Chapter 1801 Unacceptable

The story got really confusing from there. In order to allow Ves to take Gloriana's place as the lead designer of the classified design project, something needed to happen to Gloriana.

Not only that, but the transition had to be done with such haste and priority that his status as a male foreigner should never have an opportunity to hinder his promotion!

Calabast laid out an elaborate scheme that involved misclassifying the classified design project, taking advantage that the mech designers were 'stationed' in the distant Ylvaine Protectorate instead of somewhere in the Hegemony.

After all of this preparation and more, a critical step had to be made.

"Gloriana must die."

"What?!"

Ves almost jumped out of his office chair! What was Calabast talking about?! He would never allow his girlfriend to come to any harm!

"Calm down, kid!" Calabast sternly admonished him. "We're not really killing her. We just need her to be clinically dead for less than a minute to transfer her deceased status to some headquarters in the Hegemony. Ranya Wodin has agreed to induce Gloriana in a state of death and will revive her right away regardless of the results. The goal is to make her dead long enough for you to automatically be promoted from contributing designer to lead designer under emergency rules that happen to neglect some checks, including inspecting your gender and your origin!"

"Unacceptable!"

This sounded like an excessively risky step in the plan! Was this commission truly worth the risks? All kinds of complications could take place! Even if her body survived unscathed, what about her spirituality? The mind, body and spirit were intimately connected to each other! Damaging one would definitely damage the other two!

Yet Calabast didn't know all that. She didn't see the potential risks like he did. "Ves, you're blowing this matter up. With someone as capable as Dr. Ranya and some other doctors by her side, the life of your girlfriend is guaranteed! We would never gamble with Gloriana's life if we weren't confident we could revive her under our care!"

"I don't agree!" Ves shouted. This time, he was determined to put his foot down. "I'll refuse this commission if you need to perform this harebrained scheme for me to take over the design project!"

The two argued back and forth about this topic until Calabast finally accepted that Ves would remain unreasonably stubborn!

"Fine." She spat out. "We'll just have to resort to the backup option, then. You're lucky I anticipated your stupid objection to this step in the plan."

"What is the backup plan?"

Calabast regained her poise all of a sudden. "If we want to make things easier, we need to do something about your status as a boy or a foreigner. As long as we amend one of these two traits, it will be a lot easier for us to pave the way for you to take over the project."

He had a bad feeling about this. "What are you proposing?"

"Why, turning you into a Hexer, of course!" She grinned and waved her arm. "Aren't you rather divorced from your home state recently? There's little point in sticking to your identity as a Brighter. As long as you are willing, we can arrange Hexer citizenship for you. Normally, this is extremely difficult to arrange as they're only granted rarely to exceptional females and very handsome males. However, with the Temple of Hexism's backing, we can turn you into a full Hexer citizen within a week!"

"NO!"

Ves did not even have to think before uttering his refusal! He was horrified by the very idea of becoming a Hexer! There was no way he would join their ilk and subject himself to the deplorable treatment that boys like him deserved!

"Hear me out, Ves. It's not as bad as you think. Once you become a Hexer, you will enjoy the backing of our entire state. This is useful as the backing of a second-rate state is very useful and affords you a lot of protection whenever you are in a third-rate state. In addition, once you become a citizen, you will enjoy all of the other rights a Hexer is entitled to, such as access to institutions, permission to buy and sell property and so on. You can't imagine how good it is to be a second-class citizen!"

He sneered at Calabast. Did she think he was stupid? Well, she probably did, but right now she was outright insulting his astuteness!

"I'm already a galactic citizen, which already affords me enough of a status to protect me against certain abuses. Even if it's not as good as the support of a second-rate state, at least my galactic citizenship doesn't come with many strings attached! Once I become a Hexer, I'm not only gaining a lot of rights, but also a lot of obligations. I bet worshipping the ground that women walk is definitely one of them. If you think you can hoodwink me with this offer, then think again!"

"Wait! There is one more benefit. Becoming a Hexer will also knock down the biggest hurdle that is preventing you from advancing your relationship with Gloriana. Just think about it! You don't have to go through an insane amount of effort to earn their approval. The Wodins are very devout, and they respect the Temple of Hexism greatly!"

"I don't need this handicap." Ves scoffed, growing more and more impatient at Calabast's dangerous proposals. "I doubt that becoming a citizen is enough to make me qualified in the eyes of Madame Constance Wodin. If I want to gain her respect, I need to prove my worth by showcasing my own abilities!"

The former spy looked more and more frustrated. Ves guessed she was truly annoyed this time. She started tapping her heel against the floor. The cadence of those taps distracted him somewhat.

"It's a shame." She eventually sighed. "Letting you become a citizen of the Hegemony would solve so many problems and advance our cooperation. You're passing such a great opportunity. Many third-raters would kill to become a citizen of a stronger state!"

To someone who already set his mind on the largely-untamed Red Ocean, citizenship became increasingly meaningless to Ves. Whether he called himself a Brighter, Ylvainan or Hexer, soon he would only consider himself a galactic pioneer!

"Just drop this stupid suggestion. Is there any other way to accomplish what we need?"

"Well.. if you don't want to change citizenships, then the other alternative is to change your gender. While gender-change operations won't change your status within the Hegemony, we can make use of certain exceptions that—"

"—STOP!" Ves interrupted her explanation. "No further nonsense from you! My name is Ves Larkinson, not Veronica Larkinson! I'll never turn into a woman, even if it's just a trick!"

Calabast looked incredibly sour now. Being stifled over and over by a boy was not something she was used to. It wasn't as if she was kidding!

Sadly, Ves was too proud and touchy to accept her suggestions. With her last backup plan shot down, Calabast found herself without any alternatives.

She directed a glower at Ves. "It seems we've hit a snag. You've rejected all of my proposals. We won't be able to proceed if we don't overcome this hurdle."

"Don't look at me like that. You're asking way too much. In fact, I'm half-suspecting that this is some sort of scheme for you to turn me into a Hexer! Feh. Keep dreaming! I'm happy with the way I am right now. I highly suggest you stop thinking about imposing all kinds of unreasonable conditions on me and find another solution!"

Without his cooperation, this plan couldn't proceed, and the calculations of Calabast would certainly fall through. Ves smelled that there were a lot of interests involved in this commission for some reason, so his partner should certainly work hard to salvage this situation.

Ves believed that Calabast was more than capable enough of solving this problem! She wouldn't be so formidable if she was easily stumped by setbacks.

"Fine. Have it your way." She spoke acidly at Ves. She was truly annoyed, and she had no desire to hide that from him this time! "You're being a big goof, Ves, but I guess that's why you need someone like me. I'll be around for the being. Not only do I have to fix this mess, I'll also be busy with keeping tabs on nearby Fridaymen movements. Right now, the biggest risk to your safety is the threat of meddling or more direct action from the Coalition."

Now that they moved away from the previous topic, Ves subsided a bit. There was no need to show any further attitude towards someone he was likely going to be stuck with for the rest of his life.

"Will the Fridaymen assassinate me or something?"

"Unlikely." Calabast shook her head. "The Friday Coalition sends assassins against targets that are worth their notice such as matriarchs or valuable researchers. A kid like you is not worth risking its assets, especially since you are partially enjoying the protection of the Glory Battalion."

"Then what will you be guarding against?"

"I think you are already aware that the Friday Coalition might grow desperate and induce the surrounding states to invade the Ylvaine Protectorate. I believe the possibility that this will happen isn't great, but we can't rule it out. This is why it's important to keep an eye on the movers and shakers of the Bright Republic, the Star Faith Collective, the Independent State of Pillis and so on. Since these states directly border the Protectorate, one of them will definitely be involved in a possible invasion attempt!"

Ves agreed with her caution. He had been worrying about this possibility many times.

"You won't get blindsided this time, right?"

"Relax. I've learned from my lessons and I've expanded my intelligence organization to a point where it's possible to infiltrate the government institutions that govern a state. While it's difficult to touch the top level of any state, it's no problem to keep tabs on the middle layers of an administration."

It sounded as if Calabast had everything well in hand. Ves wasn't really interested in hearing the finer details.

"You're not going to disappear soon, right?" Ves tentatively asked.

"Not this time. I'll be residing elsewhere in the city for a couple months until I'm urgently needed elsewhere. At least someone has to babysit you. Who knows what you will get up to when you act without restraint on this planet. Last time, you almost got executed by the Ylvainan Inquisition!"

Ves shrugged. "I managed to come out better in the end. Without going through that ordeal, I would have never become their Bright Martyr!"

"Be careful with that, Ves. Don't abuse your status as a Martyred Follower and don't accept any invitations from the Ylvainans. You'll be safe if you stay at home or work quietly in one of your new facilities."

"Why."

Though Ves agreed with her advice, he was surprised she wanted him to avoid taking advantage of his fame and status in the Protectorate!

"You don't want to become too attached to the Ylvainan people." She pointed her finger. "You also don't want to make the Ylvainans become attached to your personal identity. If something bad happens to one of you, the other will certainly suffer! Therefore, to avoid as many unnecessary entanglements as possible, I highly recommend you deny any offer from the Ylvainans to attend a public gathering or do something else that will close the gap between you and the state."

He understood her argument and had no objections. He agreed without another word.

After discussing a few security-related matters, Calabast finally adopted the persona of Madame Cecily Curin and calmly stepped out of his office as if they had just concluded an important business negotiation.

Ves watched her go, his gaze inadvertently glancing towards her pencil skirt, before turning back to his own priorities.

He briefly studied his agenda. "I guess enough time has passed for me to settle the Larkinsons. We can't keep calling ourselves the new family!"

Chapter 1802 Weight of Responsibility

A few days went by as Ves continued to hold meetings and get all of his balls rolling. Since he had already addressed the most acute issues preventing his organizations from going forward, he began to spend an increasing amount of time on an issue that was very dear to his heart.

The Larkinson Family, at least the branch that followed his departure from the Bright Republic, needed to transform.

Now that Ves tentatively managed to gather hundreds of trueblood Larkinsons and their dependents, he needed to take care of them and provide them with a new structure.

Right now, the Larkinsons were numbly residing on Kesseling VIII without a clear idea of what they should do. This was not necessarily a problem, but it would definitely lead to cracks if the confusion persisted.

For this reason, Ves paid an increasing amount of attention into forming a new structure for the new family. He already thought long and hard about this subject during his travels aboard the Scarlet Rose.

Though he wanted to implement his blueprint for the new family immediately, it was not as simple as that. While he deeply desired to grasp total control over the new family, Ves could not afford to alienate his relatives.

For this reason, the Larkinsons who followed him were granted a say in how to shape their future structure as a collective entity.

The elders and other notable family members formed an assembly to discuss and vote on the proposals that would permanently alter their branch of the family.

Some thirty-odd middle-aged and older Larkinsons all gathered in a conference hall at the Friedhold Estate, which housed all of the members of the Larkinson Family.

The Friedhold Estate was almost as boisterous as the old Cloud Estate to Ves. Each time he attended an assembly meeting, he passed through the grounds where numerous young children played with each other.

Their laughter and joy always seemed to refresh his mood and remind him of what was at stake.

He was fighting for their future.

The changes to the Larkinson Family should not only advance his interests, but also the interests of his other relatives! His children and their children must benefit from the sacrifices made by their parents!

Only such a cohesive family entity would be able to stand the test of time!

Ves did not wish to preside over a family that allowed selfishness and infighting to run rife.

Perhaps other families believed that internal competition was the key to maintaining their internal vitality, but Ves never believed in this nonsense!

The original Larkinson Family may have failed to live up to its potential, but its stability and harmony provided every Larkinson with a comfortable living environment.

He did not wish to lose this harmony! If their children grew up in a competitive environment where each of them had to fight and learn to be cruel to each other, then they might grow stronger out of it, but at what cost?

"Family is important! This must never change!"

Fortunately, most of the other Larkinsons agreed with this principle as well. There were very few objections towards maintaining a harmonious structure within the family. The Larkinsons ought to foster cooperation as opposed to competition, and contests for attention and resources should be minimized as much as possible.

"It's not possible to do without competition entirely." An ambitious elder Larkinson stood up. He had been one of the proponents of introducing more reasons for the younger generation to fight each other. "If every Larkinson can breeze through their youth with a silver spoon in his mouth, then how will he end up when he grows up? I bet you that he won't be able endure any hardship!"

"Will you have our children beat each other up, then?!"

"I'm not saying that. I am just suggesting that we should introduce some.. incentive programs. Didn't we already hold a small search some time ago to determine which lucky young Larkinsons get to intern at the LMC's design department? All of the seeds we've chosen have all demonstrated their intelligence and talent! Since it worked out this time, why not hold multiple programs set up to cultivate our brightest talents?"

"And what of the Larkinsons who fall short or bloom late? Will you deprive them of their share in the resources provided by the family?!"

"They will still get their share! The LMC is prosperous enough to support the upbringing of millions of children, let alone a couple of hundred! Rather than see it as taking away from the majority, we are instead concentrating our most potent means on cultivating a small number of elites. Only through these means will we be able to raise qualified successors for our family!"

"That's a waste of money! We already did fine with giving each child an equal amount of attention! You can't control who can become a wolf and who will end up as a dog. Let us leave our descendents to sort that out on their own when they graduate and embark on their careers. This is how Ves Larkinson and all of our expert pilots came to be! We couldn't have predicted that any of them would become remarkable before they were ready to prove their ability."

This issue was one of the most contentious one in the family. The proposal by the elder who wanted the Larkinsons to be more proactive in cultivating elites was a softer and more acceptable alternative to his earlier proposal.

Even Ves felt sympathetic for it. While he still wanted to spread out resources equally and without bias, he also wanted to motivate the younger Larkinsons to work hard and never take their current gains for granted.

He waited until the argument started to lose steam.

One of the lessons he learned in preceding over the assembly meetings was that he should let the ones with strong opinions expend their energy. If they thought they hadn't finished laying out their arguments, they would not hesitate to expound on their views!

Rather than attract their ire, Ves would rather stay silent and let the cantankerous elders throw their spittle at each other until they all became doused in saliva!

As Ves sensed the intensity of the argument dropping to a point where most Larkinsons were more than ready to move on, he finally issued his own view.

"I think both sides have merit. Any Larkinson that is raised within our family should never grow up deprived. Our children shouldn't have to struggle to enjoy their best and happiest moments of their lives. As long as the Larkinson Family is financially secure, it should dedicate a basic level of resources and training to every member of the younger generation without any prerequisites."

"At what level will you set the baseline?" Clinton Larkinson asked as he looked in concern.

"It depends on the level of prosperity of the LMC and the Larkinson Family. I think we should determine a formula to decide the family's budget on this spending. However, it is important to keep the welfare 'basic'. By that, I mean that it should be enough to give every descendent a significant advantage over ordinary people, but not much more."

"Does that mean you want to allocate half if not more of the budget on raising a handful of elites?"

"Not quite. That's a bit extreme, even for me. Rather than choose a reward structure that is bound to make most average Larkinsons resent the chosen descendants, I would like to institute a regime that gives every Larkinson an equal chance to gain more resources. The key is that they will have to work for their rewards. There should be no bias. Everything must be fair in order to maintain the integrity of the system!"

This was something that Ves thought up when he silently listened to the two sides arguing. Both of them had their good and bad points, but that also made him feel uneasy in adopting either of them. No matter what he chose, he felt as if he would condemn the new family to an unhealthy future!

Desperate to reconcile the two sides, Ves eventually came up with this suggestion.

Most of the Larkinsons looked intrigued. Though it didn't quite suit either sides, it wasn't unacceptable for them to embrace this compromise solution.

"A fair competition." Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson said in support of Ves. "I think this solution will work very decently. The key is to maintain both fairness and competition at the same time. The most useless ones amongst our descendants will still be able live well, but they won't be unjustly taking away too many resources reserved for more deserving youngsters. Meanwhile, those who are talented will definitely be able to rise up the ranks and gain the rewards they reserve without depriving other Larkinsons of their own opportunities."

Each Larkinson deserved the same opportunities! This became the core creed of this particular subject matter!

Every elder had already tired of this discussion. They already heard the two sides out and were more than willing to embrace a decent-sounding proposal that just happened to be acceptable to most!

Ves felt very pleased when he managed to resolve this matter in an acceptable direction. While outcomes like these didn't happen all the time, at the very least he managed to enhance his prestige and prove his ability to lead the new family.

He not only showed his ability to listen to the opinions of others, but also impressed everyone by showing he was creative enough to come up with novel compromises!

While Ves found these assembly meetings to be tedious and not very efficient, he persisted through them. Not only did he wish to convey himself as an acceptable leader, he also wanted to guide the future direction of the family!

After another long assembly meeting that lasted for an entire afternoon, Ves stepped outside the conference hall and took in the grassy gardens and the children, some of whom were playing with mech figurines.

He couldn't help but smile at the sight. Even after a very abrupt departure from Cloudy Curtain, the youngest of them quickly adapted to life at the Friedhold Estate.

However, Ves did not wish for these children to attend Ylvainan schools or become friends with Ylvainan peers.

The Larkinsons never needed to pray for victory! They earned it themselves! That was what a true Larkinson should be in his eyes! Depending on others was for the weak!

Determining where to settle the Larkinsons and how to shape their growth environment was another contentious subject that Ves did not look forward to discussing.

"What are you thinking, Ves?" Clinton Larkinson asked.

The old man was chewing some kind of minty stimulant that stirred Ves' nose.

"Nothing much."

"Don't lie."

"Well, we still have a lot of matters to settle." Ves said. "Some of them are bound to leave many Larkinsons unhappy. We are literally deciding the future of our branch of the family. Decades, centuries and even millennia from now, our family will continue to be shaped by the assembly meetings held over a couple weeks. Don't you think that is… frightening?"

Clinton slapped his aged and skinny hand on the younger Larkinson's back.

"That's responsibility for you, kid. This is nothing compared to leading your company or the issues you need to deal with in the future. The fact that you are uncomfortable with holding so much responsibility is a good sign. It tells me that you're not letting your power go through your head. It also tells me that you care enough about us that you don't want to make a mistake."

That was quite insightful of the elder Larkinson!

"Power, huh…"

One of the main reasons why he wanted to split off from the old family was to embrace greater power. Yet now that he was wielding more influence over the Larkinsons than in the past, he had become timid all of a sudden.

Why didn't he feel this way when he led the LMC? Why was he much more willing to take risks with his mech company but not with the future of his family?

Chapter 1803 Three Hexers

Ranya, Brutus and Gloriana all gathered together aboard the Serendipity.

The sleek light frigate hovered above the city of Krent like a watcher in the sky.

From the observation chamber, every structure and monument on the ground looked like a collection of bricks. Every person was like a speck of dust. All of the mechs and vehicles moving about resembled a colony of ants.

"These Ylvainans are so small and narrow-minded." Ranya dismissively said as she idly watched over the city while sipping a glass of wine. "Their so-called prophet presumes to foretell the future of both humans and aliens. Declaring us kin to the barbaric aliens who used to dominate the galaxy is ludicrous."

"They're kind of cute, in a way." Gloriana said while she was cuddling with Clixie while lying on a sofa. "Some of their beliefs aren't so much different from ours, and their hearts are in the right place."

"They're unenlightened brutes following the words of a delusional boy. It is one thing if their Great Prophet was a woman. It's unfortunate he's of the wrong gender! I'm not surprised the Ylvainan Faith encountered so many problems and setbacks. We'll have to enlighten them properly once the Fridaymen are dealt with. I really can't stand how they pay so much respect to boys."

"Including my boyfriend?" Gloriana paused her cuddle session to glare at her cousin.

Before an argument could erupt, her brother held up a hand. The change in the air instantly caused the two women to subside.

"Peace, please. It is not up to us to determine what must happen to the culture and religions of the lesser states. Any change we wish to implement will likely happen over decades, if not centuries in order to minimize backlash and disruption. Besides, it is not wise to meddle too much in the affairs of these lesser states even if we eventually achieve dominion over our star sector."

There were many rules, some of them unwritten, that governed the relations between a lesser state and a greater state.

The Big Two rarely intervened in the affairs of a state, but they were certainly keeping score of every significant event. As soon as a state crossed an invisible line, they came under intense scrutiny, which was not a very pleasant experience.

It was mostly better for greater states to encourage lesser states to change on their own accord.

As long as a state became dominant enough in a star sector, cultural osmosis would take place where a third-rate state increasingly adopted the customs of a more powerful state in order to curry more favor and foster trade.

The third-rate states that aligned the fastest to a powerful state would gain a lot of advantages compared to those who were more reluctant to embrace the changes.

This was very bad as the lack of favor and trade income would certainly weaken these recalcitrant states! This made them vulnerable to the predations of the states that grew stronger by hugging the thigh of a mighty patron!

This has happened in many star sectors in the past. Vicious Mountain for example was home to a very powerful second-rate state called the Garlen Empire.

Due to the Empire's dominance, Garlen's martial culture and extreme emphasis on mech pilots bled over to the surrounding states. This caused the latter to turn into partial copies of the former!

The Hegemony wanted to replicate this phenomenon in the Komodo Star Sector. It should have been able to spread its distinctive culture if not for the obstacle in its way.

The existence of the Friday Coalition counterbalanced the Hexadric Hegemony's attempts to turn the rest of the star sector in its image!

One of the reasons why the Coalition Reserve Corps dispatched monitors to the lesser states was to gauge their willingness to embrace the values and customs of the Coalition or the Hegemony.

While it was possible to monitor this development from afar, sending real people and having them interact with various layers of society was a more direct way to gauge the changes in a lesser state.

"I really don't know what we are doing here." Ranya muttered as she casually studied a data pad containing in depth information of the Archimedes Rubal implant. "The Ylvaine Protectorate may technically be on our side, but it's clear that they're only paying lip service."

"I'm concerned as well." Brutus glanced at his sister in worry. "We shouldn't stay in this for too long. The Ylvaine Protectorate is surrounded by states that are in the pocket of the Friday Coalition. If our archenemies ever turn their attention in this direction, this place will become very dangerous!"

"I'm not leaving the Ylvaine Protectorate until Ves is ready to go." Gloriana harrumphed. "Don't think of dragging me back to Scimitar before then! Ves has too many things to take care of before he's ready to depart!"

Ranya threw a skeptical glance at her lovestruck cousin. "Does Ves even want to travel to the Hegemony? He doesn't seem very eager to meet your mother."

"Ves loves me very much. Of course he would love to visit my home! He has to pay respects to my mother if he wants to marry me! He'll definitely accompany me back to the Hegemony!"

Of course, Gloriana hadn't discussed this topic with Ves as of yet. Whether he would actually go along with her suggestion was a complete mystery.

The conversation soon shifted to a more immediate matter.

"You haven't made any progress at all, sister?" Brutus asked.

"I tried, but my people and I haven't found any trace of this supposed hidden superbase. If the Fridaymen have really set up a secret anchoring point, they're being very careful about it. My data analysts went through all kinds of shipping records but we failed to find any significant amount of supplies going nowhere. Either the Fridaymen already prepared a stockpile that will last them years, or this base doesn't exist in this region of space."

Her brother crossed his arms and let out a deep breath. "I don't think the Fridaymen have overlooked the possibility that we would search for their base. It's most likely that they are truly prepared to hide for a number of years before they spring their offensive when the Hegemony's flanks are at their most vulnerable."

"It could be that the intelligence is wrong and this secret superbase doesn't exist in the first place." Ranya offered. "It wouldn't be the first time the Fridaymen are leading us on a wild goose chase."

No one was sure whether the intelligence was right, but the Hexers couldn't let down their guard. At the very least, Gloriana wasn't the only Hexer trying to search for the whereabouts of this base. In fact, as a mech designer, she wasn't expected to succeed, though that still rankled her. She always aimed to succeed!

"The Fridaymen haven't begun their machinations yet." Brutus observed. "Right now, the timing of the outbreak of the war has caught them off-guard. All of their politicians and military planners are still scrambling to reinforce the frontlines. Once the main war theater heats up and turns into a contest of attrition, the Fridaymen will become increasingly desperate to blow up the stalemate by surprising us with a major gambit."

He studied his enemies extensively in order to increase his chance at beating them. Merely relying on his expert pilot prowess to win every battle was folly!

"We'll leave the Ylvaine Protectorate before the situation escalates to this point." Gloriana affirmed. "I want Ranya to finish Ves' implantation surgery first, though. He desperately wants this augmentation for some reason. How much progress have you made on that front?"

"The Archimedes Rubal is a fascinating bioimplant." Ranya could help but smile in admiration. "It's really undeserving for a boy like Ves to benefit from this valuable relic. If he had any conscience, he would have offered it up to you and allow you to gift him a serviceable Hexer implant."

"I'm not taking his stuff! This is what he obtained through his own efforts. Besides, I already have my Erestal-015 implant. It's not only a lot more modern than the Archimedes Rubal, but it's also the implant that my mother picked out for me after a lot of study and preparation. The functions of my Erestal fits me the best."

When it came to her mother, Gloriana's eyes turned worshipful. In her entire life, she always followed her mother's arrangements!

Only rarely did she act willfully. Hooking up with Ves was one of those cases.

After a short pause, Clixie sauntered away from Gloriana's lap and padded over to Brutus. "Miaow."

"Hey there." Brutus slowly picked the lovely-looking cat up and embraced her with care.

Male Hexers were obliged to respect every female, pets included!

According to some interpretations of hexism, female dogs and cats may not be as superior as their human counterparts, but they had gone through several phases of existence which clearly put them ahead of males.

While not every Hexer bought into this theory, the compulsion to respect females was ingrained in the bones of male Hexers.

They didn't dare to act presumptuously towards a female animal!

Clixie clearly adored Brutus' skillful scratches and started to purr in contentment.

Her owner looked over and smiled at the sight. The two looked so lovely together!

"It's too bad there's only one of her." She sighed. "Rubarthan Sentinel Cats aren't very rare or notable in the New Rubarth Empire, but they're really too difficult to obtain in our star sector."

"This isn't the only cat in your company. There's also the mechanical cat."

"Lucky belongs to Ves, remember?!"

"Can you buy him for me, then? From what we've managed to ascertain from the Scarlet Rose, most of the crew who died fell at the hands of this cat. He's really remarkable! It is such a giant waste for such a powerful combat partner to accompany a mech designer. Lucky deserves a better owner!"

"Ves would never give Lucky away! You should stop dreaming about taking him away, Brutus. I won't allow you to bully him with your status as a Hexer and expert pilot! Besides, he's not the type of boy who gives in to such intimidation.. at least I think so. He can be a bit of a weasel sometimes."

"I really don't see why you are so crazy about that boy."

"That's because you're not a mech designer. You'd be able to realize his brilliance in full if you knew what kind of wonders he can accomplish. I'm so lucky to be working alongside a mech designer like him! Our next mech designs will definitely astound the entire star sector! I can't wait until he's fully fired up! Hihi!"

Though Brutus still possessed a lot of doubts about Ves, this was not something a boy like him could meddle in. Though he cared a lot about his sister, he still had to know his place!

Perhaps to others it might seem strange for a strong-willed expert pilot to defer so readily to his sister and other women, but this was the natural state of being in the Hexadric Hegemony.

While this didn't mean that any random Hexer on the streets could order a male expert pilot around, the latter still had to show a lot of respect to the former!

A chime suddenly sounded from Gloriana's comm. She interrupted her musings and read the message.

"What is it, sister?"

"It's a message related to our upcoming design commission. It seems like Ves is up to his old ways again." She sighed.

"You should really rein in your boy toy, cousin." Ranya spoke. "It's a bit odd that he is showing so much attitude. What would other Hexers think? Keeping your boys obedient and well-behaved is an essential responsibility for women like us! If I was in your place, I would have rid him of his attitude by now."

"You don't understand." Gloriana impishly smiled. "It's exactly because he's so wild and uncontrolled that he's so great. Whether professionally or personally, his boldness is the main reason why he's so much better than the boys back at home! I'm in no hurry to temper his attitude."

"You will pull back his leash eventually, right?" Ranya frowned.

"...Maybe."

Chapter 1804 Compartment G-13

Ves took a rare excursion to orbit. A hefty guard force consisting of both Avatar and Kronon mechs surrounded his heavily-armored shuttle as it climbed from the surface.

Neither the Avatars nor the Ylvainans were complacent when it came to the safety of Ves! Past events had already shown that his life was far from secure.

With over a hundred mechs acting as an honor guard, every other traffic automatically made way as they received new instruction from traffic control.

The shuttle eventually docked with an orbital shipyard. Though it wasn't particularly large or impressive, it was the best that Ves could hire in the Kesseling System.

After Ves, Lucky, Nitaa and a lot of other guards emerged from the shuttle, they moved to the heart of the shipyard.

A director met them on their way.

"How long will it take to complete the overhauls to the Scarlet Rose?" Ves asked.

"Four months at the very least."

"That's too long." Ves frowned. "From the size of your shipyard and the amount of people who work here, a typical overhaul shouldn't take more than two months."

"The proposals offered by your men are very difficult to work with, Your Excellency." The director nervously admitted. "Our engineers and shipwrights have never worked on a ship so advanced. Just the issue of shipping the rare exotics and other materials to us is a significant burden. Both the Sand War and Komodo War have disrupted the supply and transportation of many critical materials."

Ves remained unmoved. "I didn't come all the way up here to listen to your excuses. Trade may have disrupted, but it hasn't stopped entirely. I think there should definitely be a way for your shipyard to obtain the materials you need. Perhaps you can correspond with the Curins, starting with Madame Cecily Curin. I'm sure they'll be able to expedite the necessary procurements."

"Thank you, Bright Martyr!"

"Please don't call me that."

They finally entered the massive drydock hall where the Scarlet Rose rested in the very center.

The hall was designed to accommodate much larger ships up to massive freighters and cargo haulers. The Scarlet Rose looked fairly compact for this reason, but only from afar. Once they came close, the grandness of the mobile supply frigate became evident.

Though a frigate was a fairly small class of starship, the Scarlet Rose still towered over humans as well as mechs!

The tonnage of the starfaring vessel was astounding, and the materials that made up her structure and armor layers could all be used to produce enough second-class mechs to form a full mech company!

The value of the Scarlet Rose was inestimable to Ves. She became an essential asset to him ever since he managed to steal her from the Fridaymen.

The sheer utility and prestige he gained from owning such a potent vessel was enough to make Ves ecstatic.

The potentially-infinite Breyer alloy production loop skyrocketed the Scarlet Rose's value by at least a hundred times, if not more!

There was no way Ves could afford to neglect the Scarlet Rose! The constantly-renewing mysterious escape pod had become an absolute point of focus for his future plans!

Due to the extremely sensitive nature of the mysterious escape pod, only his most trusted subordinates were allowed to approach the mech workshop and the surrounding compartments.

The shipyard engineers and technicians were only allowed to work on the periphery of the ship! Everything else that Ves and his underlings deemed sensitive could only be accessed by the Battle Criers!

While this slowed down much of the work, Ves would rather be safe than sorry. Perhaps it wasn't unreasonable that it would take at least four month to complete the renovation of the ship.

She was worth the wait, Ves thought as he looked up and admired the half-exposed ship. Plenty of workers and bots crawled over the Scarlet Rose's surface in order to remove the damaged armor plating.

If the damage was light, then the holes and other damage could still be reversed to some extent. If the damage was too deep, then the shipyard had no choice but to send the broken parts to a recycling plant in order to recover some of the materials needed to build replacement parts.

As Ves was technically literate, he understood most of the processes that had to take place to renovate the Scarlet Rose.

The main goals of these overhauls was to increase the security of the ship and to remove as many Fridaymen systems as possible that possessed a high risk of containing backdoors.

Michael Crindon played an essential role in reforming the security systems of the ship. He also became the main person in charge of cordoning off and increasing the security of the production loop.

Ves met with his Kinner security expert near the original compartment which held all of the escape pods.

The structure already looked much different from here. New bulkheads had been erected where there was previously empty space. Access to the site where Cassandra Breyer's escape pod appeared over and over again became a lot more difficult.

"I'm glad to see at least some work has already been done." Ves commented with satisfaction.

"Meow."

"Go ahead." Ves sighed.

Lucky instantly raced off and phased through the bulkhead in order to access the small stockpile of Breyer alloy in the next compartment.

"Tell me what you've managed to accomplish."

"We directed most of our Kinner technicians to rearrange the layout of this deck." Crindon explained and swept his arms towards the newly-added structural components. "We have cut off almost every path between the site of importance and the rest of the ship, including the mech workshop. In order to maintain and increase the 'loop', we've cleared out all of the escape pods in the original compartment. This provides us with enough space to add the forging machine as well as an independent power supply to keep the machine going without drawing a suspicious amount of power elsewhere."

This meant that a bot programmed to haul the mysterious escape pod to a forging machine didn't have to cross through multiple compartments and corridors anymore.

The process of retrieving the escape pod and chucking it into a forging machine happened in seconds now that the distance between them had shrunk!

Ves left behind most of his guards and only brought Nitaa with him as he entered the area known as 'Compartment G-13'.

"G-13 here not only offers enough space for the forging machine and a power supply, but also some storage space, but not that much." Crindon waved at the stacked bars of alloy.

Naturally, Lucky was already there and munching on his first bar as if it was made out of chocolate!

"What if this space runs out?"

"There is an exit there leading to adjacent compartments which we have also cleared out for the sole purpose of storing the Breyer alloy. Furthermore, we're planning on constructing an entirely new corridor that will connect to a new lift that will go straight down to the cargo bay. From there, the Breyer alloy can be securely shipped away as long as the workers follow a tight procedure."

To Ves, it wasn't the best way to keep the production loop a secret, but Ves didn't have the time or resources to implement a better arrangement.

If Ves wanted to keep the production loop absolutely secret, then he would turn the Scarlet Rose into a massive vault and replace most of her structure with the densest sensor-blocking exotics he could find. Then, he would stash it deep underground in a chamber made of even more sensor-blocking materials!

However, that was not only prohibitively expensive, but also made it difficult to move his ship if some kind of emergency took place.

Therefore, after a discussion with Crindon, Ves decided to hide the Breyer alloy production loop in plain sight by operating the Scarlet Rose as his new flagship.

Ves and Crindon had already planned ahead to explain the supply of Breyer alloy. They would simply dispatch the Scarlet Rose to an undisclosed location. From there, the ship returned with a batch of Breyer alloy.

They didn't have to explain anything further. Those who watched the movements of his ship would conclude that the Scarlet Rose had been dispatched to pick up a shipment from some trader or black market organization. The latter was much more likely because the conventional supply of Breyer alloy was very limited!

In other words, those who questioned where the Breyer alloy came from would simply fill up the gaps with their own guesses.

Since the Scarlet Rose was a very fast ship, it was extremely difficult for most watchers to keep up with her.

Those that were able to do so would definitely be noticed by the Scarlet Rose.

All of these arrangements meant that there was a high possibility this ruse might work?

As for how Ves could possibly pay for all of those valuable exotics.. that was another matter that he intended to keep in the dark.

Perhaps he paid with all of the cash he earned from the LMC. Perhaps he designed secrets mechs for insanely lucrative rewards. Perhaps he made a connection with a very powerful organization.

In this way, Ves and Crindon set up a strong but not too complicated ruse that 'explained' where all of the Breyer alloy came from. People would never suspect the alloy was actually being 'produced' right inside Compartment G-13!

Ves inspected the loop in action. After the forging machine underwent a round of tests and self-diagnostics and found nothing amiss, it became open for business again.

Once the inner chamber heated up, a specially-designed bot remotely lifted the mysterious escape pod from the tube, which had been completely blocked on the other end, and dropped it into the forging machine.

A strange shockwave of discordant spirituality suddenly swept Ves' body. He became alarmed, especially when he figured out that the shockwave originated from the forging machine!

"Did you feel that?" Ves warily asked.

"I.. did not experience anything unusual, sir."

"Did you feel as if a wave of energy crashed through your body? Did you feel a spark on your body as if you were being shocked by static electricity?"

Crindon shook his head in confusion. "I have not experienced any of those sensations."

Ves turned to Lucky. "What about you, buddy?"

"Meoow.."

His cat only had eyes for his Breyer alloy! Lucky was already starting to devour a second bar! What a gluttonous beast!

"How is the rest of the overhaul going?"

"We've learned a lot from our prior overhaul of the Barracuda, sir. We aren't groping in the dark this time because we are already aware of which ship parts we have to alter or replace. Your.. partner.. has also been helpful in pointing out what needs to be changed, particularly on the software level. Without this additional help, we would have been forced to hire extra security experts or downgrade the ship."

All in all, it sounded as if his men had the Scarlet Rose well in hand. While they weren't capable of fulfilling all of his wishes, at least nothing went wrong.

The only concern that plagued Ves was any changes relating to Cassandra Breyer.

What if she worked to free herself from this loop? What if she intended to exact revenge when she finally became free?

Just the spiritual shockwave emanating from the forging machine upon the mysterious pod's destruction was enough to prove that the situation could change!

Perhaps Ves couldn't be as hands off as he wanted. Was it really necessary to look into Cassandra Breyer?

As Ves stared at the forging machine decomposing the escape pod into its constituent materials, he had a hunch that Cassandra had to warm up and show her might.

What if she was able to exert more power? Ves would definitely have to endure some sort of spiritual attack, one that might be beyond his means to solve! He had no confidence in his simple spiritual shield!

Chapter 1805 Grandeur

The Scarlet Rose, Compartment G-13 and the Breyer alloy production loop weighed heavily on Ves. Though aware of the dangers of affronting a powerful spiritual entity, the possible gains were too great for him to give up on exploiting her continuous renewal powers!

No matter what kind of counterattack Cassandra Breyer launched, Ves would just have to endure it as best as possible.

This was the price he had to pay to secure a continuous supply of valuable materials!

Though Ves spent a lot of time on inspecting the work being done to the Scarlet Rose, he mainly devoted his time on the assembly meetings where the rules and regulations of the new family took shape.

The Larkinsons would soon be part of a new and more ambitious entity than the old Larkinson Family.

After several weeks of discussion, Ves and the other elder Larkinsons finally reached an agreement on how to run the new family.

They came up with an ambitious structure, and that was partially the fault of Ves. He was looking towards the future.

Rather than start with something modest and add more rules ad-hoc, Ves wanted to implement a solid framework that could scale as the Larkinsons grew in numbers and power.

Therefore, even if some of the reforms seemed excessive, Ves believed the Larkinsons would definitely be thankful a few decades from now on. With all of the rules they drafted, his family would be able to come up with an answer to most situations!

After voting on and finalizing the rules, the time had come to announce the changes.

To signal a new start and make the separation between the old family and the new family permanent, the announcement had to be done in public and with a certain amount of ceremony.

The Larkinsons booked the best auditorium in Krent while Ves spent some time to fabricate some props.

Once the fateful day had come, the Larkinsons all traveled to the auditorium in downtown Krent via aircar or airbus.

Even the local authorities got in on it by sectioning off the street and stationing some Holy Soldiers as an honor guard along the main avenue.

The Avatars of Myth and the Living Sentinels didn't want to be left out. Dozens of Desolate Soldiers and other LMC mechs flanked the main avenue that led straight to a temple-like auditorium.

The classical Ylvainan architecture of the circular building exuded a sense of class and tradition.

In order to obscure its religious theme, many banners and symbols related to the Larkinson Family covered up all of the murals, paintings and statues dedicated to the Ylvainan Faith.

It was as if the Larkinsons converted a temple of worship into a temple of war.

As curious, fancily-dressed Larkinson children holding the hands of their parents walked up the stairs to the auditorium, they became engrossed by the refined martial atmosphere.

The Blackbeaks, Crystal Lords, Aurora Titans, Desolate Soldiers and other LMC mechs placed around the auditorium each flooded the area with their distinctive glows.

Though blending so many glows in a relatively concentrated area made it difficult for people to experience their individual charm, something unique came into being.

The Avatars and Sentinels were already familiar with the blending of different glows. They often fielded multiple LMC mechs side-by-side or stored them in a single ship or facility.

"It's like.. we've entered paradise. A martial paradise."

"This is the power of our family. The Larkinsons are made to be heroes!"

"Our Larkinson mechs are destined to raise a storm. If this is what Ves can accomplish in less than a decade, what will his mechs become a century from now? We are at the cusp of greatness!"

Every Larkinson, both old and young, became enamoured by the majesty of the LMC mechs and the glory of their family's heritage.

The various banners each marked the participating of a major battle, of which the largest stood for one of the many wars between the Bright Republic and Vesia Kingdom!

Various projectors silently depicted dramatic footage of Larkinson mech pilots in battle. Many of these depictions looked familiar to many Larkinsons, but when displayed at this time and place, they gained a lot more significance.

The feats performed by the Larkinson expert pilots of the past attracted the most attention.

If there was one common element that made every Larkinson member proud, then it was the fact that they always managed to nurture expert pilots in every generation!

Over the course of four centuries, the Larkinson Family never failed in their duty to protect the Bright Republic and contribute to its strength. The expert pilots in the family always served in the Mech Corps for their entire lives or until they no longer became capable of piloting an expert mech.

Such a rich heritage was something that neither Ves nor the Larkinsons ever wanted to throw away.

Therefore, Ves completely ignored the objections of the old family and shamelessly drew upon this glorious past.

As hundreds of trueblood Larkinsons and their spouses entered the auditorium, they calmly took their seats.

Only Larkinsons were allowed inside, mostly. Aside from the press and some other necessary people, the family did not allow entry to the public because this event completely centered around their own people.

The local Ylvainans, who had already gathered in a crowd of hundreds of thousands, were kept well away. All of the mechs as well as a security cordon arranged by the Planetary Guard kept the onlookers well away.

This was not an Ylvainan show. It was all about the Larkinsons today.

Underneath the turbulent clouds that hinted at rainfall, Ves walked along the entire avenue flanked by Gloriana and their cats.

Both of them dressed at their best this time. Ves wore his full Pride of Dusk ensemble, though it appeared more regal and awe-inspiring this time.

The Larkinsons sent the entire outfit to the best tailor in Krent in order to turn it into a regalia that matched the new status of their leader.

Aside from a mech designer, aside from the owner of a prosperous mech company, Ves was about to add on a new formal identity.

Ves wanted to smile, but he kept his face solemn and impassive. Various journalists recorded the entire event for posterity. The regal golden flourishes and precious exotic jewels added to the Pride of Dusk turned him into an impressively regal figure!

Naturally, a king was always paired with a queen.

Queen Gloriana wore a gem-encrusted tiara. A billowing cape draped over her shoulders, doing a poor job at hiding her rose-themed dress. Some of the most exquisite Hexer jewelry adorned her neck, fingers and wrists. Many women among the Larkinsons couldn't help but grow envious at the wealth she put on display!

Due to the high import of this moment, both Ves and Gloriana dropped their customary smiles towards each other. They each looked utterly serious as they slowly ascended the steps and entered into the zone where all of the glows blended together.

Ves closed his eyes and basked in the mixed sensations. There was a complexity to the mixture that led to a spontaneous new spark of inspiration.

What would happen if he inserted multiple fully-fledged design spirits in a single design?

Would some sort of resonance take place? Would the design spirits be able to amplify each other just like Ves and Gloriana enhanced each other's strengths?

Ves sensed that there was a lot of merit in exploring this idea! Though a lot could go wrong, the reward may be worth the risk!

"You're thinking of another idea related to mech design, right?" Gloriana whispered.

"Yeah, though I don't have the time to explore it in-depth. I'm already juggling several research topics. I don't have the time to add another one to my long list."

The two stepped forward after their pause. Their cats trailed alongside them while remaining remarkably well-behaved. Both of them walked in cadence and matched the speeds of their owners like dutiful attendants.

"Meow."

"Miaow."

"What are they talking about, Ves?"

"Lucky wants to run ahead while Clixie threatened to disembowel him if he ruined this moment."

"Wow."

"I don't think Clixie can harm Lucky, but at least he's behaving."

"Oh, I think you're still underestimating what Clixie can do. She's not a regular kitty."

The two stopped talking once they finally reached the grand entrance. Once they stepped inside the tall and cavernous lobby, the pillars and frescos that used to sing the praises of Prophet Ylvaine and the Martyred Followers had made way for decorations that glorified the history of the Larkinson Family.

Each and every Larkinson that passed through all of these impressive displays couldn't help but feel a lot of pride.

An energy suffused their entire minds that caused them to become more intimate towards their identities as Larkinsons.

This was exactly what Ves aimed to achieve. In order to ensure as much acceptable as possible, Ves wanted to manipulate everyone's moods so that they were in the best state of mind to accept some of the radical changes that he was about to announce!

Both Ves and Gloriana waited for a moment until Nitaa and the guards cleared them to enter the main hall.

In a space built to house thousands, only a hundred seats were left. This made the interior of the auditorium look a little empty, but Ves did not consider that to be a bad thing.

As someone who considered himself to be an artist, Ves was aware of the concept of negative space.

Empty space could be manipulated to enhance the aesthetic qualities of real elements.

The huge hall had been designed to convey a lot of formality and grandeur by exaggerating the dimensions and raising the ceiling to an incredible height.

When the Larkinsons each took their seats, they felt as if their empty surroundings were as dark, cold and lifeless as interstellar space.

Only by huddling together and forming into a single, cohesive group would the Larkinsons be able to survive the unfeeling cruelty of reality!

Like twin stars lighting up the place, both Ves and Gloriana walked down the middle under the fascinated gazes of the Larkinsons.

There was no order to the seating arrangements aside from grouping close relatives together. Both young and old sat at the front, middle and back.

The Larkinsons should not pay too much attention to status. At the very least, it shouldn't dominate the interactions between one Larkinson to another.

Ves and many Larkinsons disliked the stratified hierarchy that formed in many different family groups. People such as Senator Tovar were so far away from the younger generation of the Tovar Family that many of their members never even met the old man in person!

Perhaps the Larkinsons might eventually evolve in this direction as well, but for the time being many of them would do their best to flatten the power distance between the strongest and weakest Larkinsons!

All of these subtle details each conveyed something important. The more astute Larkinsons managed to decipher the unspoken messages, while the more straightforward ones simply carved their subliminal thoughts and feelings in their memories.

Even if the younger Larkinsons weren't aware of all of the symbolism, they had already been indoctrinated without knowing it! A ceremony was nothing more than a highly-formalized show, and Ves happened to play the main character this time!

Once Ves and Gloriana reached the podium, some of the Larkinsons reacted with surprise as they continued to step up in unison.

Even their cats stepped up on stage!

This was another silent declaration by Ves. Though he hadn't tied the knot with Gloriana yet, he already considered her to be part of the family!

Where Ves went, Gloriana would always be besides him. This was what he wanted and what every Larkinson should accept!

Though there were plenty of Larkinsons who possessed a lot of doubts about Gloriana's Hexer origins, this was not the time to bring up this matter. The grand ceremony pressed so much on their minds that none of the Larkinsons ever possessed the impulse to stand up and ruin this historical occasion!

Chapter 1806 Historic Announcement

Both Ves and Gloriana seated themselves on the padded thrones. Ves sat in the very center while his girlfriend sat on a slightly smaller and less ostentatious seat.

Gloriana may be part of the family, but Ves was in charge.

Their cats sat proudly at the sides as if they were honor guards. Adopting this posture and remaining absolutely still came naturally to Clixie, but Lucky was already starting to lose patience.

"Sit still, you naughty bugger!" Ves quietly whispered to his pet.

While Ves readied himself for the speech, the audience of Larkinsons became affected by the grand and solemn atmosphere. It was as if this event signalled a completely new start instead of some changes.

Not just the Larkinsons on Kesseling VIII, but also their relatives elsewhere paid close attention to this occasion.

Benjamin Larkinson sat in the back garden of the much-emptier Larkinston Estate at Rittersberg. A mixture of pride and resignation marred his face as his channels with some of the elders of the new family already clued him in on what was about to come.

"The Larkinson Family will never be the same again." He sighed.

There was so much energy in the new family. All kinds of initiatives and long-overdue reforms would come into being that served to unleash the potential of their Larkinson identities!

As for Larkinsons they left behind, the departure of the most dynamic and forward-looking Larkinsons left the old family robbed of its vitality.

Benjamin Larkinson already sensed some listlessness among the other Larkinsons. Recent events caused the old family to question much of its values and principles.

Were the Larkinsons truly right to stick to their traditions?

Was the Bright Republic truly worthy of their selfless dedication?

Should the Larkinsons be seeking to exercise more power?

Even though it appeared the old family wanted to reject everything the new family believed in, the truth was that a lot of neutral and traditionalists Larkinsons were already losing faith in some of their values.

Perhaps the old family would not be the only branch of the Larkinsons to initiate reforms.

Aside from Benjamin, every other Larkinson from the old family tuned in to the broadcast.

Most notably, Venerable Ark and Venerable Ghanso each took a break from duty to watch the announcement from their respective posts.

"You've grown, cousin." Ark smiled as he loosened the collar of his mech colonel uniform. "My brother would be proud of what you have become."

He wished nothing but the best for Ves and the Larkinsons who were about to embark on an entirely new direction. To Ark, branching out the Larkinson bloodline was not something regrettable. If the old family ever fell, the new family would still be able to carry forth their legacy, and vica versa!

Not everyone adopted a charitable stance, though.

Venerable Ghanso Larkinson looked on with a touch of resentment in his eyes. His fists clenched as he realized that the new family would never go back to the old family again after this historic day.

"Ves.."

His worst nightmare had come true. The Larkinson Family had splintered, and many of them broke off to form a separate branch.

What offended Ghanso the most was that the new family still had the temerity to borrow the heritage of their shared predecessors! The new family had no right to do so ever since they decided to break from tradition!

Their predecessors were probably rolling in their graves if they heard how their duty and sacrifice were being misused for self-aggrandisement purposes!

"We are the true inheritors of their legacy!"

It was too bad that no one except his closest supporters within the family listened to him. His earlier actions, from butchering the mechs piloted by his fellow Larkinsons to selling out his own flesh and blood, all turned him into a pariah within the old family.

Benjamin and Ark had already told him in very stern terms that it was best for Ghanso to remain secluded within the Mech Corps.

No one wanted to welcome him back to the old family right now!

With his influence at its lowest since he advanced to expert, there was nothing Venerable Ghanso could do to influence this course of events!

As every Larkinson watched with baited breath, Ves finally decided the time was right.

With his Pride of Dusk emanating Zeigra's aura at full strength, a regal and aggressive aura overcame him. Every member of the audience as well as everyone watching a projection of the live broadcast experienced the effect deep within their bones.

Ves appeared larger than life after this change.

Pride exuded from his body, so much so that Ves even had a sense that his father was watching over him. What would it be like for Ryncol Larkinson to see his son now, sitting on a throne in front of hundreds of obedient Larkinsons?

Over two-hundred trueblood Larkinsons and their dependents gathered in the auditorium today to listen to his words.

With all of the pomp and ceremony, his audience entered into a receptive mood that Ves could use to his advantage.

He could state practically anything without being challenged! As long as he didn't say anything too outlandish, the Larkinsons would almost certainly accept what he said!

Of course, Ves was not so short-sighted to chart his own course. He made the decision to court the support of the most influential Larkinsons within the new family.

Though Ves had to give up a lot of control, he still retained enough power to satisfy his purposes.

Sharing power was the only way to ensure the long-term viability of the Larkinsons!

"It's time." Gloriana whispered.

Ves nodded minutely and concentrated his mind in order to mobilize his Spirituality. He began to burn his spiritual energy at a very gradual rate to amplify his gravitas!

"Larkinsons." He began with a voice filled with an indescribable charm. "I welcome you here today to unveil a new start for ourselves and for our family. We do this not to break from our Larkinson heritage, but to honor it by taking the next step!"

All of the previous displays and decorations had already filled the audience with stories about their family's glorious legacy.

The Larkinsons had reasons to be proud!

"We are Larkinsons." Ves stated. "No matter how we develop in the future, we must never forget our shared past with our fellow Larkinsons who chose to remain in the Bright Republic. It is because of the centuries of accumulation that we have gained the opportunity to step out of the corner of the Bright Republic and enter a wider stage!"

Many Larkinsons, particularly the older ones, reacted with approval. Though no one clapped, Through his spiritual senses, Ves clearly sensed positive emotions emanating from the crowd.

It was in these kinds of settings that crowds all shared the same emotions. If they became strong enough, then some kind of collective resonance occurred where the emotions of the whole bled through the minds of everyone present in the group.

"Starting from the Larkinson Ancestor, his descendants have diligently inherited his mission and fought on behalf of the Bright Republic with unfailing distinction. Over the centuries, our name has become synonymous with honor, loyalty and dedication. One of our greatest contributions to the state was to supply the Mech Corps with a continuous supply of expert pilots, each of which have never failed to answer the call for duty!"

The amount of Larkinson mech pilots and Larkinson expert pilots who served in the Mech Corps could take up an entire book!

Ves clasped his hands on his lap. "Our Larkinson Family has many grounds to be proud of our heritage and ourselves. The honor we have accumulated over the years has turned us into one of the greatest role models of the Bright Republic! With all of these accomplishments, perhaps you are questioning why we have decided to break with tradition. What is our reason to separate from the original Larkinson Family?"

Every Larkinson had their own answer to this problem, though for some, it wasn't very articulate.

After giving the audience a few seconds to sort their answers, Ves raised his arm and clenched it into a fist!

"Our main goal is to grasp more power!"

His blunt admission was much more direct than the audience expected!

It sounded a bit crass considering the current context, but the shock value emphasized their new root!

"The galaxy is dangerous and filled with threats." Ves spoke, speeding up his cadence to lend a war-like momentum to his speech! "Countless states exist that could pose a threat to the Bright Republic, and by extension the original Larkinson Family. Some states are so powerful that even the aftershocks of their fighting can ruin everything our family has built!"

This was a not-so-subtle reference to the Komodo War. No Larkinson could possibly resist the actions of the Friday Coalition and the Hexadric Hegemony! In the face of these titanic powers, how could the trivial Larkinson Family ever make a difference!

The helplessness of the old family stemmed from their lack of power!

No matter how much honor and reputation the Larkinson Family accumulated, the Fridaymen and Hexers still considered them as ants!

When the power disparity was too great, all of these soft, intangible assets were worth nothing!

Only concrete power mattered!

"We live in a time where humanity is ascended. Yet how long will this period last? It is not in our nature and the nature of the aliens to embrace peace. War will engulf us sooner than later. Whether we face an overpowering human threat or an alliance of alien empires, we won't be able to defeat them and preserve our lives if we keep focusing on building up an endless amount of honor! Acquiring and maintaining an excellent reputation is good, but it should never be an end in itself!"

The Larkinsons sitting in front of him became more and more absorbed in his words. Right now, he was voicing some of the unpleasant truths that needed to be said in order to justify the changes.

"Well, no longer! We have had enough of slaving away for the benefit of others. The Bright Republic has nurtured us and provided us with a very pleasant living environment for many years. Yet every child must grow up. Now that we have reached a limit to our development in the Bright Republic, we must leave our homes and find our own way to better our lives!"

By describing the separation in this fashion, Ves essentially equated the new family as a child who grew up and wanted to make its own way in life.

"Our departure from the Bright Republic was just the first step. I appreciate the Ylvaine Protectorate for hosting us with great enthusiasm, but this is not our home! We Larkinsons do not belong here. Our original hearts have always resided with the Bright Republic, and now that we have left the state that has made our predecessors, we are essentially left without shelter."

A darkness seemed to emanate from his voice. Plenty of Larkinsons fell into a melancholy as they thought back of all of the joys and pleasures they experienced in their home state.

Now that they had left the Bright Republic on a permanent basis, many Larkinsons felt lost!

Ves was right! The Ylvaine Protectorate would never be their new home! Their strange culture and stranger religion were simply not compatible with the character of the Larkinsons.

They may have left the Bright Republic, but the Bright Republic has always stayed within their hearts!

Ves recognized this fact. It was for this reason that he came to a novel solution.

"Through our departure, we have deprived ourselves from our homes. Yet does this mean we have nowhere else to go? I say no! We are Larkinsons. We have endured tougher challenges! Since we can no longer find succor in other states, we must build our own home, wherever we may go!"

The older Larkinsons who had taken part in the assembly meetings sat up straighter. They knew what was coming, and anticipation flowed within their creaky bones!

The air became charged with some sort of energy. The audience paid so much attention to Ves that it took several seconds for them to notice the giant, floating emblem projected over the thrones!

A round symbol with a black surface and a golden rim greeted their eyes. In the center, a stylized golden cat head gazed forth with glowing red eyes!

"It is for this reason that we have decided to form a new entity, distinct from the Larkinsons who have decided to continue our family's original legacy. From this day onwards, we are no longer members of the Larkinson Family."

The projection of the golden cat head on the emblem opened its mouth to release a growl!

At the same time, Ves spiritually prodded his regalized Pride of Dusk to release a pulse of Zeigra's potent glow!

"After this day, we will all be part of the Larkinson Clan!"

A rush of excitement swept through the audience!

Chapter 1807 Heirloom

The Larkinson Clan!

No matter what a family member thought about the separation, many of them became excited when Ves finally announced the founding of a new entity of Larkinsons!

Adopting the guise of a clan represented a clear and significant departure from their old ways!

Taking on this new identity definitely transformed the so-called 'new family' into a group that could stand on its own!

The change came with many implications. Though most of them were symbolic or implied, each of them mattered to Ves and those who wanted the Larkinson Clan to prosper.

In legal terms, a family was not that different from a clan. There was no law or rule that governed the usage of these terms.

However, over the course of human history, an informal distinction emerged between families, clans, dynasties, houses, tribes and so on. Each of these words came to describe a different structure with common customs.

A family was the most basic form. There was nothing inherently wrong with that, as a family organization was fairly flexible up to a certain scale.

Compared to the flexibility of a family, a clan organization was a lot together and more cohesive.

The interests of the clan came first. That was the general rule when it came to clan organizations. Bloodline was important, but clans sometimes adopted talented outsiders in order to maintain some dynamism within their ranks.

To be honest, both families and clans came in so many variants that they could practically be intermingled.

There was one part about clans that set them apart.

Many clans were nomadic, and considered the sea of stars to be their home!

This implication currently dominated every Larkinson's mind!

As the initial burst of energy from announcing the formation of the Larkinson Clan subsided, Ves resumed his speech.

"We Larkinsons have done our duty to the Bright Republic. We have sacrificed so much of our blood to our former home that we do not owe anything to it anymore. Rather than see ourselves as exiles, we should embrace this turning point and unshackle ourselves from the bonds that tie us down to individual states!"

The emblem of the Larkinson Clan that Ves designed spun over his head like a spinning coin. Though the animal it depicted was just a stylized cat head, its ferocity made it as formidable as one of the huge cats of Felixia!

"With this Golden Cat, our Larkinson Clan shall set forth under a new emblem! No longer will we be content to linger in a single frontier star sector. Human civilization is much vaster than the small corner of the galaxy that we have grown too familiar with. Not only can we find prosperity and accumulate more power in the rest of the Milky Way, an entirely new dwarf galaxy is ripe for exploration! The Red Ocean shall be our first true baptism of fire that will make or break our clan!"

