Chapter 2051 Self-Harm Mech
Ves felt as if he was reenacting a conflict akin to the Komodo War on a spiritual level.
On one side was Zeigra. As a former Crown Cat of Felixia, this genetically-engineered beast had long ruled over his stretch of Felixia I as the king of the jungle! A large number of mechs grouped up into hunting teams attempted to challenge his might, but failed to fell their target as the supposed predators turned into Zeigra's prey!
On the other side was Nyxie. A long-dead alien tyrant who possessed an exceptionally powerful spirit, Nyxie was a future concern to Ves as his prodigious strength only grew stronger over time! Though Ves was confident he could keep the ancient alien spiritual entity contained within the Ancient Sarcophagus for the time being, what happened when that wasn't enough anymore?
On the surface, a matchup between the two entities was highly lopsided.
There was no way that Zeigra should be able to come out on top. In life, he was just an exobeast. A sentient exobeast, but one that mostly relied on his artificial genetics to dominate his jungle.
How could a mere beast, one that hadn't lived very long no less, compete against a spiritual tyrant who managed to cling to life for at least several millennia!?
A crude analogy would be to field a third-class mech against a first-class mech!
There was no way a Blackbeak or a Desolate Soldier could harm an ultrmodern, supremely powerful multipurpose mech!
Yet Ves still went through with putting Zeigra and Nyxie in the same imaginary space as if it was a dueling arena.
How could he prevent Zeigra from collapsing after experiencing Nyxie's might?
The answer was simple.
Cheating!
An unfair fight could be made fair by sabotaging the stronger side and assisting the weaker side!
Ves had already laid most of the groundwork by neutering Nyxie's strength. He had already weakened his spiritual fragment by cutting away most attributes. He further pared down the fragment's effective power by downsizing it even further.
The result was a purified spiritual fragment that was only a shadow of its progenitor.
Even so, when Ves finally performed his spiritual counterbalancing, he discovered that he hadn't been thorough enough.
"Zeigra is losing!"
The ferocious Crown Cat was taken aback by the ominous Nyxie! What Ves hadn't anticipated was that Zeigra became affected by Nyxie's ability to induce fear!
A sense of terror and panic exuded from Zeigra! For a moment, his confidence faltered, causing him to withdraw his predatory instincts!
"Damnit!" Ves cursed as he observed the impending debacle. "You stupid scaredy cat! How can you wear a crown if you can't even muster up some resistance? Nyxie isn't as scary as you think! His purified fragment is weak enough for you to contend against it! Man up and fight back like your pride is at stake!"
Ves had many methods at his disposal to equalize the power disparity.
He employed various images to boost Zeigra and make him more resistant to the fear-induing effects of his opponent.
He chopped off extra portions from Nyxie's purified fragment.
He asked the Golden Cat to lend a hand.
Through these simple means, he quickly managed to take the wind out of Nyxie's sails. The alien tyrant's momentum stalled and Zeigra gained a bit more confidence in his strength!
Slowly but surely, the ripples emanating from their clashes subsided. Eventually, their strength came close enough that they began to achieve a stable equilibrium!
Still, just like with Silent William, the equilibrium wasn't completely equal. So far, Nyxie occupied 75 percent of the Doom Guard's space while Zeigra managed to cling onto just 25 percent.
While Ves was reasonably confident that this divide could persist, it was not ideal.
This was because the Doom Guard's glow currently retained far too much of Nyxie's unpleasant qualities!
As Ves closed his eyes in order to judge the properties of his mech design's current glow, he immediately frowned.
"It's too creepy!"
This was partially what he wanted out of his Doom Guard, but not to this extent!
The interaction between a design spirit and a mech was multifaceted and complex. The design spirit not only affected the people around the mech, but also the person piloting the machine!
What Ves sought was to retain the deterrence power of the Doom Guard while scaring away as little customers as possible!
"This is truly a double-edged sword!"
To put it in other terms, this was a self-harming mech. It inflicted much of the harm it tried to impose to others on its own mech pilot!
Certainly, Ves tried his best to mitigate the latter interaction.
He introduced several images that would hopefully make the design spirits exhibit less hostility to the mech pilot.
He also made sure to add a standard neural interface model in the Doom Guard design as opposed to the newly-licensed high-capacity model!
The latter was just a disaster in the making for a mech like this! Ves did not wish to wake up to an article from a sensational mech publication that screamed that his new Doom Guard model caused a dozen mech pilots to die from fright!
As someone who personally experienced Nyxie's deeply unsettling aura, Ves immediately knew he had to cripple the purified fragment even more.
"He's far too strong! Even after all of the previous cuts, he is still able to overpower Zeigra!"
Ves ruthlessly cut at the fragment and implemented some other measures to tilt the balance further in the favor of the beleaguered Crown Cat.
He paused his efforts when the equilibrium shifted at the midpoint. Both Zeigra and Nyxie occupied an equal amount of space in the Doom Guard.
Was this the balance that he should settle upon?
Ves still maintained his frown. "I don't know."
The constant cutting gradually reduced the intensity of Nyxie's fear-inducing glow to a more reasonable level. The problem was that it was still strong enough to frighten the mech pilots of the Doom Guard.
While he could just proceed with crippling the purified fragment even further, at this point the Doom Guard would begin to lose its intrinsic advantage.
If its glow grew weak to the point that enemies were able to shrug it off, what was the point of introducing Nyxie into the Doom Guard in the first place?
Ves felt incredibly conflicted. He had to make a very difficult choice.
If he retained Nyxie's current strength, then he predicted that his customer base would probably narrow by a very significant margin. While he would be able to retain the value of the mech, its hostility towards its own mech pilots would limit its sales potential!
"In this case, the only customers who can make good use of the Doom Guard are the mech pilots who possess the most fearless hearts! Anyone whose will is weak will doubtlessly be scared to the point of freezing in place!"
On the other hand, if he weakened Nyxie even further, then he would directly expand the pool of customers who were able to field the Doom Guard. If the design spirits imposed less pressure onto the mech pilots, the Doom Guards turned into a more controllable and reliable mech.
The major downside to this measure was the reduction in fear factor. If Ves weakened the Doom Guard's glow in order to expand its accessibility, he would directly reduce the mech's ability to deter enemies as well!
As a result, his Doom Guard came one step closer to becoming a generic striker mech model.
Without a technical edge and only a modest benefit derived from its glow, why would anyone buy a Doom Guard? The reduced effectiveness of its glow directly impacted its value proposition, which eventually depressed its sales!
"No matter which solution I choose, the money I stand to gain from selling this mech will drop regardless!" Ves cursed.
This was not good news for Ves, who sought to relieve the financial pressure of his clan by developing another cash cow.
After contemplating the pros and cons of each choice, he slowly drew out a breath.
In the end, he chose to maintain the strength of Nyxie's purified fragment.
There were several reasons that caused him to settle on this impactful choice.
First, a perfect balance where the power disparity had been equalized was the most stable outcome. Ves didn't have to worry too much about the stronger side overrunning the weaker side.
Just because it never happened in Silent William's mind didn't mean it could happen in the future!
Second, Ves wanted his Doom Guard to live up to his name and reputation. Many of the mech designs he published so far exhibited pronounced strengths at the cost of applicability. Extreme mechs like the Aurora Titan and the Deliverer were very strong when used as intended, but they were also liabilities in situations outside of their mission profile!
Since his existing customers already knew what to expect of him, he believed the backlash to Doom Guard would not be as bad as he feared. As long as the LMC carefully informed the public of the risks of piloting the mech, the customers who valued the notable strengths of his mech would still buy his product en masse!
With a glow this useful, his customers would be fools to pass it off! Anyone who needed to buy a striker mech to round out their mech rosters would definitely take a good look at the LMC's latest offering!
A third reason why he opted to take a risk by maintaining Nyxie's potency was his belief that his customers would rise up to the occasion.
Unlike his Holy Soldier and Deliverer mechs, the design spirits of the Doom Guard weren't strong enough to outright reject a mech pilot.
Sure, they could make things uncomfortable, but as long as the mech pilot learned to endure the unpleasantness, the Doom Guard would still be able to unleash its might onto the battlefield!
Ves wouldn't make this decision if it wasn't so easy and simple to pilot.
Rifleman mechs and melee mechs usually demanded a lot of attention from their mech pilots. A single discordant element could ruin their concentration and mess up their moves! This was because these fast-moving mechs possessed a high amount of skill expression.
A striker mech was the polar opposite. It was even simpler to pilot than a knight mech.
Its ponderous mass slowed down its movements, which meant the mech pilot didn't have to plan out every move in advance.
Its armor provided it with a generous buffer for mistakes. Even if the mech pilot got distracted by Nyxie, the Doom Guard would still be able to bull through an unfavorable situation!
Its flamethrower in a wide-area configuration was one of the easiest weapon to aim. While the mech pilot still had to input the right settings for the situation, its use was extremely simple. The pilot didn't even have to be skilled in marksmanship!
All of these factors meant that it was fine if the mech pilot of a Doom Guard got a little scared. As long as the mech commander saw the value in this mech, there would always be place for it on the battlefield!
Ves tried his best to put a positive spin on his decision.
"Only the bravest and most fearless individuals will be able to pilot the Doom Guard! The weak and cowardly need not apply!"
Once he slowly wrapped up this process, the bestowal process came at an end. The Doom Guard design, long empty, now gained its final component, thereby completing the design in full!
As Ves projected the mech design once again, it gained an entirely connotation.
"Is this.. what you meant by inducing fear?" Gloriana quivered a bit before she stiffened up. She was a Wodin and a proud Hexer! She was better than this! "The proto-gods you put into the design are quite.. effective."
Ves grinned and snapped his fingers, causing the projection to switch off. "This is just a depiction of its schematics. Let's wait until we fabricate an actual mech!"
Chapter 2052 Overlooked Function
The Doom Guard design finally reached its final form as far as Ves was concerned.
As soon as Ves employed spiritual counterbalancing to formulate an unusual new way to impart a glow to his design, the mech ascended into something different than the competition.
Pitting Zeigra and Nyxie together with the mech design as their dueling arena was very different from what he had done before.
In previous mech designs, one design spirit was always the top dog. While Ves had blended multiple influences in a single design before, he mostly just added a small amount of foreign influence in order to change the flavor of the glow.
This time was different. By weakening Nyxie to the point where his crippled, purified spiritual fragment could only go even with Zeigra, a lot of tension took place as the two jostled for dominance!
The balance they achieved was deceptively stable. While neither of the two grew weaker, they weren't able to make much progress either.
Regardless, the fight never ceased. As Ves carefully studied the spiritual activity taking place inside the Doom Guard, it was as if the two design spirits never knew peace!
Like two stones grinding against each other, they constantly bumped and pushed against the entity they regarded as their challenger!
While this activity didn't change the balance, it did cause some fluctuations to emerge. The discordant spiritual ripples emanating from the design were very disconcerting, so much so that Ves had to reduce his spiritual sensitivity lest he grew nauseous!
What delighted him however was that these ripples complimented the effects of Zeigra and Nyxie's glows!
Ves chose to involve Zeigra because the former Crown Cat possessed a very predatory and intimidating character.
He chose to add Nyxie to the mix because the ancient alien tyrant possessed a very inexplicable ability to induce existential terror.
Combining these two effects and piling up the body-sickening ripples generated by the conflict between the two design spirits all added up into a very uncomfortable glow!
The eventual outcome was noticeably stronger than he anticipated. He didn't expect the tension arising from the conflict to be this effective!
It didn't take long for Gloriana to grow queasy. "I don't know, Ves.. I think.. you overdid it a little."
She shivered, causing Ves to realize that his resilience was different from hers!
Ves was used to facing uncomfortable spiritual sensations. His strong Spirituality and his frequent interactions with spiritual entities such as Nyxie had not only increased his mental resilience, but also desensitized him to different kinds of spiritual pressure.
The same could not be said for Gloriana. She rarely experienced any unusual spiritual phenomena or did much with them. She never confronted the demons that Ves did on a frequent basis.
When Ves compared his sensitivity to hers, he judged that the general public would likely exhibit the same reaction as hers, thereby causing most of them to grow very uncomfortable, to say the least!
While those effects were all boons to the purpose of their Doom Guard design, the practical difficulties they introduced also made it harder to use them! How could an outfit expect to use a Doom Guard against its opponent when the striker mech already scared their own crew out of their wits?!
What Ves could figure out, so could his collaborator. Gloriana quickly pointed out a very fatal flaw about their completed design.
"I have no doubt our Doom Guard can deter a lot of enemies, particularly the less disciplined ones." She started and pointed at the projected design schematic. "However.. I doubt any outfit wants to keep this mech around in their own mech roster. Since it's a spaceborn mech, it will mostly be stored in carrier vessels. Can you imagine how the Doom Guard will be squeezed into a cramped ship designed to fit as many mechs inside their hulls as possible?"
His face dropped. Gloriana raised a very good point!
While light carriers and combat carriers were fairly large vessels, their internal volume was not as big as most people thought! A lot of space was taken up by ship components and structural elements. Ship designers had to allocate the space inside a vessel as efficiently as possible while still adhering to other priorities such as redundancy and compartmentalization.
As a result, there was hardly any redundant space for mechs. When it came to storing them, the mechs were usually placed in several areas.
If the machines needed to be deployed in an instant, then they would be put in a crowded hangar bay where a lot of mech technicians and mech pilots congregated.
If the mechs didn't need to be deployed at any time, then they were put into very secure mech stables. These were basically mech-sized storage areas which clamped a mech in place so that it wouldn't jostle around or get thrown around in case of accidents.
In any case, no matter where a mech was being put on a ship, there were always a lot of other mechs and people around!
How would they feel if they had to spend an entire work shift in the vicinity of fearsome Doom Guard? While the mech's glow was not as strong if not booted up, it still couldn't be ignored!
There was no way to block the influence of its glow. It went right through solid materials so the people working in the decks below and above the location of the Doom Guard would still experience its terror!
Who would want to incur all of this trouble if it led to these problems?
If the Doom Guard was a landbound mech, then at least the buyer would be able to erect an isolated facility placed away from the main base to store the problematic machines.
Yet this was not an option in space! Regardless if they were stored in carrier vessels or space stations, there wasn't as much room to work with, which meant that the mech would constantly be subjecting the people around it with friendly fire!
"This is indeed a very serious problem!" Ves admitted. He was in a serious dilemma! "I don't want to weaken its glow any further. The fact that it will likely have a strong effect on the crew of a carrier means it will be even more effective against its opponents! I really don't want to weaken this effect because it will directly decrease its battle effectiveness."
As Ves tried to figure out a way to overcome this issue, his girlfriend offered a very simple suggestion.
"Why not add an off switch?"
"Huh?" He stopped his thoughts.
"An off switch." Gloriana reiterated. "When a mech isn't needed, we turn it off to conserve its energy and to preserve its lifespan, among other reasons. Why not add the same functionality to its glow? As long as it's possible, the owners of our product can safely store them in their carriers without negatively affecting the people around them. In fact, since our Doom Guard is so disturbing, its mech pilots can save its glow until it is necessary!"
"That.. why didn't I think of that!?" Ves gasped!
He wanted to bonk his own head for overlooking such a basic but very useful feature!
His previous mech designs all contained supportive glows. Ves never really thought about how unwanted they were because his customers wouldn't buy them if they disliked their effects.
The Doom Guard broke this paradigm. As his first mech with an unquestionably negative glow, the buyers of this product had to subject their own forces to the same harm as they intended to inflict on their opponents!
This self-harm trait of the Doom Guard design was something unprecedented to Ves. For the first time in his career, the ability to deactivate the glow on command was very essential! Without this function, his mech would scare away a lot of customers who would have found its glow to be useful!
"I'll have to patch this function in really quickly." He announced.
Gloriana smiled. "What are you waiting for, then? Even if we finalized our design, it's not as if we have submitted it to the MTA. We can still add some last-minute tweaks to our design. A minor change like this won't require any testing."
She was right. There was no need to ask for approval or file a lengthy submission request because Ves was his own boss!
He proceeded to add several ways to activate and deactivate the glow of his Doom Guard design. While he had never made something like this before, it wasn't a very difficult problem.
He added a physical button in the interior of the cockpit. This was mainly an emergency measure if the mech pilot somehow couldn't flick the virtual switch in the operating system of the Doom Guard through the neural interface.
As an added precaution, Ves also added a multi-step hardware switch just beneath the exterior of mech. This was a switch intended for rescue parties if the mech ever go downed. The last thing Ves wanted to do was to scare an approaching rescue shuttle away when the mech pilot inside the Doom Guard was trapped!
In the design schematic, the switches didn't actually connect to any meaningful physical component. They just activated an electrical pulse that seemingly led to nowhere.
What really happened was that this electrical pulse triggered a command that Ves had to program into the spiritual foundation of the Doom Guard. Upon detecting this specific pulse, the Doom Guard would prevent its aura and the spiritual ripples from leaking outwards.
Just like the Devil Tiger, the mech would instead contain these spiritual overflows into the mech itself, thereby causing it to soak them all in. While Ves never really knew what might result from this process over time, at the very least it wouldn't scare away other people!
Though it was highly irresponsible to publish a mech with an unknown long-term side effect, Ves didn't care at this moment! He just wanted to wrap his mech design up and introduce it to the market as quickly as possible!
"I think this is fine." He declared as he clapped his hands. "Let's proceed with our fabrication session!"
Though Gloriana looked a bit uncertain, she still followed suit.
Once they emerged back into the mech workshop, Ves gathered every assistant and student in a circle.
"What Gloriana and I are about to embark upon is a rare moment for all of us. It will stretch over several days without any rest. Remember, don't look at what we are doing on the surface. Try to feel it instead. Your heart will probably experience a lot of.. unusual sensations, but don't be startled. You have all contributed to the design of the Doom Guard in some fashion or another. Don't be scared of your own work."
The reason why he warned the other mech designers was because Ves intended to fabricate the mech while its glow was unblocked!
This was the best way to build a mech that fully conformed to his vision!
While this was never a detriment when he fabricated a mech with a supportive glow like the Bright Warrior, it was not so simple when it came to the Doom Guard!
Ves had to steel his heart and muster up his Spirituality in order to withstand its terror.
He was confident he could endure the pressure. How could he call himself a mech designer when he wasn't even brave enough to confront his own work?!
However, this decision didn't sit well with Gloriana. Unlike him, she didn't relish spending multiple days around a glow that made her want to flee the mech workshop!
Before she could object any further, Ves provided her with a solution. Two, in fact.
"I have two ways to shield you from the glow of our mech." He raised an empty, thick black lockbox. "You can take my B-stone lockbox and put it over your head. While you won't be able to see out of it, you can use your implant to link up with external sensors to see what you are doing."
His girlfriend did not look amused. "I'm not going to put an ugly box over my head, especially when it's heavy! At least build a proper helmet!"
He coughed and quickly put down the box. "The other choice is to wear the Larkinson Mandate on your body."
"That sounds much better! You should have started with that first!"
Ves passed on the thick book to Gloriana, who placed it on the back of her workshop outfit. The antigrav brace that Ves installed on the heirloom automatically locked onto her clothes, making it seem as if Gloriana was wearing a school backpack of some sorts.
"I already feel better!" She smiled as the warmth of the Golden Cat began to spread around her body.
The direct contact did wonders in allowing her to benefit from the ancestral spirit's protection!
With this solution, both of them were finally to begin fabricating the very first Doom Guard in existence!
Chapter 2053 The Birth of Doom
Each time Ves fabricated a copy of a new design, he felt as if he was exploring his own work from a fresh perspective.
There was a difference between designing something and building it with your own hands.
The latter was distant and impartial.
At many times, Ves felt as if he was a god creating a new life out of nothing. While he still had to abide by the laws and constraints of reality, he had countless options at his disposal.
Such an approach easily caused Ves to develop a warped perspective towards his own work.
This wasn't necessarily bad as his design work was often better if he became engaged. His passion and enthusiasm fueled his imagination, causing him to develop all kinds of novel and interesting solutions to the problems at hand.
However, Ves didn't truly know his mech design from inside-out until he actually built it for real.
There was always something.. missing.. in his understanding of his own work. No matter how many virtual mechs he simulated, the fakeness of it all prevented him from fully realizing what he actually birthed into reality.
Not even crafting scaled-down copies of the design fully did the job. It helped, but Ves still had to rely far too much on his imagination to fill in the blanks.
Only when a mech design stopped being something that existed purely in the virtual realm would Ves be able to make a definitive judgement on his efforts.
Had he designed a mech that matched his vision or did he inadvertently create an uncontrollable abomination?
Never had this question become relevant until today. While the Devil Tiger featured some self-harm aspects, the Doom Guard practically centered around it! Due to its two hostile design spirits, the mech's glow was completely indiscriminate in who it affected!
The one person who the mech should harm the least was the mech pilot. Yet Ves envisioned that this individual would likely incur the most pressure!
Even with an off switch, Ves still worried a bit whether he had overdone the glow.
Fortunately, he could still adjust his design after he evaluated the finished product. Unlike modifying an existing mech, which would require a lot of troublesome recalls if he put it out for sale, modifying its glow was pretty much hassle-free.
It was like pushing a software update on the operating system of his products. He didn't even have to convince his customers to download and apply the update to their mechs. He could just directly tweak the design spirits and have the changes take effect on the entire design and all of its copies in an instant!
Ves bet that countless programmers and software developers would likely strangle him to death if they found out about this convenience!
"Are you ready?" Gloriana asked with a lukewarm smile.
Though she was still a bit apprehensive at the decision to fabricate the mech while immersing themselves in its glow, she could at least lean on the Golden Cat. The Larkinson Mandate attached to her back did wonders in shoring up her mental defenses!
Ves didn't enjoy this luxury. He had to brave the storm without shelter, but this was exactly what he wanted!
The closer he experienced the raw intensity of his mech, the better he would be able to reproduce its glory! Whether a glow was helpful or harmful, much of his specialty revolved around their use, so Ves could not afford to shield himself from them if he wanted to progress his design philosophy!
The pair of Journeymen finally began the process. Ves had already arranged the shipment of materials while Gloriana had spent a lot of time in setting the mech workshop.
They used the same fabrication equipment as before. By now, Ves was well-versed in the use of Gloriana's high-quality production machines, so he didn't exhibit the mistakes and lack of fluency he demonstrated the first time laid hands on them. The 3D printer and other advanced devices practically purred under his ministrations.
Even if Ves was flummoxed by a small, unknown function, he could rapidly read throug the manuals he downloaded into his implant. As long as he didn't interrupt his workflow, he didn't lose any momentum.
In the beginning, he entered into a good groove. He produced the components and subcomponents with hardly any issues, and most of them only mattered because Gloriana kicked a fuss whenever she saw that something exceeded her personal tolerance levels.
"This is our first Doom Guard! We better make it as perfect as possible!"
Despite the slight delays, the fabrication session proceeded briskly over one-and-half continuous days. As Ves and Gloriana finished producing and checking over the parts, they began the laborious process of assembling the mech.
This was where the situation began to grow a little tricky. When the parts were still by themselves, they didn't really exude a glow on their own. The only sensations Ves and Gloriana had to deal with emerged from the intangible design itself whenever they referred to it. The pressure was very manageable for them both.
Yet as they began to erect the internal frame and add the various core components such as the power reactor and the cockpit to it, the mech began to exude more life.
This was normally a cause for celebration to Ves. The gradual emergence of a glow proved that the mech he was building fully conformed to his intended design and vision.
Yet.. this was different. The more the mech came alive, the more it posed a threat to its own makers!
Nyxie's terror was enough to drive anyone insane if they remained in proximity! Though Ves drastically weakened the alien tyrant's aura in the Doom Guard design, it still retained the pervasive quality that made it seem that there was no way to avoid this threat!
Ves began to grit his teeth at times as his remarkably high spiritual perception worked against him this time. His resilience could barely keep up with the various spiritual ripples and other influences hammering against his mind.
In order to make sure he was in tune in his own design, he didn't dare to erect a strong spiritual barrier around his mind. He made it very permeable, thereby letting through most of the spiritual pressure exerted by the incomplete mech.
"Are you holding, Ves?" Gloriana asked with concern at the other side of the mech.
"Don't worry about me. I'm strong. You should worry about yourself."
"This book is pretty handy so far." She smiled, though the tension in her voice betrayed her strain.
Even with Goldie protecting her less resilient mind, she too needed to subject herself in the sensations emanating from the mech.
The most thorny aspect about the Doom Guard's pervasive glow was how it possessed multiple attack vectors.
Nyxie and Zeigra both exerted a different kind of harmful pressure on the mind. While the former was the most poisonous, the latter couldn't be disregarded!
On top of that, their endless conflict generated a constant frequency of very disturbing spiritual ripples that mostly induced nausea and other uncomfortable effects on the body.
Those with stronger bodies such as well-trained mech pilots might be able to endure the spiritual ripples, but they probably wouldn't fare as well with one of the former!
The Doom Guard tested both the mind and body of those who fell under its sway!
In fact, this condition reminded Ves of the old mental resilience training program he once set up on the surface of Aeon Corona VII.
Affectionately called the Mind Blender by the Vandals and Swordmaidens, it slowly trained their mental resilience by hooking them up their minds with the minds of the indigenous dwarves.
Though it was a rather sordid invention that slowly wore out the captive dwarves they used as an expendable resource of this training program, it was nonetheless effective in strengthening the mech pilots!
Could Ves employ the Doom Guard in a similar fashion? Perhaps he should try it out once he finished this project. Mental resilience was not only useful in resisting spiritual pressure, but also prevented mech pilots from breaking down during a harrowing battle!
Mental resilience could be built through training, diligence and discipline. Yet by making use of an external prop like his Doom Guard, Ves could accelerate the improvement of the mental resilience of his clansmen, thereby raising their effective performance in battle!
The vast potential of this use inflamed his passion and boosted his motivation for his work. It became a bit easier for him to endure the pressure emanated by his own mech whenever he thought about all of the utility he could derive from his creation!
Gloriana.. didn't hang on as well as him. The fact that she had to rely on a helper like the Golden Cat for support did not bode well.
As much as she was a fantastic young Journeyman, she was not someone who responded well to certain types of adversity.
"You can do it, Gloriana." He encouraged her. "The mech may be uncomfortable, but it is well worth it once we complete it. Just like any childbirth, joy often follows after pain!"
She threw an angry look at him. "Don't talk about something you are clueless about!"
At least she regained some of her fire when she snapped back at Ves! She endured the pressure a little easier when she became prickly!
Three days passed in total. After all of their constant and steady labor, Ves and Gloriana finally walked back with sweat pouring out of their brows.
The mech they built had finally reached completion.
"It's too bad.." Gloriana spoke as she rubbed her tired eyes. "The quality of our mech is fine, but…"
She didn't voice the rest of her sentence, but she didn't have to. Ves knew as well as her that their efforts fell short of reaching masterwork quality.
Not by a little, but by a lot.
Perhaps it wasn't to be. Perhaps the constant pressure exerted by the mech sabotaged their opportunity. Perhaps they fabricated the mech at the wrong time.
Whatever the reason, they expended this precious opportunity. The next time they fabricated a mech, the chance was still there, but it would be vastly smaller now that it wasn't as meaningful
Ves had already taken the failure into account. He didn't look surprised at all. It would have been ludicrous if all of the stars aligned this time.
"This isn't the easiest mech to turn into a masterwork, and besides, it's just a third-class mech. A masterwork version of it would never be as impressive as the Quint."
That was not much consolation to Gloriana, who always got her hopes up whenever they reached this point.
By now, Ves basically ignored her glumness. She would get over it in a day anyway. Instead of wasting his time on cheering her up, he gazed at his imposing striker mech and beheld its formidable bulk in the flesh for the very first time!
The dark red coating of the mech set the tone of the Doom Guard. Large and heavily armored, the slightly-fat mech was easily able to withstand a barrage of lasers!
Though it could barely fly circles in space, as long as an enemy mech entered within reach, its large Enison Spreader would be able to block an entire approach!
Ves was very familiar with the complex glow of the mech at this point. What came as a surprise to him was how well it worked together with the appearance of the mech.
The striker mech gave off a sense that it was able to doom anyone who entered its reach! The customized red third eye that Ves added to the forehead of the Doom Guard seemed to magnify the terror to anyone who stared at it for an extended time!
"Our Doom Guard.. is finally complete!" Ves officially announced!
No one clapped. No one cheered. The assistant mech designers who witnessed most of the fabrication session all stayed as silent as a mouse.
Chapter 2054 New Risk Factor
The reaction from the design teams lightened up considerably when Ves climbed up to the cockpit of the mech and switched off its glow.
Now that its spiritual pressure was blocked from leaking out of the mech, the mech designers could finally breathe easily and evaluate it without feeling as if they were approaching a bottomless cliff!
Ves first turned his attention to Miles. "As our resident aerial mech specialist, what do you think about the flight characteristics of our mech?"
"It is pretty bad, in my opinion." The former Tovar admitted. "I don't prefer immobile mechs, so its hard for me to like it. I do recognize that the tradeoffs are probably worth it. Looking at the mech right now.. I can very much believe it can deny an entire area around it. Let alone enemies, it is probably more effective against friendlies!"
That was a very oblique indictment against his design choices. Ves supposed he did overdo it with regard to the strength of the Doom Guard's glow.
Even so, he abided by his decisions! With the addition of an off switch, the users of the Doom Guard were able to employ its full might on demand! Whenever they didn't need it, they could just turn it off and put the mech in a corner or something.
After quizzing Miles, Ves went down the line and asked for the opinions of the others.
"The mech is rather extreme. I still can't believe it's possible to design a machine that can break people's minds."
"Are you sure this mech is even legal? It has to break some of the MTA's rules, I think! If it didn't come with the ability to turn off its glow, then it's really difficult to argue that it is safe for the market!"
Ves listened to each and everyone of them before promptly throwing most of their feedback out of his head. Their comments were largely superfluous. He either already thought about their arguments or didn't think they were important enough for him to pay attention to them. They were mostly Apprentices after all. What could they say about his design that Ves didn't already know?
Of course, Ves still had to bear a polite smile on his face and respond with some nice-sounding platitudes. As their superior and mentor, he had to make sure he acted in a way that brought the best out of them. If he pretended to care about their input, they would have the illusion that their voices mattered, thereby raising their motivation for the next design projects!
Since it didn't cost Ves much by playing nice, he might as well put some effort into his act!
When he came to the two Larkinson seeds, they looked as if they had just watched an entire horror drama!
His face faltered a bit. On second thought, perhaps it would have been better to keep them away. Unlike a hopeful and positive mech like the Bright Warrior, the Doom Guard genuinely held the potential to threaten people's sanity!
Nonetheless, this was an important test for them as well. Ves wanted to see which one of the adolescents held up better under the pressure.
After inspecting them carefully, he judged that Maikel was a bit more enthusiastic about the Doom Guard than Zanthar. Ves had already noticed that the former admired him and his work considerably greater than his fellow seed.
Of course, that didn't mean Maikel was suited to follow in Ves' footsteps.
"The mech is very effective." Maikel commented. "I think it will sell very well once people see it in action. I think everyone needs proof before they are willing to invest in this machine."
"That's a very insightful point." Ves smiled. "That has been the case of several of my products. Sure, the reputation my mech company and I have built up has generated a lot of trust, but my products are so weird that the mech community doesn't know what to do with them at first. I'll take this issue into account."
Zanthar couldn't fall behind either. "I think the usefulness of this mech shouldn't be constrained to operations in space! You could easily design a landbound variant of this mech that is optimized for ground battles and capture an entirely different segment of the market!"
Both Ves and Gloriana looked at each other and laughed.
"Why are you laughing, teacher?"
"A landbound mech is not equivalent to a spaceborn mech with its flight systems ripped off. Conversely, a spaceborn mech is very different from a landbound or aerial mech. Atmospheric combat imposes very different demands than space combat. We would have to revise many more systems than you think in order to develop a landbound variant of the Doom Guard."
"It would still be possible, right? I mean, you already did it before when you derived the Peaceful Soldier from the Desolate Soldier!" Zanthar insisted.
Ves shook his head. "It took almost as much effort as designing a brand new mech to develop that landbound variant. What I'm trying to say is that you have to make a very careful consideration whether the time and effort you put into a variant is worth it. While that doesn't discount what you say, right now I am more interested in designing new mechs than retreading my existing ones."
He had to move forward. He didn't gain as much as a mech designer when he worked with familiar concepts. A true creator always pushed their boundaries and pursued the unknown!
Did that mean that Ves would never design a landbound variant of his Doom Guard design? Not necessarily. It depended on many factors, most pertinently the pent-up demand for this kind of machine.
What was usually the case was that the mech community usually didn't wait for the original mech designers to develop the variant.
Instead, some savvy colleagues and competitors would just licence the recently-published design and develop their own variants!
Most of the time, these opportunists consisted of low-ranking mech designers.
Why would a high-ranking mech designer borrow someone else's work when they were more than capable enough to innovate something on their own? There was rarely a good reason to license another design and subsequently pass off a considerable chunk of profit to the original mech designer!
While the low-ranking mech designers engaged in developing variants fulfilled a very important niche in the mech industry, they often butchered the essence of the base model to varying degrees.
Some design philosophies were more resilient to this treatment than others. Normally, the unique strengths of the base model would mostly be retained in a variant as long as the mech designer didn't mess with the portions beyond their understanding.
The problem was that this was very difficult to accomplish when a mech designer's specialty encompassed the entire mech!
Many Class I design philosophies were prone to this when an ignorant mech designer bulled through a design.
For various reasons, his own design philosophy was even more sensitive than this! His mech designs were always prone to spiritual pollution imparted by the careless, chaotic thoughts of his competitors.
As a result, the entire mech industry soon learned that trying to design a worthwhile variant of his products was an exercise in futility!
Certainly, if someone wanted to design a landbound variant of the Doom Guard, they could go ahead as long as they bought the appropriate license.
They would just have to accept that whatever they came up with would likely not possess the glows that made them so unique!
Certainly, there was a possibility that a high-ranking mech designer with their own specialty could simply compensate by adding their own strengths to the variant, but what was the point?
Those Journeymen and Seniors were better off designing their own landbound mechs! At least their work aligned perfectly with their design philosophies!
This was also why Ves didn't even think about designing variants of other people's products these days.
In the best-case scenario, it would be like collaborating with another mech designer, but in sequence rather than at the same time.
In practice, without the active input of the original mech designer, Ves would certainly screw something up that weakened the unique strengths of the base model.
This was also why Ves and Gloriana often worked on their mech design projects at the same time rather in rotation. The latter was arguably more efficient, but both of them wouldn't be able to achieve synergy if that was the case!
"Are we done now, Ves?" Gloriana impatiently asked as he fell into his usual spirals of thought. "I want to take a very long rest now. I've been staying awake for three days straight!"
"Oh. Sure. I'll make sure to wrap this mech up so that it can be handed over to the MTA for validation."
His girlfriend picked up her cat and tiredly walked out of the mech workshop. The rest soon followed suit.
Ves lingered a bit longer in order to make sure it was being properly stored in a specialized container before being loaded onto a transport.
"Head straight to the MTA branch in downtown Torze!" He yelled to the transport vessel as it was about to take off under heavy escort. "Also, don't bump into anything along the way!"
There was no chance the transport vessel would do something as idiotic as crashing into something. Ves was just a bit frayed due to all of the pressure he endured over the past three days.
One advantage about designing a mech on Cinach VI was that the planet possessed an extensive infrastructure around its primary industry. The MTA set up an extensive branch that was capable of validating thousands of mech designs a day and certifying even more through an expedited process!
Of course, Bentheim offered even better facilities before it got drowned in sand, but that wasn't relevant at this time.
Ves eventually exited the mech workshop and returned to his temporary abode.
No more action took place that night. Gloriana had already fallen asleep by the time he slipped into bed.
Besides, Ves hadn't been very good lately, so she wouldn't have been receptive to his advances anyway.
He frowned as he laid his head on his pillow.
"There's something wrong about this arrangement. I need to act like a man and assert myself!"
"Meow?"
Lucky, who curled up on a pillow next to him, curiously poked his head at his owner.
"I mean it! Us men have rights too, you know!"
"Meow."
Lucky curled his body around. His tail flicked disdainfully at Ves!
"Whatever."
The next morning, Ves caught up with Gavin and discussed the upcoming product release.
"Will you go ahead with holding a reveal event?"
Ves nodded. "My mech needs as much publicity as possible. It's an.. unusual product that requires a bit of clarification in order to catch fire in the market. I'm afraid that the initial reaction to my Doom Guard design will be less than possible due to preventable misunderstandings. We have to make sure to convey the message that it is designed to harm enemies, not friendlies!"
Though Gavin hadn't attended the fabrication session in person, he already heard what was in store.
"I've already instructed the Marketing Department to tweak their messaging to take this complication into account. However, you can't compensate for stupid. There will doubtless be customers who flip that switch at the wrong time and cause a lot of harm around themselves."
Ves shrugged. "That's their fault, not mine."
"The public might not see it that way." Gavin carefully warned.
"Come on!" Ves threw up his hands! "Mechs are giant war machines capable of killing hundreds of people and demolishing an entire street in a matter of minutes! People, especially those who work with mechs on a daily basis, should know better!"
"It's different this time, boss. The mech community is already familiar with all of the risks and dangers associated with mechs. What you have just done is introducing a new and unfamiliar risk factor. Don't underestimate the amount of people who don't read the documentation and subsequently trip over themselves!"
Ves looked incredulously at his assistant? Were people really that stupid?
He recalled all of the pirates he encountered in the frontier.
"Perhaps you're right."
Chapter 2055 Specialty Premium
The LMC went into overdrive to prepare for the upcoming product reveal. The Doom Guard was a mech that put a new spin on striker mechs.
Though its nature as a double-edged sword was rather troublesome, Ves hoped that his audience would clearly determine that the benefits outweighed the costs.
Due to time constraints, Ves spent most of his time after fabricating the first production model back in the design lab to drag the Hexer mech design project to the finish line.
After spending so much time in the Cinach System, Ves felt a little restless! Staying too long in a single place didn't satisfy his itch for exploration at all. How was he supposed to gain inspiration for new mech designs if he didn't experience new sights?
His MTA merit account also hadn't moved for a while. That was really bad for his ambitions.
Due to the stronger-than-anticipated glow of the Doom Guard, Ves suggested a number of alterations and additions to the upcoming product reveal.
"We have reached out to more outfits and specific individuals. So far, the majority has accepted our invitation." Gavin dutifully reported as he glanced at his data pad. "We have also contacted the authorities of Cinach VI and received permission to hold our expanded demonstration in space. We have to hold it further away from the planet, though."
"That's fine. Are there any costs?"
"Nothing beyond the usual. While we are paying the outfits a nominal fee for their cooperation, they haven't demanded anything else except for the right to buy the first batch of our new product at a slight discount."
"That's a reasonable demand. I don't really care who gets to buy my mech first. As long as they get sold at all, I'm happy." Ves smiled.
These kinds of arrangements aren't unusual. The more successful mercenary commanders like Commander Cinnabar tended to be rather business savvy. Mechs and starships were expensive to procure and maintain. Regular work barely made ends meet for most of them, so the leaders of private outfits often had to find whatever bargains they could uncover.
A rather common business activity was to cooperate with a mech company in order to obtain privileged access to new mechs.
If the new product turned out to be excellent, then the outfit would be eager to make use of it, especially when they paid a bit less for it than the recommended market price!
Of course, there was also the risk that the new product received a lukewarm welcome or outright flopped on the market. The outfit essentially obtained an overpriced and underperforming mech!
This was why outfits always exhibited a lot of care in selecting who they cooperated with. The greater the reputation of the mech company and mech designer, the easier it was for them to find willing participants for their product reveal!
In that, Ves and the LMC possessed an immense advantage! Not only was he backed by the Hexers, his modest mech catalog was already filled with remarkable mech designs!
With the LMC already hyping up their upcoming product as its next big mech model, a lot of mech insiders began to pay attention.
The combination of Ves Larkinson and Gloriana Wodin had already made a name for itself in the mech community!
"By the way, Benny, what is the price the Marketing Department has set for the bronze label Doom Guard?"
"2 million hex credits. In the Sentinel Kingdom, the model will be priced at 22 million sents."
These price levels were roughly equivalent to 70 million pre-inflation bright credits. Of course, this figure was many times bigger if Ves didn't add the word 'pre-inflation'. These days, the currency was pretty much worthless.
The point was that the Doom Guard was priced significantly higher than his older premium mechs such as the Blackbeak and the Crystal Lord. Ves also noted that its price level also exceeded the price tags of comparable striker mech models!
"We're taking quite a risk." He asked with concern.
Gavin smiled. "It makes too much sense to hike the price. Just like your other mechs, their technical performance might not exceed that of the competition, but the unique value that you have added to them is unrivaled! Every mech designer's specialty deserves to receive a premium. Isn't that the custom in the mech market? Yours happens to be rather difficult to price. There are a lot of arguments in favor of hiking it further or tamping it down. Right now, we believe the potential utility of the Doom Guard is worthy of being priced at 2.2 million hex credits, but.."
"It will be an even more difficult sell to the market." Ves concluded.
The greater the premium of his product, the harder it was to justify its purchase. Mech buyers would have to be really sure to spend 2.2 million hex credits on a Doom Guard as opposed to 1.8 million hex credits on a competing model!
This was especially relevant to bulk buyers as the price differences could easily mean that they would obtain more mechs for the same amount of money!
Even so, Ves quickly came around at the price his company had settled upon. He didn't need to read the elaborate market research reports that justified this decision.
"How many states will we sell the Doom Guard at launch?"
"Over twenty, with dozens to follow quickly after." Gavin replied. "It's not easy to begin product immediately. In order to ensure there aren't any leaks, we haven't dared to expose the existence of the Doom Guard outside of our clan. The most we have been able to do was to order our foreign partners and subsidiaries to stock up on materials and prepare a lot of production capacity starting from the date of the product reveal. After that, the production facilities in some states can begin production immediately while the other sites have to wait for administrative or legal reasons."
There wasn't any way to change this. Some states were just more difficult to conduct business than others. There was no point for Ves to get angry about something uncontrollable.
"What are the initial sales projections?"
Gavin grimaced. "It's very difficult to estimate the initial interest in the Doom Guard. While we have conducted studies, personally I wouldn't put much stock in the results. Compared to other striker mechs, our product is too innovative and different. While that is good in our perspective, it remains to be seen whether the rest of the market adopts our viewpoint as well. Marketing will play a vital role in convincing potential customers that our new mech model truly stands above the rest!"
It didn't need to be said that the much-anticipated product reveal event would play the most pivotal role in shaping market perception. The LMC already invited a huge amount of press to attend the Doom Guard's introduction to the public. This time, Ves would be presenting his new mech design to journalists whose reach spanned across the star sector and beyond!
Ves recognized that this would be his best opportunity to take advantage of free publicity. Not only did high-profile announcements draw a lot of attention, but it was also under his control!
Every aspect about the upcoming product reveal event was meticulously planned or controlled. While it wasn't possible to exert complete control over every single variable, Ves was already satisfied with how thorough his staff had accounted for every conceivable possibility.
Even hecklers and party poopers had been taken into consideration!
He grinned. "I hope someone comes to challenge me. It's always more fun this way!"
Sadly, his people predicted that no one in the Sentinel Kingdom would have the guts to heckle him this time. With the Penitent Sisters literally looming over him, many people had the illusion that criticizing him was the same as criticizing the Hexers!
No sane citizen of the Sentinel Kingdom possessed the courage to attack their patron state!
Of course, this didn't count if the heckler was a Hexer or a citizen of another second-rate state. While the Cinach System held little attraction to second-raters, it was still considered a possible transit point to the Nyxian Gap, so it sometimes attracted some powerful figures.
After he concluded his daily briefing with Gavin, he spent some time to follow up on the preparations of the upcoming announcement.
Sometime later, he visited the mech workshop. Gloriana was already there to supervise the work performed by their assistant mech designers.
After fabricating the first production copy, Ves had the bright idea of commanding his assistant mech designers to produce the next copies.
The Apprentices hadn't expected it. They reluctantly began to operate the production machines with only a single example to guide their efforts!
Only Ketis and Miles were exempted from this responsibility. Both of them not only possessed a lot of practical experience, their time was also better spent on designing their own mechs.
"How are the assistants doing?" Ves asked.
"Their fabrication and assembly skills could use a lot of work." Gloriana mildly replied. Her lips quivered as if she tried her best not to show her displeasure! "It doesn't help that they're operating my own personal production equipment. While they are more powerful and more precise than any other machine they have worked with, they can barely maintain control over their processes."
"They will eventually have to learn how to operate this grade of machinery. They'll get better once they get used to the expanded capabilities."
His girlfriend snorted. "They are still apes pounding their fists at buttons in my eyes!"
To Ves, the performance of the assistants wasn't as bad as Gloriana described. Sure, they lost a bit of control every now and then, but at least they didn't outright spark a calamity or something. The amount of rejected parts they produced hadn't exceeded to the level where he needed to show concern.
"The Doom Guard is a fairly easy mech to produce, all considered." Ves noted. "It is large and contains a lot of parts, but most of them are fairly simple in nature. The only piece of equipment that is truly challenging to fabricate is the Enison Spreader. The flamethrower is the most sophisticated aspect of our mech, and it isn't even that bad compared to some of the other components I've added to my mechs."
"The mech may not be hard to produce, but its glow is proving to be a real challenge to work around with! Just look at how much they are quivering!" Gloriana swept her arm at the assistant!
Nothing was wrong when the mech designers were just churning out parts. It was the assembly process that proved to be a challenge.
The more the mech reached completion, the greater its glow! Even in a dormant state, the mech always exuded a sense of intimidation and terror that was very difficult for anyone to endure!
Mech pilots trained to endure stress and the threat of death already exhibited a lot of difficulties with the Doom Guard's glow. Pure civilians such as mech technicians and mech designers fared much worse in comparison!
What was even worse was that the off switch didn't work until the assembly of the mech had already reached an advanced stage!
"I see that the assistants have already found ways to mitigate the damage." Ves noted.
Mech designers were not only creators, but also problem solvers.
When the design teams discovered that the glow became less intense over a distance, they largely switched to operating the machinery from a very healthy distance. The further, the better! They also increased their reliance on bots and automation as a consequence.
On top of that, they also maintained a rotation schedule, ensuring that no one worked on the mechs long enough!
While all of these solutions looked reasonable to Ves, he nonetheless disapproved of some of the practices.
"Every mech deserves to be worked on by humans." He remarked. "I dislike relying too much on automation. You can already tell the glow of this copy is weaker than the one we made with our own hands."
"That's not a bad thing, Ves. I think this level is already adequate for bronze label mechs."
That was true. The glow of the first copy was still a bit too intense for most people! Toning it down even further was not necessarily bad!
Chapter 2056 Persistent Interes
As the date of the upcoming product reveal of the Doom Guard approached, something completely unexpected occurred.
One day, the boisterous Cinach System welcomed another august visitor.
If the arrival of Ves Larkinson and his formidable Hexer escort already sent tongues wagging, this time the new arrival attracted attention from the highest level of the Sentinel Kingdom!
As Ves was in the middle of an intensive mental design session with Gloriana, an external alarm caused the pair to quickly retract their implants from each other!
The quick withdrawal and the abrupt return to normal time caused Ves to suffer a minor headache. He groaned and held his palm against his forehead.
"Meow?"
Lucky, who was huddled against Clixie, looked up at him with a curious expression.
"Something is up." Ves frowned. "I just received an emergency notification from Benny."
Soon enough, his executive assistant barged into his design lab. He looked so alarmed that Ves was convinced that something serious had happened!
"Boss! You won't believe what happened! A ship called the Ubiquitous Force just entered the Cinach System! She's on her way to Cinach VI right now!"
"...What?"
Was there a reason for Ves to take note of the arrival of a random starship? The Cinach System was one of the Sentinel Kingdom's many trade hubs. Hundreds, if not thousands of ships entered and exited the star system every day!
"The Ubiquitous Force is not an ordinary ship! She's an armed MTA frigate!"
"What?!"
The unscheduled arrival of a genuine warship was truly unusual! As far as he was aware of, the MTA didn't maintain any notable military bases at Cinach. The large branch on Cinach VI mostly serviced the local mech industry. It held relatively little defensive value compared to the fortresses the Association erected elsewhere.
Ves didn't bother to ask Gavin any questions. Instead, he connected his implant to the galactic net and rapidly scanned the latest news.
It only took a few seconds for Ves to understand his assistant's alarm.
The Ubiquitous Force was not a regular frigate! She was a vessel that was personally assigned to one of the Master Mech Designers stationed at Centerpoint!
The name of this Master sounded very familiar to Ves. His face instantly darkened.
"What is it, Ves?" His girlfriend asked as she stroked Clixie's back. "Who arrived in this star system?"
"It seems Master Moira Willix of the MTA has decided to visit Cinach VI. Her personal frigate portal jumped over at the best possible speed according to the starship watchers."
What took at least a month for Scarlet Rose to traverse only took a day or two at best!
If Master Willix embarked on a trip to Cinach the regular way, then Ves and his Larkinson Fleet would have been gone by then. He wouldn't have to deal with her thieving presence in that case!
Sadly, not everything went his way.
"Has Master Willix announced the reason for her visit?" Gloriana asked with a hopeful smile.
"No, Miss Gloriana." Gavin meekly responded as if he worked for her instead of Ves! "The people of the MTA have no obligation to explain themselves. What few inquiries the locals have sent to the Ubiquitous Force have gone unanswered. We do know that the MTA branch at downtown Torze has exhibited a lot of activity since yesterday. We can now conclude that the local mechers have been getting ready to receive an august figure."
"Ugh." Ves groaned and palmed his face. "And I'm sure the great master's visit has NOTHING to do with the validation of our latest mech design."
There was no way a revered Master Mech Designer portal jumped straight into the Cinach System to lay her eyes on the mechs designed by the local mech industry. The only reasonable explanation was that she came to take a peek at the work of a mech designer she had already expressed interest beforehand!
What a nightmare!
For a moment, Ves darted his eyes at Lucky. He began to contemplate the feasibility of sending off on an impromptu assassination mission.
"Meow?"
"Yeah, bad idea."
He quickly shelved his impulsive thoughts. Even if Lucky's stealth and phasing abilities turned him into a top-notch assassin, there was no way a higher up of the MTA was that easy to kill!
Ves already knew that senior CFA officers gained access to fancy toys such as personal teleporters, high-grade shields, life-saving augmentations and more.
If that wasn't enough, her bodyguards, whether they came in the form of mechs or accompanied her on foot, were incredibly formidable! Before Lucky could even rake his claws into Willix's flesh, the bodyguards would have already moved into action!
High technology was both miraculous and unfathomable to Ves. The MTA was one of the two most powerful organizations in human space, and utilized the best tech at humanity's disposal. Underestimating the survival abilities of a high official of the Association was a quick way to ruin his life!
"Have we received any message from the MTA, Benny?"
"We are watching our channels around the clock. So far, we have received nothing but routine notifications. The validation process of the Doom Guard design is still ongoing, though the MTA branch has unexpectedly extended it by a couple of days."
Ves' face frowned. "That means our design won't be validated until after its product reveal! I can't introduce a product and provide the assurance that it will go on sale very soon!"
What if the MTA withheld its validation on the design? What if they knocked on his doors in order to requests some modifications? The delays would stall the momentum of his product release!
"Can we postpone our announcement?"
"We can't delay the product reveal, boss." Gavin shook his head. "We have already invited a lot of journalists, outfits and other people. A significant chunk of them have specifically booked passage to our star system. These are professionals who are on a very tight schedule. They'll be departing Cinach the next day!"
In short, Ves would piss off a lot of people who he was desperate to impress. Even if a delay wasn't a big deal for them, they would still attend his product reveal with a worse outlook than before!
"It's not a big problem as long as the MTA validates the Doom Guard design in the end, boss. The brief delay is meaningless since it will take at least a week for the first batch of mechs to be produced and undergo certification. Besides, if Master Willix has truly gone out of her way to travel to Cinach to inspect your latest work, it shouldn't be anything bad, right?"
Both Ves and Gloriana bought this argument. They were supremely confident of their work! They both knew that their striker mech had the potential to upend the entire market for striker mechs!
Certain mechs designed by other competitors might spew hotter flames, possess more capacity, resist more damage or accelerate faster.
Yet none of them fulfilled the area denial role as well as the Doom Guard!
When the shock at the news finally faded, Ves and Gloriana tried their best to resume their work in refining the first iteration of their Hexer mech design.
They didn't get much done for the rest of the day.
Ves didn't mind too much. The project had already reached a fairly advanced stage. The mech was already in a fully functional state and only required a lot of optimization from this point.
He was pretty proud of what he achieved. The unnamed Hexer mech design was not only an adequate knight mech that could provide basic but meaningful defensive support, but also possessed a range of powerful energy transmission capabilities!
The latter demanded most of his time. Even with Gloriana's expertise, it had been exceptionally troublesome to fit all of the functionality in a single mech frame!
He spent way more time than necessary on the energy siphoning mechanisms alone. He continually strengthened the extra appendages in order to ensure they were sharp and strong enough to breach through various kinds of mech armor. He even consulted Ketis, though at her current level she was of little help to a project of this magnitude.
The inordinate amount of time that Ves spent on sharpening the breaching components attracted Gloriana's attention time and time again.
"Aren't you overdoing it, Ves? It's as if you are trying to make it sharp enough to pierce through the chest armor of a mech!"
He chuckled in response. "I'm not aiming that high. I'm just afraid that it won't be able to pierce through the weak points of a mech. While every machine exhibits vulnerabilities, it still takes a certain amount of force to exploit them. The extra appendages are already fairly weak by themselves, so I have to make sure they won't fail during a critical moment on the battlefield! Many lives are at stake!"
What he conveniently left out of his explanation was that the extra apppendages weren't limited to breaching downed machines. They could also be used to penetrate through the armor of active mech as long as it exposed its weak points!
While Ves did not expect that boys would make use of it in ordinary circumstances due to the indoctrination the women imposed on them, in desperate situations it could make all the difference!
A day after Master Moira Willix's unexpected arrival at Cinach, Ves and Gloriana were just about to start another design session. Before they could do so, their comms chimed at the same time.
They finally received an official notice from the MTA.
"Great news, Ves!" She spoke with a widening grin. "Master Willix has personally summoned us to the MTA branch at Torze! She's definitely impressed with our latest mech design, I'm sure of it! This is our chance to learn from her again!"
Ves did not share Gloriana's enthusiasm. Instead, fear and suspicion clouded his mind. Unlike her, Ves didn't value Master Willix's teaching that much. He was already doing fine by himself!
While the guidance of a Master was of inestimate value to any lesser mech designer, Ves would rather push it away if he had to expose his core secrets!
He coughed. "Our current design project still requires our attention. Gloriana, why don't you go ahead and meet this appointment while I go and complete the first iteration of our remaining mech design?"
His girlfriend froze and turned around. "You dare to reject an invitation from a Master? YOU DARE?! In addition, it's one thing to ignore the entreaties of a Master from the Friday Coalition, it's another thing to ignore a Master who belongs to the MTA! Master Willix is one of the greatest mech designers that I have the privilege of meeting and I am not about to let you ruin this reunition! Our Hexer mech design can wait! Besides, the official notice mentioned you specifically by name, so you can't skip it even if you are sick!"
"Goddammit."
Ves and his gleeful girlfriend quickly boarded a shuttle that flew them to their destination.
As the surface of Cinach VI swept underneath the vehicle, Ves began to build up his mental and spiritual defenses. When he finally met Master Willix again, he wanted to give away as little clues as possible!
He would be damned if Master Willix succeeded in imitating his design philosophy!
During the flight, he missed the company of their cats. The official notice didn't mention them and Ves thought it was best for their pets to stay as far away from a Master as possible.
They didn't even bring that many bodyguards, because the MTA would be taking care of all the security arrangements at the premises. Not even Nitaa was allowed to go any further than the shuttle once they landed at the site!
"You don't have to be so nervous, Ves." His girlfriend offered a reassuring smile at him. She completely misunderstood his concerns! "Master Willix probably didn't come to invalidate our mech design. While our Doom Guard contains a few alarming elements, I'm sure we'll be able to account for ourselves to the great master!"
"That's the least of my worries…"
Chapter 2057 Honored Summons
The MTA branch took up an entire city district in the capital city of Cinach VI. Stretching on for several kilometers in each direction, it was a piece of territory that was completely outside of the control of House Evenson!
No one objected to this arrangement. While the MTA took over a lot of valuable land, the presence of its branch massively enriched the surrounding territories!
Not only did the branch provide a lot of safety, but it also offered a lot of valuable services to the local mech designers and mech companies.
Transport vessels arrived and departed from its expansive landing zone every day. The vigorous mech industry of Cinach VI sent all of their mechs and mech design to this branch in order to receive the MTA's stamp of approval.
Despite the huge crush of mechs passing through the branch, the MTA employed enough advanced technology and experts to keep up with the workload.
Ves admired the productivity on display. If Ves or anyone else in the star sector attempted to test and inspect so many mechs, they would quickly be drowned by the growing backlog!
"It makes sense for the MTA to be good at this kind of work." Gloriana commented. "At the heart of it, it still holds true to its name. As a trade association for mechs, how could the MTA focus all of its resources on mechs and warships? Unlike the CFA, the MTA actually bothers to participate in society!"
"We're almost there. Let's compose ourselves and make sure we present ourselves at our best."
Since Master Willix's summons couldn't be ignored, Ves might as well try his best to make a good impression.
Both of them decided to wear their new clan outfits instead of something fancier. They both wore their red-and-white Larkinson Clan uniforms. Though Ves had prudently left the Larkinson Mandate behind, the emblem of the Golden Cat still marked their backs, giving him a bit of reassurance.
His uniform was devoid of any frills such as medals or ribbons. Ves purposefully wanted to come across as modest, diligent and dutiful. He wanted to convince Master Willix that he was a man who was burdened with responsibilities!
As for Gloriana, she wore her slimmer uniform because she wanted to use this opportunity as an impromptu publicity stunt. Significant portions of the MTA branch was accessible to the public, and she was sure there would be lots of people around to record their appearances.
What better way to build up the prestige and legitimacy of the Larkinson Clan than to wear its uniform to an upcoming meeting with a great Master?
The fact that this was not their first, but second meeting with Master Willix should be all the more significant to the public! The amount of attention that others directed towards Cinach VI must have reached an explosive height!
The pair of Journeymen weren't the only people in the clan who recognize the golden opportunities that Master Willix presented!
Gavin also rode on the shuttle. Half of the time, his attention was spent on communicating with the headquarters of the LMC. A lot of new developments took place ever since the Ubiquitous Force arrived at Cinach, and the mech industry already suspected that Ves and Gloriana were involved!
"Our company has been flooded with requests to attend our upcoming product reveal! We can't figure out how to respond to them. What are your instructions?"
"Trillion Hall can fit more people, right?"
"Yes, though we'll have to talk to its operators."
"I'm sure that they will acquiesce to our expanded demands. As for who to accept, make sure to pull in as many bigshots as possible. Those with money and those with power are the primary buyers of my products!"
"If I may suggest, we should also invite some influencers. While they aren't our target audience, there are still plenty of people who can spread the word about our Doom Guard!"
"Do that. I'll leave it up to you guys to decide who to invite. Make sure that they meet all of the requirements. Don't let in anyone who is too young, too old, too unhealthy or mentally unstable. No pets or animals either!"
Ves didn't want to risk anyone in his audience dropping dead due to a heart attack or something! Even if Ves had already specifically ordered extra medical services to be on standby at Trillion Hall, he didn't want to take the risk at all!
As Gavin buzzed like a busy bee, Ves mused that Master Willix's unanticipated visit wasn't entirely detrimental.
Her involvement in the Doom Guard design would likely drive up its interest to a stratospheric height! Though Master Mech Designers would never do something as crass as endorsing an individual mech design, it was already obvious she expressed a lot of interest in his upcoming product.
If the people of the mech community weren't stupid, they would definitely conclude that the LMC had developed something exceptional! Anything that gained the illusion of attracting interest from the MTA would definitely be a product to watch!
Ves didn't need to ask Gavin how much free publicity they stood to gain from these developments. Master Willix possessed a very great reputation in the industry, and by visiting Cinach VI in order to inspect his latest work, she was in effect rubbing some of her considerable fame off to the pair of Journeymen!
