, his routine business trips to Bentheim, supposedly to manage the affairs of the LMC in the port system, are very concerning."
The evidence his Kinner spymaster gathered did not reveal a lot. Possible dead drops, innocent conversations with supposed business partners, odd movements and more did not serve as definitive proof that Jake was communicating in secret.
However, the prevalence of so many strange incidents suggested a deliberate pattern.
"Was he contacting the Larkinsons?"
Crindon shook his head. "I've already ruled them out. It's a different party. After a lengthy investigation, which includes borrowing your cat's hacking ability, I've managed to ascertain the identity of the other party."
"Who?"
"The Bright Republic's domestic intelligence agency."
"Spotlight." Ves snarled. "How sure are you?"
"There is always the chance that I'm wrong. Perhaps the other party is merely pretending to be Spotlight."
Ves squeezed his hands, trying his best to remain in control. "Regardless of that, this doesn't change the fact that Jake has betrayed the LMC."
"Did he?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ves narrowed his eyes.
"It's the same with your assistant Gavin. Jake is not only the COO of the LMC, but also a loyal citizen of the Bright Republic. If an arm of the state requests his assistance, is he a traitor or a patriot?"
That was a difficult question that Ves still couldn't answer. Nonetheless, Ves had enough with dealing with this ambiguity.
In his eyes, it was time to cut the Gordian knot.
"I won't tolerate this double-dealing anymore." Ves emphatically stated. "I'll deal with Jake in person. You can let Calsie deal with the rest. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then go."
Once Crindon left the office, Ves let out a tired breath and leaned over his desk.
Flashlight and Spotlight wouldn't be pleased with his decision, he was sure. While Ves didn't blame them for trying to keep an eye on him and his company, that did not mean he would let their spies and informers in place once their double-dealing became known.
"It's time to clean up the rot and make a new start. I have to clean up my company to take advantage of the end of the Sand War and the start of the next mech generation."
How many old friends and allies did he need to get rid of before everyone got the message?
Just because he was young didn't mean he lacked the ruthlessness to swim with the sharks.
Though Ves held several doubts, he did not regret his choices. Taking any action, even an ill-advised one, was better than taking no action.
By responding proactively to the circumstances, he would let everyone know that he had teeth.
"The Bright Republic will always be my home, but that does not mean that I'll work selflessly for the state. I'm not like the other Larkinsons."
Perhaps he was being selfish, but so what? He knew he would outgrow a third-rate state sooner or later. Once he became capable of designing second-class mechs, his value and earning potential exceeded anything the Bright Republic could handle!
By then, his home state would have zero leverage over him! No matter what kind of agreements he made in the past, there was no way the state could continue to enforce their old rules!
Chapter 1588
Ves entertained the first guest to his office of the day. Appearing older and more weary than a couple of years ago, Jake Altern calmly trudged towards the chair and sat down with contentment.
"Ah. What a comfortable chair." The old man sighed. "How have you been, Ves? We haven't spoken alone for a while."
"I'm.. not doing very well right now." Ves replied while watching the Chief Operating Officer like a hawk. "You see, I'm dealing with a thorny relationship with the state right now."
Jake quickly frowned. "What is the matter, Ves?"
"I don't have the patience to explain it to you, but in short the state and certain powerful people think it's alright to push me around."
"That's a very cynical view, Ves. If you haven't noticed, the Bright Republic is in the middle of a war for survival. The sandman race has already annihilated the border states. Now that the Coman Federation has fallen, our state is the next in line. It's not surprising therefore that the government and various factions are resorting to many means to save as many Brighters as possible."
"They're being very heavy-handed, Jake. So much so that my patience is wearing thin."
The old man looked troubled at his words. "Tough times call for tough measures. The Bright Republic is on a war footing. The comforts we've enjoyed in the past are no more. Every citizen has to make some sacrifices. Those who are wealthier and more capable must be ready to make even greater sacrifices."
"Because of duty, right?" Ves directed a playful smile at his old friend.
"Because we are fighting for something greater than ourselves." Jake replied, sounding a bit more forceful despite his frail form. "The LMC and you are in a position to do much good. You've already made a great contribution by developing the Desolate Soldier. Once you've completed the two variants in the pipeline, I'm sure the state will be intimately grateful for your help."
"I'm not so sure about that last part. I've been thinking that the government has taken me for granted for a while now. It's difficult to shed the impression that they are using me in the same way as before."
Jake began to frown. "I think you're overreacting, Ves. While the government can come across as heavy-handed, they are shouldering an immense burden. The lives of trillions of citizens and refugees are at stake. How can anyone hold back in such a precarious situation? Saving lives is a noble calling, Ves, but it is never an easy one."
"I'm getting rather tired of hearing that. Everyone keeps lecturing me about duty, calling and sacrifice, but what about me? Does anyone care about me at all, or do people just see me as a gullible fool who easily succumbs to manipulation?"
"I wouldn't say that, Ves. You're a mech designer. You climbed your way out of a humble background and you have made many stunning achievements that allowed you to eclipse your peers. I don't think any Brighter mech designer of your generation has shone as brightly as you. Even Edwin McKinney, that famous prodigy of yesterday, is still begging for scraps in the Coalition. Now that the Komodo War has broken out, I think he's quite remorseful for abandoning our state."
Ves crossed his arms and straightened his back. "That sounds nice and all, but I don't think that the people in power are treating me like an adult."
"Please. Before you grow angry, think about what is going on. Your Avatars of Myth and Living Sentinels are risking their lives to fight the sandmen. Aren't they fulfilling their duty? As mech pilots, they have an obligation to put their capabilities to good use. The situation is no different when it comes to you. As a mech designer, there is no expectation of you to risk your life."
Ves chuckled at this remark. "I earned my combat awards for a reason, you know."
"And you got better after you've completed your service, right?"
"I can't argue with that." Ves responded while scratching his smooth-shaven cheek. "I've fulfilled my obligations, though. Even if a great and terrible war is going on, I'm not a young and powerless Apprentice anymore. I'm a Journeyman with great influence and ability."
"I would be careful with your words. You're sounding rather full of yourself."
"Do you think any mech designer can achieve as much sales as me? I think I deserve a pat on the back."
"There's a line between confidence and arrogance. Young men like you who have grown a lot are always straying towards the latter. I've seen it many times in Larkinsons like you. The expert candidates in your family are especially prone to overestimate their abilities."
"I'm not a wannabe, Jake. I'm the real deal. Just like the expert pilots in our family, I have the strength to back up my confidence."
The atmosphere had grown more and more strained. Jake started to sense some problems. In his memories, Ves had never been so blunt and forceful in his views.
"What's going on, Ves? Obviously, you didn't call me up to have a chat."
"I'll get to that. We're not finished with this discussion yet." Ves smiled in a compelling manner. "How do you see the LMC in ten years?"
The question came out of the blue. "I don't know. It depends on the outcome of the wars that are currently raging in the star sector."
"Let's assume we've won the Sand War while the Hexers kicked the Fridaymen out of the star sector."
"Then I would say that the LMC enjoys a bright future. While I'm not sure what Hexer dominance will mean in the star sector, your relations with Gloriana will probably be of great assistance."
"How big do you think my company can get?"
Jake paused for a bit. "If your other products are just as promising as your Desolate Soldier design, then you have the potential to penetrate the entire star sector. Maybe you'll even find a way to break into the Hegemony's mech market."
"Who do you think is bigger at that time, my mech company or my home state?"
"Such a question is moot. Companies and states can't be compared. No matter how fast the LMC grows, it will never be able to employ more people than the citizens of the Bright Republic. This apples and oranges comparison is extremely unfair."
"You haven't answered the question. Let me specify a bit further. Do you think there will come a time where the value of the LMC exceeds the gross domestic product of the Bright Republic?"
Jake frowned as he fell in thought. "I'm an old man, Ves. I doubt I will live long enough to see that happen, but I admit you have the potential to do so. The only question is whether I will live to see that happens. It would be the proudest moment of my life."
"Since my company under my leadership has the potential to reach this point, don't you think there is something wrong about the Bright Republic imposing their demands on me?"
"Potential is just potential. There is no guarantee that you will reach this promised future. Many Journeymen that have made waves in their youth have fizzled out in their later years. In addition, anything can happen in between. You are not an esteemed Senior or a powerful Master. Right now, you still have a lot to go before you reach those heights. Until then, I suggest you remain humble and play the role that is expected of you. Only by working within the system will you be able to maintain your support."
"What if I don't necessarily need the support?" Ves proposed.
"Everyone needs support. That is the way society functions."
"I don't think you're wrong, but some support is better than others. Though you just disparaged McKinney, I don't think he's made the wrong choice. He just made his move too early, that's all. I'm already starting to forge relationships with greater powers. Why should I let the Bright Republic hold me back?"
This time, it became very clear to Jake that this was a different conversation from what he envisioned.
"That sounds.. treasonous."
"Nothing so extreme. I just want to reboot my relationship with the Bright Republic, that's all. Doesn't it sound fair if the state actually affords me the treatment I deserve?"
Jake continued to look troubled. "While your argument sounds reasonable, your rhetoric is disturbing."
"Some people call me the Devil Tongue."
"I'm aware. I thought you only reserved your Devil Tongue for your enemies."
Ves looked sharply at Jake. "That's true."
A tense silence followed as a slow realization began to dawn on Jake. The old man closed his eyes and began to process the situation calmly. Ves allowed the COO the time to think through the situation.
The old man eventually opened his eyes. "Just to be clear. What turned you against me?"
"Spotlight." Ves spoke out a single word.
"I see." Jake sighed. "I see. I see. I see."
"You see but you don't see. If you remained loyal, you would have made great achievements and leave behind an enduring legacy. Now, just as the LMC is experiencing another round of meteoric growth, I find out that you've been blind all this time. You know my stance on spies. Why did you ever think it was a good idea to associate yourself with Spotlight?"
Now that the truth came out, the COO looked at Ves in the eyes without any regret or remorse. "I won't deny your accusations or make any excuses. You deserve better than that, Ves. All I'm willing to state is that we are both Brighters, and that has never changed. We all serve the Bright Republic in different ways."
"You could have stuck to your job description and serve the Bright Republic by ensuring that one of its most promising mech companies is running smoothly."
"That's not enough for the state. The more the LMC grows, the greater its value to the state. It's impossible for organizations such as Spotlight to leave your company be. Some monitoring will always take place."
Ves snorted. "Don't make it sound as if you're innocent. Perhaps Spotlight only started off with some light requests, but what if they don't like the direction of my company? What if they come up to you one day and tell you to convince me to change my mind?"
"I'm doubtful that such a thing would ever take place. As long as you don't pose a threat to the state, the intelligence agencies will never do anything drastic."
Obviously, Jake did not know to what lengths that Flashlight would go to achieve their objectives.
From what Ves heard, Spotlight was a lot tamer than Flashlight. That did not mean that the former was squeaky clean. Ves preferred to assume that all spy agencies were threats regardless of what others have professed.
Perhaps Spotlight's bumbling reputation was just an act. The Bright Republic wasn't as fractured as the Vesia Kingdom. If his state's domestic spy agency was really so inept, then it should have been abolished a long time ago.
For an agency that was meant to spy on its own citizens, the last thing Spotlight wanted was to gain notoriety.
Even Ves had been tempted to dismiss the spies and informers of Spotlight when Crindon first brought them up.
"You don't have to make excuses for Spotlight. You've made your bed. Now lie in it." Ves spoke with a tone of finality.
Both sides saw no further gain from continuing this conversation. Jake rose up with a heavy heart and looked at Ves with a forlorn expression.
"You grew up so much in these past few years. Almost a decade has gone by and you have already grown to be the pillar of the Larkinson Family. It is amazing for me to be a part of your early growth. No matter what you think of me, the LMC will always be my pride and joy."
Ves already diverted his gaze from the old man.
"You can tender your resignation by the end of the day. Don't do anything stupid."
"I wouldn't dream of it, Ves. I'll make sure to leave behind some notes so that my successor to my position can start off right away."
When Jake walked out of the office, Ves had a feeling that an era had come to an end.
Chapter 1589
Ves stayed in his office. He already called ahead to inform Gloriana that he wouldn't be doing any design work today.
Even though the Militant Soldier and the Peaceful Soldier had to be completed as fast as possible, Ves needed to be in the right mood.
Both designs served as contributions to the state, but right now Ves did not feel very charitable towards the Bright Republic at this time.
For this reason, he called Gloriana to join him in his office. When his girlfriend entered while clutching Clixie, Ves stood up from his desk and moved over to the sofas. There was no need to talk to his girlfriend as if he was holding a business meeting.
"You look.. different, Ves."
"A lot has happened today." He spoke while reaching over to Clixie.
"Miaow."
The cat jumped in his arms and allowed him to caress her fur.
"Why don't you tell me about it?" Gloriana leaned up next to him while gazing at him in the eyes.
Ves briefly described what took place. He also shared his own thoughts.
While Ves vented his frustrations and aired his tangled thoughts, Gloriana continually reassured him. Both of them grew more comfortable in each other's presence.
"To be honest, the Bright Republic and the people in power aren't acting unreasonably." She said. "It is not ungrounded for them to ask some favors of you, especially in a time of great need."
Though Marcella and Jake made the same argument, hearing it from his girlfriend forced him to reconsider his response.
"Do you think I'm overreacting?"
"I think you are. That doesn't mean I think you're doing anything wrong. I know you well enough that you don't like to be controlled. Regardless of what you do, I'll always support you, Ves."
The two shared a modest kiss.
After some thought, Ves understood why Gloriana reacted that way.
Unlike him, Gloriana had always been in the care of her mother and the Wodin Dynasty. As a valuable investment, she had always been treated well and never had been treated as an instrument.
Her view on authority was much different from his own. While Ves desired to free himself from the control of others, Gloriana did not mind remaining under the control of the Wodins as she never had any cause to rethink this relationship.
Right now was not the time to ask whether Gloriana would choose him over the Wodin Dynasty. That would be unfair to her and put undue pressure in their relationship.
Still, Ves wanted to make it clear that he would not follow in her footsteps.
"You're right, Gloriana. I don't want to be controlled. I want to take my destiny in my own hands. While I'm grateful for growing up in a nice state like the Bright Republic, both of us are meant for greater things. There may even come a point where we'll outgrow the Hegemony."
"The Hegemony will always reign supreme!"
"Be serious, Gloriana. Think of what I can do. Think of what we can achieve together. Are you content with limiting yourself to a single star sector?"
"Why do you think that my state will be content with holding a single star sector?"
Ves ruefully smiled. "Let's not speculate on that. My point is that as mech designers, we should look towards marketing our products beyond the narrow confines of our state or region. In fact, we shouldn't constrain our ambitions to the local star cluster. Don't you think that everyone in the galaxy should get to benefit from our products?"
His words successfully entranced Gloriana. Her eyes sparkled as she imagined this vision of the future.
Both of them knew that Ves wasn't talking nonsense. As long as they progressed to Master and beyond, such a grand outcome would already be in reach!
"I... I share your dream, Ves. That said, I don't think I'll ever forget my family and my home state. I don't see anything wrong with sticking by your side while also remaining loyal to my roots."
The two shared different thoughts on the matter. That was okay. A couple of disagreements wouldn't put their relationship under strain.
"Stay with me for the rest of the day, okay?"
"Okay." Gloriana nodded.
As Ves cozied up with Gloriana, a storm began to rage throughout the LMC.
Over a hundred well-placed people in the company were suddenly called to the offices of their superiors. The employees left the offices moments later with crushed or flat expressions.
Regardless of how they took the news, their employment at the LMC had come to an end. Fellow colleagues received new instructions and made sure to accompany the fired personnel out of the company premises.
Unlike Jake, Ves was much less forgiving towards these lesser spies and informants. He would give them no time to siphon away data or inflict some petty sabotage. They had to leave quite away, which shocked every other employee of the company.
"Don't forget." A manager said to his people as he watched a fired subordinate shuffle out of the floor. "We work for the Living Mech Corporation. Ves Larkinson is the only person we look up to. As long as you remember that, you won't go wrong."
Similar situations happened throughout the headquarters and the manufacturing floor. The people that Crindon pointed out came from all walks of life and worked in all kinds of positions. Managers, receptionists, chief technicians and more all received the boot due to a fateful decision from Ves.