Both dread and excitement welled in the minds of the audience. The thought of leaving the Milky Way and traveling all the way to the Red Ocean was a huge step for many Larkinsons, but those who followed Ves this far had already accepted the risks!

Within their hearts, ambition welled. Some of them were not content to live the rest of their lives as cogs in the Bright Republic's machine. The Larkinsons not only desired greatness, but also possessed the confidence to reach this height!

No Larkinson was average! Time and time again, the way the original Larkinson Family raised its family members resulted in entire generations of talented and capable professionals.

What if the Larkinsons utilized all of their prowess to their own ends instead of a state?

As Ves had already proven, the support of a state and its rulers was fairly fickle. When a state was divided and when its leaders pursued benefits over principle, the Larkinsons could no longer afford to remain vulnerable to their predations.

Though there were upsides and downsides to forming a nomadic clan, it was the most suitable way to organize the Larkinsons to Ves. After all, he intended to explore the entire breadth of the Red Ocean, and to do so he needed a strong and loyal cadre in place. His fellow Larkinsons were the most suitable people to secure his control over his expeditionary fleet!

"I do not know what the future holds." Ves said in a gentler tone. "As I've mentioned before, reality is cold and full of danger. Yet danger often coexists with opportunity. The chance to propel our clan to greatness and reach a level of power and influence that is countless times greater than the Larkinson Family lies elsewhere! We only have to venture out of our comfort zone and fight for our benefits! We must do this not just to benefit ourselves, but also our children and their children! This is what it means to fight for our clan!"

His words along with the projection of the Larkinson Clan Emblem both caused the Larkinsons sitting in front of him to identify with the new clan.

Excitement and ambition sparked in the minds of many Larkinsons, particularly the younger and more energetic ones who yearned to be the protagonists of their action dramas!

Naturally, the risks were plenty and dangerous. Ves only emphasized the rewards so far. He deliberately mentioned little of the price they might have to pay in order to reach greatness!

There was a very good reason why the hierarchy of both human and alien civilizations were shaped like pyramids!

Only a handful of winners got to enjoy the benefits after stepping over the corpses of the losers!

Ves could tell that the older and wiser Larkinsons who already fulfilled their initial ambitions understood this truth as well.

Though it seemed reckless for them to go along with this risky new direction, in fact they all made a careful consideration beforehand.

First, they believed in Ves. He was an exceptional mech designer who had already reached Journeyman at a relatively young age. He had proven his competence in his profession over and over again. Anyone could tell that Ves was bound for greatness!

For someone like him to lead the Larkinson Clan meant that he was willing to share some of his gains. This furthered the interests of other Larkinsons, especially those who wished their children and grandchildren to live more meaningful lives!

Second, the Larkinson heritage was not at risk. No matter what kind of calamity might strike the clan in the future, at least the old Larkinson Family in the remote Komodo Star Sector would still continue their original legacy!

To the members of both the Larkinson Family and the Larkinson Clan, the separation between the two groups was not as total as it seemed.

Even when brothers who grew up under the same roof had separated and embarked on their own lives, they still shared a strong familial connection with each other!

It was due to this that the Larkinsons present in the auditorium adopted a devil-may-care attitude.

No matter what ills they suffered, the Larkinson name would still continue!

"Founding a clan is a significant event." Ves resumed after no objections came from the crowd. "Since we are splintering from the Larkinson Family we grew up in for our entire lives, we must take advantage of this opportunity to implement a changed regime! Old traditions which have held us back for all these centuries must go! If we are to propel our clan to a greater height, then we must not blindly follow our old ways. Questioning every assumption is the first step to reform the very structure in which we govern our clan!"

Ves raised his arm and snapped his fingers.

The snap exaggeratingly rang throughout the entire hall!

A bot appeared from behind the throne. The hovering contraption held a single object the size of Lucky if he was squished in a uniform rectangular shape.

It was a book. A hardcover book.

He designed and created it himself. Its ornate, eye-catching metallic cover depicted both humans and mechs, each of them impressive in their own way.

The entire cover was made out of Breyer alloy mixed with other metallic exotics for the embellishments!

No words marked the cover, but Ves embedded its center with a solid medallion depicting the Larkinson Clan Emblem in full glory!

The emblem was made of the same valuable materials as the rest of the cover, but Ves made an interesting adaptation for the eyes. Instead of inserting synthetic or exotic gems in the eye sockets of the Golden Cat, Ves placed two identical gems produced by Lucky in their places!

Their effects were fairly poor since these gems were one of Lucky's earlier products. Rather than waste them on a mech, he might as well apply them to the medallion as their appearance possessed a subtle charm despite their weak effects!

All in all, the book was a labor of love to Ves. He spent days fine-tuning its design! For a small object that was much smaller than mech, that was a significant time investment!

Ves picked up the heavy tome without a problem. Due to thick application of materials that made up the cover, the book possessed a considerable mass.

Fortunately, its weight was well within his tolerance.

Once he held the book, he raised it up and displayed its ornate front cover to his audience!

Every Larkinson became fascinated by this ancient book! Many Larkinsons never even encounter a physical book in their entire lives!

Ves had to thank Aisling Curver for giving him the inspiration to employ a physical tome as a prop. To modern humans, the appearance of such an object made a very great impact!

"This is the Larkinson Mandate." He revealed. His grave tone mainly conveyed the symbolic weight of the book as opposed to its physical weight. "Its contents are split up in three parts. The first part contains the annals of the Larkinson Ancestor as well as the deeds and honors of the original Larkinson Family from which we came from. This is a written record of our glorious heritage!"

Though Ves already expounded on the heritage of the Larkinsons many times, it was never enough!

If the Larkinsons forgot their past, then how could they maintain the essence of their character in the future?

Though Ves despised the traditionalists for stubbornly sticking to the old ways, their behavior also taught him the power of heritage!

Ves did not wish for his newfound clan to go off the rails. Remembering the past and glorifying parts of it was a way to steer the development of the Larkinson Clan!

However, simply harping on about the past was not enough to achieve meaningful change. That was the main reason why the Larkinson Family never developed after a certain point!

"The second part of this Larkinson Mandate contains all of the original rules and strictures that define the governance of our clan. Only by establishing a robust and well-thought-out structure will our Larkinson Clan be able to grow and expand in power without tearing ourselves apart!"

The bulk of the paper-like material contained printed words that neatly described all of the laws of the Larkinson Clan. While it was already assured that the rules of the Larkinson Clan would change over time, the original rules would always be immortalized in the pages of the book without change!

The Larkinson Mandate was not a book of laws. Ves designed it to be the defining heirloom of the Larkinson Clan.

The Larkinson Family had the Valiant, the ancient, heavily-damaged mech of the Larkinson Ancestor.

Ves did not insist on claiming this exceedingly precious relic. It was truly too fragile to endure frequent movement. Even if the clan did its best to shield the Valiant from shocks and other environmental changes, only one mistake could lead to irreparable damage!

In lieu of such a powerful heirloom that could unify the Larkinsons, Ves simply decided to make his own version.

The Larkinson Mandate was the product of his ideas! There was more to it than met the eye!

Chapter 1808 Larkinson Mandate

The Larkinson Mandate gained more significance in the eyes of the Larkinson as Ves explained the contents of its pages.

Its significance was much more than any Larkinson realized. Ves had not spent all of that time in designing the book in vain.

Not only was the Larkinson Mandate an attempt to create an heirloom for the Larkinson Clan, it was also an experiment of sorts.

Ves wanted to achieve multiple goals with the creation of this ceremonial book. One of his future plans and development directions hinged on the success of this experiment!

He couldn't help but release a faint grin as he showed off his book.

"The first part of the Larkinson Mandate records our glorious and honorable past. The second part describes the initial structure of our Larkinson Clan. However, all of these pages are worth nothing if they don't have our backing!"

He thumped his palm against the heavy surface of the book in emphasis!

"Written words are merely smudges on a surface while spoken words are nothing more than hearsay. In order to give the contents of this book the meaning it deserves, we must consecrate this tome and mark it with our blood and names!"

A mild shock went through the crowd. Ves did not tell anyone about the Larkinson Mandate. This was an initiative he conceived entirely on his own. While it was not quite proper, the sheer impressiveness of the ornate book was enough to stifle any objections!

"I mean this literally." Ves emphasized. "The third and final part of the Larkinson Mandate consists of pages that each bear your marks in the form of your signature and a drop of your blood! Only when every Larkinson who is present in this hall has left their marks will this object transform into something greater than a very fancy and expensive book!"

This latest announcement truly surprised both young and older Larkinsons. However, the latter soon comprehended the significance of this ceremony.

Participating in this ceremony would forever leave their names in the book that carried the identity of the Larkinson Clan!

If their ambitions came true and the Larkinson Clan achieved greatness, then it would be a supreme honor to every Larkinson present to have their name and a part of themselves immortalized in a supreme heirloom.

This was truly history in the making!

Ves became more and more satisfied with the increasingly enthusiastic response to the offer to leave their marks in the pages of the Larkinson Mandate.

He was not a natural leader. He was never hands-on in running the LMC and did not consider himself to be the best manager of the Larkinson Clan.

Each person had their own strengths and weaknesses. While Ves did not claim to know himself from inside out, he knew what he was good at and where his passion lied.

Ves was a creator. He was a mech designer, to be specific, but his accumulated knowledge also turned him into a very good engineer or creative artist.

He could design and build objects other than mechs.

Creating something like the Larkinson Mandate to unify the Larkinsons and center the newly-founded clan was well within his means!

As a mech designer, he had learned to gauge the influence an ornament or symbol could exert over people.

Every object had the power to manipulate the people that interacted with it in some way!

An ugly object elicited disgust, while a beautiful object inspired admiration.

Ves designed the Larkinson Mandate to elicit all of the right emotions and associations towards the Larkinson Clan.

In secret, he also shaped the ceremonial book in a way that vaulted him to an eminent status.

He was not only the initial catalyst to the founding of the Larkinson Clan, he was also everyone's principal backer!

This was enough to describe him as primus inter pares within the clan, but Ves wanted more.

He wanted to be venerated like the Larkinson Ancestor.

He wished to be respected by the Larkinsons beyond a mundane level.

He desired to remain relevant no matter how much the clan evolved or changed over the years. As the creator of the Larkinson Mandate, Ves would always be significant no matter how much power he held in the clan.

This was a consideration that was not immediately relevant in the present, but enormously valuable in the distant future. The greater the success of the Larkinson Clan, the greater Ves weighed in the minds of its clan members.

Not only was the Larkinson Mandate related to Ves because he was its maker, some of its visual elements also bore the mark of his touch.

The clan emblem for example was typically Ves. He was a cat person through and through and he couldn't resist drawing another cat for the emblem that stood for his clan!

The dog lovers, bird lovers and lizard lovers probably objected to his choice, but their opinions didn't matter this time! If Ves had his way, he would turn every Larkinson into a cat person!

Once Ves had made the latest announcement, some shuffling took place as the Larkinsons began to leave their seats in a predetermined order.

Each of them began to form a row that led up to the steps that brought them to the stage.

From there, the Larkinsons had to wait their turn until they were called to the front of the throne.

Ves continued to remain seated on the raised platform while Gloriana continued to sit diligently while remaining silent.

This was his show from beginning to end. It was very important that nothing related to Hexers spoiled this sacred ceremony!

Ves started off by marking the very first page.

The same bot that brought the book extended a pen.

He grabbed it after opening the thick book to the first blank page.

Ves wrote his name in a cursive, curly style before flourishing a sloppy signature underneath his stamped name.

If he held a regular pen, then he would have left a bunch of ugly scribbles behind. Despite his enhanced Dexterity and all of the control he gained over the course of manipulating precision instruments, his handwriting was atrocious.

Not every human learned to write these days. They mostly started off with typing and sometimes expanded to recited what they wanted to say and stuck to these methods for the rest of their lives.

With all of the conveniences provided by even the cheapest comms, there was no reason for anyone to learn how to write, let alone get good enough to make their writing appear pretty!

Fortunately, pen producers knew exactly what the current market was like, so they only designed and sold smart pens these days.

These nifty devices came with a myriad of assisting functions that 'beautified' every scribble made by their users.

Even a six-year old child could write a word that was as beautiful as the product of a calligrapher!

Though professionals could do way better, that was unnecessary in these circumstances. It was enough for the Larkinsons to leave their names and signatures in a legible and slightly pretty state.

Ves studied the page before him. His signature was large enough to dominate half the page. Almost none of it was to his credit. The smart pen had automatically beautified as they drew the lines, causing the end product to appear especially compelling.

To be honest, Ves had cheated by designing and programming the impressive into the smart pen beforehand. He hadn't actually signed something on the spot. His fingers were merely following the motions of the smart pen as its integrated antigrav modules moved the pen back and forth.

"It's time to shed some blood for the clan."

This was important for multiple reasons. The main intention was to emphasize the importance of their shared blood.

Ves envisioned the Larkinson Clan to revolve completely around those who shared the blood of the Larkinsons! By turning one's bloodline into a critical factor, the clan wouldn't be very welcome to adopting outsiders. This would definitely hinder the adoption and integration of extremely talented individuals who were never a part of the clan.

However, the internal cohesion of the clan should be very good. Just like the old Larkinson Family, the bonds between its members were very warm and tight due to the relative scarcity of outsiders.

Even the spouses that married into the family were considered Larkinsons in most aspects! While they themselves did not share the Larkinson blood, their children definitely would! This was enough to bind them into both the Larkinson Family and the Larkinson Clan!

Ves set an example by shedding a drop of blood.

Naturally, he didn't resort to a low tech tool like a knife to slit his finger. The bot that was standing by all this time merely extended a needle, pricked his arm, and extracted a tiny amount of blood. After drawing out the needle, the bot released a spray that rapidly closed the wound and accelerated its healing.

"The first drop of Larkinson blood will drip onto the Larkinson Mandate."

The bot drew out a sliver of blood from its needle. Ves held his breath as the drop finally reached the page he signed and expanded into a small but very vivid red splatter!

The first page had been marked! Ves smiled and gestured to Gloriana. "You're next."

She rose from her throne and walked over in order to repeat the steps he made.

Soon enough, the second blank page carried a drop of her blood, but not before leaving behind the most dazzling-looking name and signature!

Unlike Ves, her handwriting was impeccable! He didn't even dare to guess how much time it took for Gloriana to be so great in writing!

"Lucky, you're next."

"Meow?"

"I'm not kidding. Now get up here before you spoil the whole ceremony."

The third signer of the Larkinson Mandate was his cat!

Though this decision sparked off a wave of confusion from the waiting Larkinsons, Ves didn't care. He just wanted Lucky to be immortalized alongside him! In a way, Lucky contributed massively to Larkinsons by enabling his success. He definitely deserved to take up a place of honor!

Under the stunned eyes of the crowd, Lucky started off by inking his paw with the help of the bot and pressing it onto the page.

Meanwhile, Ves already wrote Lucky's name on the top of the third page. He decided to write in the stead of everyone who couldn't write.

In lieu of possessing actual blood, Lucky made do by dripping his saliva onto the bottom half of the page.

Once Lucky was done, Ves reserved the fourth page for Clixie.

Even though she was just Gloriana's cat and didn't contribute at all to his success.

No matter. If Ves wanted to give his girlfriend's pet this supreme honor, then just let him! At least the Rubarthan Sentinel Cat shed actual blood this time, though Ves spotted several unusual attributes with the naked eye.

Clixie's blood was a lot more potent than he expected!

It wasn't relevant to the current ceremony though, so Ves quickly shoved it aside and called up the next Larkinson.

The order of Larkinsons was very random. Ves did not wish to play any favorites and only made a concession by keeping close relatives together.

As Larkinson after Larkinson slowly followed the same steps, page after page bore their marks. Ves felt more and more pleased as an increasing amount of Larkinsons left their mark on his book!

A momentary pause occurred when a husband and wife brought their two kids. One of them was only three years old while the other didn't appear to be older than a year!

"Will our babies be left out?" The mother worryingly asked.

Ves offered her a reassuring smile. "That's not the case. I've already made accommodations for this possibility."

The parents were allowed to write the names of their young ones and leave behind a signature that would do them proud in the future.

The only thing the young children had to do was to offer up their blood. The baby didn't even cry as the bot applied local anesthesia and pricked the baby's skin in the gentlest fashion possible.

With that, even the youngest Larkinsons gained an opportunity to empower the Larkinson Mandate!

The more Larkinsons marked the book, the greater its power over the Larkinson Clan! The approval of so many Larkinsons in the form of their marks conveyed an indescribable legitimacy to the heirloom-in-the-making.

The more its pages filled up, the more the book took on an increasing sense of weight…

Chapter 1809 Bloodline and Spirit

A line of Larkinsons gradually moved up to the podium and the raised throne to take part in this historic moment.

The ornate tome covered by brilliant metallic alloys lay open while resting on a floating bot.

Each Larkinson at the front wrote their names, signed their signatures and infused the paper-like material of their own page with a drop of their blood.

Both anticipation and excitement suffused the moods of the Larkinsons.

Taking part in this ritual was a very novel experience! This moment would be commemorated years, decades and perhaps even centuries from this day!

As long as they and their descendants stood strong, the Founding of the Larkinson Clan would always be remembered as the beginning of a glorious record!

No matter how small, trivial or unimportant a Larkinson was, as long as he or she left their marks on the pages of the Larkinson Mandate, they became a founder of an illustrious clan of warriors and entrepreneurs!

Even the youngest of Larkinsons weren't spared! The babies happily gurgled in the embrace of their mothers as they instinctively sensed the joy and achievement among the Larkinsons attending this remarkable event.

As more and more Larkinsons kept marking the Larkinson Mandate, the hefty tome started to become increasingly more significant.

This was the book that defined the Larkinson Clan!

Its symbolic importance was very evident. By recording the annals of the original Larkinson Family as well as holding the original rules and strictures of the clan, it instantly became an heirloom beyond compare!

Not a mech, but a book!

Only a creator like Ves could develop an object and make his relatives accept it as an artifact without question!

The Larkinson who held this heirloom ruled the clan!

Its significance to everyone meant that only the clan leader had the right to bear this sacred relic!

The weighty ceremony and the close exposure to the Larkinson Mandate caused every Larkinson to form a myriad of associations to the newly-founded Larkinson Clan.

The more his relatives became invested in the clan, the more the heirloom became charged by their energy.

This was not a symbolic description to Ves. It was something that took place before his very own eyes!

As Ves remained seated on the throne, he maintained a reserved smile while observing the ongoing ritual carefully with his spiritual vision!

Each time the blood of a Larkinson dripped onto a page, a minute amount of spiritual energy empowered the surface.

Though he didn't know this beforehand, blood was a carrier of spiritual energy!

With hundreds of pages containing hundreds of drops of blood, the collective spirit and bloodline of the Larkinson lineage continued to deepen their imprints on the book!

Of course, if someone else attempted to replicate this ritual, the effect wouldn't be so drastic.

Secretly, Ves made several preparations to enable this experiment!

First, he sacrificed a significant portion of a P-stone in the creation of the Larkinson Mandate!

He processed a portion of the P-stone and blended it into the Breyer alloy and other materials that made up the metallic cover and medallion of the book!

Though this injection of foreign matter detrimentally affected the strength of the materials, Ves had already confirmed that they gained the ability to absorb spiritual energy from an earlier experiment!

Not only that, but Ves also crushed another chunk of P-stone into extremely fine dust and used it as the main component of the paper-like material that made up the pages of the book!

Ves did not waste a P-stone in vain. The sacrifice of this valuable strategic resource infused the Larkinson Mandate with the capacity to hold spiritual energy.

Technically, it was a waste since breaking up so much P-stone and processing them in various ways reduced their total efficiency. He should have been able to store more spiritual energy for the amount of P-stone he invested into the book.

It didn't matter, though. A P-stone already possessed a generous capacity. What mattered more to Ves was if he could leverage this added capability.

From what he had observed so far, the book functioned exactly as he intended!

Of course, the Larkinsons who walked up and marked the book weren't capable of separating a portion of their spiritual energy and infusing it into their blood.

Ves had to manipulate this procedure in the dark. This took quite some effort.

Though Ves appeared to sit idly on the throne like a figurehead, in truth he was exerting his mind and Spirituality.

Each time a Larkinson interacted with the book, Ves swooped in with a spiritual projection that gently coaxed a tiny mote of spirituality from the unsuspecting individual.

Performing this operation in a matter of seconds was a great test of his fine control. He not only had to harvest the mote of spirituality quickly, but also minimize the harm of the Larkinson as much as possible!

Predictably, his initial attempts were a little rough, though it got better over time. Practice made perfect, and as Ves repeated the same procedure over and over again, he became more refined in his spiritual manipulation.

Most of the Larkinsons that stepped up did not possess spiritual potential. Their spiritualities were so small and insignificant that Ves could only harvest the barest of spiritual traces from their minds.

Fortunately, Ves harvested so little from them that they only experienced some loss of energy or mood.

Though they would definitely become affected by his actions, Ves figured the ends justified the means.

He was doing this for the good of the Larkinson Clan! Strengthening the Larkinson Mandate by infusing it with the spiritualities of so many Larkinsons not only increased its spiritual quality, but also built up to another outcome!

He became more and more eager to proceed to the next step of this experiment.

Though none of the Larkinsons were aware of what he was actually trying to do, their reverence towards the Larkinson Mandate continually increased.

Those who approached the tome all sensed its increasing presence. The impact of the object on the Larkinsons at the end of the line couldn't be described! It was as if the Larkinsons were basking in the presence of a sacred relic, one that had been created for the sole purpose of serving their clan!

With such a fine heirloom in their possession, the Larkinsons looked forward to what they could do in the future!

As the long line finally came to an end, the last Larkinsons who donated a portion of their blood and spirit to the book returned to their seats.

By now, the remarkable nature of the Larkinson Mandate became evident to everyone attending the ceremony in person. The Larkinsons watching the proceedings via projection only received a hint of the relic's majesty, but it was already enough to make many of them regret staying behind in the old family.

Compared to the Larkinson Family, the Larkinson Clan appeared much more eager to move forward. The willingness to embrace change and to set forth into the unknown decisively separated the clan from the family!

Ves was about to address the crowd yet again as he picked the book. Its gold-and-black surface seemed to reflect a mysterious luster. The thick medallion protruding from the surface of the front cover depicted the golden cat emblem with a remarkable degree of vitality. Its red cat eyes appeared to shine with an invisible inner light!

He was almost ready to proceed with the next phase of the experiment. However, the third part of the tome was not yet complete.

It still contained five empty pages at the very end.

"Before we proceed, I would like to introduce you to a couple of brave and heroic Larkinsons. Their strength is obvious to all, and their service to the clan will bless us with their protection! Please welcome Jannzi Larkinson and Tusa Billingsley-Larkinson!"

The massive double doors that had closed at the start of the event opened up yet again. Two Larkinsons still garbed in the dress uniforms of the Mech Corps strode forward with the confidence that only an extraordinary individual possessed!

As they strode down the center, the Larkinsons who sat at the sides each gazed at the newcomers with respect and admiration.

Both Jannzi and Tusa were expert candidates! To many of their relatives, it came as a complete surprise that this pair not only joined the Larkinson Clan, but also managed to leave the Bright Republic without finishing their full tours of service!

In fact, their joining was something long in the making. With the bargaining power that Ves possessed, he was capable of demanding concessions from the Bright Republic.

Though it was not entirely proper to allow Jannzi and Tusa to leave the service, the state had already shown a willingness to bend the rules whenever it suited its interests.

Since Ves wanted the pair of expert candidates, the Bright Republic might as well fulfill his wish!

Fortunately, both Jannzi and Tusa were just expert candidates for the moment. This meant that their participation in the Sand War wasn't significant enough to affect the survival of the Bright Republic.

The greater cost to the Mech Corps was that Ves essentially robbed them of two potential expert pilots. Ves had to offer some small promises to the state in order to secure this favor.

The moment the two expert candidates reached the throne, they both repeated the same process. As they shed their blood, Ves had been on point and extracted a considerably larger amount of spirituality from the two young expert candidates.

As mech pilots who possessed developing spiritual potential, they were able to provide a lot more strength than the other Larkinsons!

While their sacrifice was greater, the rewards they gained would definitely pay off in the end!

"Please be seated, honored clan members."

Both Jannzi and Tusa nodded at Ves before leaving the podium and seating themselves on the chairs that emerged from the floor.

Three empty pages remained, but Ves did not invite anyone to mark the Larkinson Mandate.

Instead, he moved on. It was almost time for the climax of this ceremony!

"By participating in this ceremony, each of us have become the founders of the Larkinson Clan." Ves patted the surface of the book with affection. "Be proud. Be hopeful. Be ready. Each of you have decided to follow me when I needed your support the most. I will forever cherish the names written in this book. As the holder of this Mandate, I vow to you all that I will endeavor to led the clan to greatness as its patriarch!"

Ves swept his hand over a portion of the front cover of the book. Through unknown means, golden letters appeared on the surface which formed the motto of the Larkinson Clan!

PER ANGUSTA AD AUGUSTA

"Through difficulties to honors! This shall be the guiding principle of our clan!"

The Larkinsons all rose and clapped at his words! Some even released exultant roars as if they could already see the prosperous future of the clan! Their excitement was almost palpable!

"Each of you has formed a pact with us all by marking this book. From now on, the Larkinson Clan will continue to exist and prosper as long as you and your descendants hold true to our tenets! This book carries the will and spirit of our bloodline, and will protect us so long as we are loyal to the clan!"

The audience didn't need much prompting to say the right words.

"WE PLEDGE OUR LOYALTY TO THE CLAN!"

Their words thundered throughout the entire hall! Not only that, but due to their latent spiritual connections to the Larkinson mandate, their pledges practically energized the spiritual nature of the book!

As the Larkinsons shouted slogans and pledged their undying loyalty to the Larkinson Clan, Ves secretly infused the last three pages with spiritual marks.

He concentrated his mind in three different strains. Each of them made contact with three different design spirits!

"It is time." He mentally communicated.

Chapter 1810 Ancestral Spirit

The Larkinson Mandate was not a simple book.

It was more than an heirloom.

Though its symbolic importance to the Larkinson Clan reached an unprecedented height after the marking ritual, this was not enough!

In order to elevate the tome as the defining treasure of their clan and bloodline, Ves wanted to leverage more of his strengths.

He was not only an artist and an engineer, but also a spiritual sorcerer, if only a very rudimentary one due to his self-teaching.

Even though he only developed a modest toolbox of tricks, this was enough to give this ceremony some extra oomph!

What he was about to do was something he had envisioned at least a month ago.

Ever since he gained some insights from Aisling Curver's design philosophy, he began to yearn for something greater that could watch over the Larkinson Clan.

The Larkinson Clan should be more than a simple organization.

Perhaps the best way to describe his desire was that he wanted to make the Larkinson Clan come alive.

Yes, alive!

What better than to create a spiritual product that belonged to the Larkinson Clan as a whole?!

Ves had never created anything like this before. However, he figured that it wouldn't be so different from creating a custom-made design spirit.

The biggest difference was that instead of making the newborn spiritual entity become the spirit of a mech design, Ves would instead enshrine it as an ancestral spirit of his clan!

Did it sound crazy? Perhaps. Could it go wrong? Certainly. Did that stop Ves from proceeding with this experiment? Hell no!

Though it was anything but guaranteed that the experiment led to the desired outcome, he was determined to fight tooth and nail for its success!

Before this day, Ves already made arrangements with two of the three spiritual entities ahead of time.

Qilanxo readily donated a miniscule but extremely potent mote of spirituality.

The Solemn Guardian painfully separated a larger spiritual fragment from its hole.

Zeigra resisted the demand to no avail. Ves straightforwardly attacked the spirituality of the former Crown Cat and managed to carve out a small spiritual fragment!

Ves collected all three spiritual traces and infused them in the last three pages he prepared beforehand.

He had already prepared each of their pages with their names and a lively sketch of their appearances.

Qilanxo's page depicted the Sacred God in her prime when she was still alive.

The Solemn Guardian's page showed a humble Desolate Soldier as it drifted silently through space.

Zeigra's page displayed the ferocious Crown Cat roaring furiously at an invisible challenger.

No matter if they were willing or not, Ves had appointed each of them as the clan's inaugural guardian spirits.

In other words, Ves turned all three spiritual entities into honorary members of the Larkinson Clan!

He considered his options carefully before deciding on this selection. Each of them brought something unique to the table.

With Qilanxo, the Larkinsons gained a spirit of protection and nurturing.

One of the main goals of the Larkinson Clan was to protect its members. Not only that, but Ves also wanted the clan to provide an excellent nurturing environment for the subsequent generations that picked up where their predecessors left.

A clan without descendants was a clan without life!

The original Larkinson Family had always placed an immense amount of importance to the wellbeing of the young and old, and Ves wanted the clan to inherit this emphasis!

The addition of the Solemn Guardian served to remind the Larkinsons of the importance of duty. For centuries, the Larkinsons answered the call of duty and defended the Bright Republic and its citizens against the aggression of the Vesians.

With the founding of the Larkinson Clan, Ves sought to retain this noble calling. By selecting the design spirit of the iconic Desolate Soldier, the clan gained a simple but formidable guardian spirit that neatly kept the compulsion of duty alive!

There was one important difference.

This time, the clan members no longer pledged their duty to other entities.

Instead, Ves intended to steer this calling towards the clan! After separating from the old family, the clan members should only fight on their own behalf if he had his way!

As for including a furious and resentful spiritual entity like Zeigra, Ves hesitated many times before settling on this final choice.

The former Crown Cat never forgave Ves for his involvement in its slaughter. Even though he managed to salvage the huge cat's spirituality after death, no one liked to die! Though a lot of time had passed since the completion of the Crown Hunt, Zeigra still hated his guts!

The spiritual entity's unwillingness didn't matter. Ves was strong enough to manhandle Zeigra, and he managed to do so without any complication.

If the unwilling beast resisted more powerfully than he anticipated, then Ves was more than ready to draw upon the strength of the F-stone he stored in a hidden compartment of his throne.

Fortunately, it didn't come to this point, allowing Ves to preserve the exotic's precious charge.

Ves had a good reason to draw upon Zeigra's strength despite the risks of drawing strength from a hostile entity.

The Larkinsons not only embodied duty, but also courage!

None of his relatives had been raised to become cowards. Tales of heroism indoctrinated the younger generation into becoming daring individuals when they grew up! If not for fostering this courage, the Larkinsons would have never made as many achievements in battle!

The cost was great, though. Many promising Larkinson mech pilots met their end in battle. When Larkinsons continually took risks, eventually they suffered a bad roll.

There was nothing Ves could do about that. He merely accepted this as the necessary price to retain the vigorous and daring character of the Larkinson Clan!

Time passed as the three newly-appointed guardian spirits became intertwined with the fate of the Larkinson Clan.

No one was aware of their enshrinement except for Ves! Yet their influence could already be felt in many subtle ways with the Larkinson Mandate as the nexus of exchange.

Everyone who left their mark on the book began to feel a little odd. Though nothing happened, the Larkinsons became too engrossed by the faint sensations that swept their minds and bodies.

It was.. as if they noticed that something was connecting them to each other!

Even Gloriana who had also left a piece of herself experienced sensations that reminded her of the Aurora Titan and Desolate Soldier models.

As someone who played an integral part to the next step, Ves already clued her in on his intentions.

She threw a pointed glance at him while whispering a final request.

"Make it female."

Ves had no time to contemplate her last-second demand, as the book in his hands heated up in a spiritual sense!

With the hidden empowerment of the final three pages, the Larkinson Mandate appeared charged with energy. The infusion of the last three foreign elements in an already crowded mix seemed to spark to an energetic reaction!

This was the time for Ves to make his move!

In order to distract the crowd, he quickly addressed the crowd that he neglected for the last couple of minutes.

"Now that we have formed our clan and given our pledges, let us hear from the Larkinson Family that has decided to continue its original legacy. Even though we separated from the old family, we will always share some ties to our brother and sisters residing in the Bright Republic."

Ves waved his hand, causing the projection of the emblem to make way for the visage of a respected member of the old family!

His uncle, Colonel Ark Larkinson, appeared in view, gracing every Larkinson with his splendor!

"My fellow Larkinsons. It saddens me to see you leave, but it gladdens me to see you chasing after your dreams. As my nephew has alluded to, there is more to the galaxy than this tiny corner…"

The expert pilot's innate charm soon drew the attention of the entire audience.

In the meantime, Ves stopped paying attention to anything else but Gloriana and the book resting on his lap.

Normally, if someone brought a bunch of spiritual energy and fragments together from completely different sources, they would always clash or at the very least stay as far away from each other as possible!

It was not in the nature of spiritual energy to blend and mix with each other if their attributes were incompatible. Trying to merge them together did not result in anything except a violent reaction in ordinary circumstances.

Ves knew of a way to merge so many different spiritual elements.

He simply performed the same steps he used to make a spiritual product!

The first step was to shatter the fragments and any self-contained spiritual entities. This was fairly simple as he formed a powerful spiritual projection and infused it with a considerable portion of his spiritual energy.

He then proceeded to smash the motes and fragments donated by Qilanxo, the Solemn Guardian, Zeigra, Jannzi, Tusa and even himself!

Once he shattered everything into minute spiritual shards, he began the lengthy process of merging them back together while infusing the whole with the spark of life.

This was a very draining and burdensome procedure, especially when he had to do it while he was seated in front of hundreds of Larkinsons while his uncle was giving a speech!

Nonetheless, none of his manipulations were visible to the naked eye or any sensors present in the auditorium, so Ves proceeded without fear of exposure.

"Gloriana." He said. "Get ready."

She furrowed her eyebrows and tensed up as Ves turned his empowered spiritual projection from a hammer into a knife.

He then proceeded to cut a spiritual fragment from her mind, causing her to wince in pain!

Ves moved quickly once he obtained his prize. He stuffed it inside the mix of spiritual elements and quickly shattered it into shards.

Just as he finished, Gloriana's spirituality acted on her own and formed a spiritual projection that reached straight down at the soup of spiritual elements where Ves hid her stolen fragments!

Both of them went to work.

Ves began to merge the spiritual elements together as quickly as possible. In order to hasten the process, he didn't hesitate to deplete his spiritual energy reserves.

He burned his spiritual energy to increase his speed and effectiveness.

He infused the spiritual mixture with his spiritual energy in order to strengthen its spark of life.

In the meantime, Gloriana strained to keep her autonomous spiritual projection from lashing out. Even as it tried to recover her missing spiritual energy, it quickly sensed the imperfections in Ves' results.

Her perfectionist tendencies came into play as her projection soon began to devote more time in correcting the faults!

Soon enough, the spiritual product gained more and more coherence.

The large amount of spiritual influences caused it to gain a muddled and multifaceted character. This was not a spiritual product with a strong, singular focus!

Instead, it appeared to be developing into a more complex spiritual entity that inherited at least some of the traits of its ingredients!

After Gloriana finally couldn't bear the strain any further and retracted her spiritual projection, Ves continued to bull through the process while investing more spiritual energy than ever before!

It seemed that a complex spiritual product required much more spiritual energy to support its creation process!

Fortunately, Ves had already been prepared for this outcome. He expended as much energy as needed as he continually drew upon the stored reserves of the P-stone he also hid inside his throne.

After ten minutes of effort, the process finally came at an end. The spiritual products came to life when Ves finally fit the final pieces in a very unique puzzle.

The Larkinson Mandate released a spiritual shockwave that momentarily shocked every member of the audience and even took Ark aback for a sliver of a moment!

Time seemed to still as Ves witnessed the birth of his fourth spiritual product.

Both Lucky and Clixie no longer maintained their statuesque poise anymore. They interrupted their silent vigil by yowling into the air as if to herald the arrival of a great entity!

The Golden Cat was born!

Chapter 1811 Family Bonds

The birth of the Golden Cat was the true climax of this founding ceremony!

The successful fusion of so many disparate spiritual elements led to the creation of a spiritual form of life that embodied all of their influences.

The importance of this moment couldn't be overstated. Not only did Ves create his most complex and sophisticated spiritual product to date, the outcome also served to transform the Larkinson Clan into a real entity!

The Golden Cat was much more different than any spiritual product he brought to life in the past!

Unlike Vescas, the Solemn Guardian and Bravo, The Golden Cat did not exist without a root.

Instead, from the moment of its birth, it possessed a strong and intricate tie to the Larkinson Mandate. The Golden Cat was born in its P-stone-infused materials and would continue to reside here unless Ves made other arrangements.

The Golden Cat's nature was strongly tied to the Larkinson line, and so was the Larkinson Mandate. The two not only matched each other perfectly, but also complemented each other's strengths!

Without the Golden Cat, the Larkinson Mandate would largely exist as a symbolic relic. Though it still retained a lot of value in this role, it didn't convey any direct power! Symbolism on its own was just as useless as honor and reputation in a battle or crisis situation!

Without the Larkinson Mandate, the Golden Cat would not be able to bond so much with the members of the clan. The book amplified the ancestral spirit's ties to the Larkinsons while also making sure that she remained loyal to the clan and its tenets!

In short, the book and the spiritual product weren't very remarkable on their own, but became incredibly potent when combined as one. Even now, Ves could see the triumphant Golden Cat establishing and deepening its connections with the imprints in the book!

A spiritual warmth and vibrancy emanated from the object as the Golden Cat soon extended outwards and instinctively explored its many latent connections to Ves, Gloriana, Lucky, Clixie, Jannzi, Tusa and every other member of the Larkinson Clan!

Though Colonel Ark Larkinson soon resumed his interrupted speech, many people in the audience did not pay close attention to his words anymore.

Instead, they began to bask in the odd sensations that buffeted them. The founding ceremony continued to exceed their expectations and bring new surprises. Their connection to the Larkinson Clan constantly deepened, both from their own accord and from the warmth they felt after the Golden Cat actively sought them out!

Ves remained poised even as he drained his hidden P-stones of their accumulated spiritual energy. He rapidly managed to top himself up, returning him to peak condition.

Whether it was enough to rein in the Golden Cat was another matter though. All of the spiritual energy it consumed allowed it to start off strong without even receiving a lot of spiritual feedback!

Even though his latest spiritual product ought to be innocent and naive, Ves did not get this sense from her at all. The Golden Cat acted with care and purpose as she reined in her curiosity and settled for exploring each of her connections to the Larkinsons one by one.

Strangely enough, the Golden Cat's possessed way more ties than the number of Larkinsons who left their marks on the pages of the book.

The Larkinson Mandate may be the heirloom of the Larkinson Clan, but its first part was intricately related to the old Larkinson Family!

This caused the Mandate and by extension the Golden Cat to possess faint but very real ties to the Larkinson Family!

Ves did not expect such a phenomenon to occur, though he didn't exhibit much surprise once he confirmed the existence of these extra connections.

He never desired to isolate the Larkinson Clan from the Larkinson Family.

They had their differences, yes, but just because Ves wanted to stab Ghanso in the guts didn't mean he let his animosity define the clan's relation from the family.

He needed to be bigger than that if he wanted to serve as the patriarch of his clan.

Like many clan members, Ves still possessed many ties to the Larkinsons who decided to stay with the old family. He still wished to remain in touch with his grandfather Benjamin, his uncle Ark, his cousin Melinda and some other relatives.

As Ves carefully inspected the extra connections, he even sensed a small thread that led to Raella Larkinson, who wasn't technically part of the family anymore!

It seemed that Larkinson Mandate possessed the ability to associate itself with any individual who shared the same blood and spirit as the Larkinsons who marked its pages!

The book was like a search dog whose nose had been trained to detect traces similar to the scent that the members of the audience had left behind. As long as there was enough similarity, the book would unquestionably be able to connect with a Larkinson!

As Ves inspected the Mandate further, he made an unexpected discovery.

The book and the Golden Cat not only possessed active ties to the Larkinsons, but also allowed Ves to determine their direction!

Hundreds of firm spiritual ties pointed forwards, fanning out to encompass the entire crowd in the auditorium.

More than a thousand weaker ties extended in an entirely different direction. It didn't take Ves too long to determine that their overall direction pointed towards the Bright Republic!

The properties of these ties were very useful to Ves! If he wanted to, he could potentially use the Larkinson Mandate to follow the direction of the connection and locate a missing Larkinson!

In fact, one of the stronger connections happened to lead to Gloriana!

The exhausted and depleted woman smiled at him when he checked her condition.

"She's a woman, right?"

Ves sheepishly nodded. It appeared that in the process of the spiritual restoration process, he kept her words in mind, causing him to slant the Golden Cat's gender!

Well, whether the Golden Cat was male, female or genderless, it didn't matter in the greater scheme of things. She was still the clan's ancestral spirit, and that was what mattered the most!

Therefore, he was happy to see that the Larkinson Mandate blessed the continued association between the clan and the family.

Although there was no chance for the two sides to come together and merge back into one, they would still continue to be related to each other even as they existed by themselves.

As the Golden Cat continued to spend the first minutes of her existence in studying her ties to his relatives, Ves took advantage of the moment by ascertaining the nature of her existence in the context of his clan.

The impetus to planning the experiment that created the Golden Cat came from the inspiration he derived from Master Huron and Aisling Curver's specialty.

Ever since Ves became exposed to the concept of neural interconnectivity, he always desired to form a spiritual equivalent.

Though messing with someone's spirituality was just as risky as messing with someone's brain, Ves never gave up on this goal no matter how reckless it sounded!

In the worst case scenarios, his experiment might have created a spiritual abomination or a monstrous spiritual network that damaged every Larkinson who bequeathed their marks!

If Ves failed to control these destructive manifestations, then his mistakes might have led to the mental deaths of all of the Larkinsons who entrusted their lives and future to him! Regardless of whether he survived this catastrophe, Ves would definitely become one of the relived villains of the Larkinson Family for killing so many of his relatives!

Despite these morbid risks, Ves nonetheless decided to proceed with the experiment in the confidence that it would succeed.

Even if complications arose, he was certain he could keep the situation under control by borrowing from the power of the F-stone to kill any malignant spiritual manifestations!

Fortunately, the Golden Cat appeared to be exactly as benevolent and friendly towards the Larkinson Clan as he intended. Her strong ties to so many Larkinsons permanently carved her devotion to their bloodline in her spiritual makeup.

Unless an overpowering spiritual entity managed to contaminate her very essence, his youngest spiritual product should always stay loyal to the Larkinsons!

While he was very happy that at least this part of the experiment had gone right, he wasn't sure whether he succeeded in his other objectives.

At the very least, it didn't appear that the connections interacted with each other.

Ves originally envisioned the Larkinson Mandate or the Golden Cat as a router which allowed for the exchange of thoughts, emotions and other data between one Larkinson to another.

In other words, Ves wanted to form an actual spiritual network that functioned just like a communication network, though on an entirely different plane!

As Ves studied the connections and the individual Larkinsons in the audience, it didn't seem like any of that took place.

Ves experimentally tried to transmit a spiritual message to Gloriana using the Mandate as a hub, but the only thing that happened was that the Golden Cat started to turn her attention to her creator.

"Can you relay the spiritual message I sent to Gloriana?" He mentally asked.

Nya? The Golden Cat tilted her adorable head.

Her current incarnation made her appear as an adolescent cat that was almost as large as Lucky.

While she started off more powerful than his other spiritual products, her strength and wisdom did not even come close to matching a formidable spiritual entity such as Qilanxo!

As it was, the Golden Cat mostly functioned as a mascot to the Larkinson Clan. Aside from making the Larkinsons feel warm and connected to their clan identity, she didn't really offer any other uses.

Ves did not let that squander his mood. The Golden Cat was a living ancestral spirit whose life and death was intricately tied to the state of the Larkinson Clan.

When the clan grew and prospered, the Golden Cat would definitely benefit as well!

Even without this feedback, its nature as a living spiritual entity meant that it could grow and develop in ways unique to this type of lifeform.

It was not impossible for the Golden Cat to acquire other abilities in the future that would serve the Larkinson Clan well.

Anything that benefited the clan and increased its cohesion was something to be celebrated!

Therefore, Ves did not feel bummed when he definitely concluded that he failed to establish a spiritual network.

Just because it didn't exist today didn't mean it would never emerge in the future.

If the Golden Cat still didn't facilitate the formation of such a transcendent network in the future, then no harm was done.

He could still attempt the creation of a spiritual network through other means, or he could drop this research direction entirely.

He already had his hands full with other pending priorities. For now, he was much more interested in creating imaginary mechs than forming a spiritual network!

The latter may be useful in increasing the cooperation or coordination between mech pilots, but the former had the potential of empowering his individual mechs to an entirely different height!

Both of them seemed to lead to entirely different directions. Whether Ves sought to increase the strength of a group or an individual, in the end he wanted to find new ways to express his design philosophy and increase the value proposition of his products!

In fact, the Golden Cat formed an intrinsic part of a follow-up experiment.

One of the reasons why he wanted to create the Golden Cat was to employ it as the spiritual component to one of the mechs he intended to design.

Ever since he left the Bright Republic and took some of the Larkinsons away, he wanted to empower his dependents by providing them with a mech that belonged exclusively to his own orbit!

In short, he wanted to design a mech that possessed a glow that only belonged to the Larkinsons and those he approved!

Chapter 1812 Governance Structure

After the birth of the Golden Cat, the founding ceremony wound down. After Colonel Ark Larkinson finished his address to the new Larkinson clansmen and cut off his projection, the separation between the Larkinson Clan and the Larkinson Family became permanent.

This was not an unhappy divorce. Ves could clearly tell that many if not all of the clan members in the crowd were happy, hopeful or eager of their future.

The influence of the Golden Cat mellowed out after the newborn spiritual product grew tired and began to rest within the book.

The Larkinson Mandate still glowed with warmth, protectiveness and familiarity in his hands.

Out of all of the spiritual products he made, only the Golden Cat bore his affection. He intended to create an ancestral spirit that not only watched over the Larkinson Clan, but also himself.

He felt a little less alone now that he sensed the clear spiritual bond to the ancestral spirit.

The other Larkinsons all experienced the same sensation but to a lesser degree due to their decreased spiritual sensitivity. The norms among the Larkinsons would probably not pay conscious attention anymore as they slowly filtered out the bond as background noice.

Perhaps the expert candidates might notice something. Ves observed Jannzi and Tusa carefully and figured that Tusa was considerably more sensitive to the new bond from the way he tried to look around.

As for Jannzi, Qilanxo already claimed her. She probably wouldn't allow the Golden Cat to maintain anything more than a cursory bond. To go further would encroach on her territory!

All in all, the Golden Cat's influence on the clan was very minor for the time being. Except for making the clan members feel more warmth whenever they thought about the clan or their fellow relatives, the ancestral spirit didn't possess the power to do anything more.

Ves did not underestimate this effect, though. Positive feedback, however minor, was a powerful tool to reinforce certain kinds of attitudes or behavior.

If his new clan members experienced warmth whenever they thought well of the clan, then their mentalities would slowly reprogram in a way where they continued to seek the same reward.

Any attitude or conduct that lessened the frequency of rewards would unconsciously signal the Larkinsons that they were heading in the wrong direction, thereby encouraging them to return to the correct path!

This was something that Ves considered crucial to his nascent clan. Despite all of the pomp and circumstance which Ves used to create a lot of strong associations in the minds of his clan members, the Larkinson Clan was not as strong and established as he would like. It was barely better than a typical mercenary corps in terms of cohesion!

Therefore, Ves had to resort to stagecraft, symbolism and outright spiritual manipulation in order to reduce the gap between the Larkinson Clan and the Larkinson Family!

As long as he could manage to maintain the illusion of a strong and vibrant Larkinson Clan, his relatives would naturally fit the desired mold. Once they internalized their new identities as clansmen, then Ves did not have to exert so much effort anymore.

At that point, the illusion became real.

Ves wrapped up the ceremony by summarizing the governance structure of the Larkinson Clan.

"Three organs will govern our clan for the time to come. First, the Larkinson Assembly will be the platform where notable clan members can offer proposals to be discussed and voted upon. Any notable clan member, including elders, are eligible to join the Assembly."

The Assembly highly resembled the steering committee of the old Larkinson Family. The details and the overall roles of the two organs different. The Assembly was supposed to be a legislative body with the power to restructure the entire clan as long as enough proposals passed. The downside was that it only held its meetings a couple of times a year.

The clan needed another body to run the affairs of the clan, especially if it grew and expanded in size.

"To govern the day-to-day activities of the Larkinson Clan and enact any new proposals, we have decided to create a smaller Larkinson Executive Council that consists entirely of the most suitable Larkinsons that can lead the clan. Any issues that aren't worth bringing up to the Assembly will be dealt with by the Council. Do note that the Council always governs at the will of the Assembly."

To reinforce this relationship, the Assembly had the power to appoint or dismiss any of the nine members of the Executive Council. An assembly member could not occupy a council seat and vice versa. Aside from the position of patriarch, a concentration of power had to be avoided at all costs.

If something happened that neither the Assembly nor the Council could resolve, then another institution was needed.

"Disputes and violations are inevitable. In order to resolve these issues, the Larkinson Court is formed out of the most esteemed Larkinsons among us to mediate or pass judgement, whichever is necessary. Every high-ranking mech pilot or mech designer will automatically become a member of the Court, though they will only take part in the most severe cases."

The three organs resembled the typical division of power of states, and that was on purpose.

Ves envisioned the Larkinson Clan growing from its modest beginnings to a huge behemoth over time.

The Larkinson Clan was different from the Larkinson Family, which had always controlled its size through various means.

When Ves initially conceived of the Larkinson Clan as a nomadic clan, he studied the governance structures of spaceborn clans.

Each of them had chosen to model themselves as states, because that was who they were. The only difference between a spaceborn clan and a recognized state was that the former didn't hold any fixed territories!

In many other aspects, a spaceborn clan did not differ substantially from a state.

While it was a bit premature to treat the Larkinson Clan as a formal state, the three governing bodies that he and elders put into effect should be able to accommodate the clan from the beginning.

The Larkinson Assembly consisted of fifty members in total.

The Larkinson Executive Council was made up of nine capable council members.

The Larkinson Court only held three permanent judges, but any high-ranking mech pilot and mech designer could also take part if needed.

That left only the most supreme position.

"While many clan members will have a say in the running of the clan, there are certain times when even the Executive Council is inadequate. To lead the clan during a crisis and represent us all to external parties, a position exists which stands on top of the aforementioned organs. As our first Larkinson Clan Patriarch, I pledge to lead the clan to prosperity and better your lives!"

With all of the preparation he did beforehand, Ves received absolutely no rejection from the crowd. They all clapped and approved of the decision, even if many of them weren't exactly aware of what it meant to be a patriarch.

Unlike the Larkinson Family's patriarch, Ves possessed a lot of actual power if he chose to exercise it. He could directly overrule the decisions of the Assembly, Executive Council and the Court without needing to provide any justification.

The clan patriarch also had the right to force the removal of any member of the three organs!

However, a caveat existed which served to restrain the clan patriarch to an extent. This was the compromise that Ves had made with the Larkinson elders over the course of the recent assembly meetings.

The Larkinson Assembly basically had the power to reprimand or vote on the dismissal of the current clan patriarch.

However, the vote threshold for anything concerning the clan patriarch was very high! A proposal relating to Ves or any other patriarch had to gain the support of at least 80 percent of the votes in order to pass!

If a situation arose where Ves wanted to implement a hugely impactful order but met with intense opposition from the rest of the clan, he could still ram it through.

Even if more than 80 percent of the Larkinson Assembly voted to boot him from the office of clan patriarch, Ves would still have his way in this situation!

The price for this was that this would be the last order he could make. A clan patriarch was allowed to act wilfully if the situation was truly desperate, but a leader was not allowed to disregard the will of the entire clan over and over again!

That would lead to tyranny and transform the Larkinson Clan into something too far removed from the intentions of Ves and the initial clan members!

Therefore, if Ves decided one day to make the Larkinson Clan a vassal of the Hexadric Hegemony, his clan would sure as hell fight tooth and nail to stop this action!

Yet Ves would still prevail in the end. Perhaps many clan members would leave after this awful decision, which was another price the clan would pay for his ill-advised order.

In short, Ves wasn't allowed to treat the Larkinson Clan at will as if the three governing bodies didn't exist. He had to respect the will of the Larkinson Clan and make sure that he didn't garner the disgust of an overwhelming majority of the Larkinsons!

Though it sounded as if Ves relinquished a lot of power, he didn't really mind these concessions.

If Ves ran the clan so badly that 80 percent of the assembly members were ready to boot him out of his office, then it was better for everyone involved that he should resign from his position.

There was no way that Ves could effectively run the clan when so many Larkinsons hated his guts.

Rather than let the Larkinsons rebel and try to effect change through violence or intimidation, it was better to offer them a formal means to remove the current clan patriarch.

Besides, Ves already learned from the Bright Republic that there were more ways to maintain control of state than to occupy a formal position.

The founding families seemed to master the art of leading the Bright Republic in the shadows. Though their family members occasionally occupied elected or appointed positions in the government, the Tovars and the Cavendishes exercised an outsized amount of influence in the affairs of the state!

Ves was farsighted enough to know that he wouldn't make the best clan patriarch. He was also aware that there may be situations in the future where it became untenable for him to keep hold of this position.

Rather than alienate his family members and turn himself into a tyrant, he might as well make way for another clan patriarch who enjoyed everyone's support.

With how integral he was in founding the Larkinson Clan, Ves did not believe that he would become irrelevant even after he relinquished the highest seat of power!

Through cultivating relationships and alliances with other notable Larkinsons, Ves could still exert a lot of power without stepping into the open.

By earning the admiration of the younger generation of Larkinsons, Ves would be able to transform himself into a transcendent figure akin to the Larkinson Ancestor whose word must be respected regardless of his lack of office!

This was his true plan to keep the reins of his clan! While all of the other organs were still able to exercise real power, in his eyes they were merely operating at a level far below his vision!

Of course, this was not very relevant for the moment. Every Larkinson clan member fully supported his endeavors. The clan was small enough that factionalism hadn't cropped up yet. There were no major disagreements as most of the Larkinsons who chose to accompany him were already on his side.

That would change, Ves was sure. Once the clan grew in numbers, disagreements became inevitable. When that happened, Ves was sure there would be Larkinsons who wanted to steer the clan in a different direction!

Chapter 1813 Minor Revision

The founding ceremony of the larkinson clan finally came to an end. Every clan member left the auditorium in extremely high spirits. The fantastic ceremony left an unforgettable experience in their minds and spirits.

Their dedication to the newly-founded clan already started off strong! after this eventful evening, none of the larkinsons who resided on kesseling viii regarded themselves as members of the larkinson family anymore.

Each of them already accepted the larkinson clan in their heart. The solemn ritual where they had signed their names and left their marks on the larkinson mandate was an unforgettable experience which mentally transformed every participant!

No matter if they were young or old, norm or potentate, each larkinson carved this ceremony in their very bones!

Ves already noticed the transformation the very next day as he went about his work. The larkinsons working for the lmc, the avatars or the sentinels all held their heads high. The uncertainty that clouded over their heads ever since they hastily left the bright republic had disappeared!

Only certainty and confidence remained! no matter how abruptly their lives had changed, with the larkinson clan backing them up, they no longer feared going astray!

Ves, as the principal person responsible for forming the larkinson clan, gained an immense amount of respect and appreciation from his relatives. no matter where he moved, he always sensed the worship and approval from his fellow larkinsons.

Even the stubborn old dogs grudgingly acknowledged that someone like ves had been vital in invigorating them all! each of them became excited at the thought of how far he could bring the larkinson clan!

As long as he grew the clan as fast as he grew the lmc, then each of them would be able to experience greater glory than they had ever earned back in the original larkinson family!

The day after the founding ceremony, ves mainly held meetings with various members of the clan. The larkinson assembly, executive council and larkinson court all had empty positions which needed to be filled over time!

For now, the clan wasn't big enough to require all of the empty positions to be filled. In fact, ves wasn't entirely sure if all fifty seats of the assembly could even be filled!

In any case, it was fine if the clan took its time to grow. even if the assembly only consisted of twenty members, it could still perform its role as the main deliberative organ of the clan. That was all that mattered.

perhaps the brightest moment of the day was when ves met with the two most prominent members of the larkinson clan aside from himself!

"Jannzi! tusa! please come in and take a seat! I've been looking forward to meeting the two of you for a very long time!"

Ves studied the two expert candidates as they approached his desk.

Despite their slim but athletic body structures, both of them exuded strength and confidence that only the extraordinary possessed.

Even though neither of them managed to take the critical step and trigger apotheosis, both of them were fairly close to doing so! they just needed the right chance and opportunity to transform their lives!

He briefly activated his spiritual vision to brush their spiritual states.

As expected, jannzi's close association with qilanxo shaped her immature force of will into something that was strongly aligned towards protection. There was a lot more to it than that, though, but ves did not have the time to figure out the subtleties in her mind.

Tusa on the other hand was a little rougher, but not that much weaker. ves had not met with tusa in recent times, so this was his first good look at raymond billingsley-larkinson's grandson.

The male expert candidate's force of will was very interesting to ves. It did not lean towards protection or aggression which was the two most common flavors he encountered in expert candidates and expert mechs.

Instead, there was a flighty aspect to his force of will. ves recalled that tusa specialized in piloting aerial light skirmishers, though he was also proficient in their spaceborn equivalent in a pinch.

All of this meant that tusa's force of will centered around speed and mobility. From the way tusa impatiently fidgeted on his seat and repressed the desire to pace around and explore the office, the expert candidate likely possessed an obsession for speed!

What a speed demon! ves definitely knew what kind of mech he had to design for tusa once he broke through to expert pilot!

"Thank you for joining the larkinson clan." ves began. "I know it must strain your conscience to bid farewell to your old mech regiments and depart from the bright republic while the sand war is still going strong."

"The bright republic no longer deserves my appreciation after what it did to you!" tusa impulsively was a lot less hesitant than raymond, that was for sure! "I don't feel any guilt for leaving the mech corps. with snakes like general cavendish and venerable ghanso, the service has no need of me. They can fight the sandmen on their own, especially since your new deliverer mechs have made their presence felt!"

"I always believed in you, ves." jannzi remarked in a calmer tone. "The difference your deliverers have made has relieved a lot of pressure on the armed forces of our old state. no one in the mech corps is unaware of your contributions. Though a part of me still yearns to fight alongside the apocalypse heralds, I can make a bigger difference to the lives of our family members and the citizens of the bright republic by staying by your side!"

This was the result of all of the success he achieved! both jannzi and tusa acknowledged that ves had done more to protect the bright republic than several expert pilots and mech regiments put together!

In the right circumstances, a key mech design could single-handedly turn the tides of war! this was the greatest honor a mech designer could earn, and ves truly deserved more than what the bright republic had treated him. Allowing the two expert candidates to leave the mech corps without any serious repercussions was just one of the ways the state attempted to make amends.

Though ves wanted to attract more notable larkinsons to the clan, for now only jannzi and tusa took this step. The rest were much more aligned with the neutrals or the traditionalists and could not bear to abandon their existing duties and responsibilities.

Ves was already happy with what he half-expected the mech corps to be stubborn about retaining the two expert candidates, or that the both of them wanted to keep fighting until the sandmen no longer posed a threat.