To the LMC, this was a dream come true! Though his mech company wasn't bold enough to use Master Willix as a marketing prop, there were plenty of ways to build up hype without breaking any boundaries!
As the shuttle finally neared the MTA branch, the escorting mechs of the Avatars and Glory Battalion slowly halted. They weren't allowed to proceed any further.
The shuttle arrived at the designated landing zone by itself. When Ves and Gloriana stepped out, they left everyone else inside.
Ves knew that even before they reached this site, they were already under intense observation. He had made sure to put on a mask and exert as much control over his body as possible!
The two stepped forward and followed the projected directions entering their view.
As the two slowly walked to another section of the base, they walked past plenty of people. Most of them wore various work uniforms. Ves and Gloriana didn't stand out too much from them despite their different origins.
There were also plenty of visitors who wore all kinds of fashion. The Sentinel Kingdom's predominant fashion was highly segregated by rank and class, so it was easy for Ves to figure out the origins of these people.
At least some of them paid a lot of scrutiny to the pair. They didn't even hide their attempts to record footage of them with their comms and dedicated recording devices.
"Smile for the recorders." Gloriana linked her arm with his. "All of the industry publications will see us like this! I hope Master Willix meets us at one of the public areas of this base. We'll definitely show up in the general news portals if we are seen in the presence of a great master!"
The public wouldn't pay so much attention if Ves and Gloriana were visiting a regular Master. People like Master Olson and Master Huron may be great figures, but they only made up the upper echelon of a second-rate state.
In contrast, Master Willix was a truly influential individual on the galactic scale! She could change the course of history of several star clusters with the power and knowledge she had at her disposal!
And right now, two young Journeymen were about to meet her once again!
They slowly entered the entrance of an enclosed section of the base. Once they passed through the mandatory security checks, they finally encountered the powerful woman right inside!
The Master maintained a polite expression on her face. Ves was aware that she was a rational mech designer, but one that made sure to exhibit at least some emotion to abide by social norms.
How much of her smile was authentic and how much of it was simulated, Ves didn't know. He would be a fool to let her disarm his suspicions just because she came across as polite!
This was an individual who not only specialized in gravity systems, but also mastered an untold amount of other design philosophies!
And now, she apparently set her sights on his secrets.
Both Ves and Gloriana bowed. "We are honored to enter your presence, Master Willix."
The older woman's smile grew wider. "The two of you are pretty remarkable. While our MTA possesses plenty of Journeymen who are more talented than you, none of them can arouse my interest quite like your combination!"
Gloriana immediately transformed into an eager puppy who yearned for her owner's approval. "We have taken your lessons to heart and applied our new insights on our latest work! Our Doom Guard design wouldn't have been so good without your helpful advice!"
"Oh, don't discount your own contributions. It is your effort and dedication towards our profession that has enabled you to design such a remarkable mech. I have taught plenty of bright mech designers who are smarter than you, but their works aren't nearly as inspiring!"
As Gloriana gladly babbled with Master Willix, Ves tried his best to maintain a bland smile and blend into the background as much as possible.
Just like last time, Ves wanted to interact with the great Master as little as possible. The more he spoke, the more he gave away!
Sadly, his plan completely failed. Master Willix wasn't the kind of person who exhibited too much favoritism. As soon as her piercing eyes turned to Ves, his entire body seemed to be pinned into place.
"Ves Larkinson. You are quite a surprise. I was already intrigued with what I have observed from the Quint and your other works, but your latest mech design is very different in several ways. Did you know that your sample mech has alarmed the mech evaluators of our base? They have never encountered a mech like it before!"
That meant the MTA branch probably contacted headquarters for help. As soon as Master Willix caught wind of it, she probably volunteered to inspect the Doom Guard design in person!
Ves tried his best not to show any irritation. Did this Master set an alarm or something that notified her whenever he or his girlfriend did something notable?!
How would he ever get rid of her if that was true!? Perhaps his only chance of shaking her off would be to flee to the Red Ocean!
With the Master's attention squarely focused on himself, Ves had to offer a response.
It was time to put on his crazy hat yet again!
"I am honored to receive your acknowledgement. Our Doom Guard design incorporates an innovative new application of my design. Through divine inspiration, I have conceived of a new method of soliciting multiple proto-gods at the same time! The principal reason why our latest mech possesses such a disconcerting presence is because I have managed to transform it into a battlefield where two rivalling proto-gods are locked into an eternal struggle!"
Before Ves could disgorge more nonsense from his mouth, Master Willix calmly raised a palm.
"While I am very interested in the mechanics behind your unique design, let us discuss this further at the testing facility. The Doom Guard you have developed is far too interesting to explore it at a distance."
With that, she gestured for them to proceed forward. They walked for a time until they reached a large, indoor hall that contained a very lab-like atmosphere.
It wasn't long before Ves felt the familiar pressure impacting on his mind. His mech gradually came into view.
Outside of his expectation, his mech attracted quite a lot of mechers!
Off-duty mech pilots, scores of mech technicians and a host of researchers who had probably been brought by Master Willix all surrounded the Doom Guard at varying distances!
Despite the mech's active glow, a considerable amount of people withstood the glow without any sign of fear or discomfort!
Naturally, Master Willix was also among them. She steadily strode forward as if the mech's fearsome glow was nothing more than a gentle breeze!
This magnitude of spiritual pressure was nothing to a Master Mech Designer!
Chapter 2058 Inheriting the Mantle
The MTA branch on Cinach VI might not be as impressive as Centerpoint, but it was filled with advanced technology.
Wherever Ves turned his corner, he spotted advanced devices that might easy be worth as much as a factory ship!
Of course, there was no way Ves would ever think about grabbing them and smuggling them away. The security arrangements inside the base must be incredibly ridiculous as well, so much so that he was sure that his speech, body language, mannerisms and other aspects about him were under constant scrutiny!
Fortunately for a habitual liar like him, he possessed a trump card that hopefully fooled all of those AIs analyzing all of his micro-expressions.
The 'crazy hat' that Ves put on his head was so convincing that it changed his behavior down to the root! Whether it was his facial tics, his posture, the emotion in his voice or his argumentation, he truly did appear to believe in the utter nonsense he spewed whenever prompted!
"So let me reiterate your theory." Master Moira Willix gazed up at the Doom Guard mech that rested just a couple of steps away. "You have somehow managed to beseech two 'proto-gods' to enter your mech design and thereby provoke a 'divine' struggle for supremacy?"
Despite her extremely close proximity to the mech, she showed no hint of discomfort at all! While Ves and Gloriana both experienced a wave of terror that cut straight to bone, the Master Mech Designer acted as if a gentle breeze caressed her skin!
What was even worse in Ves' opinion was that Master Willix wasn't the only one who showed immunity to the Doom Guard's composite terror glow. At least a dozen other mechers floated around the mech without showing any signs of growing crazy!
This was impossible! While Ves could accept that a Master Mech Designer possessed the sheer spiritual strength to withstand all of that pressure, what about those other people? Were they Masters as well? No way! Their uniforms and behavior suggested that they were all subordinate to Master Willix!
Was it because they were rational mech designers? Perhaps. Ves didn't dare to concentrate his mind and perform any spiritual manipulation in front of Willix, but it might be that the people crawling all over the Doom Guard might have drained all of their passion!
Rational mech designers were extremely good at ignoring their emotions. This might also include emotions induced by external factors!
Of course, an alternate and more simpler answer would be that these elite specimens of humanity had trained their mental resilience attributes to ridiculous levels. They faced much worse horrors and learned to deal with them! A mere Doom Guard might be child's play in their eyes!
Whatever the case, Ves was deeply uncomfortable at how the MTA took so much interest in his mech designs.
Sure, they contained something intrinsic that probably no other mech designer in the galaxy managed to accomplish, but was it interesting enough to attract the repeated attention of a vaunted Master?
Ves felt persecuted by the MTA! Why couldn't this powerful organization that was tasked with defending the entire human race spend its time on huge, galaxy-wide affairs? Why must a powerful Master whose time was literally worth more than the net worth of the Larkinson Clan travel all the way to Cinach VI to inspect a single Doom Guard?
Had he become Moira Willix's latest toy? Was this a Master Mech Designer's form of twisted entertainment?
He hated every second of this situation!
Of course, he buried his seething emotions deep in his mind. Outwardly, he looked as pleasant and honored as ever to be in the presence of a revered Master.
"What you have just described is not a theory. It is the truth!" He raised his hands in imitation of all of those True Believers that had recently joined his clan! "The proto-gods that I have created or enticed for my mech designs are all powerful in their own way! However, even mortals can harness the gods! Within my Doom Guard design, I have enticed a great predator and an unknown enigma to enter, only for them to subsequently get locked in a struggle for supremacy! A mountain can never contain two tigers!"
The Master looked intrigued.
"That sounds very precarious, Mr. Larkinson. How is it possible that you have managed to fool these unfathomable beings whose powers are reportedly beyond mortal ken?"
Ves grinned with absolute confidence! "Because I only abuse the weakest gods! Do you think I'm crazy enough to challenge the greater gods? Hell no! While my ambition is to turn my mechs into gods, I am far from reaching this point. I can only take a step back and create flawed imitations through earnest prayer and sacrifice, or I lure existing divinities to my mech designs. Regardless of their origins, these beings are hardly invincible, hence why my partner and I refer to them as proto-gods."
His girlfriend helpfully concurred with his explanation. "Ves is always in control. Every mech we design, we become more proficient at harnessing the power of proto-gods. It won't be long before we are able to play in the big leagues and turn our mechs into true gods! At that point, our mechs will finally ascend and be capable of challenging the greatest battleships of the CFA!"
What the hell!? Ves tried his best not to sputter! It was one thing to claim that they were trying to create 'living gods', but to claim that their work would be able to surpass the strongest weapon platforms of humanity was entirely different!
Fortunately, Gloriana uttered her claims inside an MTA base instead of a CFA base!
Master Willix and some of the people around them chuckled in a good-natured manner.
"Designing mechs that are capable of making battleships obsolete is the common mission of every mech designer." She spoke in an encouraging manner. "I envy your optimism. The courage and ambition you youngsters possess makes me hopeful for the future of our profession. I look forward to seeing how far you can take your unconventional ideas."
They continued to discuss the mech while various people scoured the Doom Guard from top to bottom. Ves recognized that they performed very thorough scans, for what purpose he didn't know.
At the very least, material scanners wouldn't pick up anything special about their mech. Leaving aside the spiritual shenanigans, the Doom Guard was a relatively clean and simple striker mech. It was practically a toy compared to a modern first-class multipurpose mech!
However, from the way the mechers performed their inspection with utmost seriousness, it didn't seem they were looking down on the mech. That seemed strange to Ves. Where was the elite condescension that superior humans held towards inferior creations?
Soon enough, they proceeded with conducting some advanced tests. Just like the trials conducted by the Rim Guardians, the facility they were in was capable of generating a physical projection setting that simulated reality to a very accurate degree!
The testing site even negated gravity entirely while sucking out all of the air in order to simulate a space environment!
Paired with an MTA mech pilot who appeared to be minimally-affected by the glow, the Doom Guard mech performed quite well.
Gloriana frequently narrated the mech's technical performance aspects while the mech demonstrated its mobility and firepower in a simulated obstacle course.
Nothing about the technical performance of the mech was impressive. Nonetheless, the relatively high degree of optimization and lack of flaws still earned Willix's appreciation.
"I can tell that you have made good use of the gains you have made to refine your work." Master Willix complimented Gloriana. "I can sense the total dedication of your design philosophy in this mech. The pursuit of perfection is one of the most difficult paths to pursue, but nothing is impossible. You will need to do your best to hold on your conviction no matter how difficult it is for you to progress. I know many colleagues who developed similar ambitions, but faced too many obstacles along the way."
"What happened to them, Master?"
"They either adapted or died." Willix bluntly answered, emphasizing the great difficulties they faced. "The weaker ones compromised their design philosophies, making them less absolute and contingent on surpassing insurmountable barriers. Once they made this adjustment, a portion of them have managed to advance to Master and enjoy long and successful careers."
Gloriana frowned. "In exchange, they gave up on their original dream. They turned their back on their mission!"
"There are plenty of mech designers who held the same stance as you. They showed true sincerity and dedication in their work. Sadly, I don't believe that any of them has managed to realize their design philosophies and advance to Master. They all died sooner than the colleagues they consider cowards."
In other words, as long as Gloriana kept advancing, she would eventually bump into a bottleneck and face the same dilemma!
If gaining power and living a few centuries longer mattered more to her, then she could always 'sell out' and hollow out her design philosophy with some effort.
However, if her goal and ambition as a mech designer was more important than everything else, then she should never doubt herself and keep trying to accomplish the impossible!
No matter how many setbacks she suffered, she had to keep struggling even if there was no end in sight!
Though Gloriana understood her chances, she still believed that she would be able to succeed where others failed!
She proudly raised her chin. "Everyone around me advised me to pursue a different specialty, but I was never raised to accept defeat! My mother wanted me to become perfect in as many ways as possible, and I did my best to meet her expectations! When I became a mech designer, I harbored the intention to do the same as my mother, but apply her mission to my work! Designing the perfect vessel for any mech pilot is my way of honoring my mother's love and legacy!"
The pure passion and emotion radiating from her voice and body left no doubt to the truth of her statement. Even Ves looked surprised as he never really heard her explain her exact motivation for pursuing such a difficult path!
"We humans are shaped by our parents and predecessors." Master Willix reflected. "Each generation passes on their accumulations to the next generation. That has been the rule for humanity and many other alien races. In fact, I can even state that out of all of the races of the galaxy, we humans have become the most successful of them all because of how much we emphasize the passing of knowledge and wisdom to our children."
Ves looked confused. "How so?"
"Humans aren't the most remarkable race in the galaxy, at least in the earlier ages. Before the advent of widespread genetic modification, before the development of safe and highly capable implants, most of us had to settle with our baseline capabilities. How could our meager strength and intelligence ever match against the Seven Apex Races?"
"We cheated. We swindled. We betrayed."
"That is what the history books will tell you, Mr. Larkinson, but the truth.. is not so simple." Willix shook her head. "Regardless of the details, there is one trait that has allowed humans like us to become the dominant race in the galaxy while the Seven Apex Races have either gone extinct or been driven out of their former empires."
"And that is..?"
The Master smiled wider. "Our willingness to teach. It takes a certain amount of altruism to stop hoarding knowledge. We humans may be selfish most of the time, but we also hold the capacity to see beyond our individual needs and do what is right for the entire group. Innovation was and still is one of the keys to our ascension to power. The problem is that a single human can exhibit only so much ingenuity. If we truly wish to prosper, then we must be willing to pass on our knowledge to those who can inherit our mantle in the future."
Ves supposed that Master Willix's parable must be conveying some profound life lesson. It was too bad he couldn't figure out the underlying message!
Chapter 2059 MTA Advisory
The examinations only lasted half a day.
Unlike the instance where Master Willix and her subordinates inspected the Quint for an entire week, the Doom Guard evidently didn't present as much value.
The only noteworthy aspect about the mech was its spiritual properties. The Doom Guard design was the first time Ves employed spiritual counterbalancing to impart a discordant, dynamic glow.
How much the MTA picked up and what they exactly saw in his mech design, he had no idea. Deep within his mind, he constantly prayed that Master Willix and her subordinates uncovered as little as possible!
Sadly, Master Willix didn't share the gains. She didn't spend much time inspecting the mech in person either. After inspecting it up close for thirty minutes, she eventually withdrew and began to spend the rest of her time chatting with Ves and Gloriana!
Sometimes, she queried their theories, some of which hit very close to their core secrets. At other times, she adopted the role of a mentor and taught them all sorts of lessons.
She didn't bring up any specific subjects related to mech design. Instead, she mostly spent her time on discussing the more philosophical aspects of mech design. It was as if she was preparing the two young Journeymen for something greater in the future!
"Innovation is one of the greatest strengths of our race." She noted. "However, don't underestimate the ingenuity of competing races. The more we push them, the greater their desperation. The greater their desperation, the harder they work towards a solution. Once, we were the underdogs and the Seven Apex Races ruled the galaxy. Now, humanity has become the dominant power in the Milky Way while the Seven Apex Races have become the underdogs. Doesn't that sound familiar to you in any way?"
"Are the aliens making a comeback?" Gloriana looked concerned.
As a child of the Age of Mechs, she had always grown up with the belief that human civilization was the strongest power of the galaxy! It successfully vanquished over older, more sophisticated alien empires through a combination of trickery, innovation and daring!
It was very hard to imagine humanity losing their edge while the aliens were patiently sharpening their blades in the shadows.
"We are not as complacent as the old alien rulers, Miss Wodin. Though we have struck an armistice with the remaining alien empires of the Milky Way, we are under no illusion that we have returned to peace. Some day, the golden age we enjoy will come at an end. Perhaps I will be able to live long enough to contribute my abilities towards this galactic conflict, but if that is not the case, I hope that younger mech designers such as you will be able to inherit the mantle of my generation and fight on our behalf."
Ves blinked. "Um, okay."
In truth, he wanted to ask why the Big Two didn't go on the offensive and resume the conquest of the Milky Way. While he understood that the infighting of the latter half of the Age of Conquest turned humanity's attention inward, the insanity of that period already ended centuries ago!
In this day and age, humanity not only recovered from the ravages of this dark period, but also grew considerably stronger! If Ves was in charge of human civilization, he would have commanded everyone to invade the territories that remained out of its grasp!
Instead, the Big Two seemingly ignored their hostile neighbors and initiated an expensive extragalactic invasion. Even if the Red Ocean Dwarf Galaxy contained a lot of phasewater, couldn't the Big Two clean up their backyard first? Humanity risked diluting its strength at this rate!
As much as he wanted to pick Master Willix's head, he prudently refrained from voicing his doubts. There was no reason for a small, local Journeyman like him to involve himself in galactic affairs. The galactic mech councilors of the MTA and the grand admirals of the CFA probably knew exactly what they were doing!
At least Ves hoped so.
Fortunately, Master Willix didn't always talk about abstract matters all the time. She also turned to more specific topics.
"Your choice of venturing to the Sentinel Kingdom is an interesting decision." She stated. "Are you aiming to perform a mission in the Nyxian Gap to earn merits, perhaps?"
"Yup." Gloriana eagerly nodded. "We need to earn lots of merits very quickly in order to earn passage to the Red Ocean!"
"This option is under consideration." Ves responded more modestly.
The older mech designer regarded them with a stern expression. "The Nyxian Gap is a very dangerous region that has even managed to confound our researchers. There are ancient secrets hidden there, many of which are of no concern to people at your level. Even if you stumble upon something, there is a substantial chance that you will immediately meet your end shortly afterwards. We have sent our own expeditions in the Nyxian Gap before, with some of them never coming back. No matter how strong you think you are, there are always greater threats that can swallow you up if you are unlucky."
Both Ves and Gloriana gulped. If what she said was true, then even the MTA suffered substantial losses in the Nyxian Gap! How could the two of them do any better?
"That said, the Nyxian Gap is also a valuable region and a source of considerable wealth. There is a reason why we take great interest in it. While I don't advise you to accept any missions that take place in the Gap, if you do, I commend your courage for doing so. For people like you who are expected to blaze a trail with your design philosophies, it is not enough to follow an ordinary trajectory. The more impossible your ambition sounds, the more you need to step out of your comfort zone and find answers elsewhere. Anything that is outside of the established norm is a potential source for inspiration."
Ves wasn't sure whether Master Willix was trying to encourage or discourage them to explore the Nyxian Gap. While it sounded as if she was in favor, she didn't mince any words about the danger either!
"Do you have any advice for us if we choose to accept such a mission?" He asked.
"Hmm.." Master Willix fell into thought. "No matter how greedy you are for merits, don't accept any of the missions that send you deeper into the Nyxian Gap. Absolutely do not venture to the center, for only death awaits those who barge into this pool of madness! Stick to the periphery where most of the Nyxians and Peacekeepers struggle for dominance. You'll only face human threats in these parts, and that is something that your mechs can confidently defeat!"
Though Ves disliked her immensely, that didn't mean he automatically discounted all of her advice. He took her warning very seriously and vowed not to go too deep into the Nyxian Gap.
It took too much time to get in and out anyway. Ves didn't have the time to muck about in the depths of the Gap for so many years.
"Can you tell us anything more specific?"
The Master shook her head. "Don't push your luck. I am bound from telling you anything confidential, and I'm sorry to say that most of what we know about the Nyxian Gap must stay within our halls."
"I see."
"Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. As long as you remain in the periphery, there is no need to know that much."
Time passed. As Ves gained a lot of relevant and less relevant information, the visit finally came to an end. As Ves and Gloriana were about to return to their shuttle, they received one more notice.
"I have thoroughly studied your Doom Guard and deem it sufficient for public sale, with caveats." Master Willix announced. "Unfortunately, I can't validate your mech design right away. The proper steps still need to be followed. The evaluators of this base will likely concur with my recommendation."
"What are the caveats you've mentioned?"
" Your mech will be allowed to go on sale, but your mech company and any vendor must mention the potential dangers and risks of using this mech to your customers. In addition, we will also publish an advisory that strongly discourages the use of this mech to terrorize the local populace on a massive scale. Your Doom Guard is designed to fight against other mechs, and it should stay that way."
Ves looked dismayed. While these conditions sounded reasonable, it was very hard for him to prevent abuse! He didn't control his mechs once they got sold!
"How can we possibly enforce this rule?"
"There are already existing rules concerning the use of mechs against unarmed civilians. That is why we are simply reminding everyone not to pretend as if they don't apply anymore. We will be watching the conduct of your customers very closely."
Great. No one wants to be stared at by the LMC all the time, least of all Ves!
"Is there anything else, Master?"
"I will be staying in Cinach VI for a few more days in order to attend your upcoming product reveal. My assistant will be in touch in order to reserve a place for myself. Mind you, I will only be attending as a member of the audience."
Both Ves and Gloriana looked shocked at her declaration! For someone like Master Willix to attend their product reveal was a shocking turn of events!
Neither of them were ready to hold a presentation in front of such an august figure!
Gloriana recovered the fastest. She broke out into a brilliant smile. "We would be honored to present our latest work in your presence! You are welcome to attend our product reveal!"
Ves wanted to cough. "I'm afraid that our announcement won't present anything you haven't already seen today. We are just holding a simple marketing event aimed towards the masses. I'm sure you have witnessed much better at the MTA."
"While you are correct, that is no reason for me to look down on your means. I am not attending your announcement in order to judge you, so don't be afraid to run your show."
With that, they bid goodbye and separated from each other.
Ves tried his best not to shake as he briskly walked back to the shuttle. He would have sprinted to the vehicle if it wouldn't attract so much attention!
Once they reached the shuttle, Ves waited until the vehicle lifted off and flew all the way back to the base occupied by the Larkinson to vent his frustrations!
"GODDAMMIT!"
His girlfriend threw a curious look at him. "What's wrong, Ves?"
"Master Willix is going to attend our product reveal! Why can't she portal jump back to Centerpoint and return to her research straight away?!"
"I think she's interested in our work."
"That's no reason for her to linger around so long!"
Gloriana smiled and crossed her arms. "Not necessarily, but I think there's more to her actions than you realize, Ves. How do you think the public has reacted to her arrival in this star system? How do you think everyone will respond once they learn that Master Willix will attend our upcoming product reveal?"
It didn't take long to connect the dots now that Gloriana pointed him in the right direction.
His eyes widened. "Our work will attract a lot more attention from the public! Our reputation will probably receive a substantial boost!"
"I think this is Master Willix's way of bestowing a favor to us." Gloriana guessed. "The MTA prohibits its members from interfering with local affairs or providing assistance to specific individuals without cause. I think she likes us or finds our work promising, though, and wants to give us a hand. This is one of the ways she can help her out without blatantly breaking her own rules! At most, she is merely bending them a little!"
Ves was very familiar with bending rules. He could easily see Gloriana's point.
While Master Willix might have good intentions in mind, she was always a thieving wretch to him! He didn't want to receive her favor at all!
If she attended his presentation, then Ves wouldn't be able to employ his spiritual manipulation to drug his audience!
Chapter 2060 New Initiative
The news about a 'special guest' attending the LMC's upcoming product reveal soon went public.
Ves passed on what he knew to Gavin while Gloriana probably blabbed about attracting a Master to attend their product reveal to her own circle.
Naturally, the LMC went into another frenzy. They had to make sure that the venue properly accommodated a high dignitary from the MTA. Not only that, the company also had to make sure the agenda didn't contain any elements that the MTA would disapprove of! It would be fatal for the sales prospects of the Doom Guard if the Master was forced to rebuke the mech design during the event!
During these hasty preparations, the Marketing Department cleverly made some noise and published a statement informing the attendants of the product reveal about some 'unanticipated changes'.
The statement contained plenty of innocuous sentences that only vaguely hinted that someone from a powerful organization might possibly attend as an observer.
All of the journalists who watched the LMC like a hawk immediately connected the dots. It wasn't long before they all published the explosive news!
The entire mech community of the Sentinel Kingdom and beyond reacted with surprise! Interest in the LMC's latest mech design practically doubled! By now, everyone wanted to know what the fuss was all about. What mech design was so great to attract the attention of one of the leaders of her profession?
The publicity surrounding Ves, Gloriana, the LMC and their as-of-yet-unannounced mech design skyrocketed all the way up to space! It had gained a life of its own as hundreds of unfounded rumors fueled the hype until it burned as hot as the sun!
Ves reacted with a lot of concern about the crush of attention that he and his work received. The interest from the public wasn't constrained to the star sector anymore. Interested parties from the rest of the star cluster all the way up to Winged Serenade were all shifting their views to a single mech designed by a couple of Journeymen!
This statement sounded ridiculous if it concerned anyone else, but Ves and Gloriana earned enough fame with their previous accomplishment to earn some credibility to the greater mech community.
At the very least, the mech industry did not believe that Master Willix was fooling around!
"Great news, boss! We have already made some very huge gains!" Gavin announced. "A lot of bureaucratic obstacles that have prevented us from beginning the production and sale of our Doom Guard model in a lot of foreign states have suddenly been overcome! The various state authorities think that since a Master is indirectly vouching for our product, they don't want to appear as if they oppose her judgement!"
Ves groaned as he hugged Lucky to his chest. "That's not my intention!"
"Meow."
"It's not so simple, Lucky! Just because we can sell more mechs doesn't mean I can buy more expensive exotics to fill your stomach! I have lots of other expenses to cover before I can upgrade your diet."
"Meow!"
Lucky resentfully phased out of his arms and floated out of his reach.
"Why are you not as enthused?" Gavin asked with a perplexed expression. "The support of a highly reputable authority is one of the greatest boons we could have asked for! Just the suggestion that our Doom Guard has gained a Master's approval is ten times more effective than the most expensive marketing campaign that we could mount!"
"You're not wrong, Benny. However, have you ever wondered whether too much is not a good thing? The expectation of my new striker mech is probably sky-high! Despite its unique properties, it is just a third-class premium striker mech! Not every spaceborn outfit has room for such a mech! Our Doom Guard is only useful in defensive scenarios where the mech isn't expected to fly around a lot! The lethality of its primary armament is highly dependent on the quality of its propellant, which can ramp up very quickly!"
Gavin shook his head. "I would take that in a heartbeat. Overhyping our product and building up too many expectations is dangerous, I admit. Normally, it's best to be a little modest and stick closer to the truth, only to delight our customers with some pleasant surprises later on, but we have gone past this point. Right now, it's best to ride the starship to her destination even if she has gone out of control! Wherever we crash at the end, at least we made it farther than if we boarded a safer vessel!"
What a lovely analogy. Ves glared at his attention. "This is going to mar our brand! Don't you realize how much effort I put into developing a reputation for excellence? Once we crash, it is a lot harder to earn back trust!"
"Your mech design isn't that bad, right? I think you should be more confident in your own product. Sure, a lot of people have begun to make increasingly wilder guesses about our upcoming mech design, but they won't react as bad as you fear when you finally pop their bubbles. As long as our Doom Guard is still a great product, they can easily be convinced to appreciate its value! We just have to do our best to sell the mech design in the upcoming product reveal."
In the end, it all came down to the presentation. Ves had to make sure to do his best to turn his scary mech into a desirable addition to his target audience's mech roster!
The problem to him was that the stakes were raised to such a height that even a risk-taking bastard like Ves wanted to withdraw!
Sadly, he didn't have a choice this time!
He sighed. "I guess I'll manage. I better spend the rest of my time practicing my speech."
"That's a good idea."
As Ves despairingly prepared for his presentation as if he was about to attend his own execution, elsewhere in the base, a bunch of mech pilots gathered together.
A handful of them wore the yellow-and-white uniforms of the Avatars. Others wore the less flamboyant grey-and-white uniforms of the Sentinels. There were even some who wore the new brown-and-white uniforms of the Battle Criers and the mostly black uniforms of the Black Cats!
They had all gathered around the most notable new additions to the Larkinson Clan. Initially, they were attracted to the eye-catchingly large mech that stood dormant in the open!
"Is this the Adonis Colossus?" Imon Ingvar raised his eyebrow as he experienced the very masculine glow of the custom mech. "What was the clan patriarch thinking when he designed this mech? Was he trying to impress his Hexer girlfriend or something?"
His sister chuckled. "I would argue that he may have been rebelling against her instead. Hexers probably aren't used to mechs that are proudly male like this one. Just look at the size and thickness of that 'belt'! Doesn't it look like the mech is hiding something dangerous?"
While an increasingly larger crowd of off-duty Larkinsons gathered around one of the clan patriarch's rare custom mechs, two figures emerged from the cockpit of the mech.
They used an antigrav rappel to float down to the ground. Both of them were clad in red-and-white uniforms, which signified that they were general members of the Larkinson Clan.
This was rather odd. Practically every mech pilot, even the new recruits, had already joined one of the mech forces operating under the clan!
"Good day, fellow Larkinsons!" Vincent Ricklin-Larkinson grinned and spread his arms. "I see that you are having a great time admiring my Adonis Colossus! Before you ask, he's original! You can practically feel it from this mech!"
While Vincent basked in the looks of envy and admiration from the crowd, Raella Larkinson jabbed her elbow against his side and coughed.
"Vincent and I would like to have your attention. When we initially joined the clan, we wanted to see what mech pilots like us could do. While I am impressed by the amount of fighting forces we can join, I noticed that there was a distinct lack of.. fun. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure you have plenty to do in the Avatars and whatnot, but there are hardly any activities for us to mingle together and enjoy ourselves in a more organized setting."
"What is it you want to do?" A Sentinel mech pilot asked.
Vincent grinned wider. "Why, that's a good question, brother! After discussing this deplorable lack of entertainment with my babe, we have decided to introduce a brand-new initiative! We want to establish an internal competition circuit in our clan!"
"What?"
"Competition circuit?"
"Can we even do this?"
Most of the mech pilots among the crowds possessed a military or private sector background. They always treated their profession as a serious duty.
There were scant few people in the clan who possessed a connection with the entertainment side of the mech piloting profession!
"Who are you guys, anyway?! What makes you think you can set this up from scratch?"
"I am Raella Larkinson, a trueblood member of the clan!" She listed out her qualifications. "In the past, I was a former mech athlete and competed in an amateur mech games circuit. After that, I transitioned to the underground dueling circuit at Bentheim, where I earned my chops and became a champion! After that, I was promoted to the rank of captain in my organization where I led an entire mech company of mech duelists and mech athletes. While I can't say that I have organized a competitive circuit before, I have competed often enough to know how they are run! If anyone disagrees, we can hash it out in a duel!"
Her bearing exuded the confidence of a mech champion! Raella not only dueled hundreds of opponents, but also fought in the Sand War in the Bentheim System! All of this made it clear that she wasn't a regular member of the clan!
Even so, not many believed she could pull off her plan.
Captain Casella Ingvar strode forward. "I heard about you, Raella. You used to be with the so-called Blood Claws, did you not?"
"That's true. So what?"
"Our clan isn't anything like your gang in Bentheim."
Raella growled. "Well, if you don't want to help, then piss off!"
Imon quickly strode forward and pulled her sister back by the shoulder. "What do you need to set up this circuit?"
Though his sister looked scandalized, Imon didn't care! He was getting rather bored with the months of practice. There was only so much he could maintain his interest while whacking his opponents to death in simulated combat!
Recognizing that she managed to hook someone, Raella grinned. "I plan to start with something simple from the start. We'll organize a simple dueling circuit at first. We'll accept applications from any able mech pilot of the clan for a time before we draw up a schedule. We'll start by holding yearly seasons where every participant can earn points by competing against each other in 1 against 1 duels. After that, the best-performing participants will be seeded in the playoff format that will truly determine who will become the champion duelist of the Larkinson Clan!"
Though it sounded rather basic compared to the more elaborate mech games circuits that attracted the most viewership, this was something the Larkinsons could participate in themselves!
At least half of the mech pilots in the gathering crowd already looked interested at signing up! Such a competition sounded incredibly interesting!
Casella noted something problematic, however. "Where will you hold these duels? Will these duels take place in a virtual or a real arena?"
"A real one, of course! We want none of that simulated crap! A fight isn't real unless there's the possibility of drawing blood!"
A surprised murmur ran through the crowd! A real mech duel was very different from a simulated one! While it was ten times more exciting, it was countless times more dangerous and expensive!
"Impossible! It costs way too much! We can't afford to waste so many mechs!"
"Heh, that's what you think!" Vincent pounded his muscled chest with fist. "Don't worry about approval, brothers. I'm Ves Larkinson's best buddy and Raella is his favorite cousin! As long as we have enough clansmen backing up our proposal, he'll surely agree to this suggestion. Now what do you say? Are you ready to duel?!"
"YEAAAAAH!"
Chapter 2061 We Are Brothers
As the day of the product reveal arrived, Ves woke up to something very different.
Once he finished breakfast and got ready to hear his daily briefing, a few extra guests arrived at his office.
One of them brought a smile to his face. "Raella! You're back as well!"
The other caused his smile to disappear. "And I see you have brought.. Vincent Ricklin."
"Not anymore." The man wearing the red-and-white uniform of the Larkinson proudly patted his chest. "Since recently, I converted to the Larkinson Clan! Ever since I took the oath, I now go by Vincent Ricklin-Larkinson! Isn't that great? We're all relatives to each other now! You are my brother, if not in blood, then in heart!"
Ves wanted to puke. Those were his own words!
"Vincent.. How the hell did you get in the clan in the first place?! The recruiters were supposed to filter people with a criminal track record!"
"He's not that bad anymore, Ves." Raella explained for her boyfriend.
"He used to be a terrorist!"
"He was a freedom fighter! There's a difference! He wasn't killing people to get his jollies off! He was fighting for a worthy, if misguided cause! Besides, the Bright Republic officially pardoned him, which meant that the track record you were talking about no longer existed! I personally vouched for his good behavior!"
"I had to deal with a lot of crap when I grew up." Vincent added with a hint of sincerity, which Ves found rare! "The stuff I had to deal with in the Ricklin Family would make any Vesian noble house look tame! My own sister painted a target on my back! All of that is in the past now. The Ricklin Corporation is in ruins and Catelyn can do whatever she wants with the ashes that remain. My future is here now, alongside Raella and with my fellow Larkinsons!"
The smile on his face was dazzling enough to blind someone with the glint of light bouncing off his stark-white teeth!
When Ves departed from the Bright Republic for the final time, he thought he left most of his local troubles behind! No longer would he be beholden to the Bright Republic, The Tovar Family, Flashlight or any other inconsequential local power!
Yet for some reason, this damn barnacle managed to attach himself to his ship! Not only that, but this barnacle somehow managed to bamboozle the recruiters into joining the clan!
The truth was there for Ves to see and feel. In his spiritual vision, he spotted the newly-established bond between Vincent Ricklin-Larkinson and the Larkinson Mandate!
The Golden Cat personally approved of his entry in the clan!
"Goddammit!"
He didn't waste his time with the troublesome duo any further. Instead, he turned around, approached his bodyguard, and grabbed the Larkinson Mandate braced to her armor.
Ves shook the heavy book up and down a few times!
"Goldie! What is up with you!? Do you really think that bastard standing over there is worthy enough to become a clansman?!"
While everyone looked at him as if he had gone crazy, the ancestral spirit resting inside the book curiously looked up to her progenitor.
Nyaaaaa?
"Yeah, I'm talking to you! Don't act all cute with me with your big eyes! What is up with Vincent?!"
Nya nya nya. Nyaa!
"What?! He's actually committed?"
Nyaaa!
Ves threw the book away, causing its antigrav brace to arrest its fall.
He wanted to scream! He wanted to palm his face! He wanted to kick Vincent in the butt so hard that the flamboyant fellow soared straight into the air at escape velocity!
Yet as much as he wanted to get rid of Vincent, it was not so easy to unilaterally tell a clansman to sod off. He needed to follow a procedure and come up with a legitimate reason to kick Vincent out of the clan. He set this rule himself, which meant he shouldn't undermine his authority by breaking it shortly afterwards!
He looked at the offending Larkinson in question and called up the man's record since he joined the clan.
There were scant details because Vincent didn't really do anything so far! The Larkinson Clan hadn't registered anything that Ves could use as a viable excuse!
Not only that, but his treacherous ancestral spirit saw nothing wrong with Vincent! According to her, the man was already much closely aligned to the ideals of the Larkinson Clan than many other new recruits!
If one discounted his past sins, there were several reasons for his high fit. He was a mech pilot, he was a Brighter and he was a veteran of the Sand War. Not only that, but he managed to hook up with Raella Larkinson for several months and also piloted one of Ves' custom mechs!
With so many connections to the Larkinsons, it shouldn't be any wonder that Vincent came to admire the clan and everything it stood for! Ves even guessed that the Larkinsons likely served as the warm and cozy family that Vincent had always yearned for but enjoyed when he used to be a member of the Ricklin Family!
"Whatever!" Ves threw up his hands. "Go screw around somewhere else! I don't want to see you two anymore!"
That caused Raella to jump! "Wait a minute, Ves! Before you get rid of us, can you fund the establishment of a dueling circuit within the clan? Hundreds of Larkinson mech pilots have already backed my proposal!"
"GET OUT! I won't give you a single hex credit! Go beg someone else like Major Verle or the Larkinson Assembly!"
The two clansmen dejectedly left the office. Gavin, who had been standing at the side, strode to the desk.
"As much as you would rather like to leave Vincent behind, the venture he is planning to organize with Raella doesn't sound all that bad. A dueling circuit would do much to keep the mech pilots in our clan from getting bored."
"It's wasteful, Benny!" Ves growled. "All of those mechs bashing each other in will need to be repaired, all of which costs time and money!"
"We can go months, if not years without seeing action. Unless we are participating in a campaign or heading into something dangerous like the Nyxian Gap, I think we can afford to let the mech pilots have some fun. Besides, if you are so worried about the cost, let the mech pilots play around with cheaper mechs built specifically for competition."
"I've already washed my hands off Vincent. Let someone else deal with his nonsense."
As the leader of a clan numbering more than ten-thousand members and counting, Ves had better things to do than decide upon frivolous matters.
Right now, his entire attention shifted back to the upcoming product reveal! The Doom Guard design's unveiling had to go absolutely perfectly, especially because he would be holding his presentation in front of a very important guest!
"Is everything ready?"
"The preparations are on track." Gavin confirmed and referenced his data pad. "Not every outfit we've contracted or invitee that we have reserved a seat for has managed to arrive at Cinach VI in time. Fortunately, we've already accounted for that. We have a backup waiting list that stretches across the entire planet. We have already held a highly-anticipated lottery to fill the empty seats with some lucky winners."
The amount of mech insiders who wanted to take part in the overhyped product reveal was incredible! Ves didn't even bother to glance at all of the messages he received that begged him for a spot at the venue. He had other people to deal with these kinds of errands!
"Are there any notable people attending the product reveal?"
"Plenty. A lot of nobles and dignitaries from the Sentinel Kingdom will be attending this product reveal in person, so you should make sure you tailor your message to their needs. We expect our Doom Guard model to become a really hot seller in this state due to the persistent pirate threat it faces!"
"I have already taken that into account, though I didn't expect so many nobles to travel all the way to Cinach VI on short notice. I guess I shouldn't pressure the audience too much in that case."
They proceeded to go over the other aspects of the announcement. They already planned for everything, but they hadn't anticipated the sudden insertion of a Master from the MTA! The LMC had been trying to adapt to the changing circumstances ever since!
"The security of the venue has been beefed up considerably." Gavin told him. "In addition to the Avatars, Glory Battalion and the Penitent Sisters, the MTA itself will also be in charge of security. The local branch has already sent their personnel to Trillion Hall in order to upgrade its defenses. The MTA has also promised to dispatch some mechs and armored soldiers to augment our patrols. I have even received a message that the Ubiquitous Force will be present in the vicinity to provide backup if needed!"
That formidable frigate alone was enough to scare any potential troublemakers to run as far away as possible! No one wanted to challenge a modern, armed warship whose guns were powerful enough to chew through an entire mech division while flying fast enough to remain out of reach of any effective counterattacks!
"Well, at least I don't have to worry about any terrorist attacks." Ves ruefully shook his head.
He spent the rest of the morning going over his preparations before boarding a shuttle that would take him to orbit.
Gavin, Gloriana, Nitaa, the cats and a couple of other guards and personnel all crammed in the armored shuttle as it ascended into the air and beyond.
Lucky and Clixie both crawled over the Larkinson Mandate which had been placed on a small table.
"Meow."
With his phasing powers, Lucky eagerly attempted to jump on the Golden Cat, only to be repelled when he was pushed away by a golden spiritual wave!
Nyaaaa!
The Golden Cat had enough of Lucky's baths! She was old enough to groom her intangible coat by herself!
"Miaow?" Clixie approached and sniffed the dazed-looking gem cat.
Sitting further away, Ves ignored their antics. Instead, he was simulating his speech several times inside the confines of his implant. Due to Master Willix's inclusion in the audience, he had to pare back some of his antics and rely on other methods to sell his Doom Guard.
Even if he wasn't able to make use of his spiritual manipulation, he still had many other theatrical tricks in store to emphasize his message.
This was not going to be one of those boring, generic product announcements where he would read off the list of specifications!
In order to emphasize the defining traits of his Doom Guard design, he had to go further!
Not all of his intentions sat well with his advisors. Gavin tentatively voiced his concern.
"I'm not sure the MTA will take it well." He warned. "What if you cause the Master to speak out against your methods? That will be a huge hit to your credibility!"
Ves smirked. "I'm pretty sure she won't. I'm merely pushing my limits. As long as I don't break them, it'll be fine."
"Master Willix probably favors us, so she won't do anything to harm our reputation." Gloriana helpfully added. "However, that is still contingent on our good behavior. We won't be able to get away with anything that harms the interests of the MTA."
That had been a bit of a mystery to Ves. So far, he didn't fully understand why Master Willix took so much interest in their work. Was she paying attention to him as an individual or was the rest of the MTA expressing an interest in him as well?
The former was somewhat tolerable, but the latter was unacceptable!
A warm hand rested on his own.
"It'll be fine, Ves." His girlfriend smiled and leaned in to peck his smooth-shaven cheek. "All of your previous product reveals went fine. I'm sure you'll be able to succeed again!"
"It's not that simple, Gloriana. A lot more people are paying attention this time, and there are a huge amount of bigshots among them! To many, this will be their first intimate encounter with me and my products!"
"You should celebrate that! This is a great accomplishment that you could have never dreamt of a few years ago! For the first time in our lives, we have transcended from our star sector and entered a greater stage! For Journeymen like us, that is a supreme honor! Don't fear it. Cherish it for what it is worth, and do your best to use your expanded podium to expand our brand!"
She was right!
Chapter 2062 MTA Warning
Cordoba Station was a typical Sentinel trade hub. It orbited high above Cinach VI and mostly dealt with passenger transport and material shipments.
Much like any space station, its initial size used to be modest, but expanded over time in order to accommodate a greater amount of commerce.
These days, her sheer volume surpassed that of a capital ship, though it wasn't nearly as tough and defensible as a warship!
A continuous but very orderly stream of trade vessels and passenger vessels constantly approached and departed from one of its extended arms.
Many vessels were not allowed to approach under their own power. Instead, they had to shut their engines and lock most of their systems while various tugs slowly towed them to their assigned positions.
The only vessels allowed to approach under their own power were authorized shuttles and smaller transports. Most of them belonged to one of the established transit and logistic companies native to Cinach VI.
Predictably, House Evenson owned or held a large amount of shares in most of these companies! In-system logistics might be one of the most boring business sectors of an economy, but it was an incredibly stable money maker.
Even in a recession, goods and people still needed transportation!
Though Cordoba Station was often a site of intense activity, the huge amount of traffic that converged upon its coordination exceeded anything Cinach VI had seen before!
Grand passenger lines, swift corvettes and a generous amount of formidable combat carriers all tried to reach Cordoba Station first!
The crush of incoming vessels almost overwhelmed traffic control if not for the impeccable order the vessels abided by. Not a single Sentinel noble of foreign business magnate attempted to cut in line.
The reason for that was very obvious, and it was not because they respected House Evenson that held sway over Cinach VI!
Ves peered out of the window and used his implant to amplify his vision until he got a very good look at the only warship in the star system.
"So that is the Ubiquitous Force." He uttered. "She's beautiful and deadly in a way my Scarlet Rose can never be. How sublime."
The formidable warship anchored right above the space station, thereby imposing her presence on anyone who approached!
The MTA markings and the handful of first-class multipurpose mechs that patrolled around her made it clear that she was not to be trifled!
And if anyone was blind to the threat those visual cues represented, that the visible warship-grade gun turrets were enough to stifle any complaints!
Powered or supplied by the internal systems of the entire ship, the power those gun turrets was able to unleash was simply an order of magnitude more powerful than the MTA's very own mechs!
Ves wasn't even sure that a first-class expert mech would be able to contend against the Ubiquitous Force, and she was merely a frigate, one of the lightest ship classes in its war arsenal!
Suffice to say, no matter the rank or pedigree of the visitor, everyone behaved as obediently as possible as they arrived at the space station.
Once they passed through the numerous thorough security checks, the visitors had to traverse to a specific arm where a large hall-like space structure was docked.
This was Trillion Hall, one of the dozens of space-based convention centers.
Though it wasn't capable of lifting off into space from the ground like the old Grand Skyward Convention Center at Bentheim, it was still one of the best venues to introduce a new mech to the public.
Its capacity was enormous and its construction was sturdy enough to withstand incidental mech fire, and that was before all of the security and defensive upgrades.
What Ves valued a lot was the configurable interior. Almost everything could be raised or lowered or moved around at his leisure. He could precisely control the light and sound that propagated through the main hall.
This control was essential to a good show!
A large number of mechs from various groups including the MTA were already patrolling around it. Not only that, but a large number of mercenary mechs grouped up by corps had already taken up position a large distance away.
As the hosts of the upcoming event, Ves and Gloriana as well as their entourage were able to cut the line and head straight to the site without obstruction.
They stopped a bit when they reached the large, bold letters that proclaimed the name of the structure.
"Trillion Hall, huh?" Ves mused while he was holding Lucky.
"Meow."
"It's supposedly called that way because its owner envisions his hall introducing a trillion different mech models to the public."
"Meow."
"Yeah, I think it sounds ridiculous as well, but who knows. Maybe it will last long enough to make this wish come true."
The important procession moved backstage where Ves and Gloriana immediately inspected the newly-fabricated Doom Guards. Each of them had been switched off so that they didn't frighten the surrounding staffers.
A handful of strong-willed veterans of the Sand War had already suited up. They stood in front of Commander Melkor, who wore an identical pilot.
Ves gave the privilege of piloting the first production model to the Avatar Commander.
Though Melkor was probably not the most steel-hearted mech pilot in the clan, Ves trusted that his cousin would be able to handle the pressure.
"Are you ready for the big show?" Ves asked.
"I have already spent hours acclimatizing to its glow." Melkor said, his visor reflecting the light off its shiny surface. "While I am still at the point of shaking in my boots, I'll be fine as long as I don't have to make any complicated maneuvers."
"Don't worry. Just follow the plan."
The Avatars that Melkor selected to pilot the other Doom Guards all consisted older and more experienced mech pilots. Not even Joshua was present, but that was mostly because he already had the Quint.
A few hours passed as the hall gradually filled up. Just like his previous presentations, most of the visitors would be taking their seats along the entire hall in front of the podium.
The only difference now was that there was a remarkable large buffer area between the front seats and the podium. No one was allowed to sit too close.
One of the most eye-catching anomalies of the main hall was the private box floating above everyone's heads. Though it didn't exhibit any markings, everyone already guessed that it held the mysterious Master Mech Designer of the MTA!
With such an incredibly powerful presence looming over everyone's heads like a Sword of Damocles, no one dared to speak casually. Even the most pampered nobles of the Sentinel Kingdom meekly retracted their arrogant bearing!
Soon enough, every seat was filled. While the hall could accommodate even more people by making use of multi-level seating arrangements, Ves and the LMC had already rejected this option.
It wasn't safe. Ves feared what might happen if someone reacted badly at the Doom Guard despite all of the mandatory health inspections they had gone through.
By restricting the audience to a certain size, it was a lot easier for the staff to monitor everyone's physical conditions.
Due to the Doom Guard's special properties, this was not an ordinary concern that Ves could ignore this time.
The chance of someone in the audience suffering a heart attack or something during the show was a very real possibility!
"You know, didn't the MTA attach a warning advisory to our mech design?" Gloriana questioned him. "She even told us in no certain terms that our Doom Guard shouldn't be utilized against unarmed civilians!"
Ves dismissively waved away her concerns. "It's okay. Master Willix specifically told us that our mech shouldn't be used to terrorize the population. I'm not planning to terrorize my guests. I'm merely giving them a taste of the potential of our product! How can I possibly sell my Doom Guards to them without demonstrating their power? As long as the Master doesn't say anything, it'll be fine!"
"It's your fault if anything goes wrong!"
Shortly after that, the time of the presentation was about to begin. A handful of makeup bots smoothed out his face, groomed his hair and straightened out his Larkinson Clan uniform.
He turned to Lucky. "You stay in the back with Clixie and Goldie."
"Meow."
He then turned to Gloriana and held out her hand. "Let's go."
"Alright." She smiled.
They both walked forward and entered the raised podium. The lights of the hall had already turned dark. Only a weak spotlight that generated plenty of shadows descended upon the two figures.
Despite the incredible number of important guests in the hall, Ves managed to retain his calm. He had already planned this show extensively and was confident that it would proceed smoothly. There was nothing to worry about as long as everything went according to plan.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. I am Ves Larkinson, the patriarch of the Larkinson Clan and the CEO and lead designer of the Living Mech Corporation."
"And I am Gloriana Wodin, Ves' girlfriend and his fellow lead designer!" His partner cheerfully announced!
"We have invited you here to experience a revolutionary new mech that both of us have recently designed." Ves continued. "It's successful development and realization represents both an evolution and a revolution of mech design. While I am sure that a handful of mech designers in the galaxy are able to achieve similar results, none of them are as effective as our upcoming product at its price level! What we have managed to achieve is something that goes beyond technology!"
Ves had to issue this statement because he had already done his research. In the entire galactic mech industry, there were indeed a subset of mechs that were able to induce fear or form a deterrent against other people.
The difference between those machines and the Doom Guard was that the former relied on various technological means such as ultrasonic waves or disorienting gravitic waves!
No matter what the alternate mech designs utilized, they either cost a lot or were easily countered.
These shortcomings did not apply to his Doom Guard!
This was why he was confident that his latest product was unequaled in terms of its role and its value proposition!
Of course, before Ves could proceed any further, he had to issue the obligatory safety warning. A devious grin emerged on his face. The large projections that emerged from the sides conveyed his amused visage to the entire hall!
"Before everyone of you has entered this hall, you should have received a warning. Let me tell you that it is actually issued by the MTA!"
This revelation caused a shock to run through the crowd! No one thought that the MTA itself would issue a rare cautionary remark!
Perhaps this was part of the reason why the MTA expressed interest in the unannounced mech design!
"The MTA issues a stern warning to any purchasers or users of our mech its many risks." Ves paraphrased, taking many liberties of its exact phrasing for dramatic effect! "Those who are faint of heart, suffer from certain physical ailments or are diagnosed with a range of mental disorders must not approach or pilot it at any costs. The consequences of exposure to my mech can lead to physical illness, psychological distress, the triggering of post-traumatic stress disorder, mental breakdowns and possibly even DEATH!"
That final word encapsulated the momentum of his message! The people in the audience who expected something more normal were quickly forced to revise their expectations.
From what they heard, this new mech might truly be something that matched all of the hype!
Ves grinned wider. "Each of you have been vetted thoroughly before being allowed inside. Since you have listened to this warning and signed your agreement in writing, you should all be healthy enough to survive this show. Don't say I didn't warn you! If for some reason you deceived our inspectors or have second thoughts, you can still depart this hall in time. The exit is at the back. I will give you a few minutes to contemplate your choice."
A bit of unrest and uncertainty ran through the ignorant attendants. Numerous macabre guesses bandied about, fueling the spark of fear in their minds!
This was exactly what he wanted to see! The best part of it was that Ves did not employ any spiritual manipulation to prime his audience!
Chapter 2063 Imagine A Mech
"Now, all of you might be asking, why would a single mech design warrant such a serious warning?"
Ves looked at the darkened area where the invited guests all clung to his words. From the start, he managed to capture their attention! Hardly any of them turned away from him in order to chat with each other!
"The reason for that is because it is more than a mech. Before I unveil it to you, let me begin with the necessity of such a machine."
He steadily began to explain the current condition in the star sector.
"Here in the Komodo Star Sector, war and chaos is rife. The explosive conflicts that erupted in recent times has broken the long pattern of peace that has reigned throughout our stars. The Sand War has pushed many states to the brink while annihilating dozens more. The Komodo War that is taking place between the two dominant states of our star sector is constantly threatening to spill over the lesser states. Even here, the Sentinel Kingdom's stability is threatened by the relentless Nyxian pirates!"
He momentarily closed his eyes.
"That is just a portion of the conflicts taking place in a single star sector. Other star sectors such as Vicious Mountain and Majestic Teal are no doubt becoming more precarious as well. Wherever there are humans, there are fights. This has never changed throughout our long and bumpy history."
Ves smiled. "Our latest mech is designed to meet the needs of today. While it is useful in many different conflicts, it is particularly geared towards repelling raiders in space."
He lifted his arm, causing the large projections to showcase battle footage of numerous random pirate raids that had happened in recent times.
"Whenever there is conflict, there is chaos. Law and order breaks down as it becomes more and more difficult to keep the peace. Pirates and criminals in space who believe they can resort to force to rob legitimate trade convoys and sow destruction for no logical reason will always emerge from the darkest corners of human space!"
This was an especially pertinent remark towards the Sentinel nobles attending this event. Their faces turned ugly in the shadow as they recalled all of the death and destruction the Nyxian pirates had inflicted on their territories. The Friedmont Massacre was by far the most egregious atrocity the pirates had committed, and everyone feared a repeat!
"In my short but very eventful service in the Bright Republic's Mech Corps, I have learned an important. Pirates are scum. Criminals are scum. They are hooligans with mechs, relying almost entirely on the power of their equipment to do the heavy lifting! Honor, discipline, restraint and duty are foreign concepts to this kind of ilk! On an even playing field, they are no match to proper outfits or well-trained military troops!"
A few people in the audience chuckled in agreement. Others frowned a bit.
Most pirates were weak, but some of them stood above the rest! A top pirate organization could be just as formidable as an elite large-scale outfit!
Nonetheless, they were rather rare. Most pirates barely managed to keep their mechs and ships in working condition!
"Wouldn't it be great if battles were won by the quality of the mech pilot?" Ves rhetorically asked. "Wouldn't it be fair if an elite mech pilot who received a lot of investment can always vanquish against a wastrel who hasn't even graduated from a mech academy?"
Ves lowered his head. The projections shifted towards depictions of shameful defeats. The mercenary mechs depicted in the footage were all fine machines, but they were overwhelmed by three to ten times the number of mechs!
Most of them were grossly inferior to the machines piloted by the mercenaries.
"Sadly, the pirates never play fair. There are plenty of times where you bring a squad of mechs, only for a pirate foe to surround you with a company of mechs."
The footage switched to the rare cases where a regular mercenary corps confronted a smaller number of elite pirate mechs!
"The opposite may also be true! Perhaps you are able to field more mechs, but the pirates are able to bring out vastly-superior machines that can run rings around your outfit!"
All of these incidents were possible. In fact, they had already happened far too many times to count! The nobles and commoners of the Sentinel Kingdom were deeply aggrieved by the constant raiding of the Nyxian pirates! The scum never initiated a battle they could never win and only made a move when they were assured of their superiority!
Ves spread his arms. "None of this is fair. Yet this is the reality for too many people. Should we surrender against this injustice? Should we accept the inevitable and incur these losses without complaint? I say NO!"
His passion roused as he presented a portion of his vision!
"Pirates and criminals are not impervious! Just because they have the edge in numbers or quality of mechs doesn't mean you have to resort to economically unviable solutions to defeat them! There is a much better counter against these kinds of poorly-trained opponents, and it begins by targeting their mech pilots rather than their mechs!"
Ves clapped his hand. The impact rang loud throughout the hall, amplified by the speakers embedded in the walls, floor and ceiling! "Before I proceed any further, I would like to hold a little dare."
A portion of the dark hall lit up a bit. The wide and noticeable empty space before the podium began to shine with a gentle white light, giving it the illusion that it became a sanctuary!
"I would like to invite an invitation to all of you vetted guests. If you are confident in yourself and don't mind a challenge, I would like to dare you to stand in the illuminated zone for ten minutes starting from the moment I unveil our new mech design. Those who are able to stand straight for the entire duration will receive a handsome reward! As long as you pass this simple challenge, you will each receive a free silver label copy of the mech in question, courtesy of the Living Mech Company!"
A large commotion formed after he made this explosive announcement! While the people who were able to attend this highly-anticipated product reveal were no simple people, the reward was incredibly attractive to certain people!
The older and more established nobles in the audience all rested confidently in their seats. They had no intention of risking their reputation to take part in this unknown challenge. What if they failed? What if they humiliated themselves? Everyone present knew that this entire announcement was being broadcasted live through the entire Yeina Star Cluster! Anyone who performed shamefully in front of such a huge audience could practically kiss their prestige goodbye!
Some of the younger nobles looked intrigued, though. Unlike the older generation, they weren't rulers of planets or commanders of legions. They still had to do much to prove themselves, and taking part in this interesting challenge sounded like a good way to stand out from their peers!
Even if they failed, it was no big deal. In their circle, regardless of the outcome, it was better to show bravery than cowardice!
Before the younger scions rose from their seats, a moderate group was already making their way to the front of the hall.
Many of them were uniforms of all kinds. None of them matched the clean and tight aesthetic that was most common to military uniforms, but it was very evident that they were all warriors of sorts.
This group mostly consisted of mech commanders and owners of various armed organizations.
These individuals were not as wealthy as landed nobles, but valued mechs just as much! Their poorer finances and their higher sensitivity towards bargains made them much more willing to accept this mysterious challenge!
Soon enough, a large variety of people entered the lighted zone. Ves mentally kept track of the numbers through the information feed transmitted to his implant.
After fifteen minutes of discussion and shuffling, almost six-hundred attendants accepted the challenge.
Mech commanders, mech captains, veteran soldiers, ambitious nobles, adventurous businessmen, respected mech designers, foolhardy journalists and more all believed they had what it took or just wanted to obtain a free mech!
Even if they weren't mech pilots or didn't have a use of such a machine, they could always sell it and earn a handsome amount of money in the process!
All they had to do was to keep standing inside the lightened, rectangular zone!
Ves smiled like a shark. He chuckled under his breath for what these gullible people were about to face!
"Well, I applaud your courage! Any of you who have chosen to stand in this zone will receive a consolation prize if you happen to fail. You can approach the LMC later in order to obtain the right to order the first batches of our new product!"
That was a small reward in order to mollify any sort of awful feelings that might follow. Just as Ves moved on, he suddenly paused and looked upwards.
Everyone else who watched Ves turned their heads up as well, only to discover something shocking!
The private box had opened up! Its floating occupant, surrounded by a couple of heavily-armed bodyguards, slowly drifted down from the air, all the while approaching the podium.