In a way, the necessity of removing so many people from the company represented a failure in vetting the hires.
However, both Ves and Crindon knew that infiltration could never be prevented entirely. Spotlight and Flashlight would find a way to turn other employees into assets and insert some of their people into the LMC again.
"I'm primarily sending a message with my actions." Ves patiently explained to Gloriana. "By firing all of the spies and suspected people, I'm sending out a signal that I'm done with dealing with nonsense. I want to be treated seriously."
"I don't think the Bright Republic will let this matter rest. What's your endgame, Ves?"
"I have no idea. I'm kind of winging it, to be honest. It's a consequence of acting on my emotions as opposed to acting on rationality. I just hope that my message has been received."
The day slowly went by as Ves and Gloriana kept each other company. Along the way, Lucky phased into the office and began to ask for scratches.
As the pair and their cats all enjoyed a good time, Gavin arrived at the office and entered with a hesitant stride.
"Um, boss.."
"Yes Benny?"
"There's an important call waiting for you."
"Who?"
"Senator Tovar."
"Directly?"
"Yes. He's waiting on the company line right this instant."
"Well, it sounds like he doesn't want to wait if he's willing to talk to me remotely. You can go now, Benny. I'll take the call."
Gavin meekly bowed and left the office briskly.
"What's wrong with your assistant today?"
Ves shrugged. "He's probably affected by today's events."
"You're about to talk to someone important now, right? Should I go?"
"No. You can stay. If the good senator is willing to talk with me over the galactic net, then he won't be mentioning anything sensitive. I'd like you to listen in and show that we're in this together."
Gloriana smiled brilliantly at Ves. "I understand!"
He actually just wanted to use Gloriana's presence to restrain Senator Tovar. As long as someone as important as her was thrown into the mix, there was no way that old coot would do anything rash.
Not that Ves believe that the good senator would do something so stupid. It was enough for Gloriana to exert silent pressure by being present in the conversation.
Once Ves took a deep breath and centered his mind, he accepted the call.
The projection of a stately old man came into being. He sat on a dignified, high-backed chair that seemed more in place in a solemn council room.
Compared to before, Senator Tovar actually looked more spry despite the immense responsibilities he shouldered.
This must be his life-prolonging treatment taking further effect. It always took some time for someone's body to adjust to the wondrous changes.
"Ves Larkinson. We meet again." The man said simply.
"Good afternoon, senator."
"I see you have your lovely amour with you as well. How are you today, Miss Wodin?"
Upon the senator's appearance, Gloriana went from clinging to Ves like a lovesick girl to straightening her posture and adopting a noble demeanor.
"I'm doing well, senator. Your quaint little state is very lovely. Shame about the sandmen, though."
"Well, the sandmen are only a temporary nuisance. I apologize if the Bright Republic is less hospitable than you anticipated."
"Oh, it's hardly an issue. Your state is still faring pretty well."
Ves felt as if he was pushed to the side as Gloriana and Senator Tovar held a polite conversation.
This was not what he intended when he let Gloriana stay.
"Ahem." Ves coughed. "We should talk about more pressing matters."
The senator nodded. "Correct."
A short pause followed. Since the senator did not wish to bring up the issue first, Ves decided to take the plunge regardless of how he came across.
"I just did some spring cleaning in my company earlier today."
"I've heard."
"An infestation grew under my nose. I was disinclined to address it until I got pissed."
The senator kept a polite expression, revealing not a single hint of what he thought. "It is generally a poor idea to act when you are angry. It is always better to take the time to cool your head."
Ves already did that when Gloriana screwed him over by uploading a contentious recording on her Commbook page.
This was because he cared about Gloriana. Even if she made him angry, he would never want to hurt her. Being firm with her was enough.
It was different this time.
"I think it's better if nothing happens that makes me angry to begin with. Unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect reality. Something awful always happens that ruins my mood for the day."
The senator decided to stop beating around the bush. "Is this about the commission that Mrs. Bollinger has conveyed to you? I apologise for the tone she adopted. Due to the controversial nature of the commission, I thought it was best to allow a friend of yours to explain the circumstances behind my request. In hindsight, that was a mistake."
Ves chuckled under his breath. "I think Marcella was very clear. Refusal was not an option. You simply assumed I would agree with designing a mech for someone who least deserves one."
"Please understand what is at stake, Ves. Our negotiations with the Bentheim Liberation Movement proceeded very arduously. There are a lot of interests involved and each of them want their own needs prioritized over other needs. The deal I've helped negotiate is much more fragile than you think. Do you think it is easy to integrate mass murderers and lifelong terrorists back into society?"
"That's not my problem."
"As a Brighter, I would think it is. In any case, the initiatives that you dismiss as publicity stunts are vitally important to show that the former rebels can get along with loyal Brighters. Each successful example is another step towards making Bentheim more secure."
"I won't deny that this sounds helpful, but I don't see why I have to work with Vincent Ricklin again. Even if he's become one of their spokespersons, you could have assigned any other mech designer to design his personal mech."
"Captain Ricklin insisted that you be the one to design his custom mech. In fact, he is very adamant about it. If he does not get his way, then he can pose a serious threat to the stability of the deal."
Ves frowned deeper and deeper. What was this bastard up to? Why must Vincent haunt him after so many years of separation?
Chapter 1590
While Ves mainly took this course of action to vent his anger, he did not act aimlessly.
What he truly sought was a realignment in his relationship with the Bright Republic.
At the very least, he wanted people like Senator Tovar to change their view of him. Rather than being treated as a pawn who would automatically follow their orders without question, he wanted to be seen as an ally whose interests needed to be met.
Ves had no illusion that this was a very difficult thing to do. Though Ves was already an adult at over 30 years, he was just an upstart baby compared to a legendary statesman who almost reached 300 years!
Such an immense age disparity made many average people quail. How could Ves ever hope to match wits against a living relic who lived ten times as much as him? Even if Ves believed he was capable of exceeding anyone in the star sector, he was just a young Journeyman at the moment.
Someone who lived this long and maintained their grip on power for so long could never be overcome.
So Ves decided not to become his enemy.
Even if he harbored resentment against the old man, neither of them had any reason to hate each other.
Both sides had always used each other for their own purposes. It was just that Ves used to be so weak and trivial that he could only accept his role as a pawn.
It was different now. Although Ves only revealed a hint of his amazing potential, he believed he already had the qualifications to negotiate with the senator.
From the moment he accepted the call, Ves already knew that he had entered a negotiation. The outcome of this comm call would decide whether he could earn Tovar's respect as an ally rather than a pawn.
"As a mech designer, it's not proper to compel me to design a mech for someone I consider an enemy." Ves softly spoke while embracing Gloriana.
The senator, seated on his impressive high-backed chair, folded his leathery hands together. "There is too much at stake, Ves. If there was another alternative available, I would not have brought this commission to you in the first place."
"Don't you see that Vincent Ricklin is screwing us around? I doubt he's sincere!"
"I believe you're wrong, there. From what I have gathered, Vincent is quite a fan of your products. The release of your Desolate Soldiers and Prideful Soldiers has been the main catalyst for his request."
"I don't work for anyone." Ves crossed his arms.
"You disappoint me, young man. I thought you would be better than this. I knew many Larkinsons who would never hesitate to do what is right for the Republic. Even if the mission itself is unpalatable, the gains are very clear. Is that not why you've accepted the commission in the end?"
"I accepted it to repay some favors. Nothing more. That doesn't mean I'll tolerate another incident like this. I expect to have a say in the matter the next time you want my assistance."
Senator Tovar slightly shifted his posture, making him appear a bit more imposing. "You are still young and inexperienced. My views are incomparable to yours. Now that the Bright Republic is locked in the greatest crisis since the founding of our great state, we must let wisdom prevail."
"Humans aren't emotionless bots. Our feelings matter. My Desolate Soldier and its variants are all predicated on this belief. No matter how smart you are or how well you've thought out your plans, you won't be able to execute them if you can't inspire the masses."
"Even without your mech, we still have ways of controlling the population. While your mechs are helpful in suppressing unrest, they are not indispensable."
"Are you willing to bet on that?" Ves smirked.
He had been waiting for this moment.
Tovar narrowed his eyes. "What is the meaning of your words?"
"Let me give you a demonstration."
Ves dramatically raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
At the same time, he concentrated his mind and began to think about the Desolate Soldier model. He quickly made contact with the Solemn Guardian, who had grown considerably due to the feedback of the hundreds of thousands of mech pilots.
While the Solemn Guardian was an independent spiritual product, it still recognized Ves as its creator. When Ves communicated a silent request to it, the spiritual product only hesitated for a moment before obeying its instruction.
For the first time since their conversation, Senator Tovar showed an inkling of doubt.
As long as the discussion was limited to words, the senator was confident he could remain in control. Even if Ves gained the moniker of Devil Tongue, his rhetorical abilities were nothing in the eyes of a centuries-old diplomat and statesman!
Ves was very clear about this as well, so he came up with a means to fight against Senator Tovar where he held an insurmountable advantage.
"What is the meaning of your gesture?" Tovar finally asked.
"Perhaps you should check the news or let your assistant inform you what is going on outside your accommodation."
The senator turned to someone out of view of the comm projection. Ves guessed that Tovar was probably speaking to Alistair Cordwraith, his long-serving Benny.
Though Senator Tovar kept an admirably stoic face, there was no way he could remain unmoved. The old man quickly turned back to the comm call.
"What have you done, young man?"
"I only snapped my fingers, senator. Nothing more." Ves replied while continuing to grin. "Shall I do it again?"
Without waiting for the senator's answer, he snapped his fingers yet again.
At the same time, he gently issued another instruction to the Solemn Guardian.
Everything should go back to normal now.
Just two minutes had passed since the first and second instruction, but Ves knew that he had accomplished something incredibly impactful.
The first instruction he issued was to make the Solemn Guardian withdraw its strength to any Soldier mech on Bentheim.
For two perplexing minutes, every Desolate Soldier, Holy Soldier and Prideful Soldier on the planet suddenly lost the bulk of their auras! This immediately alarmed all of their owners and mech pilots and incited a considerable amount of panic!
The constant presence of auras had formed a reassuring presence to much of the population. If the Soldier mechs all lost this quality, the damage to everyone's confidence would certainly be great!
Unfortunately, this stunt did not come without a price. Aside from disturbing everyone on Bentheim, Ves and the LMC also incurred a substantial hit to their reputation.
So far, every authentic Soldier mech had always been dependable. For their auras to weaken all of a sudden would make many people more hesitant about their reliability.
Fortunately, Ves had already made some preparations earlier. He briefly glanced down to a secondary projection and pressed a virtual button.
Very soon, the LMC transmitted an official notification to every Soldier mech on Bentheim. The message simply stated that an unknown interference field disrupted the functioning of the mechs for a brief period of time.
The LMC promised to study what occurred and patch the vulnerability as soon as possible.
Hopefully, most people bought this excuse.
The notification might even reassure the detractors of his mechs that they weren't infallible. As long as certain people believed that there was a way to sabotage or neutralize the auras, they wouldn't feel so threatened at his products anymore.
For this reason, Ves willingly paid the price of this disruption.
Of course, the main purpose of his stunt was not to feign weakness in front of his rivals and enemies.
Instead, he wanted to prove that he had leverage.
"What is the meaning of this, Mr. Larkinson?" Senator Tovar asked with a bit more steel in his voice than usual.
Ves figured he succeeded with his aim when he noticed the statesman's change in tone.
"I'm a mech designer, but that does not mean we are limited to creation. What we give, we can take."
As Ves spoke his daring statement, Gloriana quietly gazed at him with admiration. She had become more and more impressed at how confidently he stood up against this old man!
Even though Camden Tovar was just a very old boy in her eyes, she knew she was far from his opponent. Only someone like her mother would be able to humble this long-living fossil.
Naturally, this old fox wouldn't concede so easily. Especially against someone as young as Ves.
"I don't think it will do your reputation any good to strip the most important advantage of your mechs. Your customers bought your products with certain expectations in mind."
Ves shrugged, brushing off the very real danger in Tovar's words.
"Who knows what is responsible for the interruption. Perhaps a certain faction has grown jealous of the LMC's accomplishments and developed a countermeasure against our products. How do you think my huge customer base will react to such a revelation?"
This was a naked threat. Ves didn't even care if he spoke these words over an unsecure comm channel. In fact, it would be better if other powerful factions came to know what might follow if they harmed his interests.
"You are playing a very dangerous game, Ves." Tovar spoke directly. "There is no reason for you to lash out at us. We are just doing what is best for the state."
Ves chuckled. "Please don't misunderstand my intentions. I have always respected you, and that has never changed. I merely wish you would reciprocate my feelings."
"If you want respect, you have to work for it, young man. Acting disrespectfully is counterproductive."
"I never meant any disrespect, sir. I apologise for coming across as such. I merely wanted to catch your attention."
"You certainly have it." Tovar almost spat out.
"Good." Ves smiled, taking no notice at Tovar's increasing discontent.
To change his treatment, Ves needed to stand his ground and push back against the senator.
This was very risky.
If Ves pissed Tovar off too much, then he risked turning his greatest ally in the government into an incredibly potent threat.
Once Tovar turned against him, Ves had no choice but to abandon almost everything he built in the Bright Republic.
However, if he succeeded, then he could enjoy a completely different relationship with his benefactor in the government.
An incident like before where the Senator imposed an instruction on Ves would be a thing of the past.
The payoff was worth it. Ves recognized that he needed a staunch ally in the government. While he already enjoyed a lot of support, that was because of other circumstances.
Once the situation changed, who could say that he would still enjoy the same level of care?
Everything was predicated around interests.
Having spent some time with manipulative bastards like Senator Tovar, Ves learned that these types of people always paid attention to gains and losses.
They were kind of like AIs in a sense. At their age, they never acted on emotion and impulse. Only cold hard benefits could sway their minds.
When Ves thought about what he could offer to the good senator, he came up with one possible idea. Though tenuous and uncertain, it was the best he could offer to a man who already controlled some of the reins of an entire state.
"Let's not play this game any further, Ves. You youngsters are too crass." The senator spoke, apparently reaching the limits of his forbearance. "What do you want?"
Ves laughed. "I want many things, but let's not talk about that right now. Instead of focusing on what you can do for me, let's address what I can do for you."
Tovar looked intrigued. "Go on."
"I'm sure you're a very smart man, senator. You're also known to be farsighted due to your distinguished age. I respect that, sir. I'm also sure that you have developed a comprehensive evaluation of me. Personally, I think of myself very highly."
"And that matters because...?"
Ves leaned in and grinned. "I happen to have a lot of vacancies in my design teams. Tell me, how many mech designers are in the Tovar Family?"
Chapter 1591
All of the gambits he employed so far culminated to this moment. Though Ves had taken some enormous risks, he believed that Senator Tovar was farsighted enough to take the bigger picture into account.
A short moment passed in silence as Senator Tovar steadily worked out the implications of what Ves had just said.
Though Ves boldly inflated his own worth in front of Tovar, he had cause to do so. Not a single Journeyman in his generation could match his prowess in mech design. His design philosophy alone was so remarkable that anyone with a brain could tell that Ves could make greater achievements in the future.
The only complication was that the future was never set in stone. There was always an element of uncertainty involved in making assumptions of the future.
Who could tell if Senator Tovar was optimistic about his trajectory? If the old man believed that Ves was unlikely to make it very far, then the response wouldn't be very good.
As time stretched on, Ves tried his best not to show any hesitation. Maintaining a confident demeanor was essential in negotiations. If he showed any weakness, someone as formidable as Senator Tovar would instantly pounce.
Fortunately, Gloriana was by his side. The presence of his girlfriend not only restrained the old man, but also boosted his confidence.
Eventually, the senator finished his deliberations.
"Our Tovar Family already maintains strong ties with several famed Seniors. For example, Professor Ventag happens to mentor a number of promising descendants."
While Ves hadn't spent any specific research on how many Tovars went on to become mech designers, they were sure to be involved.
From what he knew of the Tovar Family, they mainly engaged in politics, administration and commerce.
Since this was the Age of Mechs, any influence involved in the latter would never neglect the mech industry. Mech designers occupy such an important position in the economy of a state that the Tovars would definitely try to occupy a piece of the pie.