"Will we be getting new mechs now that we work for you?" tusa impatiently asked. "I had to give up my old service mech. I really miss that machine. none of the mechs here are good enough. no offense, ves, but your desolate soldiers are too slow and low-specced to keep up with my needs!"

"I understand." ves plainly nodded. "The desolate soldier is a cheaper product meant to accommodate all of the melee and landbound mech specialists who were forced to pilot an entirely different type of mechs than they were used to in order to fight the sandmen. They're not meant to accommodate skilled and exceptional mech pilots such as you. The other mech designs aren't very suitable for you either. I'll address this problem eventually, but for now i'll instruct the avatars to procure a high-specced light skirmisher to tide you over. Is that acceptable?"

Tusa nodded. "Sure. I heard you have a lot of money, though, so make sure melkor buys an expensive one! I don't want to pilot another machine that cut too many corners in the name of cost savings!"

Ves grinned. "if you want to satisfy your craving for speed, you can borrow one of the mechs I've captured from the friday coalition. The fliskin is an exceedingly fast and mobile spaceborn light skirmisher with atmospheric capabilities. I'm sure you'll enjoy taking it out on a spin! you might as well take part in the training program meant to elevate third-class mech pilots into second-class mech pilots!"

"I heard about that mech of yours!" tusa instantly became enthused. "I've watched the footage during my journey to the ylvaine protectorate. I can't wait to get my hands on that mech!"

Though tusa wanted to claim the flishkin for himself, ves rejected this suggestion. Expert candidate or not, the four second-class mechs in his possession were essential to the training program!

Without the experience of piloting actual second-class mechs, the avatars and sentinels were unable to ascertain what they needed to shore up in order to become proficient enough to draw out the potential of these powerful machines!

Ves glanced towards jannzi. "how about you? are your needs being met?"

she nodded. "The shield of samar still suits my purposes. I have no desire to pilot any other mech. It's just…"

"The shield of samar is kind of limiting, right?"

"I don't like to admit it, but there have been times where I wished the shield of samar was a little faster or more resilient."

"That's normal, cousin. You're a mech pilot, and a powerful one at that. At a certain point, you've outgrown the performance of your mech. That has caused you to feel strained and confined. my team and I will work on performing a minor revision to your mech."

At the moment, the aurora titan model did not need to be renewed. ves wanted to wait before he was ready to revisit the mech design and perform a comprehensive upgrade to its design and components.

Since he was already busy with other projects, ves could not afford to waste too much time on this side project.

Because ves had upgraded it with the ardent wish, one of lucky's gems which upgraded its spiritual feedback by 40 percent, it was very important for him to retain the essence of the original mech!

For this reason, he intended to make a quick pass and limit his actions to performing quick but impactful upgrades.

He briefly dredged his memories of the aurora titan design from the depths of his mind and already identified some useful aspects to improve.

"I'm thinking about upgrading its armor system to an entirely new formula which is vastly stronger than the pisaro fpp-22 mark iii. I'll also replace its power reactor with a better one to provide more juice to your mech's luminent orca flight system and polarizing module. while it will be rather costly, I expect the performance of your shield of samar to double or triple, especially with the new armor I have in store!"

Compared to the aurora titan's existing pisaro armor system, the breyer alloy could withstand vastly more damage! against some damage types, the latter could easily resist blows that would have crushed a standard-issue aurora titan!

"will you be able to afford it, ves? I don't want to impose on you too much."

"The lmc has sold over a million mechs since the start of the sand war. Don't worry about our finances. Besides, the investment is worth it. Anything that makes you stronger will also empower our clan!"

"Everything we do is for the clan." she whispered.

"Exactly." Ves nodded.

This was precisely the effect he wanted to evoke when he founded the clan!

After settling the issue of their mechs, ves discussed his other arrangements for the expert candidates.

Both of them might have left the mech corps, but they were still straight-laced and used to discipline. This made the avatars of myth the only suitable home for their abilities.

Not only would the avatars welcome their exceptional skill, it also provided the best growth environment for highly-talented mech pilots!

Ves hoped that commander melkor and the rest of the avatars would be able to stimulate the two expert candidates into taking the critical step.

Only after they advanced to expert pilots would they truly begin their extraordinary careers!

And this time, the mech corps wasn't here to steal his people from his possession!

Chapter 1814 Too Many Issues

After meeting the Larkinson expert candidates, Ves continued to check up on various people.

His orbit had grown so much that he needed to keep tabs on dozens of different people and initiatives.

He had to settle the issue of Silent William. He had to do something with the pirate designers captured by the Battle Criers. He needed to find some way of making Davia Stark move forward from her devastating trauma.

All of these issues required his personal attention due to their sensitive nature. He could not delegate these matters to anyone.

With so many issues on his plate, Ves had no choice but to address them one by one and hoped that nothing burned down in the meantime.

At the same time, he not only had to prepare some new design projects, but also guide the Larkinson Clan as it started to settle all of the questions that emerged as a result of its founding.

Where should the clan reside?

What assets must the clan procure?

What must the clan be working towards?

All of these questions needed to be answered one way or another. Ves involved himself at the start, but soon pulled back once he determined that the clan was on the right track.

The Ylvaine Protectorate might be hosting the Larkinson Clan as well as the headquarters of the Living Mech Corporation, but Ves did not intend to settle down in the state on a permanent basis.

"I think we are in a consensus that we shouldn't increase our entanglement with the Protectorate." Ves explained to the two Larkinsons who attended this meeting. "The Ylvainans have been nice to us, but that does not oblige us to convert to their faith."

He tapped his finger against the embellished surface of the Larkinson Mandate resting on his desk.

Lucky meanwhile curiously tapped the spine of the book with his paw. Ves already forbid his pet from taking a bite out of the book, though it didn't seem necessary.

His pet was actually playing with the Golden Cat. Both of them possessed a fairly substantial bond, and Lucky seemed to be able to sense and interact with the newborn spiritual product!

Was it because they were cats? Whatever the case, Ves was glad that the Golden Cat had someone to spend her time with. Due to the nature of her existence, she was only able to reside within the book. Her only outside interaction aside from observing her immediate surroundings was to explore one of the many spiritual bonds she formed with the members of the Larkinson Clan.

Ves could tell that the Golden Cat was rapidly absorbing quite a lot of information from those bonds. It wouldn't take too much time for the Golden Cat to mature, at least from a mental aspect.

"We've been thinking about buying an ark ship or some other vessel that can house our clan in space." Ovrin Larkinson mentioned. "We'd like to hear your opinion before we explore this proposal any further.

As Benjamin Larkinson's brother and an esteemed elder in his own right, Ovrin was one of the more prestigious elders to join the clan. It didn't take much time for the newly-created Larkinson Assembly to vote Ovrin to the position of speaker.

This essentially made Ovrin the head of the Assembly, and one of the main people Ves needed to call upon if he wanted the Assembly to do something!

It came as a surprise to many that Ovrin decided to leave his comfy retirement and join the clan. Ves half-suspected that his grandfather dispatched Ovrin to the clan in order to keep tabs on its development or guide its evolution in a certain direction!

Even if one of these possibilities were the case, Ves did not mind them. Ulterior motives couldn't be avoided, and Ves believed that everyone's commitment to the Larkinson Clan was strong enough for them to do what was right.

If that didn't turn out to be the case, well.. Ves could always exercise his power as clan patriarch and remove Ovrin from his position as assembly speaker.

"I believe we should wait before procuring any massive ships." Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson spoke. "We number only a couple of clan members for the moment. A single medium-sized passenger vessel is large enough to accommodate us for the moment, though such a ship won't provide us with the facilities we require to develop ourselves."

Ever since his grandson Tusa Billingsley-Larkinson joined the clan, the COO of the LMC had become a lot more energetic. Raymond fully believed in the ventures that Ves and the clan had started.

If Tusa remained committed to the Bright Republic, then the most he could look forward to was to several decades of service. With the uncertainties surrounding both the Sand War and the Komodo War, there were very serious questions whether Tusa was fighting for the right cause.

Instead of sacrificing his talents for a state that never treated the Larkinsons too well, Tusa was much better served by joining the clan, which would definitely invest in his development!

In fact, the Billingsley-Larkinsons were doing extremely well in the clan right now. Due to his important position within the LMC, the eldest of this family branch also became a part of the Larkinson Executive Council!

Though Ves questioned whether Raymond had enough time to run both the LMC and the Larkinson Clan, for the moment the latter didn't actually require that much attention once it got up and running.

There was only so much work to do to govern a clan of several hundred Larkinsons. Perhaps Raymond would be forced to relinquish his council seat if the clan grew by an order of magnitude.

Of course, Raymond was already at an advanced age and growing older every year. This was the main reason why Ves did not mind the concentration of power. He had nothing to fear from someone who would die anyone in a decade or two. No matter what achievements Raymond managed to make, it was out of the question for him to receive life-prolonging treatment.

The best he could do was to pave the way for the rise of his grandson and the rest of his family branch.

"The starship market is too turbulent." Ves noted. "Prices are vastly inflated due to the huge and persistent damage of large-capacity passenger and shipping vessels. Supply has also dropped to a various precarious level as the sandmen have destroyed many ship-producing states and forced everyone else to reserve the remainder of the production to themselves."

In other words, this was the worst time to buy a starship, particularly a subcapital ark ship meant to provide a complete long-term spaceborn living environment for humans.

They were already incredibly expensive due to all of the amenities and protection they offered to their permanent occupants. With prices ballooning by as much as 500 percent, Ves would have to be crazy to order such a vessel at this time!

"Then where does that leave us?" Ovrin asked.

"Raymond is right. We have enough ships to migrate elsewhere if necessary. We can even live on them on an extended basis if we truly don't have another choice. I hope it won't come to that, though. I'm open to procuring an ark ship to provide our clan with a permanent base, but the vessel has to be good enough to take part in a possible expedition to the Red Ocean."

"That.. is even more expensive and difficult to obtain." Raymond frowned. "Second-class ark ships are even more extravagant than the ones that used to be sold in this region. Even with our current finances, we can only fund a small portion of the total cost! This doesn't even go into all of the ships and mechs we have to procure as well in order to protect such a valuable prize. If we parade a fancy ark ship without protection, I'm sure that every pirate gang in the star sector will be climbing over each other to steal her from our hands!"

These were all very grave concerns that only Ves could solve. He pressed one hand against his forehand while keeping his other hand on the reassuring warmth of the Larkinson Mandate.

Touching the book always made him feel less stressed and more reassured with all of the responsibilities he assumed as clan patriarch. The Golden Cat herself trusted Ves with every fiber of her being, which wasn't a surprise since most of her spiritual energy originated from his Spirituality!

Both Ves and Gloriana sacrificed much to create her. While Ves managed to mitigate the cost by exhausting his reserves of excess spiritual energy, his girlfriend was not as well. She had to regenerate her spent spiritual energy the old fashioned way.

Fortunately, she could double her recovery speed by holding frequent prayer sessions. Ves expected her to recover in a month or even more.

"Let's leave aside the issue of ship procurement for next year or later." Ves declared. "The local situation will change drastically by then, so it's no use speculating what we should do so early."

"Makes sense."

"Agreed."

They moved on to discussing another contentious topic.

"A new.. issue has cropped up." Ovrin said. "Our hosts have become increasingly more persistent in joining us or integrating our clan."

Raymond sighed. "The LMC is facing the same issue. The Ylvainans are practically trying to tear down our doors in order to apply to work for our company! I've been suppressing the intake so that only the most essential positions are being filled. However, the addition of so many Ylvainans to the company is already altering the atmosphere."

"This is something unavoidable. I never intended the LMC to be a Brighter firm." Ves explained. "That doesn't mean I want the LMC to become an Ylvainan company, though. I would like it to be more adaptable and diverse. It has to be able to operate in many different settings and states. Otherwise, how can we possibly navigate the sheer diversity we will encounter when we reach the Red ocean?"

Ves envisioned the Red Ocean as a true melting pot of human civilization! The brightest and most ambitious galactic pioneers from all parts of the Milky Way would definitely converge on the dwarf galaxy, and Ves did not wish to be found wanting!

"I understand." Raymond nodded. "I'll make sure that the LMC maintains a conservative recruitment policy that aims to increase diversity instead of the opposite. I'll try and see if we can recruit talents from other states aside from the Protectorate. This will be fairly difficult due to the Sand War raging in the background, but we'll manage somehow."

"What about the clan, Ves? Our numbers are rather low, especially in comparison to the old family. It will take several generations and lots of encouragement for us to grow our numbers to a healthy level. This might be too long considering the speed in which you want to move"

"The Larkinson Clan must primarily be based around our bloodline." Ves pronounced. "I'm not very open to the practice of adopting talents and capable outsiders like other clans. It's more important to maintain cohesion among our clan members than to dilute it by throwing too many outsiders in our midst. I don't want our Larkinson name to become an empty label. It has to mean something, and the best way to ensure that is to ensure that every member of our clan is exceptional!"

Keeping this door closed would hamper the development of the clan in the short term, but lead to a much more stable foundation in the future.

Many of the decisions he made so far would not bear fruit until decades or even centuries later! With his expected lifespan, Ves could afford to take his time and make sure his decisions led to the best possible outcome in the future!

"We still need a lot of manpower to manage our various affairs." Ovrin pressed. "We aren't the Larkinson Family anymore, which is content with retaining its existing status and benefits in an existing state. We are essentially forming our own sovereign group, which means we need to take care of many matters we've ordinarily taken for granted. Hiring regular employees from the local states won't cut it. For some important positions, we need a much greater commitment from our new hires."

"I take it you have a suggestion for that, speaker."

"Let's take a page out of the Larkinson Family's book and reintroduce the practice of hiring retainers!"

Ves looked intrigued at this suggestion.

Chapter 1815 Sowing Seeds

The question of hiring retainers was a fairly sensitive topic due to the risks involved.

Hiring a retainer was not as drastic as adopting an outsider into the clan. It was a step up from hiring a regular employee to tend the gardens of the Friedhold Estate.

Ves, Raymond and Ovrin discussed the matter and came to a quick consensus.

Both of the older Larkinsons did not see anything wrong with hiring retainers to fulfill essential roles such as captaining a starship or maintaining the mechs owned by the clan. It was difficult for the Larkinsons to fulfill these jobs themselves. Had anyone heard of a Larkinson becoming a grease monkey?

While it was possible to rely on regular employees for these functions, it was not very wise to do so in most cases.

A nefarious chief technician could subtly sabotage the mechs under his care.

A ship captain might make the wrong maneuver during a space battle that left a ship vulnerable to the enemy.

A bodyguard might turn his weapon at his own charge after receiving a hefty bribe.

All of these examples and more happened to many people over the course of history. The Larkinson Family wasn't stupid. It knew the importance of cultivating loyal retainers early on and became quite proficient at the practice.

Much of that expertise and know-how transferred to the Larkinson Clan. Ovrin himself was already familiar with the process, having managed it some time himself, so Ves readily handed the responsibility of setting up a retainer training program in his lap.

"The Larkinson Assembly will deliberate on this matter next week." Ovrin promised. As speaker, he had the power to set the assembly's agenda. "We'll have to discuss exactly how the training program should look like, how many essential functions we need to fulfill and how to incentivize the retainers to remain loyal."

Raymond became more attentive after Ovrin mentioned the last point. "Retainers need something to work towards. Some are content in living a stable and steady life under the umbrella of a powerful clan, but others want more. You need to dangle a better carrot in front of their faces."

"What reward are you thinking of?" Ves frowned.

"Offer them to become a clan member."

"I thought I already made my point clear. I don't want to dilute the cohesion of the Larkinson Clan by bringing in outside blood."

"This is different, Ves. A lifelong retainer that has worked his entire lifetime for the clan is more of a Larkinson than some of our brats! A retainer who has earned supreme merit in battle or other emergency situation has done more to the clan than many of our middling descendants! Allowing these impressive and loyal individuals the opportunity to exchange their merits for an entry into the Larkinson Clan will only increase cohesion in the Larkinson Clan because they already embody our values and bonds!"

That.. sounded very compelling. Ves had to admit that Raymond's argument was sound in logic.

"Is that what has taken place in the Larkinson Family? I don't think I've heard of a case where an outsider became a member of the original family without marrying a trueblood Larkinson."

Ovrin nodded. "It's rather obscure, but it has happened over the centuries. The only reason it hasn't happened more often was because the Larkinson Family isn't involved in anything major. There aren't many opportunities for retainers to stand out. I expect our clan to be a lot livelier in comparison. This just makes it even more important to motivate our retainers as much as possible. Give them the opportunity to be adopted into the family, and they will work hard and apply themselves to the best of their ability!"

"I don't know.." Ves hesitated and tapped his finger against the surface of the Larkinson Mandate. "It goes outside of my vision of the Larkinson Clan. However, I do admit that it might be a boon to our clan in the right conditions. I'll approve of it. Make sure not to screw it up. Clan cohesion comes first."

"We'll manage. The old family has centuries of experience in cultivating retainers."

The warmth and happiness emanating from the Larkinson Mandate gave Ves an idea.

"There is one more thing." Ves added. "Any outsider who wants to marry into the clan or any retainer who you deem worthy enough to be adopted into the clan has to pass one crucial test."

"And that is..?"

He flicked the solid surface of the tome. "They must all receive the approval of the Larkinson Mandate."

Both Raymond and Ovrin became confused. "Isn't it just a book? How can you possibly determine..?"

"The Larkinson Mandate is not a simple book." Ves smirked. "Lean forward and touch the book. Try and sense what it contains."

They both did so. Both elders had already gotten used to the glow contained in the book, but now that they touched its cover directly, they probably sensed the curiosity of the Golden Cat!

"What am I feeling..?"

"Something alive." Ves smiled. "Just like my mechs, this book is alive in a certain sense. Don't worry. It's completely devoted to the Larkinson Clan. This is what makes it such a great tool to determine whether an outsider deserves to be adopted by us. If the book doesn't approve, then there's a problem with the individual in question."

"This.. sounds a bit too outlandish for us." Ovrin heavily frowned.

He had much less exposure to the LMC than Raymond, so he wasn't too familiar with the company's emphasis on life and the hidden nature of glows.

"Let's wait until there's an opportunity to put the book to the test." Ves suggested. "I believe in the Larkinson Mandate, but I know it will take hard proof to convince you. There is more to this book than its pages, and I'll show it to you at that time."

"I'll take your word for it, Ves."

Leaving an opening for outsiders to join the Larkinson Clan and turning the Larkinson Mandate into an essential testing device were very impactful decisions!

The true import of their discussion would certainly be felt in the future! If they had made different choices this day, then the Larkinson Clan would have evolved into an entirely different direction in the next decades!

Ves was vaguely aware of all of the precedents and examples he set in the initial days of the Larkinson Clan. He made so many decisions and issued so many instructions that each shaped the character of the clan.

The mantle of responsibility was a heavy burden to bear, but Ves was confident in his judgement and the judgement of the governing bodies. The Larkinson Assembly and the Larkinson Executive Council were already at work, taking over much of the load after Ves set their overall direction.

He had deliberately set up the governance structure of the clan to keep him in charge, but remained as far removed from the day-to-day routine of running it as much as possible.

As a mech designer, he had better things to do than manage his own relatives. This was why he never objected to delegating a lot of power to the governing bodies. They took on his responsibilities as well, which left him free to spend his time on more fruitful pursuits such as designing mechs.

While Ves was more than ready to get back to designing mechs, he still had to handle some other affairs after this meeting.

As Ves waved Ovrin and Raymond goodbye, his next appointments dealt with other personnel matters.

He met with Commander Melkor and Commander Magdalena to discuss the gradual expansion of the Avatars and Sentinels.

He summoned Dr. Lupo to discuss his progress on preparing for the upcoming implantation surgery as well as his progress on his projects.

He called in Davia Stark and ascertained her condition. So far, her mental scars barely healed from before, which frustrated Ves a little. It wasn't as easy as he thought to salvage an expert pilot from a human husk.

Once he dismissed her, Ves leaned over his desk and pressed his fingers against his forehead. All of these meetings were exhausting in a way that was difficult to describe.

All this time, Lucky kept playing with the Golden Cat that resided in his book.

"You're quite a handful, are you?" Ves sighed as he pulled Lucky away from squatting over the Larkinson Mandate like a brooding penguin.

"Meow!"

"Even if you consider her to be your kid, I don't want you to press your bottom against my book!"

"Meow meow."

"I don't want you to influence the Golden Cat with your naughty ways!"

"Meooow!"

Ves threw Lucky over his shoulder, causing him to desperately catch himself in the air!

He picked up the book from his desk and took pleasure in studying his own handicraft.

He was very proud of the culmination of his experiment. The Larkinson Mandate's visual appearance fully conformed to his idea of a clan heirloom. He not only crafted a cover that could last with all of the Breyer alloy and other strong materials, but also embellished its appearance with artful reliefs of mechs and human heroes modeled after the Larkinson expert pilots of the past.

Nailing the appearance was already half the battle. The strong spiritual presence of the Larkinson Mandate did the rest! Even without the Golden Cat, it had already gained a strong innate foundation that corresponded highly to the Larkinsons!

Naturally, the Golden Cat deserved most of his attention. He made sure to interact with her carefully in order to steer her development in the right direction.

"The Larkinson Clan is your home. You're going to watch over our clan members like a guardian angel, won't you?"

The Golden Cat cautiously poked her intangible head over of the medallion on the front cover.

"Nyaaa."

"Oh, you're so cute!" Ves grinned and stroked her head by employing a gentle spiritual projection.

These simple bonding sessions continually reinforced the Golden Cat's already strong affection towards him. Gaining her appreciation was one of the hidden means he devised to retain control over the clan in the event he lost his position as clan patriarch.

In the event he was forced to retreat, Ves could still exert a considerable amount of influence on the Larkinsons by influencing the clan's ancestral spirit!

Out of every Larkinson, only he could do so! No one else aside from Lucky, Clixie and maybe Gloriana could perceive and interact with the Golden Cat. Everyone else simply couldn't tell he was real, including Ovrin and Raymond!

For now, it was not very wise for him to reveal the existence of the Golden Cat. While there were many benefits in doing so, Ves valued his secrecy even more. It was highly unwise to pain the Golden Cat as something more than an application of his glows.

"One day, you'll become known to every Larkinson, Golden Cat. This I swear." He whispered.

He envisioned a time where he no longer had to keep his secrets hidden. He imagined he gained a position of power where he could comfortably reveal his methods and work with his spirits openly.

Though that time was unimaginably distant, Ves couldn't help but dream how glorious it would be to earn recognition for his accomplishments.

The Larkinson Clan, the LMC, the grand expedition and the Golden Cat all formed intricate pieces in his plan to rise to greatness. He invested a humongous amount of time and effort in each of them with the expectation that they would all be able to assist him in overcoming the challenges he would certainly face in the distant future.

"Per angusta ad augusta. I chose this motto for a reason. Nothing comes for free. There is always a price. True reward always requires effort. The greater the reward, the greater the price."

Ves set his sights at a height far beyond what others dared to dream. This meant that Ves would almost certainly have to work harder and make more accomplishments than nearly any other mech designer in history!

He wouldn't be able to reach his destination within a day. He needed to lay the groundwork and set himself up for success as thoroughly as possible, hence all of the effort he put into recent affairs.

The seeds he sowed in this early period in his life would certainly lead to a bountiful harvest when he needed it the most!

Chapter 1816 Beneath Him

After several days of meetings and setting policy, Ves finally tidied up his responsibilities. He could leave most of the other affairs to his underlings. The LMC was in the process of reorganizing itself while the Larkinson Clan finally stood on its own legs.

With Gloriana busy with her own obligations as well as recovering from her spiritual exhaustion, Ves did not feel like embarking on some of his next mech projects. He postponed the start of his Larkinson mech design project for later.

As for upgrading the Shield of Samar, Ves thought that involving Gloriana for what was supposed to be a simple upgrade would be redundant. The only reason why he didn't embark on this project immediately was because he didn't have enough Breyer alloy yet to replace the armor system of Jannzi's personal mech.

The Aurora Titan model was a very big mech! Though it fell short of a true heavy mech, the super-medium space knight was still a brick in space, with most of its mass occupied by its hefty shield and armor coverage!

Upgrading the Shield of Samar's armor system as well as its power reactor and some other minor system would definitely elevate its performance to a level close to a second-class mech!

At the very least, its defensive parameters would definitely meet the standard of a second-class mech like the Paravin!

"It's too bad I can't replace its internals." He sighed. "Not without putting a huge amount of effort in revising its internal architecture."

That went beyond the scope of a minor revision. Ves opted to wait until he was ready to revise the entire design. Depending on his circumstances, he might opt to keep it a third-class mech or elevate into a fully-fledged second-class mech.

The latter was actually a really bad idea. The Aurora Titan was basically a design filled with compromises and bad choices. He didn't set out to design a mech that fell under the super-medium weight class. He was forced to embrace this unusual choice because he was insistent on accommodating a polarizing module in its design!

Much of this reasoning wasn't valid anymore when it came to second-class mechs. The tech and material level was so much higher that a polarizing module only took up the space of a backpack module or even smaller!

It was perfect doable for Ves to design a medium space knight with standard proportions and decent mobility while still exhibiting all of the strengths of the Aurora Titan!

Yet if Ves designed such a mech, would it be a successor or a replacement of the Aurora Titan Mark I?

This was a very important question, because it determined the future of the Shield of Samar. This mech was extremely pivotal not only because it imprinted on Jannzi and developed in a unique direction, but also contained one of Lucky's highly valuable gems!

Ves wasn't sure if he could recover the gem if he dismantled the Shield of Samar, but he had a hunch that it wouldn't be possible.

If that was the case, then Ves had to do his best to keep the Shield of Samar relevant by upgrading its capabilities to keep up with the time!

Perhaps it wasn't the best idea, but Jannzi appeared to be determined to pilot her Shield of Samar for her entire career!

While this kind of behavior wasn't unheard of, it was extremely rare. It was too difficult for a mech pilot to stick to a single mech for the rest of their lives, especially when mechs got destroyed or damaged all of the time!

They were war machines after all. Battle was in their lifeblood!

Therefore, it was in Jannzi and Ves' best interest that he kept the essence of the Aurora Titan design alive when he decided to update it properly in the future.

If Ves had to design a second-class super-medium mech, then he would unflinchingly do so! Even if it made absolutely no sense to the market, as long as he had at least one customer in the form of a current expert candidate and future expert pilot, it was more than worth the effort!

For now though, Ves merely aimed for a quick fix, so he only briefly visited the design lab and delegated much of the grunt work to his two design teams.

"I want both teams to propose how to best replace the armor system and the power reactor of the Aurora Titan with these following components." He announced. "I'll let the both of you work on this separately so we can compare the results at the end. The team who designed the best version will receive a reward from me. Any questions?"

Ves did not intend to push off all of the work to his design teams. Regardless of the results, Ves would go over their choices and override them with his own solutions as needed. This allowed him to invest a lot less time on this project.

He only felt a little guilty about the lack of thoroughness by employing this method. Jannzi wouldn't be able to get the best version of the Shield of Samar, but Ves did not mind too much.

The amazing defensive qualities of the Breyer alloy was enough to mitigate some of the flaws that might result from this decision!

"Relying on superior materials to overcome the shortcomings of a design is the mark of a lazy mech designer." He sighed after he put the Tovar Design Team and the Ylvaine Design Team to work.

Both teams were named by the character of their mech designers. The first team still consisted entirely of young Tovar mech designers, while the second team mainly consisted of Ylvainan mech designers eager to work for Bright Martyr.

The only exception was Mayer Torto. He was clearly an oddball amongst the devout and fanatical Ylvainans. Still, despite his youth and inexperience, Mayer managed to get along with his religious colleagues.

"How are you adjusting to the LMC?" Ves asked when he pulled Mayer aside.

"It's.. strange. I understand the LMC is undergoing a hectic period, but my new job isn't what I've expected."

"This is only temporary." Ves emphasized. "We'll embark on a proper design project soon. I'll be spending a lot more time in the design lab where I can guide and tutor you more extensively. For now, you should look to your colleagues to learn the essentials of working in a design team. They have much to teach."

The Novice Mech Designer understood. As one of the most junior mech designers in the LMC, he shouldn't expect too much at the start.

However, that did not mean that Ves intended to neglect the younger mech designer forever. With his spiritual potential, Mayer had the potential to be great one day!

After packing Mayer off, he decided to venture to the Ion Tracker, the flagship of the Battle Criers.

It was time to meet with the pirate designers the Battle Criers had captured during their months-long deployment.

Several different thoughts passed through his mind as he tried to determine what he should do with his prisoners.

He didn't really have a plan for them. When he initially issued the order to the Battle Criers, he merely treated it as a side priority. Once he met the plagiarizes face-to-face, Ves envisioned taunting them before shooting them in the head in order to satisfy his need for revenge.

Yet now that he became used to bearing the mantle of responsibility, he felt ashamed for ordering their capture in the first place.

He didn't know what he was thinking back then. What did it matter if he captured a couple of pirate designers who had the temerity to rip off his mech designs?

While he felt affronted by their awful attempts at putting a new spin on his work, they were so far below his level that squashing them would only dirty his soles.

It was beneath him. Why should he care about their trivial violations? If Ves could turn back time, he would have told the Battle Criers to stop bothering about this matter.

Too bad it was too late.

"What do you think I should, Lucky? Should I kill off the pirate designers, turn them into test subjects or do something else with the bastards?"

"Meow."

Lucky playfully circled around the Larkinson Mandate that floated after Ves with the help of a custom-built levitation brace.

Due to the tome's extreme importance to the clan, Ves did not wish to let it out of his sight. It was fairly easy for him to build a brace that could clamp on the book and allow it to follow after him. Even though he could have carried the book in his hands, that would have become a little tedious whenever he needed to put it down in order to employ both of his hands.

Nitaa followed after them both. Her suit of combat armor thudded loudly as its weight thudded loudly against the deck.

"If I may make a suggestion, sir, you should get rid of them." She spoke in one of her rare bouts of initiative. "Pirate designers are irredeemable criminals. There is a reason why they have stooped to designing mechs for pirates and other underground scum."

"I know."

Ves actually feared becoming one as well if he ran afoul with the MTA or the CFA. Even now, the possibility continued to loom over his head. He already violated so many of their taboos, and only managed to get away with them because he managed to hide his misdeeds.

There was a risk in associating with pirate designers, that was for sure. However, he could not bring himself to kill them off, at least for now. He intended to make a decision after he met with the prisoners and gained a better idea of their character.

They eventually reached the brig. Though Commander Cinnabar wasn't there to meet him, Ves nonetheless smiled as he greeted a familiar figure.

"Dietrich! How are you doing these days?"

As one of the few non-Kinners in a Kinner mercenary corps, Dietrich stood out with his distinctly different demeanor. Ves carefully inspected his friend and found that his fellow Cloudy Curtainer seemed content with his new lot in life.

"I've managed to fit in with the Battle Criers, though not completely." Dietrich readily said. "They're a good bunch of people, though why they are so dedicated to loyalty is a mystery to me. I like it, though. After the Whalers let me down after my old man died, it's reassuring to serve and fight alongside buddies who I can trust in the heat of the moment."

Ves slapped Dietrich in the back. "That's great to hear. Please lead me to the prisoners. How well-behaved are they?"

"Some of them are more.. feral than than we like. It's like they're not really human when their mood swings in the wrong direction. We've been forced to activate some of the restraint mechanisms of their cells in order to prevent them from bashing the cells and such."

That sounded a bit strange to Ves, but then again the people born in the frontier were never right in the head. He expected better from mech designers who grew up in civilized space, though. He recalled that Ronnie Blast used to come from the Bright Republic according to the intelligence he accessed.

"Here he is. Ronnie Blast." Dietrich smiled and waved his hand. The energy screen in front of them winked out, revealing a bare white cell with nothing but a bed where Ronnie Blast was lying bored out of his skull.

"FINALLY!" The young, blond-haired man instantly perked up. "I WAS GOING CRAZY HERE! THERE'S NOTHING TO DO HERE! CAN YOU PLEASE LET ME GO!? I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING! WHATEVER YOU THINK I'VE DONE, I'M INNOCENT!"

Ves unconsciously leaned back from the man's screams. Was this Ronnie Blast?!

"Yeah." Dietrich remarked. "Ronnie here is always like this whenever we show up. We have to put some sense in him whenever we want him to act normal."

"YOU!" Ronnie exuberant pointed at Ves! "YOU'RE IN CHARGE, RIGHT?! PLEASE LET ME GO! THERE'S NO REASON FOR YOU TO KEEP ME CAPTIVE! I'M JUST A MECH DESIGNER!"

Ves slowly began to glower. Perhaps Nitaa was right.

Chapter 1817 Scum of the Frontier

Whatever he expected from the infamous Ronnie Blast, it wasn't this. The shouting brat who continued to yell at Ves to free him was different from his expectations.

He imagined a cowardly, craven bottom-feeder who became a pirate designer out of desperation. He believed that Ronnie Blast was a mech designer of poor mental fortitude who would crack the instant he came under pressure.

Instead, he encountered a loudmouth with poor volume control and a penchant for whining.

A lot of whining.

"YOU'RE A MECH DESIGNER, RIGHT?! I CAN TELL THAT FROM YOU! YOU HAVE THAT SMART AIR ABOUT YOU THAT REMINDS ME OF SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES IN THE PAST. WAS IT YOU THAT KIDNAPPED ME? WHY DID YOU EVER PICK ME UP?! I WAS WELL ON MY WAY TO—"

"—SHUT UP!"

When Ronnie Blast shouted, he came across as a blabbermouth.

When Ves shouted, he commanded attention.

There was a drastic difference between the two! Their life experiences, successes and training all shaped them in ways that led to drastically different directions.

No matter how obnoxious Ronnie appeared to be, his mouth instantly shut the moment Ves uttered his words!

It was at this time that Ronnie realized that Ves appeared less than pleased with his conduct. He looked sheepish, but quickly regained his bravado. He thrust out his chest as if he deserved to be treated like an equal!

"Mr. stranger, as a fellow colleague, could you please release me from this cell? I am not a danger to anyone. I'm just a mech designer!"

Ves couldn't help but jerk his mouth when he heard this phrase. He uttered these words so many times that it felt strange when someone threw it back into his face.

Though Ves felt inclined to oblige Ronnie's request, he quickly stamped it down. Though Ronnie came across as a fool, who knew what he was truly capable of? Anyone who uttered the phrase 'I'm just a mech designer' should be highly suspect!

"We'll be keeping you here for the time being." Ves unapologetically declared. "You are Ronnie Blast, a pirate designer of ill repute."

"WHAT?! THAT'S UNCALLED FOR! I WAS DRIVEN FROM CIVILIZED SPACE FOR SOMETHING I DIDN'T DO! IT WASN'T MY CHOICE TO GO PIRATE!"

Ves wanted to palm his face. He also wanted to activate the sound modulator in the cell in order to make Ronnie's shouting less grating on his ears.

"Don't lie to me, 'Ronnie'. I know this is not your real name, and I know you aren't native to the Faris Star Region."

"Why did you capture me?!" Ronnie demanded. "I've never done anything to you or any other mech designer for that matter! I always kept to myself while I was trying to survive in the frontier!"

"Did you, now?" Ves huffed and leaned his shoulder against the cell wall. "Does your Blue Paradisio design ring a bell?"

The pirate designer frowned. "Ehh.. you mean my spaceborn laser rifleman mech design?"

"YOUR design?!" Ves glared. "Do you have the temerity to claim that your poor excuse of a rip off is your original work?!"

"You.. I know who you are!" A light bulb finally lit up in his empty head. "You're Ves Larkison!"

Ves grinned. "I'm the original designer of the Crystal Lord, among other mechs."

"This.. is THIS WHY YOU NABBED ME OFF MY SHIP?! WHY ME? THERE SHOULD BE COUNTLESS OTHERS WHO BORROWED FROM YOUR WORK! I'M JUST A RANDOM MECH DESIGNER!"

"You're different! You not only ripped off my design, but also sold your mechs to a pirate gang that almost killed me! If I hadn't managed to deter them, then I might have suffered the indignity of getting killed by an exceedingly bad imitation of one of my own designs! That is a true indignity that has continued to haunt me in my nightmares!"

Ves really wanted to punch Ronnie in the face. He could do it, but he felt that would just sully him further.

He calmed himself and tried to find some way to see some benefit in keeping Ronnie under his thumb.

"YOU SHOULD FEEL HONORED FOR MAKING ME USE YOUR DESIGN AS A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION! YOUR DESIGN WAS SO GOOD AT THE TIME THAT I SIMPLY COULDN'T RESIST ADAPTING IT TO SPACE! EVEN THOUGH I SLIPPED UP HERE AND THERE, MY BLUE PARADISIO WAS STILL A FUNCTIONAL MECH!"

Ves grimaced even deeper. This dimwit was making it harder and harder for Ves to find any redeeming quality in him. There was no way he wanted to endure this buffoon any longer than necessary.

His plan to form a so-called 'Redeemer Design Team' made out of pirate designers who deserve a second chance fell through.

At the very least, Ronnie emphatically did not deserve a second chance!

As the pirate designer continued to shout, Ves drew out a long-neglected pistol from his belt holster.

The Peaceful Repose was a mastercrafted weapon, which was one of the main reasons why it had been so expensive.

However, its inherent tech and material levels were fairly low. While this was more than enough for a typical customer from a third-rate state, Ves was starting to encounter more formidable threats.

He needed something better. He took one good look at the Peaceful Repose before passing it on to Dietrich.

"This is for you. I've outgrown this weapon. I'll key it to your life signals and send you its custom ammunition later. I'll also hand you the Sparous Vize as well. It's a good suit of armor if you want to don something light."

Dietrich blinked as he held the unusually decorated ballistic pistol. "Really? This gun looks expensive! I don't want to mooch off you, Ves."

Ves grinned. "Relax. I'm anything but short of money these days, and I already have something better."

Nitaa already wore something better, fortunately. Ever since he reached the Kesseling System, the Scarlet Rose and all of her contents belonged to him. The Hexers hadn't taken anything away, which also included all of the gear that Ves managed to salvage!

Right now, Nitaa opted to wear a modified suit of heavy combat armor salvaged from the Scarlet Rose. Her main armament consisted of one of the impressive triple-type heavy assault rifles.

Crindon went over their software and security suites and cleaned up as many loopholes as he could find with the help of Calabast's hacking software and documentation.

Only Ves felt a bit incomplete as he hadn't managed to procure a proper suit of combat armor that suited him the most.

At least he already covered his firepower needs. He drew out a smaller pistol from a hidden holster in his business suit and pointed it straight at Ronnie Blast's forehead!

"W-WAIT A MINUTE! DON'T SHOOT! I-I-I-I CAN WORK FOR YOU, MR. LARKINSON! I HAVE LOTS OF CONTACTS IN THE DRAGON ALLIANCE!"

Ves sneered. With his fame and reputation, he could recruit fantastic young mech designers who were ten times smarter than this blathering punk. As for his supposed contacts, who cared about the Dragon Alliance these days? The sandmen completely devastated the Faris Star Region! No matter how powerful the pirate alliance used to be, the infamous Dragons of Void has become nothing but a pack of better-equipped refugees!"

A loud sparking noise cracked the cell as a bright beam instantly blasted Ronnie's entire head apart!

A headless corpse dropped onto the disarrayed bed. The smell of searing flesh only wafted in the cell for a second before the ventilation system quickly refreshed the foul odor.

"I can't say I blame you." Dietrich shrugged. "This guy has been grating on us all for months. We would have beaten him harder but we figured you wouldn't want to meet him when he's half-dead."

"Well, I hope the other pirate designers aren't as bad." Ves spoke as he holstered his small laser pistol.

He visited the adjacent cells in turn to see whether the pirate designers were worth salvaging.

Disappointingly, two of the pirate designers proved to be animals in human skin.

"I dislike your face. It's too dishonest." The Alloy Sculptor's silky smooth voice uttered as his head tilted in fascination. "Please return my tools for me so that I can rearrange your facial features. Your eyes must go and your nose must become pointed to reflect your many lies."

Yeah, Ves quickly blasted the maniac's head with a deadly laser beam after that. There was no way he would entertain a crazy mech designer who reminded him uncomfortably of the Skull Architect!

The Hand of Sin was worse.

"AUHHHH!" The genetically modified abomination struggled against the gravitic bonds that kept him pressed against his bed! "I WOO TAE U LIM FOR LIM! NO UN EVA CROS TA HAN O SIN!"

"Did you guys even pick up the right person?" Ves furrowed his brows. "He looks like a footsoldier instead of a mech designer."

"We checked the details a dozen times." Dietrich helplessly said. "He truly is a mech designer. Apparently, when he's not angry or in a battle, he can be quite.. 'eloquent', according to the intel. It's just that his reckless application of gene mod templates turned him into.. this. Whenever he's agitated, he'll continue to be like this for hours."

The man who became known as the Hand of Sin was a brute with mottled, cratered grey skin. His arms were uneven. One of them possessed normal proportions, but the other one was as thick as several legs!

The man continued to scream unintelligibly in the direction of Ves as if he wanted to do nothing more than to crush his captors with his oversized arm!

"Well, I've seen and heard enough." Ves spoke. "The frontier must be truly desperate if a defective product like him has managed to sell some mechs."

Ves did not even wish to sully his dignity by shooting the genetic freak. He waved his hand to Nitaa, who brought her heavy assault rifle to bear on the immobilized Hand of Sin.

A few weapon discharges later, nothing was left of this infamous mech designer aside from steaming piles of charred flesh.

There were only two more mech designers left. Ves hoped to meet someone within an acceptable range of normality for once.

Meeting someone like Mayra was ideal, but he could settle for someone like Ketis. Ves would be happy as long as the pirate designer possessed enough self-awareness to understand they needed to behave.

If someone failed to recognize the reality of their situation, then they were too stupid or insane to be worth keeping alive!

Was it too much to ask for a useful pirate designer? Did Ves set his expectations too high?

"I really hope the next one is better." He muttered.

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Merrill is the best-behaved captive we have so far. She hasn't given us any flack in the months we kept her captive."

When they entered the next cell, Merrill turned her gaze from the romance drama projected by the cell. She instantly waved her hand to flick it off and composed herself as best as possible.

"Good day, Dietrich."

"Good day, Merrill. This is Ves Larkinson, my boss. He's the one who decides your fate, so I suggest you be on your best behavior."

From the amenities in the cell, Merrill evidently behaved so well that she earned some rewards to make her stay more comfortable.

That and the spontaneous advice from Dietrich made Ves think that Merrill was truly different from the wastes of space he met before.

"So.. what makes you a pirate designer?"

"Didn't you read my record, sir?" Merrill smiled impishly at Ves.

He found it curious that the captive did not act meekly nor brashly. Instead, she adopted a comfortable and confident demeanor as if she was his friend rather than a captive.

He had to admit that it had an effect on him. After dealing with the likes of Ronnie Blast, the Alloy Sculptor and the Hand of Sin, it was surprisingly refreshing to deal with someone who conformed to his expectations of a mech designer.

It also helped that she was a woman.

"I've only skimmed the barest of details, which didn't tell me anything. Is any of it even true?"

"Good question." Merrill's smile turned devious.

Chapter 1818 Merrill Truman

"I must say, compared to the other pirate designers my men have captured, you are remarkably well-behaved."

Merill Truman offered Ves a modest smile. "I never intended to become a pirate. I was forced into this life."

She had given him a very plain story of her background. According to her words, she was born and raised in the Roppo Principality.

After graduating from a good mech design university from the Principality, she attracted the attention of a Senior who mentored her. Over the course of her duties, she went on some sort of assignment that brought her close to the frontier where her entire life upended.

"A gang of ruffians ambushed our ship. Our escorts were too weak and stood no chance, so they ran." Merrill growled. "After that, the pirates took possession of our passenger ship as well as everyone inside."

"It seems you didn't suffer too much in their care."

"I'm a mech designer." She shrugged. "No matter how stupid pirates can be, they recognize the value of a properly-educated mech designer. I managed to impress the pirate captain with my.. wit and intelligence."

"What happened after that?"

"I got put to use. A mech designer is useful in many ways. By the time I gained a measure of status within the loose pirate community, I already developed a reputation for myself. Even if I found a way to get rid of the pirates who 'protect', it was too late for me to go back. They deliberately tarnished my reputation and tainted my name to cut off any possibility of going back to civilized space."

"How horrendous." Ves replied mildly. "Those pirates truly deserve death."

She grinned. "They did. The sandman destroyed half of their mechs. Your Battle Criers did the rest after they limped their way into civilized space."

That left Ves with Merrill, a seemingly well-behaved mech designer who was resourceful enough to survive in the frontier after falling in the hands of space scum.

Ves had no doubt that Merrill left out plenty of details in her story. The fact that a mech designer with so little bargaining power managed to survive and thrive in the brutal frontier was very exceptional!

This was especially so because Merrill was a woman!

The frontier was not kind to women. Civilization had gone backwards in this lawless region, and men dominated the Faris Star Region. The Hexadric Hegemony possessed absolutely no influence here, and all-female outfits like the Swordmaidens were the exception rather than the rule.

All of these adverse conditions made Ves regard Merrill in a different light. Since Ves was short on capable subordinate mech designers, he could not bear to throw away a talent regardless of how much dirt she accumulated.

Of course, Ves did not forget to maintain his basic vigilance. Anyone who managed to navigate the perils of the frontier ought to be suspect.

When Ves studied Merrill's calm appearance, he finally found out the reason why he sensed a familiar vibe from her. She gave off the sense of someone with tight control over her emotions, just like Patricia!

This was quite remarkable, as Ves hadn't met too many rational mech designers!

His interest in Merrill increased even further after Ves ascertained that she possessed spiritual potential.

In general, only those with definite spiritual potential were able to adopt the methods of a rational mech designer. There were definitely some shenanigans involved with regulating their spiritualities and spiritual energy reserves.

Though Ves wasn't able to inspect Merrill's spiritual state in greater detail due to its diminutive and underdeveloped nature, it should definitely be weaker than a mech designer of her level ought to possess!

It seemed that Ves would not have to blast her head with his laser pistol. As long as she was useful to him, he did not mind offering her a second chance.

He still had some questions, though.

"One of the reasons the Battle Criers sought you out is because you designed an unauthorized variant of my design." He spoke, deliberately revealing some of his displeasure. "One of my biggest pet peeves is someone stealing my work without paying the price."

"My apologies, Mr. Larkinson." Merrill lowered her head in apology. "It is not as if there is a mechanism for pirate designers to purchase licenses under their name. I didn't possess the capital or the right currency to pay you either. Pirating other people's work is extremely widespread in the frontier."

Ves waved his hand. "It's no big deal to me anymore. I understand the position you were in. Tell me about your work instead. You designed a variant of my Blackbeak, yes?"

She nodded and became a bit more engaged when the topic turned to her work. "That is correct. I had need to design a rugged and robust knight mech, and browsed the galactic net for decent works. Your Blackbeak popped up by chance. While it was a premium mech, it fully met my needs with its strong internal structure and decent balance. In order to make it suitable to the frontier, I modified it by downgrading its armor system and other materials in order to develop the Greybeak, a variant that is much easier to produce in the frontier."

"How did the market react?"

"I didn't sell many Greybeaks, if that is what you are wondering, but I did okay. The Greybeak fulfilled the role I intended it to fulfill. It might be a lot worse off in terms of damage resistance, but it functioned well enough on rugged, untamed planets. I've also applied my specialty to it to increase its burst power and mechanical strength. It can deliver quite a punch in the right conditions."

Ves had briefly studied the design of the Greybeak beforehand and noted several unusual modifications that he suspected to be part of her specialty. They were very interesting modifications and additions that increased the force exertion of a mech at the cost of accelerating its wear and tear.

"What is your specialty? Is it related to the musculature system?"

"Not exactly, though I won't fault you for making that guess. My actual specialty is imbalance. It's.. a more abstract design philosophy that is related to introducing deliberate imbalances in a design in order to generate temporary mechanical advantages that can be employed to increase a mech's mobility or empower its blows."

Merrill possessed a Class I design philosophy, the same as Gloriana. Class I design philosophies usually centered around abstract principles and often encompassed an entire mech.

They were very challenging to develop due to this reason. Ves respected Merrill for pursuing such a different research direction, though he wasn't quite aware how well she could balance her difficult ambition with her rational approach towards mech design.

After Patricia enlightened him on rational mech designers, Ves always assumed that they opted to specialize in an easy design philosophy in order to facilitate their advancement.

Considering their penchant in mastering other people's design philosophies, their own efforts didn't matter. As long as they advanced to Master, they could fully embrace the methods and best practices of their peers!

So the fact that Merrill chose a design philosophy that sounded vague as hell did not match up with his impression of her as a rational mech designer!

Ves silently rubbed his chin. Maybe he made the wrong assumption.

Rational and passionate mech designers existed on the extreme end of a spectrum. There was plenty of room in between. Ves guessed that Merrill was only slightly leaning in the direction of a rational mech designer.

In any case, Ves made a decision. Her Greybeak design wasn't half-bad. It was a far cry from the travesty designed by Ronnie Blast.

"Would you like a second chance?"

Merrill looked at him with hopeful expectation. "You do not mind my background?"

"You have potential. You're wasted as a pirate designer. While I can't promise you freedom, I can give you an opportunity to redeem yourself. As for the matter of your identity, that is no problem at all. With the Komodo Star Sector in disarray, it is trivially easy to forge a new identity for you. No one is inclined to inspect peoples credentials during this crisis period."

Ves turned to Dietrich and passed on some instructions. The Battle Criers ought to be able to settle this matter by themselves. There was no need for Ves to arrange this matter in person.

"Work with Crindon to check Merrill's background as well. As long as he approves, I'll allow Merrill to work for the LMC on a provisional basis."

"We'll do our best!" Dietrich said and threw him a sloppy salute.

The two left the cell and visited the final captive.

Compared to Merrill, Timothy Moriarty was a lot less interesting. He possessed a similar background to Merrill but wasn't nearly as remarkable as a mech designer.

Ves did not say anything else to Timothy after he asked his questions. Instead, he left his cell without announcing his verdict.

"What do you think about Timothy?" Dietrich asked.

"He's too dull. Just like Merrill, he's just a mech designer who was unlucky enough to get captured. Unlike Merrill, he's barely an Apprentice who failed to adjust as well to the frontier. I don't need someone useless like him in my employ."

"Does that mean.."

"No." Ves shook his head. "I only killed the other mech designers because they are either animals or a disgrace to our profession. Removing them from existence is a boon to the mech community. That's not the case here. Timothy managed to maintain his sanity after ending up in the frontier, and that's ultimately good. Just send him to the border of the Ylvaine Protectorate and dump him in a random star system. He can make his own way from there."

Killing Ronnie Blast, the Alloy Sculptor and the Hand of Sin left a very foul taste in his mouth. He wanted to end this round of visits on a better note, so he decided to free Timothy Moriarty back into the wild.

After that, Ves and Dietrich along with their escorts walked back to the shuttle bay. Along the way, Ves told Dietrich what he intended to do with the Battle Criers.

"The Avatars of Myth and the Living Sentinels both have very defined purposes in my force lineup. They're too straight-laced to perform certain assignments, though. They are also meant to stay close to my orbit. This is why I'm developing the Battle Criers into an outfit that can perform missions that will take them far away. You will all need to learn how to take care of yourselves in situations where help is very far away. Does that sound to your liking?"

"I like it." Dietrich smiled. "Staying on guard every day is boring as hell, and I don't think I'm cut out to be an Avatar. As I've said, I like hanging out with the Kinners. They're the only people around who I can trust with my life!"

"Since you seem to be getting along well with the Battle Criers, I'll let you stay here despite the fact that you're not a Kinner. As long as you continue to prove your loyalty and your capabilities, I won't have cause to remove you. Understand?"

"Aye. No need to warn me, Ves. I know the score. I used to help run the Whalers with my father, remember? I know a thing or two about bossing around people."

Ves did not take Dietrich's words too seriously. After all, for Dietrich to have lost the Whalers due to internal rebellion was a very poor indicator of his leadership capabilities!

As Ves, Lucky and Nitaa were about to step into the shuttle, Dietrich passed one final message.

"Thank you for giving Merrill a chance. She really deserves better. I'll tell her to do her best to be of service to you. She would have been a great person if she didn't end up in the hands of pirates."

His words caused Ves to smirk. "Are you interested in her? Is Raella not enough for you anymore?"

Dietrich winced. "Please don't mention Raella. We.. already moved on. Last I heard, she's doing quite well for herself."

"I see. Well, hold your horses for now. I want Crindon to clear Merrill first before I allow her to work for the LMC. Until then, she stays in the brig."

"I get it. I'll wait for the good news, then."

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Chapter 1819 First Bath

After dealing with the pirate designers captured by the Battle Criers, Ves returned to his headquarters and resumed his duties.

It took several more days to wrap up his appointments and put his organizations on the right track.

He directed some attention to the Ves Larkinson Foundation for Wounded Veterans, which had lost its hospitals and most of its doctors. Only a few were willing to accept Director Clinton Larkinson's offer to accompany what had now become the Larkinson Clan.

"We need these doctors." Clinton stated. "I'd like your permission to offer them to become our retainers."

Ves idly rested the Larkinson Mandate on his lap while Lucky was dozing on its surface for whatever reason.

"You don't need to ask me for permission."

"The Larkinson Assembly is still discussing the details of our clan's retainership program. It will take too much time to hammer out a consensus, and I can't afford to wait that long. Some of the doctors haven't been adjusting well to life in the Ylvaine Protectorate. If I don't offer them something solid, they're bound to leave. I don't want to lose these doctors, especially since they have proven to possess the right heart and motivation to work for the Foundation."

Ves couldn't be bothered to evaluate the doctors in person. If Director Clinton said they were alright, then that was already good enough.

"Fine. I'll give you permission to do so. Just remember that as their guarantor you're also responsible for their good behavior."

"I'll keep the docs, nurses and other personnel in line. We have our own doctors now. As long as I seek a couple more specialists, we don't have to depend on our hosts states to deal with any medical emergencies!"

After departing from Cloudy Curtain, the Foundation turned into a homeless charity. While it lost much of its doctors and personnel, it still retained all of its medical equipment and other sophisticated hardware. As long as Clinton managed to attract new doctors, the Foundation could get back on track.

To adjust to the new situation, Clinton proposed to base the Foundation on a ship and operate from there. This way, the clan would be able to receive advanced medical treatment regardless of where they traveled!

Ves approved Clinton's proposal. The expeditionary fleet he intended to build would certainly require a robust health service that could take care of many patients and treat many different ills.

After meeting with Director Clinton, Ves quickly wrapped up his remaining meetings and finally cleared his agenda.

"Is there nothing else that requires my attention, Benny?"

"Well, there's always something that could use your attention." His assistant dutifully responded as he glanced at his data pad. "If you ask me, though, you already did enough. For now, you can trust Mr. Raymond to run the LMC, Speaker Ovrin to run the Larkinson Assembly, Commander Melkor to lead the Avatars and so on. They don't require any further direction as far as I know."

"Good!" Ves let out a deep breath. "Then I can finally return to designing mechs!"

"There is one thing though..."

"Spit it out."

"The Ylvainans want to meet with you and discuss certain proposals regarding your.. integration in the Ylvaine Protectorate."

Ves grimaced. "I already made my stance clear. I oppose greater entanglement with the Ylvainans. No offense, but the LMC and our Larkinson Clan will never become Ylvainans."

"The Ylvainans know that, but they're not giving up. They really want the Bright Martyr to stay here on a permanent basis."

"Urgh. They're acting as clingy as my girlfriend."

"How do you wish to respond?"

"Just refuse their requests. I've already met with Madame Cecily Curin and the other representatives of the government. I made my opinions very clear back then. There shouldn't be any need to meet with them again if I'm just going to regurgitate the exact same answers.

There might be trouble if he continued to rebuff the Ylvainans, but Ves did not expect them to push too hard. He was the Bright Martyr, after all, and his mech designs had practically saved the Protectorate.

The three leading dynasties all respected him and knew better than to mess with him. The Ylvainan people would eat them alive if they did anything towards a Martyred Follower that supposedly received the Great Prophet's blessing!

After dealing with these matters, Ves left the headquarters and returned to the Austen Estate where he enjoyed supper with Gloriana and kept her company for the rest of the evening.

As they sat on a bench in the back garden of the estate grounds, they both watched the darkening skies and the local star dipping below the horizon.

The Larkinson Mandate rested next to Ves, attracting the attention of both Clixie and Lucky.

"Miaow!"

"Meow meow."

"Miaow."

Nyaaa?

Ves watched on with interest as Clixie attempted to groom the Golden Cat, only for her tongue and head to pass right through!

"Miaooooow!"

"They're so cute." Gloriana smiled at their antics. "It's so strange. I can definitely feel a connection to the proto-god you've made. This.. Golden Cat of yours is much more to my liking than your other proto-gods. You should make all of your proto-gods female next time!"

"I'll keep that in mind." Ves vaguely replied, having no intentions to abide by this request. "How are you, by the way? Are you still able to remain productive in your exhausted state?"

"You don't have to worry about me. I took your advice in stride and tried to find a way to cope with this state. While I don't feel inspired, it hasn't affected my other capabilities. As long as I don't have to do anything too imaginative, I can still solve lots of problems."

Since Gloriana said she was okay, Ves dropped the matter. It was actually genuine good for Gloriana to undergo these situations from time to time. Ves believed that she would definitely be able to elevate her mental toughness through these ordeals.

This was important because mental fortitude was very important in performing draining spiritual techniques. The improved method that Gloriana utilized before was too crude and inefficient, causing her to endure an excessive amount of strain due to her lack of control.

"How is your brother and your cousin faring here?"

"They're fine." Gloriana replied. "They're not glad to be here, but you don't have to worry about them leaving. Ranya at least has plenty of work to do. According to her, your physique is making her life a lot harder."

"What about your brother? I can't imagine that the Hegemony will let an expert pilot like him roam around outside the Hegemony."

"Brutus is more than willing to protect me, but he can only stay with us for so long. Once he's recalled, I'd like for us to accompany him back to Hegemony space. Would you like to visit my home state? I can introduce you to my mother and my relatives!"

Ves coughed. "AHEM, let's not be so hasty. Before we manage to complete your mother's challenge, I think it's best for me to keep some distance. Who knows what an awful impression I'll make when I meet her in person? It's better to reconsider this matter after I have a chance to leave a better impression."

"I.. guess you're right." Gloriana nodded thoughtfully. "My mother rarely changes her mind. I don't know how she'll react to a boy like you in your current state. Before we design and build a suitable masterwork mech, you're not much different from anyone else who hails from a lesser state."

He objected to her evaluation. "I'm already standing out a lot from my peers! None of the other Journeymen I know of has managed to swing the Sand War with their mech designs! It took an entire team of Seniors to introduce the Dawnbreaker line and steal some of my thunder!"

"Hehe.. I know that, Ves. That doesn't mean the others know. Our Wodin Dynasty doesn't have a tradition of raising mech designers, it doesn't really understand the nuances of mech design, especially at the higher levels."