Almost everyone in attendance recognized this famous figure! Her face had been all over the local news these past few days!
Master Moira Willix had descended in person!
The eminent dignitary of the MTA maintained a neutral expression as she slowly dropped to the very front and center of the lighted zone.
The eager daredevils who used to stand on that spot quickly vacated it when they recognized that the Master was heading in their direction! A very noticeable circle of people had formed around her position!
"Master Willix.." Ves spoke up with a remarkable amount of restraint. "I do not believe a mech designer of your stature would compete over a free mech."
The Master stared at Ves in the face. "There is nothing in the rules that prohibit me from taking part."
If the audience wasn't so afraid of attracting the powerful Master's ire, everyone would have shouted already!
This strange challenge had suddenly become ten times as interesting! If even a vaunted Master participated in it, then there must be definitely something special about it! A couple of hundred more people rose from their seats!
Ves patiently maintained a smile on his face as he allowed the late-comers to enter the zone. He did not expect Master Willix to accept this juvenile prank of his! Even Gloriana started to squeeze his hand in worry!
"It's okay." He covertly communicated to her through their implant. "You've already seen her standing in front of our Doom Guard without exhibiting any strain. It will be fine!"
"If you say so, Ves…"
Regardless of this unexpected occurrence, the plan was still on track!
Once the excitement died down, Ves snapped his fingers.
A large timer projected above his head. It already began to count down the ten minutes of time the challengers needed to remain in the zone.
"Image a mech." He spoke as the podium darkened entirely, causing Ves and Gloriana to disappear in the dark. "It is a hefty mech, but with wings. It can fly in space and withstand a considerable amount of punishment from enemy fire."
The main hall began to rumble as a mech gradually strode forward with its immense bulk. The loud footsteps of this giant machine deliberately rippled the floor, causing the challengers to feel the vibration of the approaching mech!
A mech emerged from the backstage and stepped onto the huge and spacious podium. No one except for those with high-quality ocular implants were able to see the mech in the dark!
To the rest, the unknown mech that took its time to go forward was already making an impression without revealing its true nature!
It was then that its glow gradually emerged. Melkor, who piloted the mech in question, stretched out his finger and flicked a special switch.
The mech in the dark seemed to come alive. A sense of oppression and discordency began to emerge from the back of the podium.
The people standing within the lighted zone began to shift their weight around. They looked around with uncertainty and tried to question each other whether they weren't the only ones who felt uncomfortable!
The audience sitting in their seats further ahead weren't exempted from the glow either. Although the impact of the glow was weaker to those sitting in the back, even they couldn't escape the strange mental influence that gradually gained strength!
THUNK.
THUNK.
THUNK.
The metal feet of the mech slowly clanked against the surface of the podium as it gradually moved forward. Each step caused the floor to vibrate louder and louder. Even as the mech came closer, its fearsome glow began to gain more weight!
Ves grinned in the shadows. "Imagine a mech.. that is a monster!"
Chapter 2064 Sanctuary In The Dark
Product introductions were always so fun to Ves.
He loved designing mechs, but he also loved sharing them to an audience!
Though mech designers often acquired the stereotype of a science nerd, deep within their hearts, they craved for validation.
What was the point of pouring their hearts and souls into developing a great creation, only to stuff it inside a closet? What was the worth of a mech design that was never put to use and never saw the light of day?
Such scenarios deeply frightened Ves! If a time ever came when his mech designs no longer received the attention of at least a single person, his heart for his profession would die!
This was not an exaggeration!
Practically every artist and creator desired praise. Hardly anyone spent hours, days, weeks or even years to create something just so they could admire it in the comfort of their homes.
Deriving satisfaction from yourself only stretched so far. In order to make all of the blood, sweat and tears that mech designers like Ves poured into advancing their craft, they needed to find people around them who told them how great they were and how much they appreciated his work!
While it sounded rather crass, even the most powerful and successful people in human space were unable to ignore this urge!
Craving validation was as human as the desire to procreate! This was because these urges were baked in the human DNA!
Therefore, Ves was not surprised that he liked to show off his mech designs. The grander the show, the better! His vain design seed was lapping it all up, becoming more excited at the prospect of spreading his products to a much wider audience than he had ever reached before!
As a designer of mechs, he held an ardent desire to make as many people use his products as possible! Just words of appreciation weren't enough to placate him. Only when people forked over their hard-earned money in order to obtain a copy of his work would he feel truly validated at the highest level!
It was like partaking in the greatest stimulant in the galaxy! Not even Axelar enjoyed a high as the one that Ves enjoyed when his Desolate Soldier model surpassed 1 million sales!
Right now, as he held a dramatic presentation in a huge, darkened hall which was only selectively illuminated, Ves gained the confidence that he might exceed his previous high point!
Though his Doom Guard came with some very troublesome elements, he believed in its utility! He sincerely believed that countless customers would fare much better once they purchased his products.
He just had to do his best to convince his audience to feel the same way!
He gazed his eyes towards the unnerved members of the audience that accepted his challenge and stood in the lighted zone in front of the podium.
Each of them stood close enough to experience the approaching glow from the Doom Guard. Most of them weren't able to pierce through the darkness and see the striker mech in full glory.
All they could count on was the faint contours of light bouncing off its exterior, the sense of weight emanated by its heavy footsteps and the indescribably uncomfortable sensation radiating from this machine!
Sometimes, the unknown was much more frightening than the known. Practically anything could be hiding in the shadows, and the dramatic narration provided by Ves only pushed their imagination deeper!
"I have always propagated the principle that mechs are alive." He gently said, his deceptively soft voice caressing everyone's ears. "Everyone who is familiar with my work knows that I have poured my heart into creating works that earn admiration. From the Aurora Titan to the Desolate Soldier, each of these mechs are living paragons if put in a human society. However.. what if the mechs aren't as benevolent? What if a mech.. has succumbed to evil?"
The question sounded absurd, but the people in the hall didn't think so! Even the people tuning into a broadcast of the product reveal also felt a sliver of discomfort! No matter the distance, the unknown mech's glow still managed to reach them through the projection!
"There are monsters in the dark." Ves grinned as he became caught up in his own excitement. "Space is vast, limitless but also very dark. The sanctuary of light which humans like us take shelter in is very rare in space! Light represents safety. It is the only barrier that protects us against the monsters in the dark. Yet, what if a monster exists that has mastered the use of light? What if the protective sanctuary that you have always taken for granted suddenly becomes a spotlight that signals your vulnerability?"
A pregnant silence ensued.
People gulped.
Challengers fidgeted on their feet.
Yet nothing happened in the dark hall.
Just as the heightened tension started to fade, a sudden sound emerged from the mech in the darkness!
POOM.
An oval red light suddenly shone in the dark!
The third eye of the Doom Guard suddenly shone like an ominous beacon in the dark!
Unlike the third eye of his other mechs such as the Bright Warrior and the Deliverer, the Doom Guard's extra ocular decoration didn't shine in the pure and reassuring shade of white.
The third eye that came to life at this moment looked anything but benevolent! A small stretch of darkness suddenly lit up in ominous red! The pupil of the third eye seemed to have taken on the resemblance of the eye of a devil!
The red radiating from the third eye began to fall upon the challengers standing just in front of the podium, eliciting plenty of fright in response!
"Ahhh!"
"I give up!"
Several dozen challengers quickly withdrew. They rapidly pushed through every person in the way and fled desperately to the back of the hall! Their nerves had already started to fray when the Doom Guard's glow first set upon them, but the sudden emergence of this devil eye hovering in front and over their frail human bodies was too much for them to bear!
By far, these initial dropouts mostly consisted of civilians who only participated for the fun of it. Journalists, mid-level bureaucrats and other average people simply didn't possess the mettle to endure the threat of death!
No matter how faint, the glow of the Doom Guard always touched some of the deepest fears of people! Like a predator in the dark, the mech whose shape hadn't come to light yet was like a predator that regarded them all as snacks!
THUNK.
THUNK.
THUNK.
As the mech slowly resumed its march, the pressure on the challengers increased. Every second, at least one of the people standing in the light couldn't take it any longer! They screamed or yelped or simply dashed away as fast as their feeble human legs allowed!
Meanwhile, the mech began to expose a bit more of itself. A portion of its head became exposed as a blood-red hexagon surrounding the third eye came to life.
The appearance of this feature added an occult-like impression to the unknown mech! The monster in the dark became a lot more unfathomable in everyone's imagination!
The mech slowed its footsteps as it neared the front of the podium. The glow affecting the moods of the challengers became stronger, and the rate of dropouts increased by the second!
Hundreds had already left, and the trickle soon turned into a flood!
The sanctuary in the light turned more and more desolate as the density of people dropped. The thinning of the crowd made the remaining challengers feel uncertain.
Humans always took comfort in numbers. The presence of so many human comrades bolstered their courage as they took faith in their collective!
Yet now that the weak-hearted started to retreat in droves, the confidence of those who remained started to fray!
Only the most battle-hardened veterans and notable exceptions such as Master Willix remained unmoved! Everyone else started to feel stifled by the sheer sense of terror running through their minds!
The discordant ripples from the Doom Guard also disturbed their balance. The physical nausea produced by their bodies in response to the shifting frequency of spiritual vibrations nibbled at their confidence even further.
Hardly anyone experienced such discomfort before! Those who never stepped on the battlefield simply didn't know what to do in response to such unknown stimuli!
Though the mech in the dark had slowed its advance as it came to the front, hundreds of challengers still remained.
They represented the best, the most confident and the most disciplined individuals in the audience.
Ves studied them carefully. Just as expected, the majority consisted of military veterans or seasoned mercenaries.
Yet that wasn't all. A surprising amount of noble scions managed to put up a brave face under pressure. Ves may have underestimated the mettle of the aristocratic class. Each of these future leaders conveyed a sense of will and determination similar to that of Imon and Casella Ingvar!
Plenty of civilians managed to bear the pressure as well up until now. Each of them possessed some reason or trait that allowed them to withstand the proximity of the Doom Guard for one reason or another.
Though Ves somewhat expected that the Doom Guard's glow wasn't omnipotent, he was disappointed at the amount of challengers who remained.
Even if they gritted their teeth or shook on their feet, these brave individuals exhibited the courage that made humanity great!
This was not what Ves wanted to see!
If he passed so many people, he would have to meet his promise and provide all of them with Doom Guards for free!
While Ves may be charitable every now and then, he wasn't in the habit of donating so many machines! Mechs needed to cost something in order to make them valued.
He silently sent another signal with his implant, which activated one of his contingencies.
As the red third eye and hexagon shone behind and above his head, Ves resumed his speech.
"Space is dark. Space is endless. It is filled with both wonders and horror. The mech that you are sensing right now is just one of the examples that you can find in space."
The floor began to rumble again.
Thunk.
Thunk.
Thunk.
The impacts sounded different from before. Though the footsteps landed almost simultaneously, the most discerning among the audience quickly realized the truth.
There were multiple mechs stepping onto the podium!
The rumbles grew louder as the darkness began to spawn more terrors!
As the distant glows began to overlap with the glow in the front, Ves began to feel the added pressure as well.
Aside from the mech pilots, Ves was exposed to the highest concentration of his own creation's glow! Whatever the challengers endured, he had to endure as well!
As the others mechs slowly advanced across the broad podium in a line, the mood in the hall descended even further.
The overlapping glows didn't outright magnify the resulting combination in a straightforward fashion, but the pressure on the challengers became undeniably stronger!
"The monsters in the dark… never tend to be alone."
Once the additional mechs stopped besides the initial Doom Guard that stepped forward, they no longer took another step.
POOM!
Instead, they lit up their scarlet eyes and hexagons in unison, causing the entire audience to cry out in shock!
"They come in a group!"
A wall of hellfire red flames suddenly came to life! Its brightness momentarily lit up the hall and blinded the audience! An incredible amount of heat washed over their bodies, and the sound akin to the activation of several flamethrowers thrummed through everyone's ears!
The sanctuary of light suddenly turned into the most dangerous place in the hall to many challengers!
Uncaring of their dignity or determination, they turned around and fled the approaching rush of flames!
The huge, billowing wall of flames passed through Ves' lonesome body and slammed into the challengers that somehow remained!
"Ahhhh!"
Chapter 2065 Courage Can Be Trained
Screams of terror rang from every corner of the hall as the frightened audience lost their nerves!
Even those who sat further back had been frightened out of their wits as the huge wall of flames seemed to have enveloped the brave challengers in an instant!
Soon enough, the flames disappeared.
The wave of heat died down..
The crackling of fire faded away.
It was all an illusion.
Ves emerged from the thick of the projected flame with hardly any injury to his body.
He never exhibited any worry. Even if the flames were real, he would have escaped unscathed regardless with the help of his shield generators.
The people standing in the illuminated zone didn't know that. The guests sitting in the front seats didn't know that. The flames looked and felt so realistic that they never expected it to be fake!
The stupendous reaction from his guests amused Ves to no end!
All of it was part of the show from the start. The flames that spewed from the nozzles of the Enison Spreaders wielded by the Doom Guard were mostly virtual.
Trillion Hall's advanced projectors were very much capable of conjuring such a realistic illusion at such a grand scale. Other auxiliary tools just as a directional heat management system made it appear as if the entire place was about to burn!
It was as if the mechs had actually opened fire on the crowd!
In truth, the Doom Guards were heavily restricted. The formidable flamethrowers wielded by the mechs that stepped up to the podium didn't contain any propellant at all! Even if they did, the safeties locking their systems prevented them from doing any harm to people!
Just because Ves wanted to put on a show didn't mean he wanted to burn his customers!
He just wanted to scare them a bit!
Seeing as how a huge majority of the challengers withdrew en masse when they thought they were on fire, it seemed he succeeded quite well!
Only several dozen or so challengers remained. These represented the absolute best performers. They either possessed nerves of steel or were smart enough to realize that it was impossible for the LMC to commit an atrocity for no apparent reason.
Regardless, the deception succeeded in its purpose and forced the majority of challengers to give up. Those who remained truly earned their free mechs as far as Ves was concerned.
The hall began to brighten and the atmosphere no longer seemed so tense. As the squad of Doom Guards standing behind Ves became more visible, the audience no longer felt as threatened.
That said, the glows of the mechs still exerted a heavy pressure on their minds.
"There is no need to fear the monsters standing behind me." Ves smirked and raised his hand. "Not when they are on our side."
The hall brightened up until a warm, orange glow akin to an evening sun illuminated everything.
The Doom Guards came into view and revealed their huge red frames in full now that the darkness receded. Their glows slowly retracted as their mech pilots all flicked the off switch.
The mechs didn't seem so threatening anymore! Instead, their imposing appearances, formidable design and immense bulk drew a lot of admiration from the audience!
The temperature in the hall subtly rose by a couple of degrees. This warmth soothed everyone's nerves, giving them an immense feeling of relief and safety just as their eyes fell onto the mechs that used to be the source of terror!
This sudden transition caused the audience to make some very abrupt psychological associations.
In the dark, the striker mechs resembled the monsters in the dark!
In the light, the new machines suddenly turned into the strong weapons that Ves made them out to be! When the monsters were on their side, the guests felt much better about themselves!
Though what Ves had done was arguably torture and definitely not proper, his guests felt so relieved that none of them raised a word of complaint at this moment!
They had gone through far too much fright to think about anything else! Their rapidly-beating hearts needed to die down before the organs erupted from the strain!
Even though Ves bent the rules to the point of breaking them, he received no censure after a while.
The show he put on was just too good!
Though no one signed up to experience the scare of their lives, the people attending the product reveal all looked more alive and grateful than ever! They experienced such a rapid succession of contrasting emotions that the succor they gained at the end tasted all the more sweeter!
Ves had the illusion that he would probably be able to become a fantastic showman if he abandoned his mech design profession.
It was so fun to torture his audience!
Through the careful planning and use of words, environmental manipulation and various props, he was able to shape the thoughts and emotions of a large number of people in a uniform manner.
As long as he managed to hook the imaginations of a group, he could make them feel as scared as hopeful as he liked!
This was indoctrination in an entirely different way than he was accustomed to! Though resorting to his Devil Tongue was a lot more convenient, that didn't mean that Ves was incapable without it! There were so many tools to put up a good show that he would never run out of means to sway a crowd!
Now that Ves demonstrated the potency of the Doom Guard's glow to everyone, there was no more need to terrorize his audience any further.
He wanted to sell his mechs. Scaring his potential customers to the point of developing a trauma around his Doom Guard was detrimental to this goal!
The mechs fully receded their glows after a short while. Even the mech pilots themselves no longer felt any strain. Though the third eyes still shone in a bloody shade of red, the Doom Guards no longer threatened to break anyone's minds.
"Congratulations to those who have stood their ground. You have proven courage in front of this star sector, no star cluster beyond doubt!" Ves innocently smiled as if he didn't burn them to death! "Each of your identities have been registered by the monitoring system of this hall. The LMC will contact you afterwards to arrange the shipment of your free silver label Doom Guard. Congratulations for your prize!"
The thirty-odd winners who made it through the end all loosened some of their tension. Just because they managed to make it all the way through the end didn't mean that they were immune to fear! They just held on through sheer grit and confidence a little better than the others!
The only exceptions were the people from the MTA. As the surviving challengers gradually returned to their seats, Master Moira Willix and her two armed guards remained in their places at the very front.
None of three ever exhibited signs of discomfort. There had been plenty of people who kept an eye on the great Master, and each of them found to their astonishment that they never showed any tension!
The awe and majesty that people felt towards the MTA grew stronger. The people who were a part of the Big Two truly deserved to be regarded as the strongest specimens of humanity!
Ves' smile momentarily ticked when he noticed this reaction.
Did Master Willix take part in this little play because she wanted to show off the prestige of the MTA?
Well, she sure succeeded! With the debacle of the Battle of Bentheim still strong in everyone's minds, a simple showing like this instantly restored many people's reverence towards the might Association!
To Ves, it seemed that this thieving Master simply couldn't resist the opportunity to hijack a portion of his show!
Her eyes suddenly darted to Ves, giving him the illusion that this great figure in the mech industry was pinning him in place!
"Good performance." She stated simply.
After uttering this curt remark, she wordlessly turned around and floated back to the private box hovering high above the audience. Her bodyguards followed as well, making sure to flank her sides while keeping their intimidatingly bulky rifles ready to respond to any threat.
The gravity of the entire space seemed to have lightened up a bit as the Master Mech Designer finally disappeared from everyone's view.
Though she was still very much present in the hall, now that she isolated themselves, the people sitting below couldn't help but sigh in relief!
Ves didn't think too much about Master Willix's deliberate conduct. The product reveal was far from over!
"What you have just experienced in your hearts is the most remarkable property of an LMC mech. The glows that characterize our products are utterly unique to our designs and cannot be found anywhere else. Its effects on mechs is hardly evident, but the true value of those glows lies in affecting the people that take part in the battlefield!"
Ves partially turned around and swept his arm over the Doom Guards that loomed behind him like a row of infernal protectors!
"When certain glows are combined with certain mechs, an remarkable amount of synergy takes place. There is no better example of that than the machines that have just demonstrated their power! These premium spaceborn striker mechs are designed for area denial. Their potent flames excel at dealing with hordes of charging mechs. Combining the deadly power of their flamethrowers with their distinct glows, these striker mechs have become extraordinarily good at fending off assaults!"
Plenty of people in the audience were smart enough to know what that meant!
Ves grinned. "The LMC's new Doom Guard design is explicitly designed to cater towards the growing needs of outfits that are tasked with tackling the consequences of chaos and anarchy. While the deterrence of a Doom Guard is effective against nearly every opponent, they are remarkably more effective against lower-quality mech pilots!"
The members of the Sentinel Peacekeeper Association practically shot up from their seats! Out of everyone in the audience, they clashed against the Nyxian pirates the most! A mech that was specifically tailored to fight against pirates always attracted their interest!
"You have felt it yourself." Ves continued. "You have seen how many trained and capable people failed to withstand the pressure. Let alone moving closer, they couldn't even stand in place! If even veteran mech pilots succumbed to the urge to flee, how do you think that pirates will react in response to this unblockable phenomenon?"
Dreams of driving pirates away began to descend on many people's minds!
"Our new Doom Guard is designed to deny and deter. While I am obliged to warn you that it is a weapon that influences friendlies as well as foes, as long as you turn off its glow or train your troops to withstand its pressure, you will be able to gain an inestimate advantage in any battle in space!"
"Do not be afraid of the Doom Guard. Despite its fearsome glow, its value to your outfit or organization is inestimable as long as it is on your side!" Ves gestured his arm forward. "An eminent MTA Master as well as a small group of brave individuals have managed to withstand its incredible pressure. They are true elites as far as I'm concerned!"
There was no doubt in this statement. None of the people who won the challenge were average in the slightest!
"What if I tell you that you can join their ranks as well?" Ves threw out with a confident grin. "If they can do it, so can you. It is just a matter of training! While the main purpose of the Doom Guard is to deter a lot of enemies, it can also be used to toughen up your own men! Courage can be trained, and there is no better tool to facilitate this than our Doom Guard!"
His latest product wasn't just a scary mech! Ves tried his best and put a positive spin on his mech design, because relying on a single gimmick wasn't enough to turn it into an enduring seller!
He needed to convince his audience that his Doom Guard held a lot of value. He needed to grasp onto every potential use of his mech in order to justify its premium price tag!
Chapter 2066 Enveloping Sphere
Once Ves thoroughly demonstrated the Doom Guard's glow and expounded on its main uses, he ceded the stage to Gloriana.
She smiled as she stepped to the center. "Hello, everyone. I am Gloriana Wodin and I am proud to present the specifications of our new Doom Guard design!"
A projection depicting a simplified schematic of the Doom Guard came into view. Gloriana soon proceeded to highlight and boast about the various performance parameters of specific components.
Though she did her best to make her speech understandable to laymen, her narration failed to attract as much interest from the crowd as before.
This was fine. A product reveal wasn't a theater show. Entertainment wasn't the objective. The overriding goal of this day was to generate as much demand for the Doom Guard as possible.
The main reason why Ves resorted to so much drama was because he needed to introduce the glow of his new design in a memorable way.
Simply providing a description of its effects was not even close as effective as making his audience experience its bone-freezing terror in person!
Mech buyers weren't as impulsive as regular consumers. Though he hadn't revealed the price of the Doom Guard, it was bound to cost a fortune to many people!
Getting someone to cough up so much money for a mech was far from easy. Though there were plenty of people who bought mechs impulsively, most potential buyers tended to be more critical and discerning!
This was because the choice of mechs literally affected the lives of those who depended upon them! Adding a good mech to the roster would increase an outfit's chances of completing a mission, while a bad mech could easily cost precious lives!
This was why Ves let Gloriana handle the rest. She was a lot more passionate about the technical design of the mech and eagerly wanted to show off her latest innovations!
Most of the laymen only vaguely followed her explanations or simply tuned her out entirely.
It didn't matter. Gloriana mainly addressed her words to the groups of people who could truly make use of the Doom Guard. Mech buyers, mech commanders, mech procurement offers and more people with the power to purchase the new product keenly paid attention to the detailed strengths of the striker mech design.
Naturally, Gloriana's pleasant voice did not mention any of the less flattering aspect about their design. Its limited capacity, its relatively ordinary strengths, its lackluster mobility and so on never came up once during her entire spiel.
It didn't matter. This was a day of celebration as far as the LMC was concerned.
Despite the generous amount of mech designers seated in the hall, none of them was in the mood to heckle this time.
A greater mech designer loomed over their heads? Who would possibly have the courage to criticize the work of a pair of mech designers that the Master obviously favored?
They would just be making fools of themselves!
Of course, it also helped that the Doom Guard didn't present a threat to their interests.
Striker mechs was one of the less common mech types on the market. The most popular models tended to fall in the budget and midrange market category. The Doom Guard obviously looked a lot more expensive than the norm, so despite its various features, it was simply too expensive to capture the lion's share of the market.
No matter how good a mech performed, price was still a heavy limitation to many wallet-conscious customers!
While there were some mech designers who published a premium spaceborn striker mech design of their own, that was still not a reason to speak out and defend their work.
No matter the special features and properties of their work, how could it equal the fantastic glow that Ves demonstrated earlier?
From an area denial standpoint, the Doom Guard was truly revolutionary in its design! Its glow clearly disregarded the quantity and quality of mechs, and instead tested the resolve of the mech pilots directly!
The demonstration that ensued after Gloriana finished her presentation couldn't make this any clearer.
"Let us proceed with showing our new product in action!"
The walls of Trillion Hall turned transparent. The occupants of the hall suddenly gained the illusion that they were sitting in the middle of space!
The squad of Doom Guards that had stood on the podium had already withdrawn a moment earlier.
Now, they spread their wings and flew into space. The identical Doom Guards formed an echelon formation as they flew out until they stopped at a healthy distance away from the hall.
The transparent walls began to project some feeds that allowed every spectator to observe several magnified feeds of the mechs in question.
In the distance, a huge number of mechs approached. The surprised attendants began to count the number of mechs that approached the Doom Guards.
They soon gave up! There were simply too many mechs for any baseline human to keep track of!
"There are more than a thousand mechs in that massive group! It's as if an entire mech regiment is approaching!" Someone with an ocular implant yelled!
The shock in the crowd grew greater. What kind of demonstration demanded a thousand mechs?
Usually, it was sufficient to utilize half-dozen mechs as sparring partners for the new design! There was no practical reason to involve such an immense number of mechs for a simple demonstration!
Ves walked back up to the center of the podium again.
"What you are witnessing are the mechs of numerous famed and reputable outfits. Both mercenary corps and security companies have agreed to take part in this exhibition. Just like the previous challenge, each of them have been informed that they are entitled to a progressively greater bonus should they last long enough!"
The crowd suddenly realized that a good show was about to ensue!
After the attendants personally experienced the terror of the Doom Guard, most of them developed an eager anticipation of inflicting this pain on others!
Noticing this reaction, Ves grinned wider.
Devils weren't feared for their power!
Instead, it was their ability to twist people's hearts that truly made them notorious!
Numerous potential customers had already started to imagine employing the Doom Guards to terrorize their opponents. Nothing made them feel better than to spread the suffering that had thoroughly shamed them earlier!
This was human nature. Ves knew what dwelled inside their hearts, so he prepared something that would allow them to bring it to the surface!
Out in space, almost two-dozen outfits worth of mechs flew to their assigned coordinates. Despite the sheer variety of mech models, it was still possible to distinguish who they belonged to by matching their coating and markings.
The Doom Guards didn't stick together. Instead, they all began to separate and spread out in a long line. They finally stopped after several kilometers of distance stood between each mech!
The reason for that soon became evident. The huge amount of hired mechs began to envelop the individual Doom Guards.
Ten spheres consisting of at least a hundred mechs surrounded a Doom Guard from each direction!
The spheres slowly contracted. The mechs began to crowd a little closer to each other as the ball of mechs shrank in size. They eventually stopped their contraction when it became too dangerous to reduce the distance any further!
The audience patiently waited for something to happen.
Ves spoke up again.
"As I have stated previously, our Doom Guards excel at fending off assaults and denying an entire area. Due to the special properties of the characteristic glows of our mechs, they are effective no matter how many opponents they affect! This means that no matter how outnumbered you are, the Doom Guard is one of the effective equalizers as long as you make good use of its strengths! Behold what you can do as long as the monsters are on your side!"
The third eyes of the Doom Guards flickered back to life. Their crimson glows looked extraordinarily compelling between the gaps of all of the mechs.
As their recently-activated glows ramped up, the spherical formation of mechs already started to exhibited some changes.
Despite the orders the mech pilots received, they couldn't help but feel increasingly more unnerved as they remain in formation!
Those with frailer nerves and weaker hearts soon began to have second thoughts all of a sudden.
Though the Doom Guards they surrounded never lifted their weapons or made any offensive moves, the onset of terror and the threat of death still wormed their way into their minds!
"What is this?"
"Why is this mech so strange?"
None of the mercenaries had been informed about the nature of the mech. They had strictly been instructed to close off all communications, so they shouldn't have witnessed the initial demonstration of the Doom Guard!
Even if they disobeyed orders and sneakily watched a feed of the product reveal, it didn't matter.
The fearsome glow of the Doom Guard worked best against unprepared opponents, but it remained effective regardless if its opponents were aware!
When the glow reached its full strength, the spheres visibly shook!
The weaker mercenaries already started to lose their confidence, while the older and more experienced mech pilots managed to hang on to an extent.
It was too bad that the Doom Guard didn't carry its name for nothing. The sense of doom it heralded was so pernicious and multifaceted that hardly anyone could remain immune for long!
"They're breaking!"
The spheres of mech suddenly lost its aesthetically round shapes as some of the mercenaries couldn't take it any longer! Their courage was too shallow for them to persist! The cowards seemed to have succumbed to their baser instincts and mindlessly commanded their mechs to turn around and fly away as fast as possible!
Impressively, over half of the mercenary mechs exhibited this shameful behavior! No matter how much their bosses shouted at the mech pilots, the irrational fear that tipped them over was not so easy to resist!
It took at least half a minute and a generous distance for these frightened mech pilots to regain their wits.
"That.. that was scary!"
"I can't believe what has happened to me just now!"
"Did someone drug my coffee?!"
The five-hundred or so mechs that remained didn't reform the broken spheres. The majority of the mech pilots were too busy trying to resist the pressure radiating from the Doom Guards!
The tenuous movements of the mechs were in full display to the audience. While it was admirable that this group of mech pilots managed to hang on this far, it was obvious that the mentalities of these mech pilots had obviously dropped!
The capability to induce this state of mind was already valuable in itself! Shaking, hesitant mech pilots were much more easy to break than high-spirited mech pilots!
Soon enough, the remaining mech pilots received orders to close in and reform the spheres. They reluctantly obeyed this order and tried to fly closer.
This was difficult! The mechs hesitantly flew closer to the Doom Guards while doing their best to form more compact spheres.
They failed. The closer they came, the more their mech pilots experienced the glows of the mechs!
It became drastically more difficult for these regular mech pilots to maintain their nerves!
Over two-hundred mechs dropped out.
Just a fifth of the original group of mechs remained! The spheres of mechs that surrounded the Dooom Guard seemed so thin and fragile that it looked as if a single punch could break them into pieces!
Ves waited for the right moment to pass on his next command to the mech pilots of the Doom Guards.
"Show them a taste of hell."
The ten striker mechs simultaneously cocked their massive flamethrowers and began to spew a sea of flames all of a sudden!
The Doom Guards rapidly spun around its axis in order to spew flames in practically every direction!
Though the eruption of omni-directional hellfire looked frightening up close, they didn't traverse very far! The billowing flames only traversed a modest distance of fifty meters before losing momentum.
There was plenty of distance between these flames and the surrounding mechs!
Yet despite the lack of threat, the intimidating sight triggered the build-up of fear that mounted in every mercenary's imagination!
The spheres disintegrated as a considerable number of remaining mechs broke formation!
As the Doom Guards ceased to spew their flames, they suddenly became a lot more visible.
There weren't enough mechs in the way anymore to block the views of the feeds!
Ves wrapped up the demonstration.
"No matter how powerful the mech, the pilot is always the weakest link!"
"No matter how many opponents show up, a single Doom Guard can topple them all!"
"No matter how bad your mech pilots are, a Doom Guard can turn any of them into elites!"
"Order a Doom Guard today to be the first to have a monster at your side!"
Chapter 2067 Turned Around
The Doom Guard's product reveal came at an end. As soon as Ves and Gloriana finished the introduction of the striker mech they spent months on fleshing out, the LMC officially opened up the model for sale.
The demand for the Doom Guard spiked! Orders from all over the star sector poured in from almost every corner of the Komodo Star Sector!
Not only that, orders from other star clusters started arriving as well! An uncountable amount of interested people wanted to see what the fuss was about. They had become charmed by the previous presentation and felt the huge urge to purchase their own 'monsters'!
It was too bad that the LMC didn't possess an effective reach beyond the Komodo Star Sector right now. The LMC could only reluctantly reject these orders, forcing most customers away. The handful of disappointed mech buyers could only import the mech across star sectors at a considerable expense.
Even so, the explosive demand from the Hegemony-aligned side of the star sector had spiked beyond the LMC's most optimistic projection!
The fantastic presentation along with Master Willix's implicit endorsement caused many mech buyers who didn't necessarily need a striker mech to purchase a Doom Guard anyway!
The incredible demonstration of hundreds of people drawing back from the Doom Guard's fearsome glow was already striking enough.
To witness ten Doom Guards repelling more than a thousand mechs through intimidation alone was practically unheard of! Normally, only expert mechs achieved such lopsided results!
Of course, plenty of skeptics cast doubt on the authenticity of these exaggerated demonstrations.
Could a single mech really repel hundreds of people?
Could a single mech truly scare away a hundred mechs?
Those from other star sectors voiced far more doubts due to their unfamiliarity with LMC products. They never experienced a glow in person and weren't well-versed in the achievements of older LMC mech models.
To many of them, glows sounded like outright magic!
Perhaps the only reason why these skeptics restrained themselves a bit was due to one, important reason.
The presence of an MTA Master Mech Designer.
Master Moira Willix may not be a household name in the Yeina Star Cluster, but her status alone was inviolable in human space! For her to go out of her way to attend a product reveal held by a pair of Journeymen was very unusual and very meaningful.
She personally participated in one of the demonstrations and won a free copy of the Doom Guard. Though she didn't exhibit the same reactions as the other challengers, the fact that she didn't expose any falsehoods meant that the challenge was probably authentic!
A Master would never stoop to scamming people! The mere idea of it was an affront to the profession of mech designers! This was even more so if the Master was part of the MTA's hierarchy!
In effect, by her mere presence, Master Willix generously lent her considerable credibility to the Doom Guard! This was an incredibly important boost for Ves, Gloriana, the LMC and their newly-released mech design!
With her help, the doubts and questions that the LMC expected to face did not materialize. The market largely accepted the claims made by the LMC!
Once these doubts went away, only value remained.
The mech design was already a pretty fine premium striker mech. It only got better when its glow was put into consideration!
The public not only recognized the Doom Guard's deterrence factor, but also its utility in training the resolve of friendly mech pilots!
Though no one was sure what to make of this claim, the sight of just a few dozen true warriors remaining side-by-side with an eminent Master Mech Designer was too astounding for people to ignore!
A vast amount of challengers attempted to brave the glow, but only a minute portion remained!
Every mech pilot and soldier wanted to pass this seemingly-challenging test!
Ves suggested that people could train their courage and steadfastness in the face of difficulties with the help of his new mech. As long as they frequently exposed themselves to the pressure of a Doom Guard, they would eventually be able to whet their courage and harden their resolve!
Though not everybody bought into this fantastic claim, enough far-sighted leaders and mech commanders realized the great value of this training method.
Many forces expended a huge amount of money and effort to improve their mech pilots. These methods were very demanding and led to very high attrition if pushed to their limits.
This was the only way to train elite mech pilots!
The best mech pilots not only needed to possess excellent mech piloting skills. They also had to develop a heart that knew no fear and a mind that was as strong as steel!
There were even people who were more knowledgeable than others that saw an even greater potential in the dreadful glow of the Doom Guard.
What if.. exposure to its glow could polish the willpower of a mech pilot?
This was an incredible possibility! Though high willpower did not guarantee a mech pilot's promotion to expert candidate, it was one of the most essential requirements!
No expert candidate or expert pilot possessed a brittle will! They were some of the most fearless and determined warriors of humanity!
Such exceptional individuals should never exhibit any weakness in the presence of a Doom Guard!
Once this idea passed around in certain circles, the demand for the Doom Guard exploded yet again!
A single day later, Ves and Gloriana had just finished their breakfast and entered a private lounge at the Larkinson Clan's base.
Both of them had done their best to convey the great potential of the Doom Guard. After they finished their presentation, they lingered for many hours to talk to various potential customers and dignitaries.
Though Ves hated every second of it, he recognized that it was necessary for him to talk to the various high-ranked Vesian nobles and other major customers.
Almost everyone he chatted with expressed a high amount of interest in the Doom Guard! Some customers were so convinced by the incredible value proposition of his new mech model that they ordered hundreds of copies at once!
For a mech that was priced at 2 million hex credits, this was a very significant accomplishment
The Doom Guard was 15 percent more expensive than a generic mech of the same type and performance level, which meant that the LMC successfully convinced a lot of people that it was still a good deal!
As Ves and Gloriana played and cuddled with their cats, Gavin soon arrived to present his initial report.
"How hot is our product selling?"
The brilliant smile on Gavin's face spoke it all. "It's a smashing success! Our initial orders have flooded our sales channels! In fact, we've received so many orders that it's impossible to fulfill them all in a timely fashion! Our Sales Department had to implement some limits to restrict the initial sales. We have instituted a waiting list that will stretch on for a couple of months by our estimates. We have even decided to accept no further orders until this backlog is dealt with. Even so, interest in our new product is still growing!"
"That.. is fantastic news, Benny."
"It's all thanks to you!" The assistant unabashedly praised his boss! "Describing the Doom Guard as the 'monster at your side' is a brilliant marketing tool! It succinctly described the potential danger of the Doom Guard but frames it in a more positive light!"
Ves felt an incredible amount of relief.
One of the biggest worries he had for his new product was whether he overdid its fearsome glow. He had set its strength level at a point where scarcely any person wanted to be near the machine! Even if he added an off switch to the Doom Guard, it would still be incredibly difficult to find a mech pilot who was resilient enough to pilot it in battle!
Yet despite this huge downside, he succeeded in portraying this liability as an asset!
While the downsides still remained, his customers could derive a lot of value out of them if they made creative use of them! This was one of the most important messages he tried to convey to his audience, and it seemed that the market bought it hook, line and sinker!
"How many units do you expect us to ship in the first month?"
Gavin frowned a bit. "It's difficult to form an accurate assessment, boss. We are outsourcing most of our production to a large number of third-party manufacturers spread across the star sector. We have chosen to work with most of our existing partners who are already accustomed to producing our Desolate Soldier mechs, so their reliability isn't in question."
"What's the problem, Benny?"
"According to the Production Department, there are two complications. First, it's quite challenging for the workers of the manufacturing complexes to build a mech that slowly turns an entire production hall into a no-go zone as the mech is being assembled."
This was a problem that Ves had already foreseen. The only suggestion he could offer was to establish a new and isolated production site where the Doom Guards would be assembled largely with bots and machines.
"Are the partnering mech companies willing to invest in altered production facilities?" Ves asked.
"There was a bit of doubt and foot-dragging at first, but all of that changed once you held your product reveal." Gavin grinned. "It seems you even managed to persuade all of those industrialists to commit to our new product! The mech companies all smell profit, and they are climbing over themselves to fabricate the Doom Guards on our behalf!"
"That sounds good. What is the second problem?"
"It's a bit more mundane. The manufacturers who are used to producing the cheap and simple Desolate Soldier all have to step up their game in order to fabricate the Doom Guard. Combined with the earlier issue I've mentioned, the initial yield won't look good. There will be a lot of screwups, delays and inconsistencies. Our Production Department is doing its best to guarantee the quality of the first batches of Doom Guards, but it will take months for the mech companies to sort out their issues. The Doom Guard is also a rather massive mech that demands a lot of exotics, so the supply of resources will also constrain the output to an extent."
"That's fine." Ves nodded in acknowledgement. "The Doom Guard may have become hot, but I don't expect it to sell as easily as the Desolate Soldier. You can buy three-and-half Desolate Soldiers for the price of a single Doom Guard. This price disparity isn't something that can be made up very easily."
"That's what we think as well. We expect our initial sales to amount to just 10,000 to 20,000 units in the first month. We project that it will ramp up considerably in the following months as the first reviews and actual battle reports pour in and some of the production kinks are worked out at the production sites."
"What about the profit?"
"Our financial outlook has finally turned around. As long as sales remain as good as they are, our clan and mech company will finally be bringing in more money than we are losing. The product margins of our premium mechs have always been rather compared to the industry standard, and the Doom Guard is no different. The cost to produce a copy is around 1.5 million hex credits, though the actual figure differs from state to state due to the differences in tax rates and the regional price variations of raw materials and so on. Since our new product is priced at 2 million hex credits, that means that we are earning a generous amount of profit!"
Even with all of the overhead and other miscellaneous expenses deducted from this profit, the LMC still stood to amass a huge fortune!
The profits of the Desolate Soldier paled in comparison! Even though its sales was still projected to be larger than the sales of the Doom Guard, its cheap price and inferior performance meant that the LMC didn't actually earn that much hex credits at the end of the day.
This was different! As long as the LMC was able to sustain the popularity of the Doom Guard, it wasn't impossible for Ves and the Larkinson Clan to earn enough money to acquire a second-class ship!
And this was just the start! Ves had a lot more commercial mech designs in store!
Chapter 2068 1 Trillion Hex Credits
It was difficult to fathom what it meant to sell over 50,000 Doom guards a month. This was what the Sales Department projected in the following months.
No one was sure whether it was possible to drive up the sales even further without expanding the reach of the mech company. It might even be possible for the sales volume to drop after half a year due to meeting most of the initial demand.
Unlike the more common mech types such as rifleman mechs which was always in demand, the market for striker mechs was considerably smaller in scale.
Not every mech company boasted a striker mech. Those that did only added one or two the mech roster in order to cover their bases.
It made no sense to field an entire squad or company of striker mechs!
They were similar to knight mechs in that they only showed their value in specific situations and when grouped together with other mech types.
In contrast, a rifleman mech could fit in practically any mech company. Not only that, but they could be fielded in as many numbers as needed and still be viable in combat.
All of this meant that the typical customer only ordered one or two Doom Guards at most. Their outfits didn't have any room for more, and it was financially prohibitive to buy too many premium mechs.
Under these set of circumstances, it was already good if the LMC was able to persist in selling 50,000 Doom Guards a month!
Combined with the relatively high product margins of the Doom Guard model, the money the LMC expected to earn had reached a level where even Gloriana took notice!
As soon as Gavin left to check on the initial reaction to the Doom Guard resign, Gloriana smiled and playfully rubbed Clixie's belly.
"Miaow!"
"It sounds like we'll be earning enough money to cover the upkeep of the Penitent Sisters." She began. "We can even start replacing their worn-out mechs with newer machines at this rate!"
Ves, who was idly scratching Lucky's head, let out a sigh. "Let's not be too hasty. I still have to design worthy machines for them to pilot. That will take a lot of time. In addition, we still have a lot more investments to make. Upgrading our third-class ships and mechs to their second-class equivalent requires a mountain of hex credits! In our conservative estimates, we will probably have to spend at least 300 billion hex credits! Not only that, but the most basic second-class factory ship costs at least that much money as well!"
And that was just the barebones option. If Ves wanted to amass a strong and resilient expeditionary fleet, he would have to invest at least 1 trillion hex credits!
A single successful mech model would never be able to cover this huge sum in a short amount of time!
"We can't stop here and rest on our laurels." Gloriana nodded seriously. "We have to keep designing more mechs and hope that they become successful as well. The incredible reception of our Doom Guard model and all of the publicity that we have attracted has probably opened a lot of new markets for us! Even if our subsequent products won't be as popular, we can still earn a lot of profit due to all of the places they are sold!"
Even she hadn't expected their rather problematic mech design to generate so much appeal. She was quite aware of how the mech's mediocre capacity limited its battle performance!
Her remark reflected the current strategy of the LMC. It had divorced itself from the Bright Republic and the Ylvaine Protectorate, which meant it didn't possess a primary market anymore which served as the bedrock of its sales.
Instead, the LMC dipped its toes in a lot of foreign states, some more so than others.
For example, the LMC was rapidly expanding its presence in the Sentinel Kingdom due to its large mech market and relative openness to Ves and the LMC.
In addition, the Sentinels were some of the most enthusiastic buyers of his new Doom Guard! Their effectiveness against lower-quality mech pilots meant that they would probably work well against Nyxian pirates!
A lot of activity took place. Ves tried his best to stay on top of the developments, though he left most of the decisions to Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson and the other executives of the company.
His input largely didn't matter at this point. The company was very capable of running most of its operations by itself. Ves only needed to direct his attention to the Design Department these days.
The road to accumulating 1 trillion hex credits sounded stupendously difficult. This sum amounted to 35 trillion pre-inflation bright credits!
"What an incredible sum!"
This kind of fortune far surpassed the net worth of the Tovar Family and other third-rate power players! Most noble houses in the Sentinel Kingdom weren't even capable of generating this much money!
Even in the Hexadric Hegemony, Ves would still be richer than the vast majority of Hexers!
One of the reasons that the Wodin Dynasty invested so much money in Gloriana's upbringing was the hope of earning it all back in this fashion!
"The Doom Guard is just a third-class mech design. Think of what we can do with a second-class mech design."
The standards were a lot higher, but so were the profits! A single premium Hexer mech sold for as much as 200 million hex credits! In fact, the prices often ran higher as the market put a much greater premium on its unique strengths and special features!
The road to amassing 1 trillion hex credits would be so much easier if the LMC started publishing second-class mech designs.
Still, Ves knew how important it was to make a good start. He didn't want to be too overly hasty and ruin his reputation. He needed to finish his Hexer mech design project first before he could judge whether he was good enough to compete in the big leagues!
It was safe to say that his current level of success far out-paced the standard of a Journeyman. Not even some Seniors were able to earn so much money!
It was all thanks to his design philosophy. Unlike most mech designers, Ves didn't have to worry about competition coming to eat his market share!
Those who specialized in designing better melee mechs such as Gloriana had to compete against countless other colleagues who specialized in something similar.
Someone with a more unusual design philosophy like Gloriana generally didn't face as much direct competition.
However, the more unique the design philosophy, the harder it was to realize it! Mech designers with radical ideas paid for their innovation by the increased amount of effort they had to put into their research.
Right now, Ves and Gloriana shouldn't have made as much progress as they did. Both of them subverted the normal development pattern of Journeymen due to their inherent advantages.
They were practically freaks among Journeymen. As far as the mech industry was concerned, they no longer belonged to the same species!
As the initial customers received the first batch of Doom Guards, the mech community soon knew that most of the hype was justified!
The Doom Guard was truly a monster!
This was the first time that the impulse buyers experienced the mech model's indiscriminate glow. A lot of initial purchasers started to regret their choice of buying a copy of the Doom Guard right away!
A lot of outfits didn't feature any mech pilots who were mentally resilient enough to pilot the mech! They all became far too frightened when they interfaced with the mech! They just wanted to leave the cockpit as fast as possible!
A large amount of complaints flooded the LMC, but the controversy wasn't as big as Ves feared.
There were plenty of success stories. Most notably, many of the challengers who persisted to the end and received a free silver label Doom Guard all demonstrated what they could do with their new prize!
The winners not only showed off their incredible mental fortitude, but also tested its glow in live practice sessions, to great effect!
Hardly any other mech pilot wanted to remain within the influence of the Doom Guard's maddening glow!
The hope that mech commanders would be able to train their mental strength to the point of being able to pilot one of these dreadful machines gave a lot of customers hope.
They might not be able to harness the Doom Guard right away, but as long as they used it as a training prop, their mech pilots would eventually reach the necessary standard!
"The Doom Guard is the monster at your side. As long as you master it, you can harness its power against your enemies!"
Many mech buyers harbored this hope. A lot of training programs centered around the Doom Guard's glow quickly emerged!
Even the Larkinson Clan took advantage of this application!
Commander Melkor Larkinson stood in front of the entire body of Avatars. After several months of expansion, the Avatars now numbered 400 proven mech pilots.
That wasn't all. In the last two months, the Avatars picked up a lot of prospective new members!
Right now, over 800 Avatar candidates were being put through some of the most rigorous training the Larkinon instructors devised!
Within the clan, only the Swordmaidens surpassed the Avatars in terms of training intensity!
Right now, the newly-recruited Avatars represented a lot of headaches for Commander Melkor.
Compared to the small amount of battle-hardened members who fought and lived through the Sand War, most of the new additions didn't live through the same hell.
Due to various reasons, the Larkinson Clan disproportionately favored recruiting younger people with a lot of talent. The growth potential of these new clansmen was high, but their spirit for battle was not as firm!
Adding them blindly to the battle ranks of the Avatars would only drag them all down. In order to determine which Avatar candidate had what it took to become a fully-fledged, each needed to prove their mettle in some way!
The candidates could forget about earning the acknowledgement of the veteran Avatars if they weren't able to showcase their guts!
The introduction of the Doom Guard presented a solution to this problem. Melkor had personally consulted Ves about the various properties and possible uses of the Doom Guard.
Now that the Avatars finally obtained an early copy, Melkor was practically filled with glee!
He grinned viciously at the Avatars standing at attention in front of him. The mech pilots, both veteran and prospective, each looked utterly serious as they faced their commander!
Discipline was one of the most essential traits of the Avatars! Commander Melkor expected no less when his soldiers were on duty!
"Fellow Avatars, both old and new. I am sure you have heard about the new mech our clan patriarch has designed. The Doom Guard that is standing behind me possesses the ability to separate the worthy from the unworthy. While I am certain that our old hands will be able to endure this little pressure, I am not so sure about the rookies in your midst. An Avatar has to be fearless in the face of adversity no matter the odds! Let me see whether you have what it takes to be elite!"
The Doom Guard suddenly activated. Not only that, its glow was also turned on. Soon enough, the entire assembly of Avatar mech pilots began to feel all kinds of negative sensations!
Despite being ordered to stay put, a large number of prospective Avatars couldn't take the pressure. They exited ranks and fled to the back in order to decrease their proximity to the scary Doom Guard mech!
This went on for ten minutes or so. Each second, at least one Avatar candidate lost their nerves for whatever reason. At the end of this impromptu test, only twenty percent of their group remained!
Melkor's cheeks turned red. This was an absolutely shameful result! He thought his recruiters had done a better job at identifying promising mech pilots, but it turned out that it was mostly an illusion!
The only consolation was that none of the old guard showed much more than moderate discomfort. He himself managed to bear the pressure despite standing closer to the mech than others.
Yet out of every Avatar, the reaction of Joshua Larkinson was the most noteworthy of them all! Whereas other people showed some signs of distress towards the Doom Guard, the kid actually seemed as if he couldn't wait to enter its cockpit!
Chapter 2069 Pillar of Faith
The Doom Guard became a very hot product after its entry into the regional mech markets.
The hype hadn't faded after the product reveal. In fact, much of the early feedback generated even more demand!
Those lucky enough to obtain a copy early gleefully showed off their expensive new toy while devising ways to make good use of it. Repulsive glow or not, humans always liked to overcome a challenge!
Since the LMC was closely tied to the Larkinson Clan, the Avatars, Sentinels, Swordmaidens and other forces all received a bunch of early copies.
Ves did design the Doom Guard with the aim of strengthening his clan. He didn't want his forces to fall into a passive state again when confronted by a numerically superior foe!
Soon enough, every Larkinsons mech pilot began to experience a new kind of torture!
In the name of improving their mental resilience, every active Larkinson mech pilot had to undergo special training!
Each of them were tasked with maintaining their composure within varying ranges from an active Doom Guard.
The closer they stood, the greater their performance!
Different units maintained different standards. The Avatars of Myth and the Swordmaidens set the highest bars, while the Battle Criers and the Living Sentinels weren't as strict.
That didn't mean the mech pilots of the latter two troops were all weak. Outliers and exceptions always existed. Hundreds of Living Sentinels, particularly the trueblood Larkinsons, all exhibited resolve that wasn't inferior to the standard of the Avatars!
Some of the Battle Criers showed almost no fear at all. Certain Kinners valued their loyalty and dedication to their buyer so much that they were willing to go through hell to fulfill their orders!
All in all, the introduction of the Doom Guard meant that no one was able to bluster about their courage within the clan. Everyone's true grit could finally be quantified in an objective test!
At this moment, it was too early to determine whether someone could be trained to withstand the glow.
Even Ves wasn't aware of the effectiveness of this new training method!
If it turned out to be ineffective, then the value of his Doom Guard model would instantly plummet!
Ves didn't show any concern. He expected the training to work because he already went through something similar in the past. All of the spiritual entities he made contact with had constantly exercised his mind. If the same happened to others, then they would surely become tougher in time!
Of course, the long-term effects of continuous exposure to a highly-disconcerting glow hadn't been tested yet. All kinds of maladies and side effects might emerge among the people subjected to this new form of training, but Ves didn't worry about it. In his opinion, those who failed simply weren't cut out to be warriors!
Perhaps the most surprising response to the Doom Guards didn't come from the Swordmaidens, who by far showed the most resilience against its intimidating glow.
Each and every Swordmaiden hunted fearsome exobeasts with their bare hands as their graduation ceremony! They endured a huge amount of hardships and challenges during their long training, some of which posed a considerable risk to their lives!
The women all showed their mettle with pride, standing ramrod straight in the presence of an active Doom Guard for hours!
Yet their performance was not as eye-catching as that of the True Believers!
Lately, the former Ylvainans hadn't attracted a lot of attention. They diligently integrated into the Larkinson Clan while doing their best to adapt to their altered beliefs. Their creepy custom of praying to statues of Ves notwithstanding, they had become a lot less obnoxious about pushing their beliefs onto other people!
When Ves occasionally checked up on the True Believers, he thought that they were making a sincere effort into becoming Larkinsons.
Yet no matter how well they blended in, they were still abnormal in many ways!
At this time, Melkor sent an urgent notification for Ves to come to one of the open grounds of the rented base.
Ves immediately paused his rest and exited one of the buildings. With Lucky floating at his side, he briskly walked across the base until he reached his destination.
He walked up to Melkor. "What is the matter?"
The visored commander waved his hand to the neat ranks of clansmen sitting calmly in front of an active Doom Guard. "Look at their performance."
When Ves studied the crowd, he was shocked at what he saw! Thousands of clansmen from various groups had gathered together to whet their minds and spirits against the Doom Guard!
It wasn't only the amount of people that stood out. It was the variety of the color of their uniforms that stood out!
Far more than just mech pilots and support personnel resisted the pressure of the Doom Guard. Ves even spotted plenty of civilians wearing the blue-and-white uniforms of the LMC and the red-and-white uniforms belonging to ordinary clansmen!
As Ves narrowed his eyes, his implant-enhanced vision soon picked out the figure facing the crowd!
"James! What is this clone up to now?!"
"It appears he is teaching his followers how to withstand the glow of the Doom Guard. Have you noticed how well they are able to resist the glow?"
Now that Melkor mentioned it, the former Ylvainans held up remarkably well! While he expected the elite Kronons among them to show at least that much resolve, the huge crowd encompassed more than highly-trained mech pilots!
As Ves carefully scanned the crowd, he noticed plenty of mothers, grandparents, teenagers and even children!
Though the weakest among them had been placed in the rear of the procession, they still exhibited a remarkable degree of resistance!
"This.. how?" Ves asked in confusion.
"I've been studying them for an hour, and I can't really say." Melkor shrugged. "The best I can come up with is that the Ylvainans are depending on their fanaticism to stave off the Doom Guard's glow. I think they are hypnotizing themselves into believing that the Great Prophet or the Bright Martyr will shield them from adversity!"
The mere mention of the word 'Bright Martyr' elicited a cough from Ves!
"I have nothing to do with this admittedly-impressive spectacle!"
"Regardless, it is very odd that thousands of True Believers can collectively perform better than my Avatars! There are seven-year olds in that crowd who are doing better than some of my boys! It doesn't make any sense!"
"Faith never abides by logic." Ves shook his head.
He began to grow curious how the True Believers were able to fare so well. He activated his spiritual vision and tried to see what happened on a spiritual level.
He didn't learn as much as he expected. He could see the ripples and lively aura of the Doom Guard spreading out in every direction.
When they washed over their minds, the glow should have exerted some effects on them. It was very hard for norms to muster up an active defense against this strange influence.
Yet somehow, the former Ylvainans managed to do so. When Ves peered very closely at them, he saw that they were all locked in prayer. Their minds were fully concentrated in the beliefs they regarded as truth!
In essence, they were truly using their faith as a shield against the unknown!
During all this time, James Ylvaine-Larkinson, which unfortunately happened to be his new name, continually preached to his flock!
"...Our advent approaches! We must all prepare for our future ascension and ready ourselves to transcend to a higher state! Do not regard the life locked within this red mech as threats! Hostile while they may be, they are hardly the menace they appear to be! Just in my prophecies and put your faith into the benevolence of the Bright Martyr! He did not design this mech to doom us all, but instead warn us about the dangers that we might face! If you are able to resist an evil god while you are still mortal, then you shall become unparalleled when you are finally elevated into godhood!"
Ves really couldn't stand this superstition anymore. He left Melkor's side and stormed over to James.
The crowd soon noticed his presence and looked awed! They deferentially bowed at him while parting to form an unobstructed path to the front!
Scowling even further, Ves sped up until he finally reached the Living Proophet!
"What the hell do you think you are doing?!" He hissed.
James displayed his charismatic smile at Ves. "I am instructing your sheep on how to resist the wolves that are preying on their souls."
"How the hell are they resisting the Doom Guard so well?!"
Ves looked up at the active Doom Guard that was pumping its glow at full blast! Even Ves experienced some discomfort at this close distance!
"We have faith."
"...That's all? Can't you be more specific?"
"It is difficult to explain the profundity of our faith and conviction to someone unfamiliar with them." James casually raised his palms. "For centuries, our people have leaned on our faith to stave off nihilism, depression, shipboard isolation and a host of negative conditions. Since they were young, my followers have built a pillar of faith in their minds! It is this pillar which sustains us against the storms and winds of life!"
Ves did not look amused. It all sounded like nonsense to him! He thoroughly inspected the minds of the Ylvainans and didn't see anything that resembled a pillar or unusual spiritual construct!
There was no way that something as nebulous as 'faith' could make people immune against the glow of his mechs!
According to the initial reports, the Doom Guard's fearsome glow proved to be effective on both secularists and believers!
There had to be something more about the Ylvainans. Ves narrowed his eyes at James. "Cut the crap, please. Just tell me directly. How can our followers resist the glow of my Doom Guard design?"
James composed himself and looked at Ves in the eye with an incredible solemn expression.
"The answer is simple. Faith."
"...Okay. That's enough crazy for me one day."
Ves simply gave up and walked away. He really didn't have the patience to deal with the antics of a bunch of cultists. The only way he would be able to interact with them normally was if he dumped his logic!
He returned to Melkor. The two subsequently left the grounds after Ves jerked his head away.
"So.. did you figure out what was going on?" The Avatar Commander asked.
"Nope. These Ylvainans continue to confound me." Ves grumbled. "I'm not sure how they are doing it, but.. maybe it is not a bad thing that they are able to resist the Doom Guard to such an extent. I think we can use this remarkable property of theirs…"
As Ves and Melkor started to swap ideas, the Living Prophet watched the two trueblood Larkinson walking away with a gentle smile.
He swept his eyes over the thousands of the True Believers who were sitting calmly on the ground. Despite the discordant air, everyone felt as if they were praying in a church!
Melkor wasn't the only clansmen who noticed the remarkable performance of the True Believers. A growing crowd of onlookers started to gather in the vicinity. They all gawked at the seemingly-comfortable Ylvainans with incredulity!
Some of the more curious clansmen walked closer. James smiled wider and left his spot at the front to approach these curious new Larkinsons.
"Hello there, clansmen. What brings you here?" James asked in his smooth and attractive voice.
"How come you are all so strong?" One of them asked.
"Could you teach us how to withstand the glow?" An off-duty Avatar suddenly begged. "The Avatar Commander has threatened to kick me out if I can't get close enough to a Doom Guard!"
The smile on the Living Prophet's face grew warmer. "Why certainly. We are all Larkinsons. We are all kin to each other. My secrets are yours. Simply listen to my words and you shall fear no longer."
The group of clansmen all looked hopeful!
Chapter 2070 Expensive Girl
As the new Doom Guard model rapidly rose to prominence, Master Moira Willix quietly left the Cinach System.
There was nothing at Cinach that interested her any further. The Ubiquitous Force simply generated a portal and zipped straight back to Centerpoint without any notification.
Ves was extremely glad to see her gone. He had felt a bit constrained ever since she arrived. With the MTA frigate looming over Cinach VI, he felt constrained in many ways.
He knew quite well that an advanced MTA warship not only possessed formidable weapons and near-impervious armor, but also amazing scanning and observation capabilities!
Sure, anyone could easily detect a powerful active scan that peered straight through kilometers of soil and structures. However, Ves suspected that the MTA developed plenty of ways to spy on people without eliciting their notice!