Ves happened to memorize the identities of each Senior Mech Designer in the Bright Republic. As far as he knew, none of them were Tovars. Even if allies such as Professor Ventag happened to be on their side, that was not as good as raising a high-ranking mech designer in the family itself!
The amount of money and effort the Wodins put into turning Gloriana into a promising Journeyman already signified how difficult it was to nurture a good mech designer.
It wasn't difficult to nurture a random relative into an Apprentice or something. It was an entirely different matter to raise a Journeyman or Senior.
In truth, Constance Wodin lucked out in the case of her daughter. Ves never asked how many attempts the Wodins had made to nurture a mech designer like her. There must be many Apprentices in her dynasty who would never be able to surpass the extraordinary threshold because of the absence of spiritual potential.
Considering how rare it was for someone to develop spiritual potential, Ves was not surprised to know that the Tovars failed to nurture their own high-ranking mech designer.
"I have great respect for every Senior in our state." Ves responded politely. "However, in my eyes mech designers such as Professor Ventag have already approached the limits of their potential. Even if they are able to prolong their lives for a couple of hundred years, it's doubtful if they will ever be able to surpass their current ranks."
"I do not think these eminent mech designers will appreciate you for saying that." Tovar retorted with a frown. "There are over a hundred Seniors in the Republic. Any one of them can achieve a breakthrough at any moment."
"How likely will that happen, do you think? Even if a Senior from our state manages to buck the trend and go further, what are the odds that he or she will be a mech designer that is friendly to the Tovars?"
"And you think you stand a better chance?"
"Oh, I know I do." Ves grinned and boldly stretched his arm over his girlfriend's shoulder. "The Desolate Soldier is a product of collaboration, right Gloriana?"
Gloriana smiled and gazed at him in infatuation. "Correct. Both of us have applied our respective specialties on the Desolate Soldier design. Our mechs wouldn't be nearly as exceptional if I wasn't involved."
Normally, she wouldn't take pride over a relatively modest contribution to the design of a mass market mech.
Yet this was different. The Desolate Soldier design was the first product of her collaboration with the man she loved.
Not only that, she also knew that Ves needed her support in order to strengthen his position in these talks.
Ves appreciated that and kissed her on the cheek, which elicited a happy giggle from his girlfriend.
Of course, Senator Tovar was not amused at their display of affection. "What is your point, Mr. Larkinson?"
This was the second time the old man referred to Ves in that manner. Whether deliberately or not, the senator signalled that Ves had gained the right to negotiate with him on more even grounds.
"If you aren't confident in me, then why not place your confidence in Gloriana?" Ves proposed. "Second-class mech designers always enjoy brighter prospects. The advantages they've received from birth and during their upbringing is very difficult to surmount. At the very least, I don't think any current Seniors in the Bright Republic can equal Gloriana when she matures."
The old man shook his head. "Miss Wodin is not a Brighter."
"I know. She's with me. As long as we are together, we're a package deal. My students are her students. If I promise to do my best to mentor a student, my girlfriend will readily do the same."
Gloriana vigorously nodded. "If Ves can't meet his promises for some reason, I will certainly pick up where he left."
Bringing in Gloriana must have taken Senator Tovar aback. The old man paused yet again as he stared at them with a powerful gaze.
Ves waited patiently for the senator to make up his mind. He believed in his argument.
It was very difficult to catch the attention of a future Senior or Master from a very advanced state.
Even if Ves once managed to become apprenticed to Master Olson, his background heavily limited his future accomplishments. Without the expensive genetic treatments and augmentations that many second-class mech designers enjoyed, those who emerged from poorer states would always be a step behind.
What Ves promised was different. Though he hadn't been explicit in his offer, he intimated that Gloriana and him would do more to nurture any potential Tovar mech designers under their care.
Not even a man as powerful as Senator Tovar could get a Master from the Coalition or Hegemony to accept one of his descendants as a disciple.
Ves was different. One of his greatest shortcomings was his lack of subordinate mech designers. He welcomed any competent mech designers that wanted to work under him at the LMC.
"You think very highly of yourself."
"I think we have the capital to do so if the Desolate Soldier is a sign." Ves easily responded.
He would never dare to act so confidently in front of Senator Tovar if he hadn't already proven himself.
To a mech designer, designing a successful mech was the most direct way of demonstrating their value.
The senator slowly tapped the surface of his wooden armrest. The man had to make a lot of considerations. No matter what decision he made, the repercussions would be great.
Ves had steered Senator Tovar into making his own gamble. Was the old man confident enough in Ves and Gloriana's future prospects to entrust some of his Tovar descendants in their care?
At this time, his finger stopped tapping. "Very well. You've convinced me to give you a chance. I will allocate five mech designers of my family to your company. Treat them well, and I shall do the same to you. Is that understood?"
"I'll do my best to mentor them, but I'm no miracle worker." Ves cautiously raised his palm. "We can't provide much guidance to mech designers that are too old and set in their ways. We also can't do much if your mech designers turn out to be spoiled brats."
"Beggars can't be choosers, young man. It is very problematic to gather these mech designers from their existing positions."
Ves frowned. It sounded as if Senator Tovar expected trouble.
"I'll smack anyone around if they cause any problems in my company. Regardless of status or background, only competence matters to me. Will that be a problem?"
Tovar shook his head in dismissal. "Do what you will. As long as you act within your limits, I will only pay attention to the result."
That was such a Flashlight thing to say. Ves shouldn't be surprised that Tovar expressed such a sentiment. He knew that the old man possessed a great amount of influence in the military intelligence agency.
For that reason, Ves actually felt that the gap between him and Senator Tovar had shrunk a little.
Though they were still very different people, Ves succeeded in transforming his relationship with the Tovars, and by extension the government.
Before, the Tovars only looked out for Ves because he was a useful asset in their eyes.
Now that Ves convinced the Tovars to place some of their mech designers under his wing, it was not proper anymore for them to treat him as a disposable pawn!
No further words needed to be shared. A basic verbal contract with many implied terms had formed between them. Both of them nodded to each other, as if confirming their agreement.
"My assistant will be in touch." Senator Tovar spoke with a noticeably lighter tone than before. "Due to the current circumstances, the mech designers I intend to place under your care might take a few weeks to arrive. Be sure to receive them properly once they arrive at your planet."
"I will do my best to welcome your men." Ves smiled.
After sharing a few more platitudes, the call finally came to an end.
As soon as the projection disappeared, Ves sunk back in his couch as if he lost all strength.
"That was nerve-wracking!"
Gloriana instantly dropped her formal posture and went back to acting like an adoring lover. She turned towards him and caressed his smooth cheek. "You did really well, Ves. From what I can tell, you managed to convince the senator in betting on our ascension. Now that he has agreed to place some of his descendants under our care, he'll do everything he can to cover for you in the Bright Republic."
This was what Ves wanted to accomplish!
Though he initially wanted to get Senator Tovar to treat him differently, he realized that he wouldn't be able to gain respect if he didn't give the old man any concrete benefits.
By making this promise, Ves automatically tied their interests together.
If Ves encountered any setbacks, the Tovars would also suffer.
If Ves achieved success, then the Tovars would also make some gains!
This was the best way to achieve a stable relationship!
From now on, his relationship with the Tovars no longer centered around his past services and associations with Flashlight and the senator.
"Our new deal is a much stronger basis for an alliance!" Ves happily spoke.
He didn't necessarily make this deal for himself. If the Bright Republic became hospitable to him, then he did not object to moving to another state.
What he truly wanted was to avoid any repercussions to the Larkinson Family. If Ves fell out of favor for whatever reason, he did not wish his family to suffer in his stead.
To put it bluntly, the Larkinson Family was the strongest shackle that tied him to the Bright Republic.
The Tovars would definitely watch out for the Larkinsons from now on! Even if his family hadn't been explicitly included in the deal, there was no way they would neglected!
So long as the Larkinson Family was able to shelter under the umbrella of the Tovar Family, Ves would have no more worries when it was time for him to embark on his grand expedition!
Chapter 1592
"There's a big problem with the deal you just made with Senator Tovar." Gloriana remarked. "If my home state ever loses the Komodo War, you'll instantly become a pariah."
"I know." Ves nodded gravely. "Such a thought hasn't escaped the senator either. This is why my proposal was so precarious. If Tovar erred on the side of caution, he would refuse my terms because he would not want the Tovar Family to develop any ties with Hexers."
"So by playing along with your deal, he essentially placed a vote of confidence in the Hegemony."
Ves shook his head. "A wily old statesman like him would never be so simple. The Tovar Family is a behemoth in the Bright Republic. Together with the other four founding families, they control many levers of the private and public sectors. Considering how our state often trades with the Friday Coalition, the Tovars must maintain at least some ties with them. Perhaps they are even more extensive than we think."
"That means that one of the reasons the Tovar Family has agreed to put some descendants under our care is to hedge their positions." Gloriana concluded. "That's quite clever, especially considering that it's unlikely that they maintain any ties to the Hegemony."
It couldn't be helped. The highly secular Bright Republic vastly preferred to treat with their own kind. Brighters and Fridaymen shared many common values, while the Hexers were so radically different that their beliefs directly clashed with every 'normal' culture!
In fact, one of the reasons why Ves doubted if Senator Tovar would accept his proposal was his scruples as a man.
Almost everyone in the Bright Republic rooted for the Fridaymen. Senator Tovar and his powerful family should be no different.
By supporting Ves, the Tovars actually went against their inclinations. This would definitely earn them a lot of flack, thereby reducing their standing among their peers.
Evidently, Senator Tovar judged that this tradeoff was worth it if he could gain some insurance.
If the Fridaymen won the war, then the Tovars would only suffer some minor disfavor. With all of their existing ties to the Coalition, they could easily take this hit.
If the Hexers vanquished over their rivals, all of the existing powers of the Bright Republic would instantly be put in an awkward position. In this precarious situation, a single, strong connection to the Hegemony put the Tovar Family on a much higher position than the other powers!
In fact, such an advantage might be enough for the Tovar Family to become the premier influence in the Bright Republic, surpassing every other founding family who lacked this connection!
"Aside from hitching his wagon to us, this is the second benefit that Senator Tovar has secured." Ves confirmed. "No matter which state comes out on top of the Komodo War, the Tovar Family is guaranteed to survive and stay in power. For a patriarch responsible for ensuring the continuity of his line, this is an exceedingly important concession."
Ves never aimed to appeal to Senator Tovar's charity or good impression of him. Only concrete benefits could make the old man use his influence to shield Ves and the Larkinson Family.
Just as Ves offered Senator Tovar an opportunity to hedge his positions, so did he receive the same opportunity.
If the Friday Coalition ever came out on top, then Ves and Gloriana would no longer be able to stay.
As for the Larkinsons, Ves knew that many of them held too much affection for the Bright Republic to follow him into exile.
To the Larkinsons that stayed, Ves was afraid that certain parties would scheme against his stubborn relatives.
However, now that Ves secured the support of the Tovar Family, they would hardly stand still and let the Larkinsons get bullied.
As long as the Tovars covered for the Larkinsons, then Ves would not have to look back all the time when he finally left to explore the galaxy.
"I'm doing this for my family." He whispered to his girlfriend. "It's not fair for them to suffer from my mistakes. Although I'm not sure if the Tovars will be able to keep their word in such an event, it's better than leaving the Larkinsons high and dry."
As a Larkinson, Ves knew very well how deep his family's loyalty to the Bright Republic ran.
The Larkinson Ancestor himself fought and bled to help establish the state!
Starting from this legendary figure, many Larkinsons fought and died in the name of duty. Many Larkinson mech pilots felt obligated to inherit the noble mission of their predecessors.
Though Ves did not entirely agree with this noble mission, blood was thicker than water.
Whatever he thought of these noble idiots, Ves still wanted to preserve their wellbeing.
"I think it's pretty noble of you to look out for your family in this manner." Gloriana remarked with a smile. "It shows you care."
Ves helplessly smiled. "I don't want to leave any regrets when we leave this star sector."
"I think it will be okay even if you're gone. After all, we'll be back after a couple of decades, right?"
"Right.."
After this momentous day, the LMC slowly calmed down.
As Ves and Gloriana resumed working on the Militant Soldier and Peaceful Soldier designs, the company soon recovered and operated just as productively as before.
The Larkinsons appointed a new Chief Operating Officer to take the helm of the LMC. Since they had been the ones to put Jake Altern forward in the first place, the elders felt quite remorseful that the man had betrayed Ves' trust.
For this reason, the identity of the new COO surprised Ves a lot. As soon as he received the news while he was in the middle of refining the Militant Soldier's design, he instantly contacted Calsie.
"What's the emergency, Ves?"
"Why did you vote in favor of letting Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson take over as COO?"
Calsie looked puzzled. "Is there a problem?"
"Raymond is a greedy prick!"
"Oh. Your grandfather hasn't said anything of the sort. He along with almost every other elder has recommended Mr. Billingsley-Larkinson as the new second-in-command of the company."
That sounded weird to Ves. "Why so?"
"The Larkinson Family is afraid of repeating the past. They don't dare to put forth another retainer. They aren't satisfied with the candidates within the company and it's out of the question to hand over this vital position to an outsider."
"In other words, the Larkinsons are only satisfied with putting up one of their own in charge, is that right?"
Calsie nodded. "They make up a very persuasive argument. While I was skeptical at first, Mr. Billingsley-Larkinson happens to have the most qualifications. Not only was he in charge of the Larkinson Trust Fund for all these years, he has also put a lot of effort into preparing for this role. He has developed a very high understanding of the LMC and he has also studied the mech industry in great depth."
"And no one else is as qualified as this prick?"
Calsie shook his head. "The Larkinsons are nearly unanimous in putting him in charge."
"Are there any other alternatives?"
"I've tried my best to find replacements, but it is not that easy to find a worthy replacement for Mr. Altern."
As Calsie described some of the alternative candidates, Ves agreed that they did not seem up to par. Compared to Raymond who evidently prepared to lead the LMC ever since the company became a mainstay of the family, everyone else would need too much time and effort to get up to speed.
The LMC couldn't afford any paralysis, especially during a time of crisis. With the Soldier product line taking the regional mech markets by storm, it was vitally important for someone trustworthy and competent to
Raymond did not exactly fit that bill.
Oh, Ves was not too narrow-minded to believe that Raymond was a good-for-nothing. The Larkinson Family would have never put him in charge of their finances if he was bad in running an enterprise.
It was the trust issue that troubled him a lot.
Would Raymond make the same mistake as Jake? Probably not. Even if someone argued that there was nothing wrong with associating with Spotlight, the man knew better than to piss Ves off.
What made Ves hesitate was his impression of Raymond as someone who was willing to engage in nepotism.
Ves did not forget the time where Raymond solicited him for money in order to support his grandson who currently served in the Mech Corps.
While Tusa Billingsley-Larkinson was a promising expert candidate, that did not mean that Ves would allow anyone to cut in line.
However, when it came down to it, this problem was not very severe. As long as Raymond did not enrich his pockets, then he was the best candidate that Ves could think of to take over as COO.
Ves turned his attention to Calsie. As the nominal CEO, she actually didn't do that much. Her only role was to ensure that the senior management remained loyal.
While she failed to detect anything amiss with Jake, Ves did not blame her. Without someone like Crindon at her disposal, there was no way she could come out ahead against organizations like Spotlight and Flashlight.
"I'll talk to Raymond when he gets here." Ves eventually decided. "If I think he's acceptable, then make sure to keep a very close eye on him. I don't entirely trust Raymond when it comes to managing our money."
After passing on a couple of judicious warnings, he ended the call.
Just like Vincent and the promised Tovar mech designers, Raymond still needed to arrive at Cloudy Curtain before he could go any further.
Gloriana, who sat close by, couldn't help but make a remark.
"You know, from what I learned about the Larkinson Family, it should be possible for you to take it over."
Ves firmly shook his head. "That's an awful idea. While most of the Larkinsons who have moved to Cloudy Curtain won't mind, there are also a lot of Larkinsons who want to stick to tradition. I'm fairly sure that many Larkinsons in active service will oppose letting a mech designer like me become the head of the family. That is simply not the way that our family is run."