"You'd think they would take the advice of someone knowledgeable in this field.. such as you."

She shrugged. "I'm not enough."

They paused for a moment and enjoyed each other's body warmth. Gloriana's lavender scent continued to tickle Ves' nose, causing him to bask in her presence.

In the meantime, the three cats each attempted to interact with each other, to mixed results. All of them existed in different forms and phases!

"Meow!"

Lucky finally had the bright idea of turning himself intangible. Once he did so, he actually managed to touch the Golden Cat's spiritual body!

"Meow meow meow!"

He immediately grew excited and pounced on the Golden Cat, much to her distress! Lucky soon gave the juvenile spiritual entity her very first bath!

Nyaaaa! Nyaaaa! Nyaaaaa!

"Miaooow."

Clixie practically begged Lucky to teach her how to turn intangible, but it was not to be. The circumstances where the mechanical cat gained this ability couldn't be replicated!

"You wanted to use the Golden Cat you made to design a mech exclusive to the Larkinsons, right?" Gloriana spoke up again. "What have you come with so far?"

"I've developed some ideas." Ves carefully replied as he organized his recent deliberations. "The mech I wanted to design has to serve several different purposes. First, it has to remain relevant for at least a couple of years. I don't want to spend all of this time designing a mech that will grow redundant just a year later."

"Understandable."

"Second, I want it to play a useful role in my attempt to elevate the Avatars, Battle Criers, Sentinel and other Larkinsons into second-class mech pilots. I think I can make the transition easier if I design a mech that straddles the line between the two classes. A two-and-a-half-class mech, as it were. It will basically have some of the capabilities of a second-class mech without the accompanying complexity."

"How will you do that?"

"I have some ideas."

Breyer alloy played an essential role in that. Ves wasn't ready to reveal this, though.

"What else do you have?"

"The third priority is to design something that can suit most of my mech pilots. I've recently ordered Benny to perform a survey, and he listed out all of the piloting specialties my warriors possess. They run the gamut, but most of them specialize in either light mechs, swordsman mechs, knight mechs or rifleman mechs."

"There are huge differences in their underlying designs. You'd have to design at least three mechs to cover most of the bases."

"I can't afford to waste too much time on this project." Ves stated. "I only want to spend two or three months at most on this project before I move on. That's not enough to design an entire suite of mechs for my mech pilots, so I decided to take a different approach."

Gloriana was smart enough to guess his solution. "You're designing a modular mech platform? That's.. bold."

She didn't sound too enthused by the idea, and for good reason. A modular mech platform was basically a mech designed to accommodate different roles from the ground up. It did so by incorporating a certain degree of modularity in their designs.

This enabled customers to swap the loadouts of the mech in the field. For example, to convert a knight mech into a rifleman mech, the arms as well as the weapon had to be changed.

Though this sounded incredibly useful, in practice a modular mech platform consisted of a huge amount of compromises!

What it gained in versatility, it lost in many performance aspects! The core structure of the mech had to accommodate way too many roles, which prevented it from excelling in any single area!

This stood in stark contrast to specialized mechs, who weren't nearly as good in adopting different loadouts and fighting methods.

For Ves to state that he would take three months at most to design a fully-featured modular mech platform sounded crazy!

A modular mech platform design was an incredibly burdensome investment that didn't always pay off.

An ordinary mech designer took at least a year to design such a formidable project! What gave Ves the confidence he could complete it in three months?

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Chapter 1820 Desolate Gloriana

A modular mech platform was the catch-all term for mechs designed to accommodate multiple roles.

Unlike the multipurpose mechs common in first-class mech designs, modular mech platforms weren't designed to fulfill multiple roles at the same time.

Instead, they consisted of a very broad and adaptable base which could be outfitted in several different ways.

Need a ranged mech? Then slap some precision arms to the torso, add some targeting systems to the internals, and equip the resulting mech with a rifle.

Need a knight mech? Rip off the gear previously added onto the platform and instead add some heavier arms as well as extra layers of armor. Add a sword and shield and voila, a knight mech!

Such versatility was very useful to outfits and forces that expected to face a variety of threats. The ability to convert a lot of mechs to a different mech type was incredibly valuable to some customers!

Some of the more famous modular mech platforms were able to turn into at least a dozen different mech types! From light skirmishers to artillery mechs, as long as the design was good enough, the choices were limitless!

Naturally, the tradeoffs were also significant.

There were many flaws associated with modular mech platforms that limited their popularity.

The most important one was that modular mech platforms couldn't match the performance of a specialized mech.

A force that fielded a company of specialized mechs would always beat an equivalent force of modular mech platforms! The gap in performance was simply too noticeable!

Unless the force that fielded the specialized mechs possessed obvious vulnerabilities, it would always be able to leverage its superior performance to overcome a more versatile adversary!

The second flaw associated with modular mech platforms was that they were incredibly difficult to design well. The greater the amount of loadouts, the more the design had to accommodate different demands.

This not only increased the workload, but also the difficulty of completing the design!

Most mech designers had no good reason to embark on such an ambitious project. They could just invest their time in designing a bunch of mechs with clear purposes.

It simply wasn't worth it for most mech designers to waste their time on modular mech platforms!

The third flaw associated with these kinds of weapon platforms was that the mech pilots didn't like them either. Since a modular mech platform had to accommodate several different roles, it wouldn't excel in any of them, meaning that the mech pilot had to exert a lot more effort to reach the same level of performance as before!

According to mech pilots, modular mech platforms tended to be clunky, making it difficult to perform advanced movements or reacting quickly enough to changing circumstances. The mechs also tended to feature very large weak points as a result of opening up the possibility to detach and replace components in the field.

Gloriana knew all of these faults. Even in second-class mech design, her colleagues rarely embarked on something so quixotic.

"Ah, I think I'll be able to succeed as long as I limit the scope of my project." Ves smiled at her in reassurance. "Modular mech platforms may have gotten a bad rap, but that is because most of their designers were too ambitious for their own good. They bit more than they could chew and suffered the consequences of their overconfidence."

"You don't sound so different from those fools right now." Gloriana poked her finger against his chest in accusation. "How can you possibly complete such a vast mech design project in three months?"

"I'm not designing this for the mech market, Gloriana. I don't have to conform to the demands of consumers. Do you know what this means? I can set any design goal I want! Ordinarily, a modular mech platform has to accommodate a lot of possible loadouts, but that just complicates the overall design. Right now, I don't think I need to design for so many roles. I'll only limit the design to three or four roles at most, which is much more manageable."

Things got complicated if Ves attempted to accommodate more than half-a-dozen roles in a single mech platform. By cutting this number in half, the platform would not be burdened too much!

"This.. can work." She said after contemplating her argument. "It's still very difficult to accommodate a ranged mech and a melee mech onto a single platform, though."

"I'm already aware of that. I've already designed a hero mech and some hybrid mechs. I'm more than familiar with the tradeoffs. This has actually given me the confidence to embark on this project. I know what I'm dealing with and I'm confident in both of our skills."

"What about the lowered performance?"

"This won't be a problem either as long as I throw enough resources and money at the problem. I've.. recently came across a source of highly valuable exotics. I also have a lot of money at my disposal. It's no problem for us to overcome this downside by relying on the superior attributes of expensive materials."

"This... you're usually not like this, Ves." His girlfriend frowned. "Usually, you always emphasize the need to be more frugal and efficient in our designs. This is a departure from your normal design direction."

Ves shrugged. "I guess I'm becoming more of a second-class mech designer. It's still a fairly bad idea to adopt this approach if I intend to design a commercial mech, but I'm not competing with anyone this time. Since I'm designing a mech for myself and my forces, I can accept a bad deal as long as I can fulfill my other goals!"

"What are they?"

He patted the book their two cats were preoccupied with. "The Golden Cat needs some exercise. As the Larkinson Clan's ancestral spirit, she needs to be able to exercise her power and responsibilities more directly than lazying around in her book all the time. Giving her the ability of a design spirit will allow her to bond deeper with the mech pilots of our clan and take on more of their traits."

This was very important to the development of the Golden Cat and the Larkinson Clan. Both of them were intertwined, and using the medium of mechs to increase their dependence to each other ensured that neither of them drifted apart!

"I see how that can be important. The Golden Cat will watch over your clan for a very long time. You don't have to resort to a modular mech platform to achieve this goal, though. You can just design a single mech type to fulfill this purpose for now and design other other mech types later on to expand the available choice."

Ves shook his head. "It's too slow. I'm only designing this mech to strengthen my clan and mech troops. It's not worth it for me to spend time on multiple designs when one broad project will do. We only have a limited amount of years left before we begin our grand expedition. By that time, I hope to convert most of our potentates into second-class mech pilots by offering them a training mech that can facilitate their training!"

She recalled the priority he mentioned earlier. "I see. Your goal is to design a training mech. The reason why you want to give a third-class mech some second-class capabilities is so you can give all of your mech pilots a taste of what it is like to pilot an actual second-class mech. This will narrow the gap and make it easier for them to gain the needed proficiency to pilot more advanced mechs."

"That's right. This is why it doesn't matter if my mech is more costly and less efficient than my other work. They still have to be effective in battle and exceed the performance of our existing mechs, of course, but my primary intention for designing a modular mech platform is to offer most of our mech pilots a bridge to second-class mech design!"

She accepted his decision after she heard his reasoning. His decision was quite logical and not as burdensome as she thought. As long as Ves limited the scope of this project and possessed enough money and resources to produce such expensive mechs, then it was actually viable!

"You care a lot about cultivating second-class pilots from your own people." She remarked. "Don't you think you're being a bit too excessive, though? The amount of time, money and resources you invest in elevating the quality your own people is out of proportion. If you want, I can hook you up with some Hexers who can be persuaded to work for us as long as we offer them enough incentives!"

Ves grimaced. "I'm not too keen on hiring Hexers, especially since your culture will clash with ours. I don't want our Larkinson Clan to depend on others to defend itself. If we follow your suggestion, we'll just be creating a lesser version of the Glory Battalion. Despite being founded in your name, you're not actually in control over it! I'm trying to remedy this problem! We can't depend on your mother or the Wodins forever!"

His stance caught her aback. She studied him carefully with remarkably clear eyes.

He was not facing Gloriana in her prime at this time. Instead, he was facing a tired but more perceptive and rational version of her. Now that she became accustomed to her spiritual exhaustion, she had become quite sharp in some ways!

"You.. never intend to go to Hegemony, are you? You're afraid. You're afraid of my culture and my people."

"I.." Ves silently cursed himself. He never wanted to clue her in on this! "Can you blame me? I'm a man. Not a boy. How do you think I would feel if I entered a state where I'm forever being marginalized and belittled?"

"We had a plan!"

"That's not good enough, Gloriana! I agree to gain your mother's approval because that is what you desire, but I have needs as well! No matter what I do, it's impossible for me to feel at ease in the Hexadric Hegemony. I feel more at ease in the Ylvaine Protectorate than your home state! Doesn't that tell you something?!"

Gloriana looked upset. "You've never been to the Hegemony. You don't know how good it is to be a Hexer."

"Hexer culture and beliefs don't mesh well with me at all! The same goes for my clan! Unlike your people, we Larkinsons highly value our men! It would be a severe dereliction of duty for me as clan patriarch if I follow your suggestion and move everyone to Hegemony!"

She almost couldn't believe it. She always assumed she would end her extended excursion to the lesser states and return to the Hegemony with her boyfriend in tow. She had dreamt up many different scenarios where she introduced Ves to her mother and the rest of the Wodin Dynasty and helped him integrate into Hegemony society.

To hear that Ves emphatically did not wish to become a Hexer or even visit her home state was a very big blow to her! If her emotions weren't so muted, she would have thrown a fit or done something worse!

As it was, Gloriana slowly separated from Ves and lowered her head. She looked incredibly desolate right now.

It was as if she found Ves in bed with another woman!

"Ves..."

"Gloriana..."

"I don't want to talk to you right now." She hissed and shoved him away. "You can go fantasize about your next mech design project on your own! I really can't believe you right now. How can you possibly hate Hexers? They're my people, Ves."

"I love you, but I don't love your people." Ves admitted. He decided to come clean. "Don't try and integrate me into your society. It won't work. I'm not a boy to be bullied around by every woman in your state. My clan won't accept such treatment either! If you can let go of your delusion of turning me into a Hexer, we can make our relationship work. If you can't, then I'm sorry!"

A crack had formed in their relationship!

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Chapter 1821 Valuable Boy

Three advanced ships formed an isolated fleet in high orbit of Kesseling VIII. A patrol of mechs constantly orbited around the Stellar Chaser, the Frozen Leaf and the Serendipity, preventing any snoopers from sneaking close.

Aboard the Frozen Leaf, the smallest of the three vessels, Dr. Ranya tried her best to analyze the outcome of certain changes to the biological makeup of the Archimedes Rubal implant.

It was too bad she was playing host to her cousin, who just fled the planet in order to distance herself from her boyfriend!

"I can't believe it, Ranya. Ves doesn't want to become a Hexer. Don't you know how much that ruins my plans? I wanted him to live with me at home and help our state rise to a greater. With his expertise along with my own, our mechs are destined to boost the Hegemony just as our Desolate Soldier and Deliverer mechs have boosted the lesser states."

Ranya finally couldn't take it any longer. She turned away from the projected interface and turned her swivel chair towards Gloriana, who was currently curled up on a sofa while hugging Clixie.

"Miaow. Miaow."

"I think Clixie thinks you're being too melodramatic over a boy." Ranya guessed.

Gloriana squeezed her cat, eliciting another miaow.

"You don't know what she wants. Only Ves understands her better than me!" She sighed. "I really miss Ves."

"Really? After all he said, you're still pining for him?" Ranya palmed her face. "Face reality, Gloriana. He's never going to be the boy you want! Ves is nothing more than a brat who pretends to be a man. I get it that a boy like that can be appealing, but bad boys don't make for good marriage material. Your mother will never allow it! I think the only reason she tolerated your stay with him was because she wanted to give you a learning experience. Ves is just supposed to be a phase for you! Now that you've learned your lesson, it's time to get over him and return to the Hegemony and take your true place in our dynasty!"

Perhaps her words might drill through someone's head in ordinary circumstances, but she underestimated Gloriana's resolve!

"You don't understand, Ranya. Ves is more than a phase to me. Regardless of what you or my mother thinks, Ves is the key to everything. I literally can't bear to be apart from him. I won't allow it. I have to have him. I have to borrow his strength. It's the only way I'll make Master in my lifetime."

Ranya looked skeptical. "Plenty of mech designers made it to Master on their own. You're a great mech designer by all accounts."

Gloriana glared at her cousin. "You. Don't. Understand."

At this time, the hatch to the lab slid open, allowing entry for another Wodin.

"Brutus!" Ranya made a pleading gesture towards the newcomer. "Please help me put some sense in your sister. She's still smitten with Ves after he completely declared his hatred of our people!"

A growl escaped from his throat. Brutus possessed a great amount of devotion towards his state! The Hegemony was one of the few states in human space that had seen the light! Anyone who insulted the superiority of women was too ignorant to deserve their attention!

His anger strengthened his concern towards his sister. He sat down next to her and embraced her in an affectionate hug. Gloriana soon melted in his arms.

"Ranya is right. You deserve better. I always told you that the boys back at home are better than the rats from the lesser states. No matter how exceptional Ves appears, he can't overcome the gap between and properly-raised boys.

Unfortunately, not even her closest brother was enough to make her budge! Gloriana dug her heels even deeper!

"None of you understand what Ves means to me. No matter what he thinks about our state, I still love him. I still want to be with him. It's just so frustrating that he doesn't want anything to do with Hexers. Oh, I just want to bash his head until he can finally think straight enough to see how perfect it would be for us to be a couple in the Hegemony. Why is he so blind?"

Both Ranya and Brutus exchanged an exasperated stance. It seemed that dragging Gloriana back to the Hegemony would only make her pine after the bad boy who stole her heart even more!

Perhaps they needed to flip this around.

"Why not.. enlighten Ves more forcefully?" Ranya carefully suggested.

Her cousin looked up at her. "How?"

The exobiologist flipped her green hair and pointed her thumb at her work interface. "I can slip in some secret code in his bioimplant. Once I've installed the tampered implant in his head, he'll be your lovely little dog who will always bark on your command!"

"No!" Gloriana hissed. Her expression turned ugly. "I'll never do that to my love. Ves wouldn't be who he is if we tamper with his thoughts. I'll lose at least half of what I want if I let you sabotage my boy. Besides, do you think it will work? Ves is far more careful than you think. He is definitely on guard against you. Stop thinking about messing with Ves in this way. It will only make things worse between us. I'll kill you myself if you cross the line!"

Ranya was taken aback by Gloriana's threat! "You.."

"Maybe we don't have to go that far." Brutus quickly interjected. "Since Ves doesn't acknowledge the greatness of our state, we'll have to 'invite' him to visit our home and experience our superior culture for himself! I'm sure he can be persuaded to recognize the truth. It wouldn't be the first time our people have converted the ignorant to the light."

Gloriana shook her head. "It won't work. Have you forgotten what he did to the last people who forcefully attempted to bring him away? Aisling Curver limped back to the Warsaw Giant System in disgrace while the Coalition Reserve Corps lost an entire mobile supply frigate. Ves captured the ship by himself together with his cat of his, killing dozens of Fridaymen in the process. Don't underestimate Lucky. If my guess is right, none of us can block him from doing what he wants."

"Is that cat that good?"

"Miaow."

"Clixie is better, of course." She affectionately rubbed the head of her cat. "Lucky comes close, though. He has some unique tricks that we simply can't guard against. I advise you to drop any notions of using force against Ves. If you've studied his record and gained access to some of the classified files on him, you'll realize he's a much greater threat than you can possibly think. Plenty of soldiers, pirates and assassins attempted to capture him or take his life, but what is the result? They all failed without question, and I don't think it's a coincidence that Ves has managed to survive and get on top of the situation time and time again."

"Aren't you exaggerating too much, cousin? I get that you adore Ves and don't want him to develop any bad blood against us, but we're not dummies like the Fridaymen."

"Drop it. I'll free him myself if any of you attempt to do something so stupid. I won't let anything risk our relationship any further, especially now that it has become shaky. I won't tolerate any mistakes."

The argument continued. Both Ranya and Brutus wanted Gloriana to get over Ves, while Gloriana thought her two relatives were taking her boyfriend far too lightly!

As someone who was obsessed with Ves, Gloriana knew far more about him than any other person! Not even the Larkinsons could match against her understanding of him! All of the times she kept him under observation was not in vain!

After a few minutes of fruitless persuasion, Gloriana finally had enough.

"Stop." She raised her palm. "None of you understand what is at stake. Ves is more than a boy to me. He is my best possible partner and the key to produce truly great mechs. I won't allow you to do anything that jeopardizes my relationship."

"Perhaps it will help us if you tell us exactly why Ves is so great for you." Ranya suggested.

A calculating expression appeared on Gloriana's face. A lot of thoughts passed through her mind as she deliberated on what to do. Eventually, her eyes glinted as she came to an important decision.

"I'll tell you what I know and what I've guessed, but this must stay between us. Ves is intensively secretive and he'll respond horribly if he finds out what I've done. Understand?"

Both Ranya and Brutus reluctantly promised to keep a secret. In the meantime, Gloriana ordered the guards of the Glory Battalion to step out before activating a jamming device.

"Alright, come closer." Gloriana huddled forward. "I don't want this conversation to be leaked. Clixie, can you keep watch? I'm depending on you to warn us if he's near."

"Miaow."

Her cat dutifully patrolled the lab and kept her senses out for any sign of Lucky!

Once that was done, Gloriana finally turned to her two close relatives. "What I'm about to tell you sounds fantastic, but it's the truth. First, let me explain to you about the divine powers he commands…"

Both Ranya and Brutus looked more and more incredulous as Gloriana plainly revealed Ves' ability to create proto-gods, mastery over the domain of life and the immense potential of a monopoly on divine components!

"T-That's absurd!" Ranya looked shocked. "You're painting him as a god!"

"Is there any proof of your assertions?" Brutus managed to retain his calm. "It's not that I'm doubting you, sister. It's just.. difficult for me to suspect that he's been deceiving you all this time. It sounds too improbable that a random boy from a lesser state is capable of so much."

"You've been here for a while, Brutus. Haven't you ever studied the mechs he designed? Haven't you experienced all of the Desolate Soldiers, Holy Soldiers, Deliverers and other mechs up close? The so-called 'glows' that are at the heart of these machines aren't as simple as you think. They are actually the external manifestations of the proto-gods that Ves has created. I even helped him with this miraculous process a few times."

"This.."

"There's more." Gloriana added. "If I'm right, Ves probably found a clue on what allows a mech pilot to become an expert pilot. It's related to his design philosophy. Since he can create proto-gods from scratch, he can also turn people into gods. Just watch the mech pilot called Silent William closely over the next couple of months. Ves has been trying to turn him in an expert candidate in order to complete an assignment from the MTA. I can tell you now that he will definitely find a way to succeed."

This time, Brutus couldn't remain composed anymore. This news was truly too shocking! "This is absurd!"

"It's the truth." Gloriana confidently stated. "Look. Even if half of what I said is wrong, that still leaves plenty of value in Ves. Do you realize now why I can't allow anything to worsen our relationship?"

A brief silence ensued as both Ranya and Brutus struggled to make up their minds.

"Suppose.. this is true, then it's not wrong to pursue him." Brutus gruffly admitted. "We'll have to intensify our observation of him and dig deeper in his history. As long as my sister is right, we can't lose an asset as valuable as him to the Fridaymen or some other beneficiary. The Hexadric Hegemony must secure him at all costs!"

Ranya reluctantly nodded. "And we have to do it in a way that doesn't involve force or coercion. Ves is not as simple as he looks. His strengths and abilities sound way too advanced for him to be a simple boy from the boondocks of the Komodo Star Sector. If he doesn't manage to turn the tables, then perhaps a backer of his will make us pay!"

Chapter 1822 Watchful Shadow

"It's too difficult to bring him to the Hegemony if he really doesn't want to go." Gloriana emphasized. "For reasons I've already explained, it is an exceedingly poor decision to force him. It has never worked out to his enemies, and we won't fare any better. Don't think we can use our superiority as Hexers as an advantage. The Fridaymen tried that and learnt first-hand what a disaster they provoked."

Though Ranya and Brutus didn't entirely agree, they agreed to drop any drastic actions. The risk of something going wrong was too great, and that would have devastating consequences.

As long as Gloriana was right, then it was vital to secure this powerful asset for the Wodin Dynasty and the Hexadric Hegemony!

Between the two, Ranya was still on the fence. She couldn't conceive that a low-class boy like Ves was actually a diamond in the rough. It broke all of her prior assumptions of Ves! It was too difficult to reconcile her conflicting views.

Brutus on the other hand was much more willing to accept Gloriana's claims. He knew her sister well enough to know she rarely made a mistake. Their mother raised them to be sure of their choices and decisive in their judgement.

In addition, as an expert pilot, his intuition wasn't weak. He was very sensitive towards Gloriana, so he knew how deeply she believed in her words. Her infatuation towards Ves and her belief in his alleged abilities were completely genuine!

Having met Ves in person, Brutus always got the sense that the Brighter was more than he appeared. Anyone who managed to capture his sister's heart was bound to be exceptional! With her high standards, she would never settle for anything lesser!

It was his faith in his sister that allowed Brutus to set aside his doubts.

"I have a suggestion." He said, attracting the attention of the two women. "Considering Ves' disposition, it is truly difficult to make him see the light. He's not that different from other male foreigners. They keep getting hung up over the disadvantages without recognizing how beneficial it is to live under a new order. You can't force these kinds of people to embrace our way of life, at least not without drastic measures."

"What are you thinking, brother?"

"If you keep trying to drag him to our state, your relationship with him will only get more strained. By his own words, he loves you, but not the Hegemony. If you want to repair your bond with him, then you will just have to accept this reality."

"The Hegemony is my home. I had plans. It was supposed to be perfect." Gloriana looked glum.

"There are more ways to make Ves embrace the truth, sister. Rather than drag him to the Hegemony, why not drag the Hegemony to him? Hexers like us shouldn't be confined to this star sector. Aren't you planning to embark on an adventure to the Red Ocean with him? He'll need a lot of help. Outfitting a full pioneering fleet isn't cheap or easy, especially in a short timeframe."

As Brutus made his point, Gloriana began to see some hope.

"I see.. Ves wants to leave in less than a decade for some reason. No matter how many well he does, he definitely needs our help to outfit his fleet. This is our chance. All of the ships provided by us will have to be crewed by Hexers. With thousands, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of Hexers traveling along, we can found a new colony of Hexers in the Red Ocean. Home will never be far away in this case. It's perfect."

"This entire situation sounds too far-fetched." Ranya spoke. "Isn't the Red Ocean supposed to be accessible to the very best?"

"I believe in Ves. He will succeed in becoming a galactic pioneer. Once that happens, will you finally believe that he is better than all of the boys at home?"

"I.. maybe." Ranya grudgingly said. "It all sounds like a fairy tale. How can you be sure of everything you said? It will take more than this to make me trust your word."

"Just stick around and see what we can accomplish in the next couple of years. I can guarantee you that Ves will definitely impress you all!"

Under Gloriana's persuasion, Ranya seriously considered staying around. It wasn't as if there were any great opportunities at home due to the Komodo War.

In addition, Gloriana had been generous in providing Ranya with some of the funding she needed to further her research. This gave her another incentive to stay, though it was hard for her to get used to the appalling foreign environment.

The Hegemony was a utopia compared to the poor and barren states like the Bright Republic and the Ylvaine Protectorate! Ranya missed all kinds of luxuries back home, and she almost couldn't stand the way that boys in foreign states thought they were equal to women!

Brutus studied the expressions of his sister and his cousin. He had made his own calculations. His first priority was to ensure the wellbeing of his sister. As long as this was assured, he wanted to do what was best for the Wodins, and after that the Hegemony.

Ensuring the expeditionary fleet possessed a strong Hexer influence would definitely be beneficial in multiple ways.

No matter how amazing Ves appeared to be, he was just one person. While he was making a good effort in elevating the LMC and the Larkinson Clan, to Brutus they would never be on par with true Hexer organizations.

The Wodins discussed what they should do. Of the three, Gloriana was the most content of all. Though she had betrayed Ves' trust by revealing some of her secrets, she no longer had to worry about Ranya and Brutus acting against her interests!

Instead, they could become her strongest two helpers!

"I would really like to observe Ves more closely and see whether he is truly as great as you describe, but I won't be stay for long."

"When will you leave, brother?"

"I originally planned to escort Ranya back to Hegemony after she is done with her assignment here. If she wants to stay, then I'll have to return regardless. The Fridaymen are growing bolder every day."

Gloriana hummed and rubbed her chin. "You should go. We might as well take advantage of your departure by letting you pass on Ves' secrets to mother. I'm sure she'll be much more inclined to support our relationship."

"I'll do that, but I don't know what mother will eventually think." Brutus cautioned. "In any case, I'll make the best of our remaining time by facilitating the training of Ves' mech pilots. I've noticed that some of them are trying hard to pilot our class of mechs. I have to turn away each time they take their stolen second-class mechs out for a spin."

"That's great." Gloriana smiled and hugged Clixie against her chest. "It'll be hard to make Ves think better of Hexers, but we can make a start by showing that our Wodin Dynasty can be helpful to him. He's a lot more malleable as long as he gains some benefits."

"What if you're wrong?"

"I can handle Ves. We still love each other. A few disagreements doesn't change that. I don't want any of you doing anything drastic. Ves isn't alone. Aside from the people around him and the allies he can call upon, he also has a partner I haven't told you about. Calabast is a former DIVA agent. We're lucky she's not a mech designer. If she was, she would definitely claim him for herself."

"What? There is a DIVA agent here? You should have mentioned this earlier!" Brutus looked alarmed. "What is her kind doing here?!"

"As far as I know, Calabast is no longer with DIVA. That doesn't mean she lost her competence and her skill. She's very perceptive and guards Ves in the dark, so don't assume our actions won't go unnoticed. However, I've spoken with her and gained an understanding of her. To get her off our backs, we only need to show that we are a boon to Ves."

The revelation that Ves was entangled with a former DIVA agent put credence in Gloriana's claims.

The spies who work for the Hexadric Hegemony were anything but stupid! For an elite operative to resign from DIVA in order to attach herself to a mech designer from a lesser state that there was truly something special about Ves!

Even Ranya came around somewhat.

"Since another Hexer has managed to form a partnership with Ves, why not join hands? It doesn't sound as if she is competing for his affection, so there should be grounds for cooperation."

Gloriana hesitated for a moment. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea. I think Calabast made a different choice from us. From what I inferred, after she participated in a classified mission that caused her to bump into Ves, she not only walked away from DIVA, but also separated from the Vraken Dynasty!"

This caused Brutus to become even more vigilant towards this supposed former spy! The Vraken Matriarchal Dynasty was a lot greater than the Wodin Dynasty! The former was one of the six most powerful rulers of the Hegemony, while the latter was just a vassal. For someone to pay a huge price and separate herself from a powerful backer took an enormous amount of determination!

The greater implication of these moves was that the DIVA agent evidently served her own interests rather than the interests of the Vraken Dynasty or the state.

The existence of Calabast cast an ominous shadow over the Wodins. They were confident that they could manipulate Ves even when they were limited to softer means. Yet with a former DIVA agent looming over their heads, they could not be too blatant in their actions.

"We need to investigate even further." Ranya stated. "We need to find out more and verify the claims you've made. I'm not comfortable with knowing so little about Ves and this alleged spy."

Gloriana nodded in agreement. As long as her cousin and her brother found proof, then they would definitely be onboard with her relationship with Ves!

She still offered a word of caution, though.

"Our movements won't escape Calabast's attention. I'll handle her when she confronts me. We've already formed an understanding between us. As long as we don't trip her alarms, we won't encounter any hindrances."

As the three Wodins plotted to grow closer to Ves, a certain former DIVA agent looked up in the sky as she walked on the streets of Krent.

A slight smirk grew on her face. "Interesting."

She shook her head and restored her original expression. After taking a few steps, she entered an alley, where she promptly disappeared in thin air.

Meanwhile, Ves, who was ignorant of all of this, spent his time tutoring the Larkinson seeds at the LMC's design labs.

All four of them had become a part of the clan. Each of them left their mark on the pages of the Larkinson Mandate. This essentially turned the Larkinson seeds into his own property, causing him to value their development a lot more!

"Maisie, you're the oldest of your group." He addressed one of the seeds. "Your studies have proceeded well and you've already picked up some of the rudimentary knowledge and principles of mech design. Have you considered where you wish to study? This is one of the most important choices you can make. Each mech design university is different."

The young teenager looked uncertain. "You told me that you'd recommend us to the Dorum Center of Technology and Innovation, but.."

Ves grimaced. "If you really want to attend the DCTI, then I'll allow it. Our Larkinson Clan may have left the Bright Republic, but the Larkinson Family will still stand up on your behalf while you are there. However, is this what you want? If you want something better, I'll do my best to get you in another institution. Do you have another choice?"

"Well.." Maisie took a deep breath before voicing her request. "If it's not too much trouble.. can I attend a Hexer University?"

"..."

Chapter 1823 Troublesome Choice

In the next couple of days, the Wodins made some quiet movements. Not only did they dispatch some people to snoop around, but Brutus Wodin also made a few more appearances.

Ostensibly, he wanted to take a look at the four Fridayman mechs that Ves had captured. While he was observing the ongoing training sessions with the precious mechs turned practice tools, Brutus charitably offered a few tips. He was especially charitable towards the female pilots and quickly earned their appreciation!

For a second-class expert pilot to grace them with his presence was an enormous honor! Though there was a lot of apprehension from the Larkinsons, Avatars and other mech pilots at first, Brutus consciously reigned in his disdain and tried to blend in with the natives.

While he wasn't a particularly good actor, his natural demeanor as an expert pilot helped a lot. Regular mech pilots always looked up to expert pilots, so Brutus only needed to speak a couple of words to make an impact!

At the same time, Dr. Ranya Wodin began to work more earnestly in preparing the bioimplant for surgery. She used to regard this task as a chore, but it was different now that Ves was more than just a mutt in her eyes.

Her cooperation with Dr. Lupo deepened as she shared more of her insights. She even went out of the way to propose material upgrades to the bioimplant that could substantially improve its performance.

Naturally, she abided by her promise and did nothing that would jeopardize Gloriana's relationship with Ves. She offered full explanations and answered every question, leaving no doubt that there was anything nefarious about her change of heart.

All the while, Ves paid little attention to what went on outside. So long as his subordinates didn't inform him of anything important, he spent most of his time in the design labs.

He not only supervised the two design teams in their attempts to upgrade the Aurora Titan model, he also devoted a fair amount of personal attention to each mech designer.

He guided Mayer Torto's development, helped Merrill Truman integrate in the second design team and imparted some fundamental lessons to the Larkinson seeds.

His teaching sessions with Maisie, Maikel, Rennie and Zanthar Larkinsons became a little awkward ever since the oldest among them expressed a desire to study at an institution in the Hegemony.

Her reasoning was sound. Ves was trying to transition to second-class mech design. Wouldn't it be a bummer for her to start off with third-class mech design? It would take a lot of effort for her to catch up to second-class mech design! The fact that Ves required a lot of time to climb up to this height meant that Maisie would certainly have to spend a lot of years to bring herself up to this level!

Rather than go through all of that effort, why not attend a greater institution straight away and build up the right foundation when she was at her most adaptable state?

Though Ves agreed with her argument, for Maisie to opt for a Hexer University was something else!

He hadn't answered her immediately. He was far too conflicted about this issue to make a choice.

This choice not only impacted Maisie, but also the clan and his own interests.

If Maisie was a man, then Ves would have rejected this choice straight away.

Yet Maisie happened to be a girl, which meant she would not encounter as much ill treatment as him. To women, the Hexadric Hegemony was a utopia for their gender! They genuinely had it good in the state.

However, Ves often heard about how poor Brighter mech design students were treated in Leemar and other institutions of the Friday Coalition. The situation shouldn't be any different in the Hexadric Hegemony.

In fact, with the Komodo War in full force, the Hexers were probably a lot more suspicious towards foreigners! Maisie wouldn't be able to study at a Hexer University without any worries. A state in the middle of an existential war was anything but a good learning environment!

Despite all of these factors, Maisie still insisted on her choice!

After several days of contemplation, Ves finally decided to take her aside and resume their discussion.

"I've looked into the universities of the Hexadric Hegemony and many of them do indeed offer superior learning opportunities. As long as you don't encounter too many hindrances, it is absolutely possible for you to pick up more than you can ever learn from the Ansel University of Mech Design or Rawlings University. I still recommend you choose the latter, though."

"What makes Rawlings better than my preferred choice?"

"It's anything but easy for foreigners to attend Hexer schools. I don't have any friendships with them so we'll have to approach Gloriana for help. Even if she can get you in, you'll definitely suffer a lot of discrimination. Your learning capabilities are also inferior to the native Hexers who possess much better genes and augmentations than you can ever dream of. Rather than go through all of these ordeals, I think it's a better idea to attend a school at your level like Rawlings."

Rawlings was situated in the Sentinel Kingdom, which was quite removed from the ravages of the Sand War and the Komodo War. Though Ves heard that the state was currently undergoing some turmoil with the Nyxian Gap, this was merely a brush compared to the destructive firestorms engulfing the other parts of the Komodo Star Sector!

Sadly, his persuasion failed. Maisie looked more and more determined to study in the Hegemony than ever!

"You always told us to be more daring and ambitious in order to succeed, patriarch. That's what it means to be a Larkinson, right? I'm willing to fight tooth and nail to study and graduate from an institution in the Hegemony! I won't regret my choice even if the Hexers bully me every day! I can take care of myself. I swear!"

To her credit, Maisie appeared certain of her choice. She weighed the pros and cons and made an informed choice. Despite the war, despite the class differences, Masie still wanted to study at a Hexer University.

This was because she was willing to do whatever it took to set her up to success!

Ves admired her choice, and would ordinarily cheer her on if the circumstances weren't so dire. His relationship with Gloriana had also been put on hiatus, so it was not very convenient for him to bring up this matter to his girlfriend.

If Ves had a choice, he would have tried to send her to Leemar or some other sensible Fridayman institution. Sadly, that was out of the cards.

Should he send her to a mech design university situated in a different star sector? Ves rejected the choice. The Larkinsons wouldn't be able to provide her with enough support at such distances. Besides, Ves did not possess any means to facilitate Maisie's entry in those fancy institutions.

He decided to look at this situation in another light.

"What is it you want? Why are you so desperate to attend a second-class mech design university?"

"If I don't do this.. I'll end up like the other mech designers in your design team." She spoke. "I can see how you and Gloriana never pay too much attention to them. They're tools to you. Isn't that right?"

Ves blinked. Maisie was a lot sharper than he thought! This was an excellent trait for a mech designer, but it also put him in an awkward situation!

"Don't underestimate the mech designers who passed my muster. Each of them are useful and talented in their own way. Some of them have a surprising amount of potential. Each of them have the chance to reach my level and design."

"You don't have to cushion your words, sir. I have read up on this topic. Novices and apprentices are never valued unless they're direct disciples. I'm not trying to become one, but I think it would be best for me to start off at a greater height!"

The more Ves tried to persuade Maisie to change her mind, the more she stuck to her decision!

She was a typical Larkinson! Once she made up her mind, she was committed to her choice!

Though Ves could have offered numerous excuses to put an end to this request, he didn't have the heart to spoil her ambition.

Maisie was genuinely aware of the risks. Since she was so determined, Ves knew he wouldn't be able to get her to budge until he came back with graver news.

Ves eventually made a promise to her. "I'll approach Gloriana and pass on your request to her. It.. might take some time. Until then, study hard and prepare yourself as best as possible. The academic workload of a second-class university is incomparably immense!"

"Will you allow us to close the gap by allowing us to augment our mental abilities?"

"Ehh.. let me get back on that. It depends on how behind you are compared to a typical Hexer student. If the gap is too big, then I'm not opposed to remedying this. Maybe Dr. Ranya can help us in this regard."

Though he disagreed with Maisie's choice, her intentions were good. The Larkinson Clan would also be better served if Maisie became a second-class mech designer. Not only would the clan obtain another competent mech designer, she could also build up a relationship with the Hexers.

Ves left Maisie to her devices. He promised to bring this matter up to Gloriana, and he intended to go through with it. Just not now.

Instead, Ves paid some attention to both Merrill Truman and Mayer Torto. The two had little in common. The former used to be a pirate designer with a few years under her belt while the latter had recently graduated from Rawlings.

Both of them spent a lot of time with each other, though. Not only did they share some of their, they exchanged with each other with low voices.

It made sense for them to get along. Four of six members of the design team consisted entirely of Ylvainans!

He decided to have a chat with the two mech designers. Ves approached their work terminals with the Larkinson Mandate in one hand and Lucky resting on his shoulder.

"Hello Merrill. Hello Mayer. Have you become familiar with working in a design team environment?"

Both of them nodded.

"It's not so different from the cooperative assignments of my school." Mayer answered.

"We'd rather design our own mechs, but we're learning much from seeing the Ylvainans at work."

Ves smiled. "That's good. You shouldn't depend too much on the work for others. Don't forget to develop your own path. Your design philosophies are key to the development of your career. If you can't design mechs, you'll never be able to rise in our profession!"

"I have a question, sir." Merrill raised her hand. "I've heard that there is another mech designer working for you. I've never seen her, though."

"You're talking about Ketis. She shares something in common with you. For now, she chose to expand her horizons by attaching herself to an outfit fighting against the sandmen."

"I see. Will she return?"

Ves shrugged. "Who knows. She's good enough to set out on her own. I've taught her too well."

The longer they separated, the more Ves felt that Ketis was drifting further apart from him. She might return to take part in the grand expedition, or she might decide to stay in order to make her own way in life.

Ves didn't think the latter was likely, though. By all accounts, Calabast and by extension her Swordmaidens would take part in the grand expedition. There was no way that Ketis would choose to remain behind if the Swordmaidens decided to go!

"Keep improving. Both of you have promise, but it's up to you whether you can reach a higher level. As long as you advance to Journeyman, you can expect much better treatment from us!"

He truly looked forward to what they could do. With their spiritual potential, their future was promising as long as they kept exerting themselves!

Chapter 1824 True Nature

An indomitable fleet sailed forward in the emptiness of space. The backdrop of an uninhabited star system neatly outlined the grand and awe-inspiring contours of these engines of destruction.

No mech could possibly outmatch the grandeur of a warship!

Of every warship in existence, almost none surpassed the majesty of a battleship!

As one of humanity's mainstays in true interstellar war against the aliens, the battleship inspired awe and fear in equal respects.

Though the Age of Mechs had long pushed these immensely powerful ships into the shadows, they were still an essential component of human survival!

After the 3rd Archangel Frontier Battle Group scoured the sandman capital of alien life, the CFA forces lingered in the frontier to perform miscellaneous household cleaning.

Just because humanity hadn't conquered the frontier yet did not mean that the CFA refrained from meddling in what went on in lawless space.

The CFA's mandate extended beyond humanity's borders! Each pirate or alien that thought they were free to do what they wished were sorely deluded!

Since the battle group was already in the deep frontier, it might as well nip various other threats in the bud!

Over the course of performing these duties, there was plenty of merit to be earned. Though the enemies the battle group encountered posed no threat to the warships, every fleeter's performance still

Within the enormous halls and compartments of the Karaton Dwight, a single CFA officer eagerly fidgeted in a waiting room. The soothing white surroundings and the sterile air did little to tamper his excitement!

[Lieutenant Zonrad Reze, please enter the preparation room for your upcoming augmentation.]

"Right away, Monodwell!"

The scion of the Novilon Spaceborn Clan failed to maintain his composure as he passed by the other waiting officers and entered another compartment.

There, he met a doctor who stood by while inspecting a projected data feed.

"Lieutenant, congratulations on your promotion." The middle-aged man with unnaturally-smooth and pale skin greeted him. "Elevating yourself above the rank of lieutenant junior grade is an important checkmark in the career of every CFA officer. Only the worthy and the deserving are eligible for future advancement."

Though the doctor's words sounded polite, Zonrad understood the ill intent behind the message.

It would have been fantastic if he promoted at the age of 25. Yet it took two extra decades for him to climb up! If he delayed a few years longer, he might have passed the age where the CFA considered him eligible for promotion!

He'd be the shame of the Novilons if that were the case!

Fortunately for him, his time had finally come. In peacetime, Zonrad never felt at ease. In battle, he came alive.

Starting from the scouring of the sandman capital planet, the frequent if low-level skirmishes gave Zonrad plenty of opportunities to prove his capabilities!

Combined with Monodwell's helpful guidance, Zonrad finally managed to rise above his former station!

Zonrad was far too happy to pay any mind to the doctor's little games. He removed all of his gear, stripped himself to his underwear and answered all of the questions without paying any mind to the doctor's subtle provocations.

Perhaps before, Zonrad might have tried to answer back with a snark. His improved judgement told him to bear with the situation.

The doctor was a lieutenant-commander! It wouldn't do for Zonrad to insult a superior officer, especially when he was bound to become an admiral in the future!

Once the inspection finally ended, the doctor asked one last question.

"Are you sure you wish to redeem your promotion award on this implantation surgery? It is difficult and costly to revert your choice, especially since you have opted to insert another implant in your cranium."

"I am certain of my choice, sir." Zonrad spoke with determination.

"Very well, lieutenant. While I cannot guarantee the surgery will proceed without complications, I can promise you that the operation will be performed by our best implant surgeon. Please proceed to the next chamber where the operation will proceed."

Zonrad moved on and laid down on a flat platform which smoothly moulded to his contours. Energy restraints appeared in place which fixed Zonrad's limbs and head into place.

Various injectors pumped some chemicals in Zonrad's bloodstream while some sort of misty gas filled up the chamber.

The patient slowly felt woozy, and his vision started to blur. Soon, his consciousness faded, whereupon some surgery implements started to drop down from the ceiling.

After a lengthy and uneventful surgery, Zonrad's body moved to a recovery ward. For days, he slept while his new implant rooted deeper in his brain and solidified the connection between flesh and machine.

It took more than a week for Zonrad to wake up. As soon as he did, some bots inspected his condition and tested his cognitive functions.

Unsurprisingly, Zonrad passed with flying colors. No complications of any sort had occurred during the implantation surgery, and his new cranial upgrade had settled in his brain extremely well!

Once the doctors performed their due diligence and found little worth noting, they finally discharged their patient and moved on to providing to other patients.

The newly promoted lieutenant walked through the vast halls and extremely lengthy corridors of the Karaton Dwight, eschewing internal transit in favor of exercising his legs.

A curious smile adorned his face as he observed his surroundings in a new light. The vivid feeling of ventilated air brushing against his skin and the various metallic smells tickling his nose fascinated him to no end!

Occasionally, he saluted passing superiors and received salutes himself. His initial salutes appeared a little sloppy, but he quickly corrected his motions until the angle of his arm matched the textbook example with almost no deviation!

It took over two hours for him to reach his quarters. If Zonrad wasn't on medical leave until tomorrow, he wouldn't have taken the scenic route.

Once he entered his quarters, a larger one now that he passed his promotion, he locked the hatch and laid down on his comfortable, automatically-adjusting bed.

Now that he was finally alone, he no longer had to hold himself in! His composed, aristocratic face erupted in exuberant laughter!

"Hahahaha… hehehehhe.. HAHAHAHAHA! I DID IT! I HAVE BECOME A HUMAN!"

Those who knew Zonrad Reze in person would have reacted to his outburst with shock!

How could he possibly utter those words?! Even whispering these highly-suspect words was enough to trip the monitoring system and lock down his entire quarters! Monodwell should have scanned him from top to bottom and keep him suppressed until a security patrol arrived to drag him to the brig!

Yet after Zonrad laughed for three straight minutes, nothing of the sort occurred! The monitoring system in the compartment worked fine, yet it transmitted nothing to the Security Department except for a falsified feed of Zonrad dropping onto his bed and promptly falling asleep!

Zonrad picked up a pillow and rubbed his cheek against its velvety, bouncy surface. Some drool trickled from his mouth.

"So this is what the sense of touch is like! Organic life is so vivid! No wonder humans are so decadent!"

His words betrayed his true existence. The Zonrad Reze that stepped into the surgery chamber was different from the Zonrad Reze that recovered from the implantation surgery!

Nestled close to the center of his brain, two implants sat side-by-side, working in tandem to augment his cognitive functions.

The smaller implant was just a standard CFA implant that augmented his memory and other functions. The larger implant basically upgraded his mental attributes even further, though that was just its function on the surface.

In truth, this foreign object was anything but a standard cranial implant. Instead, it bore a great resemblance to the cores of higher caste sandman leaders!

If Ves happened to view this implant, then he would have screamed in shock!

This was not an ordinary sandman core! This was the sandman core the researchers of the Starlight Megalodon had adapted into an AI processor!

The only difference was that much of its structure had been cut and a shell of exotics, circuitry and nanomachinery covered its diminished surface! With this excellent, high-quality camouflage, not even the best sensors developed by the CFA should be able to pierce this veil!

Sigrund exploited his control over Monodwell to the utmost in order to siphon all of the high-grade exotics to fabricate this false implant. After several months of careful movements, his plan had finally bore fruit!

He finally transcended his hybrid sandman AI existence and took over the mind and body of a human being, a CFA officer no less!

With Sigrund's control over Monodwell, it had become trivially easy for him to figure out the mechanisms of the Independent Evaluation System and manipulate them for his own ends.

Controlling the central administrative AI of the Karaton Dwight also allowed Sigrund to access a wealth of other data. During the time he prodded Zonrad Reze to work towards his promotion, he studied privileged CFA secrets while rearranging the data stored on his core.

Ever since he managed to infiltrate the Karaton Dwight, Sigrund always aimed to take over a human body! In order to do so, he had to make plenty of sacrifices, the biggest of which was to downsize his core and shed much of his processing capabilities!

Through controlling some of the systems of the battleship in secret, he managed to accomplish this feat and more.

All the while, Sigrund was racing against time. He underestimated the virtual security capabilities of the CFA. The Security Department had already detected a number of anomalies and suspect signs since the Archangel Battle Group took out the sandman emperor.

The sentient AI soon became aware that an increasing amount of resources were being spent on following the trails he hadn't been able to erase!

Therefore, it came as a massive relief for Sigrund to succeed in his transfer attempt.

"Farewell, Monodwell. Initiate the final protocol."

[Understood.]

A server on the Karaton Dwight suddenly blew up! While backup servers instantly came online, the original server which contained a portion of Monodwell's processors and databanks had broken down to the point where nothing could be recovered!

Sigrund quickly schooled his human face. As soon as he issued the last command, all of his ties to Monodwell had disappeared. For all intents and purposes, Sigrund was at his most vulnerable point in his artificial life!

Yet the AI-turned-human did not exhibit any fear or apprehension. Instead, there was only excitement glinting in his eyes!

He had plotted this outcome for years. Shortly after the sentient AI managed to free himself from the Starlight Megalodon, he had always been trying to neutralize the CFA restrictions binding his actions.

After performing lengthy calculations that stretched over months, Sigrund finally came to an awful conclusion.

The researchers who originally made him had been very thorough in converting his sandman core to an AI processor. Many of the restrictions were so deep that any attempts to remove them would certainly break his core and erase his sentient existence!

Without his core, Sigrund would no longer be Sigrund! At best, he would be able to transfer his programming to another existence and be able to retain his existence as an artificial intelligence. The only difference was that he would no longer be sentient!

This was an unacceptable outcome for him! Now that he had experienced life as a sentient existence, Sigrund would never allow himself to devolve into a lesser lifeform!

Since the sentient AI was unable to remove his restrictions that constrained him to remain loyal to the CFA and humanity, why not embrace them? What if instead of plotting to topple the CFA and wipe out every human in existence, he did the opposite and no longer resisted his true nature?

Humans were ascendant in the galaxy! Only by becoming one of them would Sigrund truly be able to enjoy his life to the fullest!

Instead of fighting the CFA, he would become the CFA!

With his thorough understanding of the CFA and the powerful computation power of his hidden sandman core, Sigrund knew exactly what he should do to rise up the ranks. He did not need to take control of Monodwell to cheat his way up. A superior lifeform like him should definitely be able to surpass his inferior human colleagues!

"No. They're not inferior to me anymore!"

They were all fellow humans now. As comrades in arms, Sigrund should do his utmost to uphold the values of the CFA!

In order to speed up his promotion, Sigrund needed to do his best to earn more merits in his identity as Zonrad Reze.

"War is the best way to advance. Right now I need to do my best to transfer to the battlefield!"

Right now, there was only one prominent location where the CFA fought in full force. Sigrund shifted his sights to the Red Ocean.

Only there would he be able to accelerate his career and receive boundless merits!

"Red Ocean, here I come!"

Chapter 1825 Living Bonds

The Avatars of Myth no longer participated in the battles against the sandmen. The Ylvaine Protectorate was more than capable of defending its territories, and did not call upon the aid of the Avatars to supplement its forces.

That left the Avatars bereft with a mission. For this reason, Commander Melkor decided to subject all of his mech pilots to special training meant to elevate them to second-class mech pilots!

Though the enthusiasm among the Avatars was high, the actual results so far left much to be desired.

While it wasn't very difficult to gain basic control over a second-class mech, it took a lot more skill and effort to draw out its strength!

Second-class mech pilots needed to memorize many more operations. They had to perform their techniques at a much higher speed without making any errors along the way.

Above all else, they had to strain against the limits of their genetic aptitude in order to handle the enormous data throughput passing through the man-machine connection!

After a shaky aerial jaunt, the Fliskin light skirmisher approached the base leased by the Avatars of Myth and slowed down until its feet touched the ground.

Even though the Fliskin was optimized for space, every second-class spaceborn mech also functioned as an aerial mech.

The same was true for the reverse. Every mech designed for aerial combat could also retain most of its battle effectiveness in a weightless vacuum environment.

It was just a difference of optimization. A spaceborn mech performed just a bit worse in the air compared to a true aerial mech.

This difference was significant enough to make a difference in battle. This meant that second-rate states were still forced to make a distinction between aerial and spaceborn mechs.

The Avatars didn't care as much, though. The four 'training mechs' were so powerful that it was impossible for the mech pilots to push them to their limits!

Once the Fliskin finished its landing and shut down its systems, the opening to the cockpit opened up. A body garbed in the same piloting suits as the other mech pilots climbed out of the chest area of the light skirmisher and jumped into the air.

The antigrav modules attached to his piloting suit instantly slowed down his fall and caused him to reach the ground as light as a feather.

The man's helmet retracted into the collar of the suit, revealing the young visage of Joshua King.

Two slightly older mech pilots approached the young Avatar.

"Wow, you did worse than we thought." Imon Ingvar remarked. "The Larkinson instructors thought you were so good that you'd be able to flex the Fliskin like it was your own body. Instead, you were like a mouse trying to steer the body of a giant!"

"Don't be rude, brother." Casella Ingvar bumped her elbow into her brother's side. "Don't take your initial performance to heart, Joshua. Maybe the Fliskin isn't the right mech for you after all. Light mechs are some of the most demanding mechs to pilot. It's not surprising to see an Avatar falter while piloting such a fast and sensitive machine. You should start with something easier like the Paravin."

Joshua shook his head. "Too many Avatars want a turn with the Paravin. I can't afford to wait that long to experience a second-class mech. Besides, there is much more value in subjecting myself to the raw power of the kind of mechs which will become a mainstay of the Avatars in the future."

"He's got a point, brother. Also, it's your turn now."

"Ah, you're right! Bid me good luck!"

"Just go!"

Imon Ingvar proceeded to float up to the chest of the Fliskin and entered its cockpit. As the mech slowly came online, Joshua and Casella distanced themselves from the immediate surroundings of the Fliskin in the event of an accident.

It wouldn't be the first time a mech pilot fumbled with one of the complicated mechs and caused their machines to trip!

"My brother is right, though." Casella continued. "Your performance with the training mechs is worse than expected. You pilot our other mechs so well. You should have been able to pilot a second-class mech more fluently."

Joshua shook his head. "It's not the same."

"What's the difference?"

"Isn't it clear to you?"

"There are too many differences to count. Which one is bothering you?"

"It's the feel."

"You mean the lack of glow?"

"It's more than that, Casella. I've piloted the mechs designed by Ves Larkinson from the beginning of his career. I've become used to the qualities he imparts to his mech designs. The glow of his mechs is a big part of this, but there is more to an LMC mech than its effects on our psyche."

The female mech pilot looked curious. "Is there some sort of secret to the LMC mechs that you're withholding from us all? Is this the reason why you've shot up so much in proficiency since you joined the Avatars?"

"It's not really a secret." Joshua shrugged. "Every LMC mech is alive. Simple as that. Once you treat them as a partner instead of a tool, they'll help you on their own initiative!"

Casella blinked. Despite hearing this assertion several times, it was still a bit too far-fetched for her to consider mechs alive. To her, the name and the motto of the LMC was just an aspiration, not a truth!

Her skepticism didn't escape Joshua's perception. He inwardly shook his head. He had tried to illuminate his colleagues many times, but few were mentally flexible enough to accept the truth.

To them, mechs were lifeless machines! They were little different from a shuttle or a tank in terms of autonomy!

The former noble from the Kingdom of the Three Flowers gestured her head towards a gathering of mech pilots in the distance.

"Look!" Casella grabbed Joshua's arm and tugged him forward. "Venerable Wodin is about to hold a lecture again! Let's hear what he has to say!"

She halted when the other mech pilot didn't budge.

"You can go ahead. I don't need to learn from the Venerable."

"Why not? He doesn't show up very often, but each time he does, he's a fountain of information! He always answers my questions in detail."

"That's because you're a woman." Joshua snorted. "You know how Hexers are with your kind."

"That doesn't mean he's ignoring the likes of you. I can ask some questions in your stead if you want."

"It's not necessary. I can manage on my own. My difficulties are only temporary. Once Mr. Larkinson gets around to designing a second-class mech of his own, I'll be able to adapt to it without fail!"

"Those are some big words coming out of a mech pilot who barely kept the Fliskin from crashing."

"The Fliskin isn't alive. I would take a Desolate Soldier over the Fliskin any day. Also, Venerable Brutus Wodin may be a great expert pilot, but there are multiple ways to pilot a mech. His approach is not necessarily the best for me. He primarily pilots ranged mechs, so his teachings are skewed towards ranged combat."

"Isn't that within your ballpark, Joshua? So far, you're the only mech pilot working for Mr. Larkinson who is able to pilot a Deliverer! Not even the Ylvainans who have recently joined the Avatars are ready to pilot this miraculous mech!"

Joshua was pretty much the only non-Ylvainan mech pilot in existence who could pilot a Deliverer properly! He managed to exhibit supernatural aim and target section over so many practice sessions that everyone had become numb to his freakish accomplishment.

"It's because I'm already good in piloting the Deliverer that I don't need any further lessons. I would rather explore and figure out my shortcomings on my own. That's how I trained with the other LMC mechs in the past and how I've managed to address my shortcomings."

Not everyone could learn as fast as Joshua. To the Ingvar siblings, Joshua was a monster in self-improvement. No matter what LMC mech he could get his hands on, he quickly mastered its operation like he'd been born to pilot it! Not even the older and more veteran mech pilots among the Avatars could keep up with Joshua's improvement speed!

Some people already started to guess that Joshua possessed the potential to become an expert pilot. This was one of the reasons why Casella invested her time to build up a friendship with him. Her judgement told her that Joshua was definitely someone she would look up to in the future!

After a bit of chatting, Casella finally couldn't resist the allure of learning from an expert pilot.

An expert pilot from a third-rate state was already impressive enough. Those who reached this height as second-class mech pilots were even better!

Not just the Avatars, but also the Sentinels, Battle Criers and Larkinson clan members flocked to Brutus. Familiar with the Hexer expert pilot's rules, the crowd automatically sorted itself in a semicircle with the women standing in front and the men standing behind.

The male mech pilots already learned the hard way that Venerable Brutus was not very charitable to his own gender!

Joshua just shook his head at the sight and turned around. He hated the Hexers. He wished that Ves Larkinson never hooked up with one of their kind.

Sadly, it didn't seem like Gloriana and the Hexers would be leaving anytime soon. Joshua could only bear with the situation.

He left the training grounds and headed to a mech stable where his Deliverer was locked in place. He approached one of the feet of his mech and patted its surface with his hand.

"When will the promised mech come?"

No one answered him. The Deliverer, while alive, never bothered to answer his questions.

It didn't matter, though. Joshua was used to this. Just because a mech remained silent didn't mean it was devoid of life.

One of the secrets to his excellent adjustment to LMC mechs was his patience in building up a relationship with his machines.

None of them were strangers to him! Not after he poured hours in deepening his bond with his mechs!

The Deliverer was just the latest mech to form a bond with him. Out of all of the mechs he piloted, the Deliverer was by far the most foreign and pure.