He wasn't sure whether the Ubiquitous Force possessed such means or if she even activated it while she orbited about Cinach VI.
Just to be sure, Ves tried to act as normal as possible. He spent a lot of time discussing regular business topics with Gavin and Raymond. He also refrained from interacting with any spiritual entities or engaging in spiritual manipulation. He also kept himself as far away from the vault as possible, hoping that all of the sensor-blocking materials built around it provided at least some measure of resistance against powerful passive scanning.
Still, he was very glad for the ship to be finally gone. With no one powerful enough remaining in the Cinach System, he finally transmitted a signal that caused a single vessel to return.
Soon enough, the ship that went on an unknown errant landed at the base rented by the Larkinson Clan. A number of Vandals including Captain Rosa Orfan-Larkinson exited from the vessel.
Aside from shipping in a couple of rare trade goods, the Vandals also brought a very special container.
The large container was the size of a room and had to be lifted to the Scarlet Rose that was parked a small distance ahead.
As soon as the container reached its final destination, Ves calmly went about his day. He waited all the way until he finished his work before paying a visit to his personal ship.
Along the way, he invited Major Verle-Larkinson and Dr. Ranya Wodin of all people.
They gathered inside an enclosed and isolated chamber within the vessel's mech workshop. It was one of the most secure and bug-free places on the Scarlet Rose other than Compartment G-13.
After passing on a command, Lucky diligently scoured around the compartment and tried to sniff out any errant spy bugs and microscopic observation equipment that had made its way inside.
Meanwhile, Ves calmly received the Larkinson Mandate from Nitaa. The book thrummed with warmth, bringing a smile to his face.
He turned to Major Verle, who stood right next to the container. It actually resembled a prison cell of sorts by how thick and strong it looked.
Ves had cobbled it up himself some time ago! It not only consisted of thick and highly-resilient Breyer alloy, but also contained layers of sensor-blocking and sensor-dampening materials that he bought from various material suppliers on Cinach VI.
The big advantage of staying on an industrial hub planet was the large availability of raw materials! Resource providers throughout the Sentinel Kingdom and beyond all funneled valuable ores and processed metals to Cinach VI without pause!
"Are you ready?"
The major and newly-appointed mech coordinator nodded. "I have brought my codes and keys. When Rosa retrieved the package, she reported no signs of intrusions or tampering. No one should have touched it while it remained hidden."
"Good." Ves nodded at Verle before turning to Ranya, who slowly understood that something very significant was taking place. "Doctor, I've invited you here for a reason. I have recently come into the possession of something of incredible value."
"What is it?" She asked.
"I can't tell you exactly." He responded slowly. "Suffice to say, it is something extremely valuable, and it is more related to your profession than mine. The object that is hidden inside this container is of such great value that it is easily more valuable than all of the ships of the Larkinson Clan and the Penitent Sisters put together!"
Ranya widened her eyes. Though she used to believe in the absolute superiority of Hexers, now that she was perennially begging for money, she no longer dismissed the worth of Ves and the Larkinsons any longer.
Gloriana didn't hitch her wagon onto Ves for nothing!
Aside from that, even Ranya knew that the Penitent Sisters made use of some very valuable hardware! If she could sell them all off and use the proceeds to fund her research, she'd be able to make some incredible gains in the next few years!
She grew curious at what was stored inside, but the situation in this enclosed compartment made her feel a little apprehensive.
"If you don't want to tell me, why am I here?"
Ves stretched out his hand. "I need your help. You are the best biotech expert in my orbit. While there are plenty of adopted Larkinsons in my fleet who are exobiologists and geneticists, their qualifications pale in comparison to yours. It is troublesome for me to obtain the services of someone like you. Before I search for someone suited to research what I've obtained, I thought I might as well invite you first. Would you like to study what's inside?"
Dr. Ranya frowned. "You're not being very clear with me. I can't even determine whether the valuable sample you are talking about even falls within my research field. Mind you, I'm a specialist in plant-based organisms. I'm not an all-knowing biotech expert."
"Even if you aren't well-versed in this specific topic, I'm sure you can learn what you need. With the success of the Doom Guard, I have much more leeway now. Whatever you need, I can buy it for you as long as your requests are within reason."
That sounded very attractive to the Wodin, but that only caused her to grow more reluctant.
She had learned a very important lesson while she was staying with the Larkinson Clan.
Nothing came for free!
"What do you really want from me?" She crossed her arms. "Gloriana told me that you offer favors to someone without getting something in return. I also don't believe you would let me access something that is purportedly more valuable than all of your tangible assets put together!"
Well, she was certainly clever, Ves supposed.
He held out the book in his hands. "You're right. The truth is that I require some.. guarantees. What I have just obtained is of extreme value, which means that I'll attract a lot of unwelcome attention should the news leak out. I can't afford you opening your mouth to anyone, including Gloriana or your relatives back in the Hegemony. This is of extreme importance to me, and I cannot trust you to remain discrete if you are not a part of the Larkinson Clan!"
She widened her eyes. "You… you want me to become a Larkinson? Are you serious?"
She was an honored descendant of the Wodins! While her dynasty was subordinate to the Evern Matriarchal Dynasty, she was still a part of one of the ruling powers of a mighty second-rate state!
To pledge herself to an upstart clan with third-class origins made no sense! Even if Ves and Gloriana were able to sustain their current growth trajectory, she did not believe she shared much in common with the Larkinsons!
They were a clan which treated boys as men! As a Hexer, she still couldn't accept this false notion!
Ves understood that his offer didn't sound very attractive to Ranya, but he wasn't done yet.
"You've been with us for a while. You have received sufficient funding to keep yourself busy, right? Has the Wodin Dynasty ever given you the same regard? How well did your own dynasty treat you? Have they ever given you as much money as I did in these past few months?"
"The Wodins raised me!" She defiantly placed her hands on her hips. "I may not belong to a prominent branch, but that doesn't mean I'm worse off than most Hexers!"
"Yet the fact remains that the Wodins don't seem to see any promise in your work. With their means, they can easily hire a team of senior professors to research a new product or something. It will take decades, if not centuries for you to reach the level where you can actually provide more value to your dynasty."
"And you're different?"
"Our clan is not as good in obtaining talent, at least for now. While I'm confident that we'll be able to surpass a local dynasty like yours in the future, I need someone of your capabilities today. All I need is for you to pledge your loyalty to the Larkinson Clan. You may still call yourself a Wodin, but I expect you to put the needs of the clan first."
This was a very serious demand, one that would affect Ranya's life in a permanent fashion!
She knew that she would instantly become something of a pariah if she became a part of a clan that wasn't ruled by a woman! She could effectively kiss her future in the Hegemony goodbye!
Yet.. was that really so bad?
Ves studied the Hexer carefully and smiled. "Think about it. While I admit that the Wodin Dynasty is large, it has pretty much remained stagnant after it gained control over the Scimitar System. Our clan may be smaller, but our growth trajectory is unconstrained. You have seen how well the market has received the Doom Guard that your cousin and I designed! The amount of money we are able to earn will keep growing over time. I can easily afford to expand your budget every year so long as you provide me with good results."
"I'm an expensive girl." Ranya defiantly remarked. "Just like Gloriana and you, I have very big ambitions!"
"2 billion hex credits."
"Pardon?"
"As long as you sincerely join the Larkinson Clan, I will immediately increase your annual budget to 2 billion hex credits." Ves continued. "You have almost complete discretion on how to spend this money. You can purchase any advanced lab equipment you want or you can spend it all on rare lifeforms. In fact, this is just the start. As long as the LMC earns more money, there will always be room to expand your budget!"
The sum of money that Ves mentioned temporarily stunned Ranya. Even in the Hexadric Hegemony, hardly any researcher could play with that much money! If she followed a regular career trajectory in the Hegemony, then she would have to join a company and start off as a junior researcher while earning less than a million hex credits a year.
To a young graduate like her, obtaining 2 billion hex credits at once was a massive windfall! She could research the integration of various exoplants with the human physique to a much greater degree, especially if she could get her hands on some of the astounding exoplants she observed at the Peacekeeper trading halls!
She knew that she would never be able to obtain such a generous budget back at home. The Wodins may be wealthy, but ordinary descendants like her were a dime in a dozen in the dynasty!
From an objective standpoint, she stood to gain much more benefits if she attached herself to the Larkinson Clan.
Just like how Gloriana unhesitantly inserted herself into Ves' life, perhaps it might not be bad for her to follow suit!
"What.. do I need to do?" She cautiously asked.
Ves smiled wider. "Just put your hand on this book and make an oath. Once you commit, you'll become family to me. I have great plans in store for my clan, and your role is indispensable to some of them. A magnificent future awaits."
Ranya placed her palm on the cover of the book and felt a sensation that warmed her heart like nothing else!
Chapter 2071 Swirling Substance
Ranya Wodin's induction into the clan did not proceed smoothly.
Her pride as a Hexer and a member of the Wodin Dynasty caused her to be very reluctant to push those identities to the side.
While she would still be both, the Larkinson Clan demanded primacy. A clansmen was not allowed to put the interests of another state or organization above the interests of the clan! This was one of the primary rules that Ves had inserted in the pages of the Larkinson Mandate from the very start!
Ves abhorred double loyalties, especially when someone's loyalty to an enemy or rival power exceeded the loyalty to himself and the clan! He explicitly created and empowered the Larkinson Mandate to stifle the activities of any hostile spies, informants, traitors and saboteurs!
While the Wodin Dynasty wasn't hostile to the Larkinson Clan, it was its own separate entity that primarily looked out for its own interests. As long as their relationship remained this way, there was no way Ves could trust a Wodin like Ranya to an intimate degree!
The initial reluctance that Ranya displayed showed that it was difficult for her to shift her mentality. The oath failed to take effect as the Golden Cat inside the Larkinson Mandate sensed that the Wodin was still unwilling.
"Is it done?"
Ves shook his head. "No. Just saying the words is not enough. You need to mean it! I advise you to not hold any duplicitous thoughts. Whatever intentions you harbor, as long as they disadvantage our clan in any way, you can forget about becoming a part of us. When you become a Larkinson, you need to surrender to us in heart and mind! My book can tell if you are not sincere!"
Though Ranya was rather skeptical of his claim, she did observe a lot of weird behavior from the clansmen for some time. Each of them, both trueblood and adopted, exhibited a remarkable high degree of cohesion!
If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that Ves managed to drug or brainwash them somehow!
Perhaps the only reason she didn't freak out was because she extensively checked the health of many Larkinsons throughout the past months. None of the clansmen exhibited any traces of illicit handling.
Even if the Larkinson Clan did employ those means, Ranya was confident she could defeat them all! Aside from the standard anti-brainwashing augmentations she received as a Wodin, she also upgraded her body further with her own self-developed florbased augmentations! Her green, leafy hair wasn't the only weird part about her altered physique!
"Let me try again." She composed herself.
"Open your heart. Let down your guard. Embrace the Larkinson Clan."
Once Ranya relaxed, she successfully managed to become a Larkinson!
Ves saw with his spiritual vision that the Golden Cat finally approved of her. The ancestral spirit generated a new spiritual bond with the Hexer with some difficulty.
It seemed that Ranya still harbored some other thoughts, but Ves didn't worry about that very much.
Once her mind hooked up to the Larkinson Network, she experienced a faint sensation that she gained access to something profound!
Her eyes widened as her insufficiently-spiritual mind tried and largely failed to parse the magnificence of a spiritual network filled with Larkinsons!
Not only that, but the warmth emanating from the Golden Cat felt a lot warmer and more significant to her! Once she considered herself a Larkinson, she experienced a kind of affection that she rarely felt in the cold and competitive confines of the Wodin Dynasty.
The Larkinsons prided themselves on their focus on family and fellowship! Within the clan, no Larkinson felt alone! Even if they were by themselves, they could always a hint of the collective they were a part of through their connection to the Larkinson Network!
Ves smiled as he felt an unusual sense of intimacy towards the Hexer. This was one of the many changes the new connection brought!
Through all of these subtle mental and spiritual influences, Ranya would slowly come to appreciate the Larkinson Clan even more. Ves predicted that she would gradually grow cooler towards her previous affiliations.
Being a part of a group with a spiritual network was vastly different from one that lacked such a magical benefit!
"Do you feel it?" Ves asked. "Can you sense the bond you share with your fellow kin?"
"This.. this is impossible! How can a mere oath induce such drastic effects!" She gasped.
She stared wide-eyed at Ves, Lucky, Nitaa and Major Verle! Each of them were part of the Larkinson Network as well. This caused her to feel the urge to treat them with a much closer degree of closeness than before!
It was as if they were akin to some of the closer Wodin relatives back in the Hegemony!
And that wasn't all! When she laid her eyes on the book she just withdrew her hand from, it somehow seemed to radiate a sense of belonging and worship that she had never experienced before!
As an exobiologist, she was a bit more aware that such strange emotional reactions was anything but normal!
"This book.."
"The Larkinson Mandate is the ancestral heirloom of the Larkinson Clan." Ves stated with pride. "It is the heart of our clan. As long as this book exists, our clan will never be extinguished!"
It took some time for her to regain her composure. Though she was still in shock, this was not the time to explore these inexplicable new sensations.
"I guess I'm a Larkinson now." She said in a helpless tone.
"Ranya Wodin-Larkinson." Ves recited her new name. "As a member of our clan, you are now qualified to get in touch with some of our closest secrets. However, that doesn't mean you can pass on what you know to any random clansman. Please keep what we are about to unveil to yourself. Don't tell ANYONE about this, not even my girlfriend, understood?"
"I understand." Ranya nodded seriously.
Her curiosity towards the mysterious object inside the armored container had grown. For Ves to go through all of this effort to rope her into the clan meant that it must truly be remarkable!
Once Ves obtained the necessary guarantees, he turned to the armed container and began to unlock it. As a cage built by himself, he implemented all kinds of advanced locking mechanisms.
It took a fair amount of time to disengage all of the locks. The armored container basically consisted of more than a dozen different layers, each with their separate locks!
By the time he passed through all of the barriers, he entered a very cramped compartment where a single box rested in the middle. It was held in place by a lot of cushioning and buffer materials.
It took several minutes to disentangle the head-sized metal box from all of those bonds. Once Ves finally pulled it away, he brought it out of the container before placing it on a table that had been brought into the enclosed compartment.
"You're up, Verle."
As the major began to utilize his codes and keys to disengage the locks of the box, Ves activated his signal jammer and checked to make sure it was working properly.
Ranya in the meantime observed all of the precautions with an increasing sense of foreboding.
"It's done." The major said. "Are you ready, Ves?"
"Open it." Ves commanded. "I never did manage to catch a glimpse of it when your men initially retrieved it from the Starlight Megalodon."
After a small pause, Major Verle finally lifted open the lid. Inside the protective confines rested a single vial.
Ves held his breath as his gaze landed on the high-quality transparent vial. He failed to identify the material, but whatever it was made of could probably resist the direct attack from a mech!
He soon peered through the surface material and observed the liquid substance contained within.
It was like an ocean in a bottle.
The liquid within was luminescent. It radiated a teal light that added a grand sense of mystique to the substance. Not only that, but it also swirled and moved as if it never rested!
"This!" Ranya practically shouted! "This can't be! How can you possibly obtain a dose life-prolonging treatment serum?! And this light.. this is not an entry-level serum."
"Correct." Ves grinned as his eyes lovingly studied the precious vial. "This serum is the key requirement to the third round of life-prolonging treatments! I didn't like when I said this vial is of incredible worth!"
Ranya was truly shocked! Such a vial should never fall into the hands of someone like Ves! It was simply impossible for him to be rich and powerful enough to redeem one from the MTA!
"Where did you get it?! What's its providence!?"
Ves looked at Major Verle, who briefly explained the Aeon Corona Mission.
"You looted it from a derelict CFA battleship?!"
"It's more than three-hundred years old?!"
Though Verle skipped a lot of details, what little he revealed already blew Ranya's mind! The story he recited sounded straight out of an action drama!
She grew incredibly serious all of a sudden. When she understood that the serum came from the CFA, she became less sure that it was some sort of counterfeit.
Selling 'smuggled' life-prolonging treatment serums was one of the oldest scams in the galaxy. As the key to extending their material existences, an incredible amount of elder people were willing to sacrifice everything they owned in order to stave off their deaths for another century!
When people became this desperate, they became very susceptible to ill-intentioned scammers looking to rip them off!
Yet the extreme quality of the vial alone along with the unique activity exhibited by its contents were both signs that the serum might be authentic.
She didn't know how to respond if that was the case.
"What do you require of me?" She asked in a shivering voice. Hardly any of her pride as a Hexer remained intact at this moment! "While I am confident of my research abilities, a serum of this grade is so ridiculously beyond my competences that I am afraid I might ruin its efficacy!"
Ves frowned a bit. "I want you to study it as carefully as possible. I want you to confirm it is exactly what we think. I also want you to explore the possible ways to utilize this dose to extend someone's lifespan."
"Impossible!" She immediately declared. "The study on how to extend a human's life and how to perform the treatments is exclusive to the Big Two! Only themselves or the people they have authorized to learn this restricted field are permitted to work with such a valuable serum! In addition, the higher grades of serum are much more difficult to work with, especially on a patient that is already of an advanced age! You need true specialists to make proper use of such a valuable substance!"
In other words, it simply wasn't possible for Ranya to be able to perform such a complex, high-level treatment on someone.
Ves looked disappointed. Did he rope her into the Larkinson Clan for nothing?
"Can you at least study the contents of the vial and tell me if it's the real deal?"
"I don't know." She frowned. If you would allow me to obtain a minute sample and perform some field research, I can tell you more."
This was a heavy request, but not an unacceptable one. After Ves weighed the pros and cons, he decided to extend some of his trust to the latest member of the Larkinson Clan
The vial came with a high-tech stopper that was able to extract a precise quantity of substances.
Ranya expertedly manipulated the advanced mechanism until a drop the size of a bacteria entered the chamber of the bioscanner she carried on her person.
Though the handheld scanner wasn't very powerful or sophisticated, it was enough for her to obtain some preliminary results.
In the meantime, Ves sensed something strange when Ranya extracted the tiny drop of serum.
He narrowed his eyes and picked up the vial. He lifted it close to his eyes and studied the inexplicably harmonious swirls of the glowing liquid.
On a hunch, Ves extended his spiritual senses.
Though he didn't sense anything at first, he tried to penetrate deeper. Once he powered through, he managed to come in touch with something absolutely astonishing!
He came in touch with something that contained the vibrancy of life!
"Ahhh!"
He immediately retracted his senses as the concentration and magnitude of life that was locked inside the serum surpassed his tolerance! It was as if he had flown too close to the sun!
The pain didn't bother him. He was too shocked at what he discovered back then. He never expected the life-prolonging treatment serum to contain such a humongous spiritual component!
"What!?" Ranya suddenly uttered in shock yet again!
"What is it, doctor!"
"This serum is partially made out of organic exoplant tissue! What little I have learned has already opened up my mind!"
Ves suddenly recalled something relevant.
The Five Scrolls Compact originally invented the treatment!
Chapter 2072 Research Material
The observations made by Ves and Ranya had shocked their entire views! Both descended into a silent stupor as their minds went into overdrive to parse the incredible discoveries they made.
Major Verle looked at them both with a perplexed expression.
"Nerds." He muttered. "As soon as they see something shiny, they get all lost."
As a former command officer, he had encountered sights like these before. He knew that there was no way of getting the two back in a short amount of time.
Right now, Ves and Ranya were fully consumed by the incredible insights they harvested from their brief observation!
Both of them realized that the serum was substantially different from what they imagined!
Not only that, but whatever they saw in it related very much to their respective interests!
Though Ves expected the serum to rock Ranya's boat, he never expected that his design philosophy and spiritual mastery possessed any relation to this highly-advanced product!
He held the vial with an amazed sense of wonder and began to extend his spiritual senses once again.
This time, he approached his inspection with much more care. He didn't barge his senses into the vial this time, but merely approached the edge and tried to get a faint impression of the majesty contained within.
After a bit of fumbling and exploration, he managed to gain a sense of the potent energy locked within.
He had never seen such a high concentration of spiritual energy in his life! This small vial contained enough energy to wipe out his Spirituality in an instant! There was simply no comparison!
That wasn't all. Aside from the extremely dense compression of spiritual energy, its spiritual attributes were remarkably similar.
"It's practically filled with life!"
The spiritual attributes all related to life in so many subtle varieties that Ves couldn't even tell what made them special. He had thought that life was rather simple and absolute, but the truth he saw within the vial made him realize that life came in vastly more forms than he conceived!
Though Ves wasn't able to inspect any of the life-related attributes in detail, he tried his best to sample the flavors from the periphery.
After some time, he roughly determined a few details.
First, the spiritual energy contained within the serum consisted completely of life attributes. No other attributes such as those related to mechs or perfections ruined its purity!
Second, the spiritual energy consisted of at least a hundred spiritual attributes! Each different attribute brought something different to the table while still remaining highly compatible with the other attributes!
It was like creating blended whiskey out of a large number of single malt whiskeys.
The goal was to achieve a balance where the resulting taste of the drink was substantially better.
What the creators of this serum had accomplished was roughly similar, but on a much grander scale!
Ves recognized the spiritual component inside the vial as a supreme application of spiritual engineering that could scarcely be accomplished on the fly!
To blend so many different spiritual attributes in such precise proportions and make them coexist and even interact with each other.
The result was a product of spiritual engineering that fueled all kinds of strange and unknown reactions!
As he continued to study the mysterious patterns of spiritual energy, he made a couple of guesses.
Perhaps the attributes kept the energy level of the serum constant.
Perhaps the attributes kept the spiritual energy compressed.
Above all, Ves was certain that they were essential to the mysterious processes that enabled a human to prolong their lives!
Ves made a very daring hypothesis. To extend someone's lifespan, it wasn't enough to upgrade their bodies.
They also needed to upgrade their spirits!
Why else would life-prolonging treatment serum contain such a high concentration of spiritual energy?
In a galaxy that was largely devoid of it, there was no way the MTA and CFA was able to generate it as easily as conventional energy!
Ves realized that he had come into contact with an unimaginably sensitive secret.
The life-prolonging treatment serum that originated from the CFA possessed an undeniable connection to the Five Scrolls Compact!
As the masters of biotechnology and spirituality in human space, the enormous cult had supposedly invented the treatments in the first place. The nature of the vial strongly hinted that this claim was true!
He never expected the serum to be a product of spiritual engineering as well as pharmaceutical engineering.
He always assumed that it was just a simple application of high technology. Even if the Big Two stole the technology from the Compact, they must have surely innovated it further until they incorporated their own methods!
"Maybe a lot has changed over the past three centuries." He whispered.
It had to be said that this serum was technically an outdated product. Three centuries was enough time for the best biotech researchers of the Big Two to make huge strides in developing better serums. Perhaps the third-round serum offered by the Rim Guardians in exchange for an astronomical amount of merits shared no resemblance to the older version that Ves held in the palm of his hands!
However, the fact that these serums seemed to depend so much on such an extreme concentration of life-attributed spiritual energy said otherwise.
The people who created these serums wouldn't add something so incredible if it wasn't needed!
The ultimate conclusion that Ves could make from this observation was something he could hardly wrap his mind around.
The serum was alive.
Yes. Though the extreme concentration of spiritual energy didn't resemble anything that Ves had seen before, he made enough contact with it to realize that it wasn't as inert as regular spiritual energy.
In a spiritual sense, Ves could quite confidently state that the serum was alive! Not only that, but the vitality it bore was of such a high strength that it handedly overpowered the life he infused in every single mech design to date!
"This substance is alive!"
"What?!" Ves turned to Dr. Ranya. "What did you say?!"
Her astonished eyes looked up the projected readout of her handheld scanner. "It's unlike anything I've seen before. This serum is not an ordinary medicine. It's.. organic..and alive, in a sense. It contains at least some of the characteristics that are ascribed to life."
"Such as..?"
"There are signs pointing to the presence of growth, reproduction, homeostasis, metabolism and more. This serum is made up of a large amount of tiny organic and inorganic particles, all of which temporarily combine into greater structures that act akin to cells and even organs!"
"What does that all mean?" Ves frowned. "Does that mean you can cultivate more of it out of this sample?"
She immediately shook her head. "Perhaps it's possible, and perhaps that is how this serum was originally made, but it is far from simple. At the very least, it's impossible for us to obtain all of the high-grade ingredients needed to produce more!"
"Ah."
It was a futile notion anyway. There was no way a substance as rare and precious as this could be reproduced in some kind of cheap lab!
"Did you learn anything else from your scans?"
She nodded obsessively. "I have detected the traces of many interesting organic compounds, most if not all of them come from plants! Even if I'll never be able to unlock the secrets to reproducing this serum, I can still derive a huge amount of insights by studying the nature and interaction of these organic compounds!"
"What use would that be? If you can't make more serum, then what is the point?"
"You don't know anything!" She huffed in a similar manner as Gloriana. "There are too many applications to count. If I can decipher the operation of even one of the sublime organic processes that take place within the serum, I can develop all kinds of florbased augmentations! Don't forget that life-prolonging treatment serum is not something that is meant to exist by itself. The life contained within that vial is designed to blend with a human body!"
That statement was far more literal than Ranya realized. The serum was literally infused with the energies of life!
As Ves considered what he learned, he began to feel a bit troubled. He intuitively guessed that studying the serum on a spiritual level would allow him to make substantial gains in his understanding of spiritual engineering.
While he wasn't delusional enough to think he'd be able to reproduce such a valuable substance, he believed he was in the same situation as the Wodin doctor.
As long as he managed to figure out one of the many complex operations of this living concentration of spiritual energy, he could apply what he learned in all kinds of ways!
To the both of them, the vial contained the secrets of life.
If the serum was a book, most of its contents were incomprehensible to them. However, as long as they studied it extensively enough, they might be able to decipher some portions of a single page!
Though Ves realized the incredible gains that he could make, he forcefully drew himself back.
He was a mech designer. Only someone like Dr. Jutland would feel passionate about studying the intricacies of the serum!
As for Ves, his passion always lay in mechs. His design philosophy reflected this undeniable truth. His design seed wasn't only based around the attributes of life, but also the attributes of mechs!
Though the processes surrounding the life-prolonging treatment serum held an undeniable attraction to him, he severely doubted whether any of the insights he could gain was relevant to his profession.
If it didn't improve his ability to design mechs, why should he waste his time on studying so arcane?
Researching this vial might even distort his design philosophy and lead him astray!
This was what Ves feared the most. Right now, he believed in his design philosophy, and was determined to carry it forth!
"Hmm…" He slowly and reverently placed the vial back into the box. "I'll be keeping this serum safe and secure."
"You can't!" Dr. Ranya grew desperate! "I need it! Please, Mr. Larkinson! I can figure out so many high-level operations if I can study it for a year, no, a decade!"
Ves sighed and shook his head. "Didn't you extract a tiny sample? You can study it in your free time as long as you make sure you keep it confidential. In fact, hand over that scanner to me. I'll keep it with me until we build a secure biolab on this ship."
"No! That's too onerous!"
Ves did not budge on this matter. The Scarlet Rose was currently the most secure location to study the serum. Not even Ranya's own starship was as secure! Who knew how many backdoors the Wodin Dynasty built into the Frozen Leaf!
No matter how much Ranya pleaded, the power dynamic between them had reversed.
She was no longer a superior Hexer imposing her will on a boy from a lesser state.
Ves had become the patriarch of a rapidly-growing clan, while Ranya was merely a newly-adopted member of the same organization!
Aside from that, Ves had already gained far too much prominence to be considered inferior by someone of her stature.
All of this meant that all of the female supremacy instilled by her upbringing in the Hegemony had no effect anymore!
"I'll tell Gloriana!" She finally huffed!
"You agreed to keep the serum a secret." Ves shot back. "I told you that you are not allowed to pass it on to my girlfriend. Will you break your oath?"
As soon as the thought came to mind, Ranya suddenly grew uncomfortable! A sense of threat and guilt suffused her mind!
The strange part of it all was that the threat she sensed didn't come from the clan patriarch.
Instead, she felt as if it came from the book he held!
"I.. understand. My apologies. I will guard this secret."
The sense of threat subsided as soon as she said those words.
"Good." He nodded and peered at her carefully. "It isn't enough to keep your mouth shut. Don't act sloppy and write any notes that others can easily hack into or something. The entire point of building a new biolab here is because we have to ensure that every single tool you use to study this serum won't act as a source of propagation to unknown parties! Now give me that bioscanner so that I can secure the sample and feed the device to Lucky."
"Meow?"
Chapter 2073 Interconnected Industries
Conflict was eternal in the galaxy. Space was vast and covered such stupendous distances that hardly any authority possessed the ability to exert absolute order in their territories.
In general, only well-developed star systems with populations surpassing a billion residents featured decent patrols.
The less populous star systems and the ones devoid of any people featured much worse security conditions.
As a result, the starships traversing the stars constantly faced the risk of attacks.
In the current age, trading companies saturated the logistics industry. Hardly any planet or star system were self-sufficient these days. It was too difficult to cover every possible need when there were specialized trading partners who could cover the same need better at a substantially cheaper price!
Rural planets provided food and raw materials. Industrial planets converted raw materials into finished products. Highly populated planets consumed goods en masse.
Though the actual roles of planets were considerably more complicated and mixed than described, this simple classification was sufficient to describe the majority of trade that took place in a given region of space.
In the current day and age, trade was the glue that held billions of populated star systems together.
If trade across the entirety of human space collapsed one day, it was not an exaggeration to say that humanity might go extinct shortly afterwards!
At the very least, the prosperity and development of the human race as a whole would definitely degenerate to levels not seen in many millenia!
Trade was as essential to human civilization as blood in the human body.
Where there was money, crime quickly followed.
Though trade was ubiquitous, it was largely a slow and steady way of earning money. The profit margin was never very exciting.
Instead of earning a small profit from conducting a lot of trades, why not just steal the cargo and sell it at a much higher margin?
Unlike the company who purchased the goods, the pirates who absconded with the goods didn't have to invest any money to obtain their riches!
There were always people who possessed crooked minds. They saw the advantages of robbing trade ships and didn't hesitate to go pirate to earn a much greater fortune than they ever could in a legal society!
Of course, the dynamics of piracy was never so simple.
To obtain their ill-gotten goods, the pirates had to pay for them in other ways.
Most notably, their lives.
Piracy was a high-risk occupation that featured a disproportionately high death and capture rate!
Since their activities directly disrupted the profitability of trade and interrupted the economies of many star systems, the authorities did their best to make the lives of pirates as miserable as possible!
Only when the 'cost of doing business' in the 'piracy industry' remained high would the number of 'entrepreneurs' remain low!
This was not as easy to accomplish. Since the profit margin of transportation was so low, it was not very viable to provide escorts to every single ship that plied the stars.
Mechs were expensive, and so were the carriers that moved them around. The transportation and logistics industry often needed to make a detailed cost-benefit analysis to determine how to protect their trade ships in the most efficient manner possible!
A company that spent too much on protection never lasted long. Their profit margins rapidly shrunk due to fielding so many mechs or spending too much on security companies.
On the other hand, spending too little was not a good thing either!
Once the pirate community found out that a trade company was spending less than anyone else on security, they would immediately target the vulnerable ships before anyone else could take advantage of the bounty!
Therefore, in most cases, trade companies spent a moderate amount of money on security. Not too much, not too little.
However, that was still too little to go around.
From a macro perspective, a firm balance existed between both sides.
Pirates had to make a calculated risk when attacking any target, especially when most goods were being transported in organized trade convoys.
A large amount of trading vessels banded together in order to make it more viable to protect them. Even so, a typical small-scale convoy consisting of half-dozen cargo haulers generally only enjoyed the protection of a small outfit.
This meant that it was often possible for small bands of pirates to attack the convoy and capture just a single trade vessel before pulling back!
This was the preferred modus operandi for many pirates.
By avoiding going all-out, the pirates limited their losses while still securing a decent rate of return.
The guards assigned to protect the trade convoy would limit their losses as well while still being able to boast to their employers that they did their due diligence. After all, returning with 5 intact trade vessels was better than returning empty-handed!
Such incidents were common and reflected the helplessness of the protectors. Their budgets were limited and they could only do so much to do their jobs!
At this time, a new development disrupted this long-standing balance.
Throughout a portion of the Komodo Star Sector, a growing number of battles in space ended in a different fashion than before!
In one minor star system, a modest trade convoy consisting of 9 cargo haulers had transitioned out of FTL some time ago and needed six more hours to cycle their FTL drives.
This was far too long!
This was because a small fleet of pirates appeared out of nowhere!
The Steel Howlers was known as an up-and-coming pirate gang from the Nyxian Gap. Just like every other greedy pirate, they eagerly took advantage of the recent destabilization of the Sentinel Kingdom.
When order declined, piracy increased!
"Come on, boys!" Commander Rachel Feriz shouted over her command channel! "We outnumber the guards three-to-one! We're hijacking two vessels this time! I'll smash any pirate who runs before we secure our bonus!"
"AOOOOHHH!"
The Steel Howlers brought three mech companies as opposed to the single mech company fielded by a mercenary corps contracted to protect this trade convoy.
Standing inside the bridge of the sole light carrier of Norton's Shieldbearers, Commander Egon Norton scowled at the sight.
"I knew this contract was too good to be true."
"You needed the money, sir." The captain of the light carrier noted. "Our latest purchase put us deep in the red. I still don't understand why you spent this much on a new toy."
Commander Norton sighed. "It sounded too good to pass on. This mech is the future as far as I'm concerned. If we don't get in early, we'll be at least two steps behind compared to our competitors!"
The mercenary industry was very volatile. In order to remain lucrative, Norton's Shieldbearers had to develop its reputation with every mission.
Despite being outnumbered by a considerable margin, the mercenaries were expected to stand their ground!
Their employers expected Norton's Shieldbearers to present an unmovable defense. They needed to discourage the attacking pirates as much as possible!
Fights never escalated to the bitter end. Not when both sides valued their lives so much.
That said, the pirates didn't come here to return empty-handed!
Soon enough, the Steel Howlers entered the range of Norton's Shieldbearers.
Stationing themselves a small distance from the vulnerable trade convoy, the Shieldbearers numbered much less mechs.
If not for the fact that the mercenary mechs were several times more expensive than the pirate mechs, Commander Norton wouldn't have the courage to put up a serious fight!
The Shieldbearers fielded an interesting mix of mechs. As suggested by their name, they fielded a larger amount of space knights than usual. A small but formidable-looking metal wall of shields emerged.
Floating behind the shield wall, An equal number of rifleman mechs extended their customized laser rifles and placed the muzzles through the customized holes drilled through the sides of the shields.
Then, they fired!
Powerful streaks of red pelted the weak and shabby-looking mechs of the Steel Howlers! The pirate mechs did their best to weave and dodge, but the mobility of their wasn't all that great and the training of their mech pilots wasn't very good!
Though the relative lethality of a laser beam was rather modest, the Shieldbearers cleverly concentrated their fire. At least five laser rifles focused on a single target with every volley!
The ramshackle mechs hit by the lasers weren't capable of withstanding that much firepower!
Commander Feriz didn't need to say anything. The Steel Howlers were already familiar with this routine. As soon as the damage to any single mech reached a certain threshold, their mech pilots automatically received permission to withdraw.
Piracy was a costly business. The Steel Howlers couldn't afford to lose too many mechs per assault. Letting a damaged mech retreat before it got wrecked was a good way to minimize the costs.
Though the Steel Howlers continuously bled more mechs as their opponents pelted them with fire, they had many more machines to go around!
As for the Shieldbearers, Commander Norton increasingly frowned despite the excellent performance of his mechs.
The pirates did their best to retaliate, but most of their ranged attacks impacted the shield wall without doing any further damage.
This didn't reassure the mercenary commander very much because the Steel Howlers fielded a lot more melee mechs!
"They're going to close in very soon! Prepare to enter the modified formation!" He shouted.
Norton used to be a former officer in the Sentinel Army. His knowledge of training, discipline and formation warfare partially carried over to his mercenaries!
Just as the pirates closed in, the Shieldbearers shifted their formation!
The mercenary mechs split into two. One group went left and one group went right! Both of them consisted of an equal mix of space knights, rifleman mechs and offensive melee mechs.
Their maneuvers seemed illogical at first. The Shieldbearers were hired to protect a trade convoy. Their current actions seemed akin to making way, providing the pirate mechs a straight path towards their lucrative prizes!
Yet even as the Shieldbearer mechs reoriented their formations at the sides, a small number of mechs remained in the middle.
One average-looking space knight flew protectively in front of a noticeably reddish mech. The head of the latter shone in an ominous red light.
It was too bad that the bulk of the defensive mech and its shield prevented the pirates from getting a good look of the mech floating behind.
"Are you ready, buddy?" The pilot of the space knight asked.
"Hahaha! I should be asking you that question!" The pilot of the newer mech laughed. "They don't call me Mad Jack for nothing! This mech is a breeze for me to pilot!"
"Do your thing, then. I can handle the pressure!"
The Steel Howlers didn't split their forces in response to the actions of their enemies. All they cared about was reaching the trade convoy and hijacking as many of them as possible! If the mercenaries didn't want to put up a fight against a numerically-superior foe, then that was even better!
"Hahaha!" Feriz exultingly cried. "Looks like the Shieldbearers have already given up. They even made way for us! Go run over those stubborn two mechs and grab our loot! AHOOOOO!"
"AHOOOO!"
The Steel Howlers didn't take the two Shieldbearer mechs in the middle seriously. Every outfit featured a number of stubborn, honor-bound fools who thought that retreat was unacceptable.
They usually didn't last very long in the mercenary business.
As a number of eager Howler mechs flew forward in order to batter the Shieldbearer mechs to pieces, the mech pilot of the brand-new Doom Guard flicked a switch.
A field of doom came into existence. As the wild pirate mech pilots haphazardly barged into this field, they began to experience a sudden palpitation in their hearts!
"What is this?!"
"It's so dark!"
"I can't go further!"
The massive charge rapidly faltered as the Howler mechs no longer accelerated forward. In fact, some mechs even started to turn around to fly backwards!
When Commander Feriz entered the range of the Doom Guard's glow, she quickly experienced the same sensations as the other Steel Howlers!
Her eyes almost popped out of her sockets!
Unlike her subordinates, she kept herself together. She experienced far more stressful situations during her rise to her current height!
"Pipe down, Howlers! This is a trick! Get yourselves together and push through! I bet that as long as we destroy those two mechs, this effect will end!"
Her guess was right. Though half of the Steel Howlers lost their marbles, enough of them were left to continue the assault.
However, just as Commander Feriz and her strongest subordinates came into the range, the Doom Guard finally unleashed its hellfire.
A huge, scarlet plume of flames bellowed from its Enison Spreader! A wide zone of hellish fire blocked the entire approach of the pirate mechs!
"AHHH!"
Combined with the increased potency of the Doom Guard's glow at closer ranges, almost every Steel Howlers aborted their assault!
"Cowards!"
Even as she said so, Commander Feriz quickly turned her mech around before her mech embraced the inferno!
"What is that new mech?!"
Chapter 2074 Gullible Suckers
The skirmish between Norton's Shieldbearers and the Steel Howlers was the first recorded case of a Doom Guard in action.
Not only did a single striker mech manage to repel the frontal assault of at least two mech companies, the disarray it evoked yielded an even greater result!
Commander Norton cleverly developed a plan that made maximum use of the Doom Guard's deterrence effect.
As a veteran of the Sentinel Army, he understood keenly that an enemy that aborted a charge in an abrupt and unplanned fashion was very vulnerable to follow-up attacks!
Just as Commander Feriz and her Steel Howlers turned around and tried to put themselves back together, the Shieldbearer mechs that positioned themselves at the sides suddenly pounced, sandwiching the pirate mechs from two sides!
Casualties rapidly mounted among the beleaguered Howlers as the pirate mech pilots still suffered from the lingering trauma of their exposure to the Doom Guard's aura!
With the striker mech still blocking the way forward, none of the Howlers dared to proceed any further!
Eventually, Commander Feriz realized that there was no profit to be made anymore. In fact, already suffered a lot of losses due to the Shieldbearers pressing her unorganized ranks of pirates from multiple directions!
"Retreat!"
In the end, the ferocious Steel Howlers tucked their tails between their legs and fled without anything to show for their efforts.
Meanwhile, the Shieldbearers earned big! They not only secured a decent amount of salvage and redeemed a number of bounties on the heads of the pirates they captured, but also received a generous combat and victory bonus from their contract. On top of that, their amazing victory propelled their reputation to new heights, allowing them to accept much more lucrative missions!
And it was all thanks to a single new mech.
As soon as this incident was made public, the demand of the mech in question rapidly soared!
More and more incidents where the new mech was put to use emerged onto the galactic net. Journalists who knew exactly what their audience wanted to know eagerly highlighted any battle where the Doom Guard was put to work!
Though a number of blunders and unavoidable defeats took place, most of the stories circulating in the mech publications backed up the promises made by the LMC.
It turned out that the Doom Guard's glow indeed worked remarkably well on pirates! The exaggerated demonstrations at the product reveal had a basis in truth after all!
Orders for the Doom Guard rapidly increased, though the months-long backlog meant that most customers wouldn't receive their copy for a fairly long time.
The LMC was already trying its best to partner up with more third-party manufacturers to meet the spiking demand, but the challenges relating to its production continued to pose a hindrance.
Regardless, money kept rolling in like no tomorrow!
To be honest, Ves was astounded by the amount of gains he made. When he initially conceived of the concept that would become the Doom Guard, he thought it would have a fairly limited market appeal. Striker mechs never sold in huge numbers, particularly the spaceborn models.
Yet due to its attractive combination of strengths, the Doom Guard provided substantially more utility than the typical striker mech. Its terror glow was so new, innovative and useful that the market basically elevated it into its market category!
This was an incredibly positive development. The LMC poured even more resources in facilitating the marketing, sales and support of its latest product.
The enormous publicity surrounding the release of the Doom Guard along with the astonishing successes of its early adopters constantly continued to make the mech model more famous.
In several states, the mech had practically turned into a household topic! Even people who never paid attention to mechs began to learn about this much-hyped product that they would never get to touch in their lives!
All the while, Ves could hardly keep up with the rewards he managed to gain. Though his Larkinson Clan's growing expenses immediately respent most of the earnings, there was plenty of money left to spend.
What surprised him the most was the amount of money the LMC made outside of the star sector. The Doom Guard was its first product that earned a substantial amount of money outside the Komodo Star Sector!
What was remarkable about this new income stream was that it wasn't based on the sale of mechs. At least not at first.
When the MTA validated the Doom Guard design, it set a very considerable price of 400 million hex credits for a standard 10-year production licence.
Any mech designer or mech company that wanted to play around with the unique design had to cough up a considerable amount of money upfront!
Though the mech industry of the Komodo Star Sector already learned the hard way that there was hardly any profit to be made out of developing variants of LMC products, the other star sectors weren't as informed!
A decent number of foreign mech designers with only a passing familiarity with the LMC refused to consider that they would suffer the same fate as the hicks from the frontier star sector!
These thoughts didn't just proliferate in the mech industry of just one star sector. A huge number of mech designers operated in the entire Yeina Star Cluster. Even if just a fraction of them were adventurous enough to invest in a product license, collectively they made for a considerable amount of people!
For this reason, the LMC suddenly earned a considerable windfall just from licensing the Doom Guard design!
Naturally, Ves strongly suspected that there were even more mech designers who simply pirated his design and experimented with it in private, but he couldn't do anything about it anyway.
What mattered was that there were enough upright and hopeful mech designers who wanted to develop their own commercially-viable variants of his Doom Guard design!
"Just look at these suckers!" Gavin exulted during a daily briefing. "We managed to scam over a hundred mech designers throughout the star cluster! That is the easiest 40 billion hex credits that we have earned in a week!"
"It's too bad the cluster-wide mech industry will quickly learn its lesson." Raymond noted. Due to the importance of this meeting, he decided to take some time off his very busy schedule to attend this meeting. With so much business activity, his leadership was needed more than ever! "There are still plenty of mech designers who studied the disastrous track records of those who tried before."
"Mech designers are all smart and educated." Ves said. "Those with the capability of throwing 400 million hex credits on a single mech production license haven't made it this far by being incompetent."
"While that's true, success is often paired with arrogance." Raymond succinctly noted.
Ves took a look at the list of the people and companies who licensed his Doom Guard design. Most of them did have the capital to be arrogant. Some of them even possessed specialties that synergized well with his product. There was a logic behind their choice.
It was too bad that the volatility of his glows in his mech designs was much more than they thought. Once they began to shift the design away from its original vision, its spiritual foundation would no longer conform as much to the design spirit. It became much harder for the combination of Zeigra and Nyxie to exert their individuals glows through the resulting variant.
"Well, we can still put this windfall to good use." Ves grinned. "I have already decided to expand the operation of the Larkinson Biotech Institute. We need to accommodate and provide a lot of medical facilities to Dr. Ranya and our newly-hired exobiologists, geneticists and medical specialists."
"You've invested 10 billion hex credits already!" Gavin complained. "We could have put that money to many other uses!"
"Augmentations are vital if we want to remain competitive at a greater stage. Merely relying on Ranya alone won't meet the needs of our growing clan. We need to build a dedicated arm within our clan that specializes in all of our medical, biological and augmentation needs."
The Larkinson Biotech Institute was the new incarnation of the Larkinson Exobiology Institute. The name change reflected the expanded scope of the institute. Ves had admittedly neglected it after its previous leader turned traitor.
The worsening financial outlook of the clan left Ves very reluctant to invest in its development.
Yet now that his Doom Guard design generated vastly more money than he had ever dreamt of, Ves could finally allocate money on some neglected priorities!
"He's right, Gavin." Raymond gently said. "The waiting list for augmentation procedures is too long. Too many Larkinsons are requesting upgrades and we can't make them wait too long. So far, we've been able to take advantage of the clinics on Cinach VI, but we won't always enjoy access to them. It's better if we meet this need in-house."
Ves smiled. "I'm glad you understand. The ten billion hex credits that we are investing in the Larkinson Biotech Institute will pay off in spades when it is finally capable of augmenting our clansmen with high-quality second-class implants!"
This was why it was important for him to secure the loyalty and services of Ranya. She possessed a much better grasp on these kinds of implants than the third-raters that made up the rest of the institute.
There was another reason why he invested such a huge sum of money in the institute at once. Part of the money was supposed to be spent on constructing a small but highly secure biolab aboard the Scarlet Rose.
Not only would the compartment be isolated from the rest of the ship, but all of its advanced lab equipment had to be carefully built by hand in order to ensure they did not possess any backdoors.
The high-grade life-prolonging treatment serum had to be studied!
Ves was very interested in cracking the mystery behind its remarkable spiritual properties, while Ranya wanted to decipher some of its profound activities.
Right now, Ves had locked the serum within the B-stone lockbox in the most secure section of the Scarlet Rose's vault.
He only allowed Ranya to study the tiny droplet of serum for only a couple of hours a week.
Ves knew that it held an intense attraction to her, and he used her obsession with it to motivate her. As long as she ran the Larkinson Biotech Institute well, she could gain more time with the sample!
Though Ranya reacted with disappointment with all of these restrictions, she also became more fired up than ever! As far as she was concerned, joining the Larkinson Clan was the best decision of her life!
"What do you want to do with the remaining windfall?" Gavin asked.
"I'll leave that up to the governing organs of the Larkinson Clan." Ves nodded to Raymond. "I know that there are plenty of projects and initiatives that need funding. This is the time to spend it all. There is not much point to skimping on our spending when we might be heading somewhere dangerous."
Ves didn't even preserve his own growing personal fortune. At this time, his fate was closely intertwined with the Larkinson Clan. Strengthening one automatically strengthened the other.
Every hex credit he spent at this time would pay back ten or a hundred times back in the future!
The three continued to discuss the possible ways of spending both the windfall and the growing amount of regular earnings.
Though it was still too premature to acquire an entire fleet of second-class starships, this time it didn't sound as outlandish as before!
"Let's wait until I've designed additional commercial mechs." Ves decided. "As long as our subsequent market offerings are able to coast off the success of our Doom Guard, I will personally reach out to a Hexer shipbuilding company!"
"Meow."
Ves chuckled as he looked down as the cat resting on his lap. "Don't worry. I haven't forgotten about you either. I'll provide plenty food for you as well!"
"Meow!"
Chapter 2075 Weighing Benefits
"Ves! Come here right this instant!"
As soon as he returned to the bedroom he shared with Gloriana, he blinked.
Lucky squirmed out of his grasp and flew towards Clixie. The two cats nuzzled their noses at each other before hugging their bodies together. They both looked at their owners as if they were about to witness a good show!
Ves slowly loosened the collar of his uniform while he approached his scowling girlfriend.
"What do you have to say for yourself, Ves?"
He scratched his head. "I don't know what you are talking about."
"Don't play stupid with me! Don't you realize what you've done?!"
"Uhhh.. no?"
"You pressed my cousin into the Larkinson Clan!"
"You mean Ranya?" Ves finally realized what she was talking about. "I made an offer to her, and she accepted. What's the big deal?"
Gloriana marched in front of his face! "You.. you idiot! She's a Wodin! She's my relative! You should have broached your intentions to me first before you turned her into a Larkinson? Don't you know how much noise I've heard from my relatives back home? Ranya will never be welcome at home again!"
"That's not a concern, because our clan won't be travelling to the Hegemony anytime soon. Once she pledged the oath, she became a Larkinson first and a Wodin second. That is the rule."
"I know that." Gloriana hissed. "What I am trying to say is that you could have gotten what you wanted in a much less controversial manner if you solicited my input first! Besides, Ranya is my cousin, and I should have been the one to raise this topic with her, not you! I still can't believe you went behind my back!"
Ves frowned and crossed his arms. "I am in charge of the Larkinson Clan. I make the decisions here. While I agree that I should have consulted you first, the agreement that we've made in the end only concerns Ranya, myself and the clan. Your involvement isn't needed."
"I'm a part of the clan as well! I have a say as well!"
He shook his head. "Officially, you are a lead designer of the LMC. That is your title in the clan. While you have a lot of say on what goes on in the Design Department, that does not give you the authority to decide on our other matters."
Gloriana didn't enjoy hearing that! She looked ready to explode!
Eventually, she turned around and huffed!
"Fine! Whatever! Just don't do it again, Ves!"
"Don't worry. It's not like I'm able to recruit Brutus."
"With your Devil Tongue, who knows."
Though Gloriana still remained pissed throughout the night, at least she didn't pursue the matter further.
She still remained catty for the next couple of days. The tension between them hindered them from focusing on their Hexer mech design project.
Even though the first iteration of this mech design had reached an advanced stage, they still had plenty more optimization to do! All of this was tedious work and couldn't entirely be passed on to their design teams due to the complexity and highly-advanced nature of the knight mech design.
Ves frowned and pressed his fingers against his forehead. There were so many more variables he needed to take into account that his brain matter couldn't keep up with the workload of his implant.
Right now, the pair were taking a break. While Gloriana went off to perform her irregular prayers, Ves thought about the many priorities he needed to address.
He looked around before sneaking his hand in his uniform pocket. His fingers reached a small container inside a small pouch made out of Synthra Umbra fabric.
Once he slipped his finger into the pouch, he extended his spiritual senses through it and felt the vibrant patterns of life churning inside the serum droplet he carried around!
Its value was too great for Ves to leave in Ranya's hands.
Aside from keeping it close and secure, he also had another reason for carrying it on his person.
He liked to observe its mysterious spiritual fluctuations frequently throughout the day.
While the minute sample of life-prolonging treatment serum had lots most of the insanely concentrated potency of the full dose, that was not necessarily a downside.
Sure, the sample only contained a fraction of the majesty of the entire vial, but its spiritual activity no longer burned his spiritual senses like a sun!
After comparing the spiritual power levels between the tiny sample and the main dose, Ves realized that the sample contained disproportionately less life than its quantity suggested.
Most of the life was locked in the main body. When Ves extracted the sample out of the vial, the droplet evidently became detached from the collective.
Its vastly-reduced complexity and power level allowed Ves to study it without suffering a backlash.
So far, Ves learned nothing useful. He had no idea what went on inside the serum. His foundation in spiritual engineering was incredibly shallow, so much so that he wasn't even aware of the basic ground rules behind the spiritual activity of the sample!
Ves might as well be a caveman looking at the propulsion system of a shuttle. The knowledge gap was simply too wide for him to gain a solid understanding of what he was looking at! Let alone figuring out its basic principles, Ves the caveman wouldn't even be able to take it apart in order to use one of the exhaust pipes as an improvised club!
Regardless, the serum was filled with the energies of life, and that fascinated him a lot. He spent hours staring at it. He didn't even attempt to study its patterns in the hopes of figuring out some rules. He simply regarded it as a piece of art and enjoyed its lively fluctuations as if he was watching an interesting drama.
It was difficult to describe his irrational obsession with the serum. Though he acknowledged its incredible value, that did not justify all of the hours he wasted! He could have spent that time on much more productive uses!
Yet… Ves still insisted on this seemingly-useless activity. There was something soothing and harmonious about carrying the sample on his person and observing its inscrutable motions with his senses.
His mind often wandered in strange tangents during these moments.
He seriously contemplated what would happen if he swallowed the droplet.
He also considered leeching its still-potent spiritual energy.
With so much life-attributed spiritual energy locked in a very intricate balance, Ves wanted to try and merge it with his design seed or infuse it in some sort of mech or mech design!
What would it be like to empower a mech with some of the most vibrant energies of life in the galaxy?
Was this the ultimate key to realizing his ambition of making mechs alive?
The possibilities were endless.. but so were the dangers.
At best, he would merely waste something of enormous value. At worse, his reckless experimentation might result in his death!
The truth of the matter was that he knew too little about the nature, properties and underlying rules behind the serum.
Though his intuition didn't know what to make of it, Ves had a hunch that he could derive a lot of gains if he experimented with it in various ways.
When Ves met with Ranya at the Scarlet Rose's new restricted biolab, the new Wodin-Larkinson voiced a similar desire.
"In my field, there is so much I can accomplish through passive observation." She stated to Ves as she paid close attention to the readouts of the current scanning operation. "While I'm very grateful for the opportunity to observe the sample, I.. can gain much more if I can manipulate it. If I can just extract some of its particles and use them up in various experiments, the insights that I can gain are immeasurable! The more you give me, the greater the amount of value I can give in return!"
She looked carefully at Ves amidst the newly-installed lab machines.
Only a handful of lab equipment had been carried over from the Frozen Leaf so far. They had already ordered a whole set of advanced biotech equipment from the Hegemony, but it would take some time for them to be shipped to the Cinach System.
Ves knew why Ranya was being careful around this topic. A complete dose of life-prolonging treatment serum was of inestimate value to everyone, including himself!
Who didn't want to live forever? While the serum that fell into his possession was only able to add an extra hundred years to the life of a 300-year old, this was still an amazing benefit that cost a huge amount of merits to redeem from the MTA!
With such an amazing effect at his disposal, the very thought of using a portion of it in destructive experiments was blasphemous!
Any other person would have blown up at the mere suggestion!
Yet.. Ves didn't show any sign of dismissal. Instead, he looked thoughtful.
The truth was that Ves was in the same boat as Ranya. He recognized the value of the serum, both as a means to extend his lifespan and a priceless trade good that he could exchange for countless different benefits.
Yet.. those obvious options weren't as straightforward as they appeared.
He was still in his early thirties! Even without any life-prolonging serum, all of the gene optimizations he received had already extended his lifespan to an estimated 180 years!
This meant that pursuing life-prolonging treatments wouldn't be a priority to him for a very long time.
Even if it became relevant, he would have to be at least three centuries old before this specific serum became relevant!
Three-hundred years was a lot of time. To the less talented mech designers, it was far from enough, but Ves was different! He was a lot more confident in his abilities! With all of the advantages he enjoyed, he refused to believe that he would fail to advance to master within the first two centuries of his life!
In short, the primary use of the serum wasn't very relevant to him. By the time he became this old, he would probably be in a position to earn the serum through his own efforts!
The same applied to Gloriana!
Therefore, the only other uses of the serum was to extend the life of someone else or to trade it for a host of valuable concessions.
Ves already ruled out using it on others. The gains from extending the life of someone who wasn't in the position to earn it themselves was not a profitable transaction.
As for exchanging it for something else of value, Ves wasn't too hopeful about it. The biggest problem about the serum was two-fold.
First, it was stolen goods. Once the CFA got wind of its existence, Ves bet that he would immediately receive another visit from Lieutenant Stimmons!
Second, its value was so high that there was a high risk that his trading partner would renege on the deal! It was too painful to sacrifice so many valuables to obtain the serum.
It was a much better deal to bring a lot of mechs and rob the serum from his hands!
His distrust of strangers amplified this fear. If Ves was in their position, he wouldn't hesitate to do the same!
"Ugh." He eventually grunted. "It's way too early to consider such a contentious matter. For now, just make do with passive observations, and try your best to figure out any potential uses of making active use of the serum. I won't say I will approve of them if they sound good, but it would be nice to explore this option."
Dr. Ranya looked hopeful. "I'll do my best to develop a concrete use of a sample! It is not unreasonable to assume that this serum has many more uses than extending the life of a geezer."
The question was, would the potential benefits of experimenting on it outweigh the benefits of the other options?
Ves didn't know. This decision was fraught with uncertainty, and the risk of suffering was considerable!
Yet… compared to the more conventional options, he somehow yearned to experiment with it. Even if the gains he made was less than extending his life by a century in the future, the timing was incredibly relevant!
Giving up a substantial benefit in the future for a smaller benefit in the present was not his style.
In many of his previous decisions, he preferred to invest for the future and lay the groundwork of long-term success and profit.
Yet.. this was a different kind of investment. If he could develop a new application of his design philosophy or design some sort of amazing new mech, the gains he earned in the shorter term would eventually snowball into a considerable lead over his original trajectory!
This was a risky investment that could very well pay off handsomely! Being able to advance to Master sooner or rising into power faster were both possible if he could master some of the power of the serum!
What choice should he make?
Chapter 2076 The Purple Hangmen
The sales of the Doom Guard continued to explode in popularity. After some delays, practically every state in Hegemony-aligned space aside from the ones with extremely restrictive economies put the model on the market.
Sales continued to grow apace, though the constant production challenges related with production continued to hamper its supply.
The mech industry suddenly generated a huge demand for strong-willed mech technicians! After a lot of trial and error, the mech manufacturing companies finally concluded that veterans performed the best when assigned to fabricate the Doom Guard mechs.
It made a lot of sense. Those who had served in the military and experienced war should not be so easy to crack.
Even if the veterans hadn't seen much action, the discipline and confidence they gained during their service time was of inestimable value. Ordinarily civilians couldn't hope to match their resilience against hardships and adversity!
As the mech community continued to explore the Doom Guard model, more and more knowledge was being shared. Everyone realized that there were a lot of facets of the mechs that weren't immediately apparent.
A new community around the Doom Guard had sprung up. Enthusiasts and professionals both gathered together to drool over the model and swap various theories.
An increasing amount of guidelines formed from this community.
They described what kind of traits a mech pilot needed to have in order to pilot the Doom Guard at its best.
They outlined what kind of methods should be used to repair or service the mech.
They suggested various battle tactics and deployment strategies to make the best use of the Doom Guard in battle.
They also elaborated on the distances that people should stay from an active Doom Guard in order to train their minds without the risk of suffering breakdowns.
More importantly, the community also started to describe possible counters to the Doom Guard.
The most obvious counter to the Doom Guard was focusing on it with an abundance of ranged fire.
Though the Doom Guard was 'technically' a ranged mech, it effectively posed no threat to a mech that floated a kilometer away. The Enison Spreader at its tightest concentration simply couldn't reach that far ahead!
The Doom Guard fit the striker mech archetype too well. It inherited all of the strengths as well as the weaknesses of this mech type.
However, though its vulnerabilities were obvious to everyone, that didn't mean that the enemy could exploit it so easily!
Those who bought the Doom Guard never let this precious mech fend off the enemy alone. Oftentimes, the outfits who fielded this mech carefully covered it with a host of ranged mechs.
Additionally, in order to protect it from ranged fire, the mech commanders also deployed at least one space knight piloted by a strong-willed mech pilot to serve as its shield!