The Larkinsons technically didn't really have a head. They saw no need to appoint one because the family never did anything that required active leadership.
Whenever the Larkinsons wanted to make any major decisions, they would just convene the steering committee and allow the elders to vote on various proposals.
The day-to-day running of the Larkinson Estate was left to a few trusted Larkinsons. However, none of them held absolute decision-making power.
Despite the lack of someone who was in charge of everything, the Larkinsons never had any problems with that. The Larkinsons never involved themselves in anything big enough to require an actual head.
However, now that Gloriana brought the topic up, Ves knew that the Larkinsons had changed drastically. His rise and the LMC's rise enriched the Larkinsons beyond their wildest dreams.
With money, many things became possible. The Larkinsons already invested enormously in taking over and expanding a basic mech academy on Bentheim. Now they planned to double-down on this venture by trying to gain permission to found an advanced mech academy!
The issue with all of these initiatives was that the Larkinsons were beginning to play with the big boys. This might land them in trouble and force them into a crisis if they inadvertently encroached on the interests of a powerful influence.
The slow and squabbling steering committee was unlikely to lead the Larkinson Family through such a crisis.
"Maybe you have a point, Gloriana." Ves murmured. "It's just that I don't think I'm influential enough in the family to gain enough acceptance."
It was still something that he would keep in mind, though. Perhaps he should divert some time into sounding the opinions of the Larkinsons who resided in his Cloud Estate.
Chapter 1593
The brief 'service interruption' that happened on Bentheim confounded many people.
It couldn't be helped. The auras that seemed to be perpetually active had gone dark all of a sudden.
The consequences were drastic. Mech pilots who became used to the reassuring duty-focused auras of the Desolate Soldiers suddenly felt as if they were missing something essential.
Bystanders who felt reassured in the comfort of the emotions evoked by the mechs all experienced a gaping void in their hearts.
The repercussions of this two-minute interruption was incredibly shocking!
Even though the mechs quickly came back to normal, panic continued to run rife for a few days.
The LMC received lots of calls despite publishing a notification that purportedly explained the phenomenon.
Though many people bought the excuse, many more had begun to spread conspiracy theories.
What if the LMC implemented a backdoor in their mechs?
Such a question frightened many owners of the Soldier mechs. How could they rest easy fighting the sandmen when their mental support suddenly disappeared?
Sales stagnated for a time. Existing owners of the Desolate Soldiers and Prideful Soldiers paused the deployment of their mechs in order to form a thorough inspection of the machines.
Not a single investigation revealed anything amiss. The designs of the Soldier product line were so simple that hardly anything could be hidden.
Perhaps the ones who came closest to the truth were fellow mech designers. Several of them had already guessed that Ves possessed some means of controlling his products because of some unique property of his design philosophy.
Although such a thing wasn't unheard of, it was exceedingly rare.
Fortunately, the storm quickly passed after a few days. Hardly anyone remembered the incident after a week. The passage of time and the constant influx of news about the Sand War quickly dominated the headlines.
The LMC soon returned to its previous trajectory. Sales had recovered and the complaints and questions about the incident died down.
The interruption only happened once, after all.
In fact, some people even started to become more appreciative of the auras. A Bentheim without auras was a Bentheim that had lost its soul!
"It's very strange, boss." Gavin described with an odd expression. "I initially thought that the mech buyers on Bentheim would have held some lingering doubts about our mechs. Yet once people got a taste of what it was like to lose the glows, they became a lot more insistent on buying additional mechs, as if they wanted to have some spares around if one of their machines became defective for whatever reason."
Ves could hardly explain this irrational behavior either. "Well, I won't turn down any opportunity to sell more mechs."
Ever since Ves fired a bunch of spies, Gavin acted a bit more restrained than before. While the assistant did his best to seem normal, he inevitably betrayed some nervous tics.
Everytime he did that, Ves inwardly smirked.
Though Gavin should have been swept up by the purge, Ves decided to spare his assistant.
He didn't really have a good reason to do so. He just felt like keeping Gavin around despite his ties to Flashlight.
After all, a proper Benny never answered to a single master!
Fortunately, Gavin still remained as helpful as ever.
"By the way, I think we should address how we should name the effects. No one has come up with a standardized term, and everyone is calling it by a different name. Most Brighters have taken to calling it a glow, while others refer to it as the soul of a mech."
The assistant listed out a bunch of words used to describe the auras.
Glow, soul, heart, feeling, domain and even the word aura itself began to be associated with the influencing effects of his mechs.
Of course, those who disliked the LMC mechs used more disparaging terms. Calling the effect a brainwashing field was a good way to arouse vigilance in many people.
It was for this reason that Gavin brought the topic up today.
"I admit I neglected this aspect." Ves rubbed his smooth-shaven chin as he sat behind his desk. "Personally, I prefer to think of it as an aura, but in the context of my company's mission perhaps it's best to call it a soul."
"A soul implies that something is living in our mechs." Gavin warily pointed out. "Are you sure you want to push this belief? Calling it a glow is a much safer term. Not only does it come with warm and positive connotations, it also reflects our Brighter heritage."
"I considered that, but that's not what the LMC is about. What do the letters stand for?"
"Living Mech Corporation."
"What is our motto?"
"Living Mechs. Partners for Life."
Ves nodded. "What do you think I've been working towards all this time? When I told you that I'm out to design mechs that live, I wasn't kidding. What you are feeling from my mechs is a form of life! Though I'm not entirely satisfied with calling it a soul, it's the best way to make the public understand that the reason why our mechs are different is because they each have a soul!"
"This..." Gavin was taken aback by his description.
Even if he accompanied Ves for several years, he had never come in contact with the truth. As a normal citizen from the Bright Republic, it was very difficult for him to accept such an absurd statement.
Yet... his time with the LMC already made it clear that Ves was capable of many feats. Gavin did not dare to dismiss this latest claim.
There were still some problems, though.
"I don't advise you to call it a soul. Another reason why we stuck to calling it a glow is because it doesn't evoke negative reactions in different cultures. If we start calling it a soul, then the mech markets in certain religious states will react very violently at our claim."
"That... sounds like a problem, yes." Ves furrowed his brows.
As much as he wanted to propagate his vision for mechs, not every culture was receptive to the idea.
To claim that a soul resided in a mech would result in a lot of backlash in states where people believed that the dead went to the afterlife.
What if the LMC intercepted the souls of the dead and stuffed them into their mechs through conducting demonic rituals? Ves could scarcely imagine the backlash that might result!
Calling the effect a glow was a much better alternative because it allowed for many different interpretations. By sticking to such a vague term, the LMC could adopt different messaging strategies.
Ves sighed. "Alright. Let's settle for glow then. It's not the most accurate term, but it's the safest one out of all of the options."
An aura was nothing more than an outward expression of spirituality. He had no problems calling it a glow, though inwardly he preferred sticking to the original term.
After ending his daily meeting, he left his office and headed to his lab.
As he entered, he noticed that Gloriana was in the process of lecturing the four Larkinson brats. Each of them listened to the woman attentively. All of the four future mech designers knew that they would never be able to reach her height at her age.
Even so, that did not diminish their hunger at all. Each of them wanted to learn as much as possible from Ves and Gloriana so that they could fulfill their own dreams.
As Ves quietly watched the lecture, Ketis quietly walked up to him. "We've all been taking turns in teaching them. Do you think it will be useful? They're still too young."
"It's okay. I don't expect all of them to become successful. I'm content as long as one of them stands out from the crowd." He responded before turning his attention to her. "You should pay attention to your own progression. You're already at the level of a seasoned Apprentice in terms of knowledge, but you're no different from a Novice in terms of practical experience."
Ketis looked down. "Hardly anyone wants to buy a swordsman mech these days. It's hard for me to motivate myself whenever I want to work on my own designs."
"Every mech designer has their ups and downs." Ves patted her shoulder. "Even when you're struggling to come up with any ideas, you have to develop some persistence. If you are too dependent on ideal conditions, you will never be consistent. A true professional can do their job regardless if they are down or depressed."
She nodded. "I know. I am trying my best, but it's really difficult to get any work done when I don't have any hopes of selling any mechs."
Though Ves hadn't spent too much time on inspecting her work, he knew that she was making a fair amount of progress. She had already become reasonably versed at designing variants.
It would only be a matter of time before she was ready to design her first original mech.
"How is your design philosophy following along?"
Her eyes burned with determination. "It's still the same, more or less. I haven't given up on my principles. I want to develop a sword that is sharp enough to cut anything material, and I want to design a mech that is worthy enough to wield such a sword!"
Ves could sense the sincerity in her words. She was just as passionate as before, which alleviated some of his worries.
"I don't know if your path is correct, but it's the most suitable one for you. As long as you're happy, you won't regret your choice."
They began to discuss some of her recent designs. Since Ves had been absent for a year, he wanted to make it up by guiding Ketis forward.
Of course, he didn't straight up tell her how she should do things. It was best for her to develop the ability to come up with her own solutions.
For that reason, it was enough for Ves to point out the places where she needed to pay more attention.
"You're so good at spotting problems." She said in admiration.
"That's the benefit of having a lot of practical experience with mechs. It's not enough to work with numbers and schematics all the time. You need to get your hands dirty and spend some time in the workshop or manufacturing facilities."
In truth, Ves wasn't talented in this aspect. He simply cheated his way up by accumulating several helpful Sub-Skills from the System.
Without access to the System, there was little hope that Ketis would reach this level of proficiency in spotting problems.
It wasn't entirely necessary, though. Most mech designers already made do with average vision for faults. They merely relied on simulations and prototype testing to unearth the problems they failed to spot in the earlier design phases.
As Gloriana continued to teach the Larkinson seeds, Ves patiently enlightened Ketis with some of his valuable insights.
He took care not to impose too much of his own beliefs on her. Instead, he merely opened some doors for her that she could explore at her own leisure.
"How should I progress my design philosophy?" She asked. "No one ever gives me a straight answer."
Ves shrugged. "That's because it's different for everyone. It's a journey of exploration, and no one can tell you whether you're heading in the right direction. Everyone encounters different problems. The solutions you develop will form the basis of your toolbox. Of course, you won't be able to do much at the Novice and Apprentice stage."
Though Ketis looked discouraged, she was still young. Ves did not expect her to become a Journeyman anytime soon.
Unlike her, both Ves and Gloriana benefited from various powerful advantages to accelerate their progression.
While it was true that Ves empowered Ketis by feeding her with a bunch of Attribute Candies, that was not enough to narrow the gap.
Perhaps the only way she could catch up was to become a guest user of the System.
Ves did not consider this option for the time being.
Chapter 1594
After Ves struck a new deal with the Tovars, the benefits of strengthening their relationship soon became clear.
The LMC's regulatory burden decreased. Permits were granted faster and inspections became less frequent.
These sounded minor, but to a company as huge as the LMC, they were very welcome.
The Tovars also allowed the LMC to transact with exclusive wholesalers and suppliers of raw materials.
Some of these companies were owned by the Tovar Family. Others maintained long-standing ties with the founding family. Whatever the case, the LMC managed to enter this circle.
This meant that the LMC not only gained access to cheaper materials, but also didn't have to worry as much about unanticipated shortages.
Another benefit of the new deal was that his refugee recruitment quota had tripled. He could hire a lot more gems in the rough than before.
Ves had already tasked the LMC to go through the list of refugees that the Bright Republic recently settled on Cloudy Curtain.
Among the billions of refugees, there were many treasures hidden in the crowd. The government had no time to look up their identities thoroughly, so the refugee database was far from complete.
Nobody believed it was accurate. With many official records and databases gone, it took too much time and effort to verify the statements made by the refugees.
Perhaps a self-proclaimed Journeyman Mech Designer turned out to be nothing more than an Apprentice.
Perhaps the lead programmer of a famous software company was a hacker who committed identity theft.
Perhaps a former military mech officer with a stunning record was a pirate leader who got mixed in with the refugees!
In short, the refugee database couldn't be trusted at all! It could only be used as a reference. In order to be sure that they hired the right people, the LMC organized several trips to the farming settlements in order to investigate the refugees up close!
Ves decided to accompany one of the visits. He boarded a shuttle which flew to a distant farming settlement. The reason for stopping by this specific settlement was because it supposedly held an exobiologist!
And not just any exobiologist, but a brilliant and talented one!
As Ves reviewed the exobiologist's flimsy registry data, he frowned a bit.
"I'm not sure whether this fellow is the real deal." He muttered.
"We've confirmed that Dr. Lupo Guernica really exists." Gavin replied from the opposite side of the shuttle. "We found mention of him throughout the galactic net. We found reliable sources that confirm that he has graduated with a degree in exobiology."
Ves looked up from the data pad. "He also appears to be a cooking enthusiast who participated in several cooking contests and wrote his own cookbook. It sounds rather strange to me that Dr. Guernica is both a biotech expert and a chef!"
Though the combination sounded dubious, it was not enough to dismiss Lupo as a blowhard. The proof they found on the galactic net was reliable enough to take this refugee seriously.
If this exobiologist was the real deal, then Ves would be happy to take him in. Not only did he graduate with distinction from a renowned university from a fallen border state, he also acquired a broad array of skills.
Though he mainly appeared to be an exobiologist, Dr. Guernica also dabbled in various other biotech fields.
Ves saw a lot of promise in this man. As long as he could convince the doctor to study implants and human augmentation, he might be able to become proficient in implant surgery.
It was very difficult for Ves to recruit a biotech expert who specialized in implants. It was even harder to get his hands on a qualified implant surgeon. The field of augmenting human capabilities was so complex that many doctors and biologists simply weren't good enough.
Ordinarily, someone as capable as Dr. Guernica would never be available. Companies scouted talents like him in their first or second year of studies and offered them juicy preliminary employment contracts. After they graduated, they instantly disappeared from the public.
Now, all of those arrangements were moot. Entire states had fallen. Many local companies and institutions fell as well, thereby freeing up a lot of valuable experts.
"What do you think, Nitaa?" Ves asked his bodyguard.
"I have nothing to add, save that we should be thorough in testing his capabilities." The tall woman said. "It's rather odd that he's still available."
That was true. Ves was not the only employer who wanted to recruit some local refugees. Many of the most promising refugees received multiple recruitment requests.
If that ever happened, the government randomly allocated a winner who received the right to approach a specific refugee first.
The LMC already requested to recruit a couple of hundred highly-skilled refugees, but only received permission to approach a fraction of that number.
To fill up its quota, the LMC had no choice but to consider other refugees.
Soon enough, the shuttle arrived at a farming settlement situated in the middle of nowhere. As Ves exited the shuttle, he briefly glanced at the mechs of the Avatars that escorted him before studying the settlement.
"These houses actually look pretty decent." Ves remarked.
"It was much better than before." Gavin noted. "The refugees used to live in metal boxes that were barely habitable. A lot of riots and social problems followed because the living environment was really depressing."
The houses in front of them might not be as classy as the ones in Freslin, but they looked much more pleasant than the industrial housing that they expected.
The brightly-colored pastel walls and fiery red roofs gave the impression of an idyllic village. If not for the lack of history and culture on the streets, Ves might have been convinced that it was older than a couple of months.
Of course, Ves spotted plenty of incongruities that revealed the very cheap and hasty nature of the construction effort. He could immediately tell that the construction companies hired to build these pleasant houses had cut a lot of corners.
"Well, let's get inside and find our exobiologist. We should also take a lot at the other hires in this settlement."
Ves, Gavin, Nitaa, Lucky took the lead. Accompanying them was a group of guards as well as some administrative personnel to vet the recruits.
Once this procession entered the settlement, they immediately attracted attention.
In fact, the refugees already gawked at their shuttles and their mechs.
Clad in basic, machine-washed clothes, their hopeless gazes gained some light as they admired and envied the well-dressed visitors.
None of the refugees approached. Public order was very strict in the settlements. After the outbreak of several riots, the government deployed a lot of humanoid patrol bots to prevent any further trouble.
Due to limited manpower, only a couple of officers and administrators ran the farming settlements from a central office building.
Ves first paid a visit there. He briefly met with the 'mayor' and discussed some of the formalities.
Once that was over, they exited the office building and headed to the outskirts of the settlement.
Numerous refugees had come out of their homes to peek at the newcomers. The contrast between their attire and demeanor was simply too vast.