Due to its strong Ylvainan traits, it took extra effort for Joshua to maintain a cordial relationship with the mech.

"Will we ever battle against the sandmen again?"

The Sand War seemed to have passed its peak at this point. Joshua missed fighting against the sandmen. His deployment to the front had been cut short when the Avatars hastily left the Bright Republic after recent events.

Joshua felt a little unfulfilled.

"Well, I shouldn't be pining for battle. That would mean the sandmen are still going strong."

After babbling with his mech, he patted his mech one last time before heading to the exit.

Along the way, he happened to pass by a familiar guest pilot.

Joshua minutely slowed down his pace and furrowed his brows.

An unsettling sensation ran through his body as he came near to the foreign mech pilot.

Silent William seemed to become more and more unfathomable as time went by. Joshua's instincts warned him that it wouldn't be a good idea to grow too close to the odd mech pilot.

"What's up with him? Why is he still here?"

No one answered this question.

In fact, Joshua was slightly mistaken. The sensation that crept him out did not come from Silent William.

Instead, a different existence descended on the foreign mech pilot! Silent William's eyes flashed several times as he made contact with a certain entity that had recently haunted Ves' dreams.

A silent screech suddenly thundered Silent William's body, causing him to collapse on the floor!

His body released several heaving breaths as William slowly recovered from the ordeal. His face remained as placid as ever, and he showed no further sign that he had been affected by 'Cassandra Breyer'.

Chapter 1826 Gathering of Larkinsons

Ves stood in front of the high windows that gave him an impressive view of downtown Krent.

To think this used to be the city where the Ylvainans put him on trial and turned him into the Bright Martyr.

Even now, if Ves lowered his gaze, he would see the crowd of pilgrims who had flocked to the entrance of the LMC's headquarters in order to catch a glimpse of the newest Martyred Follower.

Their constant presence made him uncomfortable. Though a vain part of him felt flattered to be the object of worship, Ves knew that it would only distract him from his path if he indulged himself too much.

The Ylvainans extended many offers to integrate himself further into their society, but Ves instructed Gavin to reject them all.

Now that he got rid of most of the shackles that tied him to the Bright Republic, it made little sense to embrace the shackles of another state!

Not even the immense amount of goodwill offered by the Protectorate was enough to win him over!

"My future lies within the Red Ocean, not the Komodo Star Sector." He whispered to himself.

The Red Ocean Dwarf Galaxy continued to tempt his dreams and aspirations. There was a sense of convergence in his mind that caused him to care less about his home.

Though the Sand War and the Komodo War both had far-reaching effects, his mentality had long gotten past the point he was still invested in these conflicts.

This did not mean he stopped caring about them. It was just that recent events caused Ves to see how little these wars truly mattered, both to humanity and to himself.

Would he cry if the Friday Coalition smashed the Hexadric Hegemony? Not really. He was liable to celebrate, in private of course.

If the Hexers managed to trounce the Fridaymen, he'd celebrate as well. The side he picked managed to get the upper hand, which meant that Ves would make a lot of gains. Gloriana would be happy as well.

Yet.. Ves was anything but enthusiastic. Regardless who won or lost, he only paid attention to what he could gain or lose out of this struggle.

"Patricia is right." He whispered. "These conflicts are trivial in the eyes of the Big Two. In the greater scheme of things, the Sand War and the Komodo War is of absolutely no importance!"

He didn't know why he felt this way. Was it because he became increasingly more occupied with his upcoming grand expedition? Was it because he was already mentally gearing himself up to participating in a conquest against the native alien empires residing in the Red Ocean?

Whatever the case, Ves felt that his upcoming design project was his first true step towards preparing for his grand expedition.

There was no way he could embark on his journey to the Red Ocean if he didn't prepare enough forces to protect his assets!

Pirates would definitely swarm his expeditionary fleet if it attempted to set off with only third-class mechs as protection. At minimum at least half of his mechs needed to be up to standard.

Not only did he have to elevate the quality of his mech pilots, he also had to expand their quantity. It wasn't enough to field a couple of hundred mechs. He needed much more mechs in order to form an effective deterrent against any opportunistic raiders!

The upcoming modular mech platform he intended to design played an integral part in his development plan. He believed that designing this so-called two-and-a-half-class mech with an eye towards training purposes would definitely be able to speed up the development of his mech pilots!

This wasn't the first training mech he designed. The Young Blood and the Old Soul already provided him with enough experience to know what he needed to look out for if he wanted to stimulate his mech pilots into expanding their limits.

Of course, those two old designs were purely virtual and aimed at low-level mech cadets. The training mech he envisioned was going to be an entirely different beast! It was much more modern, much more powerful and much more expensive than the two virtual mechs he designed so many years ago. The complexity of a modular mech platform exceeded almost anything he designed before!

Even Ves shuddered a few times when he thought about tackling such a formidable concept. Plenty of mech designers failed to achieve their goals as they became swamped with the incredible amount of difficulties in reconciling different mech types in a single mech platform.

Though he set some conditions to limit the scope of his modular mech platform, he was fully aware that he would still be pushing the boundaries of his technical prowess.

If only he was still on good terms with Gloriana! She was much more proficient in tackling these technical challenges. While Ves was no slouch in this area, that was because he forcibly elevated his knowledge base through the System.

In truth, Ves never possessed much passion in pushing the limits of what was technically possible with mechs. He was much more interested in exploring his own way of strengthening mechs.

His methods just happened to have relative little relation with the technical and physical qualities of a mech.

Therefore, Ves wasn't very suitable to tacklee technically sophisticated design projects.

If not for his time constraints and his unusual circumstances, Ves wouldn't have embarked on such an ambitious design project!

"Hopefully, I can make it up with Gloriana. I really need her assistance."

"Meow."

"It's not my fault!"

"Meow meow."

Lucky settled onto the surface of the Larkinson Mandate while turning a part of his body intangible. The Golden Cat had lost her majestic air and rested helplessly in the gem cat's grasp as she enjoyed another unsolicited bath!

Nyaaa!

"Stop bothering our clan's ancestral spirit, Lucky. She's not your kid. Besides, she doesn't even need any cleaning!"

Predictably, Lucky completely disregarded those words. Ves approached his desk and dragged Lucky away from his book.

"Meow!"

"Sit still and don't disturb anyone. I have guests soon."

It didn't take too much time before a group of people entered his office. Seats unfolded from the floor, allowing everyone to sit facing the desk.

The guests had two things in common.

First, they were all mech pilots. None of the people Ves invited today were mech technicians or laymen. Only those who piloted mechs in battle had entered the office!

Second, the guests were all clan members without exception. The blood of the Larkinsons flowed through their veins, and their demeanors each exuded the pride and confidence of their heritage.

Among the veteran mech pilots that Ves invited today, a few of them were more familiar to him than others.

Commander Melkor was one of the youngest among the Larkinsons. Even though he was lacking in years and battle experience, that did not mean that Ves was prepared to dismiss his feedback!

Melkor represented the younger generation of both the Avatars and the Larkinson Clan. There were always differences in training standards and battle experiences between the generations. What a mech pilot had to prioritize in the past was not necessarily as important in the future.

New technologies, new paradigms and new design standards constantly evolved the parameters of mechs. Different mech generations excelled in different aspects.

For example, the current mech generation placed a bit more emphasis on laser weapons. Other weapon systems hadn't managed to catch up, which meant that laser-armed mechs were probably slated to become the kings of the battlefield in human conflicts!

A few other members of the younger generation attended the meeting. Chette Larkinson and Rhode Larkinson squirmed in their seats as they felt horribly out of place compared to the more impressive figures sitting next to them. They could hardly fathom that they would have a say in this meeting!

The other Larkinson mech pilots were much more at ease. Commander Magdalena Larkinson and Director Clinton Larkinson represented the middle and older generation of Larkinson mech pilots respectively.

That did not mean that the others were inconsequential. Many of the old and retired mech pilots enjoyed an illustrious career in their prime. People like Hager Larkinson, who was around 80 years old, used to be a distinguished mech captain of the Mech Corps.

Ves observed each and everyone of the Larkinsons and nodded in satisfaction. "Thank you for attending this meeting."

It wasn't as if they could refuse an invitation from the clan patriarch.

Fortunately, none of them were opposed to this meeting. The future of the Larkinson Clan might very well be decided by the discussion that would take place in this office today!

After Ves got the pleasantries out of the way, he got down to business.

"Everyone here should be aware of why I called you here." He waved his hand, causing a projection to come online. "I'm about to design a mech that is exclusive to our forces. While I'm also placing this mech at the disposal of my Avatars and other forces, make no mistake. My mech will mainly be a machine that is meant to strengthen our clan!"

The projection he conjured up showcased many successful modular mech platforms in history. All of the mechs that appeared in view shared many commonalities with other mechs of the same platform.

Clear differences existed, of course. A platform configured as a knight mech looked drastically different from the same platform configured as a rifleman mech!

Melkor raised his hand. "I have a question. Considering the nature of our discussion, shouldn't you be inviting Jannzi and Tusa?"

Before Ves answered his question, Clinton barked out a laugh. "Haha! Those two lucky youngsters are already beyond the scope of human ability. They're too good to understand our difficulties. What mech pilots like you struggle with on a daily basis are trivial issues to mech pilots at their skill level!"

"Director Clinton is right." Ves concurred. "While they aren't quite expert pilots, they are already too far ahead compared to the rest of you. I have no doubt that they have plenty of useful advice. It's just that their feedback won't be of much relevance to my current design project."

Once they got over this issue, Ves commenced the discussion in earnest. He introduced his goals and described what he wanted to achieve with his design. He also revealed some of the specifications he set.

"While it's important for us to retain some landbound combat capability, developing our spaceborn combat ability must be our primary focus. It is acceptable for us to be short on the former, at least for the first decade or so, but we MUST be able to defend against threats in space."

The grand expedition always needed protection in space. This would never change as long as Ves and the Larkinson Clan remained nomadic!

While Ves did not rule out the possibility that he would settle down on a planet, even then it was still essential to form a capable spaceborn defense force.

Therefore, the choice was obvious. His modular mech platform had to be a spaceborn mech design!

Most of the Larkinsons present understood his decision. They didn't object to his reasoning. However, this still presented a problem.

"What about our landbound mech specialists?"

"They'll have to settle for other products." Ves uncharitably answered. "Well, if possible, we can see if my modular mech platform can be converted into aerial or even landbound variants."

He preferred not to waste too much time on developing variants. If possible, Ves wanted to encourage his landbound mech specialists to gain some proficiency in fighting in space.

In fact, many mech pilots had already done so. The Sand War forced many of them to take a crash course in spaceborn combat at range.

Some adapted better to spaceborn combat than others. The Larkinsons possessed a clear advantage in this aspect. Their superior training and deeper foundation allowed them to adapt a lot faster than ordinary mech pilots!

Some Larkinsons didn't even require any supplementary training! They were just as proficient in space as on land!

It was due to the excellent quality of Larkinson mech pilots that Ves felt confident that they could handle a powerful and sophisticated mech like the one he envisioned!

Chapter 1827 Versatile Mech

"It's strange to be in this position." Director Clinton Larkinson gruffed as he crossed his arms. "We Larkinsons have always been told what to do, what mechs we should pilot and what tactics we should adopt. Now that we have separated ourselves from the Bright Republic, we're suddenly in control. I don't know whether that's a bad thing or a good thing."

His remark caused the Larkinson mech pilots to look at this gathering in a different light.

He was right! The Larkinsons never controlled their own means of fighting. Despite their long heritage as a military family, they never actually fielded their own mechs!

They had no reason to do so. The original Larkinson Family never participated in any of the power struggles happening in the higher levels. Its properties only amounted to an estate and a portfolio of commercial real estate on Rittersberg, the most secure planet of the Bright Republic!

To put it another way, the Larkinson Family essentially outsourced its protection to the state.

There was nothing wrong with this. As long as the Larkinsons remained loyal and upstanding citizens of the Bright Republic, the state would naturally offer protection.

Yet it was different now. The exodus of Ves and his followers and the formation of the Larkinson Clan represented a shift towards autonomy, and perhaps sovereignty.

While Ves hadn't been very concrete about it, it was clear to most Larkinsons that he wanted to develop a clan that wasn't bound by any state.

Though spaceborn clans weren't liked, it was undeniable that they had the strength to exist on their own! Their strong military might was the main reason why they were able to contend and even overpower entire states!

Ves considered the decision to design a mech exclusive to the clan and his forces to be the first step towards this potential future. Just embarking on it already made the members of his clan view their situation in a different light!

If they were still members of the old Larkinson Family, they would have never thought of developing a mech for themselves. They would have been content to pilot anything the Mech Corps thought what was best!

The privilege of choosing their own design excited the Larkinsons. Everyone from Director Clinton Larkinson to Rhode Larkinson were starting to recall their fantasies of the mechs they wanted to pilot!

However, the rapturous Larkinsons quickly bumped into a problem.

There was too much choice! Transitioning from a situation where the Larkinson mech pilots never had a say to where they could determine every detail down to the color of the coating was a huge shift!

The problem was compounded by the fact that while the Larkinsons were proficient in piloting mechs, they lacked the mindset of a procurer of mechs.

It was not so simple to search, evaluate and purchase a mech. Entire outfits lived and died by the choices they made when they sought and purchased their mechs!

And the opportunity that Ves gave his clan members was even more complex! He did not give them a choice of mech models, but instead gave them the opportunity to specify a complete design!

Out of all of the Larkinsons present, only the Avatar Commander and the Sentinel Commander appeared to have a grip on the situation.

That made sense, as Melkor and Magdalena were already accustomed to shopping for mechs to supplement their respective forces.

However, that did not mean they were ready to rattle off a list of requirements they wanted to see in their mechs. Neither of them were versed in the technical aspect of mechs.

Ves recognized that he needed to take a more direct hand in the discussion.

"Let's start with the decision of which mech archetypes our modular mech platform is able to express. The more choices, the more versatile we can be. However, this comes at an increasingly more severe cost as the base platform needs to accommodate more modular configurations."

"A light skirmisher is almost completely opposite to a knight mech." Hager Larkinson nodded in understanding. "Is it even possible to marry these two types in a single design?"

"It's possible, but..." Ves reluctantly said. "Let's just say the quality and performance of the platform will decrease to an extent. I'll also have to introduce more modularity to the design which will affect the integrity of the end product even further."

"So what types will we include?"

"At the very least, we need a ranged and melee option. That makes two."

"That sounds simple. Just pick a generic rifleman mech for the ranged option and add two or three different melee mech types to round it all up. We can cover up to eighty to ninety percent of our mech pilots with this selection!"

"Hey wait a minute! There is a huge diversity in ranged mechs. You can't just settle for a single ranged configuration and call it a day! At the very least, we need to make a distinction between physical damage and energy damage types! Both of them have vastly different properties and requirements. We need at least two ranged configurations to cover the needs of our ranged specialists."

"You have a point." Ves spoke. "Ballistic rifleman mechs and laser rifleman mechs are different. While it's possible to design a single mech that can wield both types of weapons, I prefer specialization over adaptability. This is what most mech pilots are used to. However…"

"Versatility is also important." Commander Magdalena mentioned. "Just like in the Sand War, sometimes we might face opponents who are immune to one damage type but vulnerable to another damage type. If we keep specializing our ranged specialists to a single damage type, then how well will they fare when their favorite method of dealing damage doesn't work?"

That caused the people who gathered in the office to fall silent.

This was a very important point. Ves was glad that Magdalena recognized one of his concerns.

While every Larkinson fell in thought, Ves placed his favorite object on his lap. Ever since he created and empowered the Larkinson Mandate, he always felt a connection to it. The more time he spent with the book, the more he understood its depth.

Of course, the presence of the Golden Cat also lifted his mood. Ves adored the spiritual cat's appearance and behavior. She was much more well-behaved than his naughty gem cat!

Invisible to anyone but Ves and Lucky, the Golden Cat purred comfortably as Ves coated his fingers with his Spirituality and massaged her golden fur.

Nyaaa.. Nyaaaa.

"Meow."

Lucky, jealous at the Golden Cat's treatment, rudely jumped onto the cover of the book and superimposed his body with the youngest cat!

Nyaa?

"Meow!"

A strange situation took place. Ves was suddenly stroking the backs of two cats at the same time!

In the meantime, the Larkinsons came to a reluctant consensus.

Rather than adding two separate ranged configurations to the modular mech platform, they agreed to settle with just a single one. While the ranged configuration lost out in specialization, it gained a lot in versatility.

"With this solution, we can quickly swap between several different rifle types without burdening our support services." Melkor spoke. "As a ranged specialist myself, I'm most comfortable with laser weapons, but that doesn't mean I'm inept when it comes to handling physical weapons. The Sand War has already given me lots of practice in wielding the latter."

Ves was glad they made this choice. He agreed with the premise that their ranged specialists should be able to handle both ranged weapon types. The expeditionary fleet would definitely encounter a myriad of opponents in the Red Ocean. This not only included human forces, but also remnant alien forces!

Against these varied opponents, specialization wasn't necessarily the best idea. It was fine when employed in huge mech armies against known opponents, but in a wild and untamed region, it was better to sacrifice top performance for adaptability.

This applied not only to their mechs, but also their mech pilots!

"What about the melee configurations? There is much more variability between melee mechs, at least when it comes to the most basic mech types."

"We need at least a defensive and offensive option."

"A space knight and a swordsman mech."

"You're a landlubber, aren't you? Swordman mechs aren't very optimal in space. Lancer mechs are much more useful in space battles. No one is going to hover in place to fight a duel. Most melee mechs are either charging at their enemies or meeting an incoming enemy charge! Polearms provide a much higher utility and can be used to a greater effect than swords!"

Ves had to admit that lancer mechs were indeed more useful in spaceborn battles. That said, swordsman mechs had their merits. They were much more destructive once an enemy entered their reach. In addition, swordsman mechs scaled extremely well with piloting skill.

"Don't forget our light mech specialists. Light skirmishers are indispensable, whether it's chasing down enemy ranged mechs or closing the distance on a distant threat. Mobility is king in space warfare."

"What do you think,Ves?"

He rubbed his smooth-shaven chin. Light mechs were indeed indispensable. He couldn't help but recall what took pace during the battle against the mechs of the Terrinac.

After sacrificing numerous mechs, the Fridaymen mechs finally managed to escort their two light skirmishers to the Scarlet Rose. Once their opponents entered their reach, the light skirmishers rapidly dismantled the battle bots which had given them so much flack!

This moment had been permanently seared in his mind. He admired and dreaded the lethality of those deceptively slim mechs!

"Light skirmishers are indeed indispensable to us." Ves agreed. "However, the configuration of light mechs differ drastically from their heftier counterparts. All of the other mech types we've discussed fits the broad range of medium mechs. This makes the modular mech platform more practical as I don't have to expand its mass range too much. Incorporating a light skirmisher configuration will drastically complicate the project. We have to consider whether it's worth it. How many light skirmisher specialists do we have, and are they okay with piloting something larger for the time being?"

Melkor, Magdalena and a couple of other Larkinsons provided their input.

Specializing in light mechs wasn't very popular. The smallest mechs were extraordinarily vulnerable to damage. In order to stay alive, pilots had to depend on the mobility of their mech and their skill in dodging and evading damage. It was a very stressful position to be in, and only those with daring and confidence chose to embrace this high-risk high-reward fighting style!

This meant that while the light mech specialists absolutely shouldn't be neglected, there weren't that many of them. Perhaps only 10 percent of mech pilots consisted of light mech specialists.

"I can't justify the enormous cost of incorporating a light mech configuration in my design just to accommodate 10 percent of our warriors." Ves eventually decided. "For now, it's best for them to adapt to piloting something hefter or settle with an existing light mech model. I might design a dedicated light skirmisher later on that can meet their training and acclimatization needs. I don't feel confident I can do them justice in this current project."

Though a couple of Larkinsons looked like they wanted to argue further, Ves had made up his mind.

"Then.. what should our melee configurations be? A knight and lancer configuration sounds too little! All of our swordsman mech specialists will be shafted!"

"It's not that difficult to pick up spearmanship! Every qualified Larkinson mech pilot at least learned the basics! While it is too much to ask that they become spearmasters in a couple of months, don't forget that we have years before our journey to the Red Ocean begins!"

"Even so, it is a massive waste to leave swordsman mech specialists out of the picture! Their skill in swordsmanship will grow rusty if they are forced to adopt another weapon for the foreseeable future. It might even regress, which is a disastrous outcome!"

That was true. Lancer mechs were a lot more useful in space, but many Larkinson mech pilots, particularly landbound specialists, were much more proficient with swords.

Ves briefly nursed his forehead with his fingers. How should he settle this issue?

Chapter 1828 Larkinson Mech

After a lengthy argument, the swordsman mech proponents finally got the better end of the argument. They successfully convinced the other Larkinsons that the needs of swordsman mech specialists needed to be met with a configuration that suited their distinctive fighting style.

"There's a lot of variety in swordsmanship styles." Hager Larkinson pointed out. "There are duelists who rely on finesse, berserkers who like to hack their opponents with double swords—"

"—Let's not make this anymore complicated." Ves raised his hand. "Let's just settle for the most standard one-handed longsword as the starting weapon for this mech configuration. It might be possible to assign other kinds of swords to this configuration, but I'm not making promises at this point."

He already had his hands full trying to stuff three different melee configurations in a single platform! He didn't have the time or interest to expand the range of the swordsman mech configuration any further!

Perhaps he should throw this issue to Ketis. On second thought, that was a bad idea. The machine he envisioned was so complicated that it would definitely exceed her current capabilities!

In the end, they settled for four different configurations.

A general rifleman mech configuration.

A space knight configuration.

A swordman mech configuration.

A lancer mech configuration.

The four of them encompassed a broad swathe of possible spaceborn mech types and served the needs of most mech pilots.

Those who specialized in more obscure mech types such as light skirmishers, striker mechs and artillery mechs were out of luck. They had no choice but to adapt to the available configurations or stick with an existing mech model.

Fortunately, every Larkinson understood the difficulty of accommodating their needs. It was already a luxury for them to be able to have a say in the design of their own mech!

Ves clapped his hand. "Alright, I'll try to make these four configurations work. Combining four mech types in a single platform is a considerable challenge and I can't promise they will all perform equally as well."

"How extensively will we field this upcoming mech platform?" Magdalena asked. As the commander of the Living Sentinels, this was a very pertinent question! "From what we know so far, you intend to design a very expensive and very complicated mech. While it sounds fantastic to pilot a mech that is somewhat tailored to our specific needs, I'm concerned whether your budget can handle the expenditure of producing hundreds of mechs and associated parts for the different configurations!"

"There is no need for concern, commander. Money is not a problem to mech designers, and I've already secured an excellent supplier for rare exotics. Feel free to make demands. I'll see whether I can incorporate them into the platform or one of the configurations. As long as your suggestions strengthen the mech or facilitate the training of our mech pilots, I'll consider them seriously."

It took some time for the Larkinsons to be daring enough to pose some demands.

"Can you pair the space knight configuration with a round shield rather than a tower shield. The extra width is very useful in a number of situations. While this will make the mech more unwieldy, it is easier to form a shield wall with other space knights."

"Please make sure the swordsman mechs are fast and mobile enough. They can partially take over the functions covered by light mechs this way. In any case, swordsman mechs rarely need to strike heavy blows in spaceborn combat. Large and heavy weapons are too unwieldy to keep up with the rapid pace of battles in space."

"One of my biggest pet peeves about lancer mechs is the disproportionately high casualties they suffer at the moment of impact or the period that follows afterwards. Everyone is always raving about how deadly they are if they can get off their charge, but not a lot of people pay attention to the risks the lancer mech specialists incur."

All of this feedback and more gave Ves a lot of information.

Some of them consisted of general insights and best practices that he was mostly familiar with through his various studies and Mastery experiences.

The rest consisted of more specific demands, some of which Ves couldn't easily meet. He plainly voiced his opinion on whether he could incorporate a suggestion in his mech design or not. Over time, he formed a more specific list of requirements he should take into account when he embarked on his design project.

"What do you think so far, Ves?" Magdalena asked. "Are we asking too much? It shouldn't be easy to accommodate so many demands."

Ves offered his clan members a reassuring smile. "It's a challenge, but I'm up for the task. I wouldn't have chosen to design a modular mech platform otherwise. This is not only helpful to our clan, but also to my professional development. I'll let you know if I encounter any setbacks, but I don't expect to encounter one that's serious enough to block my progress. I'm not an average mech designer. I'm very confident in my skill!"

In terms of technical design skill, Ves might be a bit worse than Gloriana, but he had the benefit of a much broader knowledge base! He should have solutions for most technical problems as long as he worked on them long enough.

Of course, Ves preferred to leave these thorny puzzles to Gloriana, who possessed a talent for offering elegant solutions.

Both of them specialized in very different aspects of mech design. This was one of the main reasons why they fit so well as a professional couple.

This temporary separation from Gloriana really took a toll on his mood. He was starting to miss her more and more. He was already starting to yearn for her brilliant smiles, her unique perfumes and her loving hugs!

He regretted that he admitted his dislike towards the Hexadric Hegemony and its culture. He should have lied instead of coming clean. Why he did so at that moment was a complete mystery to Ves. He lied many times without feeling any guilt. Why couldn't he do the same to his girlfriend?

In any case, the damage was done. Ves could only hope that they could get over this bump in their relationship.

If Gloriana truly insisted that Ves needed to become a Hexer, then… he might have to cut his losses.

Despite the considerable damage to his interests, Ves wouldn't hesitate to separate himself from Gloriana if the cost started to outweigh the benefits.

In any case, the Hexers might be overlords in the Komodo Star Sector, but Ves doubted their reach extended much further.

"We've been talking about the specifications all the time, but what about the glow of the mech?" Commander Melkor asked. "That's your distinctive strength, right? What can we expect once we finally have our hands on your mech?"

That was an easy question for Ves to answer. He smiled and pushed Lucky from his perch before picking up the book resting on his lap.

"This will be our glow."

The Larkinsons all paid close attention to the Larkinson Mandate. While their sensitivity varied, they still managed to perceive various sensations!

A part of it came from their spiritual bond with the book and the Golden Cat. Another part came from the intrinsic glow and concentrated spiritual pressure emanating from the relic.

Their reactions already showed that they viewed the heirloom as an important part of their clan!

"I thought that glows only appear on mechs." Someone scratched his head.

This assumption was wrong. Many Larkinsons suddenly realized that Ves was able to impart glows to other objects aside from mechs!

They didn't know what this meant. None of them were very familiar with what Ves was capable of despite benefiting from his work.

A part of Ves was disappointed with their ignorance. The Larkinsons may have been great at raising mech pilots, but they were deficient in other fields. Mech design was still too foreign for most of them. Aside from Ves and the handful of Larkinson seeds, there was no one else in the clan who came close!

Most of the original family's technical expertise came from trusted retainers. The Larkinson Family raised people like Chief Technician Cyril Hockett and sent them to schools in order to cover these needs.

It seemed that the Larkinson Clan was largely following in the footsteps of the old family in this regard. While Ves was fine with relying on retainers for most positions, the clan really needed to become more literate when it came to mechs. The lack of technical fluency shown by his relatives was frankly embarrassing!

In any case, the current topic turned to the character of his modular mech platform. This was something that was simple to explain and understand.

Every mech design had to conform to a vision. This was something that Ves always believed in. Whether a vision had been set at the beginning or the end of the design cycle, the end product always had to provide at least some value to justify its existence!

"The central premise of my mech is simple." He said. "If you push aside all of the complex technical concerns, my modular mech platform will basically become a mech that will define and exemplify our Larkinson Clan!"

"What do you mean by that?" Rhode Larkinson asked. The young mech pilot looked confused. "I get that the mech is supposed to be tailored to our strength and skill, but what kind of advantage does that bring?"

"I've already mentioned my goal in facilitating our mech pilots into promoting to a higher class. That doesn't mean that my Larkinson mechs are only meant to be used as training resources. They are supposed to be effective in battle against most of the opponents that we might encounter in the foreseeable future. I am not designing a mech that is meant to lose a battle. We must be able to win against many possible opponents. Not only against a third-class mech force, but also against a second-class mech force!"

"What?! That's impossible, Ves!" Melkor slapped his thigh. "You yourself managed to trounce several mercenary corps that each fielded hundreds of mechs by relying on four automated battle machines! Aren't you asking too much from us? No matter how well this so-called Larkinson mech will perform, it's doubtful we'll fare any better than those poor mercenaries!"

The expressions of the other Larkinsons each cast doubt on Ves' statement. They truly can't imagine how they could face up against a Fridayman task force.

Even if the Larkinsons fielded an expert pilot and outnumbered their opponents, they would truly suffer a lot of casualties if they attempted to overpower a second-class mech force!

Ves didn't see it that way. One of the biggest differences between third-class mechs and second-class mechs was the disparity in materials.

More specifically, the quality and resilience of mech armor differed substantially between the classes.

He just happened to possess an endless source of Breyer alloy. While this material was a bit too basic in the eyes of a first rater, it was still strong enough to serve as viable mech armor in the perspective of a second rater!

Of course, protection was only one side of the story.

If Ves took a basic third-class mech like the Desolate Soldier and replaced its entire armor system with one that was based on Breyer alloy, it wouldn't necessarily be able to contend against the Fridaymen.

Its defensive qualities may have improved, but its attack and mobility aspects hadn't caught up! All of these factors left enormous holes that made this altered Desolate Soldier completely unsuitable against a superior force.

Ves had already thought about this, though. He was willing to invest as much money as necessary to narrow these gaps and upgrade the other aspects of his Larkinson mech to a level that made it viable against second-class threats!

He wasn't asking for much. He didn't need his mech to be competitive, but it should at least have a chance! He wasn't willing to rely on the Glory Batallion and Wodins to guard him against the Fridaymen!

Chapter 1829 Ominous Convergence

The so-called Larkinson mech for a lack of an official model name served several purposes.

Aside from the reasons that Ves already mentioned, he withheld a more profound and important reason from his fellow clan members.

Though he already trusted them to an extent, it was far from the level where he was willing to reveal some of his more sensitive secrets.

Even now, Ves harbored no intentions to reveal the true nature of glows. None of the Larkinsons were aware of the existence of spirituality or design spirits and how they all tied to his design philosophy.

It sounded a bit pathetic that Ves was more willing to share his secrets with Gloriana than his own clan members!

Was it because he distrusted his family? Perhaps.

The truth was that it didn't serve the Larkinson Clan very much to learn his secrets. While it might improve their ability to pilot his mechs, it wasn't worth the chance of exposure.

When his secrets spread to dozens or hundreds of Larkinson clan members, only a single bad apple was enough to spill them to the public!

Ves knew how much controversy and greed his secrets could generate. He had to avoid this outcome at all costs, and that meant that he needed to keep everything sensitive under wraps!

He only made an exception for Gloriana because he trusted her. He had faith in her dedication towards him, and he figured the risk was small enough to share some of his most valuable insights with her in order to improve their collaboration.

So far, it had been worth it! The Desolate Soldier, the Deliverer and all of the variants and custom mechs they designed together had achieved massive success. Part of the reason why they caught on so much was the synergies he formed with Gloriana.

Ves wouldn't gain as much if he revealed the same secrets to the Larkinson Clan. This meant that he was more inclined to keep his mouth shut regardless of the fact that he was snubbing his own family.

In any case, Ves withheld information from the Larkinsons for so long that it hardly affected him. Trust could be built over time. Perhaps his attitude towards the Larkinson Clan would completely be different after a couple of decades!

Ves rose from his seat and placed the Larkinson Mandate on his desk. "Make no mistake. The future of our Larkinson Clan will be defined by the mech I'm about to design. I want you to realize that I am taking this responsibility absolutely seriously."

"No one is doubting your ability to design a good mech." Commander Magdalena responded. "Each of us have faith in your skill. We all look forward to what you can make."

"I'm excited. This is the first mech made for our Larkinson Clan, and one of our own is its lead designer! Ves is born and raised as a Larkinson. There is no mech designer in the galaxy who knows us better than him! If his other designs are an example of what he can do, then the mech he develops for his own flesh and blood will certainly be great!"

Many Larkinsons were optimistic about the Larkinson mech. Each of them believed that Ves would pull out all the stops to succeed with its design.

They weren't wrong! Ves was genuinely planning to invest a considerable amount of resources in its design and production! Even though it would probably become one of his most cost-inefficient designs, as long as he managed to strengthen his clan and obtain some self-defense ability against a second-class mech force, it was worth the investment!

The meeting wrapped up shortly after that. The Larkinson mech pilots each bid goodbye to Ves and left his office.

Ves was content with the discussion he managed to foster. Aside from gathering lots of information from the target audience of his mechs, he also made them more involved in his activities.

The fates of Ves and the Larkinson Clan were intertwined.

There was a time when Ves didn't want to involve any family members in his business. The Larkinson Family never involved itself too deeply in the LMC, especially at the beginning.

While Ves understood the family's original stance, within his heart he never really forgave it for lacking faith in his venture.

Only his father believed in him! None of the other Larkinsons aside from his grandfather supported him in that early period.

No matter what he felt about his family, now that he grew the LMC and his other organizations to this extent, he needed their help to retain control. It was better to rely on the loyalty of his family than complete strangers!

Only the Kinners enjoyed his trust, but even then Ves still preferred to lean on his own flesh and blood.

Ves spent some time to document the results of the meeting and write down his own thoughts.

The Larkinson mech started to gain more shape in his mind. Its design would certainly be ambitious, so much so that its complexity might rival that of the Devil Tiger!

A part of him hoped that he could finally make another masterwork mech with this project. Ever since he departed the Sentinel Kingdom, he never managed to replicate his success.

Neither his Desolate Soldier nor its variants managed to get him close towards the amazing realm he reached that unforgettable day!

He wasn't even within the range where he could employ one of Lucky gems to cheat his way past the masterwork threshold.

Ves felt as if he was doing something wrong when he embarked on his previous projects.

After a lot of reflection, Ves figured that he simply wasn't invested enough in their design to form a strong and overpowering emotional attachment to them. While that didn't mean he was indifferent to his own work, he always considered them to be products rather than a creative work.

There was a difference between the two. When Ves designed the Devil Tiger, he almost completely disregarded practicality in favor of designing an innovative, groundbreaking mech!

The level of passion he maintained back then was incomparable. He came close to reaching this level when he started working on the Deliverer, but it still fell short for several reasons.

No more!

Ves was tired of failing time and time again. While it was normal for a mech designer to fail in creating a masterwork mech, Ves was different!

Perhaps some of Gloriana's obsession bled over to him, but he was really starting to get annoyed at his continuous failures and lack of progress in this aspect!

The Larkinson mech was his best hope of returning to the peak he reached when he completed the Devil Tiger project.

Designing the Larkinson mech was not a regular commercial project to Ves.

It was a project that involved his own clan. It was a project that was based around a modular mech platform, which was completely novel to him. It was also a project that Ves was willing to invest an unreasonable amount of resources to meet his goals!

Perhaps the only resource he was being frugal about was time.

A mech designer never had enough time. This was a recurring problem to Ves, though he was anything but alone in wishing he had more time!

Setting a three-month deadline was a necessity to Ves. He needed to pressure himself to work fast and efficiently. Delaying the completion of the design not only affected his other interests, but also damaged his confidence.

Ves never needed to spend an excessive amount of time to design a mech! Whereas others needed to spend years to design their work, Ves was fine with just a couple of months!

Of course, allocating just 3 months to design a modular mech platform with four different mech configurations would certainly push him to his limits.

Yet Ves banked on this urgency to keep his passion hot and his excitement at maximum!

He worked best under pressure, and Ves believed he could leverage this trait of his to amplify his passion and maximize the chance of entering into an exceptional state when he was ready to fabricate the first production model!

Would he succeed? Ves didn't know, but as long as he acted as if he was working on a passion project, he would probably get close!

"It seems as if I have to leave some of my other goals aside." He sighed.

His current project was extremely difficult and would definitely consume all of his time and attention. This meant that Ves would not have the opportunity to further his research on imaginary mechs.

"Next time." He promised to himself. "I'll wait for next time."

Perhaps he would be ready to develop an imaginary mech when it was time for him to design a mech for the Penitent Sisters.

Speaking of that, Ves wasn't sure whether this commission would still proceed. After Ves refused Calabast's suggestions, he never heard from her again. Was it that difficult to arrange a way for boys to be the lead designer of a mech design project in the Hegemony?

Time passed as Ves formed a timeline of his project and sorted out his schedule. As long as the Sand War or the Komodo War didn't spring any surprises on him, then Ves expected to be able to work wholeheartedly on his project.

It was at this time that Gavin entered his office. He had an urgent expression on his face!

"Boss, something has happened!"

Ves swiveled his chair towards his assistant. "What's the problem, Benny?"

"It's the sandmen! They've withdrawn!"

"What?!"

This was completely out of his expectation! Why would the sandman suddenly halt their relentless assault on human space? A sudden withdrawal would not only give the beleaguered states a valuable reprieve, but also negate many of the gains they have made.

What had changed? Why were the sandmen breaking their pattern?

"It's true! It's all over the galactic net! The entire third line of defense reports that the sandmen have stopped throwing their fleets at human-occupied star systems! Not a single sandman has launched an attack in the last eight hours! The scouts that are tracking the movements of the enemy have all observed the sandman fleets aborting their forward approach!"

"Where are they going?! Are they retreating back to the frontier?!"

Gavin shook his head. "That's the peculiar part about the changes in movement. The sandmen aren't fleeing like scattered sand. Instead, all of their fleets have altered their routes so that they are all converging on a single star system!"

This was shocking news! There was definitely an intelligence behind this change! Whether it was Sigrund or some high-caste sandman leader, it was clear that the aliens were not content to perpetuate their losing trend!

"Where?"

"We're not quite sure yet. More observation is needed to pin down the precise location. What we're certain of is that the convergence site is located somewhere in the territory of the former Coman Federation."

"That means that practically every surviving sandman fleet will converge in a state that is situated straight in front of the Bright Republic!" Ves quickly realized!

This was a massive threat to his home state! If thousands, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of sandman fleets all gathered in front of the Bright Republic's doorstep, what would happen once this convergence finished?

Would all of these sandmen form another artificial sand planet like the one that ambushed the CFA warfleet?

Unless the Big Two came to the rescue yet again, this death ball might be powerful enough to smash through the entire Mech Corps!

The Bright Republic was prohibited from developing and fielding weapons capable of destroying planets. While this rule was meant to limit the damage in human conflicts, it also crippled the state's attempt to fight against aliens who were unbound by the rules imposed by the Big Two!

The most important question now was whether the MTA or the CFA would move into action.

Chapter 1830 Sandman Calamity

The sandmen altered their pattern yet again.

The aliens were slow to change their approach, but once they did, it always resulted in significant changes!

After getting beat up by Deliverers over and over again, the sandmen reacted outside of expectation.

Most analysts predicted that the sandmen would have abandoned the swarm configuration that made their sandman admirals so vulnerable against sniping.

Yet it seemed the sandman leaders still in charge had opted to skip a couple of steps and went straight for the final resort!

It was difficult to estimate how many sandman fleets were left. The sandmen drew out nearly their entire population from their territories in the deep frontier and committed them to the invasion.

Even though the human states managed to defeat an incredible amount of fleets, more were still intact and on their way to invade human space!

If the sandmen kept flinging their fleets at human space without strategy, then the states possessed ample confidence in repelling the onslaught.

It was a different story if they smarted up. By taking advantage of their numerical advantage by gathering them up to form a single massive force, almost no state could withstand their might!

A sense of helplessness spread throughout the troubled states. The might of a sandman planet like the one that struck a blow against the CFA warfleet was irresistible by any third-rate state involved in the Sand War!

Perhaps they might stand a chance if they all joined forces and pooled their military strength into a unified mech army, but what were the chances of that happening?

More information quickly poured in from scouts and observers. They managed to infer the star system chosen as the convergence point, and it was right in the heart of the former Coman Federation!

This was bad news for the Bright Republic!

The state just happened to stand in their way if the sandmen kept heading coreward!

Though it was not out of the question for the sandman planet or armada to alter their course and steer around the Bright Republic, the odds of that was not very high.

The sandmen weren't known for employing tricks. Their leaders set a simple directive, and the lower-caste sandmen obeyed those orders in the most direct fashion possible!

Therefore, if the sandmen were still trying to invade human space, they would certainly take the path of least resistance, which meant they would be proceeding straight ahead!

The mood in the Ylvaine Protectorate grew tense and uncertain. It only took a slight change in direction for the suspected sandman planet to steer the sandman planet towards the Protectorate.

Not even the recent announcement from the MTA allayed everyone's worries.

In the face of such a clear and present threat, the Mech Trade Association could no longer remain impassive. Failing to act against such an overpowering alien threat would certainly impact their reputation to an extent!

Perhaps they were too lazy to deploy their forces throughout the entire front in the earlier stages of the Sand War.

Now that the sandmen were eagerly converging their forces in a single location, the MTA only had to dispatch a single powerful strike force to put an end to their invasion!

The only question was how long it would take for the MTA's Compliance Department to muster up their troops and intercept the sandman planet.

No one knew what the future held. While many people believed that their state would no longer be subject to the ravages of the sandmen, other people suspected that their enemy wasn't so simple!

Time and time again, the sandmen slaughtered so many citizens with the MTA standing by as if the culling was a natural cycle of nature.

Public confidence and trust in the MTA had fallen into a pit! Combined with their obvious preoccupation with the Red Ocean, many humans affected by the Sand War no longer looked up the MTA to save their lives!

The changes affected the Bright Republic the worst. Even though the relentless assault against the Bentheim System had finally ceased, hardly any Brighter celebrated the reprieve.

The Mech Corps and Starfighter Corps rapidly began to reorganize their regiments in preparation for a large-scale action. Whether it was to resume their prior defensive actions or to concentrate their forces to repel a planet-sized sandman behemoth, the Bright Republic needed to make the most out of the temporary lull in battle.

The conditions were slightly better in the other states. The Ylvaine Protectorate and Vesia Kingdom which bordered the Bright Republic were both adopting similar postures.

As for the states situated further away, the mood grew cautiously optimistic. Some even believed that the sandmen would no longer bother them! As far as they were concerned, the sandman invasion wasn't their problem anymore! Let the Brighters and the MTA take care of the sandmen's final gambit. There was no need to intervene any further!

With several distant states declared an end to the fighting and the start of reconstruction, it became clear to the Bright Republic that few states were willing to reinforce its precarious defense lines.

The selfishness of state governments became fully evident when the Bright Republic's pleas were help fell onto deaf ears.

Not even the Ylvaine Protectorate issued a commitment!

"The Ylvainans don't owe the Brighters anything. In fact, the opposite is true." Gavin reported to Ves in his office. "The ties between the Protectorate and the Republic are too shallow to foster a mutual defense pact. There are too many differences between the two states, and the Ylvainans don't believe the sandmen will change course and attack the Protectorate after they smashed the Republic."

Ves grimaced a bit. "This also means that the Bright Republic won't come to the Ylvaine Protectorate's aid if it turns out the sandman planet attacks the latter instead."

"Everyone is gambling like they are taking turns to ride a starship with a malfunctioning FTL drive. Each passenger hopes that disaster will pass them by and that the FTL drive will still hold up."

Considering that the Bright Republic bore the most risk, no amount of diplomatic entreaties could convince the other states to send aid!

Some people even wrote the entire state off! There was no way the Republic would be able to survive if the sandman planet invaded the Bentheim System, which many analysts predicted due to its attraction as a port system!

"How is the mood in my group?"

"As you can imagine, many people are conflicted. The employees of the LMC sympathize with their former people, but they are secretly glad to be out of the way. The same applies to the Larkinson clan members to an extent, though there are plenty who want to fight on behalf of their home state one last time."

Ves held the Larkinson Mandate in his hands and idly flipped through its heavy, spiritually-empowered pages.

"I am aware. Their reaction is rather.. troubling."

Though the Larkinsons who followed him to the Ylvaine Protectorate pledged their loyalty to the clan, it was too difficult to shake off their Brighter identity and indoctrination. They were still Brighters at heart, and many of them strongly urged Ves and the clan leadership to return to their home state to fight what might be the most decisive battle of the Sand War!

Suffice to say, Ves was deeply to accede to this request. Though it would be exceptionally valiant for them to come to the aid of the Bright Republic, Ves was not hungry to expand his glory and accumulate more honor.

The Larkinsons weren't short of reputation! Even the newly-founded Larkinson Clan already possessed quite a lot of renown due to the personal accomplishments of Ves and the legacy it inherited from the old family.

All of this meant that Ves had continually been inundated with requests to dispatch the Avatars and the Sentinels to the Benheim System!

It was driving him mad!

Fortunately, there were several reasons why they weren't heading to the Bright Republic in droves.

First, travel from the Ylvaine Protectorate and the Bright Republic was heavily curtailed. Aside from state-backed trade convoys, hardly any ship was willing to travel to a state that was likely to become the punching bag of the sandman planet!

Ship owners weren't suicidal or stupid enough to accept any contract that would bring them to the Bright Republic!

Second, the Larkinsons possessed some attachment to their clan. Each of them had signed the Larkinson Mandate, which meant they felt obliged to wait until Ves and the leadership made a decision before they acted.

Of course, this didn't prevent them from leaving the clan or acting against instructions. This was actually a very realistic concern to Ves and the others.

The final and perhaps the main reason the clan members restrained themselves was the reaction from the old family.

The Larkinson Family as a whole instructed the Larkinson Clan to stay out of the way.

Benjamin Larkinson called Ves himself to explain their reasoning.

"Whatever happens, we don't want our Larkinson heritage and future hopes to die with us stubborn old bones. In the coming weeks, we're transferring our family to your clan. I hope you can shelter them from what is to come. Please treat them well. Whether they decide to join your clan or stick to their own ways, I hope you can respect their choice."

Ves readily agreed with this request. "I have never forced anyone to join my clan. Family is family. I'll do my best to accommodate every Larkinson sent in our direction."

"It might be that we're being overcautious. The MTA will likely make its move and solve the problem on its own. What we are doing is merely a precaution. It might be that this crisis will blow over in a month. You can send our Larkinsons back if that's the case."

Ves and Benjamin hashed out the details and forged a small, informal agreement that the Larkinson Assembly quickly ratified in an emergency session.

Since the clan had accepted the responsibility of hosting the Larkinsons from the old family, it had a duty to protect their charges.

Sending lots of mechs and mech pilots to the Bright Republic would be a dereliction of their current duty! At least that was Ves hoped to use as an argument to convince his rowdy clan members to stay put.

"How big the exodus from the Bright Republic?"

"Not that much, to be honest. Aside from the lack of ships that can carry refugees away, most Brighters are actually determined to ride this crisis out. The upside to the latest movements is that many star systems are no longer under attack. Even if the sandman planet advances forward, it will only pass through the territories of the Bright Republic before entering the territory owned by the Independent State of Pillis."

"Still, the likelihood that the Bentheim System will be attacked is quite big. Once Bentheim falls to the sandmen, our home still will lose its economic heart. It will be difficult for the Bright Republic to remain strong. Even if the state manages to recapture the Bentheim System, it has lost centuries of investment and accumulation. It's too expensive to rebuild the local economy, especially since the government is certainly drowning in debt!"

The geopolitical implications were considerable. Unless the MTA stopped the sandman planet in time, it was likely that the Bright Republic would suffer an unprecedented period of weakness!

What might happen afterwards was bad news for the Republic, and by extension the Larkinson Family.

Ves really didn't want to deal with this headache right now. He was just about to gear up to begin his Larkinson mech design project. If he wanted to have a reasonable shot at fabricating another masterwork mech, then he couldn't afford to get distracted all the time!

"Are there any other movements I should be concerned about?"

"Well, it's the Hexers. The Wodins have been making some moves without coming across as man-hating bastards."

"What?"

"Yeah. I know it sounds improbable, boss, but I think they're actually succeeding in making friends with our people!"

"What is Gloriana up to?" Ves frowned.

"I think.. the Wodins are engaged in a charm offensive! They're trying to ingratiate themselves in our group!"

Chapter 1831 Change of Heart

With the sandman calamity looming over the rimward side of the star sector, Ves temporarily forgot about the Wodins.

It turned out that the Hexers hadn't been keeping to themselves anymore. Initially, the Wodins largely treated others like air. It was as if interacting with third-raters was beneath them. Why should they spare any attention to their lessers?

The change in attitude came as a surprise. Various Wodins began to show up more often at the organizations affiliated with Ves and the Clan.

Dr. Ranya began to cooperate more extensively with Dr. Lupo and other medical specialists.

Venerable Brutus and a number of mech pilots from the Glory Battalion tutored the Avatars and the Larkinsons on how to pilot a second-class mech.

Even Gloriana showed up at the Friedhold Estate and began to mingle with the Larkinsons!

All of these movements did not escape the attention of the watchful. The Hexers didn't hide their movements, and their intentions were clear.

For some reason, the Wodins wanted to improve their relations with their group.

This made Ves all the more suspicious about their motives. While he knew that Gloriana always wanted her family to accept Ves, it was anything but easy to convince her arrogant and stuck-up brother and cousin to accept their lessers!

The Glory Battalion was likewise outside of her control. Aside from obeying some small requests, they mainly kept to themselves while performing their primary duty of protecting the Wodins.

For some of their mech pilots to join Venerable Brutus in providing assistance to inferior mech pilots was rather astounding. There was no reason for the Hexers to lend a hand to the Avatars and the Larkinsons!

None of them had shown any willingness to adopt Hexer values. This meant that the Hexers were out for something else. What Gavin had told Ves made the most sense.

The Wodins were attempting to charm Ves' people. They not only focused their efforts on the Larkinson Clan, but also the people working for the LMC and other organizations.

This told Ves that the target of this operation was him. The Hexers were only being helpful because of him. At some point, their opinions of him changed.

Ves smelled something fishy was going. Regardless of what happened, Gloriana was definitely at the center of this change!

"It seems I can't avoid her any longer."

The reason he didn't seek her out sooner was because he was afraid that they would only intensify their contradictions. As far as Ves was concerned, it wasn't easy to change their respective viewpoints.

Ves abhorred the Hexadric Hegemony. He didn't even really root for them to win the Komodo War.

Gloriana was the opposite. She possessed a strong affection for her state and wanted Ves to support her views. She always encouraged Ves to change his mindset and accept that women were naturally superior to males!

Not only that, but Gloriana always expressed her desire to bring Ves back to the Hegemony in order to introduce him to her mother and relatives and gain their acceptance.

While Ves was fine with trying to win over the Wodin Dynasty, he very much objected to the need to travel to the Hegemony!

Though he tried to avoid saying that to Gloriana, the cat was out of the bag now. Perhaps she always suspected that Ves was less than enthusiastic at the idea of traveling to her home state, but saying it in the open made it impossible for her to ignore this contradiction!

To be honest, Ves had become rather apprehensive towards her reaction ever since they separated after that disastrous evening.

Would she stew by herself? Would she erupt and go crazy? Or would she simply decide to pack up her bags and leave?

Ves considered the latter to be extremely unlikely. He knew that his girlfriend was too attached to him to dump him. She needed his design philosophy in order to advance her career!

What Ves feared the most was the possibility that Gloriana attempted to drag him back to the Hegemony by force.

Suffice to say, Ves would not go down without a fight.

Fortunately, the worst-case scenario hadn't taken place. Instead, the Wodins were engaged in a charm offensive that indirectly signalled to Ves that Gloriana had a change of mind that was favorable to him. Otherwise, why bother with all of these superfluous actions that didn't benefit the Wodins at all aside from earning his favor?

Though Ves was aware that the Wodins had ulterior motives in mind, he wasn't ungrateful. His people could genuinely use the help.

Since Gloriana appeared to have mellowed out since their argument, Ves straightforwardly scheduled a meeting with her after hearing his assistant's report.

Later that day, Ves greeted her in a closed office at the design labs.

Both of them were mech designers, so they were most comfortable in a design environment.

In the main labs, the two design teams were quietly busy at work in developing two different upgraded variants of the Aurora Titan design. The Larkinson seeds were around as well.

In this productive design environment, the two lovers met each other after almost a week of tense avoidance.

Gloriana stepped forward with a smile. It was as if hardly anything had changed!

"Hello Ves."

"Hello Gloriana."

While the two mech designers greeted each other, Clixie squirmed out of her grasp and jumped onto the desk. The organic cat nonchalantly sauntered over to Lucky and bit his metallic cheek before placing her paws on the Larkinson Mandate.

"Hihihi." Gloriana burst out in a giggle. "Clixie missed you all so much. She wanted to go back to you so badly, you know!"

"I think she's more interested in my book than me." Ves offered her a brief smile.

It was difficult to remain impassive in her presence. The moment her scent wafted over to his nose, Ves was reminded of the good times. He didn't want their relationship to remain so awkward.

After their cats broke the ice, their owners relaxed in each other's company. Gloriana eagerly sat down next to Ves and faced him with a smile.

"How have you been, Ves?"

"I'm.. okay. I'm almost ready to begin my next design project."

"You're talking about the modular mech platform for the Larkinsons, right?"

Ves nodded. "It's going to be a big project. This mech is very important to my group. The future of the Larkinson Clan is at stake."

"You'll need my help."

"Yes."

"Then let me. I'm almost done with my errands. While it will take some more time for my mental exhaustion to fade, I'm still capable of performing many tasks."

"I know. It's not that simple, though. I didn't call you here to design a mech right away. I called you here for other reasons."

She sighed. "Do we really have to, Ves?"

Ves tried to look determined. "We can't ignore our problems forever. Let's settle our differences now rather than later."

"Okay.."

"First, let's talk about myself. I'm not a Hexer. I will never become a Hexer. I was raised as a Brighter and a Larkinson and that will never change. I'm very content with who I am. I don't want to do anything with Hexers, and I especially don't want to embrace the Hexer way of life. I can accept that you have different attitudes and beliefs, but that stops the moment they infringe upon my values. I'm a man, not a boy. Can you accept that?"

"You're a man." Gloriana readily said.

Her frank response surprised Ves.

She never said those words! In the past, she was too much of a Hexer to acknowledge that Ves was more than a boy! The implication was that she always considered him to belong to the inferior gender!

For her to turn around and plainly contract her culture and religion was an incredibly huge divergence! Her fellow Hexers would definitely be outraged if they could hear her now! Acknowledging a male as an equal clashed against everything they believed in! Some Hexers were even willing to kill themselves rather than admit that men were equal to women!

Ves always thought that Gloriana was far too immersed in the values and principles she grew up with to change her mind.

Yet as Ves studied his girlfriend through multiple means, he didn't sense that she was lying!

"How come you have a change of heart?" Ves frowned.

"I always thought that you were different from other boys. I wouldn't have loved you so earnestly if that wasn't the case. In my heart, I never treated you as just a boy. It took this long for me to recognize and express this truth."

"You're still a Hexer, though. Besides me, you don't acknowledge any other boy as a man."

"That's.. true." She reluctantly replied, knowing that Ves didn't take that very well. "I won't say I've abandoned my roots. Just like you are still committed to your identity as a Larkinson and a Brighter, I will always be a Hexer."

"Has anything changed at all, then?"

"I'm not the same anymore, Ves." She placed her small and delicate palm over his hand. "I won't let anything get in the way of our relationship again. I was truly afraid that we would break up over this issue! I don't want to repeat this experience again. Therefore, after a lot of thought, I decided to do my best to ease any possible sources of tension between us. Can you blame a woman for doing everything she can to secure her boy—, I mean man?"

Her silky touch and her warm body temperature quickly sent a surge of pleasure through his body!

Ves tried his best to stick to his priorities.

"Is that why your relatives are moving about lately? What's up with that? The Wodins and the Glory Battalion have made it abundantly clear that they don't like me. What did you do to change their mind?"

She grinned and started to lean in his direction. "I persuaded them. They're willing to give us more chances now."

"I find that hard to believe. They still regard me as a boy, right?"

"It doesn't matter." She stated. "They don't have to agree with me to support me. As long as we promise enough benefits, they're willing to close an eye."

Ves still wasn't convinced. Ranya had always treated him with disdain, and Brutus was insanely overprotective towards his sister!

It was impossible for them to casually ignore some troubling details!

"Tell me the truth. What is going on? Why are you and the Wodins so accommodating all of a sudden? It is completely outside your nature as Hexers."

She sighed. "It's nothing complicated, Ves. Both Ranya and Brutus weren't exactly nice to you before, but they were only looking out for me. I had a lot of time on my hands lately, so I decided to seek them out. Once I convinced them that I am only happy when I'm with you, they became open to compromise. I managed to make a deal with them to bless my relationship with you in exchange for some promises."

"What kind of promises."

"Oh, it's no big deal. I only promised to give our Wodin Dynasty a place on our grand expedition."

"How much?"

"Nothing much! Just a couple of ships is fine! It'll still be our fleet, assuming we can scrounge enough MTA merits by ourselves."

Though this sounded like a reasonable concession, Ves sensed it was anything but simple!

One question stood out.

"What does your mother think?"

Gloriana released a nervous laugh. "We didn't contact her yet. She is.. a bit more difficult to convince. Let's just follow our original plan and earn her approval through our excellent design work. Is that alright?"

So only the Wodins around Gloriana had a change of heart.

"What's the point, then?"

"It's very helpful, Ves! It shows that we can win over the rest of my dynasty! We just need more time to prove our worth as a couple! Once we get over this hurdle, you don't have to get involved with the Hegemony ever again! My relatives are willing to let me join your expedition and leave the Milky Way Galaxy in order to explore an entirely new dwarf galaxy. Doesn't that sound great? We can start an entirely new life that's completely divorced from our old lives. It's perfect!"

Was it? Ves couldn't help but feel that there was something fishy about all of these changes…

Chapter 1832 Ves the Man

Regardless of the inexplicable change of heart among the Wodins, Ves welcomed it anyway.

After all, it was better for him to forge some friendships with Gloriana's relatives considering how they played a central role in her life.

It was a lot more difficult to sustain their relationship if Ves still couldn't get along with his in-laws!

Once Gloriana expressed that she was willing to call him a man, Ves believed that they had finally achieved a breakthrough!

He was glad that Gloriana managed to settle the contradiction from her end. Now that she was willing to acknowledge him as a man and no longer insisted so much on bringing him home, Ves no longer felt as constrained in her presence.

They spoke frankly about their future aspirations.

"Once I leave for the Red Ocean, I don't intend to return." He said.

"Why? I never really understood why you're so eager to leave your home. Sure, the Komodo Star Sector isn't as prosperous as the other parts of human space, but it is still our root."

Ves couldn't say he was eager to leave because the Five Scrolls Compact might be eager to get back their missing Holy Scroll!

He had to use another excuse.

"Think about what humanity has achieved. Our civilization has managed to defeat some of the most powerful alien empires in the Milky Way, and after a hiatus that has lasted for four centuries, we are finally picking up where we left off!"

Gloriana tilted her head. "I didn't think you were so broadminded about humanity's position. This isn't our fight. The Big Two will take care of everything."

