Ves managed to save his hide from an angry Gloriana by producing solid and usable results. Though he still had a lot more room for improvement, he could deal with them later.
The most important point was that he was able to prove his concepts and provide enough solid data for Gloriana and the rest to plan their integration in the expert mech designs.
Though it was rather reckless to implement newly invented tech that had not gone through any robust testing, Ves was confident that it would work out somehow. He knew enough about luminar technology that the crystals derived from it were not unstable or prone to malfunction.
While Ves initially aimed to make Gloriana happy, he actually obtained a lot more gains besides that. He didn't even pay much thought to the fact that he managed to avoid her wrath this time.
The true gain from this side project was that he had become stimulated to employ an old method to achieve a drastically greater outcome!
In the past, Ves connected his mind to his design spirits numerous times. He usually did so in order to borrow their glows to enhance his stature.
Ves found this trick to be rather tasteless these days. He had gained enough reputation, prestige and speaking ability to be able to hold his own in front of a crowd.
His own identity was more than enough to command the attention of any group of people!
Yet that did not mean that melding his mind with his design spirits became obsolete. Ves just lacked a purpose and reason to utilize this technique.
It wasn't until today that he found a wonderful new application of this technique. Now that Blinky's existence allowed him to squander his spiritual energy reserves without worrying about running low for weeks or months at a time, he could channel his design spirits to a much greater extent and for considerably longer periods of time without paying a huge price!
Of course, this technique was not without its risks. Messing with the spiritualities of living people or entities was always fraught with danger. His attempts could have led to very severe damage to both Ves and the design spirit he was channeling if something went wrong.
If Ves was stupid enough to invite a hostile design spirit like Zeigra past his mental defenses and right into his mind, then the angry Crown Cat could easily inflict a lot of damage before being expelled!
The only reason he felt confident enough to go through with the attempts was because he implicitly trusted the Illustrious One.
Ves made the Illustrious One, along with several other design spirits. Compared to other entities that originated elsewhere like Qilanxo and Ylvaine, Ves deeply understood his own spiritual products as if he was their own father. This bond between them was very intimate and allowed him to feel completely comfortable in the presence of his own creations.
The only spiritual product that went out of control and transformed into an existence that was much more powerful and inscrutable was the Superior Mother.
He blamed Cynthia for that.
In fact, even if the Superior Mother mutated into a vastly more powerful entity than he anticipated, he bet he could still employ the same method to channel her and gain her perspective.
His back shuddered at this notion.
There was no way he was going to allow his mother to get a first-hand peek at his mind!
He had to remind himself that channeling a design spirit was not a one-way connection. Just as Ves was able to borrow aspects of the spiritual entity he invoked, that same existence would also gain a greater understanding of himself!
Ves didn't care too much if the Illustrious One learned some aspects of himself. The luminar design spirit's personality was quite muted and it was unlikely that he would abuse what he learned.
He couldn't say the same for the Superior Mother.
As loving and affectionate as she could be, Ves knew very well that he had been a naugthy boy sometimes. He did not want to get smacked by a giant spiritual hand!
In any case, as long as he did not meld his mind with the wrong design spirit, he could gain a lot of other benefits from performing this action. This had a lot of potential!
If he could acquire more alien design spirits with a technological foundation, he could potentially employ more powerful alien inventions.
If he melded his mind with design spirits with a considerable arsenal of spiritual techniques like Qilanxo, he might be able to learn some of her refined applications as well as other insights.
If he channeled a design spirit that was representative of a population group, then he would be able to speak, empathise and understand them as if he was their fellow comrade!
In short, Ves did not necessarily have to figure out every problem by himself. As long as there was a suitable design spirit around, he could always request their assistance in a much more direct and effective manner than before!
Ves had become preoccupied with imagining the possibilities in the next few days. Though he made sure to allocate enough of his attention to rush his remaining tasks, he couldn't get rid of distraction.
It wasn't until Master Willix finally met with the expeditionary fleet that Ves had to drop his fanciful thoughts.
The Golden Skull Alliance already expected her arrival ahead of time. The Larkinsons, Glory Seekers and Crossers all wanted to look their best in front of an important, high-ranked member of the MTA, so they all cleaned up their vessels and adopted an elaborate ceremonial formation.
The capital ships of the allied fleet all formed up in a row. Seeing their bulk lined up in a neat line was quite impressive. What was even more eye-catching was how all of the sub-capital ships formed into a precise, angular box with a clear route running from the front.
Every spaceworthy mech deployed in space and formed into uniform rows or followed well-designed patrol routes.
"She's coming. Let's roll out the welcome mat."
A very familiar-looking portal formed in front of the allied fleet. Its coordinates fell exactly in line with the ones that Master Willix had transmitted beforehand!