As Ves carried Lucky on his shoulder, he couldn't help but notice that most of the refugees looked broken.
They had lost almost everything. Their jobs, their relatives, their confidence, their dignity and their home state were no more.
Only the kids showed some signs of life. They happily chased each other or cast their curious gazes at the tall mechs in the distance.
Their liveliness resonated with Ves. Even in the bleakest of times, life still found a way.
"We should do something to cheer these refugees up." Ves suggested. "Benny, why don't you see if we can apply to place some Desolate Soldiers at these settlements."
"There are too many refugee centers and settlements, boss. We'd have to output thousands of them just to cover all of the settlements around Freslin. All of those mechs are better put to use in other places, such as the battlefield or stabilizing the moods of productive citizens."
Ves sighed with regret. "You're right. It's too wasteful to deploy my mechs to cheer up these refugees."
They didn't really have any jobs except assist in the cultivation of fast-growing crops. Even then, the farming bots and machines did most of the work. It hardly mattered if the refugees regained some hope.
Once they passed the outermost circle of houses, a vast field of cultivated crops entered their sight. Ves knew that each of the plants weren't very palatable on their own.
Instead, they had been genetically modified to be incredibly nutritious and suitable to grow under the local circumstances of this farming settlement.
Ves knew that the harvest would be sent to an industrial food processing plant. There, the harvest would be mixed with other crops and ingredients before turning into freshly-made nutrient packs.
This was the fastest, cheapest and most efficient way to feed a large amount of population. While the Bright Republic wouldn't be running out of food anytime soon, it was best to take care of the food problem early.
As Ves approached a depot of some sort, he stumbled across a very foul air.
"Urgh!" Gavin gagged. "What is this smell?! Are the refugees treating the fields as their toilet or something?!"
The smell came from the soil and from the flying platforms in the air that dropped some very foul-looking matter onto a distant field.
Fortunately, Ves was made of sterner stuff. "Buck up, Benny. Where do you think the plants get their building blocks? They're so fast-growing that they'll quickly deplete the nutrients in the soil after a couple of harvest."
The fields on Bentheim required a lot of fertilizer to grow enough crops to feed a lot of refugees.
The bulk of the fertilizer had been shipped from Bentheim. Due to haste and necessity, the fertilizer had only undergone minimal processing, which meant that it wasn't possible to make it smell any better.
Once they reached the depot, Ves talked with the manager who led the group to what appeared to be an improved lab.
"NO NO NO!" A man with stringy brown hair and dressed in a soiled white lab coat yelled at a lab machine. "Why are my babies so inconsistent?! It must be the fertilizer! Why do those stinking farming consortiums mix up the fertilizer from so many different sources?!"
Ves instantly had a bad idea about this. Nonetheless, he needed to make sure he got the right person.
"Dr. Guernica?"
The man turned around and took in the sudden arrivals with a sharp expression.
Ves became disconcerted when he recognized the man's gaze. It was the look of someone who was fanatical about their research.
Ves had seen it before in people like Dr. Jutland and the Skull Architect.
That was not good news.
"You're the bigshot mech designer who wanted to hire me, aren't you?" The doctor probed.
"Yes." Ves stepped forward and tried his best to recover his poise. He couldn't afford to show any weakness against these types. "I'm interested in employing a smart and versatile biotech expert. You happen to catch my attention, so I decided to take a look and see if your record is accurate."
"Call me Lupo." The man said. "And yes, my record is very accurate. You can test me if you want."
"Please don't mind if we do. My subordinates will examine your knowledge and skills."
Lupo seemingly forgot about his experiment and began to grin at Ves. "Before we continue, please answer this question. Are you rich?"
Though the question came out of the blue, Ves decided to humor the man.
"I'm a Journeyman Mech Designer. My mech company sells over two-hundred thousand copies per month. I think you're smart enough to figure out the rest."
Ves could practically see the credit signs in the exobiologist's eyes.
"I have another question."
"Sure."
"Do you need a chef?"
"What?"
Chapter 1595
After an odd question-and-answer, Ves waved his subordinates forward in order to conduct an examination.
Though Ves was pretty convinced that Dr. Lupo was a genuine exobiologist, he still wanted to be sure.
"This guy is a real piece of work." Gavin quietly muttered. "Didn't you notice that he talked more about cooking than actual science?"
"It's actually mixed." Ves corrected. "Dr. Lupo appears to base his research on developing recipes. I'm actually intrigued with what he attempts to achieve."
"He's crazy! How can he possibly develop a recipe that can improve someone's genetic aptitude? I've never heard of such a thing!"
Ves agreed with Gavin's assessment. No one had ever succeeded in altering someone's genetic aptitude for mech piloting. If the best researchers of the MTA failed to make any breakthroughs, then how could a mere exobiologist from the galactic rim do any better?
Nonetheless, Ves did not look down on Dr. Lupo for that reason. Having an impossible ambition was very admirable in his eyes.
Just like many mech designers, Lupo wanted to change the galaxy with his dream. His was just a lot more difficult to achieve than other ambitions.
As Ves watched Lupo undergo various tests, he thought back on his meeting with Old Man Terrence.
Both of them wanted to unlock humanity's potential in similar ways. They both focused their research on finding a way to make genetic aptitude less restrictive.
Old Man Terrence wanted to make genetic aptitude irrelevant by developing a neural interface that worked with norms.
Dr. Lupo wanted to give norms the opportunity to become mech pilots by improving their genetic aptitude through a special diet.
No matter how unrealistic these dreams sounded, Ves regarded them as noble callings.
Even if it was almost certain that they would fail, there was always a chance of success. Just one ambitious dreamer had to succeed in order to make an incalculable contribution to humanity.
Enabling norms to pilot mechs would definitely transform human society by giving everyone access to mechs.
While some people might argue that allowing more people to pilot mechs was a very bad thing, Ves did not think so. As a mech designer, he welcomed any attempt at expanding the market for mechs.
The more people became capable of piloting mechs, the more mechs he'd be able to sell!
As for what all of these enthusiastic norms would do with their destructive toys, that wasn't his problem.
"It seems like Dr. Lupo is doing fairly well in the tests." Ves remarked.
From how deftly the exobiologist completed the tests and how satisfied the examiners behaved, Lupo must be a real talent for his age.
That was good. This trip wouldn't have been for nothing.
Of course, there were still some issues.
"I don't know, Ves. Dr. Lupo's attitude isn't very stable. He kind of reminds me of you sometimes."
Ves smiled sardonically. "That's not necessarily a bad thing, Benny. I think he's merely.. eccentric."
To be honest, Ves held some of the same misgivings. He could see the touch of crazy in Dr. Lupo's words and expressions. The refugee scientist was clearly passionate in his research to the point of obsessing over it night and day.
To Ves, it was akin to encountering a shadow of Dr. Jutland. The mere thought of it sent a shudder through his body.
However, as someone who was very passionate about his own work, Ves knew that these types of people were often brilliant. Perhaps they might not be able to fulfill their dreams, but they were definitely capable enough to make other great accomplishments.
Ves would not easily let such a person go.
The only issue that really worried him was loyalty. Their brief meeting did not allow Ves to get a good grip on Lupo's commitment to working for him. It sounded as if the refugee just saw Ves as a source of funding.
That could be good or bad.
If Dr. Lupo only cared about his research, then he wouldn't have any other needs other than sufficient funding.
Since Ves happened to be good at making money, he could easily keep this talented exobiologist in line.
The downside was that other people could easily poach Lupo away by offering even more money.
Other than that, there might be more to Dr. Lupo than what he appeared on the surface. Ves would not entrust his life to the man until he thoroughly vetted the exobiologist's loyalties.
For now, Ves just wanted to secure this man quickly and bring him over to the LMC before others cast their eyes to the doctor.
"What do you think, Lucky?" Ves asked the cat perched on his shoulder.
"Meow."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?"
"Meow."
"Did Gloriana spoil you rotten with her exotics or something?"
"Meow!"
Ves regretted asking for Lucky's opinion.
Time passed by as Lupo demonstrated his breadth and depth of knowledge through various means. Two hours later, Ves received the results. He quickly perused them and nodded in satisfaction.
"While he's not capable of performing implant surgery, his foundation and intellect is quite good for an exobiologist."
Though Ves wasn't versed in the biotech sciences, he inferred that with Lupo's broad knowledge, it wouldn't be much of a stretch for him to get his foot in the door.
Unfortunately, it would probably take years of focused study before Lupo became a qualified implant surgeon. Ves couldn't wait that long.
The sooner he installed the Archimedes Rubal in his mind, the sooner he could go back to acquiring new Sub-Skills.
"Dr. Lupo isn't quite what I sought for." Ves concluded with a touch of disappointment. "He's still useful in many other ways, though. I think I can already make an early start in forming my exobeast reserve."
Since his adventure on Felixia, Ves had soured at the thought of tracking down exobeasts with spiritual potential in person.
Rather than getting involved in a life-and-death battle against a powerful exobeast, Ves would rather buy them from the market or hire others to capture them in the wild.
With an exobiologist like Lupo in charge, Ves would be assured the creatures wouldn't die before it was time for him to harvest their spiritualities.
Of course, all of this required a lot of setup. Lupo would have to hire caretakers and exobeast handlers to keep the dangerous lifeforms under control.
Once the doctor returned from the test, Ves made his offer.
"Interesting." Lupo fell into thought. "What is the purpose of this nature reserve? Why do you keep these animals around?"
"For research and inspiration." Ves blandly replied. "Due to my specialty, I can gain a lot if I observe various powerful organic lifeforms. I can gain even more inspiration if I witness their final moment. The mechs I design are partially inspired by these magnificent creatures."
"So... you don't need their meat?"
Ves blinked. "Not really.."
"Let me process their meat, then!" Lupo erupted into a grin. "I'll cook some of the greatest meals in your life if you allow me to use their meat!"
Both Ves and Gavin were taken aback at the exobiologist's fervent response.
"That.. is acceptable." Ves reluctantly answered.
They began to negotiate the terms of Lupo's employment.
Strangely enough, Lupo hardly cared about all of the clauses that Ves insisted to be put in the contract. Aside from the standard ones that relate to leaking proprietary research data and sabotaging assets, Ves also managed to squeeze in other favorable terms.
Though Ves could not prevent Lupo from quitting and leaving at any time, the exobiologist would have to pay a very heavy price if he wanted to depart before his contract was up for renewal.
Ves couldn't help but smirk when he turned around. Snatching these obsessive scientist types was trivially easy as long as he could provide them what he needed.
"I think we're done here, Benny. Let's return."
With Lupo in tow, they slowly exited the depot and exited the fields as fast as possible. As soon as they reached the houses, the odor instantly disappeared. The government installed some kind of equipment that kept the awful smells away.
"Ah, we're finally back to civilization!" Gavin breathed the filtered air in relief.
They took the same route back to the landing zone where their shuttle awaited. As they crossed the village, Ves began to frown before slowing down his pace. His entourage all slowed down as well.
"What's wrong, boss?"
"There's something odd here." He murmured before turning to Nitaa. "Have you sensed anything odd?"
Nitaa shook her head. "I'm not smelling anything notable at the moment."
Ves turned to Lucky and began to whisper some instructions to his cat.
"Meow."
The cat jumped down from his shoulder and began to sprint into a street.
The refugee kids that had been following them from a distance began to yell and chase after the fancy-looking mechanical cat!
"What's the matter?" Gavin repeated.
"Shh." Ves raised his palm. "Since we're already here, let's not leave so soon. I think I'm in the mood to pick up another recruit."
"What about Dr. Lupo?"
"Just send him and some people back to the shuttle."
As Dr. Lupo and a portion of his people returned to the shuttle, Ves and the rest remained in the village.
Ves pretended to act casual while casting his senses outwards. After catching a very subtle sensation, he smoothly turned towards the street where Lucky had run after before strolling forward.
They spent ten minutes of meandering through the streets before Lucky returned. The cat halted a few steps before Ves.
"Meow meow meow!"
"Good job. Lead the way!"
Ves and the others continued to stroll forward as Lucky padded forward with a raised tail. Though they looked incredibly silly, Ves didn't care. The more he walked, the stronger the sensation.
Eventually, they reached one of the many identical pastel houses. This one happened to be a smaller unit meant to provide space for a single occupant.
Ves carefully knocked the door.
Nobody answered.
Ves knocked the door again.
Nobody answered.
"Maybe nobody's home." Gavin suggested.
"I'm pretty certain someone is home." Ves muttered. Instead of knocking a third time, he activated his comm and sent a brief message to the mayor of the settlement.
Half a minute later, Ves received a reply.
Shortly after that, a click and a chime sounded from the front door.
Ves stepped forward and the door automatically slid open. The mayor had unlocked the door upon his request.
Before he went any further, he turned around and looked at his entourage. His guards alone amounted to a dozen men.
Entering a refugee's household with so many intimidating people wouldn't send the right idea.
"I'll only take Lucky and Nitaa inside. As for the rest of you, please wait outside."
Though Gavin looked rather cross for being excluded, Ves had no need for a Benny this time.
Once Ves, Lucky and Nitaa entered the home, the door automatically slid shut.
Soft footsteps sounded out from the stairs. A haggard-looking middle-aged woman descended from the upper floor.
Her dull eyes swept over them with hardly any emotion. "Outsiders. I did not invite you here. Leave."
Ves stepped forward. "Please hear me out, madame. Can we sit and talk?"
"No." The woman flatly replied.
Despite her objection, Ves pretended not to hear it. He picked up Lucky and calmly stepped over to the cheap set of couches in the living room.
Seeing that she could not get rid of this well-dressed intruder so easily, the resident of the home reluctantly followed suit.
As both of them sat down, Ves tried to offer a reassuring smile to the woman. "You have a good physique. I can tell you're a mech pilot."
"I'm far from my prime."
"Even so, you are still a warrior, are you not?"
The woman turned away from Ves, as if ashamed of her past.
Even though the mech pilot looked no different from any other refugee in the settlement, Ves treated her with the utmost respect.
This was because his spiritual senses detected something remarkable inside her head!
This bedraggled, defeated-looking woman turned out to be a bona-fide expert pilot!
Chapter 1596
An expert pilot was one of the top mech pilots of any state.
Capable of resonating with special materials added to expert mechs, they were able to achieve reality-bending feats with the force of their will.
Each mech pilot who advanced to expert candidate, the precursor of this rank, always received favored treatment from the state.
They were both treasures and strategic weapons. States with more expert pilots than their neighbors always gained a significant advantage in any conflicts.
Regular mech pilots always worshipped strength. The presence of a friendly expert pilot fighting by their side always boosted their morale.
On the other hand, facing an enemy expert pilot in combat was deeply demoralizing.
It was nigh-impossible for normal mechs to defeat an expert pilot equipped with an expert mech that complimented their strengths.
Ves knew this very well. Not only had he heard all kinds of stories about the Larkinson expert pilots in his youth, he also had the distinct pleasure of seeing the ground forces of the Vandals and Swordmaidens wiped out by Venerable Foster.
As long as the expert pilot and expert mech were strong enough, mortals ceased to pose a threat.
He heard stories where mech armies numbering hundreds of thousands of mechs collapsed due to fielding too few expert mechs.
While most expert mechs still possessed distinct weaknesses and limitations, it was far too hard to cope with them. Faster, tougher, longer-lasting and more durable than any standard mech, they could always choose the terms of battle.
If the foes they faced threatened to overwhelm them, the expert mechs could simply choose to withdraw or engage in guerilla tactics.
Even if a single expert mech faced an entire mech regiment, as long as the latter did not field an expert mech, the mech regiment was destined to be wiped out!
It might take weeks, but as long as the expert mech retreated and resupplied without issue, the numerically-superior force could only wait for death!
Considering their immense battle prowess and inspirational value, expert pilots should never be left alone and neglected.
Since force of will was an external expression of spirituality, the MTA eventually managed to find a way to detect its presence. In fact, the MTA continually refined their sensors to the point where it could be measured along the lavere scale.
Let alone expert pilots, expert candidates should never be able to escape detection!
This also made them exceptionally poor at stealth operations. It was far too difficult for them to sneak around unless their force of will revolved around hiding their presence.
Yet the reality in front of Ves shattered his misconceptions. The Bright Republic somehow rescued a genuine expert pilot only to dump her on this random farming settlement on Cloudy Curtain as if she was a discarded good!