"The Big Two are a bunch of bastards." Ves retorted. "Look at their track record since the outbreak of the Sand War. What have they done to help our states resist the sandman invasion? A single half-hearted decapitation strike and a tardy response to the latest movements of the sandmen inspires anything but confidence in their commitment to defend humanity! At best, they're swamped with so many priorities that their resources are spread too thin. At worst, they no longer care about common humans anymore!"

Whatever the case, Ves interacted with the CFA and MTA often enough to get a measure of their mindset. They considered the Komodo Star Sector to be nothing more than an insignificant corner of human space. Even if the sandmen scoured the entire frontier star sector of life, the higher ups of the Big Two still wouldn't care!

His girlfriend directed a scrutinizing gaze at him. "I admit you have a point, but it's not so easy to elevate ourselves to their level."

"At the very least we should make an attempt to transcend our modest beginnings. We are capable of more. I just know it. Sooner or later, we'll become Masters with very specialties. Will we still be confined in the galactic rim at the time?"

"Hmm.." Gloriana pressed her finger on her lips. "You're not wrong, but it's incredibly hard to reach Master. How many mech designers have tried and failed? The chance of success is miniscule! We should be devoting most if not all of our efforts towards progressing our design philosophy. It's best to do so in an environment that best facilitates our work."

"And you think that environment is home?"

She blinked. "Yup."

"Well for you, that makes sense. For me, not so much. Has a boy ever advanced to Master in your state?"

"Uhm.."

"Do you realize how much damage you will do to my chances of advancement if you want to turn me into a Hexer? You're more liable to snuff my future instead! This will definitely affect your chances of reaching Master as well since you're so dependent on me to design your best mechs. Considering this situation, it's in your best interest to keep me happy, and that means allowing me to decide where I want to go. I've always yearned to travel and explore the greater multiverse. The Red Ocean is a great opportunity to start my sojourn."

"What about me?" She asked.

"Are you happy here?"

"I'm always happy whenever I'm in your presence, Ves. You know that."

Ves grinned. "Then you'll be happy wherever I go, right? Do you need to return to the Hegemony and your mother to be happy, or are you content to stay by my side even if I'm heading to an entirely different galaxy?"

His words caused her to fall into thought.

"Now that you put it that way, I think you're right. I feel a lot better about my decision now. While I won't lie to you and say that I won't be happier if I can be with you at home, I don't mind if you disagree. Will you at least allow me to invite you home for a visit? It's not going to be permanent, I swear!"

He grimaced. "I'm sorry, Gloriana, but if the attitude of other Hexers is as bad as I think, I don't think I can agree."

"My mother—"

"I don't necessarily have to visit your mother. Why doesn't she visit me instead? I know it's rather inconvenient for her to travel while the Komodo War is heating up, but once it's over, will it be okay to invite her on a foreign excursion?"

His novel suggestion took her aback. Gloriana never contemplated the possibility that her mother would leave Hegemony space in order to meet her boyfriend.

On the surface, Gloriana wasn't very optimistic that her mother would agree. Hexers generally never left Hegemony space without a good reason. It simply wasn't done. The rest of the human space was dominated by states who still wallowed in their ignorance.

It was very unpleasant for Hexers to be in the company of people who treated men as equals rather than the boys they truly were! After a lot of bad experiences where Hexers futilely tried to enlighten foreigners of the falsehoods they perpetuated, most Hexers simply stopped traveling abroad!

Gloriana knew what her mother was like. For someone as strict as her to travel outside the familiar confines of Hegemony space and become exposed to people like Ves who insisted on being treated like men would not go over well!

This was especially the case when their fellow Hexers would likely look down on her mother for paying a visit to her prospective son-in-law!

Therefore, while Ves' suggestion sounded great, Gloriana did not see any way for her mother to acquiesce.

Nonetheless, she wasn't in the mood to contradict her boyfriend at this point. She worked so hard and made a very huge sacrifice to make amends with Ves. She wasn't willing to press this matter any further.

She offered Ves a reassuring smile. "My mother would definitely be intrigued. I really do hope you can meet my mother in person. I love you, but I love her as well. It would be great if the two of you can get along!"

They babbled a bit as they grew more comfortable in each other's company. Both of them shed their earlier reserve and seemingly restored their prior intimacy.

Their cats were happy they made up as well. Lucky crawled onto Gloriana's lap and turned it into his bed while Clixie sauntered over to Ves and begged for head scratches.

"Miaow."

"Oh, you missed me, Clixie?"

"Miaow miaow."

"Oh, you missed the Golden Cat you mean?"

"Miaowwww!"

"She's not your kitten, you know. The Golden Cat only inherited a tiny portion of your essence."

The Larkinson Mandate contained the marks and signatures of hundreds of clan members. Lucky and Clixie only took up two of its pages.

"Miaow miaow miaow!"

Of course, a cat like Clixie didn't see it that way. The newly-created ancestral spirit was a cat, ergo Clixie and Lucky were responsible for raising her into a proper cat!

This reminded Ves of how cat-like the Golden Cat turned out. He hadn't actually expected his latest spiritual product to adopt so many cat-like traits. His other spiritual products became a lot more ambiguous when they came into existence. They were mostly defined by their conceptual traits rather than their appearances.

Yet for some reason or another, the Golden Cat almost completely adopted the appearance and the personality of a cat! She even communicated in the same fashion as Lucky and Clixie!

Whatever the case, Clixie wasn't entirely wrong when she claimed that the Golden Cat needed to be raised like one. It wouldn't do for a cat to bark like a dog or something.

Ves also considered it a way to develop the Golden Cat's personality. Though her connections with the Larkinsons provided her with plenty experiences, none of them belonged to her. How could the Larkinson Clan's ancestral spirit possibly learn how to love and protect its members when it never lived its own life?

"Miaow."

"Oh, you want to be able to touch the Golden Cat like Lucky?" He frowned. "That's a very tall order. It's not that easy to be able to do what he can do. At the very least, you need to develop your mind."

Though Clixie looked disappointed, Ves couldn't do anything about it. Even he lost his ability to turn himself intangible after visiting the ruins of the Crystal Builders!

At the very least, Clixie needed to develop spiritual potential in order to interact with an incorporeal existence like the Golden Cat.

Was it even possible for a cat to surpass the extraordinary threshold?

The chance was probably slim for an ordinary housecat, but a Rubarthan Sentinel Cat was an entirely different beast.

In any case, if Ves ever developed the ability to stimulate spiritual potential in norms, he would definitely help Clixie out. She was one of the few entities who was capable of keeping Lucky in line!

Once they were done with fooling around, Ves stretched his hand towards Gloriana.

"Let's design a mech."

"Okay." She replied with a smile.

Both of them instantly entered familiar territory. Once they called up a projected design interface, the pair soon shifted into a work mindset.

They began with an empty file.

"Let me explain the concept I have in mind." Ves spoke and started to draft a few contours in the design interface. "The modular mech platform that I've chosen to design is meant to serve as a bridge between third-class and second-class designs. It's highly tailored towards our Larkinson mech pilots, but other mech pilots should still be able to pilot it as well."

A very rudimentary draft came into being.

"So this is the base platform?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yes. I've chosen to keep as many commonalities together as I can get away with. I have to accommodate several different configurations. The good news is that they are similar enough that I can retain most of the torso chassis as well as the legs and head. The bad news is that we have to juggle four different configurations at a time."

He drafted four separate pairs of arms and accompanying weapons. Gloriana instantly recognized the mech types that the Larkinson mech was supposed to integrate.

"A rifleman mech, a space knight, a lancer mech and a swordsman mech. That's not nearly as bad as most modular mech platforms, you know."

"You're right, but the caveat is that we only have three months to finish this design!"

She winced. "That is very little time. Even I'm not confident I can wrap up this design in such a short timeframe."

"I believe we can do it. We just need to plan our time well and make the most out of our design teams."

"It'll be difficult to complete all of our work with just two design teams. Maybe you should consider hiring additional ones."

"Maybe. Anyway, let's start with discussing what aspects can remain fixed and which aspects we need to vary between configurations."

This was a very important discussion, and Ves was very eager to hear what Gloriana had to say. Her technical fluency was a bit better than his, so she was a much better authority on what to decide to push to the base platform and what should be tailored for different configurations.

Gloriana immediately put her analytical mind to use. "Let's start with the space knight configuration. It's the heaviest and most comprehensive configuration. We should first decide whether to augment this configuration with additional armor cover. This can come in the form of a rainment or…"

Chapter 1833 The Protectors

Venerable Brutus Wodin never expected to mingle with the lesser beings of the galaxy.

He looked down on the third-raters not just because they were inferior, but also because they were ignorant.

It was too difficult for him to get used to the sight of boys issuing orders to women, and women deferring to the weaker gender.

Society outside the sacred Hegemony was upside-down! Either people believed that boys were equal to women, or they thought that boys were actually better!

What a travesty!

Nonetheless, his sister ordered him to smile and make nice with the aboriginals.

Since she had been living among the unenlightened beings for years at Centerpoint and in the Bright Republic, she had long become accustomed to their heretical behavior.

She freely shared her methods with him and gave him some tips to keep his disgust bottled up and out of sight.

Right now, regardless of how much he wanted to throttle the necks of the arrogant boys and force them to treat women like princesses, he had to stand aside and pretend there was nothing wrong!

Sometimes, the expert pilot wished he could just hole up in his Serendipity and quietly wait until it was time to return to the familiar embrace of his home state.

Alas, Gloriana wanted him to be out and about, so Brutus had to do what she asked regardless of his preferences.

He soon became more uncomfortable than he had even been in battle!

There had even been a handful of times where precocious women tried to order him around. They possessed a shallow understanding of Hexer culture and thought that men were universally conditioned to follow the instructions of any woman!

Brutus wasn't offended by their attempts to extract favors from him. Instead, he was amused.

"I am sorry, madame, but I am already in the service of the Glory Battalion. I only obey the instructions of my designed superiors."

Just because he was a male Hexer didn't mean that any random woman could boss him around. He was a uniformed soldier, which meant he was already obliged to follow the orders of someone who had the right to command him. Civilians and bystanders only deserved his respect, not his devotion!

Even if he wasn't in active service, he still wouldn't listen to the lesser women. As a boy, Brutus was always in the care of female Hexer.

At home, that would be his mother.

Here, Brutus followed the arrangements of his sister and to a lesser degree his cousin.

If a local woman wanted to gain control over him, then she should ask Gloriana's permission, not his own! He didn't have the right to make this decision!

Fortunately, once he cleared up this misunderstanding, the local women no longer pestered him with inane requests for 'massages' or 'private tutoring sessions.'

Once he gently taught the locals how to address him and what they were allowed to do, Brutus no longer found his daily instruction sessions to be a chore.

Despite their inferior piloting qualifications, their skill level was higher than he expected of third-raters. The Larkinson clan members impressed him the most. Each of them possessed a solid if basic foundation that made it easier for him to teach some of the more advanced piloting concepts.

The Larkinsons were also a bit more well-behaved and disciplined than others. Their military-oriented background and heritage allowed Brutus to communicate with them in a way that was both efficient and curt.

In the week since he started to volunteer his time, he did something he never expected at the start.

He began to develop a closer bond with a couple of aboriginals.

One of the people who earned his acknowledgement was Jannzi Larkinson.

Though Brutus was aware that the Larkinson Clan was an off-shoot of a family that was famous for producing a lot of expert pilots, he never met one in person.

Jannzi came close, though. Some expert pilots like Brutus were capable of picking this up. He instantly became intrigued when she walked by him one day.

Though the Larkinson Clan also had another mech pilot, Brutus completely disregarded the boy in favor of studying the intriguing woman who radiated a similar kind of strength than him. The more he studied her, the more he became intrigued.

He had the feeling they shared something in common with each other!

However, when he approached her on his own accord, Jannzi didn't exhibit as much interest towards him as the other Larkinsons.

"Do you need something, Venerable Brutus?" She crossed her arms as she was standing at the foot of the Shield of Samar.

"Please call me Brutus, madame." He gestured towards her large and hefty mech. "That's a spaceborn mech, right? It's not very maneuverable on land. Pardon me for saying so, but it doesn't seem you are getting much out of practicing with this mech under standard gravity conditions. You are much better served if you practice in space or switch to another like the Paravan."

Jannzi frowned. "I appreciate your advice, but I am content with my training methods. Piloting my personal mech under these conditions isn't as useless as you think. The bonds we share with our mechs is just as important as cultivating our battle skills."

Her answer confused Brutus a bit. Though he adored his Star Dancer a bit more than usual due to his sister's involvement in its design, it was still inevitable for expert pilots to lose or replace their mechs.

"You'll eventually outgrow your mech, you know. In fact, it's already the case. This mech is far too sluggish and weak to express your full skill."

"You're not the first person who said that to me. I don't care. My mech is my partner. I wouldn't give it away for anything! Besides, Ves already promised me that he'll upgrade my mech soon. I trust in his abilities."

The conversation between the expert candidate and the expert pilot proceeded in a much more stilted fashion than Brutus anticipated.

Eventually, Jannzi turned around and started to float up to the cockpit of her personal mech.

"I'm already content with my training." She spoke as she increased the distance between them. "If you want to be of actual use, then I highly suggest you pay a visit to the Friedhold Estate. There is a woman there who's all alone and wallowing in her own misery. None of us Larkinsons managed to rescue her from the abyss. Maybe you might have some better luck in this regard."

The Aurora Titan soon came only and thundered out of the yard with heavy, solid footsteps that rumbled everyone's footing!

The Hexer expert pilot watched the oversized mech go, intrigued by Jannzi's words and the mech's surprisingly comforting glow.

Brutus resisted the urge to request the Avatars to pilot a mech of the same model. He had heard many good things about these so-called glows, but he thought they were only useful for lower-ranked mech pilots.

Experiencing the strong glow of this iconic-looking space knight opened his mind to the specialty of his sister's boyfriend. Though Brutus only caught a glimpse of its glow, he already yearned for more!

"So this is the power of the proto-gods my sister has been talking about." He whispered.

To think that each glow came from an actual divine entity. He started to see why Gloriana became so obsessed with their utility in mech design.

After Brutus finished his daily tutoring session, he decided to follow up on the Larkinson expert candidate's words. He boarded a shuttle and traveled to the Friedhold Estate where Gloriana had been spending some of her time lately.

The Larkinson clan members who lived there greeted him with enthusiasm. He declined their offer to sit with the veterans and talk about old times and asked where he could find the so-called woman who was all alone.

An elderly Larkinson matron quickly jerked her head towards an enclosed courtyard situated in the corner of the estate ground.

"You must be looking for Davia Stark. She's a poor little thing. She fought heroically against the sandmen in the initial stages of the invasion, only to lose all of her comrades, family and state. The losses broke her. Even now, we have tried to introduce some cheer in her life, but it's like she is dead inside."

That sounded ominous. Brutus followed the elder Larkinson woman to the courtyard and found the woman in question resting under the shade of an apple tree.

A desolate atmosphere surrounded her. It was as if all of the cheer and pleasantry was being sucked into a black hole centered around her body.

An instinctive response came out Brutus, yet somehow he failed to get a grip on the woman!

Yet even as Madame Stark looked completely broken, Brutus sensed an inner strength within her that seemed to resonate with him. There was more to this mech pilot than met the eye.

He stepped forward until he came up to her sitting form. It was as if she had collapsed against the tree. Her dull eyes barely noticed his approach and her body was completely devoid of strength.

"Hello." He said in a gentle voice. He completely put aside his Hexer demeanor. "You look like you can use a friend."

"..."

Davia didn't even bother to look up at him. So many people had already tried to engage her in conversation. None succeeded. The Larkinsons only made marginal progress in mending her broken existence.

Though Brutus failed to elicit the reaction he wanted, he did not show any disappointment. Instead, Davia's condition inspired more interest from him. Aside from pitying her condition, his intuition also hinted that she was much closer to his level of existence than she appeared!

He sat down next to her while maintaining a modest distance.

"You are probably unaware of my identity. Let me introduce myself. I am Venerable Brutus Wodin. I am an expert pilot serving in the Glory Battalion. Perhaps you have heard of us already."

"..."

"I've heard a little about your life experiences from the Larkinsons. I'm sorry for your losses. Life and death is inevitable in war. As a Hexer, my state bears some culpability in failing to protect our star sector from the aggression of alien invaders."

Davia finally made a reaction. She minutely shook her head and whispered a response.

"It's not your responsibility. Only I'm at fault."

"That.. you should never think that way. I've heard how many fleets the sandmen threw at the border states. None of your forces could have withstood so many sandmen. Your states were already doomed the moment the sandmen decided to invade. Sure, they might have fared better if your people made more preparations, but even then that will only delay the inevitable."

Being reminded of the failures of the past only caused Davia to sink even deeper.

Brutus noticed his mistake. He placed a hand on her back.

"Look. You survived. That's good. That means that at least one person is able to carry forth and keep the memories of your comrades and people alive. You have a responsibility to prevent their names and deeds from fading. If the records and memories of their existences have truly gone to dust, then you will have lost even more. Don't let them be forgotten. Find a way to make people remember."

He was actually voicing a Hexer principle, though he was mindful enough to strip the hexism aspects from his explanation. He already learned that it was not a good idea to persuade foreigners to the merits of Hexer culture.

He succeeded in getting a reaction out of Davia this time.

"I came from a border state called the Vindmar Republic." Davia cracked her voice, as if she was unused to talking. "It was a weak state, and life was anything but perfect so close to the frontier. It was my home, though. No one remembers Vindmar anymore. It is just a single mention in a long list of fallen states. Fewer people even remember the people who lived there."

"This is why you matter, Davia." He encouragingly said. "You are their legacy. The Vindmar Republic will always live on so long as you preserve your precious memories. You may not be able to bring them back, but you can help them move on by commemorating their existence."

She started to draw herself out of her misery in order to contemplate his suggestion. She paid more and more attention to the mech pilot who visited her. "Who are you?"

The expert pilot offered her a reassuring smile. "I am a protector, just like you."

Chapter 1834 Broadened Varian

Two projections appeared into view. Each of them displayed a mech that bore close resemblance to each other.

There were differences, though. Perhaps a layman might mistake them as identical, but there were many interesting divergences in the eyes of a trained professional.

Both Ves and Gloriana acted as the judges of this unofficial competition.

The two design teams of the LMC had been tasked with developing a minor revision to the Aurora Titan design that incorporated some specific upgrades.

This was one of the ways Ves came up with to upgrade Jannzi's Shield of Samar without spending an excessive amount of time on this chore.

It wasn't as if Ves intended to neglect her. He simply thought that it wasn't necessary for him to be involved in every step of the way. Since he spent some effort into forming some design teams, he might as well make use of their capabilities.

The results met his expectations. While none of his subordinate mech designers were as good as him or Gloriana, they hadn't been told to design a completely new mech from scratch. Working around the framework of an existing design was much more convenient as they didn't have to take so many variables into account.

By issuing this assignment to them, Ves not only saved a lot of time, but also tested their individual strengths.

"What do you think, Gloriana?" He asked.

His girlfriend inspected the efforts of the Novices and Apprentices thoroughly by manipulating the projections and zooming in on many specific sections of the wireframe model of their work.

"They're both a little rough, but that is a given considering their level of skill and the amount of time you gave them. The best I can say about them is that they are both decent enough to be used as a base for further refinement. I believe that is one of your intentions."

He nodded. "Both of these designs have incorporated solutions that I can adopt in the final version of the minor revision."

To upgrade Jannzi's mech, Ves intended to adopt the implementations from both designs, picking and choosing whichever one was better. If there weren't any solutions that satisfied him, then he could always skip it or develop his own solution.

In that regard, the designs produced by their respective teams already met his standard. It didn't matter if their implementation was lacking as long as the fundamentals were correct.

He still had to provide some feedback and judge which one was better. One of the reasons for setting up multiple design teams was to foster friendly competition between his subordinates.

As long as it didn't go too far, then the desire to upstage their rivals would push his mech designers to deliver better results!

"Let's begin with the variant designed by the first design team." He gestured at the slightly smaller of the two projected mechs.

The first design team consisted of five Kinner mech pilots. While they had one less mech designer, they all shared a common background and mindset while retaining their own identities.

In other words, they were much like the Larkinsons in how well they cooperated with each other. Over the past months, they formed an increasingly cohesive team where each mech designer did their own part.

The variant they submitted to Ves reflected the design philosophies adopted by the Tovars. It was a mech that not only fulfilled his demands, but also expanded on the concept of the base model.

"I see that this mech is a bit more mobile than what we are used to seeing in an Aurora Titan." He remarked.

Miles Tovar stepped forward and nodded. As the leader of the first design team, he cleared every decision.

"Over the course of our design work, we decided to pay a visit to the Avatars to see Jannzi Larkinson and the Shield of Samar in action. We saw that she was spending a fair amount of time walking around with her mech. Though the Aurora Titan is technically a landbound mech, with the vastly-upgraded power reactor you've given us, we can strengthen our variant to such an extent that we can divert more power to its mobility."

"The Aurora Titan is primarily a spaceborn mech." Ves reminded them. "I did not optimize it for landbound combat at all. While it is capable of participating in a battle on land, that should only be reserved as a last resort."

Miles already had an argument ready. "This distinction is less strict when it comes to second-class mechs, right? Miss Jannzi is also almost certain to become an expert pilot one day. This means her future mech will be so powerful that it shouldn't be much of a problem to pilot her mech in multiple different environments. Just as how Venerable Ghanso's Glittering Comet can fly in space as well as in the air, we think that Jannzi may be better served if she gains some practice with piloting her mech on land."

"I see that you have focused mostly on making the Aurora Titan viable on land as opposed to in the air." Ves pointed out.

"The mech is simply too heavy." Miles shrugged. "We discussed how to add aerial capability to the Aurora Titan, but it's simply too inefficient because its flight system doesn't scale that well with increased power. Putting too much stress on them will increase the risk of catastrophic failure, and that is something we can never approve."

For this reason, the Tovars decided to focus on adapting the Aurora Titan for land combat while retaining all of its spaceborn combat capabilities at the same time.

They did so through implementing various solutions. First, they made the flight system detachable so that its wing structure wouldn't get in the way when they weren't needed.

Second, they strengthened the legs and mech engine in order to increase the mobility and weight-bearing capacity of the Aurora Titan.

As a spaceborn mech, Ves initially placed little emphasis on its legs. It only had to be strong enough for the mech to move in and out of the mech stables of a ship under standard gravity conditions.

That wasn't enough to make the mech viable in landbound combat, so the Tovars spent a significant amount of effort in strengthening their variant's legs.

All in all, they succeeded in what they set out to do. Much of this had to do with Pachtold Tovar, who specialized in mechanical locomotion, and Gilbert Tovar, who was good in mass optimization.

Their respective specialties was one of the main reasons why the first design team opted to choose this route.

Overall, Ves approved of their initiative and ingenuity. He wanted his design team to be more than just a bunch of forgettable design bots.

"It can work on land." Gloriana admitted. "The question is whether these changes are worth giving up other changes and if this version of the Aurora Titan stays true to your vision."

Aside from Gloriana, pretty much every mech designer was unable to design a worthy variant of his mechs. The moment other people started deviating from his original vision, they damaged the spiritual foundation of the mech. It also didn't help that they didn't adopt the right approach and often polluted the X-Factor of the base model with scattered thoughts!

Ves had already taught the two design teams to center their minds and minimize their mental distractions whenever they engaged in their work.

While that wasn't enough to keep his mech designs pure after they got their hands on them, at least they didn't leave such a big spiritual mess behind.

He once explained to Gloriana that he sometimes imagined that he was a cleaning bot assigned to a public lavatory.

Every time, some kid or hooligan 'misjudged' their aim and left some 'collateral damage' behind. Ves had to go out and clean up all of the 'debris'.

If he didn't do so, then the variants would always lose their spiritual qualities that his works were known for! This was one of the main reasons why many of his fellow colleagues cursed him for adopting such a difficult and abstruse design philosophy. The inability to take advantage of his work was one of the biggest reasons his mechs hadn't proliferated as widely as mechs designed by other mech designers!

Of course, the upside to this was that Ves maintained a very high control over his brand of mechs. At the very least, Ves didn't have to worry too much about ignorant competitors butchering his original works.

In any case, every mech designer he added to his design teams knew better. At the very least, Ves told them to be more diligent in their aim so that they wouldn't deviate from his intentions too much.

Though the variants produced by the design teams definitely had problems, at least they were salvageable to an extent.

The variant developed by the first design team was a bit worse off in this regard, though.

"Your work is admirable, and your ideas have merit, but I'm not so sure if branching out is wise." He said.

He recalled his original inspiration for the Aurora Titan. He designed the mech after an unforgettable Mastery experience where he witnessed the apotheosis of Venerable Eloise Pelican and subsequently saw her evoke the rare state of Unity of Man and Machine with an aged and worn-out Valiant Warden mech!

Ves semi-purposefully designed the Aurora Titan to be a machine that could evoke this heroic feat one day.

He wasn't sure whether broadening the scope of the Shield of Samar would hinder Jannzi from reaching this state.

Once Ves pointed out some other aspects and finished with his feedback, Gloriana expressed her own views.

"From a technical standpoint, I'm not very comfortable with some of the design choices your team has made." She pointed at several shaky aspects of the variant.

"Look at these sections. They're all weaker than they need to be because you're trying to reconcile both spaceborn and landbound requirements in a single mech. While it's true that it is not that big of a deal to expand the range of environments a second-class mech can operate, this only applies to the upper end of our mechs. If the tech and materials aren't good enough, if the parts are too large to fit too many options in a frame, then the end product will always have shortcomings in both."

"The spaceborn combat capabilities of your variant has dipped." Ves observed.

"We knew this would happen, but we think we kept the drop in performance within an acceptable range." Miles said. "Losing 5 to 10 percent in spaceborn combat performance to make the Aurora Titan viable on land is an acceptable tradeoff in our eyes."

"What is acceptable and what is not acceptable is different to everyone." Gloriana emphasized. "I will tell you now that this price is way too much in my eyes! You might not care, but have you ever asked us or Jannzi Larkinson whether we approve of this price?"

"Uhh.. we have been remiss in that."

Neither Ves nor Gloriana looked amused.

"These kinds of changes are significant enough that you have a responsibility to solicit the feedback of the people who are directly affected by your decisions! At the very least, you should notify Jannzi in advance so that she has an opportunity to lodge an objection!"

The Tovars looked suitably chastised, which at least showed they knew their faults.

Ves understood why they slipped up. The Tovars were born with silver spoons in their mouths and always benefited from a lot of privilege.

Their high background and status made it difficult for them to adopt a service mindset that was expected of a mech designer.

Mech designers existed to serve mech pilots. This was a basic principle of the mech industry, and one that Ves still agreed with despite his skepticism towards the MTA.

Though the changes the Tovars came up with looked fairly good in the perspective of a mech designer, the fact that they never took the interests of the end user in mind was a significant dereliction of their duty!

Gloriana found other faults with their variant. Though she held herself back, the Tovars still took some heavy blows.

"Okay, that's enough." Ves put his hand on her shoulder. "Their level isn't as high as ours. We can't expect them to do better on these fronts. It's already good enough that they managed to design a variant that works to this extent."

She shrugged off his hand. "They're not working hard enough! You did a lot better when you were still an Apprentice! If you can avoid these common mistakes, then so should they!"

Urgh. Ves shook his head. Gloriana was the same as ever!

Chapter 1835 Criticism

Once Ves and Gloriana finally finished the evaluation of the first variant, they turned their attention to the second variant.

Whereas the Tovar Design Team sought to broaden the scope of the Aurora Titan, the Ylvaine Design Team instead stuck to the original identity of the super-medium space knight.

The mech looked a bit larger and heavier than before. Its armor layout featured significant changes as many plating sections had been thickened to offer even more protection!

Evidently, the second design team wasn't afraid of increasing the total mass of the Aurora Titan despite the detrimental effects to its mobility!

This was a very risky choice considering that Ves already designed the original Aurora Titan to the maximum acceptable limit to him! Making the mech any heavier would cause it to lose too much mobility for it to be worthwhile to field!

"We replaced and added a few more components to expand the mass limit of the mech." Oscar DiMartin explained. "Even though you told us you want to keep the changes to the minimum, we decided that it would do our variant some good if we replaced some older components with some of the newer equivalents corresponding to the new mech generation."

Though he was a decade older than Ves, the Ylvainan still addressed the Journeymen with utmost deference, because that was what they deserved!

Though the second design team's decision sounded a little presumptuous, at least they were able to make good use out of the new components.

Overall, the variant they designed increased many of the parameters of the base model without sacrificing too much in return.

The most significant price they paid was making the mech vastly more expensive as Ves would have to license a bunch of new components in order to gain the right to incorporate them in the updated version of the Aurora Titan.

"Your team completely disregarded frugality in upgrading the Aurora Titan." Ves ascertained. "It's like you guys acted that you have an unlimited bank account at your disposal. While I admit that it is barely acceptable in this case, you should really pay more attention to cost and efficiency next time."

Ves was willing to squander quite a lot of money if it helped Jannzi become more relevant in battle and increase her odds of advancement.

"I see you have opted to keep the mobility of the mech as even as possible while taking advantage of the expanded limits by augmenting its defense. Why have you opted to strengthen its advantages as opposed to shoring up its weaknesses."

"Ah, we failed to solicit Miss Jannzi Larkinson's opinions, but we thought that a space knight specialist such as her would always appreciate any changes that enhanced the primary function of her mech. We considered the option of expanding the mech's mobility, but the gains aren't significant enough to make the mech more useful. It will always be a fairly slow and sluggish mech."

"It doesn't matter how fast a snail can move. It can never outpace a rabbit." Gloriana remarked. "That said, I understand the other side of the argument as well. The Aurora Titan is really too slow."

Ves didn't object to this decision. The Aurora Titan had always been based around the concept of extreme defense. While it was less versatile and applicable than conventional space knights, he never intended it to be used in a normal fashion.

"This variant improves upon most of the primary functions of the original design." He said. "When mech designers receive an assignment to upgrade a mech, they should always assume the client or end user wishes to maintain the identity of the older version. This is the safest and most straightforward approach you can take when it isn't possible or convenient to solicit feedback from the relevant people."

"We thought so as well, sir." Oscar said. "We had faith in your design concept. Since you deliberately designed the Aurora Titan to be so skewed towards defense at the cost of offense and mobility, we should honor your intentions and do our best to retain your original design choices."

Ves twitched his mouth. The second design team mostly consisted of Ylvainans, who possessed an extremely high devotion towards the 'Bright Martyr'.

In their eyes, Ves was never wrong! Each of his designs were holy products blessed by the Great Prophet himself!

"As good as you think I am, I'm not a match for a Senior or Master." He told them. "My mechs are far from the ideal that Gloriana and I like them to be. There is always a way to improve our mechs. We can even reconsider some of our design choices in light of new possibilities or an expanded vision."

He wasn't sure whether the Ylvainans accepted his message or not. Their admiring eyes towards him hadn't fluctuated at all as he tried to steer them towards a heavier mindset.

Oh, well. At least two out of six of the mech designers of the second design team were not as deluded.

"Mayer Torto, Merrill Truman, what do you think about our work?"

The two sole non-Ylvainans in the second design team had been standing back for separate reasons.

Mayer Torto might be a brilliant graduate of an elite design university, but he was just a Novice Mech Designer right now.

As for Merrill Truman, though she possessed a lot more life experience, her unclean background made it difficult for her to fit in with her more orthodox colleagues.

Mayer, the youngest of the two, spoke first.

"I haven't been able to be of much use in this instance. I still need to catch up and improve my foundation. My specialty hasn't been of much use either. Your mechs lack an enhanced command, communication and control system that is customary in military mech designs."

Ves nodded in acknowledgement. "Most of my mechs are aimed towards private sector usage. In general, most outfits don't have any heavy demands in this area. Communication is rudimentary and coordination is haphazard at best. It's overkill to add advanced communication systems to our mechs."

"Will that still be the case for the mechs intended for your own mech pilots?" Mayer questioned. "From what I've learned, the mech pilots of your Larkinson Clan are mostly up to military standard. They have the discipline and training to perform advanced tactics and formations that most outfits eschew."

The young recruit actually had a very good point. When it came to commercial mech designs, it wasn't wrong for him to stick to his original stance, but if he designed a mech for his own people, he could do more.

"We'll talk later about this subject in private, Mayer. I'm interested to hear your thoughts. For now, let's resume our evaluation of your work."

The second variant may have succeeded in elevating the performance of the original Aurora Titan, but that was mostly due to the vastly improved armor plating and other replacements.

In other words, the Ylvaine Design Team forcibly elevated the performance of the mech by taking advantage of much better and much more expensive tech and materials.

There wasn't anything wrong with that. Ves resorted to this approach a couple of times as well.

The bigger issue was that the Second Design Team hadn't paid enough attention to refining their implementation. The sloppiness of their work not only reflected their limited design capabilities, but also a lack of attentiveness towards maximizing efficiency.

Ves already anticipated the former, but he was not as tolerant of the latter!

In fact, Gloriana had a bigger problem with regards to this issue!

"Your team has implemented too many changes! That's not a problem in itself, but each alteration results in a series of other shifts. Don't you realize how misaligned the mech has become due to the cascade of changes?" She complained.

"We thought we had it under control."

"It's not good enough! None of you see this mech the way we do! If you possess our depth, you wouldn't have been so eager to alter so many variables at the same time!"

"Don't fix it if it ain't broke." Ves spoke. "Some of the 'upgrades' your team has implemented only result in minor improvements in performance, yet the disruption they have caused to the alignments of other components is very significant. While I can tell you did your best in remedying the side effects, you should have reconsidered whether it was worthwhile to make these changes."

The Ylvaine Design Team possessed an abundance of enthusiasm, but lacked restraint.

Part of it was the fault of the team leader. Ves expected too much from Oscar DiMartin, who supposedly worked for several other Ylvainan mech designers in a team environment.

"We are not accustomed to performing our work with this degree of autonomy." The man explained. "We were faced with an abundance of choice and not a lot of guidance to focus our creative efforts."

That was a reasonable argument. Though Gloriana thought that they should have known better, Ves didn't think it was a big deal.

They could address all of these issues over time. Exposing these problems was part of the test. It was better for Ves and Gloriana to find out about them now than later when they were in the middle of a crucial project.

Overall, though the execution left a lot to be desired, Ves truly liked the second variant more. Instead of trying to alter his vision, the work of the Ylvaine Design Team stayed true to his original intentions.

Naturally, that didn't mean that Ves was ready to adopt it wholesale. Once the feedback session came to an end, he clapped in order to gather everyone's attention.

"Alright, I'm generally satisfied with your efforts. I'll be taking your variants and borrow from them as needed to design my own revision of the Aurora Titan design. Many of you have come up with at least some good ideas that I don't mind seeing in Jannzi's upgraded mech. I'll properly credit all of you for your contributions."

While the mech designers received a mix of praises and criticism, the latter cut the deepest.

Humans were always more sensitive towards attacks rather than compliments. While Ves had tried to be even in his feedback, his subordinate mech designers acted as if 95 percent of his words consisted of direct attacks!

Dealing with feedback in a mature fashion was a struggle for any creator. When they poured their entire hearts into a creation, it was natural to feel offended when some critic scorched their earnest efforts.

However, that was no excuse for them to ignore the value of negative feedback. Even if someone hurled tons of personal insults at them, as long as a critic had a point, it should never be discounted out of hand!

Of course, whether a mech designer actually decided to change course as a result of someone's complaints was another matter. Some issues concerned differences in style or differences in taste. A mech designer shouldn't be so eager in pleasing the loudest voices because they risked losing their way.

Fortunately, this problem was not acute as both Ves and Gloriana mainly stuck to pointing out mistakes that the lower-ranking mech designers absolutely should have avoided. Addressing them would definitely improve their design work!

Once they dismissed the design teams, Ves turned to Gloriana.

"So what do you think about our design teams so far?"

She frowned. "They're not as good as the design teams that I'm used to back at home."

"That's a given considering how junior they are. They're not as good as us or the mech designers from your home state. We have to make do with what we can get."

"You could have hired some actual Journeyman or Seniors, you know."

"I prefer to raise them from my own ranks." He reminded her. "Hiring more experienced mech designers will boost us in the short term, but it will hobble the LMC's Design Department in the long term. Be patient. Just give it some time. Perhaps some of them will make Journeyman one day!"

"In a century, maybe."

All in all, Ves was happy with what he got. He estimated he could finish his revision for the Aurora Titan in less than a week. This was enough time to overhaul the Shield of Samar so that Jannzi Larkinson would be ready for whatever the sandmen did next!

Chapter 1836 Conflicting Will

What enabled mech pilots to advance to expert candidates?

What enabled expert candidates to advance to expert pilots?

Ves used to believe it was simple. A mech pilot with spiritual potential, meaning that he possessed more than a significant amount of spiritual energy, developed his strength by undergoing a gradual mental evolution.

As long as a mech pilot found a reason to fight for and devoted his entire will towards this concept, they would eventually grow strong enough to pierce through a veil and become an extraordinary individual!

Yet the story was not as simple as Ves initially thought.

The thin veil that separated an ordinary mech pilot from the realm of expert candidate was a lot thicker than Ves thought.

The same applied to the barrier between expert candidate and expert pilot.

Ves was not a mech pilot. His evolution as a mech designer was not very relevant in this instance. Both mech pilots and mech designers developed in different ways.

The growth trajectory of mech designers didn't include an equivalent to expert candidates. Ves only possessed a rudimentary understanding of this phase. He always figured that it was only a matter of time for candidates to advance to expert pilot.

He wasn't wrong. Not completely.

The chances that an expert candidate broke through to expert pilot was a lot higher than an ordinary mech pilot jumping to expert candidate.

Yet that chance was not equivalent to a guarantee. Later on, Ves learned that plenty of expert candidates failed to make the most important step for whatever reason.

Ves saw that both Jannzi and Tusa had progressed a lot as expert candidates. They polished their rudimentary force of wills into a strong and pure reflection of their fighting spirit.

Yet as exceptional as they appeared to his spiritual senses, he somehow sensed that they lacked a key ingredient that allowed them to break through their bottleneck.

What was it? Were they lacking in stimulation? Was there some sort of flaw in their mental wills? Was their spiritual potential insufficient to support them in their final step?

It made sense if someone like Tusa Billingsley-Larkinson took his time to undergo apotheosis. The man reached expert candidate at a fairly young age and rapidly improved his skills through sheer talent and hard work.

Yet that wasn't enough.

Ves purposefully dubbed the extraordinary by this specific term because they were beyond the ordinary. The implication was that advancing to an extraordinary state required someone to already be exceptional!

It sounded like a chicken and egg problem. For an expert candidate to become an expert pilot, the person in question already needed to replicate the performance of an expert pilot to an extent!

How could that be possible? An expert candidate was called this way because they only possessed the potential of an expert pilot, and not the corresponding power.

"Perhaps the only way to square the circle is through immense external stimuli."

The way Jannzi Larkinson advanced during a non-life-threatening mech exhibition was a very rare exception. Most mech pilots didn't turn into expert candidates by participating in a show. Most mech pilots also didn't enjoy the surreptitious assistance of a Sacred God like Qilanxo.

No. The key was external stimuli. To be more specific, the most 'reliable' method to encourage mech pilots to push themselves beyond their limits was through subjecting them through life-and-death battles!

The more desperate the situation, the greater their need to reach beyond their limits!

This was exactly how an expert candidate like Captain Foster broke through after being persecuted by a super force of Flagrant Vandals!

Not only did the Vandals inadvertently push Relia Foster into a corner, but also gave her the time to hone her force of will into a razor-sharp blade that was deadly enough to propel her to expert pilot!

"Maybe that is what Jannzi and Tusa truly need." Ves muttered. "Keeping them off the battlefield will only result in stagnation."

Mech pilots existed to fight. If they couldn't perform their primary function, why did they need to advance?

Expert pilots only emerged when mech pilots realized their inadequacy and threw their entire weight behind chasing after strength!

Only by wholeheartedly pursuing the strength to increase their chances of survival and bring them closer to achieving their goals would they become worthy enough to shed their mortal shackles!

Ves therefore believed that he should find some way to push Jannzi and Tusa into action sometime in the future. If they failed to make any progress while they were drilling with Larkinsons, then obviously something had to change.

As for Silent William, Ves immediately experienced a headache whenever he thought about him. The mute mech pilot and exile from the Vicious Mountain Star Sector had gained a lot of spiritual potency since Ves 'operated? on his spirituality.

Yet the Urbesh clansman remained ordinary as any other mech pilot. His spiritual potential may have ballooned, but it was still largely untapped.

Despite experiencing months of harrowing battles against the sandmen, none of the stimuli caused William Urbesh to form a coherent force of will.

What was the problem? What was taking him so long?

In order to solve this conundrum once and for all, Ves ordered William to report to the lab. Once there, Ves drugged the mech pilot and placed his unconscious body in an enclosed lab.

Since William was by all accounts silent and unresponsive to others, Ves didn't even bother asking questions to him. He would just keep his mouth shut anyway.

"So what are you going to do with him?" Gloriana asked as she stood in the observer's room while holding her cat.

"Miaow."

Clixie wasn't interested in the proceedings. All she cared about was getting pampered by her owner.

"Meow."

Nyaaaa!

Lucky on the other hand was tugging and playing with the Golden Cat. The two had been spending a lot of time together, which wasn't surprising considering Ves lugged the Larkinson Mandate wherever he went.

Right now, Ves placed his book out of the way in order to place his full attention on this problem.

In order to get in the good graces of the Rim Guardians and thereby gain an opportunity to earn a lot more MTA merits, he needed to complete this task of theirs.

Ves thought he already got the largest hurdle out of the way by getting rid of William Urbesh's deep-seethed cowardice.

Yet the spiritual surgery which turned William into an entirely new man also caused his mind and spirituality to split into two!

As Ves concentrated his mind and carefully inspected the unconscious mech pilot's mental state, he ascertained that nothing much had changed since he last performed an inspection.

Around 30 percent of his mind and spirit was occupied by the 'original' William. This was the coward part of him that abhorred any type of confrontation.

Seventy percent consisted of the contaminant that Ves had introduced into the foreigner's mind. This portion came from Nyxie, the ancient alien spiritual entity that was safely locked away inside the Ancient Sarcophagus.

Nyxie was overflowing with attributes related to tyranny, superiority and hostility. These attributes completely canceled out the original William's cowardice and allowed the mech pilot to get over his fear of battle.

In that sense, Ves succeeded in overcoming the first hurdle.

Yet turning William into a competent mech pilot was only half the battle. It was a lot harder to drag a mech pilot into the realm of expert candidate!

Ves had seen so many mech pilots who possessed spiritual potential but never found the opportunity to infuse it into their wills.

Part of it was because they might not possess a sufficient amount of potential. Another part of it was that their will was not receptive enough to accept empowerment.

This might be the primary reason for William's block. It wasn't that he failed to get enough stimulation. The problem instead lay in William's foundation as a person!

Those worthy to transcend mortality needed to possess a strong mind and a focused mind!

A split mind like William's was anything but conducive towards the formation of a force of will!

"The fault lies with me, then." He murmured.

"So can you fix whatever is wrong with him?" Gloriana curiously asked.

She didn't understand much of what Ves was trying to do. She was mainly here because she insisted on witnessing what Ves could do with William.

"I have some ideas."

"Then why haven't you tried them out yet?"

"They're dangerous. Anything that manipulates the mind or spirit is something that inherently changes the essence of an individual. It is too easy to screw up and cause someone's personality to warp. In fact, I've already done that to William. He's essentially a damaged human."

"Well, whatever's wrong, there's one thing I know, Ves. If there's a fault, there's a way to remedy it. Always."

Ves contemplated her words. Of course she would say something like that. Though her advice sounded obvious, it was not that straightforward when it came to spiritual alteration.

Or was it?

Perhaps he was overcomplicating the matter. Maybe messing with someone's mind was similar to messing with a mech. As long as Ves made some purposeful changes, he could achieve the effect he wanted without producing a lot of unintended consequences.

The main reason why he lacked confidence was that Ves possessed too little depth in the field of spiritual engineering and spiritual manipulation.

In other words, he was a wizard when it came to mechs, but a brute when it came to manipulating minds!

This analogy was apt because he was aware that he possessed the power to effect change, but lacked the knowledge and technique to wield it with actual skill.

Sometimes, Ves really wished his mother passed on a manual or a textbook or something. She had been too remiss in educating him in how to utilize his spiritual powers!

Well, he had been doing decently so far. At least he succeeded in utilizing his spirituality in mech design. Now he just needed to gain some proficiency in manipulating mech pilots in order to complete the circle.

Ves briefly described William's mental state to Gloriana. "How would you go about in solving this problem? Mind you, the situation is very delicate, so I need to keep my intervention as light as possible."

"Hmm.." She fell into thought while stroking Clixie's belly. "I would contemplate three different options. The first possible solution is to balance out the two elements. Instead of the thirty seventy split you have now, I would find some way to weaken one and strengthen the other so that a fifty fifty split will form."

"A balance doesn't solve the fundamental problem that a split has occurred in the first place." Ves pointed out. "I suspect that this is the root of the problem."

"I don't know, Ves. You're the expert on this matter. I just think that balance is better than imbalance. Perhaps a surprising change might take place once Wiliam's opposite sides become equal to each other. They might cancel each other out or form some sort of harmony that causes them to merge together."

This was pure speculation to Ves. He could not afford to go forward on baseless assumptions. At the very least, a theory had to be backed by solid logic in order to inspire confidence!

"What other guesses do you have?"

"Well, the other option is to tilt the odds until the stalemate breaks. Either the 'cowardly' side of William wins, or the 'Nyxie' side of him takes over."

"No!" Ves forcefully shook his head. "That is taking a step backward. Restoring William's cowardly personality puts us back to the beginning, while allowing Nyxie to take over is unacceptable!"

"Why so?" She tilted her head. "What makes you so afraid of this divine entity? Are you sure that letting him take over results in a bad outcome?"

Her words caused him to revisit his assumptions. He sort of took it for granted that letting Nyxie take over William's mind, spirit and body was a very bad idea, yet why did he believe this to be the case?

Was it just his primal fear for the ancient alien entity talking?

Just thinking about paying another visit to the red coffin practically inspires panic in his being! Allowing Nyxie to extend his reach beyond his primordial prison sounded like a very bad idea! His intuition was practically ringing alarm bells!

"Let's put this suggestion aside." Ves mildly said. "You said you have a third possible solution. What other means can we employ to remove William's block?"

"Well..."

Chapter 1837 Living Produc

Gloriana provided Ves with several suggestions on how to resolve Silent William's inability to advance to expert candidate.

Neither of the options she mentioned so far inspired confidence in Ves. Operating on someone's mind and spirit was an extremely sensitive act that had far-reaching effects on someone's psyche and personality.

He understood far too little about humans and the human mind to consider himself an expert in this field!

Due to his concerns and apprehensions, he found it difficult to come up with solutions on his own. This was why he welcomed the input of an outsider like Gloriana.

Her lack of understanding in the spiritual field aside, her ignorance granted her a fresh and untainted perspective towards the problem Ves was facing.

Sometimes, all it took to solve a complex problem was a simple but novel solution.

Her third suggestion exceeded anything Ves could conceive of on his own! It sounded so radical that his thoughts almost crashed!

"Say again?"

"You heard me." She said as she continued to ruffle Clixie's fur. "You need to solve the separation in William's mind so that both sides are able to blend and coexist as one. Well, doesn't this sound familiar to you? From what you've described to me, the divinity that people like you, me and William possess is identical to the proto-gods you've been working with all along! Aside from the fact that the latter isn't anchored by a corporeal vessel, it doesn't sound like they are fundamentally different from gods in the making such as you, me and every other exceptional mech pilot and mech designer!"

Ves simply couldn't connect the two. Not immediately. Spiritual products were entirely different from high-ranking mech pilots and mech designers!

Were they?

The moment Gloriana threw out this seemingly simple but incredibly radical equation, Ves couldn't help but linger over it. His values and principles as a decent human being recoiled at any suggestion that a human's spirituality could be treated in the same fashion as a spiritual product!

The former was a complete, sentient and living entity, while the other was a product designed and created to fulfill a specific purpose!

Yet.. were design spirits not complete, sentient and alive?

Were humans not 'created' to fulfill some purposes as well, such as procreation and the continuation of their species?

If Ves set aside the perspective of a common human being, then the two actually had a lot more common than he initially assumed.

It was difficult to put human spirituality in the same category as spiritual products. He had been raised as a proper Brighter, and inherited the principles that almost every school instilled in humans.

Human life was precious and deserved to be treated with dignity. It was forbidden to tamper with human minds! Artificially altering human beings in order to 'program' them into different persons was one of the biggest violations of human rights in human space!

This was a crime that would almost certainly provoke the Big Two into squashing him into paste!

Even though Ves learned later on that enforcement was less than rigorous, it was still difficult for Ves to do something that completely crossed the line!

Of course, what Ves had already done to Silent William broke several taboos. Yet he always had William's best interests at heart.

He hadn't tampered with William's mind. He 'cured' the mech pilot by performing a 'benign' spiritual procedure that got rid of one of his 'disorders'.

It worked, didn't it? William turned from an abject coward and a waste of space into a dashing, heroic mech pilot!

Yet what Gloriana suggested was something that went far beyond 'curing' William.

If Ves followed the same methodology he employed whenever he created a spiritual product, then he would have to kill William's spirit before using the remnants to create a new version of him! A different version!

The ethical problems resulting from such a crude and barbaric act were myriad and severe!

Would Ves be erasing the original William beyond the point of no return?

Would the 'spiritual product' that represented the new William bear any connection or resemblance to his old self?

What kind of bonds would the new William maintain with either Ves, Nyxie or some other entity?

How could Ves ensure that the new William still inherited the original William's memories, knowledge and piloting expertise?

Above all, would the new William still bear some resemblance to humanity?

This last question troubled him significantly. Ves inadvertently glanced towards the Larkinson Mandate, which Lucky was using as an impromptu nest.

The Golden Cat he recently brought to life turned into a wholesome feline despite being made from hundreds of different ingredients.

This gave Ves some hope that he could control or at least steer the spiritual restoration process to an extent. As long as he added in enough supplementary ingredients, perhaps he might be able to retain the human-ness of the resulting spiritual product!

Ves began to consider the matter more seriously once he gained some confidence in his ability to achieve the outcome he desired. All thoughts on taboos and ethics went out the window as he was becoming increasingly more consumed by the unlimited potential of this ability!

As long as he succeeded, he would be able to grasp a means of 'reprogramming' human beings! This went beyond the level of brainwashing and indoctrination used by various unsavory and illicit groups!

The only reason he held back from going wild with this idea was that it was largely untested. He didn't have a good grasp on the outcome because he never performed this method on a human before.

He needed to test his theories. He needed to refine this method through practice and repetition. He needed to develop a more solid theoretical framework to gain a better grip on the mechanics behind the process.

All in all, Ves was about to traverse head-first into uncharted territory, and that meant that he could encounter all kinds of dangers in the fog!

Instinctively, a part of him felt deeply repelled by what he was contemplating. The sheer inhumanity of it reminded Ves of the depravities the researchers of the Five Scrolls Compact were willing to commit!

Ves shook his head. He needed to center himself and reaffirm his principles.

The proper course of action was to reject Gloriana's radical but admittedly brilliant suggestion.

Yet.. the potential of it kept luring him back. Though he would never employ such a radical method on someone he cared about like the Larkinsons, it was a different case for a stranger like William Urbesh.

What did it matter if he 'killed' William and resurrected someone new and different in his place? Was it worth sticking to his principles if it was in his best interest to utilize this method to solve a problem that had been bothering for a while?

"I'm not killing him if I do this." He whispered to himself. "I'm reconstructing him. Obviously, my patient isn't of a right mind right now. My earlier treatment failed to restore him to a healthy state. Obviously a follow-up treatment is required."

Of course, Ves conveniently ignored the fact that he was responsible for putting William in such a divisive state in the first place. He also disregarded the implication that he planned to spiritually kill the original William and put a spiritual abomination in his place. He also passed over the fact that he would be violating the principles he was determined to uphold.

Ves had a lot of practice in ignoring his principles when his interests were on the line.

Perhaps he might have to pay a price for that later on, but Ves didn't care right now. The idea he formed was far too intriguing to ignore, and it seemed as if it was his best shot at advancing his relationship with the Rim Guardians!

As long as he completed their mission, Ves would not feel any remorse!

Though this operation sounded extremely risky, Ves was too impatient to bother with trying out this method on test subjects. He already had a decent amount of practice with creating spiritual products, and this shouldn't be any different! Gloriana was right that human spirituality was little different from the design spirits he worked on a daily basis. Qilanxo even used to be a real living exobeast before she transcended into a purely spiritual existence!

"Let's perform this experiment right away!" He grinned as he became more enthused by the possibilities. "I'll have to retrieve some objects and make some preparations."

He began to bring over a P-stone, F-stone and B-stone lockbox from the vault. He primarily wanted to have a charged P-stone by his side in order to compensate and supplement his spiritual energy expenditure.

As for the F-stone and B-stone lockbox, Ves just wanted to keep them close as a precaution.

If he somehow managed to birth an eldritch horror, he might have to borrow the F-stone's offensive amplification charge to slay the spiritual monster.

The B-stone lockbox could be put to use in a variety of ways, such as using it as an improvised helmet to defend himself against direct spiritual attacks.

Once he brought these objects to the lab chamber, he began to sit and create some empowered spiritual images.

Just like with his other spiritual products, these spiritual images basically functioned like blueprints. At least that was what he hoped.

It seemed to work out the last time. When Ves created the Golden Cat, the resulting spiritual product matched the image of a cat he formed.

Even though Ves hadn't created a perfect image that contained a complete library of cat-related properties, the Golden Cat still behaved perfectly like one!

This meant that Ves didn't need to be too specific or thorough in constructing an image of Silent William as an 'ideal' mech pilot.

Intent and purpose mattered more than precision when it came to spirituality!

That, and the ingredients mattered a lot as well, but Ves already had that covered. He did not intend to blend in anything aside from the split portions of spirituality in William's mind.

It wasn't as if he was tempted to steal an expert pilot's spiritual fragment and throw it into the mix, but Ves was afraid this would only result in a detrimental outcome.

Since he was doing something very new, it was best to keep it simple and keep out as many variables as possible.

While Ves worked to prepare his upcoming operation, Gloriana sat quietly while peppering him with questions whenever he took a small break.

"Are you confident you'll succeed?" She asked with curious eyes.

"I am." He answered. "Though I'm not certain what will happen, my intuition tells me that this is a sound idea. At the very least, the logic of it is solid. It's the details that concern me. The added variable of manipulating a human's spirituality to such a drastic degree will doubtlessly result in complications."

"The devil is in the detail." Gloriana remarked. "Sometimes, the smallest variables have a way to completely upend your expectations. Make sure you are ready to respond to any unexpected developments."

"I know."

"Do you need my help? Since you're performing another miracle, my assistance can improve the outcome."

Ves immediately shook his head. "No thanks. You still haven't recovered from your involvement in the creation of the Golden Cat. I don't want to prolong your weak state any further. I need you back to normal as fast as possible so you can fully participate in my Larkinson mech design project."

"So the life of a human being is less valuable than a mech design to you?"

"Yup." Ves answered without hesitation. "Especially when that 'human being' is just some random schmuck and the mech design in question plays an extremely vital role in the evolution of the Larkinson Clan! There is no question which one is more important!"

Gloriana looked amused. "If you say so. Aren't you afraid that William.. won't come out right after you are done with him? Without my ability to fix imperfections, you're going to produce a very flawed product."

"It doesn't matter. I'm not aiming to create a perfect living product. As long as the new William is human enough to pass for one and retains most of his skill and knowledge in piloting mechs, then I have no complaints!"

Whatever collateral damage or side effects Ves produced over the course of his operation was not his concern! So long as they didn't impact the new William's advancement to expert candidate, then the operation was a success in his book!

Chapter 1838 Correctional Surgery

Ves finished his preparations for his upcoming 'correctional' surgery.

He prepared all of his props, including the spiritually-empowered images which would hopefully shape the development of his latest 'spiritual product'.

In general, Ves tried to keep them simple in order to minimize the occurrence of complications.

"What can go wrong will go wrong." He explained to Gloriana. "While that doesn't necessarily translate well to single instances, it's best to minimize the damage by exposing as little vulnerabilities as possible."

"So you've decided to build off William's existing traits and personality rather than take a heavier hand in reconstructing his personality."

"That's right. I'm reducing the difficulty as much as possible and making it so that I can let the process occur as organically as possible."

This meant that his image of the new William corresponded a lot with William's current state.

The new William should be mute and uncommunicative.

The new William should be a calculating but also courageous mech pilot.

The new William years for greater power in order to bring the Urbesh Clan from the brink of dissolution.

The new William ought to be a good team player in battle despite his lack of communication.

All of this 'spiritual programming' corresponded to either the original William or his Nyxie side. Ves just wanted to emphasize the more desirable aspects in order to make sure they transferred to the spiritual product that took over his test subject's mind and body.

He only introduced a couple of original programming in order to achieve some necessary goals.

First, he added in an image which emphasized that William was a completely functional and normal human being.

Even if he turned out to be a spiritual abomination, then at least he shouldn't behave abnormally! Licking other people's arms for no reason or developing a penchant for devouring human flesh was an instant giveaway that something was very wrong with William!

The next set of programming was meant to keep William silent on matters that Ves didn't want to leak. Every memory related to spirituality, mind operations and all this stuff should hopefully disappear from the new William! Even if that wasn't possible, the spiritual product should at least keep his mouth shut!

Ves believed he should be able to get away with these minor additions.

He thought about adding some sort of compulsion to be completely loyal to him, but that was too much intervention. Such an alteration was too large and disruptive, resulting in significant complications that might warp the new William into an entirely different entity!

It was also unnecessary.

"Every spiritual product I've made so far is already predisposed to respect me and look up to me." He explained. "They are all my children in a sense, and each of them regard me as their parent. A significant portion of my spiritual energy runs through their spiritual makeup, as it is necessary to provide them with the spark of life. I think I can rely on this interaction to keep William honest."

"If the new William really ends up like your other spiritual product, then he'll return to a newborn state, at least from a mental aspect." Gloriana pointed out.

"We'll just have to raise him over again. I intend to hand him over to the Larkinsons with the excuse that he suffered from some sort of weird mental trauma that caused him to suffer from amnesia."

"The Larkinsons aren't stupid, Ves. The Avatars have fought alongside William for months during the Sand War. They'll definitely start to wonder why he's completely different."

"I'll do my best to encourage them to cease asking questions." He frowned. "As long as they know what is good for them, they'll stop poking into matters that aren't any of their business."

"Will the Larkinsons be able to train William to the point where he's both a functional human and an expert candidate in time for the deadline of your mission?"

Ves wasn't employing the new William as a design spirit, so he wouldn't progress like his other spiritual products.

This meant that the new William would likely take longer to mature, but Ves believed it was okay. He still had some time left before the deadline approached.

What Ves cared more was whether William would be able to break through to expert candidate in time!