Such fortress formations soon began to proliferate among the buyers of the Doom Guard. The tactics they utilized rapidly began to frustrate the pirates beyond belief!
"Ves Larkinson deserves to be killed! I lost half my boys and mechs due to his damnable new mech!"
"I'm putting a bounty on his head! Oh, he already has one? Well, I'll add some more, then! I can't stand the sight of another Doom Guard!"
In a state close to the Sentinel Kingdom, a medium-sized asteroid mining base came under assault.
The base had been built into the structure of a large asteroid floating in a large belt. The mining company put the base in operation for over ten years now, expanding its fleet of mining vehicles on a steady basis.
Prospectors had long discovered the presence of various junk exotics and low-grade exotics in the asteroid belt. The only problem was that their concentration and incidence was rather low. The prospectors at the mining base had to scan and inspect new asteroids every day in order to find a rock with a meaningful quantity of valuable materials.
Even though the efficiency and scale of mining operations was rather low, the base still generated a tidy profit for the mining company.
However, due to the relatively low value of the minerals being mined, the company never invested too much in its security. It merely contracted a local security company to garrison the base and man its handful of turrets.
Since the establishment of the base, it had never suffered an attack.
Until now.
"Why are the pirates attacking us of all people?! We're just mining bulk exotics, for heaven's sake!"
"They must have heard our warehouses are almost full! The company was supposed to dispatch a convoy to us in less than a week!"
The pirate gang called the Purple Hangmen came prepared. Commander Brian Zecs was not an average criminal who worked his way up the ranks, but used to serve in a mech army before deserting!
Over the years, Commander Zecs managed to build a decent gang of pirates that employed a bit more tactics than was common among their ilk. Combined with the ferocity that was typical to their kind, the Hangmen made a name for themselves with their iconic purple mechs!
"Boss, you were right! The outdated guard mechs are no match against our new lasers!"
"Haha! Our inside man has come true! One of the turrets has just blown up and another is malfunctioning!"
Commander Zecs flicked his long silver hair and grinned as his axeman mech hung back. Two companies of melee mechs closed in. Though the makeshift shields they carried slowed down their advance, the firepower of the guard mechs weren't sufficient to repel the advance, especially since their turrets were rapidly being taken out through a combination of sabotage and focused fire.
While the defenders still fielded a lot of ranged mechs, the mining company had skimped on them and instead relied on a large number of stationary turrets to make up for the shortfall!
Now, that decision came to haunt the decision makers. Commander Zecs never initiated a blind assault. Owing to his officer training, he always researched his targets carefully and tried his best to stack the deck in his favor long before he launched his attack!
His favored tactic was to bribe a man on the inside to sabotage the defenses prior to an assault.
The deserter knew quite well that a typical security technician or security guard didn't earn that well. They worked long, monotonous jobs in isolated regions without any cities of settlements within reach. There wasn't much they could do in their off-time since they were pretty much stuck in the middle of nowhere!
The frustration of living in a drab environment combined with a lack of rich compensation always generated some malcontents.
For this attack, Zecs didn't just bribe a single worker. He threw money at several of them, each holding separate positions!
The money he spent on converting these greedy idiots was enough to add two or three cheap mechs to his lineup.
Yet the pirate commander knew very well that the benefit from adding a couple more mechs to his battle lineup paled in comparison to paying those bribes!
Even as the assault continued, the effects of the sabotage became more and more evident.
More and more turrets inexplicably lost power as some critical components malfunctioned.
A number of defending mechs faltered in their counterattacks as some of their rifles fizzled.
Though these disruptions weren't widespread, the fear and worry they caused in the ranks of the security personnel eroded their battle will!
As a former military officer, Commander Zecs recognized what that meant. A battle was not just about a contest of mechs!
It was also a contest of will and determination!
The signs of weakness within the ranks of defenders not only depressed their morale, but also boosted the morale of the attacking pirates!
His boys all smelled blood. Pirates all loved easy prey, and the declining trend of the defenders made it all the more easier to harvest a fortune!
Yet just as the melee mechs of the Purple Hangmen reached the defensive line in two prongs, a pair of mechs suddenly emerged from the ranks of security mechs.
The mining company had recently shipped the mechs to the base!
"Doom Guards!"
The ranks of pirate mechs shuddered a bit. By now, the notorious LMC mech model had already built up a dreadful reputation among the pirate community.
Yet to the surprise of the defenders, the pirates didn't let up on their assault!
"Continue the assault!" Commander Zecs hollared over the command channel. "We planned for this! We knew they would show up! Trust in my plan!"
"Yes, boss!"
The men on the inside already passed on word to Zecs that the base recently acquired a pair of Doom Guards.
When he heard the news, he almost aborted this raid.
Yet if he did so, he would waste months of preparations as well as the money he invested in bribes. In the end, he could bring himself to give up this long-anticipated attack!
In his military days, he learned the importance of intelligence and preparation. As long as he knew the mining base would field the Doom Guards, he could plan around this move!
After researching the Doom Guards extensively and trawling through all of the theories circulating on the galactic net, Commander Zecs decided to try out an interesting suggestion.
He grinned as his melee mechs closed in. As was typical in battles between pirates and security forces, the Purple Hangmen possessed an advantage in numbers, but their mechs were substantially weaker on average.
This didn't concern Commander Zecs too much because the disparity in numbers was often decisive in close-ranged battles! It was hard for a premium mech to defend against attacks from the front and back!
Just as the Purple Hangmen mechs neared the range of the Doom Guard, they decelerated!
The Doom Guards attacked anyway. Their large flamethrowers spewed hellish red flames in an expanding cone from their position, blanketing the surrounding space with persistent heat!
At the same time, the glow of the strikers already started to press on the minds of the pirates. Their high morale faltered a bit as they came under the impression that some awesome terror was looking into their souls!
If this continued, the Purple Hangmen might withdraw!
Yet before the situation reached this point, Commander Zecs issued a long-awaited command.
"Bring forth the Soldier mechs!"
Two mechs lingering behind his two mech companies suddenly moved forward!
The mechs looked second-hand and some of them bore marks of previous battles against the sandmen. The fresh purple coating applied to their exterior wouldn't be able to protect them much against the flames released by the Doom Guards!
However, the Desolate Soldier and Prideful Soldier weren't there to push through the wall of flames.
Commander Zecs merely acquired them in order to use their glows to counteract the glows of the Doom Guards!
"To fight monsters, we bought monsters of our own!" He viciously grinned.
One Desolate Soldier approached a Doom Guard while a Prideful Soldier approached the other Doom Guard!
Two different effects emerged.
The Desolate Soldier drawing closer to the enemy striker mech exhibited much less trouble. It seemed as if its mech pilot was much more capable of resisting the Doom Guard!
Unfortunately, the Purple Hangmen quickly found out that the Desolate Soldier's immunity only applied to itself. The mech pilot reported that the mech seemed to help with stiffening him up, but not much more.
The situation was a bit different with the Prideful Soldier. As soon as the mech approached the Doom Guard, the glow of both mechs started to change!
For some reason, the Prideful Soldier seemed to become a little more excited, while the glow of the Doom Guard gradually shifted in character!
The nauseous sensation along with the inexplicable sense of terror decreased. However, the Doom Guard soon began to grow more menacing, as if a slumbering exobeast had woken up in the depths of the striker mech!
It was too bad that the effect of this intimidating aura was less potent than the original glow of the Doom Guard!
Commander Zecs knew that this was the best he could get."
"Push through! The Doom Guards are neutered!"
The pirate mechs all accelerated forward even as their mech pilots came under the effect of a number of glows!
The positive glow of the Desolate Soldier seemed to pale in the presence of the Doom Guard. Though weak and feeble, the effect it had on the pirates was nonetheless useful as they became a little less prone to reaching their breaking points!
As for the Prideful Soldier, its glow had a very strange effect on the Doom Guard. Despite the latter's apparent weakness, it was still a very formidable mech. The flames it spewed seemed to have gained some life of their own!
The Doom Guards were still capable of functioning as regular striker mechs, and vigorously spread as many flames as possible!
The battle quickly grew chaotic and casualties rapidly mounted on both sides. In the confusion of all of the glows, every mech pilot fought different than usual!
Chapter 2077 Glow Interactions
The raid conducted by the Purple Hangmen quickly spread to the galactic net!
The battle was the first real example of a clash between glows!
Though battles between LMC mechs happened before, they mostly amounted to both sides pulling out their Soldier mechs.
Desolate Soldier against Desolate Soldier, Prideful Soldier against Prideful Soldier, Desolate Soldier against Prideful Soldier, the cases went on and on. The LMC continued to proliferate both mech throughout the Komodo Star Sector even after the end of the Sand War.
Most of these battles turned out to be rather tame and underwhelming. Both were ranged mechs that weren't very suited for battle against mechs. They were fragile and needed to enter medium range in order for their Sandbreaker rifles to land reliable hits.
Most outfits that fielded these mech models merely used them in a supportive capacity.
Legitimate organizations adored the duty-based glow of the Desolate Soldier. The presence of these mechs in a squad of mech company stiffened the sense of obligation of the career mech pilots, which meant that they were much less likely to slack off or put up a half-hearted fight!
In contrast, irregular and underground forces took a much greater fancy to the Prideful Soldier! The Desolate Soldier's glow was a bit too upright for their tastes. The Prideful Soldier was not only cheaper, but also more ferocious, which was exactly what scum relied on to win their battles!
As a result, a battle between a mercenary corps and a pirate gang usually devolved into a contest between defense and offense. The glows rarely came into range with each other, and even if they did, they largely focused on strengthening friendlies rather than weakening hostiles.
The Doom Guard was the first LMC mech with a negative glow. The mech was the first product designed by Ves and Gloriana that was meant to harm rather than help!
This meant that its interactions with the other mechs sold by the LMC became rather interesting! Depending on whether the different LMC mechs were being piloted by friendly or hostile mech pilots, the subsequent clashes between the glows produced some remarkable outcomes!
"The Doom Guard's glow isn't omnipotent!" Gavin stated with excitement, but not of the good kind! "The mech community is already experimenting. Some of the early adopters have already found ways to alter or suppress the Doom Guard's signature ability by fielding some of our older products!"
Ves blinked. To be honest, he never thought that something like this should happen.
Logically, he should have anticipated this outcome, but he never encountered this situation before in his previous mech designs.
In the past, the sales figures of his mech models weren't very impressive. The odds that two opponents would both field LMC against each other was rather slim.
Even if they did, the glows of the mechs never explicitly clashed against each other. Combining them together produced mildly-interesting results, but they didn't significantly shift the outcome of battles.
It was different this time. The inventiveness of the pirates and the armchair generals on the galactic net exceeded his imagination!
"I need to see this for myself." Ves immediately announced. "Call Commander Melkor and tell him to ready a couple of copies of every LMC mech model in his roster. I need to do some experimenting!"
He soon left his office and entered a nearby training ground reserved for the Avatars.
Due to the importance of this issue, Ves reluctantly called up his girlfriend as well. She soon arrived with Clixie nuzzling against her neck.
"Miaow."
"Hey there, Clixie."
The cat jumped into his arms and enjoyed his petting.
Meanwhile, Gloriana looked around the yard and stared at the Avatar mechs that had gathered a short distance away.
"What is this about, Ves?"
"It's about the interaction between our mechs." Ves replied, and briefly explained the battle involving the Purple Hangmen.
She raised her eyebrows. "I admittedly didn't think about it either, but it makes a lot of sense if you think about it. The proto-gods that you have invested in the mech designs are living entities. Some of them get along pretty well with each other, but not all. In our case, a confrontation between different mech models is not just a contest of technical performance, but also a clash between divine personalities!"
Though Ves disliked her constant allusions to divinity, he had to admit that the image she evoked wasn't that off the mark in this case.
The glows of a mech basically represented the spiritual domain of the design spirit. Within the area of effect, a portion of the will and presence of the spiritual entity in question gained dominance.
Sometimes, different glows existed alongside each other with hardly any problem. For example, the glow of the Aurora Titan and the glow of the Desolate Soldier complimented fairly well with each other. One focused on protection and the other on duty.
While the mech pilots that came under the influence of both didn't suddenly become twice as courageous, they still derived a bit more strength than usual!
In order to investigate these interactions even further, Ves wanted to conduct an immediate field test.
He turned to Commander Melkor who approached with an eclectic group of mech pilots in tow.
"Our mechs are ready to be deployed." He spoke. "Most of our mechs are spaceborn units, so they won't fight well on land."
Ves dismissively waved his hand. "I don't need them to fight. I need to test every possible interaction between different glows."
The Avatar Commander frowned. "This is your specialty. How can you not know?"
"It wasn't relevant before. It's different now." Ves shrugged.
This time, Commander Melkor pulled out all the stops. He wanted to show off the strength of the Avatars!
For this reason, he summoned some interesting mech pilots to pilot the LMC mechs.
He suited up in order to pilot a Doom Guard in person.
He assigned Joshua and a radically devout Ylvainan to a pair of Deliverer mechs.
He asked Jannzi Larkinson to participate with her Shield of Samar.
He even tracked down Vincent Ricklin-Larkinson in order to call up his Adonis Colossus.
What surprised Ves the most was that Melkor even brought along Taon and James so that they could field their Transcendent Messengers!
Seeing older mechs standing alongside the newer ones was an interesting experience. They stood close enough together for their glows to blend in with each other in interesting ways.
Ves turned to the familiar faces who had all joined the Larkinson Clan.
He nodded in a friendly manner towards Jannzi and Joshua before turning his attention to the resident baboon of his clan. "Melkor, when I told you to call up every LMC mech, I meant that you should bring every mech in your mech roster. As far as I know, the Adonis Colossus is not a part of the Avatars!"
If someone as vain and ignorant as Vincent was able to qualify for the Avatars, Ves might as well kill himself right away!
"Hey, bro, don't be like that!" Vincent complained. "My mech is a bona fide LMC mech! It's one of a kind!"
Ves grimaced. "Don't call me 'bro'. While we Larkinsons aren't too big on formality, it is unbecoming of you to resort to slang."
"Oh come on, we're brothers! Calling you bro is a compliment!"
"Whatever."
He turned to the Ylvainans. Taon Melin stood a half step behind James as if he was an attendant.
"Bright Martyr." Taon Melin-Larkinson greeted him. "It is an honor to be called up to service!"
Ves hadn't really paid attention to the former Ylvainan. In fact, he almost forgot about the chosen of Zeal in his quest to ignore the existence of the True Believers in his clan!
It didn't help that the Larkinson Clan recently shifted its focus towards spaceborn operations. The landbound contingents received much less attention in recent months.
He studied the Transcendent Messengers. The sight of the stolen prototype offended Ves a bit, but it happened such a long time ago that he was more inclined to let this matter slide.
"Your Transcendent Messengers are impressive machines, but I think they could use an update."
"This is not necessary, sir." Taon spoke. "There are more mech designs that require your attention. I am already used to my machine and it will fare well in the land battles to come. You should take the time to design other essential mechs."
"Uhhh.. okay."
Gloriana, who stood at his side, chirped up. "Maybe I can work on this project by myself, Ves. As long as you can make sure that its glow remains the same, I can upgrade it to a second-class standard on my own! It will save you some effort and I can exercise my solo design capabilities on a wonderful design."
"I'm not so sure about that. The Transcendent Messenger is a very picky design." Ves frowned.
"It will be fine." James reassured. "Your lover is more than capable of working around your quirks."
Ves automatically ignored the Living Prophet's remark.
"Enough socializing. Let's proceed with the tests. We need to know how the Doom Guard's glow reacts in the presence of other glows."
The tests soon began. They weren't anything fancy. Ves merely ordered the opposing mech to approach each other in the center of the practice field while doing their best to treat each other as hostiles.
This was an important step. Most LMC mechs exerted its glows differently to allies and opponents. This could be considered one of the hidden built-in features of his mechs.
The first test was the simplest one. Ves merely called for two Doom Guards to confront each other.
Commander Melkor and a veteran Avatar piloted both machines. As they slowly neared each other with their slow and underpowered legs, the glows of the two mechs started to blend and superimpose with each other.
It didn't matter if the two mech pilots regarded each other as enemies. The glows of the Doom Guards reacted similar to the time when Ves called up an entire squad to enter the podium!
They strengthened each other!
It became significantly more difficult for Melkor and the other Doom Guard pilot to maintain their composure. While they hadn't reached their limits, it became a bit harder for them to maintain their concentration!
"Describe everything you feel no matter how inconsequential it sounds." Ves commanded over the communication channel. "I need to gather as much data as possible. While I am already recording all of the telemetry, I can't read your minds."
Ves hated this subjective, biased and imprecise method of data collection, but it wasn't as if he could get anything better.
Once he had his fill of putting two Doom Guards togethers, he ordered one of them to retreat and another mech to come forth.
He first started with his older and aging mech models. The Blackbeak's ferocity was no match against the Doom Guard. The latter easily suppressed the former! The difference in strength was too great!
The same went for the Crystal Lord. It held up marginally better, but it was clear that its obsolescence turned it into a poor match against the newer model.
"I already expected this result." Ves noted to Gloriana.
"I think these old mech models deserve a boost."
Once he got these mechs out of the way, Ves proceeded to do something more exciting. He proceeded to test the Doom Guard against the Desolate Soldier and Prideful Soldier.
The Desolate Soldier exhibited a straightforward reaction. Its glow gave ground to the gloom emanated by the Doom Guard. However, the mech pilot of the ranged mech was largely protected by the design spirit, allowing him to retain much of his wits!
"It's only useful for self-protection." Ves muttered.
"That's not useful at all considering the likely battle scenarios for the two mechs." Gloriana pointed out. "The Doom Guard is an immobile defensive mech that should never take part in an offensive action. The Desolate Soldier is a fragile ranged mechs that belong in the rear lines of any formation. There should be no instance that the mechs would ever confront each other at a range where their glows interact with each other!"
Compared to the Desolate Soldier's mundane result, the Prideful Soldier interacted substantially differently against a Doom Guard!
Chapter 2078 Countering Doom
The interaction between the Doom Guard and the Prideful Soldier was incredibly interesting.
The Doom Guard hosted both Zeigra and Nyxie at equal strength.
The Prideful Soldier primarily held the Solemn Guardian, but was also supplemented by a spiritual mote taken from Zeigra!
Therefore, the two radically-different mechs actually shared something in common!
The presence of the Prideful Soldier excited the Doom Guard's glow by strengthening the strength exerted by Zeigra!
It was as if he suddenly got 5 percent stronger or so. While that didn't sound like much, the perfect balance of the Doom Guard suddenly experienced a disruption!
Zeigra gained the upper hand and pressed Nyxie back. When the latter gave ground, his strong and pervasive ability to inspire terror directly dropped.
In exchange, the Doom Guard in question became a bit more aligned with Zeigra. This meant that the mech resembled more of a predator instead of an eldritch horror.
It was too bad that Zeigra and Nyxie weren't even in strength at their full forms. The former was just the remnant spirituality of an experimental exobeast. How could he ever match the strength of an ancient alien tyrant?
The end result was that the Prideful Soldier not only skewed the glow of the Doom Guard, but also weakened it in absolute terms!
While the weakening effect wasn't all that strong, it still mattered to an extent as the deterrence factor of the Doom Guard decreased. Giving more power to Zeigra was a net loss.
What Ves found remarkable was that the effect of putting two Prideful Soldiers in the range of the Doom Guard weakened the latter even further.
"How many Prideful Soldiers will it take to drop the Doom Guard's glow to its lowest point?" Gloriana wondered.
Ves rubbed his smooth-shaven chin. "The Prideful Soldiers can't negate the Doom Guard's glow entirely. At most, their presence will simply turn the Doom Guard mech into a machine that is exclusively dominated by Zeigra."
In other words, it would effectively possess the same glow as Devil Tiger. It could also be considered the original incarnation of the Doom Guard before Ves deemed it too weak.
"Let's proceed with the next test."
They subjected the Doom Guard to a variety of Ylvainan mechs. The Holy Soldier, Deliverer and Transcendent Messenger all hosted Ylvaine's influence at varying degrees.
The Holy Soldier was by far the weakest since the mech mostly leaned on the Solemn Guardian. Its performance against the Doom Guard didn't fundamentally differ from that of the Desolate Soldier.
It was when Ves put forth the Deliverer and Transcendent Messenger that the results became rather interesting.
Just like the crowd of Ylvainans who prayed in front of an active Dom Guard, the mechs that contained a strong presence of the Great Prophet appeared to be resistant against the striker mech's terror!
Every Ylvainan mech exhibited hardly any hindrance even as they marched right up to a fearsome Doom Guard!
The only difference Ves noted was the telemetry transmitted by the cockpits. The weaker mech pilots exhibited significantly more stress, which meant that they had to put a lot more effort into keeping their cool!
The worst performer was Joshua in the Deliverer mech. While he had gained its design spirit's acceptance, they weren't exactly best buddies. Joshua had to focus on too many priorities while piloting this mech. Faith didn't come easy to the former Brighter.
In contrast, the performance of Taon Melin-Larkinson and James Ylvaine-Larkinson exemplified their ardent faith!
When Ves observed the feeds of the two Ylvainans in their cockpits, he noted that they derived their strength from different sources.
The expression on Taon's face suggested that he was relying on his zeal to power himself through! No monster in the dark could ever affect his conviction!
James on the other hand maintained an easy smile and a confident expression. His fit with his stolen Transcendent Messenger was incredibly high! He was the mech and the mech was him. It didn't seem as if James resisted the Doom Guard's glow at all. Instead, he was letting his own mech resist the external influence!
When Gloriana asked how James managed to perform so well, the Living Prophet spun his usual line of nonsense.
"Faith can be a shield. Your beliefs have power. As long as you realize that you are not alone, you will never have to endure any burdens by yourself! Think about it, Miss Wodin."
Ves immediately switched off the communication channel. "Ignore everything he said."
"I don't know, Ves. His advice sounds rather interesting…"
"He's merely spouting superstition!"
They soon moved on. Once the Ylvainan mechs withdrew, Ves tested two more mechs. He first brought forth a Bright Warrior.
The one that approached was in its swordsman mech configuration, but Ves didn't expect any meaningful differences. The glows of every configuration were identical.
From a technical standpoint, the Bright Warrior could easily crush the Doom Guard.
Glow or not, the performance disparity was too great! The Bright Warrior's exterior comprised almost entirely of Breyer alloy. This incredibly tough and resilient material could cook in the Doom Guard's flames for an eternity before showing any signs of damage!
Just because Cassandra's escape pod melted inside the chamber of the forging machine aboard the Scarlet Rose didn't mean the Bright Warrior was weak against thermal damage.
The mech was clad with a much thicker layer of Breyer alloy, and its armor system also incorporated several other means of mitigating heat!
Aside from that, flamethrower weapons weren't comparable at all compared to industrial machines. The only common aspect they shared was that they both applied heat to metal. Every other variable was different!
Therefore, as long as the mech pilot of the Bright Warrior wasn't a total coward, the bridge mech could easily crush the third-class striker mech!
Yet when it came to their glows, the roles were reversed!
The performance of the Bright Warrior's glow disappointed Ves. The Golden Cat's influence tried to resist the influence of Zeigra and Nyxie as best as possible, but the little cat simply couldn't contend against the two mature existences, especially in combination!
"Goldie needs time to ramp up." Ves shook his head. "Her strength is highly correlated to the state of the Larkinson Clan. Right now, we are just tens of thousands of clansmen. That is already rather big, but that isn't nearly enough to elevate her to the height of someone as formidable as Nyxie!"
It might take a decade or a century, but Ves was sure that the Golden Cat would be able to reach an astounding height some day!
That day was not today, though, and the Bright Warrior simply looked a bit sorry as it came closer to the Doom Guard.
"At the very least, the mech pilot of the Bright Warrior is faring such as well as the mech pilot of the Desolate Soldier." Ves concluded. "It's better than nothing."
Gloriana nodded. "We should just deploy the Bright Warriors in their rifleman mech configuration and blast the Doom Guard from a distance."
"That will take some time. The Illuminating Warrior features the weakest offense of the four configurations."
"Then a single Shining Warrior will do. When the lancer mech configuration charges a Doom Guard, the mech pilot of the former won't even have the time to experience the glow of the latter! By the time his mind has caught up, the striker mech should have already been pierced!"
"That's a viable point." Ves lit up a bit. "I think you don't even need to rely on a Bright Warrior. Any lancer mech model will do!"
The Doom Guard simply didn't possess the mobility to dodge an incoming charge from a decent lancer mech.
A lancer mech was a natural counter to a striker mech. Even knight mechs fared better because they could at least blunt some of the charging power by lifting their shields!
It was a bit fortunate that the pirates hadn't tried out this tactic yet. Lancer mechs tended to start at a relatively high price due to the need to make them sturdy enough to withstand the forces generated upon impact.
In addition, lancer mech pilots were considerably more difficult to find and raise. They needed to possess unmatched courage as well as excellent skill. It was too easy for them to kill themselves by botching their charges!
"We've seen enough. Start the final test."
An Aurora Titan stepped forth. This mech was rare even in the ranks of the Larkinson Clan. They were simply too limited in their application due to their abysmally low mobility.
In private, Ves also considered the mech to be rather outdated. It was a third-class space knight that forcefully tried to make use of a second-class gimmick. The polarizing module that took up so much space in the Aurora Titan could have easily come in a miniaturized form in a proper second-class defensive mech!
At least the Aurora Titan was fairly affordable as a result, but that was only relatively speaking.
Ves hadn't called up the Shield of Samar yet. He wanted to see how a regular copy fared against a Doom Guard.
He began to sense a lot of spiritual activity as the two diametrically-opposite mechs entered each other's influence.
The Aurora Titan began to come alive, and put more energy in its protective glow!
The mech pilot of the space pilot showed no strain! Even when the distance between the two mechs shrunk until they were practically touching each other, the Aurora Titan and its mech pilot exhibited no discomfort at all! They were just like the Transcendent Messenger and James!
"This is promising!" Gloriana lit up as she observed the stress levels of the mech pilot. There was hardly any bump at all! "Unlike the Transcendent Messenger model which is only a private commission, the Aurora Titan is a commercial design! This is something that our customers can readily use to repel the glow of the Doom Guard!"
Both of them immediately saw the benefits. The LMC would easily be able to increase its earnings by boosting the sales of a seemingly-forgotten but incredibly profitable high-margin mech model!
Ves began to develop a suspicion. "Let me try something out."
He ordered the Blackbeaks, Crystal Lords, Desolate Soldiers and Bright Warriors to approach the Aurora Titan.
When the miscellaneous mech stood behind the space knight, Ves widened his eyes.
"The Aurora Titan is protecting the other mechs with its glow! It's strong enough to cover all of them in an umbrella!"
Qilanxo's strength bloomed in splendor in this test! Her spirit was roused and she keenly felt the threat from the Doom Guard. Nyxie especially caused her hackles to rise!
With her formidable strength as a centuries-old indigenous god when she was alive, Qilanxo's protective powers readily extended into the spiritual dimension!
"This is amazing!" Gloriana gushed. "If we let the public know, they'll surely take a second look at this mech!"
"My Aurora Titan design never achieved widespread popularity." Ves recalled the numbers. "It only sold in the low 10,000's if I recall, and that was mostly because my customers bought my other products and came to like my brand. It's not even on sale anymore in many states!"
Gloriana smiled. "It should be different now. The Aurora Titan looks as if you practically made it to resist the likes of the Doom Guard!"
To be honest, Ve felt rather bittersweet. It was rather disappointing for him to discover that a single mech negated the strongest selling point of the Doom Guard.
On the other hand, he recognized the benefit to this situation.
Apparently, it took an LMC mech to counter an LMC mech!
It was as if Ves was arming both sides of conflict. Regardless of which side won or lost, the LMC always profited in the end! The sales of one LMC mech encouraged the sales of another LMC mech!
"It's not so simple." Gloriana sadly remarked. "Both designs are low-mobility. The Aurora Titan isn't suited to attack, and neither is the Doom Guard. It will take ages for an attacking force to drag their Aurora Titans to the enemy battle line!"
Ves chuckled. "That's not as much of a problem as you think. Mech designers and mech technicians can be rather inventive if they need to be. We'll probably start hearing reports of Aurora Titans strapped to oversized boosters or being towed by a squad of mechs!"
Just because a mech's default configuration was rather slow didn't mean it had to stay that way! One of the biggest strengths of mechs was by how easily they could be modified!
Chapter 2079 Glow Arms Race
The confrontation of glows revealed a lot of new facets about the interaction between LMC mechs.
None of the outcomes broke any logic. Though Ves hadn't expected the Aurora Titan to be such a great defender against hostile glows, even that abided by some logic.
"As expected of a female proto-god." Gloriana smugly smirked as she petted her cat. "The Aurora Titan's proto-god is so powerful that she can fend off the two male proto-gods of the Doom Guard with ease! We women are the best and strongest gender, isn't that right, Clixie?"
"Miaow!"
Standing next to her, Ves palmed his face. "Zeigra is a lot younger than Qilanxo! Of course he's weaker! Meanwhile, Nyxie is heavily constrained and partially locked in slumber. If he is in his prime, he can crush us all with a single thought!"
His girlfriend didn't believe him. She threw a contemptuous look at him. "I expect our next mech design project to be stronger than the Doom Guard! As our first mech design for my home state, it has to be our best product to date, understood?! I won't allow you to shame our state by presenting something weak!"
"That… is a tall order. There's not that much we can do to make our knight mech stand out when we have to abide by so many restrictions."
Gloriana imperiously swept her hand towards the mechs on the practice field. "Look at your mechs. Our mechs. They're more powerful than other mechs because of your glows. The domains they exude is the key to their success! I want you to make sure that our first Hexer mech design will not host a weak proto-god. We need to make a statement to the Hexadric Hegemony that we are not useless! Even at our current state, we can already contribute to the war effort! More importantly, we have to teach the Friday Coalition a lesson that their defeat is inevitable!"
"I get it!" Ves raised his hands. "I already planned some elaborate steps to ensure our remaining mech design project will result in something special. It will definitely surpass the Doom Guard in sophistication! Just make sure that you are ready to make a sacrifice."
"For our first collaborative Hexer mech design, I don't care about the price!"
The testing soon wound down. The final interesting interaction that took place was when Ves commanded Jannzi Larkinson to bring forth her Shield of Samar.
There was a qualitative difference between her performance with her customized Aurora Titan and the performance of a regular version of the model.
Her will had already been polished to a standard that was beyond human limits. Her degree of immersion with her own mech had reached an unparalleled standard for non-expert pilots.
The field of protection projected by the Shield of Samar reached must further out, and every individual affected by it enjoyed a considerably greater degree of protection against the Doom Guard's glow!
Ves and Gloriana made a couple of additional conclusions after they finished the tests.
First, the Aurora Titans and more specifically Qilanxo were practically made to shield against harmful glows. Unlike the other mechs, its focus on protecting others extended into the spiritual realm as well, thereby providing valuable protection to the minds of every vulnerable mech pilot within range!
Second, the effectiveness of glows that were able to resist harmful influences somewhat depended on the quality of the mech. However, the source of those glows mattered more. A powerful, protection-oriented spiritual entity like Qilanxo was vastly more suited to perform this role than a weaker offensive design spirit such as Zeigra!
The most the latter could do was to reduce the burden on the mech pilot of the mech. The amount of protection they offered to other friendlies around the mech was rather marginal!
Third, the strength of the mech pilot also mattered. Even if Jannzi Larkinson exited her Shield of Samar and boarded the cockpit of a regular Aurora Titan, she would still be able to achieve more results due to her superior ability and excellent synergy with Qilanxo.
Putting a completely random mech pilot in a very advanced and eccentric mech like the Aurora Titan wouldn't end well!
A lot of new ideas swirled around in their heads. The release of the Doom Guard sparked an entirely new appreciation of the applications of Ves' design philosophy.
It was not enough to consider their effects on a standalone basis. From now on, Ves needed to take into account how they interacted with other existing glows!
"You know, Ves, we could start an arms race." Gloriana suggested with a grin. "When the Doom Guard gets more popular, mech buyers will either have to start fielding our strikers themselves or risk falling behind. At the same time, the demand for mechs that can counter its glow will increase. So far, only the LMC can give them what they need!"
"We already have the Aurora Titan."
"It's a defensive mech that is highly unsuited to confront the Doom Guard. In fact, the other way around applies as well. Both mechs are too sluggish. While you've already mentioned that their owners might solve this problem, this is way too troublesome and requires a lot of extraneous tinkering. The fact of the matter is that the market will gradually demand a mech from the LMC that can offer the same degree of protection as the Aurora Titan but in a much more mobile package."
This was the glow arms race that Gloriana described. Ves ran through the scenarios in his mind and saw an opportunity to milk the mech market by continually releasing mechs that countered each other!
For example, he could design an affordable lancer mech with a protective to counter the Doom Guard.
He could then design an offensive swordsman ranged mech that could shred the lancer mech's glow.
After that, he might design a rifleman mech that neutralized the swordsman mech's offensive glow.
Ves could wait a couple of years between these critical product releases in order to make sure the latest mech models provided maximum value to their customers. The longer they dominated, the more the market accumulated pent-up demand for effective counters!
These kinds of arms races happened throughout the galactic mech market in many different corners. Direct contests between a small number of competitors were fairly rare, though, and they almost always took place at the higher levels.
Ves recognized that he and his products were in an abnormal situation.
First, as far as he was aware of, he was the only mech designer capable of designing mechs with glows. He was also the only mech designer who could design mechs that countered them in battle!
These two conditions meant that any arms race that Ves possibly sparked would only involve a single player, himself!
He would become his own competitor in a market where he held a monopoly!
If his fellow mech designers figured out these conditions, they would probably grow green with envy!
That was because anyone in Ves' position could abuse them in a way that allowed them to constantly rip off their customers!
Right now, the product margin for the Doom Guard was 25 percent. For every 2 million hex credits the LMC received per sale, the company roughly profited by 0.5 million hex credits. This was already decently high in the mech industry for a Journeyman-level offering.
This was just the start.
If Ves designed a cheap, mobile and effective counter against the Doom Guard, then he could make it cost just 1 million credits, but sell it for as much as 2.5 million hex credits!
As long as the LMC made sure the Doom Guards proliferated everywhere, the demand for a lancer mech that was perfectly set up to counter the fearsome striker mechs would be a product that many customers would pay a fortune to obtain!
If Ves and the LMC were shameless enough to take advantage of their monopoly status, then selling such a cheap product at extortionary prices was viable! Even if their customers complained and hurled insults at them, they would still fork over the money to buy the overpriced mechs, because they needed their capabilities!
This product development cycle could go on and on. Any customers who wanted to stay on top of the glow arms race were destined to become the LMC repeat customers so long as Ves maintained his monopoly!
Just thinking about how much his customy could jack up the margins made him wild! Making 60 percent or even 100 percent profit on his products would rapidly build up his fortune as long as he made sure the sales volumes remained high!
However, there was more to it than earning eye-popping profits.
"It's not so simple." Ves soon regained his calm. "Reputation is more important as well. If we truly spark off an unscrupulous glow arms race, the market will come to know us, but hate us as well. There will doubtlessly be a lot of people who will start to resent us. Soon enough, they'll figure out that the most effective way of beating this arms race is by assassinating me! Without my support, there will be no new mechs with glows, thereby saving all of my customers a lot of money!"
"Oh." Gloriana blinked. "I don't know. Assassinations aren't exactly common in the mech industry, and we're already growing stronger every day."
"I don't want to attract too much hatred." Ves shook his head. "In addition, there is morality to consider. I designed the Doom Guard explicitly to counter pirates and other irregular forces. Their penchant for fielding large quantities of cheap mechs is something that a defensive striker mech with a terror glow is perfectly suited to fend off. However, our Doom Guard is not very suited to go on the offensive, which is a deliberate design choice we've made to make sure it will largely be used by legitimate customers."
The point suddenly dawned upon Gloriana. "You don't want to empower the pirates!"
"Yes. There is something special about my design philosophy. The effectiveness of my glows is unrelated to the cost of a mech design. I can attach a glow that counters the Doom Guard to an incredibly affordable mech that costs just 150,000 hex credits. A mech that is ten times cheaper than a mech that a lot of defensive forces will begin to yield is perfect for pirates and all sorts of people who prefer to perform offensive missions! It will be easy to spread such a mech around and achieve a huge sales volume, but…"
"It's not necessarily the right thing to do. If such a product becomes associated with pirates…" Gloriana trailed off. There was no need for her to finish the sentence.
It wasn't as if Ves had any objections to doing business with pirates and scum. If there was a lot of profit to be made, he was very willing to pounce on the opportunities!
The problem was that it only benefited him in the short-term. As long as Ves continued to do business in such an ugly fashion, his reputation would sour to the point where he couldn't resist the inevitable backlash from the market!
Besides, despite the huge potential windfalls that pirates often earned, they were actually pretty poor on the whole. Their lack of market access and their many inefficiencies meant that they truly didn't have much to spend. Even if they wanted something, they were much more inclined to steal what they wanted rather than pay for them honestly!
"The same rationale also applies to the reason why I haven't designed a new version of the Desolate Soldier." Ves reminded his girlfriend. "It was a necessary product for the Sand War, but now that this crisis has passed, I don't want it to spread too much. The potential for abuse by authorities is enormous and it doesn't help that the model is so cheap!"
"Your glows should have a price." She stated.
"Correct. I need to train the market to appreciate the premium bestowed by my glows. Even if I can attach it to cheap and disposable mech design, I will likely not release such a product. The cheaper the mech, the greater it devalues my glows. Such a mech will also easily fall within the budgets of various pirate forces, which are customers we should satisfy as little as possible."
In the end, Ves and Gloriana put away their fantasies. Sparking a glow arms race and exploiting it to its maximum potential sounded great, but neither of them could bear the ultimate cost of implementing it in an unscrupulous fashion.
"Don't get me wrong, a glow arms race still sounds like something we should do." Ves softly spoke. "We just have to be careful and rein ourselves in. We can't allow our greed for immediate profits to harm our long-term development. Money lasts until the moment you spend it. An excellent brand is something that can deliver lasting profits as long as we keep it intact!"
Another reason to rein in the glow arms race was the threat of competition. The greater demand for a counter to his glows, the greater the chance a mech designer might emerge who could shatter his spiritual component monopoly!
Chapter 2080 Poor Businessman
The whole excitement surrounding the newly-discovered interactions between different glows was just getting started.
The mech market gained an entirely new appreciation of LMC mechs, and many customers in foreign states who hadn't been exposed to them before began to dip into them for the very first time.
The LMC's market reach expanded every day as the demand for the Doom Guard and other products skyrocketed.
The Aurora Titan model, which had long been accumulating dust in the LMC's mech catalog, suddenly turned into a hot commodity!
The LMC quickly published a statement that described it as its most effective counter to the Doom Guard's glow!
Plenty of early adopters of the LMC's latest product felt pissed. Their seemingly-undefeatable striker mechs turned out to be easily countered by an old, existing product!
Soon enough, their complaints died down once they realized how unsuited the Aurora Titan was for offensive operations.
Only the defending side could make effective use of the Doom Guard and the Aurora Titan! As long as the enemy had to come to them, the relatively immobile mechs could employ their strengths to maximum effect!
In that sense, the Aurora Titan was far more useful to the customers who already bought a Doom Guard. The former mech could shield a lot of friendlies from the indiscriminate glow of the latter.
The addition of such a useful mech vastly increased the tactical flexibility of the outfit in question. It became easier to deploy more mechs around the Doom Guards in order to cover the striker mechs.
By cleverly positioning the Aurora Titans in relation to the Doom Guards, it was possible to form a solid line of mechs that hovered right behind the Doom Guards.
The only caveat was that a single Aurora Titan already cost a fortune!
"What the hell? This overengineered piece of crap that is as slow as slow costs 3 million hex credits to purchase? That's a ripoff!"
"I could buy three Doom Guards for the cost of two Aurora Titans!"
"Who cares about this polarizing module gimmick? Why doesn't the LMC release a cheaper version that skips this useless feature?!"
The glow arms race had already started. The LMC slightly jacked up the price of the Aurora Titan, but not too much considering its margin had already started off high to begin with. This was standard practice for a low-volume, high-margin niche product.
In fact, the LMC had actually dropped its price before when the new mech generation settled in. Now, the mech company reversed its decision as the orders for the product multiplied by a factor of 10,000!
That 'low-volume' description might not apply to the outdated mech model anymore, but the LMC was insistent on retaining its 'high-margin' nature!
In fact, Gavin even suggested that the LMC could still afford to pump up the price of the Aurora Titan to 4 million hex credits!
Ves immediately shot it down.
"Unacceptable! The current price bump can still be excused with reasonable arguments. Jacking it up by another million hex credits will just appear as naked profiteering! No one in the market will be stupid enough to realize that the LMC is just treating them as cash cows. I don't want my mech company to develop so much animosity from our customer base."
His assistant frowned. "I don't understand your obsession with reputation. Many mech companies in your position would have long taken advantage of our unique situation. So what if we exploit our monopoly? There is no right and wrong in business! There is only supply and demand! We offer something that is in huge demand, so it is only proper for us to raise our prices. Even if the buyers hurl insults at us, they will still value our products!"
"It will be ten times harder to build up the high esteem we've accumulated after we have torn it down. The market won't forget our transgressions so easily."
"Frankly, boss, I disagree. Your products will only become more useful over time as you develop your design philosophy further. The LMC's growing success already proves that your mech designs are desirable to a wide portion of the market. We could earn five to ten times as much profit if we actually do something useful with our monopoly!"
As a businessman, Ves agreed with Gavin.
As a mech designer, Ves did not agree with Gavin.
Throughout his career, Ves always considered himself to be a mech designer first. His progression and his desire to realize his ambition surpassed his desire to maximize his money-making potential!
"You don't understand, Benny, but you are not required to. I'm calling the shots here. The price of the Aurora Titan must not exceed the current price barring market-specific complications such as tariffs or surcharges."
Gavin looked disappointed, but Ves took no notice of it at all. This was the perk of being his own boss!
As the Larkinson Clan and the customers of the LMC avidly explored the myriad of interactions between different glows, Ves turned his attention back to his current priorities.
Right now, Ves wanted to finish the Hexer mech design project as quickly as possible. It had already suffered some delays due to all of the excitement surrounding the new Doom Guard design.
However, when Ves returned to the design lab, something else emerged that demanded his attention.
"The recruiters have finished sorting the mech designers who want to work for us?" Ves uttered with surprise.
Gloriana nodded. "I've already taken a brief look at them. They're all pretty good. Most notably, the applicants are all young, educated and vetted. Their personalities are neither too timid nor too arrogant. A considerable amount of them are fans of our work and dream of becoming Larkinsons."
"How many of them are locals and how many of them are foreigners?"
"A disproportionate number of commoners from the Sentinel Kingdom have applied." She explained. "In fact, we even received some applications from some promising nobles, but we rejected them out of hand due to their strong loyalties to their current houses. Despite this, almost a third of the foreigners make up the current list. The best and most confident citizens of neighboring states had to pay a considerable price to travel to the Cinach System. On average, their quality is higher, so we've been able to approve more of them than we thought."
"I see. So all of the prior vetting has been performed, right?"
"Yup. We even tested their integrity with our Bright Warriors. We didn't allow them to pledge an oath. It was enough to see if our clan god approves of them. In fact, we even threw out hundreds of spies and informants after exposing their true nature."
The Golden Cat was Ves' killer weapon against spies and other malicious people! Before her creation, Ves hated the constant infiltration that took place in his organizations.
His obsession with foiling spies and saboteurs was one of the most important reasons why he created the ancestral spirit! Even though he wasn't sure if everything turned out well, he was glad he succeeded in establishing a spiritual network that was intrinsically tied to the Larkinsons.
The existence of Goldie and the Larkinson Network was one of the biggest contributors to the stability of his rapidly-growing clan! Even if the number of adopted Larkinsons surpassed 20,000, there was little sign the newcomers were overwhelming the truebloods!
Of course, good vetting and thorough selection already weeded out a huge amount of unsuitable applicants.
"When will the final selection begin?"
"We can start tomorrow if that is what you want. The mech designers who passed all of our tests are all residing in a nearby hotel."
"Alright." Ves nodded. "Then let's send them a notice to show up tomorrow morning."
"How will we decide which ones to pick?" She asked. "There are a thousand mech designers to choose from. Each of them are desirable in their own way. What will be our criteria?"
Many more mech designers tried their luck, but failed to meet the standards of the LMC. With their current level of prestige, Ves and Gloriana no longer had to set their sights on average Novices and Apprentices.
Only the ones with higher potential deserved their consideration!
Of course, the truly talented mech designers were still scarce. Most of them either found success by starting their own businesses or had already been locked in by other rivals.
Even so, plenty of diamonds in the rough remained.
"Hmm.." Ves rubbed his smooth-shaven chin for a while. "The ones who are most loyal and talented get priority. While I don't particularly care about their design philosophies, we should ensure we have a good amount of variety. I'll also keep my eye out on those with remarkable traits."
He didn't exactly explain the latter to Gloriana. What he truly meant was that he wanted to recruit at least a couple mech designers with spiritual potential!
In a massive group of thousand, reasonably talented mech designers, he refused to believe that none of them had the potential to advance to Journeyman!
Of course, hiring too many of them wasn't necessary. Ves mainly wanted to bolster his design teams right now. Obedience and humility mattered the most in this case. There was no room for egos in his design teams!
"I don't want you to hog all of the mech designers." Gloriana added. "Let me choose as well. I want at least half!"
"Alright, but don't go overboard."
"Incompetence is the last thing I want in my mech designers. By the way, I think we should increase the goal we set. Adding four more design teams sounds rather conservative. I think we can handle double this amount!"
"What?! You want to recruit eight design teams at once? Our Design Department will become a madhouse if we bring in so many mech designers at once!"
"Are you doubting our leadership ability?" Gloriana frowned and crossed her arms. "Our status is incomparable to theirs! Our authority is absolute. What you fear won't come true, especially considering the quality of the remaining applicants."
"I'm not thinking about that. I'm more concerned with the added burden of managing them all. Mech designers can't be led like other professionals. It is already a burden for me to manage the two design teams we have at the moment."
Gloriana shook her head. "That is why you should delegate, silly. Isn't that your favored solution to many of your problems within your company and your clan? Just hand over some authority to Ketis, Miles and anyone else you trust."
He already thought about that. Ves had a lot of doubts about this solution because none of his subordinate mech designers stood out in their management ability. The best out of the bunch was Miles, who already ran his own mech business for a time.
As for someone like Ketis, all she knew was hacking her problems with her greatsword!
"Trust in your people, Ves. They aren't as incapable as you think and they don't need to be coddled. Give them a challenge, and they will rise to the occasion."
While her words sounded wishy-washy, Ves was inclined to agree with her. He had treated his subordinate mech designers like children too much. While their professional capabilities weren't as good as his, they were still adults who worked hard to get to this point.
"I'll consider it." He eventually decided. "Hiring enough mech designers to fill up eight design teams is a rather huge change for us. With the size that we have adopted for our teams, that amounts to 48 mech designers!"
"We might as well round it up to fifty in that case."
"Yeah."
The thought of adding fifty new mech designers to the LMC's Design Department filled him with both dread and anticipation.
As long as he managed to keep them under control, they could contribute immensely to his design efforts!
"Let's see what tomorrow will bring."
Mech designs were vital to mech companies. The LMC had long been constrained by the limited output of mech designs from its undersized Design Department. Now that they were about to rectify this situation, Ves and Gloriana almost couldn't wait!
Chapter 2081 Eccentric Selection Process
The big day had come. To many young mech designers in their twenties and thirties, the opportunity to work and learn from the most prominent Journeymen of the star cluster had arrived!
Pretty much every mech designer who resided in the hotel rented out by the Larkinson Clan knew what was at stake.
The men and women who had made it through the extensive selection process watched each other with varying amounts of friendliness and wariness.
Those who made it this far all possessed enough strength to earn each other's respect.
A lot of candidates had forged new friendships as they waited for the time of the final selection.
The concentration of more than a thousand young but promising mech designers of similar status meant that many of them had already made a lot of gains up to this point.
Even if they washed out and returned home, the networking they accomplished would definitely pay off in the future!
Of course, the applicants didn't forget that they were competitors as well. Though no one was sure how many mech designers the LMC planned to hire, the amount would certainly not be in the hundreds!
This meant that the friendly mech designer from the Reinald Republic that they bantered with might enjoy the opportunity while they themselves returned empty-handed!
All of this led to a strange dynamic where the mech designers treated each other in a complex fashion. Those who were more socially adept had gained a lot of advantages during this period.
A number of passenger shuttles soon arrived in front of the hotel. The large shuttles were shaped like buses and could accommodate a hundred passengers while providing excellent comfort.
Additionally, the Living Sentinels dispatched a company of aerial mechs. Each of them looked formidable and could protect the convoy of passenger shuttles from all kinds of threats.
The wealth and power of the Larkinson Clan was on immediate display. As the mech designers entered the vehicles, their determination to join the LMC only burned hotter!
After a brief trip, the mech designers arrived at the expansive base the Larkinson Clan had rented.
As the shuttles landed at the designated zones, they immediately felt different as a number of different glows affected their minds!
During their stay on Cinach VI, every mech designer had the privilege of experiencing the glows of LMC mechs in person!
To many of them, the effect they had on their moods had been eye-opening.
"Please don't mind all of the glows." One of the clansmen in charge of corralling them instructed. "When you are accepted into the clan, you will quickly grow used to them. Many of you will even appreciate their comforting presence. The Larkinson Clan and the LMC are inseparable from the clan patriarch's glows. If their influence somehow frightens or offends you, then you can always head back into a shuttle. We are offering free return trips!"
A few of the mech designers chuckled, but none of them turned around. Those who believed in the conspiracy theories that the glows were designed to brainwash people or something never applied in the first place. Everyone who made it this far were all fans of the mysterious glows!
"Very well. Now follow me and behave yourself. The two lead designers of the LMC will be examining you in person. I've heard that they have prepared some unusual tests, so be ready to do anything, no matter how ludicrous it sounds."
The group of mech designers slowly walked across the base, encountering many impressive LMC mechs along the way.
A pair of Blackbeaks along with some Crystal Lords moved across their path.
A freshly-fabricated Aurora Titan was heading towards the section occupied by the Avatars of Myth.
A trio of ferocious Doom Guards were slowly moving to one of the ships of the Battle Criers.
Each of these mechs featured the standardized coating of the various mech forces under the control of the Larkinson Clan.
Each of the mech designers were aware that the Larkinson Clan was more than just a group ruling over a lucrative mech company. It used to belong to a family of honorable soldiers! This storied history generated a lot of admiration among the candidates.
Eventually, they reached a large hall that had been specially prepared to conduct the final selection. A handful of mechs of different models already stood at various places. A number of guards were stationed throughout the hall in order to maintain order and prevent any outsiders from interfering with the selection process.
Ves and Gloriana both showed up in their clan uniforms. They looked fairly indistinguishable from the other clansmen if not for their confident demeanors! The success they enjoyed and the power they accumulated amplified their stature and turned them into individuals who would always stand out in a crowd!
Their cats obediently sat next to their feet. The two felines stared vigilantly at the candidates while flicking their tails. If they detected any problems, they would surely warn their owners!
Ves rapidly counted the number of heads with his implant and determined that 1053 candidates had arrived today. That was a little less than was on the list. He didn't ask why a couple of them hadn't showed up. It didn't matter anyway.
"Welcome, fellow mech designers." He greeted the neatly assembled mech designers in a warm and friendly tone. "My name is Ves Larkinson, and this is Gloriana Wodin. Both of you should already know who we are. In addition, you should also be aware of the reason why you are here. Each of you have been tested and deemed worthy to receive our personal consideration. That does not mean your entry into the LMC is guaranteed. Far from it. Only 50 of you will receive an offer from us. That means that 1003 of you will be sent back home!"
Gloriana crossed her arms. "We only demand the best. If we declined to hire you, that means you fail! You can blame us all you want, but the truth of the matter is that we went for someone who is better. If you don't want that to happen to you, then be sure to perform at your best! We are not inclined to give any second chances. We don't care if you are a genius or if you have won some prestigious prize. If you can't show up when we ask for it, then that's your fault. Consistency and reliability are some of the core traits we value in the LMC."
"Remember that this is an opportunity of a lifetime for some of you. The LMC is a mech company that doesn't possess a fixed headquarters." Ves reminded them all. "This means that our headquarters is actually moving with the Larkinson Clan. Due to this reason and more, everyone who joins the LMC will also have to be adopted into the Larkinson Clan. This is an irreversible decision, but one that can transform your lives!"
None of the candidates showed any doubts. The ones who weren't willing to abandon their old families and affiliations had already been filtered out!
After making their points clear, Ves moved on and explained the rules. "My partner and I have decided to conduct separate tests on all of you. We are both selecting according to different criteria. This means if one of us has passed you over, you still have a chance. Just take into consideration that what works for Gloriana might not work for me, and vice versa. If you have done your research on us, then you should be able to guess what we appreciate."
They had both made this decision when they entered into a deadlock yesterday. Neither of them were able to come to an agreement on which set of criteria they needed to apply to the new recruits!
Eventually, they threw up their hands and decided to split everything up. Both would be conducting their separate round of tests and hire twenty-five mech designers each!
Ves started first. He stepped forward and approached the ranks of mech designers that had formed into rows. Lucky padded after him while keeping a close eye on the potential new Larkinsons.
He approached one of the corners of the row and peered into the eyes of the mech designer standing in front of him with a scrutinizing gaze.
The man tried to shy away before realizing that this might be some sort of test. The candidate did his best to muster his courage and return the stare.
Ves lingered for a few seconds before moving to the side to peer into the eyes of another mech designer.
He didn't say anything. The confused candidate wondered whether he had been passed over.
What was Ves Larkinson looking for? Why did he insist on staring at each of them in the eyes?
No one talked. No one moved. Ves went from mech designer to mech designer in a calm and patient fashion.
Not even Gloriana knew what her boyfriend was looking for, but she showed no irritation at the amount of time that Ves was determined to take.
After inspecting nearly a hundred mech designers in this fashion, he eventually halted. He stared a bit longer at a seemingly-random mech designer.
"You." Ves raised his hand and placed it on the shoulder of the mech designer. "You pass. Welcome to the LMC. You are suited to become a Larkinson."
For a moment, the lucky man in question couldn't believe what he heard? Was it that easy to earn Ves Larkinson's approval? He didn't even do anything! He just stood as straight as a rod while making sure to meet the Journeyman eyes with his own! He didn't even do anything else!
"Th.. thank you!" The man bowed with incredible glee. "I will strive to meet your expectations!"
Ves jerked his head to the side. "Head over there. One of our guides will process your entry into the Larkinson Clan after this process is done."
As the successful candidate happily walked out of the row, the other mech designers looked incredibly envious at him! They all wanted to take his place! What did he possess that allowed him to be selected straight away?
The strange and unusually short selection caused the remaining mech designers to stand a little straighter.
Ves didn't really bother with that. He resumed his routine and continued to go over every single individual.
In the end, he selected six more mech designers.
He smiled in an intriguing fashion as the seven mech designers all gathered at the side.
Each of them possessed spiritual potential!
That wasn't all. There were even more candidates who possessed spiritual potential. Since each of them were fairly talented and capable in their profession, Ves wasn't surprised to encounter over thirty mech designers with spiritual potential!
The reason why he didn't pick them up was because of several reasons.
Perhaps the vibe they exuded didn't meet his tastes. Perhaps his intuition reacted somewhat cool towards them. Perhaps the attributes he sensed from them repelled his sensibilities.
The seven he selected represented the best of the group of candidates with spiritual potential. Their strength and development varied, but Ves had a very good feeling about all of them, and that was enough!
Of course, he didn't just select them on the stop due to his feelings alone. He also made sure to go over their records through his mind. He had already downloaded the complete profiles and records of every single candidate in his implant.
There weren't any problems with the seven mech designers who possessed a good chance to advance to Journeymen. While he admittedly didn't spend a lot of time going over their strengths, he could always explore them later.
Right now, it was sufficient to know that they were worth investing in once they joined the Larkinson Clan.
When Ves withdrew from the time-consuming examination, it was Gloriana's turn to conduct her test!
She stepped forward with a grin. "Unlike my boyfriend who likes to rely on gut to make his decisions, I prefer to conduct a more objective test. As a mech designer who is expected to work under my supervision, I expect excellence in as many areas as possible! In order to see whether you have what it takes to keep up with my demands, you will have to demonstrate your intelligence!"
With a snap of a finger, a projected screen appeared in front of the faces of all of the candidates.
"What you are looking at right now is an advanced textbook that contains knowledge that I am very confident that you aren't familiar with. You have thirty minutes to absorb as much knowledge from the book as possible. After that, you have thirty minutes to complete an exam. Those of you who have managed to achieve the best scores will enter my short list!"
A lot of mech designers lit up. There were a lot of geniuses and high performers within the crowd. None of them lacked confidence in their learning ability!
However, Gloriana wasn't quite finished.
"Oh, before you ask, we won't be providing you with any seats!"
Chapter 2082 Different Criteria
Gloriana's test sounded a lot more straightforward than the inexplicable selection that Ves just performed.
The mech designers who applied to join the LMC all felt as if they returned to their student days.
As engineers and creators, every mech designer had to master the fundamental sciences. From mechanics to physics, the amount of knowledge they had to learn by heart was incredibly voluminous.
Not a lot of people possessed the intellect and learning ability to become a mech designer. However, these were essential traits to their profession, especially considering that even the most highly-rated mech design universities only allowed its students to become Apprentice Mech Designers upon graduation at most!
While there was a lot of employment available to bottom-tier mech designers, that was not was the profession was all about. Those who stopped learning and absorbing new knowledge after graduation were not worth investing in. It was fine to put them in some dead-end design team in order to perform crunch work, but their lack of growth and improvement meant that they would never gain their employer's appreciation.
Ves and Gloriana weren't looking to exploit their new hires. Not necessarily. They wanted to build up a solid foundation for the LMC as it grew from a sector-wide enterprise into a cluster-wide enterprise and beyond.
With the meteoric growth of the mech company, the demand on low, middle and high-tier design capabilities rapidly increased!
Ves and Gloriana couldn't possibly waste their time on addressing all of these demands in person. Their time was valuable and should constantly be spent on moving their progression forward.
Therefore, acquiring new talent that could be cultivated into useful substitutes was their ultimate goal.
This was why Gloriana put a twist in her test.
The mech designers each flipped through the pages of the virtual book projected in front of their faces. The exact subject matter of the book was something that involved very complicated internal architecture concepts.
While the mech designers didn't experience much strain at the start, it quickly took more and more effort to maintain their concentration. The devious part about it was not that they were forced to stand all the time, but the angle of the projected screen only revealed its contents when their viewers looked at it in a precise angle!
If the mech designers slouched over or tilted their head in any way, the screen would immediately become illegible!
Along with the fact that they didn't have any tables to lean or distribute their weight, the mech designers struggled increasingly more to maintain the exact posture that was required to keep reading the textbook!
Gloriana grinned. She personally programmed all of it. She keenly studied the people who held up better than the others.
Eventually, one of the candidates had the bright idea to take regular breaks. The man in question simply decided to sit on the ground and take the time to mentally process the complicated subject he just absorbed.
His example inspired the mech designers around him. Soon enough, over seventy percent of the entire crowd began to follow suit!
"It's too bad he's male." Gloriana shook her head.
Some of the mech designers stubbornly remained ramrod straight. Perhaps their bodies were strong enough to endure strain, or perhaps they believed their performance would improve their scores.
Whatever the case, after thirty minutes of frantic learning, the textbooks disappeared.
"Alright, the examination begins now. You have thirty minutes to solve all of the solutions with the knowledge that you have learned. Good luck." She said.
As was typical to mech design courses, the exam was not a simple quiz where the test paper needed to be answered by performing some dry calculations and derivations.
Instead, each candidate came face-to-face with a design interface that had already loaded in a very complicated section of the internals of a mech!
The internal makeup of this section contained some obvious and less obvious problems. Each candidate had to fix these problems by applying what they learned and knew in the best way possible.
Due to the openness of the problems, the candidates possessed a very wide range of freedom. Gloriana rarely set up a problem in a way that could be solved in a limited amount of ways.
This was a true challenge to the mech designers!