What the hell was wrong with his home state!? Was it too much to ask that the government scanned the refugees for the presence of force of will just like they did with scanning for weapons, diseases, injuries, health problems and so on?
Yet as Ves discreetly studied the woman sitting opposite to him with his spiritual vision, he slowly figured the reason why she escaped everyone's attention.
First, she was a fairly weak expert pilot. The refugee was weaker than any other expert pilot he had seen, including Venerable Xie.
Ordinarily, that wasn't an issue, as a newly-advanced expert pilot still lit up like a beacon in sensors designed to detect resonance.
The problem was that the woman's force of will appeared to have collapsed!
Yes, collapsed!
Every expert pilot that Ves had met possessed a strong, overarching will that they had merged with their spirituality. The blending of will and spiritual energy produced a powerful field that acted on both people and material that specifically resonated with its properties!
It was actually similar to the glow of his mechs, but with actual force.
This was the basis of an expert pilot's application of strength. The empowered auras or energy fields they radiated acted on their mechs, thereby achieving selective resonance that resulted in powerful resonance abilities.
Yet what happened if a force of will stopped radiating an energy field?
What if the will that formed the core of their spiritual strength had weakened to the point of starvation?
What if an expert pilot... lost faith?
Something like this almost never happened, but that did not mean that it was impossible.
An enormous defeat, the death of loved ones or the collapse of her home state were some of the many possible reasons for the woman's descent into despair.
Once an expert pilot fell into this pit, they ceased to be strong. With their force of will rendered inert, there was no way they could use their strength to empower their mechs!
An expert pilot without resonance was just a very skilled mech pilot. While they still retained their superhuman level of skill and insane learning ability, they were as frail as mortals.
The woman's force of will was so silent and listless that sensors couldn't detect it anymore.
If not for his exceptional perception of spirituality, he wouldn't have detected a trace of this buried treasure in this forgettable farming settlement!
Though her force of will had grown inert, she still carried the unmistakable presence of an expert pilot in his eyes. It was just that her abnormally subdued and defeated demeanor caused her to be overlooked by those who hadn't come into contact with expert pilots.
Trying his best to maintain composure, Ves carefully tried to engage the woman in conversation.
"My name is Ves Larkinson. I'm a Journeyman Mech Designer from the Bright Republic. What is your name?"
"..."
"Where do you come from?"
"..."
"How long have you been stuck in this settlement?"
"..."
"I come from a military family with a long history of service. We are famed for producing expert pilots every generation."
"..."
The woman refrained from speaking. Instead, her dull eyes bore down on him as if she was dead and nothing else mattered.
His smile grew increasingly more brittle at the lack of response.
If she was anyone else, Ves would have prodded her more directly. Yet in the face of an expert pilot, he had to tread exceptionally carefully.
Since he found a lost and unclaimed expert pilot in the wild, he was determined to have her as his own! He would not allow anyone to snatch this treasure from his nose!
The Bright Republic could never find out. Having learned his lesson with Jannzi, Ves tried to avoid giving any sign that he believed that the woman was an expert pilot.
Ves merely babbled on a bit about himself and the Larkinsons. He referenced his family expert pilots rather frequently, though that shouldn't arouse any suspicions from the monitoring system that was doubtlessly built into this house.
Seeing as the expert pilot was giving him the silent treatment, Ves paused his chat to look up her record through her comm.
[Davia Stark
Former military mech pilot.
Former mercenary mech pilot.
Citizen of a fallen state. Participated in the Sand War. Member of a mercenary corps which suffered defeat and annihilation in a battle against the sandman race.
Traumatized. Demoralized. Suffers from depression.
Deteriorating physical condition due to lack of training and nutrition. Body suffers from chronic pain as a result of lingering battle injuries.
In queue for physical treatment and therapy. Estimated wait time: 633 days.
Unresponsive to AI-driven psychiatric treatments. Unresponsive to local group counselling sessions.
In queue for in-person psychiatric treatment. Estimated wait time: 1253 days.
Declared unfit for combat.]
Davia Stark needed help. That had become clear to Ves.
Sadly, due to the immense flood of refugees, the government's resources were far too strained. Providing intensive care and treatment to refugees was a luxury the government could not afford at this stage.
Ves tried to refrain from grinning.
The Bright Republic completely neglected the opportunity to approach Davia Stark and convert her into fighting on its behalf!
How could he miss such an exceptional opportunity? He had to fill in the void right away before the government got wise!
"Madame Stark." He shifted his tone. "As a brave and heroic veteran in the ongoing Sand War, I cannot allow you to languish in this boring refugee settlement. Why not come with me and allow me to arrange treatment and rehabilitation for you? The Bright Republic needs your strength. Humanity needs your strength."
Though Davia Stark remained unmoved by his offer, he noticed a couple of minute reactions from her listless force of will.
Calling her a brave and heroic veteran evoked a negative response. Mentioning that humanity needed her evoked a positive response.
Though her fluctuations were faint, it was enough for him to get a read on her. Through the conversation, he already spent a lot of time to figure out the properties of her force of will.
Its final response was the most telling. For just a single instant, her force of will showed signs of coming alive.
Then, her despair quickly reasserted itself, crushing her hopes and dreams before they even had time to develop.
His frown grew deeper as he witnessed what had happened. He could tell it wouldn't be easy to solve this problem.
Stark's condition reminded him much of William Urbesh's cowardice.
The latter's fear of fighting actual opponents was so deeply rooted that it made him unfit for combat.
Now that Davia Stark suffered from something similar, it wouldn't be easy to restore her to her prime.
From what Ves heard about expert pilots who lost their heart, it was very hard for them to regain their strength. They needed to undergo a long period of counselling and rehabilitation.
No medicine or treatment guaranteed success. They had to rediscover their reasons to live and fight.
That might take years. The worst part about this was that success wasn't guaranteed.
Expert pilots tended to be the strongest-willed humans in the galaxy. They were very clearly a notch above in this aspect. For them to suffer such a severe setback that caused their will to collapse was often enough to drive regular mech pilots to suicide!
Did he have to resort to spiritual surgery in order to mend her crippled force of will?
Ves minutely shook his head. That was too risky. The unusual condition of William Urbesh after he underwent his treatment was enough for Ves to know that messing with people's minds and spiritualities was exceedingly dangerous.
He could not afford to ruin an expert pilot beyond redemption due to performing hasty, untested spiritual treatments.
He decided to figure out a solution later. For now, he wanted to secure this buried gem and prevent anyone else from picking up this immense bargain.
"Have you considered it, Madame Stark?"
"Get out." She whispered.
Ves shrugged and turned to Gavin.
Motioning him to step forward, he whispered some instructions in his assistant's ear.
"Go set up a charity organization in my name. Let's call it something pleasant such as the 'Ves Larkinson Foundation for Wounded Veterans' or something. I don't care how many bureaucrats you bribe, but get it up and running as fast as possible. Once you've set it up, announce that we will be taking ten random veterans of the Sand War among the refugee population and invest in their treatment."
"A charity? You? Have you gone insane?" Gavin puzzlingly whispered back.
"Just do what I say, Benny! Make sure that Davia Stark is among the first beneficiaries of my charity. Set aside a budget of 1 billion bright credits to show that I'm committed to this venture."
"Umm.. I don't think Davia Stark looks willing to accept your generosity."
Ves chuckled under his breath. "She doesn't have any say in the matter."
They proceeded to set up the so-called Ves Larkinson Foundation for Wounded Veterans within an hour. With the LMC's immense influence in Cloudy Curtain, it hardly took any effort to turn it into a real, certified charity organization.
Now that the Foundation became a recognized entity, Ves began to apply his influence to the mayor of the settlement and elsewhere.
He quickly explored the settlement and picked out nine random mech pilots that desperately needed treatment. He even gave up ten slots in his recruitment quota to gain permission to take them away.
He ordered a shuttle to pick them all up and bring them back to the Mech Nursery.
Though the veterans he selected were more than willing to receive free treatment and rehabilitation, Davia Stark was a different story.
This was where his Foundation came in. If Ves wanted to take Davia away by force, then he wouldn't be able to do so. Yet now that he founded a charity, he could easily use it as an excuse to bring this unwilling mech pilot away for the greater good!
Though everything sounded a bit dubious, the mayor of the settlement and the officials in charge of managing the refugees didn't care. They were so overworked that they could hardly spare any thought to the wishes of a single refugee!
Davia Stark had fallen into his hands!
Chapter 1597
Naturally, Davia Stark objected to being taken away by a stranger. She wanted nothing more than to wallow in her depression in her bare and lifeless accommodation.
She even fought back when a pair of guards from the Avatars of Myth arrived to take her away!
Of course, expert pilot or not, without her mech and force of will, she was no match against armored guards. A spray of sedatives in her face was enough to knock her out.
"Take her away, boys." Ves instructed as he watched his guards put her on a floating stretcher. "Make sure not to harm her or allow her to hurt herself. Restrain her if needed. I'll take care of all the repercussions."
Though his insistence on treating an unwilling patient seemed odd, Ves didn't care.
This was an expert pilot! An undetected one, at that! No matter how far he had to go, he was determined to claim her as his own!
As for pissing her off, Ves would deal with it later. He was confident he could melt her animosity as long as he found a way to reignite her will to live.
As Ves and his entourage boarded their own shuttle and left the farming settlement, they spent some time in fleshing out the charity.
"What's so special about that refugee?" Gavin couldn't help but ask. "You clearly set up this charity solely because you wanted to recruit her. What makes her worth all of this effort?"
Ves smirked at him. "As a Larkinson and a mech designer, I have a good eye for mech pilots. While she's far from her prime, I can already tell that she can be an asset to me. She's very special, so I want my charity to give her the highest care that we can provide in-house."
"You're not planning to send her to a medical center?"
"I'm not letting her go!" He stated. "Make sure to beef up our treatment capabilities. If the medical facilities of the LMC, the Living Sentinels or Avatars of Myth aren't enough, then we'll set up a separate facility. Please expand the charity and make sure that it has a fully-qualified staff and all the necessary equipment to treat wounded veterans."
The Ves Larkinson Foundation for Wounded Veterans had been set up so hastily that it didn't even have a director or a single employee to its name! It was literally an empty shell that existed only in the databases!
During the flight back to the Mech Nursery, Ves and Gavin called numerous people to turn the foundation real.
From contracting a construction company to erect a headquarters in a matter of days to hiring dozens of doctors, nurses and administrators, Ves and subordinates worked frantically to turn the Foundation real!
Even without asking assistance from the Tovars, his existing influence was already strong enough to smooth over any bureaucratic hurdles that could delay the operation of his charity organization.
Within a day, Ves easily managed to obtain the countless permits, medical licenses and certifications required to run a legal charity in the Bright Republic.
Certainly, no one thought much about the Foundation. Everyone else thought that Ves was merely engaging in an act of noblesse oblige to enhance his reputation.
Being known as a philanthropist was a good way to sanitize one's standing in the public. Even the biggest scumbags in the galaxy could turn into generous do-gooder after a decade of investing in good works.
It didn't even matter if the money spent on redeeming their reputation was earned through death and fire!
So long as the crime happened earlier than the act of generosity, then the notoriously forgetful public would inevitably forget about the former!
Ves knew that a lot of members of society engaged in charity for that reason. Though running a charity was a significant burden, nobody begrudged the money spent on this venture.
Philanthropy was one of the few ways where wealthy people could directly convert money into reputation!
They didn't need to spend any further thought on their charity. As long as they put the right people in charge, the charity practically ran itself!
Of course, a charity could also explode in their owner's faces if they put the wrong people in charge. Stories of mismanagement, embezzlement and abuse ran rife in the news.
To prevent his Ves Larkinson Foundation for Wounded Veterans from erupting into scandal, Ves needed the right director to take the helm.
"Since your charity is centered around healing veterans, why not put a Larkinson in charge?" Gavin suggested.
Ves already considered this suggestion for a while. "I'm not sure. It's a good idea on the surface, but the best ones to put in charge are the older veterans in my family. I don't want to appoint a director I can't control."
He wanted someone principled enough to run the Foundation well. He wanted someone flexible enough to keep Davia Stark in their care despite her vehement objections.
Keeping an expert pilot captive against her will was very problematic, after all. Fortunately, her force of will had practically become braindead, so the sensors built to detect resonance strength wouldn't sense anything remarkable.
Even so, if not for his supposedly benign intentions, he would never get away with treating someone against his will.
As Ves considered various names, he realized that he didn't really have a close ally and confidant within the family.
Though he was close to cousins such as Melkor and Melkor, all of them possessed their own principles. They wouldn't compromise their beliefs of what was right in order to help Ves perpetrate something iffy.
Ves rubbed his head in thought. It was impossible to get what he wanted. The best he could do was to select a sycophant and impose strict restrictions on where the Foundation's money should be spent.
"I'll find someone when I get back to the Cloud Estate." He muttered. "There are so many retired Larkinsons hanging around in my home that one of them is bound to be interested in running a foundation."
For now, Ves had no worries about Davia Stark running off due to the necessity of treating her lingering battle injuries. Though they weren't life-threatening, they still caused significant pain.
Perhaps one of the reasons why Stark remained so locked in despair was because her injuries continually tortured her without reprieve.
In order to liberate the woman from her pain, the doctors employed by the Avatars of Myth chose to put her to sleep. This bought Ves some time to strengthen his excuses for keeping Stark under his care.
Unfortunately, he had so much to do that he could hardly spend enough time to fulfill all of his responsibilities.
Between leading the LMC, working on the remaining two variants of the Desolate Soldier, preparing for his next design project, making arrangements for Dr. Lupo, setting up the Foundation in absence of a director, Ves was desperately short on time!
He even stopped sleeping entirely in order to keep up with his work!
After another sleepless night, Ves wearily dragged his body to the dining room at his mansion at the Cloud Estate.
"You're running yourself ragged, Ves." Gloriana remarked with concern. "You have subordinates for a reason, you know. Why don't you delegate your responsibilities to others?"
Ves waved aside her concerns. "It's okay. It'll be better soon. Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson will soon arrive and be able to take the reins of the LMC. I've already interviewed enough retired Larkinsons at the Cloud Estate to make my final selection on the choice of director for my charity. The Militant Soldier is soon ready to enter the prototype phase."
"You should still take a break, though! I haven't seen anyone who works as hard as you! Even I never skip my beauty sleep!"
As the two lovers argued about his sleeping habits, their first breakfast dishes arrived.
While Ves stoically began to shovel what appeared to be a bowl of oatmeal into his mouth, Gloriana froze in shock.
"Wait a minute.. this is not supposed to be on the menu."
Confusion radiated from Gloriana as she inspected the strange bowl of oatmeal. It looked so abnormal that she instantly suspected that something had gone amiss.
She placed a hand on Ves, stopping him from eating his meal.
"Did you replace the chefs I brought here?"
Ves looked puzzled. "Uh, no."
She slammed her palm next to her bowl of oatmeal. "THEN HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THIS TRAVESTY?!"
"This isn't made by your chefs?"
"No!" Gloriana shrieked and pointed at their bowls. "Just look at these bowls! Where are my six-sided bowls?! And oatmeal?! I've never added this plebeian course to our breakfast menu!"
Ves frowned and looked at his half-empty bowl. "I can't say much about the taste, but it's very filling. It kind of reminds me of a nutrient pack."
"URGHH!" Gloriana practically tore her hair in frustration. "Guards! Inspect the kitchen and bring the chef before me! I want to see who has the temerity to ruin my perfect breakfast!"
Moments later, the guards of the Glory Batallion dragged a familiar-looking man in the dining room.
Dressed in a lab coat but wearing a chef's hat, Dr. Lupo looked completely fearless as he was being held by the arms by a couple of well-armed guards.
"You! Who are you?! Why are you in my kitchen?!"
The exobiologist smiled. "Why, I'm Mr. Larkinson's new chef! It was my turn to cook breakfast for the two of you today!"
Ves scratched his head. "I don't recall assigning you as my personal chef."
"Oh? But that's not what my contract says! You even confirmed my assignment as your chef just yesterday! Don't you recall the document you signed?"
"If I recall, I signed a paper related to your new lab." Ves frowned.
"I slipped in something extra."