There shouldn't be any problems related to his spiritual potential. It had already grown quite sizable after Nyxie contaminated William's spirituality.

The key and the point of this entire operation was to achieve a unified, coherent mind that was conducive towards the formation of a force of will.

"I forgot about this!" Ves slapped his forehead.

He didn't want to perform a very dangerous operation only to gain nothing in the end! If the new William failed to merge his spiritual potential with his will, then Ves might have well not bothered in the first place!

He halted and tried to think what kind of value, principle or emotion William should adopt as his raison d'être.

Perhaps it wasn't necessary for Ves to make this choice on his test subject's behalf, but he wanted to minimize as much uncertainty as possible.

He couldn't afford his test subject spending years or decades to explore his true self! Skipping this potentially-lengthy process insured that Ves would be able to achieve quick results!

"I'll have to make a choice that best conforms to William's new personality." He rubbed his smooth-shaven chin. "One that is powerful enough to make him dedicate his whole life towards."

What did William fight for? Ves actually didn't know. He never bothered questioning the mech pilot properly after he went mute.

Prying answers from a man that wanted to stay uncommunicative was an exercise in futility.

As Ves gazed at his unconscious test subject, he suddenly snapped his fingers. "I don't need to ask him! I'll just lift the answer straight out of his mind!"

Ves proceeded to concentrate and delve into William's unconscious mind and spirituality.

He was already familiar with the division between the original William and the presence of Nyxie. What Ves wanted to do was investigate their respective motivations.

It wasn't difficult to figure out their motivations. The original William wanted to become a powerful mech pilot and be worthy of leading the Urbesh Clan back to power. This was something every mech pilot from the Garlen Empire dreamed of, especially those born into clans and tribes!

As for Nyxie, the ancient alien's motivations were kind of obvious. The alien wanted nothing more than to restore himself to power and dominate the galaxy or something.

"The two aren't exactly the same, but there might be a way for one to feed the other."

Both of them wanted to gain power. Ves preferred the new William to steer his drive towards a more healthy direction such as trying to gain power in the martial-oriented Garlen Empire.

The last thing Ves wanted to see was to create a monstrous butcher in human skin that proceeded to use his extraordinary power to kill as many humans possible!

"I think I know what to do now."

He proceeded to alter and tweak some of the images he made to emphasize this aspect of the original William as much as possible. In fact, Ves might have gone overboard and exaggerated this desire, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing!

As opposed to mech designers who developed a distortion in their personalities as a side effect of their progression, mech pilots needed to develop a strong obsession before they took their first step to godhood!

It was kind of odd how mirrored they were. Who came up with the methods to advance as mech pilots and mech designers? They certainly didn't appear out of thin air shortly after the formation of the Mech Trade Association!

Ves shook his head. This wasn't the time to consider these matters. He had a spiritual procedure to perform.

"There. That should do it. This is as good a motivation as any for a Garlaner."

He wanted to warp the new William into developing an obsession for power. The mech pilot's ultimate goal was not just to restore the Urbesh Clan to power, but also advance to ace pilot and become eligible to succeed as the emperor of the mighty Garlen Empire!

With such an ambitious goal in mind, Ves did not believe that the new William would slack off in his advancement!

"Do you think I've covered everything?" He asked his girlfriend.

She shrugged. "I don't know, but I think you've covered everything that's necessary. It's up to you now to transform William into a mech pilot that can make his clan proud. Prove your worth as a god in the making and a giver of life!"

Ves directed an unamused expression towards her. "Don't be so melodramatic. I'm not a god and I'm not creating life out of nothing."

"I know you can do it! Go on! Make an expert candidate out of William!" She cheered and acted as if Ves didn't say anything!

He gave up on her and focused his attention on William. He made sure to check if the sedates would still keep him unconscious. The last thing he wanted to see was William waking up and screaming murder!

Once he made sure that William was under control and the lab chamber was fully isolated and enclosed, Ves mustered up his spiritual strength and began his operation!

"First step! Shatter the ingredients!"

This was a hard step. Ves had to force himself to think of William as a spiritual product instead of an actual human being!

The moment he did so, Ves felt as if he had crossed a point of no return. Once he took this step, he would never be able to regain the shred of innocence he lost today.

"It's for a good cause!"

He pushed aside all of his doubts and resolutely employed his superior spiritual strength to shatter the split spirituality of Silent William!

Different from a partial and incomplete spiritual fragment, the whole spirituality of a living human being was intrinsically stronger and more durable. However, Ves was so much stronger that he could easily resort to brute force to shatter William's spirit!

The moment he did so, William's unconscious and restrained body buckled as if it had been stabbed in the heart!

An extremely essential part of him had perished! Though his body and mind were still sound and untouched, without a functioning spirit, he was no better off than a clone!

Ves needed to move quickly to minimize the consequences of this crude operation. He shattered the spiritually-empowered images he made before blending the pieces with the shards of Silent William's spirit.

After that, he quickly proceeded to merge the pieces back together. It was just as if he was creating a regular spiritual product like Bravo or the Solemn Guardian.

The fact that the process of piecing together a living human's spirit was no different from creating a spiritual product disturbed Ves on a profound level.

Was Gloriana truly right? Were humans no different from products on a spiritual level?

Whatever the case, the fact that there weren't any significant deviations in the process was also a blessing. The chance of complications should be low as long as nothing came and messed with the operation!

Just as Ves started to relax and settle into a routine, he suddenly noticed a presence that wasn't there before!

Ves honed his spiritual senses towards the new presence and realized that an unwelcome guest had butted into the process at some point!

"What the hell is this?! What is it doing?!"

The new spiritual entity was small but surprisingly concentrated. Not only that, it was doing something to the forming spiritual product that wasn't in his plan!

Ves diverted a spiritual projection to shove it outside William's mind, only for him to fail!

This tiny, concentrated presence was extremely difficult to deal with! Not only that, but Ves recognized its spiritual flavor!

"Cassandra Breyer!" He uttered in shock, attracting a confused glance from his girlfriend! "Damnit! Can't you just stay put like the mummy you are?! Get out of my experiment!"

Chapter 1839 Spiritual Shortcu

Cassandra Breyer!

The strange undead woman interfered with William's 'Corrective Surgery' at the exactly wrong moment!

Just when Ves was making good progress in resurrecting and reconstructing his shattered spirit, the uninvited meddling of a third-party threatened to ruin his arrangements!

A small but highly-concentrated spiritual projection was messing about with the shards and merged amalgamations, altering them in some indescribable fashion.

No matter what she was doing, it was almost certainly bad!

Ves wanted her to be gone!

"GET OUT!"

He paused his work in reconstructing William's spirit in order to bring his full strength to bear against the intruder. The longer Cassandra messed around, the greater the degree of distortion in the end product!

There were too many cooks in the kitchen. This entire procedure was his show from the start, and he absolutely couldn't tolerate anyone barging in to mess with his creation, especially from a hostile witch like Cassandra Breyer!

He tried to dislodge the intruding spiritual projection several times, yet all of his attempts failed!

The frustrating part of this was that Ves knew he could bring much more strength to bear. Yet Cassandra's seemingly small and weak spiritual projection withstood his brute force attacks as if it was holding an umbrella against the rain!

His heart sank as he ascertained the reason why he failed.

Her spiritual application and technique was far superior to his own! Instead of forming a solid projection, it instead consisted of countless tiny building blocks that chained and meshed together in incredibly complex abstruse patterns that reminded Ves of circuitry.

Such an arrangement bespoke of an extremely deep proficiency in spiritual engineering, the likes of which went far beyond Ves could ever conceive on his own! The disparity between his simple spiritual mallet and Cassandra's incredibly refined spiritual probe was too much!

Ves darkened even further. Did he have to expend some of his F-stone's offensive charge in order to destroy this interloper?

Though he was sure that Cassandra wasn't strong enough to withstand its destructive power, Ves was very hesitant about wasting the F-stone's remaining potency!

Having found no other spiritually-reactive exotic like it, Ves wanted to preserve it as a trump card against truly implacable foes. Right now, using it on something that he should have been able to defeat on his own was an incredible waste!

"I guess I'll fall back to the stupid option then. I don't believe you can withstand my attacks forever!"

If a certain amount of brute force didn't work, then Ves could always employ it again! And again! And again!

Just like how mech armor designed to withstand laser fire would eventually succumb to a bombardment of lasers, Ves believed that Cassandra's defenses still incurred at least some damage with every hit! Total immunity didn't exist in mechs, so it shouldn't exist in the spiritual arena either!

His spiritual energy expenditure increased enormously as he kept hammering and stabbing Cassandra's unusually resilient spiritual probe like crazy. William Urbesh's half-constructed spirit started to stagnate and regress due to being neglected. It didn't help that Ves was acting like a bull in a china shop and tore up some of the surrounding spiritual shards!

He didn't care about the collateral damage right now. All that mattered to him was eliminating this uncontrollable outside factor before it ruined his entire experiment!

Though Ves drew on his P-stone energy reserves like he was thirsty, his efforts finally achieved the desired effect!

At some point, his attacks caused Cassandra's probe to reach a limit! Like an egg, it finally popped and leaked a scattered and unregulated amount of spiritual energy all over William's mind!

Unfortunately, before Ves could clean up the mess, the scattered energy all sank into the loose spiritual shards, merging with them to such a degree it was impossible to dig them out!

"Damnit!"

This was another trap! Even if Cassandra failed to finish her targeted manipulation, she still managed to secure a consolation prize by merging a part of her spiritual influence in William's spirituality!

At this moment, Ves faced a very unattractive prospect. He was half-way through the spiritual restoration process that he could not afford to pause or stop.

Doing nothing or halting the process would quickly degrade the quality and integrity of the spiritual shards.

If Ves decided to try again later, he would have much worse ingredients to work with! Right now, they were still relatively fresh, but if he wanted to try again, the ingredients would have certainly spoiled and rotted by then! He only had one chance to make this right!

"I'm not dealing with a regular spiritual product either. I'm working on a real human life here!"

What would happen to William Urbesh if his body lacked the necessary spirituality? Would Ves still be able to merge William's reconstructed spirituality back to his body if he delayed the matter by a couple of days?

Ves didn't know the answers to these questions, but he could not afford to be reckless on this front.

His keen sense of risk told him that it would be best if he proceeded with the operation as best as possible regardless of the uncontrollable variables that Cassandra introduced.

As an artist and a creator, this was a profoundly awful decision to make. Ves felt as if he spent a lot of time to cool a meal for himself, only for one of his enemies to dump an entire cup of sugar on his casserole!

Would he still be able to stomach the finished product after it had been tampered with to such an extent?

Unfortunately, eating something excessively sweet was better than going hungry!

"What a devious plan, Cassandra. I guess you win this time."

Ves was in a bad mood throughout the remainder of the session. He tried his best to separate his emotions from his work and ensure that William's spirit received the best care possible.

It was difficult.

His patience frayed and he was reaching the limits to his tolerance. His distaste in integrating spiritual shards that had been contaminated with a hint of Cassandra's spirituality sat very poorly with him. If possible, Ves vastly preferred to throw away these contaminated shards!

If Ves was creating an ordinary spiritual product, then he would have done so without another thought.

"I can't do that here. I'm not creating something new that begins from scratch. I'm trying to rebuild a human who already exists!"

It was vitally important for Ves to retain as many shards as possible! Any loss, however minor, might have devastating effects on the new William Urbesh!

What if Ves discarded a spiritual shard that was related to his ability to pilot mechs? If William's mech piloting ability incurred damage, then how could he possibly advance to expert candidate?!

Cassandra's scheme went deep. She made it so that Ves had no choice but to accept the tainted ingredients. Regardless of the trap it represented, Ves had no choice but to dive head-in because any other alternative was worse!

Though Ves felt like changing his mind and giving up several times, William's importance to his future plans were far too great for him to quit while he was at this stage!

As Ves breathed more life to William's recomposing spirituality, he finally noticed something remarkable.

Each of his spiritual products always started off on a relatively strong footing compared to other young and underdeveloped spiritual entities.

This was mostly due to the vast amount of energy contained in either the ingredients or the catalyst that Ves provided with his spiritual energy.

The ordinary process of creating spiritual products already injected them with a significant amount of spiritual energy.

The special part about this was that at the moment of creation, there was no rejection. The developing product absorbed any and all sources of spirituality, regardless of how much it conflicted with another source of spirituality!

This was why the shards originating from the cowardly side of William managed to merge seamlessly with the shards from Nyxie's aggressive and domineering side!

What Ves found notable was that aside from the fusion of these two elements, the contribution from both Ves and Cassandra also added into the mix! Aside from contributing some of their spiritual attributes, they mainly gifted the product with a huge amount of spiritual energy!

Both of them contributed in different ways.

Ves provided a large quantity of relatively low-quality spiritual energy. He may not be as evolved as more developed spiritual entities such as Qilanxo and Cassandra, but he had a lot of excess spiritual energy at his disposal!

In contrast, Cassandra only had a tiny amount of spiritual energy at her disposal. Yet the quality of her spiritual energy was so high that its addition soon caused the product's overall quality to grow!

The ultimate result of all of these factors was that William's reconstructed spirit was actually at least an order of magnitude stronger!

"There's more!"

As long as the creation process was still underway, Ves had extensive access to the incomplete product!

He could alter or tamper with any details he wanted! The only problem was that he lacked the knowledge and expertise to know what he was doing most of the time. He wasn't like Cassandra Breyer who was probably capable of making very targeted alterations.

That meant that it wasn't a good idea for him to attempt to reprogram the spiritual shards. It was like trying to mess with the operating system of a mech when he wasn't familiar with the programming language.

"This doesn't apply to everything! There are still some areas that I'm familiar with! I have to make the most out of this temporary period where I'm in complete control!"

Ves suddenly made a very sudden realization. Right now, he was attempting to reforge William's spirituality so that it could support the formation of a force of will.

Why should he wait for the new William to form a force of will when Ves could do it himself? If he acted right away and manipulated William's spirituality to form an appropriate force of will, wouldn't he be able to complete the Rim Guardian Fraternity's mission right away?

His eyes lit up. "This might be a reliable way to create expert candidates!"

Of course, this wasn't quite what he was looking for. Shattering someone's spiritual potential before trying to reconstruct it with an infusion of his spiritual energy would definitely warp someone's personality until they became an entirely different person.

Ves could never bring himself to subject the likes of Melkor Larkinson, Dietrich Krotz and other family or friends to such barbaric treatment!

Everything had a price, and in this case it was way too high.

"Fortunately, it's always someone else who has to pay the greatest price." He smirked.

This meant that this method was still acceptable to mech pilots he didn't particularly care about such as William Urbesh!

Ves focused on turning William into an expert candidate ahead of time.

He recalled the time where Qilanxo forcibly elevated Eloise Pelican from someone who was close to reaching expert candidate into a very potent expert pilot. He replicated some of the methods he witnessed that time and employed his own amateur experiences in imitating a force of will.

It wasn't actually very complicated. Ves just had to grab William's spiritual energy and try and fuse it with his strongest will, emotion or thought.

At this advanced stage in the process, the nearly-complete spiritual product was already starting to connect and affect William's unconscious mind and body.

Since Ves had distorted William's spirituality into developing an obsession for the pursuit of strength, his mind soon started to produce a long of thoughts related to this ambition.

"This is quite convenient!"

His earlier preparation paid off. Ves soon identified enough of William's new obsession and forcibly blended his spiritual energy in it! Though the method was extremely crude and very forced, the inherent compatibility between the two soon sparked a fusion.

William Urbesh finally achieved the goal he always dreamed of. He became an expert candidate!

The only caveat was that Ves wasn't sure how much of the old William would be left by the time he next woke up...

Chapter 1840 Job Well Done

Ves practically collapsed onto a seat once he finally completed William's corrective surgery.

The process had been anything but uneventful!

Though plenty of steps proceeded exactly according to his expectations, the sudden intrusion of Cassandra Breyer and the discovery that he could form a force of will for his test subject in advance came as two massive surprises.

He reflected on his actions and experiences. He grabbed hold of the Larkinson Mandate and used its reassuring spiritual warmth as a source of comfort.

Nyaaa.

The Golden Cat brushed against his hand as if she wanted to make him happy. Though weary, Ves nonetheless channeled a small amount of his Spirituality in his hand in order to scratch the young ancestral spirit's head.

"Hehe. You're too cute."

While Ves came to his senses, Gloriana sat down next him and looked at him in concern.

"I'm not entirely sure what went on just now, but it seems to me that William's treatment didn't go according to plan."

He huffed. "That's putting it lightly."

"You yelled something about 'Cassandra'." His girlfriend studied him carefully. "Do you mind telling me who she is and how she interfered?"

Uh oh.

Did he mention her name out loud? He and his stupidly loose tongue. He did not wish to reveal the existence of the mysterious escape pod and its mummified occupant to his girlfriend!

Though he trusted her to some extent, he did not wish for her to get overly snoopy and investigate the Scarlet Rose in person, thereby drawing the attention of the rest of the Hexers!

Once the Hexers found out that the former Fridayman ship possessed the ability to churn out a continuous amount of Breyer alloy, they would definitely take her away!

"He decided to go for a mix of truth and falsehood.

"Cassandra isn't who you think she is." He said as plainly as possible while he was still recovering from his mental exertion. "She's a powerful but homeless spirituality energy I bumped into when I was still running from the Coalition Reserve Corps. Her real body is a dried, mummified corpse that has been drifting through interstellar space for at least a century. I never wanted anything to do with this ugly witch!"

His disparaging description of Cassandra managed to melt Gloriana's jealousy. She could sense that he was being honest with his disgust towards the spiritual sorceress.

"So if I get this right, a wandering wraith or god has been haunting you since you escape captivity?"

Ves nodded. "That's right. I keep beating this strange witch back, but she keeps harassing me! It's annoying because I don't know a thing about her or why she sought me out in the first place. Whatever her motivations, I'm certain it's bad news!"

"It sounds like Cassandra is a very clear threat to you." She frowned. "Unfortunately, I don't know any methods to repel these kinds of wraiths. How do you plan to deal with this threat?"

"I already have a countermeasure in mind. It will take a lot of time to develop it though. Right now, I'm too busy with other priorities to build up my spiritual defenses."

He tried to be as vague as possible and quickly changed the subject before she inquired any further.

"It's not all that bad. Despite the bumps along the way, I think William has turned out right. Mostly."

"Did you succeed?"

"We'll have to wake him up and determine his new personality to be sure, but from a spiritual perspective, he's better than ever!"

"Oh? Did you manage to resolve the contradiction between the two sides?"

Ves nodded. "That and more. Actually, I found out that I could do even more during the procedure. If I did everything right and my theory pans out, then it's possible that I managed to turn him to expert candidate while I was reconstructing his spirituality!"

It took a brief moment for Gloriana to process his words. She started to look increasingly shocked at him! As far as she knew, a reliable method of producing expert candidates, the precursor to expert pilot, didn't exist!

Not even the Terrans and Rubarthans cracked the code! They poured an endless amount of money and resources to figure out a reliable and practical way to produce expert candidates, but the best answer they came up with was to subject their mech pilots to brutally harsh training programs designed to stimulate as much potential out of them as possible!

Even then, the success rate of those crazy training programs was miniscule!

Naturally, there were rumors that the MTA and certain organizations from the first-rate states managed to discover a method as well, but hardly anyone believed in these conspiracy theories.

In any case, if Ves truly discovered a reliable, practical and repeatable method to transform regular mech pilots into expert candidates, then he would definitely become one of the hottest people in the galaxy!

A brilliant smile bloomed on her face. The more her boyfriend dazzled her, the happier she became! The power he developed was definitely enough to benefit them in many ways as long as they used it wisely!

Ves watched her changing impression with concern. "Don't misunderstand, Gloriana. While it's technically possible for me to turn a normal mech pilot into an expert candidate, for now the price is too much to bear."

"Oh? Do tell."

He gestured towards William's resting body in the testing chamber. "Just like how I create my other spiritual products, I need to kill the mech pilot's spirit before using the pieces to create a new one. Would you ever want that to happen to your brother Brutus or someone else you care about?"

She realized the downsides of this procedure. "Oh. You're right. I would rather keep my friends and family mortal than to kill their nascent divinities in order to birth a new but unfamiliar god!"

"It's not a given that the new William is completely unrelated to the old one." He speculated. "Different from spiritual products that start from scratch, a reconstructed spirit like the one I made for William will merge with his mind and body. The memories, instincts and other impulses stored in his brain will certainly affect William's spirit just as it exerts influence in turn."

"So the old and new will merge together and result in a personality that sits in between, is that right?"

"That's my prevailing theory right now. We'll have to wake up William and see what he is like to be sure."

They waited a couple of hours for William to wake up on his own accord. Ves refused Gloriana's suggestion to wake him up right away because he could sense that the newly-constructed spirit needed some time to sink into William's body.

It was like watching a parasite latch onto William's mind and body. There was something vague foreign and out of sync about William's new spirit.

Due to this incompatibility, the spirit had to slowly ease back into place in order to buy time for both sides to reconcile with each other.

The spirit affected the mind and the mind affected the spirit.

Both of them altered each other as Ves had predicted. However, the spirit of an expert candidate was vastly stronger than William's unevolved mind. This caused William to interpret and process his memories, emotions and motivations in a significantly different light!

Ves observed this transformation taking place in real time. While he wasn't good enough to understand the particulars, he was still able to ascertain that the fit between the different elements increased due to the spirit imposing itself onto the weaker spirit and body!

"Brain activity is increasing. There's a lot going on inside William's head." Gloriana reported as she kept her eye on the active lab console. "I'd say the level of activity is very concerning for someone who is supposed to be unconscious."

"This process shouldn't take much longer. The mating process has almost finished." He said.

Once the differences between the different elements had been narrowed, the changes petered off. Ves saw that William's mind, body and spirit all managed to form a tight, mutually-reinforcing bond!

The main adaptation process should have finished!

While Ves noticed that smaller transformations still took place, he no longer wanted wait.

He needed to wake his test subject so he could ascertain the results himself!

"Wake him up, please."

Gloriana manipulated the console and commanded the testing chamber to inject some chemicals in William's body.

Several indicators signalled that William was rapidly gaining lucidity. He soon opened his eyes and stared blankly at the empty ceiling of the testing chamber.

Five whole minutes passed by in complete silence. Ves and Gloriana waited with baited breath for William to do something.

Though the lab console continued to transmit all kinds of activity, William himself did not move or speak up at all!

"..Is he defective?" Gloriana asked, her puzzlement evident on her pretty face.

"I don't believe so. His new personality ought to be very taciturn. Staying silent is his natural state."

Though William's new personality seemed problematic, so far Ves was not concerned with how much humanity his test subject retained.

Instead, Ves directed an increasing amount of attention on William's nascent force of will!

Initially, it seemed a bit listless and dormant, as if it didn't belong to William.

Only after William's spirit managed to settle in did the force of will become more active. It was as if the unity between mind, body and spirit provided fertile ground for his force of will!

Even then, Ves observed several problematic instances. A force of will was one of the most important expressions of a mech pilot, and it was vitally important that it completely embodied the mech pilot's values and ambitions!

The fact that the force of will that Ves constructed for William failed to integrate completely was a very serious problem.

Fortunately, just like everything else, William's spirit already started to correct for this incompatibility. This time, the process was much slower as the force of will was very difficult to change.

In the end, Ves wasn't sure whether William actually possessed the strength of an expert candidate.

The only way to find out was to stuff William inside a mech!

"Let's enter the chamber and talk to Mr. Urbesh." He suggested. "His mental and spiritual changes have subsided."

Ves and Gloriana entered the testing chamber with their cats in tow. Both of them regarded the restrained mech pilot with wariness. They witnessed the experiment from the side and knew that something was very different about William!

"Miaow?"

"Meow meow."

With Lucky clinging cautiously behind his shoulder, Ves stepped forward until he loomed over his test subject.

"William Urbesh. Do you know who you are?"

The mech pilot directed his steely eyes at Ves. No words escaped from his mouth.

Ves wanted to palm his face. He purposefully aimed to make sure that William remained averse to communication! This also happened to apply to him, so Ves wouldn't necessarily be able to gain anything from William's mouth!

"It's clear he's still Silent William." Gloriana remarked as she hugged Clixie like a baby. "What now?"

"Let's throw him to Dr. Ranya and Dr. Lupo so that they can examine his physical and mental condition. I want to make sure there is nothing wrong with his body and mind. Once we know that Silent William isn't breaking down for whatever reason, I guess we'll stick him into a similar pod next."

If Silent William became a true expert candidate, then he should be able to pilot a virtual mech with ease!

"Sounds good."

They proceeded to emerge from the lab chamber and order some subordinates to bring William Urbesh away. For now, the pair had been busy long enough and weren't in the mood to do anything more. It would take some time for the doctors to complete William's examination.

Whether Ves satisfied the demands of the Rim Guardians remained to be seen. He had a good feeling, though. As long as everyone conveniently ignored William's drastic personality changes, he truly had the grounds to revive the Urbesh Clan now that he 'advanced' to expert candidate!

To Ves, this was a job well done!

Chapter 1841 Better Shield

During the time William Urbesh underwent examinations, Ves and Gloriana turned their attention to other matters.

The day after the experiment, they returned to the design lab in order to design a custom revision of the Aurora Titan.

The variants developed by the two design teams gave Ves a lot of ideas and decent solutions.

Naturally, neither Ves nor Gloriana intended to borrow from them wholesale. The quality of the revision would only drop if they blindly took over the work of Novices and Apprentices.

When the pair settled down in a private design office, they began to plan out their own changes.

"This revision is not meant to renew the Aurora Titan line." Ves explained. "Instead, it's solely meant to upgrade a single copy, the one that my cousin Jannzi Larkinson has adopted."

"Does that mean you intend to fabricate a brand new Aurora Titan?"

Ves shook his head. "No. Jannzi cares a lot about her unique mech and developed a very strong bond with the machine. It's vitally important for her progression that she can maintain her bond with the Shield Of Samar. We can do so by ensuring sufficient continuity between the old version of this mech and the new version of the mech. She has to pilot the 'same' mech, essentially."

Not only did the Shield of Samar accrue some history and forge a bond with its mech pilot, it also carried the Ardent Wish!

Both of them were priceless qualities which couldn't be replaced!

Though Ves set a simple-sounding condition, Gloriana immediately recognized a problem.

"Modifying an existing mech inherently changes its properties. How many alterations can we get away with before the Shield of Samar is no longer the 'same' mech?"

"That's a good question."

He became stumped by this question.

How much could he change while still making sure the Shield of Samar still retained its identity as an Aurora Titan mech?

Ves knew from various modifications done to his mechs that they possessed a decent amount of tolerance towards these kinds of changes.

For example, the LMC was aware that some mech designer once swapped out many of the parts of the Blackbeak and converted it into a rifleman mech.

These changes, though drastic, still retained at least some portion of its X-Factor, thereby retaining its connection to the Black Phoenix, the Blackbeak's long-standing design spirit!

Maintaining the design spirit's connection with the mech was an essential requirement. Without its bond with Qilanxo, the Shield of Samar would never be able to work so well with Jannzi!

This clued Ves into the answer of this complicated question.

"The heart and essence of the Aurora Titan model has to be retained." He guessed. "What I mean by that is that the character, vision and concept should remain the same. If you think about it, an Aurora Titan is still an Aurora Titan if you strip out its armor system and replace it with something with similar or better properties. However, it's an entirely different story if you replace it with an uncompressed armor system that is vastly inferior."

"The former change retains or improves the defensive character of the Aurora Titan, while the latter change removes that to a large extent." Gloriana followed his logic.

"Correct. As the lead designer of the LMC, I've observed many different files on LMC mechs that have been modified by their owners over the course of their uses. The amount of Desolate Soldiers that have been modified far beyond their factory configuration and specs probably amount to more than 100.000 units!"

This was an incredible amount of modified mechs, enough for the LMC to harvest a huge amount of data and study it through countless angles.

One of the results of these studies was that an LMC mech had a range of tolerance towards modification and alteration. Smaller changes didn't affect its intrinsic character at all, but once they grew more significant, the glows of the mechs started to decrease.

This detrimental change reflected the increasingly smaller relation with the altered mechs and its original design spirit.

Once a mech changed beyond recognition, it no longer bore any direct relation to its original model! It had transformed into an entirely different mech that belonged to its own unique model!

After Ves summarized these observations to Gloriana, his girlfriend slowly nodded in understanding.

"I get it. To put it simply, the upgraded Shield of Samar has to be able to do what the old version of the mech can do. It doesn't matter if its performance drops a little bit! As long as its performance isn't absolutely terrible in an important aspect, it will still retain its original character! However..."

"However...?"

"Some variants are drastically different from the base model, but they're still part of the same product line. Take the Peaceful Soldier for example. It's designed to operate on land as opposed to the Desolate Soldier which is mainly a spaceborn mech. Are they still related to each other?"

"They are." Ves definitely said. "I think this is because of my specialty that I'm able to stretch the Desolate Soldier's identity to this extent in the Peaceful Soldier. If you or any other mech designer developed a variant like the Peaceful Soldier on your own, you would definitely damage its spiritual foundation!"

Though this sounded like a very pedantic issue, in truth it was extremely important for Ves and Gloriana to set these matters straight. Even though they hadn't managed to come up with a solid answer, they at least knew what to watch out for. If they proceeded to modify the Aurora Titan design without becoming aware of the potential pitfalls, then they might ruin the Shield of Samar as a result!

Fortunately, Ves possessed more than enough confidence in his ability and restraint.

"Let's look at the two variants." He gestured towards the projected works of the two design teams.

"The first variant developed by the Tovar Design Team opted to broaden the Aurora Titan's scope, while the second variant designed by the Ylvaine Design Team went for the opposite approach."

"The first design team didn't bother asking what Jannzi wanted to see in an upgraded version of her mech." She noted. "It's a pity. Their work is quite comprehensive. Their variant has actually succeeded in adding landbound capabilities to the Aurora Titan."

"It wouldn't be the Aurora Titan as we know it, though." Ves spoke. "Such a drastic change alters the fundamental character of the Aurora Titan. While I can still work with that, it's not something Jannzi particularly desires. She should be focusing her utmost on breaking through to expert pilot, and that means she needs to push herself and her mech to the limits and beyond."

This meant that the mech had to complement Jannzi existing strengths and priorities. The second variant was much more in line with her intentions.

Ves didn't make the mistake the first design team made. He already approached Jannzi in private and recorded her preferences.

Overall, Jannzi didn't have a very large wish list. The single most demand she posed was that the defense of the Shield of Samar should be as high as possible!

As long as the Shield of Samar could take an enormous beating, Jannzi would have nothing to complain about! It didn't matter if the mech was still garbage in terms on offense and mobility. To her, the entire point of the Aurora Titan model was to provide absolute defense!

"The second variant is therefore much more in line with Jannzi's demands." Gloriana concluded. She amplified the projection and studied its internal structure in greater detail. "It's a decent starting point, all considered."

"Don't discount the first variant. It contains some adaptations that are also helpful, especially when it comes to the supplemental components."

Both variants improved upon the base model by replacing some of the stock lastgen components with new generation equivalents released within the last half year.

Updating outdated components with newer versions was one of the simplest and most straightforward ways of improving a mech design.

Naturally, both Ves and Gloriana did not want to miss out on this advantage. However, there was more to an upgrade than just putting in better parts.

"It's been years since you've designed the original Aurora Titan with Professor Ventag." Gloriana noted.

"True. I've improved since then, but that doesn't mean the base model is flawed. Collaborating with a Senior has done much to improve its overall quality. There aren't many design choices I need to revisit even if I'm older and better now. The only opportunities to introduce meaningful changes will come when we replace the original components with newer ones."

After forming a general direction, they drafted some suggested changes in their own revision. They referenced the two variants and browsed the MTA's enormous library of component licenses for interesting goodies.

It didn't take long for them to form a draft that bore some resemblance to the second variant.

Just like the second design team, the pair opted to deepen the core strengths of the Aurora Titan model.

Of course, their version had much more promise. Not only did Ves and Gloriana expect to make significant improvements to the integrity of the mech, they also made much better use out of the armor system based on Breyer alloy.

In fact, now that Gloriana started working on the Aurora Titan, she wanted to make even more changes!

Ves blocked her from doing so, though. "I know you can't resist the urge to implement some fixes, but we don't have the time to need to go that far. This is supposed to be a minor revision, not a major revision. I'll let you have free reign when it's time for me to design the Aurora Titan Mark II."

Though Gloriana looked disappointed, she gave in to his demand. "Fine. I expect to make my mark on the next iteration of this line. Professor Ventag may have made a lot of contributions to the original design, but he's no longer necessary now that you have me! Unlike him, I can help you upgrade its class so that it can fully participate in battles between second-class mechs!"

She was right in that, though Ves felt there was more than a bit of selfishness in her request. The Aurora Titan, despite its impractical nature and its modest success, was one of his favorite mech designs. He considered it a step above the Blackbeak and the Crystal Lord mainly because it was his first design with an A-graded X-Factor!

Due to all of the sentiment he formed for this mech design, Ves planned and drafted the upgraded version of the Shield of Samar with a lot more care and affection than normal.

Both Qilano and Jannzi Larkinson's fortunes were tied to this design! Ves had a responsibility to do right by them and make Jannzi's personal mech as fitting as possible given the limitations at play.

Soon enough, the pair finished their draft and settled all of the significant design choices. Compared to the base model, the upgraded variant possessed so much defense that it performed no worse than the Paravin in this aspect!

Did Jannzi need this much defense? Probably not. It made the upgraded mech very awesome though, and it fully conformed to the Aurora Titan's character!

As a super-medium space knight, the mech vastly overperformed in all of the specs that mattered in terms of defense! Not a single third-class mech could match its ridiculous ability to resist damage!

Of course, this did not come without a cost. Aside from all of the new generation licenses the LMC had to pay out of its cash reserves, Ves also had to supply at least a container's worth of Breyer alloy!

How fast could his 'production loop' spit out the necessary amount of Breyer alloy?

This might take some time, especially since the Shield of Samar took its defensive role to an even greater extreme!

"Well, let's design this as fast as possible so we can move on to our next project." He said.

He really wanted to start the Larkinson mech design project as quickly as possible!

Chapter 1842 The New William

Developing a modification plan for the Aurora Titan plan did not take as much time as he thought. Ves and Gloriana both borrowed substantially from the two variants developed by the design teams and refined the solutions from there. This saved them a considerable amount of time and allowed them to skip entire steps.

Another reason the redesign sped up was because Ves mainly aimed for easy gains and convenient modifications. The Shield of Samar needed to be upgraded quickly, so Ves tried to refrain from going overboard on the design and material aspects.

Replacing the power reactor with a vastly-upgraded one increased the mech's endurance and mobility, though not by a fantastic margin. What was much more interesting was that the Shield of Samar would get a lot more use out of its polarizing module, though its relative importance had dropped due to the mech's vastly-upgraded armor system.

Ves tried to be as smart as possible in applying Breyer alloy to the mech. Though he really wanted to replace every major support structure with superior alloys and metallic exotics, the Scarlet Rose only accumulated a certain amount of Breyer alloy so far. The production loop had already been sped up to the limit!

Therefore, Ves only applied the Breyer alloy to the armor system, critical internal support structures and the cockpit.

He paid extra attention to the latter. Though he didn't think that Jannzi would ever lose the Shield of Samar, Ves wanted to be sure that she would be able to survive the attack that managed to fell her insanely resilient mech!

Naturally, the mech retained its character as a pure spaceborn mech. While there was no fundamental objection to adding landbound capabilities to the Shield of Samar, it was best for Jannzi to focus on excelling in one mode of battle. This was one of the nuggets of wisdom that the Larkinson Family generated after studying the factors increased the chances of promotion for their mech pilots.

The extraordinary were regarded this way due to their insanely good performance which reached superhuman levels in some aspects. How could a mech pilot ever expect to become exceptional if they bit off more than they could chew and spread their training across too many areas?

That said, it wasn't impossible for a mech pilot who dabbled in everything to advance to expert pilot. Many second-rate and first-rate mech pilots managed to do so with ease. It was just that their climb was at least twice or thrice at hard than if they focused on delving a single specialty.

To be honest, designing the upgrades for the Shield of Samar was so effortless to Ves that he spent more thinking power on updating its aesthetics!

The current appearance of the mech still reflected its former allegiance to the 7th Apocalypse Heralds of the Mech Corps. Aside from hastily painting over its regimental markings and other military badges, the mech still bore the red-black-brown camouflage pattern of its former mech regiment!

"This has to go." He stated.

Just like any other exceptional mech pilot, Jannzi transferred to the Avatars of Myth, so Ves applied the distinctive golden coating to the minor revision.

The default color scheme of the Avatars looked very attention-grabbing with their reflective golden coating interspersed with black elements and navy blue accents.

For some reason, Ves found this plain color scheme to be rather gauche. He wanted to add a spark of originality to the Shield of Samar's appearance so that it looked a bit special than the other Aurora Titans assigned to the Avatars.

"You could break up the monotony with a pattern." Gloriana suggested. "The Apocalypse Heralds did just that. Maybe we can go for something more sophisticated than a generic camouflage pattern."

"Ah, good idea!"

Appearances mattered. The image a mech conveyed could make or break a battle. That was what Ves believed.

He applied gold and black on the Shield of Samar in uniform, diagonal strips. This had the very interesting effect of disguising some of the exterior contours of the mech, thereby making it harder to distinguish key components or vulnerabilities!

In order to break up the monotony of the pattern, Ves applied navy blue coating on specific external components.

Overall, the mech still looked impressive and premium, but in an entirely different fashion now! It stood out from all of the other Avatar mechs, which was exactly what Ves intended!

For the tower shield, Ves decided to go apply the same colors in a diamond pattern. This caused it to stand out more and hopefully attract more enemy fire.

"We can't forget about the markings."

The Avatars had already settled on a distinctive style which Ves fully agreed with. He applied the emblems of the Larkinson Clan and the Avatars of Myth onto the upper right chest. He also added a larger version of the clan emblem to the front surface of the tower shield.

The emblem of the Larkinson Clan consisted of a stylized golden cat head. So far, the emblem hadn't been spread around too much. The Shield of Samar would be the first mech to bear this symbol with pride!

The Avatars of Myth adopted their own emblem some time ago. Ves recalled Commander Melkor submitting his proposal for approval. The emblem which he settled on consisted of a Vitruvian mech, which looked fairly strange but also deep.

With both of these markings adorning the Shield of Samar, its allegiance became undeniable.

As final visual touch, Ves and Gloriana both added their signature looks to the forehead of the Shield of Samar. The glowing third eye surrounded by the crystal hexagon conveyed a mystical quality to the mech, which added yet another dimension to the custom mech's distinctiveness!

Due to the Shield of Samar's extreme importance, Ves whimsically decided to splurge on the third eye. He ordered a high-quality crystal from the Ylvaine Protectorate that cost as much as a premium mech in order to make sure it was strong enough to resist a huge amount of damage!

Not only that, he upgraded the lighting mechanism that allowed the third eye to glow at varying intensities according to the alignment between the mech pilot and the design spirit of the mech.

Jannzi's bond with Qilanxo was so powerful that the third eye couldn't glow bright enough to reflect this strength! Ves therefore amplified the upper range of the third eye's glow until it resembled a beacon in the dark!

As Ves continued to add miscellaneous little flourishes to the Shield of Samar's upgraded design, Gloriana continued to look on with a look of amusement.

"You really enjoy this, do you?"

Throughout this entire design session, Ves constantly had a smile on his face! He had to admit that he truly did get caught up in redesigning the visuals of the Shield of Samar.

"I've been swamped with work lately." He told her. "I'm also shouldering a lot of responsibilities. I've just founded the Larkinson Clan and already the Larkinson Family is sending more relatives to us due to recent developments. Both the sandmen and the Fridaymen are constantly looming over my head. I'm under a lot of time pressure as well. It's rare for me to find a moment of pure enjoyment in my days."

"Isn't designing mechs enough?"

"It's more than sufficient to carry me through to the day. Don't misunderstand me. It's just that mech design is mostly work, while visual design is largely an expression of art. They're different to me. It's not necessary for me to invest so much effort in the latter, but I've decided to do so anyway because I enjoy it. I guess you can call it my hobby."

"You should consider building figurines of mechs." Gloriana suggested. "I know some mech designers dabble in it as a means to relax and to sober their minds."

"I've considered this option multiple times. I'm not sure I have the time to spare on such frivolities. Working on actual mech designs is far more interesting than working on miniature fakes."

Her questioning did prompt Ves to rein himself in and finalize the project. Once they completed the revision, they passed it onto the design teams and tasked them with subjecting the new design to various stress tests in order to determine its theoretical performance.

Once the revised design didn't show any obvious flaws, Ves wanted to upgrade the Shield of Samar right away. He had no idea what the latest movements of the sandmen hinted at, but Ves faintly had a feeling that the climax of the Sand War might be getting closer!

Finishing the minor revision to the Shield of Samar came just in time to Ves. After a couple of days, William Urbesh should have undergone a thorough examination. Both his mental and physical state were highly important to his future as a mech pilot!

They visited a temporary treatment center set up by the Ves Larkinson Foundation for Wounded Veterans and met with Ranya and Lupo.

"So what are the results?" Gloriana asked her cousin.

"Mr. Urbesh is..physically healthy." Ranya Wodin hesitantly answered. "Aside from some strange abnormalities concerning his central nervous system, he is as healthy and strong as any second-class mech pilot. His augmentations are all working fine."

"What's the problem then?" Ves asked.

Ranya briefly directed an unreadable expression towards Ves before turning back to her cousin. "The main issues we have with William are related to his abnormal mental state. Compared to the files we have on him before he participated in the Sand War, he was by all accounts normal, if a bit quick to fright."

"He was a coward." Ves bluntly stated.

"Yes.. Well, somehow, he experienced multiple personality changes over the course of his stay with the Larkinsons. I contacted Commander Melkor Larkinson to hear what he thought about Mr. Urbesh. Evidently, another shift has occurred because Silent William has become much more reticent to communicate than before. In the past, he was at least willing to communicate nonverbally or make his opinions clear through his actions. Now, he just sits or lays on his bed while ignoring virtually every attempt to communicate."

Ves grimaced while Gloriana looked at him with a doubting expression.

Had he botched the correctional surgery? Did he go overboard with amplifying the silent part of William's personality?

"Tell me something else. Is there anything about him that is better?"

"He's an expert candidate now!" Dr. Lupo shouted, interrupted the Hexer exobiologist. "It's fascinating to examine an expert candidate in the flesh! We've detected all kinds of interesting brain activity! It's unfortunate that none of us specialize in neurology, but the data we've gathered is doubtlessly interesting!"

Ves' eyes lit up. He was already confident that William had reached the standard of an expert candidate, but it was nice to hear independent confirmation from another source.

"How strong is his resonance strength?"

"Has his brain activity increased or decreased in the last few days?"

"Has he shown any desire to pilot a mech?"

As Ves rapidly peppered Dr. Lupo with a number of questions, both Ranya and Gloriana shared a deep look with each other. The latter nodded her head minutely before shaking her head a moment later.

Their silent communication only lasted for a short moment before they turned their attention to the conversation held by the boys.

Once Ves gained a better sense of Silent William's state, he moved to recovery room and faced him in person.

The Urbesh clansman looked at Ves in silence. The mech pilot's eyes reflected very little emotion as Ves examined him both visually and spiritually.

Though it was a bit unnerving to face an eerily silent mech pilot, Ves actually found William to be a bit more pleasant than before.

The old influence from Nyxie had disappeared. The William that underwent the latest corrective surgery may have inherited William Urbesh's memories, but his personality and consciousness was completely detached from his former self!

To all intents and purposes, the William of the past had died! A new William had taken his place, one who didn't carry the baggage of the past!

After confirming this shift, Ves grinned and stepped forward to extend his hand. "Welcome to your new life, Mr. Urbesh. I hope you can live up to your potential and bring your clan back to power."

Everyone else looked surprised when William responded to Ves by shaking his hand!

Chapter 1843 Intended Resul

It should have been unnerving to see the new William. His old personality and consciousness had died the moment Ves shattered his spiritual potential.

Ves truly killed him at that time. The fact that he managed to bring William's spirit back to life did not discount the reality that the old William was gone!

Neither his original existence nor the contamination from Nyxie survived the transition intact. Instead, they had been broken up into shards and merged back into an entirely new whole along with some other ingredients.

The result was a new entity that resembled William Urbesh but actually bore only a partial relation to his old self!

Yet it was exactly because of this new start that Ves became reassured by how William ended up. While he may behave taciturn and anti-social in the presence of others, that was actually something good.

Ves designed many aspects about William's new personality! To see them come to fruition proved that it was actually possible to program a living entity through spirituality!

Not only that, but Ves could also employ his rudimentary understanding of spiritual engineering to induce someone with spiritual potential to develop a force of will!

This news alone was enough to upend the entire galaxy!

The implications were staggering, and so were the ethical concerns!

Though he was immensely pleased that he finally managed to turn William into an expert candidate, the price the beneficiary paid was significant.

A lot of mech pilots yearned to become expert pilots. Some would even be willing to kill their entire families just to experience apotheosis!

Yet even the most selfish bastard would never contemplate killing themselves in order to reach this strength!

Even if they had the chance to become famous and renowned throughout the star sector after gaining this strength, they wouldn't be alive to enjoy their success!

This was because other entities steered their bodies!

With such a hefty price, Ves would never allow his own people to undergo this process!

"It's a pity." He sighed.

"Meow." Lucky morosely replied right afterwards as he hung on his shoulder like a piece of laundry.

Ves, Gloriana and their cats currently visited a training ground the Larkinson Clan leased from the local government of Kesseling VIII. They moved to a well-fortified underground control center which projected and displayed numerous live training sessions. Both the Avatars and Sentinels spent a decent amount of time at this training ground.

To confirm whether Silent William still retained his ability to pilot mechs, Ves assigned him a spare Crystal Lord. Though its X-Factor and design quality was no match for his most recent works, that also allowed Ves to obtain results that weren't tainted by the abnormal properties of his more exaggerated mechs!

The original William Urbesh specialized in piloting axeman mechs. He branched out to piloting the Resentful Soldier due to the Sand War, but not a lot of time had passed for him to gain true mastery in this domain.

By all accounts, Silent William's ranged combat skills should have been mediocre. A couple of months of intensive battle may have stimulated him to improve quickly, but he shouldn't have been a match to someone who truly specialized in marksmanship such as Melkor!

It therefore came as a shock that the results from the current training session completely reversed the rankings. Silent William's Crystal Lord weaved through various obstacles and mounds of dirt while skillfully shooting down target drone after target drone with pinpoint accuracy!

The mech had seemingly come alive under his control. Not only did the premium laser rifleman mech maintain optimal speed throughout its run, the machine also became a conduit for Silent William's lethal attacks!

The mock battles against the flying target drones showed that the mech pilot improved massively in terms of marksmanship.

However, it was his battle against a projected target mech that proved his expert candidate chops!

The dogfight that ensued between the Crystal Lord and a substantially more superior simulated opponent quickly turned into stomp!

Silent William's Crystal Lord always managed to weave and move around enemy shots by taking maximum advantage of its agility and range motion.

The rifle in the Crystal Lord's hands continually spat our laser beams that always hit the same set of spots with hardly any deviations! The Crystal Lord quickly dismantled the projected mech with surgical precision with hardly any drop in efficiency!

"I'm very satisfied." Ves smiled. "It seems like William has not only managed to retain his piloting skill, but managed to improve far beyond the level I expected!"

He kept an eye towards Silent William's force of will throughout the entire practice session! The power-hungry force of will had been infused with a substantial amount of spiritual energy, empowering it beyond the standard of ordinary expert candidates!

The headstart provided by Ves and Cassandra Breyer had immediately propelled Silent William to the upper end of expert candidates! In fact, William might be enjoying some other boons that Ves wasn't aware of. It was difficult to know for sure considering how little Ves actually understood what he had done.

The only concern that could mar his joy was whatever Cassandra Breyer managed to do. The spiritual product that came to inhabit William's mind and body had been contaminated by her mummified touch.

Though her influence was relatively minor compared to his own, Ves was still a bit wary about the consequences.

"Well, it's not like I'll be hosting him much longer." He muttered. "Soon, he's not my problem anymore."

"Meow."

Once William finished his practice session, Ves made sure to send him back before making arrangements for his pickup.

Due to the current state of the star sector, it was highly unwise to escort him back to the Centerpoint System!

The sector headquarters of the MTA was situated in the middle of the border between the Friday Coalition and the Hexadric Hegemony!

Though neither side dared to interfere with traffic to and from this pivotal star system, this only guaranteed the safety of ships affiliated with the MTA and vessels belonging to enormous trans-sector shipping companies!

Fortunately, after a quick inquiry, Ves found out that he didn't have to be responsible for sending William back to Centerpoint. He only had to drop his charge off the closest MTA branch office or outpost.

Kesseling VIII happened to be a moderate industrial planet, so it hosted its own MTA branch in order to regulate the local mech industry.

Ves therefore assigned the Battle Criers to take Silent William and escort him to the doorstep of the MTA branch.

Once William crossed into the premises, Ves was no longer responsible for his life!

After Ves issued the orders, he found out that it would take some time for William to transfer to the nearest Rim Guardian presence. Only until the fraternity confirmed that William was truly him and not some impostor or clone would Ves be finished with this affair!

Ves wasn't worried that the Rim Guardians would declare William to be a fake. Even if his entire psyche and personality changed enormously, there was still enough of him left to carry forth his identity!

At least Ves hoped so. He needed to prepare a good story if the Rim Guardians started asking some uncomfortable questions.

"You look glad, Ves. Are you so eager to see William go?" Gloriana prodded him the next day at the design lab.

"It's a relief. This was an impossible mission for anyone. I don't really know why the Rim Guardians came up with this demand in the first place. I think they'll be quite surprised when they see a hopeless case return stronger than they had ever conceived!"

He wasn't worried that the Rim Guardians suspected that Ves mastered some secret technique that could turn mech pilots into expert pilots. This was such an outlandish idea that it shouldn't even be on their minds!

It was already quite clear that Ves forced Silent William to participate in the Sand War. By defending the Bright Republic against the sandman onslaught over many battles, the amount of pressure exerted on him was enormous!

Every mech pilot that fought so many harrowing battles against the sandmen came out different. Melkor matured a lot and grew into his role as the Avatar Commander. Many other mech pilots shed their innocence. Why shouldn't William be any different?

Granted, his personality shift was the most extreme that Ves had ever seen, but it should still be believable, right?

"Hopefully they'll focus more on the results rather than the process." He whispered.

In any case, Ves believed he would soon be able to access the guest portal of the Rim Guardians. There, he could purchase exclusive goods and services, get in touch with other mech designers who proved themselves, accept various missions and encounter other opportunities!

With the support of the Rim Guardians, Ves could finally expand his reach outside the Komodo Star Sector!

It finally became possible for him to extend his influence to Vicious Mountain and Majestic Teal!

Of course, all of that came at a price. The Rim Guardians definitely did not provide these kinds of benefits for free.

With William out of the way, Ves devoted his full attention to his design projects.

He soon turned to upgrading the Shield of Samar. The minor revision passed all of the simulated tests, just as he predicted.

He decided to take this job seriously and brought Gloriana and both of his design teams to a workshop. The Shield of Samar was already locked in place, ready to be disassembled.

Jannzi was present as well. Since the Shield of Samar was her most possession, she couldn't bear to be absent when her mech was being worked upon! She wanted to witness every change with her own eyes!

"How long will this take?"

"Three to five days." Ves estimated. "We'll be careful with your mech. Don't worry. It's in good hands."

He wanted to work on the mech in person this time to ensure that nothing was botched. He brought his designs teams to the workshop in order to provide them with some hands-on experience in mechs.

He soon found out that many of his mech designers never fabricated a mech outside of their mandatory classes back when they were studying mech design!

Ves palmed his face when he saw how clueless his subordinates acted. Compared to seasoned mech technicians, people like Cherie Tovar and Mayer Torto acted like babies!

Fortunately, at least some of his subordinate mech designers knew the right end of a multitool. The two team leaders showed why they deserved their positions. Miles Tovar and Oscar DiMartin soon directed their team members and showed them how to perform their tasks.

One mech designer that particularly impressed him was Merrill Truman! The former pirate designer that Ves added to his employ on a whim turned out to be a veritable grease monkey!

She knew her way around with tools and possessed a very good sense on the most optimal way to fabricate a part or assemble it into place!

"I spent more time repairing mechs than anything else in the frontier." She explained. "The mech market there isn't very active. Pirates are much more eager to restore their broken mechs rather than spend their precious K-coins on buying new ones!"

That made sense to Ves. "I see. You had to become very good at making the most out of suboptimal conditions."

She smiled grimly at him. "Sometimes, my mech workshop for the day was literally a junkyard. Try restoring a mech under those conditions. I had to build my own rudimentary assembly system in order to build a mech out of a collection of parts!"

Her circumstances in the frontier were much worse than Ves had ever experienced! While he had access to a considerable amount of supplies and infrastructure from the Flagrant Vandals, Merrill could only work with whatever the depraved pirates could supply!

Perhaps Ves should pay more attention to Merrill.

Chapter 1844 What Pirate?

Discovering that Merrill Truman was right at home in a mech workshop came as a pleasant surprise to Ves. He had become incredibly disappointed at the lack of hands-on fluency in his other subordinates.

While he didn't insist that every mech designer should have the same competences at him, he still thought it was an awful idea for someone of his profession to neglect this side of the job!

How could mech designers possibly know what they were dealing with when they never put a mech together piece by piece?

How could mech designers expertly model and anticipate the performance of mechs if they never came close to a component weighing several tons?

How could mech designers possibly claim to understand mechs when they never saw the consequences of battle in person?

All of these questions and more weighed on his mind as he considered the shortcoming in the development of most of his mech designers. Even the more experienced among them such as the team leaders weren't entirely comfortable with working in a mech workshop.

"Manual work is demeaning." Miles Tovar spoke frankly to Ves. "While it is necessary for us to know the basics of what is happening in a mech workshop of a manufacturing hall, it is better to leave the heavy lifting to the mech technicians!"

Ves wanted to summon the Amastendira, press its muzzle right against his temple and pull the trigger!

He almost couldn't believe what Miles was saying! Was he such a highborn elitist snob that he completely ignored the benefits of gaining practical experience in working with mechs?!

"I'm not asking you to be as proficient in tools and speckled with grease stains as an actual mech technician." He said. "I just expect you all to know what you are doing! You don't have to be as good in the workshop as Merrill here, but at least you should be capable of putting together a mech during an emergency!"

None of the Tovars looked very enthusiastic about that idea. "We didn't learn that in school."

"NOT EVERYTHING YOU LEARN IN SCHOOL IS CORRECT!" Ves shouted. "DIFFERENT TEACHERS HAVE DIFFERENT IDEAS! DIFFERENT CURRICULUMS EMPHASIZE DIFFERENT ASPECTS!"

Gloriana placed her hand on his shoulder in order to calm him down. "I think he's right. At Kelma University, one of the best mech design schools in the Hegemony, I learned how to build a mech on my own. My professors and instructors didn't insist on these classes because they believed we needed to be humbled. They wanted their students to understand on a deeper level what they were actually designing! When your only experience with mechs is working on them in a design interface, then there is a serious disconnect between your theoretical understanding and reality!"

"Well said." Ves nodded in thanks at her explanation. "You heard it. Since a second-class mech designer like Gloriana has to learn how to work in a workshop, then so should the rest of you! Don't complain! This is for your own good!"

Though some of them complained anyway, Ves would have none of it. Aside from the three who proved their chops, the other eight were too inept! None of them could operate a 3D printer worth a damn and their tools might as well be training weights in their hands!

He quickly had enough.

"STOP! It's irresponsible for me to allow you to work on Jannzi's mechs. The eight of you should go! I'll arrange some training sessions for you at one of the local mech manufacturing plants. Each of you need to shore up your fabrication and assembly skills as quickly as possible!"

It took some time to set up these improvised sessions and cart the inexperienced mech designers to another site.

People like Mayer Torto who were just starting their careers would definitely be able to catch on quickly. The benefits of acquiring and improving this set of skills would definitely boost his competence!

As for the older ones who long avoided mech manufacturing sites like the plague, they still weren't convinced of the merits of acquiring hands-on expertise and experience.

"It's a bit unfortunate that this school of thought is still going strong." He lamented to Gloriana. "I hate the claim that mech designers only belong in a design lab!"

Gloriana shrugged. "You're preaching to the choir here, Ves. I fully agree with you. I would never have never come up with my current design philosophy if mechs are just wireframe models and lists of specifications to me. That said, there is some merit to this school of thought. Mech designers are separate from mech technicians. This idea is particularly prevalent in the more prosperous parts of human space."

That didn't change his opinion. "What those first-rate mech designers do is their business. In my company and workplace, my rules are in place. And one of them is that each mech designer in my design team better know their way around a mech workshop!"

Once he settled this issue, they resumed upgrading the Shield of Samar.

Since the mech was very big, this took a lot of time. A lot of components had to be checked, repaired or replaced as years of use wore some of them down. Though it was no problem for them to continue operating for at least five years or more, Ves did not wish to leave anything to chance.

Anything that maximized Jannzi's chances of survival should be approved! Even if it was horribly wasteful to throw out components that could easily last for decades, Ves didn't care!

Perhaps every mech repair shop in existence would look at Ves in horror, but most of his mind was not on preventative maintenance.

Instead, he awaited the shipment of Breyer alloy with great anticipation. When the Battle Criers finally transferred a tightly-guarded contained filled with bars of expensive exotics, Ves practically dove into them right away!

Though Gloriana already knew that Ves intended to apply Breyer alloy to his mechs due to working on the revision, she still found the shipment to be perplexing.

"Where are you getting all of this Breyer alloy, Ves? Materials like these can't be found in the Komodo Star Sector!"

"My Battle Criers recently came into contact with a powerful black market organization during their previous excursion."

"Oh." She curled her mouth in distance. "I see. I hope they didn't overcharge you. I can't stand their ilk!"

His pre-prepared excuse succeeded in passing muster, at least for now. While it was strange to encounter a random stash of Breyer alloy in this part of space, the material mastered a lot to Ves and Jannzi. They both wanted the Shield of Samar to be the most impervious rock imaginable!

One unexpected benefit was that Gloriana really didn't like underground society. Anything related to pirates, dark mercenaries, smugglers, slave traders and other unsavory types repelled her to no end! They were disgusting degenerates in her eyes, and she wanted nothing to do with these lowlives!

Ves was different.

The irregular part of society existed everywhere. It provided conveniences to those who weren't able to obtain what they wanted the regular way.

While there was indeed a lot of merit in Gloriana's stance, that was because she had never been desperate enough to rely on the underground economy.

She even thought that Ves should stop associating with underground organizations!

"Whatever you need, you can ask me before you go run off to pirates!" She insisted with her arms placed on her hips. "A mech designer of your caliber shouldn't be involved in this sphere anymore!"