The reason why Gloriana set up the exam in this way was to mitigate the advantage of augmentations as much as possible. Those with better backgrounds who were able to afford a gene mod template or a cranial implants must have absorbed the knowledge in the textbook much better.
Yet that didn't mean that they were necessarily good at applying what they learned!
Mech design was a profession based on practice rather than theory. A mech designer wasn't some erudite theoretical physicist who locked himself inside a lab all day to run formulas in their minds.
They used what they learned to get something done!
The performance of the candidates quickly diverged. There were those who possessed powerful augmentations but managed to apply what they learned in a competent fashion.
There were also those who enjoyed the same advantages but let the stress of their situation get the better of them! They failed to match the performance in the previous tests conducted by the recruiters!
On the other hand, there were plenty of mech designers from poorer backgrounds who managed to tough it out and bear the burden without substantially affecting their normal performance.
"Mech design can be stressful at some times." Gloriana softly whispered. "When the stakes are high and the time is short, I expect my assistants to withstand the pressure and perform up to my expectations."
Ves agreed with her. He knew that she wasn't looking at the absolute best performers, but rather those who were able to match the performance of their earlier tests as closely as possible.
When the thirty minutes finally passed, the projected design interfaces finally disappeared. No matter how many problems the mech designers had to solve, they no longer had the opportunity to do so! What they managed to accomplish in this brief interval of time was their only chance to prove themselves in this manner!
"Alright, I have taken note of your results and scored them accordingly." Gloriana sternly notified. "Those who have performed well have attracted my attention. Please make sure you maintain your performance in the subsequent tests."
She didn't say that those who did poorly were still in her consideration. That caused some of the deep thinkers in the crowd to frown.
Unlike Ves, Gloriana wasn't ready to make her choice until she conducted all of the tests she had in store!
What she sought were well-rounded mech designers who excelled in every criteria she set! Though it was unlikely for any of the candidates to approach her level of perfection, she didn't want to get stuck with assistants who might fail her at a critical moment!
Anyway, now that Gloriana's turn had finished, it was time for Ves to conduct his next test. He stepped forward and gestured at one of the mechs looming quietly at the side.
"Do you see that Doom Guard?" He asked with a smile.
Though the mech was inactive, its fearsome red coating and ominous scarlet third eye already intimidated some of the candidates.
While everyone stood at a healthy distance from the mech, the truth was that they were already within its range!
Ves calmly approached the Doom Guard until he roughly reached halfway between the striker mech and the crowd of candidates.
He loudly tapped his foot against the floor. "My next test is simple. When the Doom Guard standing behind me becomes active and turns on its glow, your task is to approach me! The first five mech designers who reach my side will pass and be guaranteed entry into the LMC!"
A lot of mech designers lit up in that condition! Compared to Gloriana's selection process which appeared to be a marathon, the tests given by Ves were much more direct.
As long as they performed well in some way, they received an immediate entry in the job of their dreams without needing to undergo any further tests!
A lot of the candidates wanted to join the group of seven mech designers that Ves picked out before. Right now, those lucky bastards were gleefully watching the proceedings as if they already belonged to a superior class!
However, the mech designers who applied to join the LMC all heard about the Doom Guards. They were very well aware that it wasn't simple to approach the mech at all! If not for the fact that Ves set the finish line a good distance away from the Doom Guard, perhaps no one would be able to pass this test!
Just to be sure, Ves added an additional condition. "If none of you manage to reach my position, don't worry. I will just select the five who are in the leading positions. Don't give up and push yourselves to your limits and beyond!"
Though the majority of candidates already dreaded this test, a significant portion of them looked fired up! Ves keenly noticed the burning passion and ambition fueling their determination to push through as far as possible!
This was what Ves wanted to see. For this test, he was looking to pick up the mech designers who exhibited the most determination!
Upon his command, the mech pilot of the Doom Guard slowly booted it up. After several minutes, the pilot flicked the switch, causing its glow to ramp up within a minute.
The growing pressure immediately affected the moods of the candidates despite standing further away!
Even Ves experienced some strain, but he maintained his easy smile as best as possible. "Start!"
The mech designers moved. Surprisingly, over three-hundred of them immediately moved away from the Doom Guard!
Ves wanted to rub his eyes. Had they given up already?
He was profoundly disappointed at their decision. From a logical standpoint, it made sense for those who weren't used to enduring this kind of pressure to withdraw. While that meant they wouldn't have any chance of getting selected this round, the prudent candidates possessed enough self-knowledge to understand they would never be among the top five.
Why waste their energy and pile up their stress if they wouldn't gain anything for their efforts? In fact, this entire test was a bit perplexing to begin with! Unlike mech pilots, mech designers weren't frontline soldiers!
While Ves understood this rationale, it didn't conform with his principles or the principles of the Larkinson Clan! In his opinion, even if there wasn't a chance that they would make it very far, at least they needed to show some courage!
If mech designers constantly avoided challenges they never believed they could overcome, then they wouldn't make it very far. The whole point about progressing to Master Mech Designer was to accomplish the impossible!
Those who only took the path of least resistance didn't possess the heart of a high-ranking mech designer. Every single mech designer who managed to advance to Journeyman not only possessed spiritual potential, but also the willingness to swim upstream!
Those who managed to advance to Master and realize their design philosophies were even more extreme! They defied common sense so much that they even managed to swim up a waterfall!
Mech designers who were capable of reaching these extremes were worth their weight in phasewater in his opinion. Even if they didn't possess any spiritual potential, he wanted to snap them up anyway!
Several minutes into the test, the crowd of mech designers quickly split apart. A couple of hundred more mech designers joined the ranks of those who gave up at the start. They overestimated their ability to withstand the terror emanating from the Doom Guard and learned their lesson the hard way!
Less than two-hundred candidates managed to keep moving forward, but even this group quickly stretched out. The majority of them slowed their pace and looked like they were walking into blizzard.
Only a couple dozen managed to maintain a brisk pace. Just as Ves expected, most of them consisted of the passionate, strong-willed or determined candidates of the bunch!
There were plenty of outliers as well. Those who came from a military background or received a harsh upbringing all possessed minds of steel! No matter how much the Doom Guard tried to break their will, they held themselves together and kept approaching Ves as if he was their only savior!
Chapter 2083 Catherine and Moltar
"AAAHH! My future is there! I can't falter now!"
"This is my only chance to escape my debt! I won't settle for anything less than first!"
"How can this be?! You filthy commoners can't possibly surpass my courage! I am the scion of a noble house! I have undergone unimaginable training to get where I am. I refuse to be your lessers!"
The candidates tried their best to reach Ves while fighting back against the Doom Guard's ominous glow.
As far as Ves was aware of, the intensity of the glow of a mech roughly scaled according to the inverse-square law.
Light, gravity, electrical fields and more all operated along the same lines. This effectively meant that as the candidates moved closer, the difficulty of taking the next step rapidly increased!
This meant that all of them quickly slowed down. It was no longer possible for them to jog. They had to take it one step at a time.
The difficulty of the test was unimaginable at this stage. Ves could already tell that practically none of the candidates had entered a battlefield. They were still too soft in his perspective!
Sure, there were those who grew up in military families. Just like the Larkinson Family, these people received at least some form of training that prepared them for these kinds of challenges a lot better than those who had never been exposed to pressure of this nature!
However, even if a couple of the mech designers possessed more discipline than others, it didn't change the fact that they were ultimately pursuing a backline profession in the end!
Without experiencing the kind of fighting that the Bright Republic regularly forced its own younger generations of mech designers to endure, how could they be ready to face true pressure?
While Ves hated to acknowledge it, he approved of the Bright Republic's old measure to toughen up its mech designers. There were way too many useless professionals that would never step up when the situation called for it. The state might as well filter them all out by throwing them to the frontlines of a war!
As the candidates all began to scream and pour their hearts out, Ves casually raised his hand and rubbed his smooth-shaven chin in thought.
Should he take a page out of the book of his former state and enact something similar?
Nah.
While it was easy for someone at the top to appreciate the advantages of this controversial policy, those at the bottom hated it with a vengeance!
Ves himself grew quite resentful at the government of his former home state even as he rose to the occasion and became stronger. Just because he turned into a better mech designer didn't mean he liked risking his life all the time! The amount of dangers he personally endured would have long killed off any other mech designer in his position!
Therefore, Ves needed to find some different way to toughen his mech designers up. Resorting to a prop like the Doom Guard was an excellent way to accomplish this objective without going overboard.
No matter how deeply a Doom Guard frightened them out of their wits, at least they wouldn't actually die! The most they acquired was some unspeakable trauma that would haunt them for the rest of their lives.
As the differences between willpower, determination and mental fortitude became more and more stark, Ves noted with keen interest that the people with spiritual potential didn't actually differ in performance.
There were plenty of those with the potential to become Journeymen yet immediately distances themselves from the Doom Guard straight away!
There were also a handful of those with the same potential yet walked at the forefront of the crowd!
Their overall distribution matched that of the rest of the candidates, which suggested to Ves that spiritual potential didn't necessarily convey any advantages in mindset. It was merely a sign of a possible bright future. The individuals in question still needed to work hard to realize their great potential!
"Huh." Gloriana commented through their private comm channel. "I initially opposed this test because I didn't believe it had anything to do with mech design. Why do mech designers need to match the mental fortitude of combat personnel? It's only now that I see the difference. A portion of their true nature is revealed."
How much pain and fear were the candidates able to endure? How much was the opportunity to join the LMC and work under Ves and Gloriana worth? Were the mech designers truly willing to give it all in order to achieve the best result?
All of these questions and more were revealed in the starkest way possible. Unlike his earlier test where Ves inexplicably picked up a couple of mech designers with promising spiritual potential, this time the test was very transparent.
Those who did poorly or lacked the spine to face this challenge were practically shamed in the presence of everybody. The candidates who strode forward despite the mounting pressure all received looks of envy, jealousy and admiration.
Every candidate knew where they stood in relation to their other competitors!
Those trailing behind the frontrunners mustered more and more energy in order to increase their pace.
Those at the front gained confidence in their early success and tried to maintain their advantage as best as possible.
As for the increasingly large collection of mech designers who slowed down, they had to make a difficult choice.
If they gave up early, they would be able to preserve their wits and energy for the challenges to come.
However, if they gave in too early, they might receive a bad impression or gain a low score!
No one knew whether their performance at this point mattered or not. The uncertainty and the high stakes of this selection process gnawed at their minds and increased their doubt.
As Gloriana had already mentioned, a portion of their true nature became evident at this time.
The majority made the rational choice and gave up. They turned around and quickly shuffled backwards. Reaching the top five was a pipedream for them if they already started to falter at this distance.
Only a couple of dozen made the 'stupid' choice to clench their fists and persist. They arduously took some steps forward even if their minds started to succumb at the terror gnawing at their sanity!
Though Ves didn't react to their performance, he nonetheless marked them out with his implant and recorded their valiant performance.
Even if they were fairly average in other regards, at least in this test they had risen to the occasion!
As the leading mech designers neared Ves' position, the ranking slowly became clearer and clearer. Around fifteen or so competitors constantly tried to overtake each other and secure a promised spot in the LMC!
With the Doom Guard becoming an increasingly more mysterious and dreadful presence in their minds, their steps never ceased!
Ves paid attention to the leading two mech designers. Both of them had already distanced themselves even further than the remainder of the group.
Neither of them maintained the lead position for very long. Every time one of them took the lead, the other mustered up some energy from somewhere and caught up shortly afterwards!
According to the implant, the tall, brown-haired woman wearing an expensive suit was actually a local.
Not only that, but she was a descendant of House Evenson!
It made sense for House Evenson to raise some mech designers. As the rulers of a mech industry hub like Cinach VI, the local nobles needed to develop a keen understanding of the sector in order to maintain their current prosperity!
As long as their decisions stopped making sense, Cinach VI would inevitably decline as business moved to competing planets!
What interested Ves even further was that Lady Catherine Evenson also studied at Rawlings University at Cinach VIII. She graduated with honors and started up her own mech business after receiving a generous capital injection from her own house.
In fact, according to the latest record, she was still the founder and lead designer of her own mech company! Why would someone like her give up all of that hard work in order to apply to become an assistant?
"Hmm.." He silently hummed. "Maybe she's similar to the Tovar mech designers. She might have learned that she can't lean on this kind of support to achieve true success."
It had already become evident to Ves that Catherine enjoyed a privileged but rigid upbringing. She was born with a silver spoon, yes, but she also worked hard to excel among her peers!
She was kind of like Gloriana in a sense.
The only difference was that she didn't shine as brightly as his girlfriend. Her grades were good but she did not even rank in the top 10 of her class.
Her talent didn't particularly seem exceptional and her performance in Gloriana's test didn't stand out that much.
Yet the willpower she summoned this time was truly remarkable. Despite her various advantages or lack of advantages, her desire to succeed was stronger than that of anyone! She was the opposite of a pampered noble who never worked hard in her life!
Though the aristocracy of the Sentinel Kingdom raised plenty of useless idiots, they never gained actual power. Only the accomplished inherited the mantle of their houses! This was how the aristocracy managed to retain their power over the centuries.
The noble houses which tolerated incompetence had already died out over the years. Generations of accumulation had all gone to waste when just a single incompetent descendant tore it all down!
Someone as promising as Catherine should have received a lot of attention from House Evenson. That made it even more inexplicable why she was here of all places.
Perhaps the only disappointing factor about her was that she didn't possess spiritual potential. As she was 33 years old, Ves wasn't sure if she had already wasted her chance.
"Ahhh! I won't settle for second place!" The man who overtook her roared. "My future is here! I will shake off my debts no matter the price!"
Her closest competitor on the other hand possessed a much poorer background. He turned out to be a Reinaldan who studied at some average mech design university and managed to start his own mech company as well.
Whereas Catherine Evenson received a lot of capital from her noble house right away, Moltar Ringer had to attract investment the hard way.
Somehow, he managed to persuade some investors to invest in his startup and borrow the remainder of what he needed from a bank.
Though his mech business didn't do all that well, at least it managed to keep its head above the water.
That was until the Sand War broke out. Ves recalled that roughly half of the Reinald Republic succumbed to the sandman incursion before the spread of the Desolate Soldier and some other measures managed to stabilize the defensive line.
Moltar Ringer happened to have founded his mech company at one of the many industrial star systems that had been scoured by sand.
Properly speaking, Moltar and his mech company should have been bankrupted. However, due to shady Reinaldan bankruptcy laws, Moltar wasn't allowed to start a clean slate. He still needed to pay back a portion of the huge debts he accrued!
If Moltar did not get selected today, then Ves could easily imagine that his future would become very dark in the future! Unless he ran off to become a pirate, he would probably face a life-time of exploitation!
What surprised Ves was that Moltar wasn't content with remaining in the top 5. He summoned even more willpower than Catherine in order to achieve first place!
This was highly uncharacteristic. According to Moltar's record, he never applied himself to this extent during his time as an independent mech designer and a mech design student. His grades were average and the mechs he designed after he started his business lacked too much rigor and imagination.
Where did all of this willpower come from? Was Moltar similar to Ves in that he performed at his best when the stakes were raised?
Ves almost couldn't believe he could witness this performance from a Reinaldan of all people!
In the end, Moltar fell short. Just as he maintained the lead, Catherine somehow exploded the remainder of her strength and reached the finish line a half-second earlier!
"No!"
"Yes!"
Chapter 2084 Don't Worry
Ves found it interesting to observe the eruption of emotions from the candidates.
Those who made it in the top five largely exhibited a huge amount of exuberance and relief!
They knew that they had gained the chance of a lifetime!
Working under a pair of promising mech designers like Ves and Gloriana was one of the biggest prizes they could win under the circumstances.
Certainly, they wouldn't say no to working for a prestigious Senior and Master, but those opportunities were largely out of reach for them. Only the most exceptional prodigies attracted their attention!
In that sense, applying to work for the LMC was the next-best option. In fact, some clever mech designers even guessed that working for the two was even better than attracting the attention of a Master!
It was no surprise that a lot of mech designers applied to join the LMC. The thousand that managed to take part in this final selection process had come closer than the majority of the competition.
Yet the LMC only had places for fifty of them. Ves had just absorbed thirteen of them, which meant that the odds for the rest dwindled with each passing test!
The top five all realized what a great fortune it was to be rid of all of this pressure!
Aside from Moltar Ringer who was mentally beating himself up for failing to reach first, the remaining four including Catherine Evenson all looked as if they had entered paradise.
They were about to become part of the rising Larkinson Clan!
The Doom Guard immediately switched off its glow after the conclusion of the test. No matter how far the remaining mech designers reached, their chance had come and gone.
"Congratulations. You five can join the rest at the side." Ves spoke to the five winners.
As for the remaining candidates, they returned to the middle of the hall. Everyone looked depressed, regretful or disappointed for failing to win this test.
In fact, the ones who showcased a middling performance didn't look all that bad. As far as they were concerned, they tried their best but failed.
It was the ones who made it in the top 20 and the people who gave up right at the start who had been impacted the most!
The former all recognized that they could have been among the lucky five if they just mustered up some more strength. To realize that they came so close yet brutally failed to reach the cut-off mark was agonizing!
As for the people who decided to run in the opposite direction in order to get out of the range of the Doom Guard's glow, their shame constantly gnawed at their confidence!
It wasn't that big of a deal to make the most logical decision considering their slim chances of winning. Yet to see several mech designers performing to a herculean degree and putting their all into reaching the finish line first was very humbling!
How would they have been able to perform if they attempted this challenge?
A large number of them began to doubt whether they inadvertently failed some invisible test.
They weren't wrong. Both Ves and Gloriana had noted the group of people who gave up early. Neither of them were inclined to favor them when their courage only amounted to this much.
When all of the excitement died down and the remaining mech designers reformed their ranks, Gloriana took the lead again.
"Alright, I'm sure that all of you are rather frayed right now. However, that is no excuse for me to spare you. A mech designer must always be ready to work even if the galaxy collapses around you! Our love for our profession must exceed every other desire!"
Her words only depressed the remaining candidates even further.
She quickly moved on. "For my next test, I would like you to test your perception and ability to discern flaws. Much of your work upon joining our Design Department will consist of a lot of optimization and debugging work. It takes a lot of effort to polish a mech design once its design choices have been set. Your efficiency and effectiveness in this type of work is essential for your future positions! Don't think that you won't need to be so thorough anymore when you are allowed to design your own mechs. Maximizing the potential of your mech designs is an essential requirement to achieve greatness!"
Ves quietly coughed. While he agreed with Gloriana's sentiment, her standards were way too strict! She could spend years on optimizing a single mech design if not for external factors forcing her to cut her ultrlong cycle short!
When Gloriana waved her hand, a handful of LMC mechs strode forward from the side. Mercifully, the Doom Guard remained inactive, saving the mech designers from confronting the source of their recent trauma once again!
"I have personally selected all of these mechs for their distinct flaws and shortcomings. Each of them may look fine to mech pilots and other laymen, but mech designers recognize a flaw no matter how obscure they appear."
The Blackbeak, Crystal Lord, Aurora Titan, Desolate Soldier, Deliverer and Bright Warrior all stopped a short distance away from the crowd. Their glows blended into each other and washed over the mech designers, thereby giving them a lot of reprieve from the depression that had clouded their minds!
"All of you must choose one of these mechs to examine for flaws. Each of them exhibit numerous flaws. Most of them are production flaws arising from sloppy fabrication and assembly work, but every design also contains a decent number of design flaws. Your job is to record every possible flaw you can spot within a single hour. The more obscure the flaw, the higher your points! However, if you happen to record something that isn't a flaw, we will deduct your points depending on the magnitude of your error!"
This caused the mech designers to look troubled. This was a rather unusual test that only someone like Gloriana could come up with! It was clear that she wanted to test their judgement.
Many flaws were obvious, yet a lot of other quirks might not necessarily be wrong! Whether something was actually a flaw or just a well-intentioned but awful-looking implementation was a subjective question.
Nonetheless, Gloriana still went through with this test! To these subjective matters, she decided to abide by a simple standard.
If she thought it was wrong, then it must truly be a flaw!
Ves looked rather sour as the test commenced. "You could have used some other mechs as props, you know."
"Your mech designs, even the ones I have been involved in, are never perfect. You need to get it through your head how unsatisfying they really are to me." Gloriana admonished him. "Besides, every time I see these eyesores being used by the Larkinson Clan, I have to resist the urge to tear my hair out. The LMC's Production Department has slipped! Quality control has declined and more and more mechs are rolling out of the production line with dozens of egregious production flaws!"
Though he hated to admit it, she was right. Ves had noticed the same problem to a lesser degree. "The LMC has undergone a lot of turmoil in the past couple of months. Back when we still had the Mech Nursery back at Cloudy Curtain, we developed a mature and solid production chain in-house. Now, we either have to fabricate our mechs in some of our cramped ships with light production capabilities, or rely on external manufacturers to do the job. Ever since we established the Larkinson Clan, we have recruited a lot of new mech pilots. Each of them require mechs in order to be put to use, and that has forced us to rely a lot on third-party manufacturers."
Gloriana looked displeased. "I won't mention anything about providing mechs of this standard to the market. However, I expect better if the mechs are meant to serve ourselves! You better set the LMC's Production Department straight or I'll come and do it myself!"
"I get it, I get it! I'll fix the situation right away after this is over!"
While the two of them discussed the LMC's shortcomings, the candidates all swarmed around the mechs laid bare to them. They were not only able to examine the mechs up close, but also received access to some limited design schematics that revealed some of their internal makeup!
Any mech designer should be able to spot plenty of flaws of every mech and design. However, once they finished picking all of the low-hanging fruit, they needed to look much closer in order to spot another flaw!
This was where the difference between mech designers became apparent.
What was interesting was that a lot of mech designers tried to be clever and chose to study his older mech designs such as the Blackbeak and the Crystal Lord.
In contrast, hardly anyone chose the Bright Warrior, which was currently in its lancer mech configuration, and the Deliverer!
"It doesn't matter." Gloriana noted. "The scoring already compensates for the difficulty of discerning flaws. In truth, those who have decided to study the newer mechs are rewarded for taking on a tougher challenge!"
This was another hidden aspect behind this test. Gloriana didn't necessarily want to hire mech designers who pursued the lowest difficulty all the time. In her opinion, mech designers should constantly tackle greater problems! How else could they surpass their limits if they didn't challenge themselves?
The test proceeded quietly. The hour quickly ended, whereupon the mechs soon moved back to their places.
"Very good." Gloriana smiled. "Your performance is noted and graded. You will receive your results at the end."
She still needed to grade them all, but she planned to do that quietly in her mind with the help of her implant.
In the meantime, it was her boyfriend's turn to conduct his next test.
"For this round, I have invited a special guest."
Ketis entered the hall. She strode valiantly to Ves with strong, measured steps. She wore a training outfit that was typical to the Swordmaidens, though she also wore her signature poofy beret in order to hide her horns. Nonetheless, her lean but muscular arms were on full display and her scabbarded greatsword obediently trailed her back!
Once she reached her position, she unsheathed her weapon and grinned. "Hello. Ves asked me to test you all. I might not look like it, but I'm a mech designer. I am Ves' first student and I learned a lot from him. If you want to attract his attention, then you need to show some battle spirit! If you can't even get close enough to me, you don't deserve to be my colleague!"
Every single candidate looked confused. Was she truly a mech designer? She resembled a thug more than an intellectual!
She withdrew a smaller but very sharp sword and threw it in front of her. The antigrav module built into it caused it to float in the air with the tip pointed at the ceiling.
"Each of you must wield this sword and stand ten paces away from me." She explained the rules. "On my mark, you must charge at me and do your best to land a blow on me! I will be doing my best to block your attack. I might even push a bit back! You only need to launch a single attack."
A lot of mech designers looked scandalized!
"Are those weapons real? They look sharp!"
"Yup!" Ketis enthusiastically nodded. "What's the fun in conducting this test when we are just swinging some practice weapons at each other? There are no protective measures in place! Only our skill will determine whether we can avoid harming each other!"
A lot of mech designers already started to back off. This test was too insane! If someone made the wrong move, they could easily harm or kill each other!
"By the way, my greatsword happens to be a 'gift' from the CFA. Don't believe me? Then let me demonstrate."
A lifter bot entered the hall and deposited a sheet of thin armor plating in front of her position.
"This plate consists of Breyer alloy." She stated. "It's the same material that clad the Bright Warrior. Even though this plate has been slimmed, it is still strong enough to withstand small-arms fire for several hours! Now watch what I can do!"
Ketis enthusiastically lifted her greatsword and chopped it down in a single, vigorous move!
She made for a magnificent sight as she chopped down her sword with force!
The greatsword, which possessed unparalleled sharpness, activated a couple of inbuilt modules that enhanced its sharpness even further! The blade parted straight through the middle of the plate without any sign of obstruction!
In fact, when the tip of the sword finally reached the floor, it continued to cut through the solid metal material until the blade had sunk a third of the way through the surface!
A lot of mech designers gasped!
"Don't worry." Ketis cheekily smiled. "I will only use the flat of my blade."
Chapter 2085 Oops
The sword wielded by Ketis differed substantially from the weapons owned by the rest of the Swordmaidens.
Just like Ves, Ketis gained an unimaginable amount of benefits from the Aeon Corona Mission. The sword issued to her by the AI systems of the Starlight Megalodon was suited for a CFA officer.
Though its design and material composition was outdated by as much as three centuries, it was still a first-class sword that incorporated numerous applications of high technology!
It might not be an exaggeration to state that the worth of this sword actually surpassed the total value of the Penitent Sister Fleet!
Fortunately, for all of its ostentatious value, it wasn't immediately apparent that the sword belonged to the CFA. Ketis had also 'decorated' the sword in a way that made it seem as if it emerged from the frontier rather than a CFA battleship.
None of the thousand or so mech designers who had made it through the final selection process figured out the true might of the greatsword.
Nevertheless, the fact that Ketis was able to cut through an admittedly-thin but very solid plate of Breyer alloy proved that it should not be underestimated!
If the edge passed through their skull, their heads would instantly part in half without presenting even a smidgeon of resistance!
"Is she even a mech designer? She's built like a mech!"
"We're mech designers, not infantry soldiers!"
"What does swordplay have to do with mech design?!"
"Ves Larkinson is crazy! I regret taking part in this test!"
Nothing happened for a few minutes. Ves let the mech designers banter among themselves. The more they speculated about Ketis and her sword, the more their fears started to spread.
Considering the previous tests conducted by Ves, this one shouldn't be simple!
There were a lot of smart minds among the crowd of mech designers. It was a pity that they were all non-combatants who never expected to be confronted with violence up close in their lives!
Even if a few of them enjoyed some combat training, it was usually in the lines of attending mandatory self-defense courses or engaging in recreational hunting.
Almost none of them engaged in something as archaic and barbaric as hacking swords against each other!
When Ves thought they had stewed long enough, he clapped. "What are you waiting for? Get to it! There is no order this time. Anyone who wants a try can step forward and grab the floating sword. You are only required to launch a single attack on Ketis. She will do her best to block and fend off your attack."
"Sir, what if someone gets injured?" Someone asked a very smart question.
Ves grinned and pointed his thumb behind his back. "Emergency services are already on standby. No matter how injured you are, unless your head gets hit, you'll make it through."
A large number of specialized medical bots along with some doctors entered the hall and stood at the side.
The presence of so many doctors in white coats and medical bots specialized to treat all kinds of trauma didn't reassure the mech designers.
In fact, their presence only intimidated the candidates even further!
After a bit of hesitation, one young man stepped out. He looked confident and gripped the floating sword with a firm grip.
Both Ketis and Ves immediately narrowed their eyes. From the practiced stance the mech designer immediately adopted, it became clear that he knew a thing or two about swords!
The competitive streak within Ketis instantly fired up! "Come!"
Instead of charging forward, the first challenger shuffled forward while carefully scanning his opponent's stance for the best way to overcome her defense. He even began to circle around Ketis!
That wouldn't do.
Clap!
"Hurry up!" Ves shouted in irritation. "There are over a thousand other mech designers who are waiting for their turn! I told you to charge at Ketis, not dance around her! This isn't a duel! If you aren't willing to fight, then let go of your weapon and make way for someone else!"
Understanding that he couldn't take the tactical approach, the challenger took a deep breath and closed the distance!
Though his steps were still rather slow, the distance between him and Ketis was only ten paces, so the two quickly exchanged blows!
After attempting a feint, the man quickly shifted his grip and attempted a tricky stab at the very last second!
Unfortunately for him, Ketis reacted faster and with much greater force than he expected! Her augmented body moved in unison! Not only did she manage to lift her enormous sword and parry the stab with ease, she also managed to redirect her weapon so that the flat of its blade whacked her opponent's side!
She did not hold back too much! The trained challenger cried out in pain as his body hurled a short distance to the side! It was as if he had been clubbed away by a caveman!
As the first challenger laid on the floor in a pathetic heap while crying out in pain, Ves continued to pay close attention for a few more seconds before he minutely shook his head.
"Next!"
Though the forceful hit took the breath out of the man, Ketis had been merciful enough to spare his ribs. He slowly picked himself up off the ground and limped back.
The brutal exchange intimidated even more mech designers! Hundreds of them already took a step backwards, making it clear that they absolutely did not wish to be a part of this sadistic game!
It didn't matter. There were enough people who wanted to try.
The second challenger was a younger man. When he took hold of the floating sword, his two-handed grip was firm. Nonetheless, even Ves could tell he wasn't a trained swordsman. The stance the fellow took actually reminded Ves of some kind of sport.
The man didn't waste much time. He approached at a steady pace, swung his sword to the side before launching a powerful horizontal sweep!
From the bottom of his feet to the rotation of his hips, the second challenger generated as much force as possible!
It was a pity that Ketis read the man's attack like a book.
She yawned and blocked the forceful attack with ease. As the baseball player lost his balance due to getting hit by the recoil of his all-out attack, Ketis rapidly thrust the pommel of her sword forward until she bashed her opponent in the chest!
"Agh!"
The man let go of his sword as he fell onto the floor.
All in all, it was a respectable performance. It was too bad that Ves hadn't seen anything worth his time while he watched the fellow carefully.
"Next!"
The third challenger happened to be a woman. Unlike the previous two challengers, she didn't possess a single athletic bone in her body!
Nonetheless, what she lacked in physical conditioning, she made up for it with courage! She did not pause after she grasped the floating sword. She simply raised the sword above her head and charged Ketis without any hesitation!
The moment she chopped her sword down, Ketis simply raised her own weapon with just a single arm and bounced away the attack with ease!
As the third challenger wobbled backwards, she suddenly received a hefty kick that pushed her body backwards by more than ten paces!
"Next!"
The fourth challenger was another woman. She was taller and stronger than the last one, though her untrained sword stance almost completely negated this advance.
When she bravely strode forward and attempted to put her entire momentum into a stab, Ketis once again blocked the attack with ease.
However, in the process of doing so, she also chopped off the wrists of her attacker! The greatsword sliced clean through the flesh and bone without any hindrance!
"Ahhhh!"
The woman dropped to her knees while staring agonizingly at her amputated arms! Her two hands flopped lifelessly on the floor while four sprays of blood rapidly turned the site red!
"Medics!" Ves shouted.
The bots already moved into action as soon as Ketis parted the female mech designer's skin. As soon as they flew at the wounded mech designer, they rapidly sprayed some foam around the clean cuts, preventing them from bleeding out. A few more bots arrived to rapidly take the injured mech designer and her detached limbs away to a treatment center.
Practically every mech designer on sight widened their eyes or screamed at the gruesome sight! To them, the grinning Ketis suddenly turned into a demonic being!
"Oops." She said frivolously as she casually stood in front of a pool of blood. "My grip slipped."
Ves chuckled. "No problem. Accidents happen. At least your opponent didn't die. She'll be as good as new after a few days."
With modern medical technology, it was trivially easy to heal such injuries!
Their exchange only intimidated the mech designers even further. It was clear that Ketis might not have 'slipped' as much as she claimed!
The pool of blood remained in place. A few splatters had even landed on Ketis' training outfit, though none of them managed to stick onto her sword.
"Next!"
It took some time until the next challenger came up. The man shakily grasped the floating sword and walked feebly to Ketis. He only managed to launch a weak attack before Ketis handedly knocked his weapon out of his grasp before punching his face!
He screamed and fell onto the pool of blood, instantly soaking his clean suit!
Ves shook his head. "Next!"
A few more people challenged Ketis. When another untrained challenger took hold of the sword and charged forthrightly at Ketis, the man suffered the same fate as the ones that came before!
However, even as his body crashed against the bloody floor with a meaty thump, Ves did not call for the next challenger to step forward.
"You pass."
"Ahh.. I… what?" The man tried to lift his pained body up. "I.. pass?"
"Welcome to the LMC." Ves smiled and gestured to the ranks of other chosen mech designers. "Please join your future colleagues over there."
"I.. I passed!" The man joyously cried! "I've become a Larkinson!"
No amount of pain stopped him from celebrating his fortune! Though he didn't know why he succeeded where others failed, he wasn't one to look at a gift horse in the mouth!
The inexplicable success fueled the enthusiasm of the other mech designers!
They pushed each other in order to grasp the sword! The drying pool of blood no longer intimidated them so much. Not when there was such a huge prize in sight!
Ketis easily blocked and parried the next couple of challengers. Just as a tall man futilely tried to slash at her, a greatsword suddenly bashed the attack aside before cutting straight through the man's arm!
"AAAAAAHHHHH!"
The man's entire arm had been lopped off at the shoulder! Another huge spray of blood splattered onto the already-dirty floor!
"Sorry. I used too much force. I didn't think you were so weak."
"Medics!"
"Next!"
The enthusiasm of the crowd quickly doused.
The next couple of challengers were still too enthralled by their fears to launch any forceful attacks. Ketis yawned again and again as she fended off the basic attacks with ease. She didn't forget to give them all a good whack afterwards!
Her body seemed to acquire a formidable aura. The more mech designers she beat down, the greater her statue to the remaining mech designers! It became increasingly harder to challenge her upfront, especially when she occasionally 'slipped' every now and then!
Ketis stabbed the tip of her sword straight through the upper leg of a woman.
"Oh gosh. I didn't mean to do that!"
Ketis whirled her greatsword like a tornado, inflicting a deep cut in the chest of a cowardly man!
"Whoops! I didn't practice this move!"
Ketis chopped her greatsword straight down, cutting off both an arm and a leg at once!
"Ahahaha. I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you."
Ketis stabbed straight forward, managing to sink the tip of her greatsword half a finger deep into the flash of her latest challenger!
"Oops! I did it again!"
The stinking, coppery smell of blood spread through the hall. The poor underneath Ketis' feet kept growing larger. Almost no one believed that Ketis was a mech designer now. She seemed more like an asura who crawled straight out of hell due to all of the blood dripping from her training outfit!
Ves didn't care. He endured the ugly sight and smell as best as possible while observing each and every challenger with utmost care.
So far, he passed a handful of people more for reasons that no one figured out!
As the crowd of mech designers stagnated, Ves clapped again.
"Hurry up! This is your final chance to get recruited by me!" He shouted. "Fifteen spots in my quota are already taken, which means that there are 10 more vacant slots for you to occupy! Unless you are confident you can meet my girlfriend's expectations, you better hurry up and swing the sword before it's too late!"
Chapter 2086 Atypical Mech Designer
The third test initiated by Ves gradually turned into a bloodbath.
About one in every thirty challengers suffered severe wounds ranging from deep stabs to outright limb amputations!
Despite the growing number of 'mistakes' made by Ketis, she gleefully maintained her smile while looking forward to clash against the next challenger!
It became increasingly harder for the candidates to muster up their courage and grab the floating sword. While the rate of suffering grievous injuries was rather small, anyone who got hit by the sharp side of the greatsword instead of the flat side suffered unimaginable pain!
The floor around Ketis quickly began to resemble an abattoir with the growing amount of blood pooling below her feat. It got to the point where the mech designers had to watch their step lest they tripped!
It became worse for them as time went by. Ketis continually grew more formidable in their eyes. Her bloody existence even started to cast a shadow onto their hearts!
A growing number of mech designers decided they wanted nothing to do with this extremely dangerous test. Three-hundred of them had already stepped back from the ghastly sight. They would rather take their chances with Gloriana's remaining test! Even if that didn't work out, they wouldn't be particularly sad at the prospect of returning home empty-handed.
Working under someone as sadistic and bloodthirsty as Ves was a curse rather than a blessing!
"Next!"
Ketis had already chopped up a woman who clumsily overextended herself in a feeble attempt to escape severe injury.
The man who followed suit felt a bit more confident about his attempt. So far, Ketis never subsequently chopped off the limbs of the challenger who came after her previous victim!
He happened to be one of the mech designers with a cranial implant. He keenly observed Ketis' body language and microexpressions. He also performed a very thorough statistical analysis on the injuries suffered by the challengers who came before. With a sample size of over 200, the man was 86 percent confident that Ketis would not leave him with more than a bruise!
When his hands grasped the handle of the floating sword, he sprinted forward with confidence. He uttered a guttural cry as he launched a simple chop!
He had already analyzed the previous attack patterns and concluded that Ketis was far too strong, fast and skilled. There was no way to defeat her by resorting to trickery, finesse and technique unless he was a formidable swordsman himself!
Since defeating Ketis was out of the question, he simply decided to launch a straightforward attack with only a portion of his momentum. Too little force wouldn't impress anyone, while too much force made it too easy for him to lose his balance.
As his sword steadily chopped down, Ketis moved faster than he ever thought possible!
In one instance, his sword clanged against the flat of the greatsword.
In the next, he suddenly lost all feeling in his hand, before realizing to his horror that his wrist was transmitting an unimaginable amount of pain!
"Aaahh!"
Ketis apathetically shrugged and didn't bother to voice an excuse this time. "You think too much."
Standing at the side, Ves nodded his head in agreement.
This test was not about outsmarting Ketis!
When Ves approached her to administer this test, he specifically stated that he wanted to see blood.
"How often?" She asked.
"As much or as little as you want. You can decide for yourself who you want to chop." He responded. "Though do keep enough of them intact. Gloriana needs enough bodies to make her choice as well, so do try to keep the casualty rate reasonable. The goal is to make it clear that there are real consequences to holding a weapon."
"I'm not complaining, what is the point of this, Ves?" She scratched her head.
"If these mech designers are about to work for me, I want them to be able to keep their cool during a possible combat situation. I have witnessed plenty of cowardly mech designers in the past. To be honest, they disgust me. While I don't expect my new employees to be as fearless as you, at the very least they shouldn't lose their marbles if they are ever shot at! I have no time to coddle mech designers who faint at the sight of blood."
While Ves didn't plan to drive them into the middle of an active battlefield or anything, he wanted his subordinates to keep functioning in case a crisis occurred!
It was much easier for him to increase an assistant's talent or knowledge. It was much harder to boost some of their other traits!
The goal of this selection was to distinguish the candidates who possessed the rare qualities he sought!
As the challengers slowly moved forward as if they were about to face their executions, Ves inwardly shook his head.
The mech designers all let their nerves get the better of them. In fact, it got so bad that he seriously started to doubt whether he could meet his quota today!
He had witnessed too many mech designers who lost heart before they even grasped the floating sword!
Some battles were unwinnable. In his short but eventful career, Ves had experienced several setbacks, tragedies, and defeats. What stood out to him was how people behaved during an impending catastrophe.
Would they break down and cry?
Would they raise their hands and offer their surrender?
Would they run and flee as fast as possible?
None of these responses satisfied him. While they were excusable reactions for typical mech designers and other noncombatants, Ves wasn't looking to hire typical mech designers!
He couldn't help but recall two memorable incidents where Ves witnessed awful defeats.
In one instance during the journey through the frontier, the Flagrant Swordmaiden fleet stumbled upon the survivors of Chopra Interstellar Services in space.
One of them happened to be a mech designer by the name of Eric Kichiro, who uttered a phrase that Ves never forgot.
"Cowardice is a virtue!"
Just recalling those words made unsettled Ves considerably! His mood sunk even further after learning what Eric had done.
When the Chopran fleet clashed against a pirate group called the NIN, Eric didn't stay put at his assigned station on a ship. Instead, as the Choprans suffered a sudden setback, Eric quickly abandoned his post and ran straight towards the escape pods and launched without asking for permission!
His premature escape inadvertently sparked a panic. Many of his fellow comrades saw his escape pod flying away, thereby sparking a panic throughout the Chopran fleet! Their morale took a considerable hit, causing several more people to lose their nerves as well and flee their ships!
This sparked a vicious cycle where more and more Choprans thought that the battle was lost despite the fact that their mechs could still turn the battle around!
In the end, the Chopran fleet was defeated. Perhaps the outcome was already set, but there was always a chance they could have won if they had only persisted to the end! Yet due to the cowardly actions of a single mech designer, the window of opportunity had closed too quickly.
"At least he suffered the fate he deserved." Ves whispered.
Another incident that also shaped his views was the total defeat suffered by the Flagrant Vandals and Lydia's Swordmaidens on the surface of Aeon Corona VII.
With the Starlight Megalodon within reach, the Vesians finally forced them into a decisive battle.
Ordinarily, the Flagrant Swordmaidens could have defeated the Hostland Warriors and Meandering Monkeys in open battle.
It was too bad the Vesians cheated by fielding an expert pilot with one of the strongest expert mechs that Ves had ever witnessed at the time! The Belisarius piloted by the prodigal Venerable Foster made mince meat out of the Vandals and Swordmaidens!
No matter how hard the Belisarius got hit, its armor remained impervious due to the sinfully huge amount of Rorach's bone incorporated into its design!
Though the expert mech appeared utterly invincible and inviolable, the Vandals and Swordmaidens never stepped back.
They didn't run. They didn't scatter. There was no point to it in the harsh conditions of the planet.
Instead, the mech pilots valiantly fought to the end, hitting as many Vesians as possible in order to buy time for Ves and other scattered comrades to escape to the Starlight Megalodon!
Commander Lydia, the founder of the Swordmaidens, sacrificed her life in that battle. A large number of elites who formed the pillar of the sisterhood bravely followed her into death.
Ves respected the Swordmaidens ever since that tragic loss. No matter how uncouth, how unfriendly and how Hexer-like they seemed, he would always value the precious opportunities the Swordmaidens had bought with their lives!
Their brave performance at the Battle of Kesseling VIII only raised his esteem for them even further!
This made it all the more sad that none of the candidates displayed an inkling of the valor shown by the Swordmaidens.
While he didn't expect them to match the standard of an elite soldier, at the very least they should exhibit some spirit!
Fortunately, at least a handful of them showed something special.
When Ketis whimsically decided to chop a leg off a woman who tried to perform a sloppy slash, the victim didn't cry out as much as the others!
Even though the stump of her leg was spurting out a copious amount of blood, the woman still managed to maintain a fierce face while doing her best to hold back her screams!
Ves stared closely at her defiant eyes. Though she suffered an abject defeat and an injury that was severe enough to release the contents of her bladder, she still attempted to reach out to the handle of the sword she released!
"You pass." He announced, surprising every remaining mech designer!
This was the first time he approved a mech designer who lost a limb!
"Miss Rina Orion, correct?" He read out the name supplied by his implant. "You don't have to join the rest of your new colleagues. You'll be taken to our medical facility where your wounds will be attended to first. Are you still willing to join the LMC and the Larkinson Clan?"
"I.. I do.." She uttered between her gasps of pain. "I won't let anyone take this opportunity away from me. I will suffer this pain a hundred times if that is what it takes to gain your approval!"
"That's not necessary." Ves quickly spoke before the medic bots finally sedated her and moved her away.
A brave-looking man quickly stepped up after that. He grabbed hold of the floating sword with confidence and immediately charged towards Ketis with an overhand strike!
Different from anyone else, the man didn't attempt to defend himself or try to mitigate any possible blows. In fact, he continued to throw his body forward, causing Ketis to use considerably more force than she intended as she cut off half of the man's upper limbs.
Though the man quickly fell as copious amounts of blood poured out of the wounds, he tried his best to put up a brave face and tried his best to look defiant!
"Medics!" Ves simply shouted. "Take him away. Next!"
"Ahh.. what? I.. I'm not done yet! I can still fight!"
Ves shook his head at the man whose clothes had turned into a mess due to all of the blood soaking through it. "Don't pretend. This isn't an acting test."
That quickly doused the enthusiasm of the rest of the mech designers.
Though the available slots gradually diminished, it became harder and harder for the remaining challengers to step forward. Over five-hundred mech designers had already given up on challenging Ketis and her lethally-sharp greatsword!
It had become so bad that Ves estimated that he would likely run out of challengers before he reached his quota!
It took a lot more courage to confront Ketis later on after she cut through dozens of random mech designers!
The complete uncertainty of whether they would lose their limbs or not froze them into place. None of them wanted to get disabled at this point and miss the last test administered by Gloriana!
With the available bodies quickly running out, Ves finally sighed and decided to loosen his standards. Anyone who stepped up and grabbed hold of the floating sword at this point should already possess a sufficient amount of courage.
"Pass!"
"Pass!"
"Pass!"
When the success rate abruptly increased, the remaining daredevils among the crowd finally showed some enthusiasm and fought over the next turns!
"You pass!"
"Pass!"
"Pass! That's it! This test is finally over!" Ves announced, causing almost everyone else to exhibit a considerable amount of relief. "Now, let's clean this mess up before commencing the final test of the day."
After a lot of bots cleaned up the copious amount of blood and freshened up the air, Gloriana reluctantly stepped up. "Ahem. My final challenge is a lot more civilized than the last one. I won't demand any of your limbs to be chopped."
No one laughed.
Chapter 2087 Highlighted
Gloriana's third and final test consisted of a fairly standard mech design challenge.
Every mech designer who made it through the earlier tests were tasked with designing the best possible mech they could manage in two hours.
Projections emerged in front of their faces. Just like the first test, they had to work while standing, which wasn't easy after the gruesome bloodbath they just witnessed!
With their nerves frayed and their patience running out, hardly any candidate managed to hit their stride. They haltingly manipulated the design interface with shaky fingers and uneven breaths.
Even though the pervasive smell of blood had long disappeared, many of them still had the illusion that they were under threat!
This hall wasn't safe!
The Journeyman they dreamed of working under were completely mad!
With all of these psychological hits, it became considerably harder for them to perform this common task.
Just like similar examinations of this nature, Gloriana had already picked out an extensive library of outdated components and modular parts for them to put together their mech.
There wasn't much they could do in two hours anyway. Every mech designer had to race against time to cobble up a mech design that was functional enough to fight!
"Two hours ought to be enough for you to design a complete mech." Gloriana sternly announced as the mech designers frantically sorted through the catalog of parts. "You can pick and choose any mech type of weight class you want. Just make sure to do your best and finish them within the time limit. I won't accept any designs that are incomplete!"
A test like this reminded Ves of the old days when he frequently took part in competitions. Designing a mech in a day or in a matter of hours was a steep challenge to any mech designer.
However, as long as they worked quickly enough, they should be able to design something that could perform all of the basic functions expected of a mech.
They just needed to cut as many corners as possible while retaining the best possible quality.
This was a lot harder than it sounded like, particularly when the mech designers themselves needed to judge how much time they could afford to invest in something!
All in all, around 900 candidates who mercifully avoided getting chopped frantically worked to deliver the best mech they could design under the circumstances!
Gloriana stood silently while she constantly observed the ongoing design processes with the help of her implant. No one knew which candidate's work she was observing at any time.
In truth, she didn't need to see their finished work in order to get an accurate impression of their capabilities!
A half hour in, it already became clear from their work whether they worked quickly or meticulously.
She encountered a lot of mech designers who tried to cram as much work in two hours as possible. They brazenly skipped a lot of essential steps in order to put something functioning together as fast as possible!
There were also those who took the opposite approach. They did not display a sufficient amount of expedience. Unless they planned to rush their work considerably at the end, it was doubtful whether they could even finish their designs!
Only a modest number of mech designers displayed both. They possessed superior skill and ability or were far less impacted by the stress and trauma that they acquired in the previous test.
These people attracted Gloriana's attention. What made her happy was that a significant number of mech designers who worked briskly but not too sloppily had also performed well in her previous two tests!
Those with superior capabilities always stood out no matter the challenges they faced.
Granted, there were a lot of mech designers among this group who performed exceptionally poorly in the tests cooked up by Ves. Of all of the mech designers that Gloriana had marked out for their satisfactory performance, there were a lot of clever-minded people among them who opted to decline her boyfriend's challenges!
Though their decision to conserve their energy and avoid unnecessary damage had paid off at this moment, she wasn't sure whether she should value them. She was a bit more inclined to hire mech designers who performed a little worse right now but made a decent showing when confronted by the Doom Guard or Ketis!
Soon enough, two hours went by. The projected design interface automatically disappeared regardless if the candidates were done or not! A lot of regretful groans immediately filled the hall as everyone felt that they could have done better if they just had a little more time!
"That's enough." Gloriana spoke. Everyone instantly fell silent. "I have continually observed all of your efforts. I have already determined your scores for this test and compiled it with your other scores. After much consideration, I have made my choice."
Lights appeared around twenty-five individuals.
"Congratulations! All of you who are lit up have earned my appreciation. Please confirm your decision to join the LMC and work under me by stepping to the side. If for any reason you wish to withdraw, then say so now so that you won't be wasting my time any further."
Though a handful of selected candidates showed some reluctance, in the end they didn't decline this hard-fought opportunity!
Now that Ves and Gloriana filled up their respective quotas, the final selection process finally came to an end.
A lot of regret and remorse appeared on the faces of the candidates who remained. They lost their opportunity to join a very promising mech company and work under a pair of mech designers who might very well advance to Master in the future!
The ones who strategically withdrew from the challenges posed by Ves looked especially sour. Many of them thought they performed well enough to earn Gloriana's appreciation, but it turned out that there were twenty-five other mech designers who performed better!
Perhaps they could have gotten into the Larkinson Clan if they exerted themselves in the tests conducted by Ves. Losing a limb or getting frightened out of their wits didn't sound so bad at this time!
Ves and Gloriana along with their cats stood together at this time. They observed the mix of emotions on the faces of the crowd with interest.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this selection process has come to an end." Ves announced. "My partner and I set out to recruit fifty mech designers for the LMC's Design Department, and we are happy that we have managed to do so. As much as we are tempted to expand our quotas, we have decided to stick to our plan. There are no more chances for you to join our design team."
A lot of candidates looked crushed. Hardly any of them believed they were inferior to the fifty mech designers who passed!
Before their depression could sink in, two-hundred of them suddenly discovered that they were being lit up as well!
Gloriana suddenly smiled. "That is not all, though. After a brief discussion with my boyfriend, we decided to provide some of you with a different opportunity. While none of you managed to measure up against the fifty who met our expectations, Some have come close. We would like to extend an offer to two-hundred of you to join the Larkinson Clan in a different capacity."
"Our Larkinson Clan currently requires a lot of technical expertise in areas outside of our design lab." Ves explained. "For example, the LMC's Production Department requires higher-level technical supervision and quality control that only a qualified mech designer can provide. The Maintenance Departments of our various military troops such as the Avatars of Myth and the Living Sentinels also require the assistance of those who can perform work beyond a typical mech designer. Think of individually modifying a particular mech or restoring a wreck to a completely functional state."
A lot of mech designers suddenly looked hopeful, though there were also those who looked disdainful at these positions!
The difference between working in a design lab and working in some mech hangar or mech workshop was completely different!
Gloriana addressed those concerns. "We are aware that these employment offers do not match your qualifications. However, before you decline, please be aware that you will become fully-fledged members of the Larkinson Clan if you accept. In addition, as long as you perform well and keep improving your skills, there might come a day when you are invited into our Design Department whenever there are vacancies."
A lot of mech designers, particularly the common-born Sentinels, reacted very positively to this announcement. To them, becoming a Larkinson was pretty much the same as becoming a noble, so that was already enough to win them over!
"This is also a reminder to the fifty of you who will soon be joining us in our design lab." Ves turned to the group of chosen candidates. "You must make sure to work diligently and follow our orders. We don't tolerate any deadweight in our design teams. As long as you slack off and take your position for granted, we won't hesitate to kick you out and put a more deserving mech designer in your place!"
The chosen candidates barring the missing Rina Orion all looked concerned. Just because they passed these arduous tests didn't mean they were allowed to relax! It gradually dawned upon them that their hard work had just begun!
Though the work offers didn't sound impressive, the incentive of joining the Larkinson Clan and enjoying the many benefits it brought had attracted a lot of candidates!
Around 170 of them decided to bite the bullet and accept the offer. The remainder declined, which was well within Ves and Gloriana's expectations.
They didn't extend any offers again. As far as the pair was concerned, it was already generous of them to add more than a hundred of them to the Larkinson Clan!
The process finally ended for real. A lot of disappointed mech designers left the hall and walked back to their transit shuttles.
A number of clansmen showed up to process the 170 mech designers who were slated to take up lower-ranked positions.
Ketis meanwhile personally led the chosen candidates to another part of the base in order to process them separately! Due to their importance, Ves personally wanted to induct them into the clan with the help of the Larkinson Mandate.
When the hall emptied out, Gloriana turned to Ves and placed her hands on her hips. "I really didn't believe you went through your barbaric tests. How could you allow your student to chop so many mech designers up! While I understand that you wanted to see how they performed in a crisis, there are much safer and less egregious methods to perform this examination?"
"You wouldn't understand. Simulations and other crap just aren't real enough." Ves definitely crossed his arms. "While I admit I could have refined my tests, what I have arranged today is already sufficient. As I have already stated yesterday, I don't believe in all-rounders. I want specialized mech designers who excel in certain areas."
He selected five mech designers at the start because of their amazing potential. Ves didn't need them to possess exceptional willpower or courage because their talent already made them useful.
As for those who failed to meet this standard, they needed to make up for it with hard work. To ensure that they were willing to undergo all sorts of hardships, he pushed them to their limits in order to reveal their true nature.
It was always in the darkest of moments when people threw away all pretenses. This was the best situation for Ves to evaluate their fit within his design teams!
Unfortunately, Gloriana didn't see it that way.
"You didn't have to act like a brute to get what you want! All of those traumatized mech designers will definitely leak what has happened to the media!"
"That's great!" Ves grinned and spread his arms. "The more this story proliferates, the better!"
"Are you crazy?"
"I'm afraid that all of the latest publicity surrounding me has toned down my eccentric image. A stunt like this will definitely remind the public that I'm not entirely sane, haha!"
Gloriana looked gobsmacked. "Aren't you afraid of getting in trouble?"
"Who will arrest me?" Ves casually shrugged. "The MTA won't bother with low-level matters like this. The Hexadric Hegemony can't tell me what to do. The Bright Republic can screw themselves for all I care. As for the Sentinel Kingdom, they're too scared to act! As far as the local authorities are concerned, we are essentially above the law!"
With his Hexer backing and the six-hundred second-class mechs of the Penitent Sisters under his command, Ves could probably shoot a random person on the street and get away scott-free!
This was the privilege of power!
"Besides, it's not as if I inflicted any permanent damage. All of the cuts made by Ketis can easily be remedied." Ves added.
"What about their mental trauma?!"
Ves shrugged again. "As far as I'm concerned, they have learned an incredibly useful life lesson."
"You're sleeping on the couch tonight!"
Chapter 2088 The New Design Department
The LMC's design lab quickly turned boisterous after the addition of so many mech designers. Previously, it was just Ves, Gloriana, and twelve assistant mech designers.
Now, the amount of people crammed in the same room abruptly ballooned! If they were all assigned to work on the Scarlet Rose, her workshop and lab compartment would quickly grow cramped!
Nonetheless, once Ves thought about all of the design resources he suddenly gained, he felt it was all worth it. With so many new design teams, he could finally embark on true parallel mech design!
The sight of so many mech designers in their brand new LMC uniforms caused Ves to imagine all sorts of future scenarios.
Of course, the newly hired assistants still needed to be worked into the organization. They had barely become Larkinsons after Ves personally inducted them into the clan a day ago. The bonds they formed with the Golden Cat were still thin and fragile.
They may have gained the status of clansmen, but there was still a huge distance to go before they turned into 'true' Larkinsons!
Ves clapped his hands, causing the low conversations to die down.
"Good morning, mech designers. Congratulations for becoming Larkinson clansmen. Each of you now bear the same name, which means that we are all brothers and sisters."
A wellspring of pride and relief suffused the faces of the new entrants.
In contrast, the assistants who had joined the LMC beforehand all looked smug. While their qualifications weren't necessarily better than these talented new mech designers, they at least possessed a considerable head start!
Of course, the Tovars and Ylvainans also looked worried. To be honest, their talent and track records were fairly average. If they didn't work hard and study as much as possible in their free time, they might get overtaken by the newcomers!
In the case of someone as young and junior as Mayer Torto, it was inevitable that he would have to bend his head. He had already studied the records of his new colleagues and realized that the LMC hired mech designers in the cusp of their prime this time!
Due to the high number of applicants, the LMC had the luxury of choice. Almost every mech designer who recently joined was a force to be reckoned with! At least half of them were fully capable of starting a successful independent mech company!
Naturally, the proud new hires not only had to compete against the legacy assistants. They already started to eye each other. Not much kinship and brotherhood sparkled in their eyes. Only competitiveness bred in their hearts.
Each of them were already aiming for a promotion! They wanted to stand out from the crowd and earn the appreciation of their bosses! Once Ves or Gloriana favored them, they would definitely receive his favor and enjoy special treatment!
As someone who always suspected his underlings, how could Ves not be aware of these dynamics?
He didn't need to resort to his spiritual vision to see the plots and schemed brooding in their hearts.
After all, if he was in their position, he would probably do the same!
While Ves believed that harboring an ambition was good for productivity, he did not relish the thought of playing nanny to all of them! This was why he was already eying Ketis and Miles to manage the eager new mech designers.
Though Ketis showed up in a regular blue-and-white LMC uniform today, she still brought along her floating Greatsword as always. Even in its sheathed form, its mere appearance sent sudders through the bodies of the new hires! They made sure to remain at a healthy distance from this demonic mech designer!
Ves inwardly grinned. Though the test conducted by Ketis was unnecessarily barbaric, it at least raised her stature among the new clansmen to a meteoric height!
This was something he intentionally pursued. He knew that Ketis didn't possess much management experience. She might not be able to gain the respect of the other mech designers due to her lack of completed mech designs.
Many of the people in the crowd had designed and published more than five mech designs in their short careers!
If Ketis wouldn't be able to gain their respect, then at the very least she should be able to inspire their fear!
He gestured his hand towards his assigned deputies. "Please take note of Ketis Larkinson and Miles Tovar-Larkinson. They are currently the highest-ranking mech designers in the Design Department after myself and my partner. If you require any assistance or have any requests, take it up with them first. Ketis will take charge of the mech designers that have been selected by me, while Miles will supervise the design teams that consist of individuals selected by Gloriana."
Half of the faces of the crowd fell while the other half looked joyous!
Compared to a scary beast like Ketis, they would rather receive instructions from the guy who looked normal!
Ketis didn't take offense at the negative reaction she received. Instead, she thrived on it! She already began to crack her knuckles.
"You better do what I say. If you have a problem with that, you can meet me in the dueling ring! I will gladly hand over my post to you if you can beat me in a fair fight!"
No one took her up on her offer! They were mech designers, not soldiers! This challenge didn't even make sense in the context of their profession! If anything, mech designers should be dueling with their designs, not their fists!
Ves smiled indulgently at Ketis. He indirectly conveyed his approval of her methods. While he believed her potential as a mech designer was no less promising than any of the new hires, it was still helpful to reinforce her authority among the upstarts!
"Ahem, fighting isn't mandatory in our organization." Gloriana coughed. "Never forget what is truly important. As mech designers, our design skills are paramount! Those of you who wish to seek more should focus all of your efforts on improving yourselves. Very soon, we will begin to design more second-class mechs. While we will still design plenty of third-class mechs, those of you who are aiming to higher MUST be capable of assisting us in the development of more advanced machines."
Everyone looked incredibly eager at the prospect of working on a second-class mech! None of them came from a second-class state, so designing a superior mech had always been out of reach to them! One of the biggest reasons why they wanted to apply to a promising mech company like the LMC was because it was clearly about to tackle a higher class of mechs. The presence of a Hexer mech designer guaranteed this transition!