"Oh."
Due to his immensely-packed schedule, Ves didn't have the time to read every document. He merely skimmed them before putting his virtual signature on them in order to move on quickly.
His negligence caused Gloriana to become upset. She glared at both him and Dr. Lupo.
"Kick him out! I don't want to see this clown again!"
"Wait, wait!" Lupo shouted. "You're making a big mistake here! I'm not just a chef! I'm an expert in nutrition! Mr. Larkinson, how did you enjoy your first course? I made sure to import the most nutritious ingredients, especially for my new boss here! Are you feeling better now, Mr. Larkinson? That is a sign that the enriched ingredients are already working to reduce your fatigue!"
"Hold on for a moment!" Ves raised his palm. "Don't bring him away just yet. He's my employee, not yours, Gloriana!"
Even if the Glory Battalion guards dragged him away, Ves could just bring him back. There was no point taking Dr. Lupo away for that reason.
Though Gloriana was not amused, she reluctantly relented.
"Halt. Let's hear what he has to say."
When the guards released the man, Dr. Lupo bowed in gratitude. "Thank you. It was difficult to persuade your chefs to stand aside. I had to wave the agreement that Mr. Larkinson signed in their faces in order to gain access to the kitchen. I mean no offense, Miss Wodin."
"Give me one reason to refrain from convincing my boyfriend from kicking you out." Gloriana crossed her arms.
"Just look at Mr. Larkinson right now!"
When Gloriana turned to Ves, he had already slurped the final spoonful of oatmeal.
"Uhh... I couldn't resist." Ves lamely explained himself.
"Do you see how much he enjoys my craft?" Lupo grinned. "My dishes are products of science! I didn't just feed him with high-quality ingredients! As a specialist in nutrition, I treated each and every ingredient according to his unique physical and genetic conditions! Your meals are completely suited to pepper you up and bolster your health! Just sample my oatmeal if you want proof. Don't worry, they're completely safe!"
"You should really have a taste." Ves urged his girlfriend. "It's really delicious."
She didn't immediately sample her oatmeal. Instead, she whipped out her multiscanner and made sure that it didn't contain any toxins or other dangerous substances. Only then did she lift a spoon to her lips.
The moment she tasted Lupo's oatmeal, her eyes widened in delight!
Chapter 1598
Gloriana's personal chefs were highly-trained and acclaimed in their craft. Their ability to manipulate ingredients and develop tasteful and sophisticated dishes was unsurpassed on Cloudy Curtain.
Dr. Lupo, the new chef and exobiologist that Ves recently recruited from a refugee settlement, possessed different strengths.
While he was not as adept in the culinary arts as as an elite second-class chef, he was a very capable exobiologist!
As a fully-fledged biotech expert who specialized in nutrition, he created and modified his own ingredients. This gave him an unsurpassed ability to cook meals that were extremely delicious, nutritious and fulfilling!
Perhaps his biggest value was that he could study a person's precise physical and genetic condition and use the results to tailor the ingredients for maximum benefit!
This was such a new concept to Ves that he quickly became intrigued.
According to Dr. Lupo's boasts, his food was so beneficial that they could strengthen someone's health, appearance and longevity over the long-term!
However, something like this sounded too good to be true. Ves soon became skeptical at Lupo's outlandish claims.
"How much does your food actually affect our health? How many years longer will I live if I keep you on as our chef?"
Lupo smiled sheepishly. "I'm still in the early stages of my research. For now, I've only started with studying ingredients that are already known to be nutritious and applied my own tricks to them. It will take some time and a lot of funding for my original research to bear fruit."
"In other words, you're far from a senior in this field, is that right?"
"I'll become an authority in the field of nutritious solutions sooner or later! Believe in me, Mr. Larkinson!"
Ves shrugged and turned to Gloriana. "What do you think? As long as Lupo doesn't poison us, I'm inclined to give him a chance."
While she looked troubled, she was sober enough to recognize Dr. Lupo's value.
After a moment, she came to a decision. "I'll allow him to work in the kitchen as long as he's limited to ingredient preparation. I want my chefs to do the actual cooking."
That sounded fine to Ves. He even added another suggestion.
"I'll also assign some guards to pay extra attention in inspecting the meals."
The guards from the Avatars and Glory Battalion already subjected all the meals reserves for Ves and Gloriana to rigorous scans.
To Ves, such a precaution was hardly necessary. His metabolism was so abnormal that he could easily digest most types of exobeast flesh without any problem!
Unfortunately, Gloriana was not as robust. Though her extensive genetic modifications and other augmentations made her much less susceptible to poisons and other toxic substances, she was much closer to a baseline human than her boyfriend.
If someone as smart as Dr. Lupo really wanted to kill Gloriana by poisoning, then he just had to develop an ingredient that was deathly without tripping any alarms.
This was why Ves posed an additional demand to Dr. Lupo.
"Don't use any customized ingredients without verifying their safety and effectiveness in lab conditions." He ordered. "I'll make sure my guards are capable of distinguishing between authorized and unauthorized ingredients."
"What?! That will take weeks, if not months!"
"SHUT UP! You'll accept this term, or you can kiss your generous budget goodbye!"
Dr. Lupo had no choice but to acquiesce.
Though he didn't know Dr. Lupo for long, Ves already figured the man out. He was just like any other obsessive researcher. As long as he enjoyed enough time, funds and facilities to pursue his research, he would agree to anything.
The extensive background check that Crindon performed on Lupo did not identify anything worrisome about his loyalties. His previous school and employer were normal companies that no longer existed once the sandmen overran their facilities.
Lupo also didn't appear to share any relations to fringe groups such as the Five Scrolls Compact.
While Lupo's obsessive tendencies strayed fairly close to uncomfortable territory, he was not as extreme as Dr. Jutland.
Since Ves required the services of a high-caliber exobiologist, he was inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. He just had to make sure to curb Lupo's enthusiasm with sufficient checks and balances.
Once this morning incident ended, they commuted to the Mech Nursery.
There, Ves and Gloriana first paid a visit to the Avatar's recently-upgraded medical facility.
Ves paid careful attention to Davia Stark's ongoing physical treatments.
"We have made fair progress in treating our patient's injuries." A doctor reported to Ves. "She should be ready to wake up within two to three weeks, depending on any complications or adverse reactions that might arise."
"Take your time and be thorough. Madame Stark is one of the first beneficiaries of my charity. I don't want any of the veterans I've selected to die under our care. Is that understood?"
The doctor gulped. "We shall do our best, sir."
As the doctor moved away to supervise Stark's ongoing treatment, Gloriana turned to Ves in confusion.
"I didn't object to your decision to start a charity. I think it will do good in increasing your reputation, which will only make you more pleasing in the eyes of my dynasty. I'm just unsure why you've diverted some of your precious time to check up on this refugee's condition."
"Davia Stark is not just a pity case, Gloriana. She's a future asset. Don't you see?"
Gloriana peered through the transparent wall and studied Stark's unconscious body for a few seconds.
"She must have been a decent mech pilot in her prime, but she hardly appears to be exceptional now. Her injuries and lack of physical conditioning has deteriorated her body so much that she's not fit to pilot mechs. While I can't judge her skill and mental state, they are bound to have degraded as well."
While this wasn't a strict rule, a mech pilot's health was roughly correlated to their piloting ability.
A mech pilot with a healthy body could bear a lot more strain. A fit and healthy body not only enhanced a mech pilot's fluency in combat, but also allowed them to maintain their peak condition longer.
As mech designers, both of them already knew this. In fact, both of them were also much more capable of assessing mech pilots than other mech designers.
Ves grew up in a military family with lots of mech pilots. Gloriana systematically studied the mental and physical properties of mech pilots in order to advance her design philosophy.
Yet even after several minutes of studying Davia Stark's medical data, Gloriana soundly dismissed the refugee as an ordinary wounded mech pilot!
"I don't see what you like about this mech pilot." She frowned. "Some of the other veterans you've rescued from the refugee settlements are much more promising. They only require a month of rehabilitation before they're ready to join your Avatars or Sentinels."
Ves cared nothing about the nine other wounded veterans he wasted his valuable recruitment quota on. Their only purpose was to give his charity something to do and obscure his reason for forcibly taking Davia Stark away.
"There is more to Davia than you realize. Perhaps you should study her more carefully."
Gloriana shook her head. "You have some odd hobbies, Ves. You're not the only one who is busy. I don't have time to waste on this pet project of yours."
Inwardly, Ves sighed. Gloriana's inability to discern Stark's true potential was a very hopeful sign that he could keep this treasure in his possession.
Crippled or not, a real expert pilot was simply too valuable. Even if Stark opened her mouth and claimed that she was an expert pilot, with her inert force of will, not a single resonance detector would be able to prove her claims!
Ves had already checked. She was so incapable of exciting her force of will that she was even weaker than an expert candidate!
This meant that in everyone else's eyes, she was no different from a mortal!
Though expert pilots were often seen as superhuman demigods, their physical bodies were no different from regular humans.
Most of the time, a state invested in an expert pilot by paying for a significant amount of expensive genetic treatments and augmentations.
However, Stark appeared to be a clear outlier as she seemed to be a pure baseline human.
That puzzled Ves a bit. How could any state, even an impoverished border state, neglect their expert pilots?
Had this woman somehow advanced to expert pilot under the noses of everyone?
Whatever the case, Ves was determined to solve this puzzle sooner or later.
As the pair left the Avatar base, Ves asked a question to his girlfriend.
"Have you ever worked on an expert mech?"
"Not really." She shook her head.
"What does that mean?"
"While I haven't had the privilege of contributing to the design of an expert mech, I did enjoy an opportunity to assist in the design of one." She explained. "I mostly helped with testing, verification and number-crunching. It was an amazing experience. If the intended end user of the expert mech wasn't my older brother, the lead designers would have never allowed me to participate in this project!"
"Ah, I recall that your older brother is an expert pilot."
"Yup. Brutus has always been the closest brother to me. I love him very much. It's too bad he's not happy about being born as a boy. He's always been obsessed about proving himself. That's probably why he managed to break through to expert pilot."
Just like any other proper Hexer, Constance Wodin had six children.
Gloriana was the youngest and the apple of her mother's eye. As a woman and the sixth child, she enjoyed a level of pampering incomparable to her other siblings aside from the firstborn.
What Ves found very remarkable about her branch of the Wodin Dynasty was that Constance managed to raise both an expert pilot and a Journeyman Mech Designer!
Although the expert pilot was a man who was a few years older than Gloriana, it was still an impressive feat that provided Constance with a lot of acclaim!
Hexer society regarded her as a model mother! Every child of hers went on to become exceptional in their chosen vocations!
"What makes an expert mech an expert mech?" Ves asked. "Besides the obvious, that is."
Gloriana wistfully sighed. "Expert mechs are very fascinating to me. You could say that my specialty is already geared towards designing expert mechs. It's impossible for expert pilots to leverage their abilities with a standard mech. Even if they're put in the cockpit of an expert mech tailored to someone else, they're only able to display a fraction of their potential."
"Expert mechs are custom mechs by definition."
"Exactly." She nodded. "It's a shame that low-ranking mech pilots aren't as valued. It's always been my dream to give every low-ranking mech pilot the opportunity to buy a mech tailored to their piloting ability."
"There are way too many mech pilots to service them all, Gloriana. At most, you could develop a base model with a lot of adaptability. You could then develop a very advanced software suite that would accept all kinds of input about the mech pilot and let it churn a modified mech design that somewhat fits the customer better."
She smiled ruefully at him. "I've already thought about that. It's a potential solution, but way more complex than you think. A software suite can't possibly be as good as me in customizing a mech. Even if I somehow develop one that is, I'm not sure that it's wise for me to release it. Won't I be making myself obsolete if I do?"
"I think there's much more to mech design than that. You'll doubtlessly be able to explore a way to distinguish your mech designs outside what an automated design suite can do."
As someone who already handled a Terran auto designer, Ves knew what he was talking about. No matter how good these nifty software could get, they could never completely make a human mech designer redundant!
Chapter 1599 The Sanctity of Duty
While Ves worked himself to the bone at Cloudy Curtain, elsewhere the Bright Republic began to enter the direst period of its existence.
The full might of the sandman race began to push against the defenses of the Bright Republic!
Sandman fleets began to batter the star systems at the Bright Republic's border with the former Coman Federation at a frightening frequency!
Even if the star system was only home to a couple of million people, the Mech Corps and the various auxiliary forces tried their best to hold the line!
As long as the systems at the border held, the more populated and strategic systems came under much less threat!
Intermediate star systems with populations in the billions simply couldn't be evacuated in a matter of months.
In addition, allocating valuable ships to evacuation would not only waste valuable shipping capacity that could be used to supply the frontlines, but also render a very valuable star system useless!
For these reasons, the state had long ago decided to commit minimal resources towards evacuation. The only time when it would do so was if the situation had become unsalvageable!
The only case where evacuation was warranted was emptying out the rural star systems at the border.
With populations ranging in the hundreds of thousands to a few million people, it didn't take too much effort to lift them elsewhere. The state contracted many transportation companies to evacuate as many people from the border systems as possible.
As for the more populated star systems where over a hundred million people resided, the Bright Republic did not consider the tradeoff to be worth it. While it was possible to empty them out entirely, it would take at least a few months to accomplish such a major operation.
It cost too much to pull these people out. Instead, the war planners decided to double down on these vulnerable star systems by fortifying them to an insane level.
A considerable amount of defensive platforms surrounded the populated planets. Every major city on the surface had undergone significant transformations to make them more 'sandproof'.
Even if the sandmen managed to make landfall, they could still be beaten off by landbound mechs supported by a considerable amount of turrets and defensive emplacements.
Due to the importance of the border systems, the Mech Corps and the Starfighter Corps stationed entire mech regiments and starfighter regiments at these places.
With thousands of mechs and thousands more starfighters ready to defend the Republic at its doorstep, the sandman fleets failed to break through!
Nonetheless, the defenders didn't grow complacent. The frequency of intrusion increased to the point where multiples of sandman fleets arrived at the fortified border systems every day!
The battles began to grow heated. Enormous laser strikes and multitudes of ballistic shells slammed against mechs and sandman vessels alike!
To the sandmen, a scary amount of sandman vessels perished every day, yet more arrived to keep up the pressure!
To the Brighters, attrition had begun to take its toll. Each battle, a handful of mechs and starfighter never returned.
At most, the salvaging parties managed to collect the scraps that had flung away once a powerful laser beam punched through a fighting machine.
Perhaps the only consolation was that the constant reinforcement of starfighters at the front alleviated the pressure on mechs.
With the cheap and flimsy starfighters acting as cannon fodder, the valuable mechs which still served as the mainstay of the Bright Republic's military lasted longer.
Though it seemed grossly unjust to sacrifice a multitude of starfighter pilots to preserve the life of a mech pilot, the Bright Republic had no choice.
Against a basic sandman fleet, the performance of a starfighter did not deviate too much from the performance of a mech.
For example, at one star system, several mech companies joined forces with an entire starfighter regiment.
The force adopted a grand formation of 400 mechs surrounded by 2,000 starfighters!
Facing a combined fleet of six sandman motherships and thirty-six sandman escorts, the mechs and starfighters pounded the motherships one at a time!
The fact that the sandman admirals began to join forces instead of ignoring each other was another detrimental evolution!
Even though the states that had fought against the sandmen before had significantly reduced their numbers, the surviving sandman admirals constantly grew wiser and more adept at warfare!
When several of them moved as one, defeating them was not so simple anymore!
"Fire!"
Thousands of shells and kinetic projectiles slammed against a single mothership! The sandman vessel shuddered as significant chunks of sand and exotic materials flew out in different directions!
A gaping hole had formed which the sandman mothership frantically tried to heal!
"Fire!"
Yet before the gap could be closed, thousands of rounds landed in the same hole, deepening the cavity and inflicting much more damage to the amalgamation!
Though the sandman motherships and sandman vessels struck out their lasers with fury, only a handful of starfighters and two unlucky mechs got hit!
"Fire!"
The valiant defenders quickly battered sandman mothership into pieces, giving no time for the sandman admiral to evacuate!
Dead!
A victorious roar rang out in the communication channels of the starfighter and mech units. The fall of a sandman admiral meant that its six escorts quickly lost control!