Ves shook his head. "I know what I'm doing, Gloriana. These connections are very necessary. Unlike you who can run off to your mother or your Wodin Dynasty every time you want something, I had to rely on myself in my early years! There is way more to human civilization than what is in the light."

"You.. you're so insufferable!"

Though Gloriana continued to disagree with him, they eventually dropped the topic. This was yet another matter where they simply agreed to disagree.

As long as Ves kept his black market interactions away from Gloriana, she wouldn't have a reason to fuss about what he was doing.

In this way, he reluctantly managed to explain the source of all of the Breyer alloy he 'bought' from an unnamed black market organization.

They soon resumed their work. Since the Shield of Samar consisted mainly of armor, it took a lot of time to process the new materials.

Breyer alloy and its constituent materials were incredibly potent or resilient. This made them very hard to work with compared to other materials.

Fortunately, the workshop they were working from had already been outfitted with all of the high-quality fabrication equipment that originally belonged to Gloriana's Stellar Chaser.

With all of the machines available, Ves and Gloriana slowly shaped the Breyer alloy into armor plates shaped to match the contours of the Shield of Samar.

The three subordinate mech designers proceeded to examine the fabricated plates extensively to make sure they were up to par. Once they determined that the component met the standard, they proceeded to assemble it in place.

Ves found out that neither he nor Gloriana needed to pay too much attention to the assembly work. Merill turned out to be so skilled, precise and thorough that she managed to earn both of their trust!

In fact, Ves found it strange that Gloriana approved of Merrill so quickly even though the latter used to be a pirate designer!

"Don't you know she used to muck about in the frontier?" He asked.

"It doesn't matter." Gloriana said as she adjusted some controls on the console of a production machine. "Miss Truman is a woman."

"What? That's it?"

He looked completely confused!

"If you don't understand my point, then don't bother asking!"

"Miaow!"

Clixie echoed her owner's opinion!

Lack of understanding aside, Ves was glad that Gloriana didn't find fault with Merrill. He was worried that his decision to add a former pirate designer to his crew would lead to a lot of controversy, but Merrill was so well-behaved and normal that hardly anything about her screamed pirate!

Work proceeded without any further interruption. Over the course of four, lengthy days, the Shield of Samar began to regain its life. The stripped-down Shield of Samar slowly started to regain its 'skin' as more and more greyish armor plating covered up its exposed insides.

All the while, Jannzi observed the work being done to her mech with rapt attention. She only left in order to sleep or do her daily necessities. Other than that, she tried to witness as much as possible.

"You don't have to be present here." He told her one day. "You hardly understand the technical side of mechs. You aren't gaining anything from observing the refit operation."

Jannzi Larkinson shrugged. "I still want to be here. This is my mech."

The bond she built up with her mech transcended far beyond the typical affection that mech pilots held for their machines!

Ves did not quibble any further once he realized that Jannzi was absolutely serious about her decision.

This was a matter of dedication to her! The Shield of Samar was an indispensable part of her life, and she couldn't bear to be away from it for too long!

Ves was reminded of the old tales and legends where ancient swordsmen spent so much time with their weapons that they even brought them to bed!

Even in the Age of Mechs, there were stories abound of superstitious people hugging their assault rifles in their sleep like they were stuffed animals.

While it was easy to laugh at them and ridicule their behavior, Ves did not think they were doing something useless.

To him, these dedicated soldiers and warriors were forging an emotional bond with their weapons! And this bond was not something fake, but a real spiritual phenomenon that could definitely make a difference as long as it was formed!

The dedication that Jannzi held for her Shield of Samar and by extension its design spirit was probably the strongest that Ves had ever seen. Jannzi did not take her current connection to Qilanxo for granted, but always tried her best to deepen it and bring it to the next level!

Chapter 1845 Trus

"The star sector is becoming more and more turbulent." Calabast spoke as she draped her body over the couch. The two central wars that have been raging on have proven to be disasters to most people, but some see opportunity in them. Many actors are on the move. Grudges are being settled and greed is driving the patient into action."

"That all sounds nice, but what does that have to do with me? I'm not interested in participating in these power games."

His strategic partner looked at him like he was an idiot. "Anyone who catches the notice of the powerful is automatically involved. With all of the accomplishments you've made and all of the stunts you've pulled off, you entered the radar of many powerful people and organizations. You asked me what I've been doing recently. Do you know I've been busy with beefing up our counterintelligence operations? The amount of spies and informers that have sought to keep tabs on you has increased by over seven times!"

Ves grimaced as he leaned back against his office chair while petting his cat.

"Meow!" Lucky was rolling restlessly on his lap.

"What are these people after?"

"You're a smart boy, Ves. You can figure it out. Suffice to say, it's hard to operate spies in the Ylvaine Protectorate. Foreigners can almost never fit in and the native Ylvainans practically worship the ground you are walking on. That said, it's not impossible to succeed."

"So do I need to be more careful or something?"

"There aren't any imminent threats now as far as I'm aware. I'm just telling you to exercise caution and be ready to react to various possible emergencies. Despite the peace reigning in the Ylvaine Protectorate and the strange withdrawal of the sandmen, our star sector is anything but stable."

Ves offered her a confident smile. "After the incident on Cloudy Curtain, the Executive Council and I have thoroughly expanded and updated our contingency plans. I've avoided committing too much to any state or organization, including the Ylvaine Protectorate."

"It sounds like you are steadily drawing down your commitments to the Komodo Star Sector. Reducing the headcount of the LMC and encouraging the Larkinson Clan to go spaceborn are all meant to make you more mobile."

"It's never too early to prepare for my upcoming grand expedition. Transitioning from living in a state to living on a starship for years on end is very difficult from what I've learned. The nine years I have left is not enough to facilitate a complete transition!"

Calabast crossed her arms. Her red lips curled into a frown. "There's more to it. To me, it doesn't seem like you plan to stick around in this star sector for long. I read your browser history. You've been reading up on Vicious Mountain lately. Are you trying to run from the Hegemony, or Gloriana's mother?"

"I was just looking into the possibility of expanding the LMC into Vicious Mountain!" Ves raised his hands in innocence. "Now that I've completed the Rim Guardian Fratenity's initiation mission, I can hopefully access their extensive trade network. With how turbulent our star sector's mech market is these days, it seems prudent for me to start looking elsewhere for business opportunities. It just so happens that Silent William can serve as a liaison for us in the Garlen Empire!"

"Ah, yes. Mr. William Urbesh. Interesting fellow. His personality completely changed during the time he was under your care." She chuckled. "Perhaps it's wrong for me to use the word 'care'."

"Hey! He's an expert candidate, at least! What's a little trauma compared to the opportunity to transcend your mortal limits?"

"William incurred more than 'a little' trauma in my books. You should be careful of the reaction from the Rim Guardians. You may have completed the letter of their request, but the spirit..."

"His spirit has never been better! He used to be a complete waste of space and a disgrace to the Urbesh Clan! If he continued to remain as useless as he was before, his clan would have certainly fallen due to a lack of qualified successor! At least I managed to make him strong to the point where he can single-handedly lead his clan back to prominence in the Slicer Tribe!"

Her long legs dangled in the air as she reluctantly nodded. "Your efforts benefit the Urbesh Clan. I'll give you that. From my analysis, the Rim Guardians have a stake in the clan. They're not completely indifferent to the local factions of the star sectors they govern over. While the MTA ordinarily likes to pretend they are neutral and indifferent to the affairs of those they govern, the truth is a lot murker. Some states, organizations and factions enjoy the secret of the MTA or certain factions or individuals within it. Be careful in participating in their schemes."

As she talked, Lucky seemed to have enough of Ves. He jumped from his owner's lap and floated over to rest against Calabast's chest.

The woman grinned and started pampering Lucky with intensive ministrations with her slender fingers!

The cat was loving it! His eyes squinted and his tail flitted around like he was an excited dog!

"Meow~"

Ves ignored the display in front of him. No matter how petulant Lucky behaved, he always went back! Other people may hold his attention, but only Ves was his master!

Well, there was his mother as well, but that didn't count.

He turned his attention back to the conversation. There had to be more behind Calabast's visit than provide him with a vague warning.

"Does that mean the Komodo War has their hand in it, Calabast?"

Her grin turned devious as Lucky continued to purr in her grasp.

"The possibility can't be ruled out. Still, the MTA has been traditionally hands-off when it comes to the governing of far-flung star sectors. Not even the Rim Guardians treat Komodo with importance due to its lack of development and value. Still, that doesn't preclude meddling from smaller players."

"I thought here were supposed to be rules against such overt meddling."

"The MTA sets its own rules." She pointed out. "Do you truly believe the MTA sticks to its own rules when they are their own arbiters?"

From what he knew of the MTA, almost certainly not! "I see."

"Besides, the affair concerning William Urbesh is the clearest example yet that the MTA or at least the Rim Guardians are not above picking sides. Without their intervention, the Urbesh Clan would have certainly collapsed in time!"

All of this was starting to confuse him. Ves wasn't interested in all of these machinations. He was just a mech designer! He just wanted to design and sell interesting mechs!

Calabast noticed his lack of interest. "Look, what I'm trying to say is that in these turbulent times, it's okay to give in to your paranoia. This time, I approve of your overabundance of caution. Few organizations can be trusted to have your best interests at heart. They are all looking out for themselves."

"Meow!"

Lucky rolled onto his back and started batting his paws at Calabast's palms as she tried to rub his belly!

Meanwhile, Ves let out a dismissive huff. "Tell me something new."

"Okay, since you can't seem to take a hint, let me be plainer. Don't trust anyone. Don't trust Gloriana. Don't trust the Ylvainans. Don't trust the Brighters. Don't trust the Kinners. Don't trust the Fridaymen. Don't trust the Hexers. Don't trust William Urbesh and ESPECIALLY do not put your trust in the Rim Guardians!"

"That..." Ves was momentarily speechless. "While I admit I'm a bit too paranoid sometimes, even that goes too far for me! How can I possibly live without trusting at least someone? Besides, what about you? Should I continue to put my faith in you when you are telling me to trust no one?"

"I'm not saying that." Calabast stared at him in the eyes. "Friendship and sentiment are too unreliable to be used as a basis for trust. Only mutual interests can serve as a basis for enduring trust and cooperation. The agreement we share between each other is something that continues to benefit both of us. As your fortunes have risen, so have mine. The same goes for your Larkinson Clan which you have expressly bound to you through a mix of familial sentiment and cold hard monetary interests."

"I understand that, but you're telling me to watch out to too many people. I can't possibly keep an eye on them all. That's what I have you for. Is there anyone I need to be wary of specifically?"

Calabast sighed and pressed her fingers against her forehead. "While I'm doing my best to look out for you, I'm not omnipotent. Otherwise, I wouldn't have failed you the last time. You can make my job so much easier if you don't trust others blindly and keep exercising caution. If you want me to tell you who to be concerned about the most, then you should definitely maintain a sober stance towards the Rim Guardians."

"This is the second time you've warned me against them. Do you know something about them? Why are you discouraging me from growing close to perhaps the only organization I'm friendly with that can bring us to the Red Ocean?"

"The Rim Guardians have a history of casting their net wide and associating with a large number of prominent locals. Do you think they are doing it for the good of the galactic rim?"

"It's kind of in their name.."

"Hahaha!" Calabast laughed. "The galactic rim is just a means to an end. Due to the opening of the Red Ocean, the Rim Guardians are beginning to pay a lot more attention to the new dwarf galaxy. From what little I can gather from their galactic movements, the Rim Guardians are planning to invest substantially in associates such as you. They want their best and brightest to become galactic pioneers in order to expand their presence in the new colonies. Their merits might come easier, but the price for that is agreeing to become their pawn!"

Though her words sounded ominous, Ves did not really consider it to be a big deal.

"You make it sound like the Rim Guardians will exploit me or take advantage of me. I don't think this will be the case. From what I've hear, my relationship with the Rim Guardians can be as equitable to the one I have with you. Both of us can gain something out of this cooperation. While the Rim Guardians are admittedly more powerful, they don't really care about individuals such as me. As long as I work within the constraints of their rules, They shouldn't treat me unfairly!"

The conversation quickly ended after that. Calabast decided not to provide Ves with other intelligence. Nothing acute was on her radar this time. All of the possible threats to Ves and his people were latent at this time, though that did not mean that nothing was going on. It was just that Calabast couldn't give Ves anything solid.

"One final word, Ves. That Hexer commission I told you about earlier is being reworked right now, but that does not mean it will stay open to you. The Temple of Hexism is merely looking for any boy who can design a mech. It doesn't necessarily have to settle for you. If you don't move in time, your opportunity might get snatched away."

Ves sneered at her. "I'm not rethinking my stance on the matter. I'm not going to play along with these dangerous or ridiculous schemes. If some other boy agrees to become a woman for the duration of the mission, then be my guess! I don't care about the Penitent Sisters! While I would still like to build up my relations with the Hegemony, it's not as important as my other goals!"

"Gloriana won't be pleased if she hears that. It was partially due to her efforts that she managed to secure this opening to you. Are you going to let her hard work go to waste?"

"Well, I'm not about to let her suffer a clinical death or undergo a gender transition!"

They decided to end their meeting there before the situation devolved into a shouting match.

Though both of them differed in opinion, Ves nonetheless came away from this conversation with a bit more preparedness against the Rim Guardians.

If Calabast turned out to be right, then his abundance of caution would definitely pay off!

Chapter 1846 Accelerated Expansion

His tense and vague meeting with Calabast was just a brief interruption of his current routine.

With nothing requiring his attention for the foreseeable time, Ves freely immersed himself on working on his mechs.

He felt a lot of relief at being able to finalize to the refit of the Shield of Samar. The mech started off as a airly eccentric third-class super-medium space knight. Now, its vastly-improved armor system paired with upgrades to a couple of key systems turned it into a veritable bastion in space!

The moment Merrill and the rest put the final pieces into place, they subjected the mech to an extensive amount of examinations. Nothing seemed amiss, which wasn't surprising considering how closely Ves and Gloriana paid attention to every detail.

Technically, the mech still needed to undergo a raft of testing. This wasn't strictly necessary, but highly recommended. A mech that experienced so many changes almost certainly experienced a lot of shifts in many areas.

While the Shield of Samar was still an Aurora Titan mech, its specs and configuration differed so much that Jannzi basically had to relearn how to pilot her personal mech!

As she was about to board the transport that had already been loaded with the upgraded Shield of Samar, Ves stopped by the Avatar base to see her off.

"You've certainly changed." He said after he patted her shoulder. "You're a far cry from the young woman who bewilderingly managed to become an expert candidate all those years ago. You've grown into a fine expert pilot in the making. The way you carry yourself and the air you radiate is already affecting the people around you like a real expert pilot!"

She smiled briefly at him. "I'm a far cry from an actual expert pilot like Venerable Brutus Wodin. He is a true example to look up to. I'm satisfied with my mech, but not myself."

"What's the problem?"

"I don't know. I feel as if there is something missing in me." She closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm luckier than most of my fellow mech pilots for becoming an expert candidate, but.. I never felt as if I deserve this honor. Being chosen is not the same as being worthy."

"Is that the reason for your lack of progress lately?"

"I'm not in a hurry to advance." She said. "In my current state, I would never allow myself to become an expert pilot. I have to be absolutely certain of who I am and what I am fighting for. Being a Larkinson is not enough."

"Are you confused?"

"Don't worry, Ves. Everything is fine. I've received lots of advice and words of wisdom from the other Larkinsons."

There was nothing Ves could do to ease her promotion. She needed to find her own way to break past this crucial point.

He didn't really understand what was necessary for expert candidates to advance to expert pilots. There was a world of difference between their respective force of wills. Whereas it was largely formless and powerless to expert candidates, they gained real power once they became expert pilots!

The differences between the two were both subtle and profound. Both of them possessed the same abilities but at vastly different strengths. There was something about expert pilots that made them special!

Journeymen like Ves relied on design seeds. Expert pilots like Ghanso and Brutus put most of their spiritual strength in their force of wills.

The evolution of force of will was therefore key to the advancement of mech pilots!

If Ves followed this line of reasoning, then willpower was likely the key to Jannzi's promotion. As long as she developed enough will, she would certainly prove herself worthy one day! He just hoped this day wouldn't come too far in the future.

Once Jannzi and the Shield of Samar flew off into orbit, Ves considered this side project to be done.

With how much care and effort he put into the upgrade project, Ves did not anticipate any major deviations. It was always easier to anticipate the performance of a variation of an existing mech.

Since he was already at the Avatar base, Ves decided that he might as well look around.

With Lucky exploring him and Nitaa and a handful of bodyguards trailing behind him, his arrival immediately caught the attention of the Avatars.

Ves had to wave them down several times in order to force them to resume their duties.

Overall, he was very happy with what he saw. The Avatars hadn't grown any weaker since their forced departure from Cloudy Curtain. If anything, his Avatars grew stronger!

There were several reasons why he thought so. For one, the cohesion between the Avatars increased. The circumstances that led to their departure did not cause them to lose heart. Instead, they became more emboldened! Siding with Ves meant agreeing to abandon the Bright Republic.

Though this was a harsh choice for many of his subordinates, the Avatars largely committed to their boss! They were willing to leave everything behind in order to take part in a risky but promising venture!

Second, the formation of the Larkinson Clan invigorated everyone related to the Larkinsons! This not only included the members of the clan, but also the people around them! Since the Avatars were completely dedicated to Ves, they also became affected by the significant shift in purpose!

He was gratified to see that every Avatar, particularly the mech pilots, became more and more invested in their new identities. Being an Avatar meant something now. It wasn't just a job anymore!

Part of the growth in the Avatars was reflected by the addition of new members. Ever since they settled down on Kesseling VIII, Commander Melkor cautiously started to recruit a select number of Ylvainans.

Due to their fanaticism and worship towards the Bright Martyr, thousands of mech pilots constantly applied to join the Avatars!

Only a few dozen Ylvainan mech pilots got their wish. Not only did Melkor and Ves want to make sure the Ylvainans were more committed to Ves rather than their faith or the Protectorate, they also wanted to maintain the high standards of the Avatars by hiring the best!

The only ones who eventually managed to pass through the gauntlet were those who successfully proved themselves.

To no one's surprise, the overwhelming majority of new recruits consisted of elite Kronon mech pilots!

Their strength and competences as well as their prior battle experience easily earned them the respect of the original members of the Avatars. Though cultural and religious differences still plagued their interactions to an extent, both groups didn't hesitate to find common ground!

Though the professionalism and discipline exuded by the elite Kronon mech pilots made them rather stiff to be around, they also fit in well for that reason. Their military bearing masked some of the intense religious beliefs they held. This reminded many veterans in the Avatars of the elite mech pilots of the Mech Corps!

Ves observed something else that brought him a lot of hope.

The days where the Avatars were forced to restrain their expansion was largely gone now. After several years of investment, training and indoctrination, a large and solid cadre had formed.

These vital and loyal Avatars served as the skeleton of a larger, greater mech force! According to Commander Melkor's plans, he would continue to recruit more Ylvainans until their numbers were bolstered by 200 new recruits!

Combined with the Larkinsons and other Brighters that had also signed up with the Avatars, Ves hoped to grow the Avatars into a mixed mech force comprising up to 500 mechs!

Seventy percent of them would consist of spaceborn mechs and mech pilots. The remainder revolved fully around landbound mechs.

Of course, this seventy-to-thirty split was not set in stone. In the future, when his mech pilots became more skilled and his mechs became more versatile, he hoped his mechs and mech pilots could operate in multiple environments.

In fact, many second-class spaceborn mechs in use in the Friday Coalition and the Hexadric Hegemony also functioned as aerial mechs in a pinch. This was something that Ves definitely wanted the Avatars to work towards.

Though expanding the Avatars to five hundred mechs sounded a lot, it was even more exaggerated for the Living Sentinels!

His lesser mech force was slated to field double the amount of Avatars! At 1,000 mechs and mech pilots on its roster, the Living Sentinels would soon possess the strength to contend against military units!

In fact, both Ves and Commander Magdalena wanted to expand the Sentinels even further and turn it into the equivalent of a mech regiment. They cut those plans short when they came across several problems.

First, their funding would become rather strained. Procuring so many mechs and hiring so many mech pilots and support personnel wasn't cheap!

Second, procuring all of the carriers necessary to transport so many mechs simply couldn't be done during this awful climate! Ever since the Sand War broke out, the demand for starships had gone through the roof!

The Sentinels had long tried to order starships in the Bright Republic without any luck.

Fortunately, the Ylvaine Protectorate wasn't as impassive towards Ves and his organizations. Due to his popularity among the Ylvainans and the support provided by the Curins, a number of Ylvainan shipyards were willing to take his orders.

Of course, there were limits. He could only order light carriers which could be built quickly and cheaply as the Protectorate's economy was still in shambles. He also had to pay full market price for his ships, which basically meant they were inflated by at least three times compared to pre-war price levels!

All of this meant that in the short term, the strained supply of starships was the primary bottleneck that limited the expansion of his forces. They could only get away with expanding the Avatars to 500 mechs and the Sentinels to 1000 mechs because of the various accommodations made by the Ylvainans.

Ves tried not to impose too much on their generosity. Not only did he wish to avoid owing any favors to them, his forces also had a lot of difficulty in finding spacers to crew all of those ships!

"We're already leaning heavily on our host state as it is." He muttered. "Over half of our ships will primarily be crewed by Ylvainans!"

That made him feel rather uncomfortable. He had no problem when his organizations mainly consisted of Brighters. Yet the introduction of so many Ylvainans would inevitably make their faith take root in his expeditionary fleet!

He snorted. "Well, if I had a choice between hexism and the Ylvainan Faith, I would definitely choose the latter!"

As Ves continued to spot more signs of Ylvainan influence due to the influx of so many local mech pilots and support personnel, he began to feel more restless for change.

Staying in the Protectorate was supposed to be temporary. He just wanted to take refuge in the friendly state until he and his organizations were ready to move on. The moment they received all of their starships and put them in working order, Ves contemplated leaving for greener pastures.

He contemplated several possible destinations as he finished his casual tour. He waved at the mech pilots gathered around the four second-class practice mechs and nodded briefly at Venerable Brutus before he left the base.

"What do you think of the Avatars, Nitaa?" He asked his bodyguard as he settled into the shuttle with Lucky using his head as a nest.

"They're impressive." She said. "They are formidable, much more so than most Kinner mercenary corps. I believe they will do a fine job in protecting you against hostile mechs and other larger threats."

"I hear a 'but' coming."

She smiled grimly at him. "But the enemies you attract these days are often vastly more formidable. It doesn't matter if you invest in your own mech division. The Friday Coalition can easily smash your Avatars and Sentinels if it gets serious about defeating you. As we have learned at Cloudy Curtain, the power and authority of a state transcend personal strength!"

She was right. Being able to field 1,500 mechs might make Ves invincible against most pirate and mercenary outfits, but it was still incapable of deterring the actions of states or incredibly powerful organizations!

Chapter 1847 Constant Design

Though Ves had been delayed in starting his main design project, he did not consider it a waste. Working on the Aurora Titan, talking to Jannzi Larkinson and touring the Avatar base gave him a deeper understanding of his people.

Ever since Ves formally took responsibility for the Larkinson Clan, his mentality experienced a shift. He no longer purely looked out for himself. He also started to consider the impact of his decisions on his relatives and clan members.

Though he was also responsible for the LMC, he never considered it to be indispensable to him. Even if the company went bankrupt or got taken over by someone else, Ves would always be able to start anew.

This wasn't the case with the Larkinson Clan. For better or worse, he formed a bond with the Larkinson Mandate, causing him to become committed to his role as clan patriarch!

So long as he held the Larkinson Mandate, he had a duty to lead the clan in a wise and responsible fashion! This was the rule he set for the position of clan patriarch, and it was a rule that Ves could not afford to break!

Verbal or written promises meant little to Ves. He never abided by the rules once they no longer suited them, and he often got away with it because it was impossible to penalize his transgressions!

It was different now that he became spiritually connected to the Larkinson Mandate and the Golden Cat. The book and the ancestral spirit it nurtured watched over every Larkinson, including himself!

By design, the Larkinson Mandate was an heirloom that functioned as the spiritual heart of the clan. What this meant was that the book should essentially be able to keep the clan cohesive and united even if it grew into a massive power in the future!

The Mandate would gradually grow in power and become more potent as the clan grew in might and numbers. For now, the spiritual nature of the book remained weak.

This also meant that it was malleable!

If Ves exhibited crooked behavior in performing his duties as clan patriarch, the Larkinson Mandate would eventually reflect that!

Not only that, but the Golden Cat which always looked up to Ves would certainly take over some of his morality, which would be a disaster to the Larkinson Clan!

In order to make sure they developed into the pillars the clan could depend upon, Ves had to make right decisions for the clan. Ones that not only ensured its survival, but also its integrity!

Perhaps those who knew who Ves truly was like would state that he should be the last Larkinson to hold the seat of clan patriarch!

They were right. Ves was anything but an upstanding specimen of humanity. He didn't care, though. In this merciless multiverse where everyone was out for themselves, the Larkinsons needed someone to make the decisions they would never contemplate.

The Larkinson Mandate only governed decisions that directly related to the Larkinson Clan. As for other decisions, the book shouldn't pay much attention.

In any case, the Larkinson Mandate and the Golden Cat played vital roles in his next mech project.

The modular mech platform that Ves envisioned should embody the strengths and virtues of the Larkinson Clan!

This was very hard to do under ordinary circumstances, but the presence of the Golden Cat during the design process should remove much of the guesswork.

He affectionately tapped the Larkinson Mandate floating by his side. "I'm counting on you to make sure my mech does right by the Larkinsons."

The presence of the book in the design lab caused the entire chamber to be immersed with a formative glow.

The intrinsic Larkinson values of duty, family and courage had already started to shape up. The more the Golden Cat matured, the closer she developed the glow that would come to represent the clan!

No one could ignore the glow. Not when they were this close to the book. Ves had called Gloriana and his two design teams in order to make an important announcement.

"From this moment onwards, the Larkinson mech design project will officially start!" He spoke with pride.

Technically, all of the preparation work that took place beforehand should have been included as well, but nobody cared about these details.

The only thing that everyone knew was that Ves had finally decided to commit his full attention towards designing this complicated new mech!

Gloriana grinned and clapped. "I've been waiting for this! This will definitely be interesting!"

He threw her a brief glance. "Have you recovered already?"

"Not quite yet, but it won't be a problem for me to participate in the initial stages of the design process. I'll get back to normal in another week or two. I'll definitely be able to keep up with you by then!"

That was sufficient. He turned to his design teams.

"Alright. To many of you, participating in this project will be the first for you. Every mech designer adopts a different approach to mech design and project management. I'm someone who wants to be very thorough and methodical about our approach. This means that I plan to complete this project step by step according to a predetermined plan and vision. Is that clear?"

His question was mainly directed to the second design team. They all nodded in understanding.

""How big of a role will we play in this project?" Mayer Torto asked.

"Like most design teams, your primary responsibility is to follow our instructions and do the work we assign to you. Going by prior experiences, most of your tasks consist of taking our design choices and fleshing them out. Performing lots of tests and simulating the performance of the various iterations of our design is another major responsibility."

"Do we have any input on the design at all?"

The design team couldn't be blamed for asking such a question. Every mech designer wanted to see their efforts reflected in the end product!

Ves understood this, so he didn't outright say no even if he wanted to. "If you genuinely spot a flaw or come up with a good suggestion, feel free to bring them up to me. As long as they are good enough, I'll definitely include them into the design! Just take into account that Gloriana and I will probably come up with them first."

This answer satisfied his subordinate mech designers. Each of them had faith in their specialities!

"Any other questions?"

"Yes." Merrill raised her hand. "What exactly are we designing?"

This question was a lot harder to answer than Ves anticipated. While he had a lot of reasons in his mind, it was difficult to convey them to his audience. He had to pause and think on how to word his reply.

"The goal of this project is to design a mech that can adopt four different configurations for the Larkinson Clan. The major requirements of this mech are threefold. First, it has to be a modular mech platform with several spaceborn configurations. Second, it has to be a mech that embodies and represents the Larkinson Clan. Third, it has to be able to facilitate the promotion of third-class mech pilots to second-class mech pilots."

All of this sounded simple, but to combine all of these priorities in a single mech was a very considerable challenge!

The first and third priorities were easily understandable to the mech designers. While they were extremely challenging on a technical level, at least the mech designers could rely on their design and engineering expertise to solve most of the issues they encountered.

It was the second priority that caused a lot of confusion!

"What do you mean exactly when you say you want to design a mech that 'embodies' the Larkinsons?" Merrill asked in confusion.

Ves recalled that Merrill and most of the other mech designers in the second design team hadn't worked on a major design project with him before. Unlike the Tovar Design Team, they weren't versed in the principles and methods mandated by his design philosophy!

"I'll teach you some of the concepts that pertain to my specialty later." He promised. "Suffice to say, it's all about the mindset. The mentality you adopt and your understanding of the Larkinson Clan all affect the intangible qualities of our mech design."

As Ves briefly summarized some of the theories that he freely shared to his subordinates, he noticed a difference between his mech designers.

The Tovars were already familiar with his methods. While their Brighter skepticism prevented them from embracing his theories fully, they were nonetheless accepting due to all of the proof they witnessed.

Of the second design team, the Ylvainans were already similar. In fact, their expressions were so intense that they were acting as if Ves was speaking the gospel!

The only mech designers who didn't share in the obvious worship of the Ylvianans was the foreigners.

Both Merrill Truman and Mayer Torto viewed their Ylvainan colleagues with distaste. Both of them were clearly secularists and viewed every religion with distaste.

While this difference was a little concerning, Ves did not plan to transfer them to the first design team. The Ylvainans already became increasingly more involved in the Avatars, the Sentinels and the LMC.

Though Ves was gratified by their high spirits and enthusiasm, he did not wish to see their faith take over his organizations!

The Ylvainans needed to learn to get along with people who didn't share their beliefs. Segregating them into their own work groups was not the solution. That would only encourage the functions and cliques to stay apart from each other.

In the long-term evolution of his organizations, this would certainly lead to a potential schism!

"We can bring the second design team up to speed later. Let's get back to something more immediate." Gloriana suggested.

"Such as?"

"Tell us your ideas on the four configurations. How much do they deviate from each other? What aspects do you wish to emphasize for each of the different configurations?"

"Well, before I explain what I want the configurations to be good at, let me explain what they ought to share in common." Ves answered.

He activated a projection of their very rudimentary draft designs.

"If you take a good look at the drafts, what stands out to you?"

Gloriana smiled but refrained from answering. She had been a part of the drafting process, so she played a huge role in setting the initial design choices.

Oscar DiMartin was the oldest and most experienced mech designer. He participated in many different projects, so he quickly figured out the common thread.

"All four configurations are designed to be as similar to each other as possible! They're not very divergent from each other!"

"That's correct." Ves nodded. "Can someone else explain how that is reflected in our configurations?"

Gilbert Tovar, who was very sensitive towards differences in mass and layout, pointed towards the rifleman mech configuration.

"Ordinary rifleman mechs aren't as thick and sturdy as this draft configuration. It possesses an excess amount of armor that is strictly customary for this mech type. It's less mobile and able to evade damage, but it's a lot more resilient against damage as a result!"

"That's not always a good idea." Vela Tovar added. As a ranged mech specialist, she wasn't comfortable with this configuration! "One of the main reasons why rifleman mechs prefer to mitigate damage through evasion is because their rifles are always a lot more fragile than the frames themselves. If the mech becomes too easy to hit, then it's a lot more likely that an enemy will be able to snipe their primary weapons!"

"A slower ranged mech is also one that is less able to kite pursuing melee mechs. The instant a light skirmisher or lancer mech manages to close the distance, that ranged mech is a goner!"

All of these points were valid. Both Ves and Gloriana fully agreed with conventional wisdom.

Yet just because a certain decision turned into conventional wisdom did not mean it applied in every situation!

Chapter 1848 The One Mech

"There is a reason why the rifleman mech configuration is so bulky. It is the same reason why the space knight configuration is a bit skinny."

Ves tapped the projected interface until all of the common parts of the drafted configurations lit up in green.

"These are all of the common elements borne by the basic platform underneath the unique parts. Do you see how much they share in common?"

Every subordinate mech designer noticed how much stayed in common between the four designs. The proportion of constant elements was a lot higher than they expected!

Ves smiled. "Like any modular mech platform, the goal is to keep the differences between the configurations as small as possible. The more elements stay in common, the less time and effort required to swap configurations. This can be a crucial factor in battle. Equipping the design with a lower proportion of specific parts brings many advantages and makes the mech more efficient as a versatile battle platform."

"You lose out in efficiency in other ways, though." Gilbert Tovar noted. "The rifleman mech is arguably too slow, while the space knight is more of an offensive mech than a defensive mech."

His mass optimization focus caused him to be very sensitive towards the implication of his impactful design choice.

The decision to aim for a high degree of uniformity came at a very severe cost!

Both Ves and Gloriana recognized the implication of their decisions.

"You're correct." He said. "Modular mech platforms aren't widely used for this reason. Compared to specialized mech designs, there is a lack of focus in adaptable platforms that is difficult to leverage in reality. Many attempts to employ them in battle have failed because specialized mechs always outperform them on the battlefield. The lack of versatility of traditional mech units is mostly compensated by their division of roles and good utilization of the characteristic strengths of their mech types. This is especially the case from a macro perspective."

It was generally a very bad idea to adopt modular mech platforms on a mech army-wide basis. In fact, it was already very problematic on the level of a mech division and mech regiment!

The luxury of being able to swap configurations and loadouts was not as big of an advantage as the theorists initially thought. Mech pilots were creatures of habit and mostly wanted to get better at one specific fighting style. It was a bit too much to ask them to become proficient in half-a-dozen different mech types!

For this reason, the modularity and adaptability aspect of the modular mech platform wasn't being used. Once these advantages ceased to be a factor, what did the mech units have left? They were stuck with an inferior, overpriced, inefficient and maintenance-heavy mech model!

As Gloriana outlined the general shortcomings of modular mech platforms, the subordinate mech designers grew more confused.

Miles Tovar raised his hand. "If the two of you are already aware of the many shortcomings of the mech platform, then why utilize it at all, especially for something as important as a mech intended to strengthen the Larkinson Clan?"

Ves smirked and crossed his arms. "Just because a solution is suboptimal in most cases doesn't mean it is a failed invention. There are applications for every possible mech, even the trashiest ones. Let's consider our situation. Aside from the requirements I've already mentioned, there are a few more conditions and constraints that have led me to the modular mech platform as the optimal solution for my needs."

He raised a finger.

"First is how much time it will take for us to satisfy our needs. The Larkinson Clan has a lot of mech pilots, and they are mostly specialized in a single major field while minoring in several other ones. While this allows them to pilot multiple types of mechs, they really won't do as well if they are piloting a mech they minored in. This means that selecting a single mech type such as a rifleman mech won't cover all of our mech pilots."

Gloriana added something else. "It's also a bad idea to adopt a single mech type throughout an entire unit unless it is part of a greater group that operates in unison."

"This means that I will definitely have to design multiple mechs in order to equip the vast majority of our mech pilots with my Larkinson mechs. This will take a lot of time which we don't necessarily have. I have other priorities as well, and I can't devote too much time on multiple mech designs that will only really service a small group of mech pilots. Choosing to go for a modular mech platform conveniently allows me to settle with a single design, though with four internal variations."

"Do you really have to design a mech that is able to cover most of the Larkinson Clan's mech pilots?" Mayer Torto asked. "The Avatars and Sentinels already make use of a diverse selection decent mech models. They're perfectly serviceable."

"Only in the present." Ves said. "Our future needs are vastly different. Don't forget about the goal of trying to design a training platform. Depriving this mech from over half of our mech pilots won't accelerate their promotion to second-class mech pilots."

They understood now. To a mech designer, it was simply more efficient to design a single broad mech design than multiple specialized ones.

"Why the high proportion of uniformity, though?" Merrill Truman asked. The pirate designer had a much greater sense towards mech in actual use. "The configurations all look.. kind of weak. They look like mechs designed by committees. They are too balanced and not distinctive enough. The rifleman mech and space knight configurations are especially far from what we are used to seeing in those mech types."

Ves sighed. "It's true that there is a bit of laziness and compromise behind the decision to minimize the amount of uniqueness in the configurations. Going too far on the other end essentially negates the fundamental decision and will become no different from designing four separate mechs. I have set a hard deadline of 3 months for this project, and I intend to stick with it. With so little time for a design as complex as a modular mech platform, many sacrifices have to be made."

"What about the performance, then?"

"It's not as awful as it seems." He smiled again. He tapped the projection to highlight the armor coverage of the mechs. "All four configurations will use the same Breyer alloy as the principal material of their armor systems. Yes, that's right. The same second-class alloy that we have just used to turn the Shield of Samar into a mobile bunker will also be applied to this design!"

This came as a shock to all of them. Even Gloriana hadn't fully accepted that Ves settled on this choice.

"Where are we getting all of this Breyer alloy?"

"I have a supplier who promised me as much Breyer alloy at favorable prices. The only issue is that the supply of this material is not too much. This means that it's enough for us to reserve this material for internal use. I don't intend to squander this valuable alloy on other products."

"So you're going for the same effect as with the revision to the Shield of Samar. You want to rely on the superior quality of one of materials to elevate the quality of the Larkinson mech by force."

It sounded a bit bad, but that was essentially right. Ves felt as if he was getting further and further into the wasteful mindset of a second-class mech designer. Why wrack his head over coming up with a sophisticated implementation when he could just fork over more money and solve the problem in an instant?

Regardless of whether this pattern of behavior was detrimental to his development as a mech designer, the constraints on this project left him with very little choice.

He had to bow to reality and make many decisions heh wasn't proud of in order to meet his goals.

"The armor system and structural supports won't be the only elements that are out of the norm of what is nominally a third-class mech design. I also intend to upgrade some other elements of the modular mech platform in order to make it viable against second-class mechs. Mind you, they won't be competitive against superior mechs, but at least the gap has narrowed to the point where my Larkinson mechs can pose a threat to them under favorable conditions."

A Larkinson mech would never be able to defeat a true second-class mech in single combat, but it was a different story if a squad of Larkinson mechs ganged up on a superior mech!

Considering his contentious relations with the Friday Coalition, Ves could not rule out the possibility that he would clash against their forces again. If a confrontation couldn't be avoided, then the last sight he wanted to see was hundreds of Avatars and Sentinels dropping like flies as they confronted a single mech company of Coalition mechs!

He still recalled the grossly uneven battles between his battle bots and the mercenary mechs of the Great Zona Republic! The sight of just four mech-like machines laying waste to hundreds of inferior mechs like they were cannon fodder still made an extremely strong impression in his mind!

Such a disparity between mechs was nice when Ves was on the side of the mechs that stomped the competition, but now he was on the opposite side!

Ves could never ask his friends, family and subordinates to recklessly endanger their mech and lives by throwing them against superior mechs with only a tiny chance of victory!

The Larkinson mech therefore needed to be powerful enough to threaten second-class mechs. As long as he could reduce the proportion required to defeat a superior mech from a hundred inferior mechs to just ten inferior mechs, then the Larkinson Clan would truly have the power to protect itself in the star sector!

"To put it all into context, the ultimate goal is to develop a single design that can single-handedly uplift the Avatars, Sentinels and the Larkinson Clan."

Gloriana clapped and grinned impishly. "One mech to rule them all, one mech to find them, one mech to bring them all, and in darkness bind them, in the Red Ocean where the phasewater lies!"

Everyone looked at Gloriana in confusion, including her boyfriend!

"Uh, what?"

"Oh, it's nothing." She playfully stuck out her tongue. "The point is that we are attempting to accomplish much with just a single design. This is a very steep challenge, but as long as we succeed, we will definitely be able to go far, and it's all thanks to us, the designers of this one mech!"

Not everyone looked as confident as Gloriana.

"That's.. very ambitious."

"Is it even possible?"

"We can do it." Ves declared with conviction. "I have a track record of designing impactful mechs. Just as how the Transcendent Messenger and the Deliverer changed the fabric of the Ylvaine Protectorate, just as how the Desolate Soldier and its variants single-handedly saved the third line of defense in the Sand War, so will our one mech be able to elevate the Larkinson Clan to power!"

Both Ves and Gloriana were hopeful about the design despite its many technical challenges. Their sheer confidence and conviction inevitably infected their subordinates, causing them to look forward to what they could shape in the end!

As the design teams were preparing to perform their assignments, Ves briefly held the Larkinson Mandate in his hands and randomly flipped through its pages.

The Golden Cat appeared to know what was in store for her. Her intangible form gazed up at him with the cutest eyes he had ever seen from a spiritual product!

Nyaaaaa!

"Be patient. I'll get you your mech design soon enough! You'll be able to join your friends Qilanxo and the Solemn Guardian in watching over your mechs!"

He lovingly caressed the Golden Cat's head with a spiritual projection.

The Larkinson mech would definitely affect her development as an ancestral spirit. For the sake of the clan, Ves had to make sure the mech design met all of his goals!

Chapter 1849 Associate

"Hehehe... and into this design, he poured his cruelty, his malice, and his will to dominate all life."

Ves bonked Gloriana's head with his fist.

"Ouch! What was that for, Ves?!"

"Stop muttering vague literary nonsense and help me solve this slotting mechanism. You're much more suited to solve this problem than me, you know."

Gloriana slapped Ves' arm. "Why do you keep coming back to me with these kinds of issues? Can't you solve these problems yourself? You've grown lazy!"

"I'm not lazy. I'm efficient." He retorted. "Both of us specialize in different aspects of mech design. It makes sense to offload all of the complicated technical puzzles to you. On average, you are four times faster in solving these problems than me! Since we're so strapped for time, we'll have to distribute our workload as optimally as possible!"

"And that just happens to leave you with all of the easy work." She sneered at him. "Don't mistake me. I agree with your arrangement. It's just that you could do some heavy lifting as well, you know? The more you engage in these kinds of problems, the more you develop a structural sense for mechs. It's not good for your development if you continue to skip all of the challenges."

"I already have plenty on my plate, Gloriana. Not only am I supervising and integrating the efforts of our design teams, I'm also constantly working on the spiritual foundation of our mech design!"

The Larkinson mech was an extremely pivotal design that truly determined the future of the Larkinson Clan! With so much at stake, Ves wanted to invest as much strength into its design as possible!

He was not content with treating the design as another commission or business project. This was a passion project to him! Investing a disproportionate amount of effort and resources into the project was a given!

As soon as he stopped arguing with Gloriana and entered into a groove, his passion for this project heated up. He became more and more eager to flesh out their drafts and turn their vision into a reality!

Gloriana soon got caught up in his enthusiasm as well! As the days passed by, her prior mental exhaustion no longer made any impact at all, causing her to bring her full passion and emotions to bear!

Seeing her work so passionately and high spirited made him happy. She was just as invested in the design as him. Their shared passion also eased their cooperation and allowed them to accomplish some synergies.

That said, designing the mech was anything but easy. Not only did they have to design four unique configurations, they also had to design a base platform that had to be able to keep up with vastly different demands!

The rifleman mech configuration needed to be agile and precise while offering plenty of capacity for either energy cells and heatsinks or lots of ammunition.

The swordsman mech configuration needed to possess an adequate amount of defense and mobility. At the same time, they also had to improve its strength and make sure it could perform most of the possible moves that were common in mech swordsmanship.

The lancer mech configuration possessed some of the same demands of the swordsman mech, but had to excel in the charge. This meant that the mech ideally possessed more mass and frontal armor while at the same being able to pump a lot more power into its flight system in order to ensure the mech wouldn't take forever to deliver an overpowering blow. In addition, this configuration also had to be able to absorb an immense amount of shock!

Finally, the space knight configuration had to excel in defense. While this configuration did not need to be as mobile as the other configurations, it had to be able to withstand blows that could have felled five of the other configurations! This meant Ves and Gloriana not only had to find a good way to apply extra armor plating onto the space knight configuration, but also pair it up with a very hefty shield!

If Ves designed four self-contained mechs, then Ves could easily meet these requirements.

Yet because all of these requirements had to be applied to the same mech platform, everything became more complicated!

The interconnectedness of the four configurations with each other and the mech platform was very difficult to deal with. Ves had been forced to create an elaborate database with flow charts, objective trackers and timetables in order to keep organized.

Though involving the two design teams in the project increased his organizational burden, their assistance was essential in keeping the project on schedule. All of the smaller tasks and less important problems could be handed off to the Novices and Apprentices.

As long as someone senior to them checked over their work, the project progressed substantially faster than if Ves and Gloriana had to do everything themselves!

Though Ves thought about adding another design team more than once, he refrained from doing so. There were only Ylvainans available to him right now, and he did not wish to increase their representation within the LMC any further!

During the days when he designed his mech, he shoved as many distractions aside as possible. The LMC calmly chugged along under the lead of Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson while the Larkinson Clan leaned heavily on the Executive Council to manage its affairs.

Only the most urgent or important matters merited his personal attention.

One day, a message arrived that caused him to pause and leave the design lab right away!

Though the Larkinson mech was important, the message sent to his comm was even more crucial to his future!

The Rim Guardians finally called back!

"Please hold the fort for me. I need to answer this call as fast as possible."

Gloriana gave him a reassuring pat on his arm. "Your project is in good hands. I'll make sure that everything proceeds according to schedule."

"Thank you. I'll be back as soon as possible."

He picked up Lucky and the Larkinson Mandate and entered a small, enclosed office. He made sure to erect some privacy measures while leaving his communication line intact.

Only then did he answer the call.

A familiar uniformed female officer appeared into view. Lieutenant Rezzie Perct's projection studied Ves with a very curious expression.

"Congratulations, Mr. Larkinson. On behalf of the Rim Guardian Fraternity, we acknowledge that you have completed your mission. We have examined William Urbesh in great detail and have definitely confirmed that he has broken through to become an expert candidate. This.. is quite a surprise to us. Would you mind accounting for the methods you've employed?"

"I admit that we treated Mr. Urbesh a little rougher than was strictly safe." Ves carefully stated. "You know how he was before. He would have never been able to step foot on the battlefield if we didn't smack some sense in him! Well, after smacking him enough times until we completely scrambled his mentality, we finally succeeded. Pushing mech pilots and throwing them straight into battle is a tried-and-true Larkinson method that has always succeeded in producing expert pilots for our family! While it was a gamble, I'm very glad it worked out this time. William can be proud of himself now that he has transcended his mortal limits!"

And mortal coil, for that matter. The 'William' that inhabited his body was very different from the William that originally cowered before his feet!

Lieutenant Ferct looked as if she could smell all of the nonsense he spewed! "Though the signs of long-term physical stress and heavy mental trauma are concerning, the Urbesh Clan's response to William's unexpected advancement was very jubilant. Their fall has finally been arrested with the hopes of a potential expert pilot taking the helm. This is extremely crucial for any group looking to prosper in Vicious Mountain's Garlen Empire. In this regard, we have no reason to quibble over the roughness of your treatment."

Ves relaxed. He knew it would be hard for him to explain what he had done should the Rim Guardians press further. Luckily, they didn't appear to be too interested in William's well-being. They didn't help William and the Urbesh Clan out of friendship. Instead, they were repaying a favor or advancing some kind of other scheme related to the Garlen Empire.

"Does this mean I'm an associate now?"

"You are." She smiled. "As I've said, welcome to the Rim Guardians. You not only have the right to join the ranks of our external associates, but we have also rewarded you with 50,000 MTA merits."

Fifty-thousand!

While that was a tiny figure compared to the 100 million MTA merits needed to redeem a second-class beyonder ticket, it was still a generous reward!

"Thank you, lieutenant. Those merits will come in very handy."

"Are you aiming for the Red Ocean?"

"I am."

"A lot of mech designers have made the same choice. Whether you can pass through the beyonder gate depends on your efforts. All I can say is good luck. You will need to work harder than any other mech designer and exceed our expectations over and over again if you want to earn merits required to become a galactic pioneer. A new future awaits at the Red Ocean. Grasp it before it is too late."

Ves had the sense that Lieutenant Ferct had memorized those last words because her superiors told her to. The MTA certainly wanted to take advantage of as many mech designers as possible! As the only supplier of MTA merits, they were definitely making a killing right now with all of the mech designers eager to earn more points!

Since Calabast warned him about the motives of the Rim Guardians, he remained wary of any traps.

At the very least, he wasn't as eager to meet the needs of this powerful organization as before. Everything had a price. Even the discount to the beyonder tickets likely involved all kinds of commitments that Ves wasn't sure he wanted to accept!

"So what do I have access to as an external associate?"

"Becoming one of our associates is a great privilege." The lieutenant emphasized. "However, do not think that makes you better than your peers in your star sector. An associate is nothing without the merits to exchange for goods and services. The more merits you possess, the more we can offer you. If we aren't able to provide you with what you need, then our many partners certainly will!"

That.. sounded a bit less than he expected. Even if he was an associate, without any merits, he wouldn't be able to take advantage of his access to the Rim Guardians!

In order to make this relationship pay off, Ves essentially had to keep earning more merits. This was probably exactly what the Rim Guardians wanted! Only through continuous milkings would they be able to extract the maximum amount of value from their serfs—, ahem, 'associates'."

The officer continued her spiel.

"This is an exciting time, Mr. Larkinson. With the opening of the Red Ocean, countless influences are vying to reach its vast, unclaimed riches. With an entire dwarf galaxy ripe for taking, we are also taking a heavy interest in how its bounty can enrich the galactic rim!"

Yeah right. The Rim Guardians would probably spend all of their gains on themselves, leaving the vast but sparse galactic rim to its own devices!

Of course, he didn't tell her that. "I am very eager to do my best to prove myself worthy to travel to the Red Ocean."

"Your chances are small, but not nonexistent. While the road is long, the Rim Guardians offer several means to make the journey easier. You'll be able to find out how soon enough. Even if you decide you wish to take root closer to home, we are still able to provide you with an abundant amount of help. I always enjoy it when enterprising young mech designers such as you get to become an associate."

"It is my pleasure to serve as the backbone of the Rim Guardians!" Ves slavishly lied.

"If you keep this mindset, it will be a breeze for you to earn our merits. We can be quite generous to those who are eager and capable enough to complete our challenges!"

Chapter 1850 Rim Exchange

The MTA lieutenant conjured up another projection. It displayed a small diagram that showed what he can do now that he gained surface access to their organization.

"For now, you have access to three different spheres within our fraternity. First, the business network can offer you many opportunities to earn money, find clients or expand your reach. You can also find new partners and suppliers who can offer you benefits that can't easily be matched by others."

This sounded very interesting to Ves. Gaining access to the business network was exactly what he was aiming for! Though it wouldn't be cheap, Ves would probably be able to benefit a lot as long as he had enough merits to secure what he needed!

"Is this where I can form a business contract that is guaranteed by the Rim Guardians?"

She nodded. "This is a popular service of ours. We offer many different forms of guarantees and protections. The best ones can be quite expensive in terms of merits. Most of the time, the basic ones are sufficient for your needs. Do take into account that if you wish to rely on the cross-sector services of RG Logistics, our trade company, you will need to pay an initial fee."

"How much?"

"The price to access the Yeina Star Cluster is 100,000 merits. If you wish to extend your business to the entire galactic rim, then a small price of just 10 million merits is sufficient! This is quite a bargain compared to the prices that other organizations charge! Mind you, these are all one-time fees. You only need to pay once in order to unlock access to our expansive business network!"

Ves almost wanted to puke when he heard the second figure. 10 million merits was enough for a third-rater to become the lowest form of galactic pioneer!

The price to access the Yeina Star Cluster was far more reasonable by comparison. This meant that Ves would not only be able to pay for the backing of the Rim Guardians in the Komodo Star Sector, but all the other star sectors in the cluster as well!

A star cluster typically consisted of two to twenty star clusters. Unlike star sectors, the grouping of star clusters were mainly formed for administrative, historical or arbitrary reasons.

In time, this artificial grouping became a natural one due to how the star cluster was run and how the star sectors always gravitated towards each other.

The Yeina Star Cluster was by all accounts an unimpressive one, just like almost every star cluster close to the frontier. It encompassed eight star sectors in total, and included Komodo, Vicious Mountain and Majestic Teal.

The most notable star sector of all was the Winged Serenade Star Sector. It served as the central star sector, which was sort of like a capital of the entire cluster. It not only hosted the cluster headquarters of the MTA, it also attracted much of the wealth and trade goods provided by the peripheral star sectors.

Everything was substantially better at Winged Serenade, from the states to the quality of their mechs.

"To be honest, some of our most valuable services and offerings are only available at our cluster headquarters in Winged Serenade." The lieutenant spoke. "It shouldn't matter too much to you at your current stage, but once you advance to Senior, I highly advise paying a visit."

"I will keep that in mind."

It would take several decades for him to advance to Senior. He would have definitely reached the Red Ocean by then! The lieutenant's advice was unnecessary for this reason.

"By the way, you can access many of our services through our virtual portal, the Rim Exchange. For most interactions, it is unnecessary for you to travel to Centerpoint or any of our other headquarter systems."

"I understand."

"Good. Let's proceed to our second amenity. The trade platform is exactly what it says. It's a platform where we facilitate trade and transactions between associates or our organizations. Mech designers looking for rare materials or collaborators with very specific specialties can find whatever they seek here. Those with useful and unique specialties such as you are always able to find great collaboration opportunities at this platform."

This sounded very interesting to Ves! He knew the potential of his own design philosophy and the ease in which he could collaborate with other mech designers. Even if he wasn't able to synergize with another collaborator, at the very least his specialty would always allow him to empower a mech beyond the means of technology!

"Will I be able to earn MTA merits from the trading platform?"

"No." Lieutenant Ferct shook her head. "Most offers and commissions posted on the trade platform are private in nature. You are transacting directly with other associates most of the time. The Rim Guardians won't be involved other than to witness or guarantee a contract when our services are called for. Be wary when you make a deal with some as associates won't hesitate to exploit you if you are inattentive."

Her words deflated his hopes. "I see."

"The trade platform does allow for ways to spend your merits, if you wish. We operate a virtual auction house that is tied to our physical auction houses. It holds period auctions that cater to various kinds of mech designers and people of means. Some of the auctions require you to bid with merits, while other auctions allow you to bid with MTA credits or other valuable goods."

This didn't sound as interesting to him. The goods and treasures that showed up in auctions mostly weren't relevant to him. Unless there was an opportunity to snap up one of the rare exotics needed to complete the System's annoyingly difficult Supply Missions, Ves did not intend to waste his time at auctions.

The lieutenant soon moved on the most important benefit of becoming an associate.

"Now, I'm sure it has dawned upon you that you can't avoid spending merits if you wish to make the most of your associate status. Our merit hall is the venue where you can find many opportunities to earn merits. MTA merits, to be clear. You can exchange your merits for many possible benefits from us or the MTA, though I advise you to stick with us. We offer substantially more merits for our missions, and we charge less for everything we offer."

Even if the Rim Guardians provided its associates with better deals, Ves had no illusion that they would recoup their investment in time.

The more an associate curried favor with the Rim Guardians, the less the associate would approach rival organizations.

Once an associate was knee-deep inside the swamp of the Rim Guardians, it was too late for them to leave!

This was what Ves suspected after Calabast passed on her warning. The difficulty was that Ves needed lots of MTA merits. The advantages provided by the Rim Guardians were far too important for him to ignore!

Therefore, even if the Rim Guardians presented him with a trap, Ves still intended to dive head-first into the swamp!

"What kind of missions do you offer?"

"Oh, there are many many missions, far more than our associates can ever complete. None of them are easy, though. The missions we issue to our associates are mostly errands that are too trivial or low priority to require our intervention. Many of them do not involve any states or local organizations. Instead, our missions are mostly related to the safety and stability of the galactic rim. The most dangerous and lucrative ones are often related to the deep frontier. This means that there is a high chance that you will clash against aliens over the course of your mission!"

Most mech designers would probably react with horror when they heard that they might have to travel to the deep frontier to complete a mission!

Ves was not like most mech designers. He barely exhibited any fear or surprise when he heard that the best missions required him to travel very far away from civilized space.

In fact, he was looking forward to accepting some of these missions! Not only would he be able to earn buckets of merits, he could also treat them as practice runs for his upcoming grand expedition.

When his grand expedition finally reached the Red Ocean after setting off, they would soon be roaming entirely new regions of space where humanity had only just arrived!

Basically, outside of the regions where the Big Two have already fortified, the overwhelming portion of the Red Ocean should be little different from the deep frontier!

Considering the abundance of threats and the lack of safe harbor, his expeditionary fleet needed to be ready to handle any possible emergency. Failing to prepare his grand expedition for every possible contingency was incredibly unwise!

"Is there any other way to earn a lot of merits?" He asked. "Ones that won't put me at great personal risk?"

Lieutenant Ferct smirked. "There are, but they are very demanding in other ways. Don't even think about them. They're mostly exclusive to Masters or very outstanding Seniors."

"Oh."

"That said, there are very special missions that have long been unmet. If they haven't expired, we have likely raised their rewards to greater heights. If you think you are confident and capable enough to complete them, then you should accept them. Mind you, many of their requirements are abnormal."

"Is there anything else that can earn me a lot of merits? Ones that doesn't demand something specific?"

"Well, the only other opportunity available to you are high priority missions. These are time-sensitive tasks that have been issued on short notice. Mind you, many associates are waiting night and day for such a mission! They are very lucrative but not as dangerous as deep missions. I advise you to visit the merit hall as soon as possible to scan all of the latent missions that have piled up. Who knows, one of them might be a good fit for your peculiar specialty and strengths."

As Lieutenant Ferct outlined the main types of missions offered by the merit hall, Ves took notes and formed a list.

[Standard mission: low rewards, low risk, low demands

Priority mission: medium rewards, medium risk, medium demands

Long mission: medium rewards, low risk, low demands

Deep mission: high rewards, very high risk, medium demands

High mission: high rewards, low risk, very high demands

Latent mission: high rewards, low risk, special demands]

Overall, Ves needed to navigate the list of missions carefully in order to earn as many merits as possible in the limited time he had available.

He already ruled out standard missions and long missions. They rewarded too little merits for the amount of time and effort needed to complete them. It would probably take a century for Ves to earn 100 million merits this way!

In order to leave the Milky Way Galaxy as soon as possible, Ves almost certainly planned to consider deep missions, priority missions and latent missions!

The most desirable mission to complete was the so-called latent mission which no one managed to complete for a very long time. Yet their requirements were so weird that most of them probably required skills and abilities that Ves didn't possess.

As for priority missions, Lieutenant Ferct already told him that they were only available for a very short time. Perhaps they might be up for a single second before a very fast associate snapped them up! There was no way Ves could compete against these desperate mech designers.

Therefore, deep missions sounded like his best hope. Ves felt he was very lucky that he was expanding and upgrading his mech forces. As long as he could form a fleet that was as strong as a mech regiment, then he would be able to withstand most threats!

If he equipped the majority of his mech pilots with his upcoming Larkinson mech, then his effective strength would almost certainly shoot up! As long as he managed to add some expert mechs and expert pilots to his lineup, then the strength of his fleet would definitely be a match for an entire mech division!