"Before you can learn how to run, you need to learn how to walk. Before you can learn how to walk, you need to learn how to crawl." Ves reminded the crowd. "Each of you will need to get up to speed on how the Design Department is run. My partner and I have recently revised and expanded the rules and regulations governing our workplace, so each of you will need to become familiar with them. In addition, you also need to gain a thorough understanding of the Larkinson Clan. Only when you gain an inside perspective of the various facets of our clan will you be ready to work on our behalf!"
Gloriana stepped up. "To that end, we have organized a lengthy welcoming program to familiarize you with everything you need to know. Ketis and Miles will take each of you on a tour to the various divisions of the clan while aso informing you of the merit-based system we have recently instituted to reward you for your contributions."
This was something that Ves came up with on his own recently. Inspired by the way the MTA, the Rim Guardians and the Clifford Society offered a fair and regimented means of rewarding those who worked on their behalf, Ves implemented a rudimentary version of a merit system. This allowed the Design Department to systematically manage, motivate and reward his growing number of assistants.
In fact, Ves thought it was such a good idea that he already contemplated whether he should push such a system to the rest of his clan!
"Each of you can earn a small but steady amount of merit merely by showing up for work and doing what is expected." Ves elaborated. "However, as long as you perform above expectation, you can earn considerably more. Excellence will always be rewarded by us. Possessing a good work ethic is essential to your success within this department!"
He waved his hand, causing all sorts of projections to appear in everyone's views.
One projection displayed the library of printed books that Ves stole from Lady Aisling Curver. Another projection showcased the high-tech fabrication equipment of the Scarlet Rose. A third projection presented the interior of a well-stocked materials warehouse. The last projection featured some cranial implant models!
"Your individual development is important to us. While we expect you to work hard for us during your working hours, what you do in your free time is up to you. Most of you will likely be attracted to our internal library. We offer a wide selection of textbooks, many of which are normally exclusive to prestigious second-class universities!"
The eyes of at least eighty percent of the new hires already lit up at this mention! A mech designer's hunger for knowledge was voracious, but it wasn't easy for them to get their hands on quality textbooks!
Now, in order to borrow a very valuable book from the library, all the mech designers had to do was to exchange a certain amount of merits!
Naturally, the more valuable textbooks cost more to borrow. Ves had individually gone over every book and set their prices. For the most valuable ones that contained profound knowledge, an assistant had to spend months to accumulate the required merits!
On the other hand, the cheaper books only came with a nominal merit fee. The knowledge they contained was so basic and fundamental that the mech designers could easily buy them from the galactic net. There was no point in charging more, and Ves wanted every mech designer to know at least this much in order to be of use in the LMC.
Gloriana smiled. "That's not all. Aside from accessing the library, you can also spend your merits on various other services. As mech designers, it's important to design and fabricate your own mechs, so we have generously decided to put some of our facilities at your disposal in exchange for merits. In addition, if you ever need personal guidance or tutoring, you can redeem your merits in exchange for our complete and undivided attention. Lastly, you can redeem some other valuable goods and services such as gene mod templates and cranial implants to boost your cognitive functions."
That last sentence excited a considerable amount of mech designers!
A lot of the mech designers in the crowd were still baseline humans! Though they were all brilliant for making it this far with their plain human capabilities, as long as they received a couple of augmentations, they would definitely be able to reach greater heights!
A small group remained calm. Those who enjoyed a more privileged background such as Catherine Evenson already enjoyed some augmentations. Until the Larkinson Biotech Institute caught up, second-class upgrades were still off the table.
In the lower portions of society, augmentations practically didn't exist. Anyone who possessed one was regarded as a freak!
However, at their current level, every mech designer who joined the LMC knew that augmentations were essential to climbing up the ladder! If they didn't improve themselves, their colleagues definitely wouldn't pass up on the offer!
Ves could already see the burning intent in their eyes. Each of them were already planning to work harder than ever in order to earn as many merits as possible!
He grinned. This was exactly what he wanted to see!
For the first time in his life, Ves comprehended what a huge advantage he possessed by becoming the person who presided at the top of a merit system.
When every gain and loss was added together, the resulting balance would always end up in a net profit for the LMC!
"Work hard, my slaves." Ves inwardly exulted. "No matter how much you benefit, my gains will always be more!"
Chapter 2089 Scarier Than A Doom Guard
The welcoming program for the new mech designers was fairly extensive. It not only served to introduce them to the rules and regulations of their new positions, but also sought to instill them with the principles and values that the Larkinson Clan embodied.
One of the more interesting parts of the program was the time they would spend with the mech forces of the clan. Every mech designer had to spend a week among the Avatars of Myth, the Living Sentinels, the Battle Criers and the Flagrant Vandals.
After their week with one group had passed, they rotated to another group, and so on. This not only allowed every mech designer to gain a thorough understanding of the various mech forces operating on behalf of the clan, but also provided them with a lot of hands-on practice with every LMC mech.
This was very important for Ves. He needed his mech designers to understand his design philosophy so that their efforts wouldn't clash with his own. As far as he was concerned, other than revealing his core secrets, the best way to get them up to speed was to expose them to a large amount of LMC mechs.
Overall, the month-long welcoming program was designed to kill multiple birds with a single stone!
"It's essentially an intensive indoctrination program." He muttered with a smirk.
By living alongside the different groups of Larkinsons, the mech designers would quickly absorb the culture and deepen their integration into the clan. By the time they returned to the Design Department, Ves expected them to be truly ready to contribute to his mech design projects!
The design lab quickly turned empty as every other assistant mech designer had been tasked with guiding and supervising the new hires.
It didn't matter. Right now, Ves and Gloriana only worked on one remaining mech design project. The Hexer mech design they stewed over for so long was almost complete, but much of the work still had to be done by the pair themselves.
They couldn't help it. Second-class mech designs were simply too complicated. A third-class mech designer could easily ruin a huge portion of the design with a single, careless mistake!
"Our first iteration is almost ready." Ves remarked as he finished another mental design session with his girlfriend. "I'm not quite sure it is up to par, though."
Gloriana frowned and crossed her arms. "I feel the same way. It's a lot harder to refine this mech design than I thought. The technical challenges posed by this design are exacerbated by all of the military technology and components we are required to incorporate. It's very tough to stick to those standards!"
While their landbound knight mech was commissioned by DIVA, the mech utilized a lot of mid-tier specifications from the Hex Army. Every mech serving under its banner had to abide by a host of exacting specifications.
As a large organization that only fielded a limited amount of approved mech designs, the Hex Army always pursued efficiency in production and logistical support.
This meant that in order to minimize as many inefficiencies as possible, a lot of their mechs used the same parts and standards.
Cross-compatibility was a very high priority to the Hexers. For example, a single given power reactor could be put into dozens of different mech models without requiring any custom adjustments!
Once this applied to many other instances, the gains in efficiency built up to a very scary degree!
The variety of parts and materials stocked by a typical Hexer mech regiment was probably just a third of that of a Fridayman mech regiment!
All of this came at a cost, however. What the Hexers gained in efficiency, they lost in versatility.
Every Hexer mech design was very optimized, but also fairly rigid. If Ves had to describe it briefly, he would say that they all fit into the same boxes.
This was because the mech designs were all built around the same set of components. These components all served to constrain a mech design within a narrow band. It was too difficult to design anything truly new if their mech designers all drew from the same pool of parts!
Both Ves and Gloriana faced plenty of difficulties for this reason. Sometimes, they wanted to incorporate something that was outside of the scope of the parts they added into the design, but that was impossible!
Up until this point, Ves still had several complaints about the current state of his Hexer mech design.
The knight mech's shield and armor was a bit too light for its role.
Its energy storage capacity wasn't large enough.
The extra appendages designed to siphon energy from a fallen edge were a bit too weak.
Fortunately, the combination of all of these traits still resulted in a serviceable mech design. The mech might not excel at any single criteria, but it possessed enough strengths to turn it into a viable new addition to the lineup of the Hex Army!
Ves just wished he had more leeway in the design. While Gloriana didn't have much of a problem with the circumstances, Ves chafed at the restrictions!
"I really wish you Hexers would provide more options for your male-gendered mech designs." He grumbled.
His girlfriend leaned into his body and pecked his cheek. "It's okay. As long as we prove we can contribute to the Hex Army, we might earn another opportunity! Once we receive a commission for a female mech design, we will have a lot more options at our disposal! Women always enjoy the best in our state."
Ves still couldn't get used to the arbitrary discrimination the Hexers practiced on a daily basis. Their attempts to impose gender differences in mech design was completely baseless to any normal person!
That reminded him of something.
"I plan to hold a very elaborate.. ritual when we are ready to finalize our mech design." He slowly spoke. "This is my first true second-class mech design, and I think I can turn it into something special. I have a lot of plans in store, but I am afraid that they might raise a considerable commotion."
"What are you up to now?" Gloriana asked in suspicion.
"I can't tell you right now. I still have to make a lot of arrangements and I'm not sure if they will all go through. Suffice to say, it is going to make our mech design truly special!"
"Does this have to do with the birth of your next proto-god?"
He nodded. "Partially. Well, mostly. Do you remember the founding of the Larkinson Clan? I plan to conduct a larger and more elaborate ceremony in order to create an even stronger spiritual product!"
Ves learned a lot of new insights when he created the Golden Cat. He learned even more when he witnessed the ancestral spirit's growth and evolution. He couldn't wait to put his new theories to use in his next attempt!
"Aren't you afraid of attracting Master Willix again?" Gloriana instantly brought out one of his greatest fears! "She already portal-jumped straight to our star system when we published the Doom Guard. Do you think that our upcoming Hexer mech design will be interesting enough to attract her attention yet again?"
Ves widened his eyes. He would rather endure the Doom Guard's glow for a week than spend a minute in Master Willix' company!
At least the former never aimed at his design philosophy!
No matter how fearsome the Doom Guard became, it would never surpass his fear of the MTA stealing his trade secrets!
He coughed. "Hopefully, the stench I've gained will repel her from making a repeat visit. She has already inspected our work just a week ago. I don't believe a busy Master enjoys so much free time!"
What happened during the recent final selection process leaked out to all of the news publications. There were hundreds of aggrieved mech designers who wanted to take revenge on Ves and the LMC for passing them over or imparting them with severe mental trauma!
However, outside of his expectations, the outrage on the galactic net was very muted. Part of it was because none of the candidates had been allowed to take any recordings, so they could only describe what happened with their own words or with the help of simulated reconstructions.
The blood wasn't real. The descriptions didn't do justice to that day. It was not that easy for other people to care about the suffering of some stuck-up nerds.
Compared to the immensely tragic Sand War or the incredibly sickening Friedmont Massacre, who cared about the fact that some crazy madwoman chopped off the limbs of a bunch of mech designers?
The LMC reattached those limbs immediately afterwards, so no one suffered any permanent harm. There was no reason for the public to care what had taken place! Besides, Ves was such a prominent mech designer that it wasn't strange to think he could get away with these kinds of stunts!
Ves could only chuckle at this surprisingly feeble response.
Perhaps the only serious 'damage' he suffered was that the mech industry didn't think so well of him anymore. Plenty of mech designers admonished his barbaric decisions, accusing him of besmirching the image of their noble profession!
This was enough for Ves. He wanted to raise his reputation with his customer base while simultaneously earning some contempt from his own kind!
It would be best if the MTA looked down on him further. Hopefully, as long as Ves pushed his eccentric act far enough, he would become way too stinky for someone like Master Willix to associate herself with him any further!
The conversation quickly shifted back to their mech design.
"Before we get to that point, we need to make sure our design is as optimal as possible." Gloriana warned. "To be honest, I've been thinking about something."
"What is it, honey?"
"Designing a mech according to the standards of a Hex Army is.. not that easy for us. While I am confident in our abilities, you have to remember that the standards are geared towards the Master Mech Designers of our state. We're essentially trying to fill in some very big shoes. Though we have done decently enough, it is becoming clearer and clearer to me that we need.. external assistance."
Ves immediately furrowed his brows. "I thought that only we are supposed to work on this mech design. It won't be purely ours anymore when we turn to someone else for help."
"You misunderstand, Ves. I'm not looking for another contributor or partner. I am merely suggesting that we could use some technical consultation in order to smooth out the most persistent problems of our mech design. I can contact some Seniors from my alma mater for help. I'm sure we can persuade one of them to lend us a hand!"
"Absolutely not!" Ves vigorously shook his head! "I know these problems are troubling you, but we can take care of them ourselves! I don't want some Hexer Senior butting her head in our project! It's vitally important that we retain full ownership of our design choices!"
He didn't trust any Hexer mech designer other than Gloriana to abide by the spirit of their mech design.
His girlfriend didn't look pleased. "I'm serious, Ves. I'm not satisfied with what we have managed to accomplish so far. I don't believe we can solve all of the problems by spending more time on this project! Its sophistication vastly exceeds that of the Doom Guard project!"
She wasn't wrong. Ves couldn't easily refute her point because both of them had already worked incredibly hard on the Hexer mech design project. They did their best and put in their earnest effort, only to fall short of some of their goals.
There were two ways to solve this problem.
The first option was to take up Gloriana's suggestion and borrow the capabilities of a better mech designer.
The second option was to upgrade their own capabilities!
His eyes slowly lit up. Though he had slowly forgotten about it, didn't he possess something that could easily help him do that?
"What are you thinking about, Ves?"
"Something that I've neglected for a very long time. Let's table this discussion for today. I need to check up on something."
Chapter 2090 Self-Assessmen
Ves no longer needed to hole up in a bathroom in order to conduct his shady business.
There were several more places where he could ensure absolute privacy. After contemplating his options, he decided to enter the Scarlet Rose that was parked at the rented base and make his way to Compartment G-13.
After passing through numerous rigorous security checks, Ves, Lucky and Nitaa entered the site where all of the Larkinson Clan's Breyer alloy secretly appeared.
Ves took the time to inspect the automated production loop. Just like always, Cassandra Breyer's constantly-reappearing escape pod was being melted for salvage at an optimum rate.
None of the machines had broken down. Cassandra hadn't posed any problems either in the last couple of months. Ves firmly believed that she had expended most if not all of her disposable spiritual energy!
While that didn't ensure that the production loop remained intact in the future, at least for now Ves didn't have to worry about any impending disasters.
"Alright, everything looks good."
"Meow."
Lucky had been doing his job as well. He thoroughly inspected the entire compartment for any bugs or untowards elements.
"The compartment is clear." Nitaa finally added.
His silent bodyguard's only role at this moment was to use her extraordinary nose to sniff out any hidden elements that could trigger it. He wanted to cover as many bases as possible.
"Go stand guard while I do my business."
"Yes, sir."
Ves sat down on a random crate and began to materialize his System comm from his inventory.
He had mixed feelings when he looked at his comm. The last time he interacted with it was when he briefly used it to redeem a lot of attribute candies to upgrade the capabilities of the Larkinson seeds.
Aside from that, he never thought about using it. He could spend months without devoting a single thought towards the System!
This would have been unthinkable for him a few years ago! Back then, not a single day passed without spending at least some time on how to spend his Design Points!
"Ugh. I was very caught up by the System's reward mechanic." He grumbled.
Now that he thought about it, the Mech Designer System operated in a similar manner to all of the merit based systems that he encountered. Each time, their purpose was clear. The peons at the bottom had to work hard to gain some scraps while the people at the top harvested most of the profits!
That had changed somewhat since the System abruptly ended its newbie program. Now that Ves no longer earned any DP from selling his mechs, it became a lot harder to earn them. This made him care about the System even less!
As far as he was concerned, this was a good development. He was a mech designer, not a slave to the System. He had always harbored the fear of becoming too dependent on its conveniences.
Fortunately, he acted with restraint and tried his best to develop his own ways to get what he wanted without spending any Design Points.
Even so, just because Ves tried his best to forget about it didn't mean the System no longer mattered!
Its extraordinary origins and its immense value still meant that Ves was under threat! As the treasure passed on by his father, Ves did not dare to take it lightly!
Right now, Ves wasn't sure what the System thought about him. Did he do well by becoming a successful mech designer who could stand on his own? Was it resentful for being ignored all the time?
For some reason, Ves had a hunch the System didn't care all that much. It possessed its own goals, and so long it didn't say anything to him, he was probably heading in the right direction.
He surmised that both of their goals were aligned at this time. Ves wanted to progress further, which matched the System's intentions. What it got out of it was still a mystery, but as long as he moved forward, it didn't matter if he took the left path or the right path. They both led to the same destination!
"Well, my path isn't always smooth." Ves muttered. "Sometimes, it's best to take a couple of detours."
When Ves finally activated the System, he soon encountered something that he should have checked much earlier.
[Design Evaluation: Doom Guard DG-01]
Model name: Doom Guard DG-01
Original Manufacturer: Ves Larkinson, Gloriana Wodin
Weight Classification: Medium
Recommended Role: Marksman Mech
Armor: B+
Carrying Capacity: D
Aesthetics: A
Endurance: D+
Energy Efficiency: C
Flexibility: E+
Firepower: B
Integrity: B+
Mobility: D+
Spotting: C-
X-Factor:
Cost efficiency: C
Project involvement: 57%
Original component composition: 11%
Overall evaluation: The Doom Guard is a spaceborn striker mech that fulfills its deterrence purpose in an orthodox manner. It is an adequate mech in terms of armor and firepower, though it does not excel in those aspects. The lack of mobility along with the limited endurance are the Doom Guard's major shortcomings. However, the true value in this mech design lies in its glow. The value of this functional mech design has been elevated to a great degree by the inclusion of a complicated but effective glow.
[You have received 50,000 Design Points for completing an adequate original design that has no other equivalent.]
[You have received 50,000 Design Points for designing a mech with a high presence of X-Factor.]
"Damn. I hoped for more."
He felt a little disappointed at the grades he received. They were adequate, but far from the point of earning a compliment from the System.
Ves cared more for the X-Factor. His design philosophy was especially geared towards this criteria, so it was by far the most important grade to him! Scoring higher had always been his aim!
It was too bad the System didn't think his Doom Guard's glow reached another tier of performance.
The spiritual counterbalancing method he applied to the Doom Guard was something different, but not necessarily better. While Ves still believed he gained a lot by innovating this new method, it merely added one more tool to his toolbox.
In order to break through the bottleneck of an grade, Ves needed to find some way to impart a qualitatively superior glow to his mech design!
He still didn't know how he could accomplish that. He didn't think it was as simple as waiting for his design spirits to grow. If that was the case, then a powerful spiritual entity such as Qilanxo should have been able to impart more strength to his mech designs!
His eyes widened in realization. "It's not the design spirits that are holding me back. It's my implementation that is holding me back!"
He had been focusing too much on borrowing the external strength of other spiritual entities! This caused him to neglect the other factors that determine the expression of life and spirituality in a mech!
Though Ves had improved the effectiveness of his mechs to a massive degree ever since he switched over to basing his mech designs around living design spirits, he suspected that he might not be able to break through his bottleneck at this rate.
Ves needed to explore other methods of empowering his mech design. Pursuing alternate options such as transforming the spiritual foundation of his mech designs or developing the concept of imaginary mechs became a considerably higher priority!
"The only problem is that I don't have enough time." He shook his head.
The fact of the matter was that he possessed a to-do list that was way too long! There was so much he needed to do, and the worst part about it was that he could only rely on himself!
The downside of holding so tightly onto the secrets of his design philosophy was that he couldn't pass on his work to anyone else! If he raised a couple of competent disciples, he would have been able to explore multiple opportunities at the same time.
"It's too early for that." He sighed. "Besides, I don't have anyone I can trust to this degree."
Not yet at least.
Once Ves sobered up, he moved on to inspecting his Status.
[Status]
Name: Ves Larkinson
Profession: Journeyman Mech Designer
Specializations: Spiritual Man-Machine Symbiosis
Design Points: 332,342
Attributes
Strength: 1.6
Dexterity: 1.6
Endurance: 2.0
Intelligence: 2.4
Creativity: 2.1
Concentration: 2.1
Spirituality: 1.9
Neural Aptitude: F
Skills
[Assembly]: Journeyman - [3D Printer Proficiency V] - [Assembler Proficiency V] - [Masterwork Mech Assembly II]
[Battle Mechatronics]: Apprentice - [Knight Mech Mastery I] - [Rifleman Mech Mastery I] - [Space Knight Mastery I] - [Hero Mech Mastery I] - [Light Skirmisher Mastery I] [Custom Mech Design III]
[Business]: Apprentice
[Computer Science]: Journeyman - [Mech Hacking III] - [Programming IV]
[Electrical Engineering]: Journeyman - [Structural Pathway Configuration V] - [Energy Storage V] - [Conductors IV] - [Ultracompact Energy Storage I] - [Power Reactors II]
[Materials Science]: Journeyman - [Crystallography III] - [Crystal Laser Propagation II] - [Lithic Materials I]
[Mathematics]: Journeyman - [Simulations V]
[Mechanics]: Senior - [Jury Rigging IV] - [Speed Tuning IV] - [Mechanical Fault Detection I] - [Fine Motion Control I]
[Metallurgy]: Senior - [Alloy Compression IV] - [Fixed Armor Specialization IV] - [Flexible Armor Specialization I] - [Smart Metal IV] - [ASMAS III] - [Internal Structure Specialization I]
[Metaphysics]: Apprentice - [X-Factor IV] - [Spiritual Senses II] - [Spiritual Exploration I] - [Spiritual Manipulation II] - [Spiritual Engineering II]
[Interfacing]: Novice - [Neural Interface Optimization I]
[Physics]: Senior - [Directed Energy Weapon Optimization III] - [Gamma Laser Weapons I] [Lightweight Armor Optimization II] - [Mediumweight Armor Optimization IV] - [Melee Weapon Optimization IV] - [Polarizing Shielding II] - [Rapid-Fire Laser Weapon Operation II] - [Optics III] - [Ballistic Weapon Optimization IV]
[Propulsion]: Journeyman - [Flight Systems IV]
[Salvaging]: Apprentice - [Field Repairs III]
[Signals and Communications]: Journeyman - [Anti-Stealth Detection II]
[Stealth and Cloaking]: Novice
Abilities
[Superpublish]: Unavailable. Can be activated once a year.
[Inventorize]: Unavailable.
Evaluation: A qualified Journeyman Mech Designer whose products gained prominence for their unique and distinctive glows.
He hadn't looked at his Status for a long time, so there were several notable changes.
First, his Spirituality score had improved by 0.1. While Ves still didn't know how these specific scores were measured, any improvement was welcome. Due to his chosen specialty, he relied so much more on this attribute than any other mech designer.
Second, he managed to make up for his previous DP expenditures. He spent a hefty amount of Design Points to redeem all of the attribute candies for the Larkinson seeds. The 100,000 DP he earned from designing the Doom Guard came at a good time.
"I could have earned more if I didn't Superpublish the Bright Warrior."
Ves believed it was necessary at the time, but it caused him to miss out on a good chunk of DP. The System also denied him a radiant lottery ticket after he created his second masterwork.
He didn't deserve it. Simple as that.
The only benefit the System couldn't deny was the boost to his affinity for mechs. Masterwork Mech Assembly reached the second rank, which reflected the reality that he had become more in tune with mechs after creating the Quint.
Ves smiled and rubbed his smooth-shaven chin. "Even if I resort to the same method in the future, it's still worth it. Improving my mech affinity is the most reliable way to increase my output of masterwork mechs. As long as it's high enough, every mech I make can become a masterwork!"
Aside from these notable observations, Ves also noticed that several of his Sub-Skills had improved. He hadn't spent any Design Points to upgrade them. They naturally improved as Ves regularly referenced the textbooks originally owned by Lady Curver in order to develop new solutions to the problems he encountered during his work.
With the partial digitization of his mind, his learning efficiency had skyrocketed. Ves no longer felt the need to purchase any mundane Skills or Sub-Skills from the System. He could easily acquire what he wanted by studying the right textbook!
"Still, some Skills cost way too much time to improve."
This was what he came for. In response to the mounting technical problems he faced in his remaining mech design project, he sought to quickly boost his capabilities so that he could overcome some of the challenges!
Ves not only wanted to solve the immediate problem. This was just the start. In the near future, he planned to design a lot more second-class mechs, each of which would likely incorporate a lot of advanced components!
Once he got in touch with more and more high technology, the demand on his knowledge base would continue to increase. Therefore, improving his fundamental capabilities would go a long way in improving his efficiency!
"It's time to improve some of my Main Skills. I should elevate more of them to Senior-level!"
He wasn't going after the small fry this time! He sought to upgrade his understanding in a comprehensive and holistic manner!
Chapter 2091 Master and Slave
A powerful rifleman mech maneuvered through space. With a powerful flight system and a slim construction, it moved with speed incarnate.
Yet as it deliberately let a number of positron beams hit its frame, the thinly plated armor of the mech proved to be deceptively tough! Though the power level of the beams had been tuned down, the sheer quantity of them hitting the mech was still a huge concern.
Various combat bots zipping about in space continued to deluge the rifleman mech with powerful beams of destruction, yet the most the rifleman mech suffered was just some scorch marks.
Soon enough, the mech pilot had enough. The mech brought its formidable-looking rifle to bear and fired a single shot.
The rifle's chamber glowed before the muzzle spat out a splintering bright beam that hit all of the bots at once!
If not for the fact that the rifle's power level had been forcefully reduced to an artificially low setting, a considerable amount of hardware would have been destroyed!
Nonetheless, each of the bots detected that they had been destroyed, so they no longer fired their potent positron weapons.
It was not that easy to disable so many bots at once! Each of them outputted an incredible amount of ECM. Other than hacking the bots or countering their ECM, hitting their small, nimble and fast-moving was easier said than done, especially all at the same time!
A regular second-class mech pilot could never accomplish such a feat with ease. Only those who touched the realm of the extraordinary could accomplish such an exceptional result!
Yet what happened in this corner of space was only a small part of the clandestine testing ground.
Adjacent to this zone were other zones!
Each of those zones featured an identical rifleman mech. Each of them let the bots hit them with numerous positron beam attacks before retaliating against them in a single blow, taking them all out with an unerringly-accurate blow!
More zones existed beyond these areas. If the view was zoomed out, then it turned out that a whopping fifty mechs delivered an identical performance!
What was even more remarkable was the mech in the center of it all. Occupying a much large zone than the other mechs, the machine glowed with the radiance of both an energy shield and a resonance shield!
A deluge of positron beams poured onto the shields of the mechs. Instead of letting one of the shields absorb the brunt of the attacks before reaching its limit, the mech instead alternated the absorption, allowing the two shields to support each other and thereby extending their longevity!
Just as the mech's two shields began to dim, the mech finally lifted its larger and much more powerful rifle. The entire surface of the weapon began to glow with resonance as an incredible amount of power accumulated inside the weapon.
The moment it fired, it was as if the entire surrounding environment was blinded by a flash!
The outcome was devastating.
Not a single drone survived.
The power of a resonating attack at this magnitude was too much for any of them to resist!
A lot of valuable hardware had been vaporized, leaving nothing but residual heat and scattered dust in their place. The cost of this single test was considerable, but the data recorded from this awe-inspiring display of power was worth it in the eyes of the organizers.
After years of planning and months of intensive development, the experimental new expert mech finally bared its fangs!
Once the lesser mechs completed their tests, they all left their zones and converged onto the expert mechs.
Though all fifty mechs exhibited the power reminiscent of an expert mech, their quality and performance paled in comparison to the real deal!
The mech in the center flew forward, and all of its escorts moved precisely in unison. It was rather disturbing how synchronized they moved. Only AIs could match this level of precision, but the fact of the matter was that every single mech was still under the control of their own mech pilots.
Each of them sat quietly in their cockpits. They exchanged no words or thoughts with each other. Their vacant, empty-eyed stares looked profoundly disturbing, yet the way they piloted their mechs was sublime.
This was an impossible sight as far as many people were concerned!
The formation of mechs flew a moderate distance before they reached a large hangar bay built into an asteroid. Once they entered, the mechs all stood down in unison.
Swarms of mech technicians began to approach the mechs.
Though the cockpits had all opened up, none of the mech pilots emerged aside from a single exception.
Venerable Ghanso Larkinson slowly climbed out of the cockpit of his expert mech and looked at the surrounding mechs with a troubled expression.
He saw how a team of mech technicians floated over to the open cockpits before gently pulling out the vacant-eyed mech pilots. Their piloting suits turned them weightless, causing the mech technicians to handle the unresponsive pilots as if they were objects.
Though the power of these mech pilots was considerable when they were fielded alongside Ghanso, now they were as weak as a kitten. Anyone could knock them out with ease!
The fact that every single mech pilot aside from himself acted like an idle bot disturbed Ghanso to no end.
Yet he did not issue a word of complaint. Expert pilot or not, he knew when he should keep his mouth shut.
This was his duty now. As he floated from his mech, his uniform reflected his new identity.
He had become an expert pilot in the service of the Coalition Reserve Corps. Though the switch happened many months ago, Ghanso still couldn't get used to the fact that he no longer served under the banner of the Bright Republic.
In truth, many mech pilots would have envied him for moving up. Serving a superior state such as the Friday Coalition is a much grander choice than serving a weak and inconsequential lesser state!
Ghanso didn't think so. If not for his duty and his desire to protect the Bright Republic, he wouldn't have embraced this new job at all. Even if he had become one of his home state's biggest sinners, he still desired to protect it even now! This was the true meaning of his conviction!
Though his mood was dark, his mind was bright. He believed he had a duty to uphold the torch of the Bright Republic.
No matter how many incentives the Gauge Dynasty and the Coalition Reserve Corps offered him, Ghanso would always consider himself a Brighter even if his citizenship had changed!
"No change in record can override the conviction in my heart!"
He was a true Brighter! He was a true Larkinson! In fact, he considered nearly every other Larkinson to have gone astray!
"The responsibility of restoring the Larkinson Family rests on my shoulders." He muttered. "Not even Ark can be trusted to lead my relatives now. In the end, he betrayed the Bright Republic as well."
Ark Larkinson's desertion was unforgivable in Ghanso's eyes! No matter how strained the relations between the Larkinson Family and the Bright Republic had become, all of it could have been water under the bridge if his relatives had just been patient!
Yet all of it became moot when the majority of his relatives escaped. Only a scant few diehard loyalists remained, and most of them consisted of old and stubborn veterans. There were simply too few true Larkinsons left to restore the family to a semblance of its old self.
If Ghanso wanted to restore the honor of the Larkinson Family, then he had to catch up to the fleeing rats and capture them himself!
Right now, the only way to do that was to borrow the power of the Friday Coalition. As long as the Fridaymen defeated the Hexers, the entire Komodo Star Sector would fall into the Coalition's grasp!
At that time, it would be as easy as pie for Ghanso to round all of the scattered Larkinsons up if they hadn't left the star sector!
"Without a state backing you up, let me see if you can withstand power, Ark!"
The existence of the Larkinson Family's most powerful expert pilot of the generation before his own loomed very large in his mind. For as long as he lived, Venerable Ark had become the childhood hero of every Larkinson that grew up under the former mech colonel's shadow!
Now that the hero had become a villain in Ghanso's eyes, it took a considerable amount of courage for him to even think about challenging the family's most famous war hero.
Yet Ghanso dared to do so because he had a powerful state backing him up. The mech he had just test-piloted was just a taste of what would come!
After flying through some corridors, he eventually reached a debriefing room. He sat down on a comfortable chair while facing the young woman seated on the opposite side of the desk.
An extensive grid of screens and projections floated before her. Lady Aisling Curver studied them for a moment longer before facing the former Brighter.
"This was a good test." She enthusiastically smiled. "Every single slave in the neural network exhibited a nearly identical degree of performance. We have managed to smooth out most of the unstable elements and fixed all of the critical bugs. Not a single slave has shown signs of incompatibility! You are truly one of the most remarkable masters that we have ever had the pleasure of working with. Your great merit is noted."
Ghanso frowned. "Milady, I already told you that I don't prefer to hear that term. Calling them 'slaves' is very demeaning, and I don't fancy myself their 'master'."
"I mean no offense, Venerable Ghanso." Lady Curver showed no sign of reproach. "These terms are common in the programming and computer engineering disciplines. The only way to stop these terms from being used is if you can persuade Master Huron to change his mind."
That was a non-starter. Ghanso had only met the esteemed Master a few times, but everytime he did, he felt as if he was looked down by an inscrutable existence!
The power, wealth and influence wielded by a Master Mech Designer was not something a foreign-born expert pilot could match.
Ghanso bowed his head once more.
"I don't know if I can continue leading those.. clones. While I admit that this neural network is amazing, the burden to my mind is considerable. Even with all of the augmentations I've received, it is not so simple to share my power to fifty mechs! As of now, I can only keep it up for ten minutes at most!"
Aisling did not look disappointed. "Ten minutes is enough considering all of the progress you made. I'm sure we can train your limits further. As long as you can manage to hold on for twenty minutes, Unit L will finally be ready to debut on the battlefields of the Komodo War! With the first neural network centered around an expert pilot, we will all become famous!"
Unit L was one of the latest brainchilds of Master Huron! Instead of forming a neural network among a group of regular mech pilots in an equal fashion, the Master instead formed an unequal neural network around a single expert mech!
Ghanso had gradually found out that this project had long been stalled due to Huron's inability to solicit a Fridayman expert pilot for this radical new innovation.
It was only when he came along that Master Huron could finally embark on this research project!
There had been plenty of bumps along the way. The most troubling of which was the sheer amount of clones that had been tested. Thousands of them had shown up in the previous months, but only fifty made it through the end.
Ghanso didn't ask where these clones came from.
Ghanso didn't ask how a few of them were able to arouse a measure of resonance after syncing up to his mind.
Ghanso didn't ask what was being done to the clones when they turned out to be 'defective'.
He preferred to steer his thoughts towards safer subjects, such as the state of his expert mech.
"The prototype has performed better than last time." He remarked. "I can't wait to pilot the completed version of the Charlemagne. In terms of firepower and mobility, I can't say enough good things about it. In fact, I'm still getting used to the power level of a mech of this caliber."
"Don't take too long. While the frontlines are relatively stable now, the Hexers might launch a surprise on us at any moment. We need Unit L to be battle ready as fast as possible. A single expert mech might not make much of a difference, but an expert mech acting in sync with fifty quasi-expert mechs can be a real game changer in a critical battle!"
It wouldn't be long before Venerable Ghanso Larkinson fought his first battle on behalf of his new masters!
Chapter 2092 Pay To Win
Ves had come a long way since he initially got his hands on the Mech Designer System. Just glancing at the sheer amount of Skills and Sub-Skills on his Status page was enough to make any other Journeyman jealous!
Nonetheless, Ves did not feel particularly proud. He knew that there were plenty of prodigies who could have accomplished the same without resorting to such a powerful aid.
Their natural intellect combined with a few modest implants and genetic tampering was enough to propel them to the top of their generation!
In comparison, the original Ves did not even have the qualifications to become an independent mech designer!
Even now, Gloriana showed little signs of falling behind. Ves genuinely admired his girlfriend for being able to improve every day without the ability to spend DP on acquiring a vast amount of knowledge in an instant.
She worked much harder than him when it came to expanding their knowledge base!
That did not mean that Ves necessarily wanted to follow in her footsteps. While he knew that it was worth it for him to spend at least some time on immersing himself in academic literature, that was mostly because he needed to learn something specific in order to solve a difficult problem.
As someone who was perennially short of time, Ves abhorred wasting it on an activity that could easily be substituted with DP. As long as he had enough points, he could skip years of diligent study!
Right now, Ves knew that it was time to take a few more steps towards the rank of Senior.
While it was unrealistic to believe he would be able to advance within five or ten years, all of those Senior-level Skills still provided a lot of benefits to a Journeyman.
At the very least, he would be able to design his mechs faster and with much more technical refinement than before!
"It's not a waste to spend 100,000 DP to upgrade a Main Skill. I can easily earn them all back once I embark on parallel mech design!"
As long as Ves made a good effort, he could earn 100,000 DP per completed mech design.
That didn't sound like much when it took three or four months to design a mech.
Yet with the addition of fifty new mech designers, it was no longer out of the question to engage in five mech design projects at the same time!
This effectively meant that Ves would be able to earn half a million Design Points in a couple of months!
Though he previously intended to retain a few hundred-thousand DP for emergencies, he was no longer as adamant about it. His life hadn't been threatened in months and with the Glory Battalion and the Penitent Sisters hanging around, no one was stupid enough to try anything against him and his clan.
Instead, Ves felt an increasing urge to spend his points. Designing a second-class mech was not easy at all, and as someone who had just been a third-class mech designer until recently, he still lacked the depth of accumulation of someone like Gloriana.
He was still not a match compared to genuine second-class mech designers, and that had always bothered him when he designed his Hexer mech!
Though the System did not explicitly delineate its Skills and Sub-Skills by class, upgrading some of his Skills to Senior would definitely go a long way!
Now, Ves had to make a choice. Which Skills should he upgrade?
"Hmmm. Assembly will probably help me operate advanced production equipment even better, but that is only relevant after a mech design has been finalized."
Upgrading it would probably increase his odds of fabricating a masterwork mech, but that was not a critical priority at the moment.
"My Battle Mechatronics Skill is still at Apprentice-level. That is pretty bad."
To be fair, this Skill was not comparable to the other ones in terms of fundamentals. It was very interdisciplinary and was inexorably tied to other fields of science and engineering.
Still, it was incredibly useful in designing original mechs from scratch. Ves knew that it would also increase his understanding of non-humanoid mech models.
While Ves did not have a burning desire to design a lot of bestial mechs, understanding their principles to a greater degree was still helpful in many ways.
"I should at least upgrade it once."
[Battle Mechatronics - Journeyman]: 25,000 DP
The price was very affordable. Once Ves confirmed his selection, his DP balance immediately decreased, and a huge influx of knowledge suddenly entered his mind!
Surprisingly, Ves felt no strain at all. The transfer process happened at an instance!
"Huh?" He frowned in confusion. "Is this Skill truly that easy to learn?"
No. Once Ves looked into his mind, he discovered why acquiring so much knowledge hadn't exerted his mind at all. It turned out that his Archimedes Rubal implant pretty much received the entire dump of data!
"It stored everything!"
That wasn't all. Once his implant received every scrap of knowledge related to Journeyman-level Battle Mechatronics, it slowly started to feed the data to his partially-digitized mind.
The entire process proceeded in an unnaturally smooth and gentle fashion. Though Ves didn't feel anything, once his thoughts wandered to this field, he immediately called up a bunch of theories that he definitely hadn't mastered before!
His eyes widened. "This is incredible!"
The entire process didn't last that long. Though his implant tried its best to prevent his mind from becoming strained, the bandwidth of data transfer was actually pretty scary!
Due to the partial digitization of his mind, Ves had become very good at processing and internalizing a lot of data.
In the end, Ves acquired all of the knowledge in an incredibly controlled and efficient manner. It was a lot better than before!
He momentarily closed his eyes and tried to test the acuity of his new knowledge. He found out that he could already make use of it, just like before. Though his utilization rate remained lower than someone who had already applied the knowledge in their work, at the very least he was a lot better off than those who simply learned everything by rote memorization!
"This is great!"
His excitement quickly died down. Journeyman-level Skills no longer bothered him even without his implant. Only Senior-level Skills caused him to feel a lot of dread. Previously, it took weeks to internalize the sheer amount of knowledge!
"Hmmm. I have 300,000 DP in reserve. That's enough to upgrade two Senior-level Skills and pick up some valuable Sub-Skills that are highly relevant to my remaining project."
After spending so much DP, he would hardly have any DP left to buy a couple of attribute candies, but Ves believed he could soon make it up after he completed his Hexer mech design.
"What I've learned just now is already incredibly insightful. I should upgrade it once more!"
[Battle Mechatronics - Senior]: 100,000 DP
As soon as Ves spent a considerable amount of DP, the System immediately served him with a mission notice.
[Upgrade Mission]
Mission: Design a Non-Humanoid Amphibian Mech
Difficulty: C-Rank
Prerequisites: [Battle Mechatronics - Journeyman]
Description
Humanoid mechs are not the only mechs in existence. The advantage of machines is that they are not constrained by a specific form. In many cases, mechs that differ from the human aesthetic can adapt to a specific battlefield than bipedal mechs with articulating limbs.
Design a non-humanoid mech that is suited for battle in an amphibian environment. Fabricate at least one copy of your amphibian mech design and sell it to a customer who makes use of it in an amphibian battle environment.
The mech design must be up to standard and exhibit your profound understanding of Battle Mechatronics.
Reward:
[Battle Mechatronics - Senior]
His face immediately turned ugly. He didn't forget about the Upgrade Missions that showed up whenever he wanted to acquire a new Senior-level Skill.
He had hoped the System would skip them on account of his strength. At the very least, he hoped to gain an easy mission that he could complete in a matter of days!
Sadly, the System was as strict as ever. Depending on its standards, Ves had no choice to but to invest months in designing a proper non-humanoid amphibian mech!
"What a strange mission. I don't even know where to begin. I don't think I have ever designed an amphibian mech. I can count the number of non-humanoid mechs I've designed with a single hand."
Battle Mechatronics was all about studying how the form and dimensions of a mech impacted its performance. It was quite important to the design of humanoid mechs, but played a much more important role to the design of bestial mechs!
Once he got over the implications of his mission, he moved on to upgrading another Main Skill.
"Which one should I choose next?"
Three choices came to mind. Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Propulsion all attracted him for different reasons.
As long as he could elevate his understanding of Electrical Engineering, a lot of problems related to his current mech design project would no longer trouble him as much!
"I would have to complete its Upgrade Mission first, and I don't know how long that will take!"
Mathematics helped him out in a lot of different fields. Aside from helping him program and configure more elaborate simulations, he would also be able to increase his understanding of highly complex theories related to high technology!
This was very relevant to the design of higher classes of mechs!
Finally, improving his Propulsion Skill would no longer hamper the mobility of his mech designs that much. His last couple of spaceborn mechs all featured abysmal mobility, which was not a good development!
Every Skill under his consideration was not only useful right away, but also laid the groundwork for the future.
His gaze finally landed on Electrical Engineering. In terms of immediate utility, this one brought the most practical benefits.
"System, can I skip the Upgrade Mission for my next Senior-level Skill? I really don't want to go through all of that trouble."
Surprisingly, the System responded to his half-serious query.
[User, diligence is an essential trait to a mech designer. Working hard is a virtue. In consideration of your current needs, the Mech Designer System is prepared to make an accommodation. As long as you agree to exchange 50,000 Design Points, you may directly pass over the Upgrade Mission.]
"WHAT?!"
Ves yelled so loudly that he startled both Nitaa and Lucky!
"Why didn't you tell me that before, you goddamn System!"
He had to resist the urge to bang the System comm against the metal crate he was sitting on. If he knew this earlier, he would have made some different choices!
Still, this offer came at a good time. While it was very wasteful to spend 50,000 DP to acquire a Skill, it all depended on how badly he needed it. As the previous Upgrade Mission had shown, the System wasn't going to let him off that easily!
"I can either spend months on designing a weird mech, or I can just skip all of that trouble for the handsome price of 50,000 DP."
Ves considered whether he should rather spend that 50,000 DP on a bunch of Sub-Skills instead. That was his original plan. Yet the more he thought about the integral ways his Hexer mech interacted with energy, the more this upgrade seemed essential.
"The better question to ask is whether my upcoming energy vampire knight mech is worth this much DP."
Even if he didn't achieve a revolutionary result, he was pretty confident that he would be able to earn 100,000 DP.
From that perspective, spending an extra 50,000 DP didn't sound like a big deal.
"Since I know that it will be useful, then let's grab it right away!"
[Electrical Engineering - Senior]: 150,000 DP (Skip Upgrade Mission)
Once he confirmed his choice, a huge amount of Design Points went down the drain. The System always demanded a price, and it would never pass up the opportunity to take advantage of him. Paying 50,000 DP to skip a mission that he could easily complete with time was probably a huge ripoff in its eyes!
Though Ves was aware of what he lost, he believed it was worth it. Sometimes, time was more valuable than all of the DP in his possession. It was just another currency to him. He could easily earn it back in the future.
"I'm just paying to win!"
Chapter 2093 Immediate Improvements
The experience of absorbing Senior-level Electrical Engineering was completely novel to Ves. Operating on strange instructions that definitely shouldn't have been part of its programming, his bioimplant processed the huge dump of data in a unique manner.
After initially storing it into its vast storage space, the Archimedes Rubal then proceeded to feed it to the rest of his mind in a very controlled manner.
No headache emerged. No pressure encumbered his thoughts. Ves only noticed a tiny burden. It wasn't until he actively began to go over the subject matter that he discovered a lot of brand-new knowledge that he didn't learn before!
Just like before, the integration of knowledge throughout his mind also proceeded faster.
The true value of partial digitization became apparent. His brain cells had effectively acquired some traits typical to computer processors. As long as they cooperated with the systems of his implant, he could effectively internalize a lot of knowledge at a greater rate.
The speed was astounding!
"It will probably take less than a week for me to truly be able to make use of all of this knowledge!"
This was amazing! Ves became impressed once again at the capabilities of advanced technology.
In fact, he even suspected that the System might have been designed to work in unison with cranial implants to begin with. The pain and unimaginable strain he experienced before was simply a consequence of not bringing the right tool!
A rueful smile appeared on his face. "Well, whatever the case, I can definitely use my greater understanding of Electrical Engineering to tune up my remaining mech design!"
He would have to delay the completion of the first iteration and wait a little longer before testing the first prototype. However, it would be well worth it. He had invested so much in his Hexer mech design already.
The weird knight mech with energy siphoning capabilities was more than just a support machine in his opinion. As long as Ves managed to hit all of his goals for this mech design, he could easily elevate it into a revolutionary new addition to the ranks of the Hex Army!
"The Fridaymen won't know what's coming!" He grinned.
His upcoming mech would have a profound effect on different people. It was to that effect that Ves had made a lot of additional preparations. He wanted to be sure he could make the mech as special as possible!
Once he got off his excitement, he glanced at his remaining points and noticed that he only had 50,000 DP left.
Ordinarily, Ves would have stopped by now. His reserves hadn't dipped this low in a low time. He also couldn't acquire any other Skills or Sub-Skills in an instant with his implant working at full tilt to convert all of the data related to Electrical Engineering into a usable form.
However, now that he had his implant, Ves suspected that this might not be a problem anymore. The idea sounded interesting enough to perform a small experiment.
Besides, Ves truly felt the need to expand his broad understanding of Electrical Engineering with more specific Sub-Skills. His Hexer mech design incorporated so many energy transmission systems that each needed to be handled in a distinctly different way.
Stuffing them all together in the frame of a cramped knight mech was almost impossible! The amount of mutual interference and other problems associated with squeezing so many high-energy parts together was stressing him out. Even Gloriana showed signs of frustration!
Part of that was his fault. His insistence on adding an energy siphoning system in order to extend the mech's effective operating time added a lot of complexity to the mech while burdening its internal real estate even further.
As long as Ves decided to remove this system, every other problem related to the mech design became a lot easier to deal with. It was so easy to just say the word and give it up in order to make the design more practical.
Though Gloriana hadn't mentioned it last time, the idea definitely lingered in her mind. If Ves didn't agree with bringing in a technical consultant to solve these thorny issues, she probably would have suggested simplifying their mech design next!
This was unacceptable to him! He had spent so much time dreaming up an ambitious vision. What started out as a simple commission for DIVA had slowly morphed into another passion project!
Ves knew he was being irrational again. Why should he spend so much effort and waste so much DP all of a sudden in order to improve a single mech design?
Yet now that he sunk so much emotional investment in this project, he couldn't stop at this point. He would do anything to fulfill the vision he settled upon! After expanding on his vision and concept several times, its scope had grown to a level that he could scarcely imagine.
Whatever he created at the end, he was sure the Hexadric Hegemony would take note! Not even the fact that one of its lead designers was male would hinder its recognition!
"Since I'm already this deep, I should go all the way!"
He browsed the Skill Tree for some useful Sub-Skills. He didn't linger at the cheaper ones but instead sought something more advanced and expensive.
[Dense Energy Transmissions I]: 20,000 DP
He first selected a Sub-Skill that added to his knowledge on energy transmission. It stood out from other types of knowledge on energy transmission by the heightened energy levels it dealt with. It was a Sub-Skill that was geared towards a narrow set of high-performance transmissions systems!
"This is just what I need!"
As expected, as soon as he acquired this Sub-Skill, he was able to instruct his implant to shuffle its order. He temporarily paused the integration of Senior-level Electrical Engineering to absorb the abundant amount of knowledge from his new Sub-Skill first!
After that, his implant quickly went back to Electrical Engineering again.
"That's handy."
Ves next browsed for another Sub-Skill that could improve his handling on his current mech design. He sought something that would provide him with immediate benefits.
[Heat-Resistant Materials I]: 20,000 DP
In the end, he went for something that enhanced his understanding of heat-resistant materials. This was an incredibly useful acquisition. Not only did it enhance his understanding of heat sinks, but it also provided him with a much more systematic understanding of the individual heat capacities of other components.
More importantly, now that he acquired this Sub-Skill, he knew how to improve their heat handling of every energy transmission system through some modest but effective solutions!
This was a great boon! Even a modest reduction in heat load would make a substantial difference on the battlefield!
Ves let out a deep breath. He had spent almost his entire DP reserves. He only retained less than 20,000 DP, which was not enough to purchase a life-saving gadget in the event of a crisis!
"I don't need to worry about that!"
In truth, he was making a gamble. He bet that he wouldn't need all of those points. That gave him the confidence of converting his inert Design Points into something that would be of immediate use!
"Speaking about immediate use, I can also do something about the internalizing of my latest Senior-level Skill."
It sounded strange to Ves that he acquired this huge upgrade without delay. He had been so used to working for these upgrades that he still couldn't believe the System actually cut him some slack!
Of course, in the perspective of the System, it gleefully absorbed a lot of Design Points that he could have used to redeem something wasteful in its perspective!
If Ves hadn't given up that extra DP, he could have acquired the second tier of one of his new Sub-Skills!
"Forget it." He shook his head. "They're pretty high class to begin with. The introductory tier of these Sub-Skills is already a lot for me to absorb!"
Before Ves left Compartment G-13, he continued to sit down and explore the manner in which his implant internalized the data dump.
After exploring a lot of internal diagnostics, he concluded that his implant was currently acting outside the bounds of its current programming!
"I knew it! There's no way my Archimedes Rubal can diffuse knowledge in such a sophisticated manner!"
A thread of fear ran through his mind. The only other explanation was that the System essentially hijacked his implant and inserted some temporary programming in order to establish such a smooth transfer!
However, this fear quickly subsided. The System always had access to his mind. Ves didn't believe he could hide anything from its powerful means.
Was it any surprise that it could directly bypass the various safeguards and protections of his implant?
"There's no point in dwelling on this matter any further."
He turned back to the operation of his implant and finally found a useful setting.
Right now, his Archimedes Rubal was transferring knowledge in a normal order.
That was not good enough. Ves needed knowledge that directly related to energy transmissions systems first! Everything else that wasn't as relevant to his current project could wait for later!
The setting he discovered allowed him to change the order and rearrange what he wanted to learn first. He immediately made use of it and spent an hour to sort through all of the dizzying topics the implant tried to cram into his mind!
"There's so much!" Ves groaned when he finally snapped out of his daze.
His session was done. He no longer possessed any meaningful DP to spend, so he readily stood up and gestured to Nitaa and Lucky.
"We're leaving."
As Ves returned to the design lab the next day, he looked a lot more confident.
His girlfriend already looked impatient. "I've waited patiently for you to come up with a solution. I don't know what you have in store, but if it's not sufficient, I'll force my own solution on this project!"
Ves smiled in an intriguing manner and raised his hand.
A number of design schematics projected into existence.
"What is this, Ves? Wait a minute…"
She instantly became absorbed by what she saw. She completely ignored her boyfriend's existence and began to examine all of the schematics.
Ves had hastily made use of his new knowledge to improve some of the troublesome areas about the internal makeup of their collaborative mech design.
Various problems that dogged the two for weeks had suddenly turned into non-issues after Ves applied a tiny portion of his newly-acquired knowledge!
Seeing Gloriana becoming so absorbed brought a smile on his face.
"This.." She looked up at him with wide eyes. "How did you obtain these improvements. They all bear your style, but that's impossible! You can't possibly be that good?"
Ves grinned and tapped the side of his head. "I just consulted a lot of books, that's all. I can study very hard if I want to! After receiving some sparks of insights, I instantly knew how to resolve these issues!"
"That's amazing!" Gloriana sounded incredibly impressed. "You're also lying."
"Thank you—, wait, what?"
"DO YOU THINK I'M STUPID?!" She pressed her finger against his chest! "We were in a deadlock for weeks! I referenced all kinds of books in order to solve these problems, but I still hadn't managed to deal with them. How can someone like you magically wave your hand and come up with much better solutions in a single day? It's impossible!"
Ves panicked a bit. "I-I-It's true! It's all me! I swear it! I was so afraid that you would insist on simplifying our current mech design that I worked harder than ever before to solve all of these issues!"
Gloriana narrowed her eyes in suspicion. She briefly turned around and picked up Clixie.
"Is he lying, Clixie?"
"Miaow!"
Though Gloriana didn't speak cat, she could still interpret Clixie's hiss!
"I thought so!" She nodded with certainty. "So spill, Ves. Who's the technical consultant that provided all of these solutions?"
"It's all me!"
"You're not that smart!"
Chapter 2094 Quality Jump
A mech designer did not suddenly improve all of a sudden. It was impossible.
Certainly, incidents of enlightenment frequently occured where mech designers passed a crucial turning point in their understanding of a specific field.
Yet those cases were not only rare, but also took place after a long period of precipitation.
The sudden boost in understanding and application on energy transmission systems was anything but normal! Ves was a mech designer who specialized in a more esoteric field. Achieving successive breakthroughs in the field of Electrical Engineering and other related fields was too ludicrous!
Even if Ves possessed an implant, it was not as simple as downloading a huge amount of textbooks and academic journal articles!
Rote memorization without taking the time to understand and internalize what they actually taught was pointless.
This happened to be the unique strength of the System. It was capable of making Ves absorb a huge amount of knowledge as if he truly spent months and years of diligently studying a lot of books.
Even if the Big Two somehow managed to develop this amazing technology, it would certainly be reserved for themselves. There was no way a tiny figure like Ves could have access to such an astounding means!
Therefore, Gloriana couldn't believe that Ves had improved. According to her, he must have consulted some other mech designer!
"Who is it, Ves?!" She imperiously placed her hands on her hips. "Is it Professor Ventag? No, it shouldn't. The improvements don't carry his style."
"It was all me! I can prove it to you! I still have some ideas left to implement, so let me demonstrate."
He disliked it whenever Gloriana questioned his competence! Even though he didn't specialize in technical mech design like her, that did not mean he was a drooling idiot when it came to this important aspect.
Every mech was a machine! Ves still understood this truth, so he often reminded himself not to neglect this aspect. Playing with Spirituality may be a crucial part of his main specialization, but that did not mean that he should neglect the fundamentals of his profession. He was not his mother! He followed his own path!
As Ves sat down behind a terminal and began to refine the energy siphoning mechanism of the extra appendages of their Hexer mech, Gloriana curiously observed his work.
It didn't take long before she started to feel less confident about her assertion. Before her eyes, Ves seemed like a different mech designer from yesterday.
All of a sudden, he solved numerous problems while mitigating other issues to a much better degree than before!
Though the overall gain in efficiency was only as little as 5 percent, this was already a huge accomplishment. When their project had reached their stage, most of their design choices had been setting, which meant that there was very little leeway to squeeze more performance gains.
To achieve small but solid performance gains with just a short amount of work was nothing but mind blowing to Gloriana!
"This is impossible!"
She had worked years alongside Ves! She knew exactly what he was capable of! They had collaborated on so many mech designs that she could probably draft a reasonably accurate list of all of his skills and competences!
Now, she suddenly discovered that she severely misjudged his capabilities. Or did she?
The wheels in her mind spinned at unheard speeds. However, the more she observed the solutions conjured up by Ves, the more she became enthralled by the elegant and sophisticated methods he employed.
A lot of problems were akin to trying to deliver a parcel from one city to another city.
Previously, they dabbled with relatively low tech solutions such as making someone bring the parcel to its intended destination by foot or by horse.
None of these solutions satisfied the pair. They were too slow and inefficient. Yet they couldn't come up with anything better.
Yesterday, Gloriana was pretty sure that they were both at this level.
Yet for some inexplicable reason, Ves had suddenly improved to the point where he was able to build a shuttle from scratch that could be used to deliver the parcel to its destination at a much greater speed than before!
Even if this analogy was a bit too exaggerated, it aptly described the shock she felt. This much difference in a span of a single day was simply too ludicrous!
Sadly, her imagination was only so big. She could never conceive of a notion that Ves made use of something as heaven-defying as the Mech Designer System.
That did not mean that Ves may have used other unorthodox means to gain enlightenment. It was just that Gloriana couldn't put much stock in all of those low-probability possibilities.
After a long time, she eventually came to a conclusion. This was not the first time that Ves pulled off something inexplicable behind her back. She quickly recalled how Ves abruptly showed off a Bright Warrior design that was considerably more refined and improved than before.
Though Gloriana studied her boyfriend's history extensively, there were still a considerable amount of holes in his background.
Just like Master Willix, she increasingly suspected that Ves enjoyed a secret relationship with a very competent mech designer!
If this 'Mr. S.' had struck again, then everything could be explained. Perhaps this presumed Master Mech Designer had given Ves a lot of relevant points yesterday! That would explain most of the improvements!
She looked increasingly more determined. This must be what had happened!
As Ves worked on the design, he had kept one eye on his girlfriend. He easily caught the changes in her expression.
He tried his best to hold back his grin.
From the start, he already knew it would be difficult to explain this sudden jump in competence. It wouldn't be long before he fully digested Senior-level Electrical Engineering.
Such a comprehensive jump was too difficult to hide from an observant mech designer like Gloriana!
He didn't want his sudden improvement. He didn't spend an enormous amount of DP to let his newly-upgraded Skill collect dust! He wanted to make immediate use of it to elevate the quality of his subsequent mech designs.
In addition, this wasn't the first time he improved so suddenly. Ves wanted to set a pattern where Gloriana wouldn't take much notice of his changes, because he definitely intended to spend his DP in the same manner again in the future!
This was why he decided to openly show off his improvements to Gloriana. It didn't matter if he declined to say anything. People like Gloriana tended to make their own conclusions. This was something that Ves had already exploited on other people.
As expected, Gloriana looked much more at ease with herself now that she constructed a plausible explanation in her mind. She no longer looked interested in pursuing the matter further, but became fully engrossed at all of the alterations that Ves had made to their mech design!
This was another good way to distract her. She always became enthralled by anything that brought a mech design closer to perfection.
As long as Ves triggered her obsession, she instantly switched to a one-track mind! Nothing else mattered to her whenever she saw an opportunity to increase her ability to design a better mech!
At the end of the day, the Hexer mech design had gained a comprehensive improvement. Ves hadn't even finished yet but its performance had already become a lot smoother!
Due to the nature of his changes, the upper limit of the male Hexer mech hadn't improved all that much.
What Ves actually did was to increase the design's internal resilience. He improved the rigor of the internal components and how they interacted with each other. Their ability to endure a large burden had improved and they became much less prone to malfunctions or rapid degradation due to all of the dense energy transmissions running through the mech.
The heat capacity of the mech had also been improved, though Ves didn't have enough time to push through all of the changes. However, he had shown off enough solutions to make it clear that there was still considerable room for improvement in this aspect!
"How didn't I think of that!" Gloriana gasped.
She uttered those words many today. Though Ves only picked up two Sub-Skills and internalized just a portion of Senior-level Electrical Engineering, the new knowledge he had at his disposal was still something she hadn't studied herself!
One scary aspect about her was that she learned quickly.
The next day, as soon as Ves was about to resume his design session, Gloriana sat down at the terminal and began to demonstrate her own solution!
"What?!" Ves widened his eyes.
"I've been thinking a lot of what you have shown. I think I figured out the essence of your methods. As long as I understand the theory, I can apply the same solution to every other related problem!"
What Ves had shown off the day before was very complicated, but not that diverse. Many of the problems related to the mech design shared the same shortcomings.
As long as one of them developed a solution for one problem, they could easily apply the same formula to other related problems!
Though Ves was surprised at her learning efficiency, he soon accepted it. Now that she became capable of solving the same problems as him, they could both work on improving the mech design!