The Ubiquitous Force looked surprisingly small in the face of all of the larger combat carriers and capital ships of the expeditionary fleet.
Yet no one had any doubt that the high tech frigate was more than capable enough to wipe out or at least inflict severe damage to the collective might of the Golden Skull Alliance!
Ves wondered when he would also be able to design and build such an impressive ship. It was likely that reaching Master wouldn't be enough to satisfy all of the requirements. The Ubiquitous Force was armed warship, and ordinary people weren't allowed to make and utilize those kinds of vessels.
Perhaps the only way for him to ignore this rule was to become a Star Designer!
When Ves reached this exalted height, he would no longer be subject to all of the rules.
He would get to make them instead! No one would be able to accuse him of being a war criminal if he had become powerful enough to permit all of his own actions!
Before he reached this height, Ves still had to pay due respect to Master Willix and the Mech Trade Association. Humanity might be divided, but nobody denied that the Big Two called the shots right now. Disrespecting them was a very bad idea!
A large honor guard that consisted of shiny and gleaming Bright Warriors from the Avatars of Myth began to flank the Ubiquitous Force.
Even though the MTA frigate was surrounded by several hundred second-class mechs, the vessel showed no indication of distress.
The modest-sized vessel adjusted her pace so that she wouldn't overtake the mechs and allowed them to lead her forward.
Along the way, different mechs from different mech forces went on display. The mechs of the Glory Seekers and the Cross Clan might not possess any intrinsic life, but that did not detract from their solid designs and robust performance.
The mechs employed by the Larkinsons were a bit more eccentric. Each of them possessed a distinct charm that became a bit more amplified when they grouped up together.
From the Ferocious Piranha to the new and relatively unused Eternal Redemption, the Larkinson Clan showed that it had full confidence in using the products designed by its patriarch!
Even if Ves was still a Journeyman who could not match up to Seniors and Masters in many aspects, his clansmen all embraced the unique advantages he developed!
The only mechs that were missing from the lineup were the prime mechs. Ves chose not to show them off in such an ostentatious manner.
He was afraid that Master Willix would take an interest in the Unending alloy used to clad the mechs. What if she confiscated it all in the name of research? There was no way that Ves would be able to say no to her request!
Fortunately, Ves had a good excuse to keep them well away from the visitors. The prime mechs were the current trump cards of the Larkinson Clan. The less they showed up in the open, the less his enemies would be prepared to face them in battle!
Down in the hangar bay, a procession of Larkinsons had already lined up into precise ranks. Each of them wore their finest dress uniforms. The Larkinsons wanted to present a unified image to the visitors. If their ranks looked too disorderly or heterogeneous, then there was a risk that the incoming guests would think that the clan was sloppy!
This was something that Gloriana absolutely couldn't tolerate!
Ves, his wife and their cats all lined up as well. Gloriana even decided to eschew her usual dresses and lab outfits for a slim and well-fitting Larkinson uniform!
"Relax, Gloriana. I think we're trying way too hard this time. Haven't we met with Master Willix in person several times now?"
"This is different!" She hissed. "The context of this visit is a lot more formal and important than before. We cannot treat a visiting MTA Master as if she is an old acquaintance. Besides, we also have to make a good impression on the mech pilots that she will put under your care. You don't want them to look down on our clan, right?"
She had a point. Ves already tried to anticipate what kind of MTA mech pilots he would have to train.
If they were snobby, arrogant brats who thought they could run the show in his fleet, then they had another thing coming.
Since Master Willix already granted him permission to deal with them as he liked, he would not go easy on them! Otherwise, Ves might never be able to push them into becoming expert pilots within just five measly years!
The Ubiquitous Force did not enter the hangar bay of the Spirit of Bentheim. It did not dispatch a shuttle either.
Instead, a substantial group of individuals spontaneously teleported to an open area of the deck.
It only took seconds for the MTA delegation to arrive.
Ves only threw a brief glance towards the unmistakable form of Master Willix. He instead gazed at the twenty strangers wearing a varying mixture of neat, civilian outfits.
Even though the MTA mech pilots deliberately loosened their demeanors, Ves could definitely sense that they were more than what they appeared.
The members of the Big Two possessed an unmistakable sense of confidence and conceit that was rooted in their bones. Just the knowledge that they were a part of one of the most powerful organizations of humanity was enough for them to develop a superior air!
Eleven men. Nine women. All relatively young and in their prime. As Ves swept them with his spiritual senses, his heart dropped like a rock.
"Damn. You're not making this easy, are you?" He muttered.
He didn't need to take a closer look. He could already tell that none of the MTA mech pilots possessed spiritual potential!