Without high-level direction, the escort vessels drifted away from the combined sandman fleet as they chaotically pursued different directions.
If the remaining sandman admirals gained some time, then they would have been able to convert these orphaned sandmen.
Yet that took time!
The defenders weren't stupid enough to give the surviving sandman admirals the time to beef up their numbers.
"Attack! One down, five to go!"
"For the Bright Republic!"
"We are the light in the dark!"
The sight of so many mechs and starfighters resisting the combined sandman fleet appeared incredibly valiant to the scouting ships assigned to record the battle in extensive detail.
The visual particle generators that the Bright Republic's forces adopted caused the performance of the machines to appear much more stunning!
"Wherever the Stripes of Humanity flies, the flame of civilization will never be extinguished!"
The thousands of starfighters and mechs flying backwards as they fired their weapons at the advancing sandmen each released an iconic trail.
Combined in an immense mass, the stripes combined in an enormous, semi-coordinated pattern that was shaped in the form of a torch!
The symbol of the Bright Republic lit up the surrounding space! With the base of the torch depicted in white and the oversized flame depicted vividly like actual fire, this humongous lifelike torch inspired every citizen that was watching the battle on the surface of the fortified planet!
"As long as as one hand remains to lift up this torch, the Bright Republic will never falter!"
Hope sprung from this majestic sight! Almost no panic had spread on the surface of the planet since the Mech Corps and the Starfighter Corps began to play around with the Stripes of Humanity.
Even though the vapor trails served no actual purpose in battle, when used creatively, they served as excellent means to keep hope alive!
"The Volari Starhawks have promised to protect the lives of every civilian! Not a single innocent must come to harm! This is our promise!"
The 1st Volari Starhawks of the 4th Bentheim Division put up a valiant defense. After the fall of the first sandman mothership, the second one fell at the cost of sacrificing a bunch more starfighters and mechs.
The immediate reduction in effective sandman forces caused the pressure on the human forces to decrease.
With the disparity in numbers widening, the outcome of the battle had already been set! All four remaining sandman admirals perished one after the other, and their orphaned escort vessels easily succumbed against the organized human starfighters which impeccably whittled them down at their leisure!
Standing by in the cockpit of his recently-developed expert mech, Captain Ghanso Larkinson witnessed the end of the battle with a touch of relief.
His Glittering Comet expert mech remained in the hangar bay of the fleet carrier throughout the battle.
His intervention wasn't needed this time.
An unsettling emotion soon affected his mood as he looked at the Stripes of Humanity.
Since when did the military turn into a giant circus troupe?
He knew the origin of the Stripes of Humanity which inspired every human in the states swept up in the Sand War.
His cousin's gimmick looked so mesmerizing in the battlefield that every participant in the Sand War quickly adopted the cheap module that generated the Stripes of Humanity!
Many Larkinsons took pride in this accomplishment. Ves Larkinson managed to influence the direction of the Sand War with a single invention!
Along with the sudden proliferation of the Desolate Soldiers, the reputation of the Larkinson Family had skyrocketed to the forefront of everyone's minds!
The amount of attention that the only successful mech designer of the Larkinson Family sucked up was so immense that every other notable Larkinson had become side characters all of a sudden.
Ghanso Larkinson did not mind the lack of focus on him. He was an expert pilot, and his will was incredibly firm. He did not chase after fame, glory, honor or reputation.
He merely wished to do his duty and protect the Bright Republic. He wanted to continue the legacy of his predecessors and stay true to the name of the Larkinsons.
Yet thinking about duty quickly caused his face to sour once he thought about those newfangled Desolate Soldiers that were taking the state by storm.
More and more private sector outfits began to field these middling mechs.
Ghanso saw nothing special about them. They were cheap, flimsy machines that performed no better than any other comparable mech in the market.
Their only merit was their so-called 'glow'.
Having approached a couple of Desolate Soldiers during shore leave, Ghanso's feelings on this popular new mech model had grown more complicated.
"What is up with those weird mechs?"
Though he heard some conspiracy theories about the new mechs, Ghanso personally didn't buy them. He believed in the MTA. Since the powerful association allowed the Desolate Soldiers to be sold on the open market, the mechs were obviously not as harmful as everyone feared.
The actual reason why Ghanso did not welcome their introduction in the market was because of how easy it was for their glows to inspire duty.
"Duty must come from the heart." Ghanso stated his beliefs. "When duty can only be compelled through the use of a tool, can it still be regarded as duty?"
In his own perspective, the so-called glow that inspired duty was nothing more than an abomination which turned the people affected by them into sheep.
Their mech pilots most of all became a lot more obedient to their superiors, to the point where they didn't object to being treated as cannon fodder. They also behaved disturbingly orderly, as if they were nothing but virtual intelligences that followed their instructions to the letter.
"Are they still even humans?" Ghanso muttered in vexation.
The proliferation of Desolate Soldiers cheapened the sanctity of duty. By making it so easy to induce, true soldiers and warriors got mixed up with amateurs who only persisted in battle with the help of artificial courage.
Everything was starting to become more and more fake, and it was all the fault of Ves Larkinson.
Even if Ghanso had no intention of piloting his cousin's mechs, he simply couldn't escape the richest Larkinson's influence!
Yesterday it was the Desolate Soldiers. Today it was the Stripes of Humanity. What would his greedy and power-hungry cousin push into his face tomorrow?
Through his connections with the higher ups, Ghanso already got wind that his cousin would soon release a military variant of his Desolate Soldier design!
Once that happened, the Volari Starhawks might very well field a number of those mechs, even though the Starhawks absolutely didn't need any additional encouragement!
Just the thought of it increased Ghanso's frustration!
"If not for this stupid crisis, I could have forced the steering committee to make a choice by now! It's not enough for Ves to corrupt the Larkinson Family!"
How long would it take for the Larkinsons to become known for their mech designers rather than mech pilots?
"Our heritage and traditions must be preserved, one way or another!"
Chapter 1600 Natural Counter
Not a single Larkinson remained unaffected by Ves Larkinson's meteoric rise to prominence.
Now that he designed an incredibly popular mech and earned an immense amount of money, the Larkinson Family no longer resembled the Larkinson Family of the past.
While the changes provoked a lot of discussion among the Larkinsons, the sandman crisis occupied most of their time.
Whatever Ghanso and his faction of like-minded Larkinsons thought, defending the Bright Republic came first.
Many other fortified star systems came under threat. While the sandmen dispersed their forces along the entire length of the border, their numbers seemed inexhaustible.
If not for the first and second line of defense slowing down the sandman offensive, the Bright Republic wouldn't have been able to bolster the defenses of the border system.
Along with the plentiful amount of orbital defensive platforms, the gradual reinforcement of starfighters granted the overextended Mech Corps a great amount of relief.
Casualties among mech pilots had plummeted! Even though their lives had only been preserved at the cost of the lives of hastily-trained starfighter pilots, the Bright Republic didn't care.
The state could draw from an immense pool of manpower to replace the lost starfighter pilots!
By simplifying the designs of their starfighters and automating many complicated functions, even an office worker could be turned into a suitable starfighter pilot!
Though their training standard was barely better than a kid who casually played an immersive starfighter game, that was enough to resist basic sandman fleets.
Yet.. what if the sandman fleets adopted a different configuration? What if the sandman admirals that followed their directive to sweep through human space became more inventive?
In one star system defended by the Apocalypse Heralds, a humongous sandman monolith advanced indominably towards a planet populated by billions!
With so many lives at stake, the Apocalypse Heralds were just one of many forces assigned to defend this critical border system.
Yet the immense firepower unleashed by their numerous medium to heavy artillery mechs caused them to take on the leading role in this battle!
"Unleash the apocalypse on the sandmen! Let them know that their extinction is at hand!"
The Apocalypse Heralds modified their powerful heavy mechs to better cope against the aliens. All of their laser weapon mounts had been removed and replaced by kinetic or ballistic weaponry.
Though it was very cumbersome to modify so many heavy mechs, the Apocalypse Heralds employed sufficient mech technicians to transform all of their mechs in time to defend against the main waves of sandman intruders!
With the help of their immense ammunition capacity, their ranged mechs had become the worst nightmares of many of the sandman fleet that intruded in this star system!
"We are the bane of the sandmen! We are the doom of every alien!"
Ever since a detachment of Apocalypse Heralds arrived at this border system, the sandmen never managed to cross into the inner system. The heavy mechs unleashed such prodigious firepower that not even the biggest sandman mothership could last against weapons powerful enough to annihilate entire asteroids!
Unfortunately, this time was different. The latest sandman fleet to barge into this border system adopted a very different configuration.
Not only did the fleet combine the strengths of at least nine sandman admirals, they all adopted a different configuration.
"The sandmen have adopted a swarm configuration!"
"Damnit! There's too many of them! My sensors can't even track how many of them are buzzing around!"
An immense swarm of small, shuttle-sized sandman drones advanced relentlessly towards the inner system. The first defenders already tangled against the swarm, but aside from swatting a large number of inconsequential sandman drones, they failed to affect the overall strength of the swarm.
Only until the defenders consolidated their forces did their attacks begin to hurt the sandman swarm.
Yet their preliminary success did not cheer up the mech and starfighter pilots.
Instead, a feeling of creeping doom built up in their hearts as they waited for the inevitable.
This was not the first time humanity encountered the swarm configuration.
Different from basic sandman fleets, the swarm accelerated much faster than normal.
One of the lessons that sandman admirals learned when fighting against human forces was that speed mattered! The faster they moved, the easier it was for them to engulf the mechs, starfighters and carriers that hindered their invasion.
Another lesson they learned was that this was no time to conserve their energy!
As a race that depended highly on energy, inexperienced sandman admirals tended to be very conservative in their energy expenditure.
Even as their sandman motherships fell apart, they were highly unwilling to waste more than fifty percent of their energy reserves.
The story was different once they faced how difficult it was to defeat their human opponents on the battlefield.
If the sandmen didn't put in their full effort, then they could forget about winning the battle!
The sandman swarm the Apocalypse Heralds and their allies faced today held nothing back.
Even if the swarm depleted 90 percent of its energy reserves, it could easily recoup its losses by devouring the rich energy sources of the highly-developed planet orbiting the inner system!
"Wait for it! Get ready, men! The real fight starts at any moment!"
After an agonizing wait, the sandman admirals finally issued their latest command!
The entire swarm unleashed a swathe of weak but incredibly numerous laser beams!
Thousands of mechs and starfighters had been struck by these lasers!
Fortunately, the power behind these laser beams were very weak compared to the massive strikes that could easily take out an entire mech.
The sandman drones couldn't fire anything stronger. It was already admirable enough for them to match the power of a light laser rifle.
The problem was that their firing rate was very prodigious!
Every dozen or so seconds, the drones unleashed another salvo of laser beams, striking thousands of machines yet again!
With their machine-like accuracy, only a portion of their laser beams missed!
"We're taking too much damage!"
"Fire at will! Whittle down the swarm as much as possible! The more drones we knock out, the more mechs and starfighters we'll save!"
Facing a sandman fleet in a swarm configuration was one of the worst nightmares of the soldiers and warriors at the frontlines.
Their increased mobility not only allowed them to close the distance faster, but also made them very hard to hit with projectile weapons.
Even though the drones were so fragile that one or two knocks could take it out, they were so darned agile that even light mechs had to admit defeat!
Not only that, but their incredibly loose formation meant that the powerful cannons of the Apocalypse Heralds wasted the bulk of their firepower.
Against a larger sandman vessel, their heavy mechs could easily damage ten or twenty drones worth of sandmen!
Yet because the sandman admirals dispersed their strength into tiny, disposable drones, each and every round wasted the bulk of their damage potential!
Due to all of these reasons, the swarm configuration was actually superior in firepower, mobility and defense! Against a large but cumbersome unit like the Apocalypse Heralds, its effectiveness skyrocketed!
Unlike the Stripes of Humanity that gave the civilians hope, the swarm configuration's shower of laser beams impacted the defending forces like a rain of death!
The worst-off in this engagement were the starfighters!
Small, cheap and fragile, the starfighters lacked the mobility to confuse the sandman's targeting methods and the resilience to withstand too many attacks.
Even though the sandman drones only fired very weak lasers, their volume and firing rate was incredibly powerful!
Casualties mounted rapidly as the starfighter regiments faced their natural counter!
Even though the mechs and starfighters hit back hard, too many lives and machines were being lost!
The Starfighter Corps reaped what it sowed. By pursuing a strategy of fielding as much cannon fodder as possible, their pronounced weaknesses exacted an incredibly painful toll in this battle.
Hundreds of starfighters succumbed after absorbing five or more hits!
In fact, some starfighters even collapsed entirely if the sandman drones just happened to penetrate their poorly-armored cockpits!
With the rapid rise in losses, the formation of defenders began to destabilize. The poorly-trained starfighter pilots especially broke down first!
They were too green and barely better than a civilian! Against an ordinary sandman fleet where victory was almost assured, they easily remained confident even if a number of unlucky starfighter pilots got shot down.
Yet now that a sea of laser beams pelted their fragile starfighters at a very worrisome frequency, their morale quickly dropped to rock bottom!
Already, more than fifty starfighter pilots lost their nerves and turned around to flee the battlesite, leaving their comrades in the dust!
Even though they couldn't flee very far due to their limited reserves and lack of FTL capability, humans who broke down a battle didn't pay attention to logic anymore.
They only obeyed their primal instinct to flee!
With the sudden and chaotic departure of so many starfighters, the formations they left began to destabilize even further!
"This is bad! We have to bolster the starfighter regiments before their pilots crack!"
Just as an entire wing of starfighters showed signs of succumbing to the fear of death by laser, an astounding heavy mech with glowing wings positioned right in front of them! Its massive polarized tower shield soundly resisted the weak lasers targeting the craft piloted by the wing commander!
"Get your act together!" Jannzi Larkinson shouted as her scarred Shield of Samar continually resisted laser beam after laser beam. "There's nowhere you can run once the swarm sweeps over this entire star system! Our carriers won't evacuate any cowards who abandoned their comrades when they most needed your help! Hold the line and keep firing your weapons!"
Her intervention managed to sober up the wing commander, who quickly rallied his men.
Though the wing still appeared a little shaky, Jannzi could not afford to coddle them any further. Her Shield of Samar slowly flew elsewhere as she spotted another faltering starfighter wing that already lost half their numbers!
Unfortunately, she was just a single mech pilot. Even if she was a promising expert candidate, in a large-scale battle against the swarm configuration, her ability to affect the outcome of the battle was too small!
"Come on! We have to hold! Billions of innocent Brighters will die if we don't hold!"
While the casualties among the starfighters reached the hundreds, the swarm configuration did not fare that much better. The number of drones visibly dropped with each passing second. Their rain of lasers grew lighter, thereby reducing the pressure on the defenders.
Yet because so many starfighters had fallen and more were getting struck every moment, the intensity of the battle was still incredibly high!
As long as the starfighter regiments held formation, the sandman swarm would inevitably run out of drones.
"We have to endure! Don't give up too early! We've almost reached the light at the end of the tunnel!"
Unfortunately, the shaky starfighter pilots, most of whom used to be laborers, shuttle pilots, customer service representatives and the like, had already reached the brink of their brittle courage.
Just as the surviving starfighter units reached their tipping point, the Desolate Soldiers that used to fight in the center of the formation had finally dispersed to cover the bulk of the starfighters!
A surge of duty and obligation filled every shaky starfighter pilot's heart. The glow affecting their moods banished some of the terror that threatened to overwhelm their minds.
"Do your duty, pilots! The battle is not yet done!"
Though the Desolate Soldiers couldn't prevent every starfighter pilot from breaking down, their intervention nonetheless prevented a complete route, at least for the moment!
With the Desolate Soldiers propping up the shaky starfighter units, the defenders persisted long enough to strike a number of sandman admirals, thereby severely weakening the already-diminished sandman swarm.
The battle had turned for the better!
"We've won!"
It was a costly victory. At the end of the day, the starfighter regiments lost over a thousand spacecraft.
The Bright Republic hadn't lost so many machines and pilots in the Sand War until this battle!
If not for the crucial intervention of the Desolate Soldiers deployed by the local Planetary Guard, the battle could have taken a much more awful turn!