In fact, in many cases, it was Gloriana who came up with the formula and it was Ves that borrowed her work. It wasn't often that she was on the receiving side!
They proceeded to work on the mech design with gusto over the next week. The more time passed, the more Ves absorbed more knowledge on Electrical Engineering.
Much of the latter knowledge no longer held any relations to their current mech design, though, so Ves hadn't been able to come up with fantastic new solutions.
It was already enough. The sheer depth and breadth of Senior-level Electrical Engineering wasn't something that could fit inside a single textbook! Ves practically absorbed half a study room's worth of theories, formulas and other goodies!
Applying such a tiny fraction of it onto their current mech design already made a substantial difference. Ves believed that the result they achieved was not that different from bringing in a Senior Mech Designer as a consultant!
At the end of this design session, Ves and Gloriana both became a lot more at ease with their mech. While its overall level of refinement still couldn't match the excellence of a highly-optimized Hexer mech design, it was slightly better than the work of most other Journeymen!
"I think our first iteration is ready for prototype testing." Ves confidently declared.
While Gloriana still wanted to spend some time on optimizing it further, she reluctantly agreed.
There was only so much that simulation testing could reveal. It was not a good thing to rely too much on mathematical models and approximations of reality to assume the mech would perform well in any given scenarios.
Assumptions had to be tested! That was the custom in the mech industry!
"Who will fabricate the prototype?" She asked.
That was a good question, and one that momentarily stumped Ves. He initially wanted to leave this task to his design teams, but he immediately pulled back this suggestion.
Their Hexer mech design was too sophisticated! Not only that, it incorporated a lot of restricted Hexer-developed technology and components that couldn't be spread!
Though the pair could easily do it themselves, if they did so, that would make the creation of their first production model a lot less special.
That was something that neither of them wanted.
"Maybe we could ask another mech designer's help." Ves suggested. "Don't forget that we are currently in Cinach VI. There are loads of mech companies on this planet, and several of them are led by Seniors."
"I'm aware of that." Gloriana stated. "While I'm sure that they are capable enough to fabricate a mech of this caliber, I am pretty certain they won't be allowed to do so. Let me look into this matter."
Chapter 2095 The Final Gathering
While Gloriana sought to find someone close at hand that could fabricate their prototype, Ves exited the design lab in order to take stock at what else had taken place.
He soon found out that the Larkinson Family was finally departing the Cinach System.
"They're leaving?!" Ves looked surprised.
"The Larkinson Family has already lingered in Cinach for several months." Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson noted. "You have to keep in mind that the old family is much less prosperous than our clan. The family's fleet is just a fraction of the size of ours and their recruitment efforts have been minimal at best. Now that the preparations of our other relatives are complete, they are ready to set off and find their own way."
"Where does the family plan to go?"
"I'm not sure." Raymond shrugged. "Ark hasn't confided in me. I believe he is likely going to wander around in order to accumulate enough money and resources to build up a decent fleet that is capable of traversing to other star sectors."
"The old family doesn't need to do that. While I haven't been generous towards it, I still let them keep a 1 percent share in the LMC! With how well the Doom Guard and my other mech models have been selling lately, Ark shouldn't have too many problems procuring the hardware the family needs!"
"The family doesn't want to live off your charity. They are Larkinsons. They want to earn their own keep as much as possible. It's a matter of pride to many of them, and Ark probably thinks that he needs to keep them all sharp. If they begin to take the wealth granted by their minority stake in the LMC for granted, then the old family would soon become a shadow of its former self!"
"I see. Ark knows the importance of maintaining the readiness of the fighting forces of the family. In his cruel galaxy, the family can't afford to grow weak!"
"Per angusta ad augusta." Raymond recited. "Your clan may have enshrined this motto, but this has been one of the core principles of the Larkinson Family for centuries. A hard worker like Ark definitely knows what is best for his charges. Now that the old family has lost the protection of a state, it has to depend completely on itself! None of the members of the family can afford to slide back during this time."
Ves scratched his head. "While I understand this argument, leaving a safe star system like Cinach will only increase their vulnerability."
"Ah, I'm sure the family has taken all of the risks into account. Don't forget that your uncle is a strong expert pilot. He is much more frightening than a Doom Guard in battle!"
That was true. Ves had no choice but to put down his worries and trust that Ark knew what he was doing. His impressive track record already proved that he was qualified to lead the family during these difficult times!
"Will there be a final farewell?"
"Of course. The date has already been set. Every trueblood Larkinson is invited." Raymond momentarily paused. "For various reasons, it is best to keep the adopted Larkinsons at a distance. There are many members of the old family who believe that bestowing our name on tens of thousands of unrelated people is a great betrayal to our heritage."
Though it would be a shame to keep so many deserving clansmen away, it wasn't as if they possessed a lot of affection towards the old family. Though this decision was technically discriminatory towards the clan, it was unlikely that anyone would kick up a fuss at this time.
Even now, the status of trueblood Larkinsons was still eminent!
"If there aren't any major issues, then I approve."
"Good. This is very likely the last time that we will physically be in each other's presence, so Ark wants to make it memorable. No stunts, no drama. We should let every relative say their goodbyes to each other in peace."
The separation between the family and the clan would become final at that time.
Before this day, a couple of Larkinsons still maintained the hope that the two groups of Larkinsons would be able to reconcile their differences.
Sadly, no such movement had occurred. The Larkinson Clan had already chosen a different development trajectory that was simply too radical for the Larkinson Family.
The day of the final gathering soon came to pass. The rag-tag fleet of the Larkinson Family looked a little less shabby after several months of upgrades and acquisitions.
The Gracious Indigo was no longer as lonely as the family managed to secure several more light carriers and other ships from who knew where.
Every trueblood Larkinson in the Cinach System temporarily put down all of their duties and gathered in a large hall aboard a space station. The entire section had already been booked by the clan. A lot of security showed up in and around the station in order to prevent anyone from disturbing this highly-sensitive gathering.
If someone managed to launch an attack on the space station, Almost the entire original lineage of Larkinsons risked going extinct!
Since the gathering was such a juicy target to the enemies of the Larkinsons, Ves didn't hesitate to employ every spaceborn Penitent Sister asset to form a security cordon around the space station!
A lot of routine business and traffic encountered hindrances that day. The mere presence of so many intimidating second-class mechs practically turned the entire space station into a floating ghost town!
Fortunately, the clan's prestige along with the generous amount of money they threw at the owners of the station solved every objection.
A rather awkward union took place in the hall. While the interior had been converted in the style of modern Brighter architecture, hardly any trueblood Larkinson felt at ease.
This moment was simply too heavy for all of their hearts.
Ves, followed by Lucky, slowly approached Benjamin Larkinson.
"Grandfather."
"Ves."
"Do you have confidence in the family's future?"
The old man smiled. "I wouldn't be a part of it if I wasn't. I believe in my son. Ark truly has what it takes to lead the family to a new future. Trust in him. He won't lead us astray."
"At least he won't be alone. You'll be there to advise him along with all of the other elders."
"That's not necessarily a good thing, Ves." Benjamin shook his head. "All of our knowledge is centered around our circumstances back home. When it comes to traversing through foreign states, I barely know more than Ark. In these cases, it is best to lead someone with a nimbler mind. That is why Ark is our new patriarch instead of someone from my generation."
They chatted a bit until Ark himself approached. The expert pilot possessed such a huge presence that everyone couldn't help but pause at his passing!
To Ves, his uncle Ark looked considerably more impressive. Had he fully adjusted to his new role as the guardian and leader of the Larkinson Clan?
Whatever the case, this was a welcome development to Ves. The more imposing Ark became, the more leverage he would hold when he negotiated with other parties!
The two closed in for a warm hug.
"So this is it." Ves said after they parted from their embrace. "You're finally setting off, is that right?"
The older Larkinson nodded. "This is a necessary move. The longer we stay in the Cinach System, the more we huddle under the shadow of your clan. As a fellow patriarch, I'm sure you are aware of the necessity of maintaining self-sufficiency."
"I know."
The two exchanged some words, but most of what they wanted to say to each other had already been uttered in their previous conversations.
One irksome issue was that Ark Larkinson kept his plans for the family to himself.
This bothered Ves a lot. Even though he didn't have much to do with the old family anymore, he still wanted it to thrive in its own way. It was rather strange that Ark didn't explain where he wanted to settle down and what kind of employment opportunities he was looking for. Even with the dividends the old family received from its minority stake in the LMC, it would still take a long time for the members of the family to build up a fleet that could cross over to other star sectors!
Ark offered a simple answer to all of these concerns.
"We know what we are doing. Let us overcome this challenge on our own. If we ever need your help, we'll call you right away, but until then, let us prove to ourselves that we can stand on our own two feet in the wider galaxy."
"Alright…" Ves reluctantly said.
Soon enough, Ves and Ark proceeded to the front of the hall where they addressed their blood relatives.
"Fellow Larkinsons." Ves began. "Our time of parting has come. In the preceding months, I hope that you have made the most of our time together. From this day onwards, it will no longer be possible to hug each other. While we can always stay in contact with each other over the galactic net, make no mistake. Our physical separation will only widen our emotional separation."
Every Larkinson looked sad at that. They all knew that the family and the clan would only grow further apart over time.
"Do not be sad, my fellow Larkinsons." Ark spoke in a gentle tone. "As much as this parting makes the schism in our original family permanent, let us celebrate this occasion. We have accomplished much when we were together, and we will accomplish even more now that we are pursuing different trajectories. Even though you will never see hundreds of Larkinsons again, each of you will still be surrounded by relatives."
Ves smiled. "Splitting up doesn't make us weak. In fact, it's the opposite. Branching out in different directions will only strengthen our lineage! Before the schism, our family had always been vulnerable to getting wiped out at once. Now that we are travelling in different directions, we no longer have to be afraid of losing our entire name and heritage. Even if the clan is lost, the family will still be able to carry forth the banner of the Larkinsons! The same goes for the family!"
"New adventures await us both." Ark looked hopeful at the crowd of gathered Larkinsons. "The Larkinson Ancestor once traversed an unimaginable distance to start a new life in the Komodo Star Sector. Now, we follow in his honored footsteps. To traverse the stars is not a betrayal to our heritage. It is in our lifeblood! Though both of us have different ideas on what constitutes a proper home, both Ves and I will do our best lead you all to a great future!"
The Larkinsons all clapped! Every Larkinson felt the depth of energy and emotions behind the words of the patriarchs. Each of them couldn't help but feel touched in their hearts!
As soon as they wrapped up their speeches, the members of the Larkinson Family finally boarded their shuttles that would bring them to their ships.
Ves and every other member of the clan took their time to approach the relatives they were close to and bid their final goodbyes.
"I'm leaving, Ves." Melinda spoke.
Ves let out a heavy breath. "Sometimes, I didn't wish this day would come."
"You can't stop the inevitable. At least we get to part on our own terms."
Melinda reached out and ruffled his hair, completely ignoring the fact that Ves was a patriarch of a rising clan!
"I will miss you, Melinda. There are actually very few Larkinsons who I can truly be myself."
"It's okay, Ves." She smiled in a bittersweet manner. "I will always cherish the childhood memories I have of you. Both of us have grown up, though. As much as we wish to hold onto the past, we should look towards the future instead. Isn't that the point you were trying to make earlier?"
He nodded. "That's true, but.. that doesn't make this any less difficult."
Since Melinda didn't have much time before she had to enter her shuttle, she closed in and hugged him one last time.
"I'm very proud of you. You have become much greater than I could have ever thought. Your parents would feel proud if they could see you today!"
"You have become a great mech pilot as well. I'm sure you'll do a great job of protecting the family during your journey."
When Melinda withdrew, she spoke her final words to him in person.
"Goodbye, Ves."
"Goodbye, Melinda."
Melinda Larkinson along with many other members of the Larkinson Family left the hall, putting an end to the fateful gathering.
Chapter 2096 Stuck Shares
The departure of the Larkinson Family made Cinach VI much less warm to the trueblood Larkinsons who remained.
Many of them had taken advantage of the presence of the old family to meet with their relatives on the other side.
Now, it was no longer possible for a member of the old family to have a beer with a member of the clan. The physical separation marked a historic moment where such times would no longer happen.
With this momentous change, Ves no longer felt a pressing need to remain in the Cinach System. His urge to set off and embark on another journey grew stronger.
"We'll be leaving soon." Ves reminded Raymond and Gavin in his temporary office. "Just like the Larkinson Family, we need to work towards our own future. Right now, that future lies in the Red Ocean."
"We need a huge amount of merits to reach the dwarf galaxy, boss. Where can we possibly get that much?"
"I'm working on that, Benny. I have been keeping my eye open for various opportunities. If there aren't any, then I'll simply make one. There are always ways to earn a lot of merits if you are daring enough."
Gavin coughed. "Not every mech designer possesses the same tolerance of risk as you, boss. In that regard, you are a huge outlier."
"I made it this far intact. Mostly."
"You have a lot of weird parts inserted inside your body!"
"They're pretty useful once I had them fixed!"
Raymond tapped the surface of the desk. "You're still thinking about diving into the Nyxian Gap, aren't you, Ves?"
"That will likely be my next destination."
Neither Raymond nor Gavin looked happy at this answer!
"I… don't think that is wise." Raymond cautiously said. "While we are all willing to step up when it's necessary, we Larkinsons haven't survived for so long by committing suicide at every possible turn."
Ves frowned. "The whole point of founding this clan is because I believe we can achieve greatness if we take some risks. The Nyxian Gap may look intimidating, but with the Penitent Sisters, we will hardly face any challenges! We just have to keep our eyes out for dangerous localized anomalies, but as far as I know, they tend to be more concentrated in the central regions."
"Even if that is true, there is no reason for you to bring us all along. Many members of the family aren't combatants. They have no place on the battlefield!"
Ah. Ves finally understood what Raymond was getting at. "You want to split up our fleet?"
"Leave the bulk of the Larkinson Clan here. If you want to go on another adventure, then bring only those who are ready to face the challenges of the Nyxian Gap. This way, your fleet is leaner, faster and much easier to protect. You don't want to enter this perilous region with a lot of baggage dragging your heels."
That made a lot of sense. Ves already became convinced. Though he preferred to keep his entire clan together, in this case it was too irresponsible to do so. Leaving a huge portion behind would instead free up his combat forces.
"Alright. We'll do that." He announced. "We can't bring all of our combat forces with us. We'll have to split them up as well. I'll likely leave behind a considerable amount of Sentinels and enough Penitent Sisters to form an effective deterrent. I'll contact Major Verle and tell him to form a plan."
He did not know his own mech forces well enough to make this determination. The size and scope of the Avatars, Sentinels and other mech forces had already exceeded his ability to command them in person.
It was far more appropriate to leave this matter to the professionals!
The conversation soon turned to business-related matters.
"How well is the Doom Guard faring these days?"
"We have reached every state in the star sector that is open to telling our new mech model." Gavin replied. "We have even seen some growing signs of smuggling. While the Friday Coalition doesn't want to see our mechs in its sphere of influence, the demand of some of the customers there is simply too great!"
"What about our sales figures?"
"Our analysts estimate that our sales will likely peak in a month or two. While we have a lot of buyers, they aren't ordering a lot of copies. This is different from the Desolate Soldier where it isn't unusual for outfits to order dozens of mechs at the same time."
That was the nature of a premium mech. The Desolate Soldier was a budget mech that still sold for a very affordable price. Bulk purchases were the rule rather than the exception.
In contrast, most outfits only wanted a single copy of the Doom Guard! More would be helpful, but not necessary.
Gavin soon proceeded to outline all of the revenue they made so far. The figure already looked incredibly astounding. This was more wealth than Ves ever possessed even in the heyday of the Desolate Soldier's success!
It was too bad that the clan's expenses had grown as well. Aside from the growing upkeep due to all of the expansion, the clan also spent massively on acquiring new hardware!
"The good news is that our financial position is no longer declining." Gavin grinned. "The release of the Doom Guard has single-handedly reversed our declining trend. Right now, we can probably sustain ourselves by as much as seven years if everything remains the same. This provides us with plenty of leeway."
Though it was nice to see that the Doom Guard generated so much money, it was far from the 1 trillion hex credits he needed to form an expedition-ready fleet.
Raymond added another notable development. "Another good news is that the Doom Guard's emergence has breathed new life into our older mech models. As you might expect, sales of mechs with glows that can mitigate or withstand the Doom Guard's glow have skyrocketed. The Aurora Titan model is the primary beneficiary!"
Though they had already discussed this before, Ves was glad that the defensive space knight's lack of mobility didn't hinder it from turning into a hot seller!
There was just one issue that Ves suddenly recalled. "Wait a moment. Didn't we split up the ownership of the Aurora Titan model with NORA Consolidated?"
Originally, Ves and Professor Ventag collaborated on the design. Even though Ves did most of the heavy lifting, the assistance of an authentic and highly-experienced Senior was still of great value!
For this reason, they made a deal where the LMC would only gain a fourth of the profits while NORA Consolidated received the remainder.
This was a fair deal, especially considering that the professor still lent the strength of his design philosophy to the original design.
"Ves.. NORA Consolidated no longer exists. It's been disbanded."
"What?!"
He shouldn't have missed such a huge piece of news!
"It's a consequence of the Battle of Bentheim and the aftermath." Raymond continued. "A lot of mech companies and institutions on Bentheim are gone. Nothing remains except for some intangible assets that have mostly lost a lot of value as well. A lot of Brighter mech companies have concentrated so much of their assets and business activities on Bentheim that they had nothing left after the Sand War has concluded."
"Then… what happened to the rights to the Aurora Titan?"
"The amount of administrative and financial messes that ensued after the fall of Bentheim was considerable, Ves. Fortunately, plenty of people in the LMC had been ready for this moment. As soon as the Bright Republic fell into confusion, a number of our people solicited the help of some colluders to purchase the rights from the state on behalf of a shell company. After a lot of arcane transfers which I won't get into, the rights have eventually fallen into our company's hands."
"That.. sounds great." Ves smiled, but only briefly. "That reminds me, what about our shares?"
"They haven't moved." Raymond shook his head. "Trust me, we tried to get them back, but the Bright Republic and the Ylvaine Protectorate are still clinging onto the shares in our company as if they are sources of endless wealth!"
"Those goddamn leeches!"
With all of the chaos and damage the two states had suffered, it became more important than ever for them to tap into sources of revenue. There was no way the two states would fail to recognize the growing earning potential of the LMC!
Even though Ves and the LMC had turned hostile against the two states, it wasn't possible to invalidate those shares! The MTA simply wouldn't permit such a brazen move!
Ves held both his palms against his face. This persistent hurdle had been haunting him for a while. The mere thought of enriching the states who stabbed in the back made him angry!
They didn't deserve a single hex credit from his business activities as far as he was concerned!
Yet the truth of the matter was that the LMC obediently transferred the dividends to the two states on time.
The Larkinson Family only owned 1 percent of outstanding shares.
The Bright Republic owned 7 percent while the Ylvaine Protectorate owned 9 percent.
This meant that the two states effectively received 16 times as much money as the Larkinson Family!
Just this fact was enough to make his blood boil!
"How can we get those shares back?!"
Raymond shook his head. "We don't have any leverage, Ves. There is no way we can persuade or intimidate the two states into giving away their cash cows. We can knock on the doors of the MTA in order to ask for arbitration, but history has shown that the mechers always uphold the sanctity of contracts."
"Can't we issue a lot of new stock to diminish the worth of the shares in their possession?"
"That was one of our first ideas, Ves. Suffice to say, the MTA doesn't look highly on share dilution. There are too many times in the past where mech designers tried to stiff their investors in this manner."
"Urgh."
"I feel the same way, Ves. Our Legal Department has actually been waging a small war against the two states. Their lawyers and government officials have made several attempts to appropriate our company and our assets with the help of crooked laws, but fortunately the MTA isn't willing to entertain their requests. As long as we don't enter the states in question, they can't do anything except hold on to the shares they already possess."
"Those traitors are going too far!" Ves banged his fist against his desk!
"There is a way to get those shares back." Gavin suddenly said.
"Oh? Do tell."
"What if the two states don't exist anymore? What if there is a way to apply pressure on them, say, threaten to sic a lot of Hexers on them if they don't allow us to buyback our shares?"
That.. sounded viable. Ves looked intrigued. "Only a deviant person would come up with such a suggestion. As expected of a Benny!"
Gavin grit his teeth. "It is simply a possibility, boss. We are far from this point."
"It's a possibility, at least!" Ves grinned as he started to churn his mind. "Yes, I can see it now. The Komodo War will be key! As long as the Hexers gain the upper hand, the Fridaymen won't be able to shield their client states. The Republic and the Protectorate would suddenly become easy pickings once they lose the protection of their patron!"
In other words, Ves possessed an even greater reason to help the Hexers win the war! As long as they achieved a decisive victory against the Fridaymen, Ves could probably borrow their influence and extort the two recalcitrant states into coughing up their shares!
"This isn't going to be easy, though." Ves quickly muttered.
The Komodo War easily involved millions of mechs and thousands of star systems. There was hardly any way for a single individual to make a difference.
Nonetheless, Ves already knew he had the potential to do so. His upcoming mech design was just his first step!
"How are our preparations for the 'special occasion' I planned?"
"House Evenson has been very cooperative. They have already helped us identity and secure enough willing participants. You won't be disappointed, boss!"
2097 Chaos Remnan
The departure of the Larkinson Family made the Cinach System a lot less lively. A lot of trueblood clansmen already started to miss the presence of the relatives who left.
Still, as much as they missed the company of the people they grew up with, they had a new family now. The Larkinson Clan brought warmth and life from both old and new faces.
Though the integration of the adopted Larkinsons did not go perfectly, it was remarkable that people from every background managed to mesh together.
Brighters, Ylvainans, Reinaldans, Sentinels and more all interacted with each other on a daily basis without raising any tempers.
This was already an incredible achievement, especially considering that some people like the Ylvainans possessed very strange customs!
Certainly, the different groups were still far from integrating into a single, cohesive whole, but the current state was already optimistic considering the clan was less than a year old.
As Ves looked out the window of his office, he studied the bustling activity inside the rented base.
Mechs and people moved in every direction. Their glows blended with each other, impacting the people around them with varying moods.
Different uniforms in different colors mingled with each other. No matter if they were ordinary clansmen or elite Avatars, every Larkinson treated each other with a measure of trust.
The sight filled him with pride.
"Meow."
"Oh? You finally produced another gem for me. It's about time!"
"Meow!"
Lucky flicked a purple gem at Ves with his paws before phasing through his desk and scurrying away!
"I hope it's not a Hexer-themed gem again. Three is already too much!"
Ves picked up the new gem and studied its details.
[Minor Chaos Remnant]
An infinitesimally small remnant of chaos is captured within this gem. Increases the penetration of any sharp melee weapon wielded by a mech by 40 percent.
"Well, this is different."
This time, the description didn't reference any forgotten gods, ancient warriors or figures that sounded as if they emerged straight out of a fantasy drama.
In fact, the description sounded outright boring in relation to its strong effect!
"Forty percent!"
Sure, the Mother's Love gem offered a whopping 100 percent boost, but the variable it affected was a hundred times more useless!
Compared to such a useless gem that Lucky probably derived from getting pampered by Gloriana all the time, Ves vastly preferred anything that directly affected a mech's combat parameters!
As a keen mech designer, Ves understood the horror of this gem. Its boost remained potent even when Ves paired it with a mech wielding a weapon that was already sharp and powerful!
If paired with one of the melee configurations of the Quint, it would have given the masterwork Bright Warrior the power to harm any standard second-class mech!
If Ves happened to embed this gem in a melee-oriented second-class expert mech, then that machine would turn into a butcher of other second-class expert mechs!
"It's too wasteful to put this gem in any ordinary mech! I should reserve it for an expert mech!"
Expert mechs all featured some of the best armor of their class. Almost no expense was spared in their design and construction. Therefore, a lot of combat between expert mechs devolved into a race of which machine could breach the armor of the other machine first!
"This gem is worth the wait!" Ves gleefully grinned as he lovingly put the gem in his Synthra Umbra pouch.
Though Lucky's rate of gem production had slowed down considerably, none of their effects were weak!
Ves only felt exasperated by the fact that their effects varied considerably. There was no telling whether he would get something useful like the Minor Chaos Fragment or obtain something completely frivolous like the Whipping Boy!
[Whipping Boy]
The fear of a boy towards women is encapsulated within this cursed gem. Increases the dread of a mech by 50 percent to males.
Thinking about this abominable gem instantly soured his mood. How in the hell could Lucky's digestion system possibly produce such a frivolous boost?
"If I put it on a Doom Guard, not a single man will want to get near it! It will have to be handled exclusively by women!"
If Ves had the option of turning his first copy of the Doom Guard into a Masterwork, he would have used this sadistic gem right then and there. It didn't matter if it was wasteful to embed his gem onto a relatively ordinary third-class mech. He just couldn't stand the thought of carrying this gem any further than necessary!
"I should design more dread-oriented mechs." He muttered darkly. "I'll continue designing them until I finally get within reach of creating another masterwork. I'll definitely be able to get rid of this insulting gem!"
The Minor Chaos Fragment was not the only goodie he received. After a long time, Calabast finally deigned to visit him. She appeared in his office by going through the front door this time.
Wearing her black-and-grey Black Cat uniform, she stood out immensely from the rest of the Larkinsons. Her womanly figure along with her seductive charm caused a lot of people to turn their heads!
When Ves looked at her, he didn't put much stock with what his eyes conveyed. He knew that a trained spy like her always presented a fake facade.
He instead studied her with his spiritual senses.
It was a pity that Calabast still revealed almost nothing. She was one of the many people who possessed no spiritual potential. That meant that Ves couldn't read her spiritual attributes nor derive anything solid from her mind.
Perhaps the only useful observation he could make with his spiritual system was the strength of her bond with the Golden Cat.
Surprisingly, it looked healthy. This meant that the Golden Cat fully approved of Calabast and found no signs of concern!
Ves began to wonder if the ancestral spirit developed a warped sense of judgement. He didn't forget that she readily accepted Vincent Ricklin into the clan!
"Good news, Ves." Calabast greeted as she sauntered over to his desk. "My agents have been scouring many of the regional black markets in the Cinach System and beyond. We have found numerous samples of the exotics you've demanded."
Instead of sitting down at the chair like a normal person, Calabast instead leaned her butt against the edge of the desk.
Ves didn't pay attention to her posture. Instead, he instantly honed in on her statement!
"What did you obtain?! Did you find any F-stones of B-stones?!"
She crossed her arms and looked sideways at Ves. "Sorry to disappoint you. That's the bad news. My field agents tried my best to seek out these rarer exotics, but they haven't found any traces of them in the areas they could access. It's possible that they are present in more exclusive circles, but we don't have access to them. You'll have to make do with the P-stones we've gathered."
"How much? And what's their size?"
"Strangely enough, their sizes are all roughly similar to what you have specified. They're around the shape of a human head, but their density, material composition and visual appearances vary considerably. We've secured thirty-five rocks that match the properties you've given."
"Thirty-five!"
That was double the amount of P-stones in his possession! Once he added the new P-stones to his vault, he would have 52 P-stones in total!
"This is indeed great news!" Ves joyously crowed. "These exotics are extremely vital to the development and application of my specialty. Don't stop looking for them. The more, the better!"
Calabast sighed and shook her head. "It will be difficult to secure more of them in a short time. Many of these so-called 'P-stones' have accumulated over many years as no one figured out anything special about them. Now that we have snatched them all up, it will take a long time before they are back in stock. As far as I'm aware of, the most if not all of the P-stones originated from the Nyxian Gap."
"I see."
Ves already knew the P-stones were relatively scarce. Calabast essentially told him that he shouldn't expect another windfall.
What truly disappointed him was the failure to obtain new B-stones and F-stones. The defensive and offensive spiritually-reactive exotics were very powerful in their own way. Both of them were necessary to deal with powerful spiritual entities such as Nyxie or Cassandra Breyer!
"If you want, I can instruct my agents to focus more on securing those other two exotics. It might be possible to obtain them if I help agents obtain greater access to the black markets we've visited."
"What will it cost?" Ves asked.
"Access costs money. We will have to bribe a lot of people. 1 billion hex credits."
He winced at that price. While Ves and the Larkinson Clan weren't short on money these days, a billion hex credits was already a fortune in the Hegemony!
"Our clan already provides the Black Cats with a generous budget! I don't believe you need to spend this much money to do what you say. The Sentinel Kingdom is just a third-rate state. It's impossible for the price of access to be this much!"
"We've been expanding rapidly just like the other organizations under the clan's umbrella." Calabast tapped her nail against the surface of the desk. "The budget specified for the Black Cats was based around the assumption that the LMC continued to stagnate. That doesn't apply anymore. Since your Doom Guard and some of your other mech models are selling well these days, why not share some of your newfound wealth? After all, you wouldn't neglect your strategic partner, wouldn't you?"
She spoke those final words in a teasing manner.
Ves did not look amused.
"Fine. You will get your money by the end of the day. Just don't waste it all. I expect to obtain at least one sample of each exotic!"
"I can't promise you anything, but we will do our best." She promised.
They soon moved on to another discussion.
"Are there any threats on the horizon?" Ves asked.
"Not particularly." She answered. "Every faction in the Sentinel Kingdom knows better than to mess with you. There is no escape from death if any of them harm the interests of the Hegemony. They all know that, so they won't do anything stupid to you. There is hardly benefit of doing so anyway. This state is too far away from the Friday Coalition to curry favor with them. It doesn't make any sense."
Though people frequently behaved illogically, Ves didn't think that any of the local factions that could threaten him would commit suicide in this fashion.
"What if we split up the fleet? I'm sure you know of my intentions of venturing into the Nyxian Gap."
"It'll be okay. If you are that worried about it, I can bolster my own arrangements." Her face turned grave. "However, I'm very concerned about your plan to venture into the Gap. I don't have to tell you how risky that can be. Even the MTA has lost ships and mechs inside this region!"
Ves waved away her concerns. "That has only happened in the central regions. As long as we don't travel too deep, we can manage the risks. Did you collect enough intelligence on the Gap?"
She nodded. "I'll transmit all of the information we've obtained that we managed to verify. We have managed to piece together a rather comprehensive map that defines most of the anomalous hotspots and navigational hazards in the periphery. We also managed to form a map of the fixed locations of the more pirate organizations, though don't assume they are 100 percent accurate. Pirates tend to move around a lot and bases get razed every day due to all of the fighting that takes place."
"I understand. This is already incredibly helpful."
One of the reasons why he lingered so long in Cinach was because he wanted to take the time to gather intelligence!
Heading into the Nyxian Gap blind was not only stupid, but also unnecessary!
Ves couldn't help but recall the time when the Flagrant Swordmaiden fleet crossed over into frontier space. Major Verle and the rest of the Vandals wouldn't have known what to do if not for the alliance they struck with Lydia's Swordmaidens!
"Oh. That reminds me of your other request." Calabast smiled. "The men I've assigned to investigate the Nyxian Gap have also been looking out for the tiger mech you mentioned."
Ves immediately sat straight! "Did you find the Devil Tiger?!"
This was his first masterwork mech! It was also the mech his ghostly mother stole from him! Ves worried constantly about the risks involved in piloting this mech.
He explicitly designed it for pirates, so he weakened a lot of safety precautions that were meant to protect the mech pilot.
The thought of his own father piloting one of his twisted experiments made him sick!
Chapter 2098 Continuous Shock
Ves didn't hide his reactions at the mention of the Devil Tiger. He couldn't. How could he remain calm when this mech was tied to both of his parents?
There was no way Ves could disregard any news that could tell him more about his missing father and his inscrutable mother!
What were they up to? Was his father piloting the dangerous mech in person? What kind of battles had he fought while he was trying to do his best to avoid getting caught by the Five Scrolls Compact?
Calabast watched him very carefully. She confirmed a number of theories, disproved some others and formed some additional conclusions.
All of this happened in the span of a few seconds!
"Ves.." She opened her mouth. "Don't tell me.. the Devil Tiger that is striking fear in the hearts of pirates.."
"It's mine." He confirmed. "I designed and built the Devil Tiger."
Fortunately, the office had already been jammed and secured. Uttering something explosive as this in public would instantly land Ves in hot water!
Backed by Hexers or not, the Sentinel Kingdom would universally condemn him if he had made any dealings with Nyxian scum!
Calabast looked incredibly serious all of a sudden. "I should have known! Even if the Devil Tiger in the rumors doesn't possess any glows, I couldn't get rid of the hunch that you had a hand in its creation! Ever since it emerged, this mech has exacerbated the chaos that has been brewing in this region."
"What did you say?" Ves reacted in shock yet again.
Was it a coincidence she used the word 'chaos'?
"Let me start from the beginning." She said. "There are several unusual aspects about the mech and the faction it belongs to. From what information I've gathered, the Oblivion Hand existed for quite some time as a notable but relatively unremarkable band of dark mercenaries. That was until the emergence of their new leader. Someone who goes by the name of the Dark Cleaver has triggered a mutiny against Commander Arnold Dafoe, the prior leader of the Oblivion Hand."
The Dark Cleaver? The Oblivion Hand? Ves couldn't imagine his relatively upright father mixing in a cesspool where these lurid names were common!
"Who is the Dark Cleaver?"
"No one knows." Calabast shrugged. "There are countless rumors surrounding his abrupt rise, but the Nyxian Gap isn't exactly a place where keeping accurate records is common. At least in civilized space you can always find reliable traces in the records of various government institutions. That's not the case here. The stories vary so wildly that I don't dare to mention any of you lest you develop an incorrect bias."
She had been looking at him very intently when she talked about the Dark Cleaver. With her powerful deductive abilities, she constantly became more certain about her guess.
"The Dark Cleaver.. is your father, isn't he?"
"...I don't know. I need to hear more."
Ves knew there was no way he could hide his thoughts on the matter from Calabast. She knew too much!
"If Ryncol is your father.. it would explain much." She slowly said as she parsed her thoughts. "There are too many uncertainties, though. As far as I'm aware of, ever since the Dark Cleaver took control of the Oblivion Hand, the dark mercenary corps has grown explosively."
"How?"
"Conquest." Calabast replied. "Ever since the Oblivion Hand had a change in leadership, it no longer performed illicit missions on behalf of clients who don't want to besmirch its reputation. Instead, the Hand has turned its entire attention to attacking certain pirate factions."
"That.. isn't very unusual." Ves spoke. "Everyone in the Nyxian Gap fights against each other. True peace doesn't exist in a place like that. It's much easier to rob the people next to you than to travel all the way to the Sentinel Kingdom in order to raid some trade convoy."
"This is different." She shook her head. "The Oblivion Hand isn't just engaging in opportunistic robbery. It has been ending entire pirate organizations that have existed for decades, if not centuries! The Hand has razed over a dozen fortified pirate bases, which has disrupted all of the existing patterns that have taken shape in the surrounding regions!"
Ves couldn't help but drop his jaw at that news! How could his father ever accomplish such a feat? Was the Oblivion Hand that strong when he took it over? That was impossible!
Back in the Bright Republic, Ryncol Larkinson was the younger and much less talented brother of Ark Larkinson.
Ves knew very well that as much as he loved and respected his father, he had never performed better than the average Larkinson mech pilot. He didn't possess that much ability for command either.
It was way too much to equate his father as this notorious Nyxian pirate killer!
Yet Ves couldn't ignore the fact that the Dark Cleaver piloted the Devil Tiger. His mother stole the masterwork mech herself. She recognized its exceptional value. She would never drop this treasure in the hands of a random Nyxian!
"Have you obtained any battle footage of the Oblivion Hand?"
She shook her head. "Footage is always hard to obtain. The Sentinel Kingdom always cracks down whenever someone tries to spread anything that takes place in the Nyxian Gap. From what I can gather, the Oblivion Hand fight so viciously that they rarely leave anything behind."
Was this truly the organization that his father led? How could he have grown so ruthless?!
"Why is the Oblivion Hand so aggressive? Has anyone figured out its goals?"
"I'm not sure. From the information I've gathered up until now, I believe the Dark Cleaver wants to expand his organization."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It has become clear that the Oblivion Hand is clearly targeting pirate organizations with lots of assets." Calabast spoke with admiration. "Not only that, but after every battle, the Hand grows stronger. Despite the casualties, the dark mercenary corps is able to field more mechs and ships. It doesn't have any problems attracting new recruits either. Everyone loves a winner, the Nyxians most of all. What is remarkable about the Oblivion Hand is that it has never lost a battle ever since the Dark Cleaver became its new commander."
"Are you sure?!"
It was impossible to win everytime. Too many factors affected the outcome of a battle. Unless someone controlled every variable, setbacks and losses would happen sooner or later.
"No one knows how the Dark Cleaver does it. Commander Dafoe used to be a regular leader who won slightly more often than he lost. The new commander is becoming increasingly more known for achieving guaranteed victories. He has never lost, even against pirate organizations that should have been strong enough to crush the Oblivion Hand in a straight battle! It is not uncommon to hear that the Hand has managed to achieve lop-sided victories when outnumbered by at least 3-to-1!"
"What the hell?! Are those rumors even credible!?"
"I reacted the same when I first heard about them." Calabast ruefully smiled. "However, no matter who you talk to, they all vouch for the Oblivion Hand's string of victories. The leadership vacuum that emerges after the Oblivion Hand has toppled another pirate power is proof of the Hand's accomplishments. These huge fluctuations can't be faked."
Ves never stopped looking shocked. He received so much explosive news that he never had the opportunity to regain his composure. To think that his father was behind all of these acts was simply too difficult for him to accept!
However, once Ves thought the matter true, he realized he missed one crucial factor.
His mother.
If his mother was fighting alongside his father, then these ludicrous tales became a lot more plausible!
With her intangibility and her potent spiritual abilities whose depths Ves couldn't even fathom, Cynthia Larkinson could perform all kinds of mischief against her targets!
She could sneak into a pirate ship or a fortified base without encountering any hindrance. Once inside, his mother could take advantage of her intangible and invisible form to spy on the enemy commanders, assassinate them in their sleep or steal their command codes.
She could also mess with the enemy hardware. She could easily phase through all kinds of solid barriers in order to damage all kinds of critical components.
She could disable the FTL drive of a starship in order to prevent her escape.
She could tamper with the power reactors of every mech inside a carrier vessel.
She could destroy the life support systems so that the occupants of a ship or base would slowly suffocate as they ran out of air to breathe.
With so many possibilities, it was no wonder that the organization led by her husband managed to raise such a storm!
Perhaps the only concern was the fact that his mother probably had to conserve her energy. Why else did she siphon his spiritual energy each time they met? Her current form of existence must be defective somehow!
If not for this constraint, his mother would have probably turned the entire Nyxian Gap upside-down by now. Considering her extraordinary origins, this wasn't an exaggeration in his opinion!
Though Calabast thoroughly captured the rapid changes in his expression, she refrained from probing him any further.
There were some matters he simply couldn't reveal. Calabast probably understood that, so she appropriately maintained her distance.
It had become very clear to her that the reason why Ves had become so remarkable was undeniably related to his parents!
"Tell me about the Devil Tiger."
She looked uncertain. "It's a remarkable mech. It has become just as renowned as its mech pilot. What is strange about the mech is that its initial appearance wasn't all that remarkable. It initially became known as a powerful but fairly manageable tiger mech."
"And then?"
"Well, just like the Oblivion Hand, each time it showed up again, it became a little stronger. A lot of Nyxians have guessed that the Dark Cleaver must have secured the services of a very capable mech designer. The Nyxians have already surmised that one of the reasons why the Oblivion Hand is so aggressive is because the Dark Cleaver is eager to upgrade his mech through plunder!"
That made a lot of sense. Due to the ASMAS system that Ves incorporated in the Devil Tiger, it had become a self-evolving mech!
People just had to feed any exotic or other powerful material to the mech. The pure ASMAS, which consisted of very high-quality nanomachines, slowly processed these materials into substitute ASMAS.
Most of the structure of the Devil Tiger consisted of this derivative substance.
The quality of the substitute ASMAS was directly proportional to the quality of the materials being fed to the mech!
It had been several years since Ves made the Devil Tiger. If the Oblivion Hand had been fighting as often as Calabast claimed, then his father would have definitely fed all kinds of goodies to the Devil Tiger!
"What is the current state of the Devil Tiger? How strong has it grown?" He asked in an eager tone.
"From what I have heard, it has become an expert mech!"
"What?!" Ves reacted with shock for the umpteenth time today!
"The Oblivion Hand has spread the news itself. Their leader, the Dark Cleaver, has become an expert pilot! This alone has caused a lot of Nyxian pirates and mercenaries to join his banner. Expert pilots are very rare in the Nyxian Gap, and every single one of them are prominent leaders in the pirate community!"
This was too much for Ves to absorb. His father, an expert pilot? Impossible! His father served in the mech corps for such a long time without any signs of breaking through.
His father even fought in some of the same bloody battles as his brother Ark, but nothing happened in the end!
Yet after recalling that expert pilots all emerged due to empowering their willpower with spirituality, Ves suddenly froze.
In his previous experiments, Ves managed to turn William Urbesh into an expert candidate.
This proved that it was possible to artificially advance a mech pilot to a higher stage!
If Ves could do so, then what stopped his mother from attempting the same?
Perhaps to her, turning someone into an expert pilot was just a matter of investing enough spiritual energy! That might have explained why she had been so eager to siphon his spiritual energy last time!
A sense of confusion radiated from his mind.
He already felt he couldn't recognize his mother anymore. Would his father be the same? Did this enigmatic Dark Cleaver even bore any relation to the father who raised him back in Cloudy Curtain?
Chapter 2099 Affection
It took a long time until Calabast left for Ves to regain his composure.
He couldn't help it. He had a very hard time associating the tales that Calabast spun with his father!
There was no way his father was that good of a mech pilot and leader. If the father in his memories ended up in the Nyxian Gap, he would have kept his head down!
Certainly, a highly-trained and experienced mech pilot who was also a Larkinson would easily be able to show his worth. Yet that was not enough to make any waves.
Ves always imagined that his father was constantly on the run. Perhaps he might have been able to lead a small organization due to his overall level of competence, but he never expected his father to make it this far in such a short time!
Even with his mother helping him every step of the way, his father still must have braved a lot of danger to get this far. After all, the pirate organizations he fought against were all local overlords who repelled many challengers over the years. None of them were weak!
He sighed and looked at Lucky who was lounging on his lap.
"Can you imagine my father and mother terrorizing the Nyxian Gap?"
"Meow."
"I don't know either. According to Calabast, the pirate organizations the Oblivion Hand has hit are only moderately strong. So far, the Dark Cleaver hasn't hit the biggest overlords yet. Hopefully, he won't overestimate himself. If he's only out to plunder men, mechs and resources, then he should stick to targeting the weaker players."
The problem was that Ves failed to ascertain his father's intentions!
Though he readily acknowledged that the Devil Tiger and the Oblivion Hand had benefited enormously from all of the plunder, the local pirate factions were definitely unwilling to lose their foundations!
Ves worried considerably about the backlash coming from the pirate community. It was always possible that the pirates put down their infighting and overwhelmed the Oblivion Hand with so many mechs and ships that a single intangible saboteur couldn't possibly render them ineffective!
"My parents are playing with fire. Aren't they afraid of getting burned?"
The fact that the Oblivion Hand fought so brazenly and developed a very high profile meant that his parents might be feeling desperate for some reason.
Considering that the Five Scrolls Compact was constantly hunting them somehow, this was not an outlandish suspicion! His parents must have truly felt the need to strengthen themselves very quickly.
This made Ves feel very helpless. The Ves from before was not the Ves today. Even though he hadn't grown strong enough to resist the Five Scrolls Compact, he had definitely become capable enough to provide his parents with a lot of material assistance!
He began to develop the risky notion of heading into the Nyxian Gap in order to seek out his parents.
There had to be a way to provide them with some relief! His Devil Tiger, despite its double-edged nature, seemed to cooperate quite well with his father.
As the sole designer of the tiger mech, Ves knew that there were limits to its self-evolution capabilities.
The mech did not solely consist of pure ASMAS and substitute ASMAS. A considerable chunk of its structure and core components consisted of solid components.
Ordinarily, it would be quite difficult to upgrade them. At this time, the Devil Tiger should still be making use of those original components, but when Ves heard that the mech had displayed the ability to achieve resonance, he grew a bit uncertain.
Did the Oblivion Hand secure the services of some exiled Senior? There was no way the Devil Tiger could turn into a working expert mech by relying on its self-evolution capabilities alone! It took serious technical expertise to instill a mech with resonating abilities.
Back when he designed the Devil Tiger and programmed its pure ASMAS, Ves had no clue how to design an expert mech. In fact, as of this moment, he still didn't know!
All of this meant that the Oblivion Hand must have hired or made a deal with a mech designer who knew a thing or two about designing expert mechs.
Sure, there was the possibility that this mystery mech designer was a Master instead, but Ves didn't believe such figures would stoop to assisting Nyxian scum.
Whatever the case, regardless of how well the Oblivion Hand took care of the Devil Tiger, Ves could definitely strengthen it in a lot of ways!
He could also aid his father in other matters, such as providing new mech designs to delivering essential supplies.
The more he thought about it, the more the urge grew stronger. Even if his mother had stated that he should stay as far away as possible, Ves really didn't want to leave the Komodo Star Sector with the impression that he abandoned his parents to their fates!
"I'm not that weak anymore!"
Though Ves understood that it was very dangerous and irresponsible to dive straight into the Nyxian Gap in order to seek out the Oblivion Hand, he didn't care.
"It's one thing if I'm still weak and helpless. It's another thing if I have grown capable enough to lend them a hand!"
Ves understood the immense challenges of such a dangerous course of action. The Oblivion Hand was both powerful and elusive. Its fleet mainly sustained itself through continuous plunder, and never rested in the same location for long.
This not only allowed his father to avoid the retribution of vengeful pirates, but also their mysterious pursuers!
With so much threats baying for its blood, the Oblivion Hand should never be in a position where Ves could track down its fleet!
"Damnit." Ves leaned his head against his hand.
"Meow."
Lucky climbed up to his desk and patted him with his paw.
"Yeah. I know it's a bad idea. It's not only dangerous, but also impossible."
Still, as much as his logic told him to drop this idiotic idea, his heart still couldn't get rid of it. The desire to meet with his father at least once before he left this part of the galaxy had grown into an ardent wish!
He shook his head. If he was alone, then he would have tried to reach his parents no matter the cost.
Unfortunately, he wasn't alone anymore. As a mech designer, he became increasingly reliant on others to facilitate his activities.
The LMC and his mech forces all existed to empower him. The more he advanced, the more he needed money. The greater his value, the more he needed protection.
Though his growing clan had become incredibly helpful to him, its existence also constrained him. Unlike before, he couldn't go on a reckless jaunt by himself!
This was especially so because the Larkinson Clan consisted of his own family. It was one thing to abandon or betray some random lackeys. It was another thing to lead his own blood relatives to ruin!
"Responsibility. What a heavy burden." He sighed.
It was too difficult for him to make a choice between his parents and his clan. To be honest, he didn't want to make that choice.
Perhaps the only consolation was the thought that his parents weren't inept. As his father and presumably his mother had already proven, they had managed to thrive in the Nyxian Gap.
Even if Ves never managed to reach them, they should still be fine.
"Do you think my father and mother need any help?"
Lucky looked away from Ves. "Meow."
"I can help, you know!"
"Meow meow."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence."
Though Ves had grown stronger, he was still far from the point where he could intervene in the struggle that beset his parents. This made him feel profoundly helpless and depressed.
He had a lot to go. Becoming a Senior was not enough. Perhaps becoming a Master still wasn't sufficient!
Ves did not forget about his original goal. With the System, he wanted to surpass his limits and reach the pinnacle of mech design! Only at that height would he be able to solve the root of the trouble that his parents had incurred!
Yet.. how long would that take? A century? Two centuries? Becoming a Master was already arduous enough. To go beyond… only the legendary Polymath advanced to Star Designer at record speed.
"I shouldn't dream so much. Becoming a Master is already a huge hurdle."
As much as the Mech Designer System provided him with an unimaginable amount of advantages, Ves still needed to rely on himself to advance his design philosophy.
A few hours went by. Ves calmly sorted out his thoughts and threw away any fanciful notions from his mind. No matter how confident he was in his abilities, reality was too difficult to overcome.
Any notions of seeking out his parents in order to gain answers or provide them with valuable assistance were nothing but dangerous delusions.
Many times, Ves liked to listen to his heart rather than his mind.
However, this time was different. With so many responsibilities weighing him down, he couldn't afford to ruin his entire clan in order to pursue his selfish goals.
"This must be what my parents are thinking as well." He muttered. "My mother specifically told me that she doesn't want me to get dragged into her mess."
She wanted to protect him and allow him to live his own life. It sounded a bit strange that his mother acted so.. uncharacteristically motherly at him, but Ves believed in her sincerity.
This was how a parent was supposed to act. This was how responsible people were supposed to act.
Ves eventually decided to clear his mind by leaving his office. He had been lingering around enough in this empty and isolated room.
As he stepped out into the base, he received a lot of greetings. As the clan patriarch, he earned the acknowledgement of every clansman, whether they were trueblood or adopted.
He wandered around aimlessly for a while. Though his appearance was enough to startle the clansmen in the vicinity, it wasn't enough to raise a commotion.
He soon encountered a familiar face.
Tusa Billingsley-Larkinson was standing in front of a crowd of teenage Larkinsons. Ves even recognized the young teenage form of Lanie Larkinson among the kids!
"...think very carefully before you decide to specialize in light mechs. Although piloting them is my greatest joy, they are not for everyone. Far from it. You either love them or hate them. There is no middle ground. Each time to enter the cockpit and deploy into battle, you are dancing with death. Unlike ranged mechs, light mechs have to get up close to the enemy. Unlike medium mechs, light mechs can't take a lot of hits!"
"Light mechs are fast, though, right, teacher?"
Tusa laughed in a good-naturedly manner. "Incredibly so! If you love speed, you'll love light mechs! While it's too soon for you mech cadets to decide upon your specializations, you can already determine for yourself whether they suit your talent and inclination."
"How do we do that?" Another mech cadet asked.
"Just spin up your simulators and try out some virtual light mechs. Don't just pilot them aimlessly. See whether you can accomplish anything without dying. While it is easy to get caught up by them when you're playing a game like Iron Spirit, don't think that reality is as generous! Each time your mech is downed on an actual battlefield, you risk dying. If you think that is bad enough, then let me tell you that this risk is considerably greater when you pilot a light mech!"
Some of the cadets gasped!
"Therefore, those who pilot the cheapest, smallest and most fragile mechs on the battlefield are some of the bravest mech pilots. Each of them must rely solely on the mobility of their mechs to avoid getting hit. Every single hit not only poses a fatal danger to your mech, but also to your life! After all, the cockpits of light mechs are just as fragile as the rest of their frames!"
Tusa continued to regale the realities of piloting light mechs to the class of enthralled mech cadets.
Ves found it rather weird that an honored expert candidate would spend his valuable time on tutoring a bunch of brats.
Yet the sight also made him feel a lot of warmth. No matter what, the Larkinsons cared for each other. Letting the older generation instruct the younger generation was one of their time-honored customs.
Tusa had long noticed his presence. "Ah, Ves. You should know a thing or two about light mechs, right? Could you tell these cadets about light mechs from the perspective of a mech designer?"
"Why certainly." Ves smiled affectionately.
Chapter 2100 Flying Solo
When Gloriana promised to tackle the problem on how to test the prototype, Ves expected a lot of difficulty.
However, it didn't take a long time before she approached him with a smile.
"The first prototypes are being fabricated and are about to be tested very soon!" She chirped. "Everything will be taken care of. A Senior will personally preside over the fabrication of all of the machines. They'll be sent to a renowned testing ground very soon which will quickly and thoroughly explore every limit of our Hexer knight mech!"
Ves looked surprised. "I thought your search would take longer."
His girlfriend grinned. "I didn't bother contacting any companies on Cinach. We've been arranging these sorts of tests by ourselves for such a long time that we never thought about contacting more capable services. It's fine to test our third-class mechs in this fashion, but hardly any testing ground in a lesser state is capable of defining the upper limits of a second-class mech."
"Wait a minute.." Ves widened his eyes in realization. "You contacted Hexers?!"
"Of course! Why not? A Hexer mech design ought to be tested in the Hegemony! Since our mech design consists entirely of proprietary parts and specifications from the Hex Army, there is no other choice. I already contacted my mother about it. She has already taken care of everything. Our Wodin Dynasty employs our own mech designers, you know. We have access to all the facilities that we ever need!"
This… made a lot of sense. A faction as large as the Wodin Dynasty always employed a lot of mech designers. Even if it hadn't managed to secure the cooperation of a Master, it was definitely possible for them to partner with a bunch of Seniors.
Still, Ves felt very uncomfortable about this arrangement.
First, the testing would take place many light-years from his current position. The extreme separation made him feel as if a portion of his work was completely out of his hands.
Second, the person who arranged it all was Gloriana's mother! What would Madame Constance think of his unfinished prototype? Though its design was 96 or 97 percent finished, she might develop an undeserved bias despite its unfinished state!
What was more, the mech currently did not house any glows. Ves doubted whether Madame Constance witnessed any glows in person. The weaker spiritual foundation of his Hexer mech might lead her to believe that his glows were weak!
"Don't worry, Ves. I know what you're concerned about." She cuddled up to his side and leaned into his arm. "My mother has been watching us closely. She knows our prototypes are only previews of what is to come. She'll definitely obtain some copies of our finished design when it's ready. We'll definitely be able to impress her at that time!"
That did not reassure him a lot.
"How soon can we expect the results."
"Three days."
"What?! That fast?!"
Ves was used to waiting for a week to obtain all of the testing data.
Gloriana rubbed her face against the fabric of his uniform. "It's easy enough if you fabricate a dozen copies of our mech and test them at the same time. Mother is pulling all the stops. The sooner we get our reality-tested data, the sooner we complete our mech. The sooner we complete our mech, the faster we can tackle other priorities."
A testing ground based in the Hegemony was not a simple obstacle course. In order to provide the most accurate data on a mech's real performance, it featured many high-tech facilities that could emulate all kinds of battlefield conditions.
On top of that, the sensors they used were much more extensive and much more accurate. Gloriana already told him to get ready to receive a huge influx of data.
While the prototype testing was being taken care of in the distant Scimitar System, Ves and Gloriana decided to take stock of their future.
"Are you still thinking about venturing into the Nyxian Gap?"
"I am." He replied with a determined expression. "We need the merits, Gloriana, and accepting a high-risk mission from the Rim Guardians is the best way to obtain them. I have already prepared extensively for this trip. Our clan is ready to undertake this challenge."
She tilted her head and looked up to him. "It's not just about that, isn't it? No sane mech designer would ever think that entering the Nyxian Gap is a good idea. You're different. You have a hunger inside you that drives you towards peril."
"Even though I'm a mech designer, I'm also a Larkinson. The experiences I've been through have shaped my design style for the better. If I hadn't learned all of those lessons and gained so much inspiration, I would have never become a partner who is worthy to work alongside you! I know it's risky, but I'm confident in my strength."
His confidence came from his preparation. Unlike many of the other 'adventures' he had been through, this time he was in charge of everything. He didn't have to follow the arrangements of Lord Jeremiah Kane, the Mech Corps or Lady Miralix Laterna.
One of the main reasons he worked so hard to cultivate his own mech forces was to gain complete control over his own protection!
All of the years he spent cultivating the Avatars and Sentinels finally paid off. He could call upon hundreds, if not thousands of mechs!
On top of that, Ves also had the Penitent Sisters at this disposal. The hundreds of second-class mechs he intended to bring along would be his sharpest knife as well as his biggest shield against any powerful threat he might stumble upon in the Nyxian Gap.
This was not the Groening Mission. This was not the Glowing Planet Campaign. This was not the Aeon Corona Mission.
Not only did he possess sufficient strength, he also obtained an extensive amount of intelligence.
The value of Calabast and the Black Cats finally became apparent. No longer would he be going in blind and encounter crises that emerged out of the blue. With so much information at his disposal, a large portion of the Nyxian Gap was no longer a mystery to him! He was aware of every hazard and every notable pirate organization that operated in the periphery of the region.
Of course, Calabast had already warned him that she wouldn't be able to tell him about the deeper regions of the Nyxian Gap. The hazards in those zones along with the increasingly more intense space warping meant that even the Big Two lost entire fleets inside the abyss!
Many of the most lucrative missions were situated in these deeper regions. For now, Ves didn't consider traveling this deep. Not only were the risks too high, but it took many months and years to enter and exit these core regions.
"Have you decided to come with me, or do you prefer to stay behind in Cinach and hold the fort while I'm gone?" He asked.
Gloriana frowned. This was a very difficult question for her. As much as she wanted to accompany Ves, she knew she wouldn't be as useful as him in a crisis situation.
Unlike Ves who had been forged in the flames of war and the unknown, Gloriana fit much closer to the mold of a 'classic' mech designer. She was most comfortable when she was safely working in a design lab on a highly-secure ship or planet.
Ves took a deep breath and took in her flowery scent. The intoxicating perfume she used only reinforced the impression that she didn't belong on the forefront of a risky expedition! People who ventured straight into danger did not bother with this kind of vanity!
"Just stay here." He suggested when Gloriana didn't answer his last question. "You don't have to feel guilty or anything. I'll just be going on a trip for a few months. Personally, I feel much more reassured if you remain behind and keep everything stable on my behalf. I'm particularly concerned about the disposition of the Penitent Sisters. They're kind of unruly and they won't listen to the other members of our clan. Only a prominent Hexer like you can keep them in line."
She sighed. "You're right. I agree with everything you said. It's just that I feel a bit guilty for staying behind. I will miss you very much."
"It's for the best. Your presence in the Nyxian Gap won't add much to our strength."
"Are you calling me useless?"
"No! It's just.. I can probably solve every challenge by myself. I'm not heading into the Nyxian Gap to design a mech for the market. Whatever work that requires my services will likely involve a lot of improvisation and rushing. In these situations, working quick and dirty is the norm, and there is simply no room for thoroughness and precision."
She scrunched her face. "That sounds awful!"
"Even if a mech design is bad, as long as it manages to solve the problem, it's enough."
Gloriana looked very uncomfortable with this approach. Though her mind understood the necessity of working in this fashion, the rest of her felt repelled at the thought of rushing any of her work!
"I understand." She said. "I'll settle for staying behind, then. I can catch up to some of my other work while you're away."
"That's a good idea. We can even embark on some solo design projects. While I don't like Master Willix, I think she is right when she said that we shouldn't take our collaboration for granted. As fully-fledged mech designers, we should still be able to design a good mech by relying on ourselves!"
"Mmhmm. I suppose I can pick up my old occupation and design some custom mechs. Who in the clan requires my services?"
"Too many." Ves helplessly replied. "I recently spoke to Tusa. As an expert candidate, he deserves to pilot the best light skirmisher that fits his strengths. Jannzi already has the Shield of Samar, but Tusa has been piloting the same commercial mech as before. Even though it's a powerful machine, it is still a mass market model."
"I see. Designing a mech for an expert candidate sounds nice. Depending on how much he improved, I might even design a second-class for him! He should be powerful enough to handle one! It will be expensive, though."
"That's fine. I have a lot of Breyer alloy in stock."
"I'm not sure if Breyer alloy is the best option for Tusa. He's a light skirmisher specialist, right? I think I will go with importing lighter alloys. I'm more worried about the glow. Unless I adapt one of your existing mech designs, I can't add a glow to any of my custom mechs."
That was a considerable problem, especially when Gloriana had already become accustomed to their presence!
"Mechs don't need glows to perform well." He told her. "As much as I would like to help you by contributing to your design at the start, it won't entirely be your work anymore. You should try your best to figure something out on your own. If you can manage to imitate some of my techniques, then that's great! If not, then no harm is done. Tusa will still be able to perform well without a glow. If it truly bothers you a lot, then I can always develop a variant of your work."
"Ah. That will work. Let's work from his premise."
Ves smiled. "The same goes for me. If I ever design a mech that isn't relevant to the mission, then I expect you to go over it and perfect it. This way, we can gain a good understanding of our individual strengths."
After several years of designing mechs together, the thought of going solo sounded rather novel. As proud young Journeymen, they shouldn't be too afraid that they would botch their own designs!
"By the way, what's this I hear about some huge ceremony?"
"It's a surprise."
