The Mech Touch

Naturally, Ves was not too interested in observing the changes to the existing Divine Cores.

He grew most interested in observing the Divine Cores belonging to Gloriana and her companion spirit.

A Divine Core was the most honest representation of an individual.

While Ves did not understand nearly as much about Divine Cores as he should, he learned from the System and his mother that being able to observe them was extremely helpful in gaining a better understanding of oneself.

Ves might not feel too impressed about that anymore, but that was because he had already gotten used to being able to observe his Divine Core on demand.

Many other people did not enjoy this luxury!

They spent their entire lives working to improve themselves without possessing a clear and precise enough understanding of themselves.

They lacked an accurate mirror where they could see their own essence without any bias or distortion.

These unfortunate people could only understand where they stood by making use of comparisons or by relying on the subjective evaluations of others.

Ves, Ketis and now Gloriana no longer needed to rely on these imprecise methods. They could just visit the Sacred Hearth and take a look at their own Divine Cores to develop a good understanding of how they changed.

Of course, how much relevant and useful information they managed to get out of observing their Divine Cores depended on their own interpretation skills.

"Well, this is a surprise."

Ves formed many guesses on how the Sacred Hearth visualized his wife's Divine Core.

His strongest guess was that it would look like a hexagon-patterned jewel.

What he saw instead was a metallic bust that depicted a 'perfect' representation of Gloriana.

Compared to the real woman, the Divine Core clearly assumed a more idealized version of Gloriana. She looked positively regal, superior but not too cold. She exuded just enough of a maternal impression to round out her edges.

"Hmph." Ketis did not look impressed. "What does it say about a woman when her Divine Core is supposedly a 'perfect' of herself?"

"It shows how much my wife is committed to attaining perfection." Ves issued a neutral response.

"Is that what you think? I think it shows that she is a narcissistic woman who only cares about herself and the image she portrays to the public. At least your Hand of Creation reflects your earnest desire to create works that benefit our society. Gloriana here clearly can't be counted upon to do what is best for society on her own initiative."

While Ketis disparaged Gloriana, the woman in question took no notice of the criticism.

Instead, her eyes continued to fixate on her Divine Core.

"Beautiful. So this is how I look at my best. There is no need to tweak my appearance. I only need to apply subtle changes to my makeup and my hairstyle. The greatest variable that affects my appearance is my posture. While I am already on the right track, it is clear that I still have to make more progress before I can reach this level of visual impact."

Another notable aspect of her Divine Core was how her bust appeared to be made of archemetal.

This showed how extensively Gloriana committed to archetech. It had already become a core part of her design philosophy.

"Investing so heavily into archetech is a double-edged sword." Ketis commented. "It offers better performance, but it also makes it more difficult to apply new technological developments. How much progress has been made with attempting to incorporate superdimensional matter in your archemechs?"

"We are still working on it." Gloriana tersely replied.

Ves tried to defuse the tension between the two women. "There are pros and cons to every tech. Gloriana has made a brave bet by using archetech as a basis to develop her own unique architecture. I am sure that her own tech base will make it a lot easier to integrate superdimensional applications and other innovations in the future."

His wife confidently raised her chin. "I am already certain that my research associates and I will be able to crack the secret on how to stably merge superdimensional tech with archetech. Now that I have access to this wonderful Mech Designer System, I am certain that we will be able to complete this breakthrough at least several months in advance. I only need to redeem a handful of enlightenment fruits related to materials science to obtain the required foundation to complete this merger."

That sounded like a solid plan.

The Design Department still lacked a mech designer with a strong foundation in materials science.

While Ves was still hoping that Tristan Wesseling would join him one day, Davute still maintained a strong degree of resistance against the native alien onslaught.

As a capital system, its defenses were much more extensive than in many other star systems.

The Colonial Federation of Davute was also a fairly big and successful second-rate colonial state that just happened to occupy a favorable location in the Krakatoa Middle Zone.

Many regional defenders that hadn't given up on the middle zone had flocked to Davute as if it was their best chance of blunting the native alien advance at this section of the shifting frontlines.

The continued influx of soldiers from different places also generated greater advantages to the Saint General.

While he was only a 'false' ace commander, his ability to grow more powerful with more people under his sway was not a lie.

With the help of his extremely flashy Lionheart, the Saint General repeatedly engaged in heroic displays that captured the imagination of all of the soldiers who fought in the Davute System!

The more he impressed all of those soldiers, the more they came to admire him. This subsequently fueled his ego as well as his actual combat power. This enabled him to confront stronger enemies and perform even better than last time, thereby attracting the admiration of even more people!

This meant that he was already able to match the combat power of some senior ace pilots in short bursts.

The reason why he was not able to keep it up for long was because exposing himself to the messy spiritual feedback from so many different people was no different from contaminating himself.

Nothing came for free.

The more Ark channeled the power of other people, the more he became subjected to their own thoughts and desires.

Ace pilots may possess much stronger willpower than any normal human, but even they had limits.

If Ark wanted to preserve his sense of self, then he had to limit his exposure and make sure he never crossed the line.

If he did, then he risked transforming into the idealized hero that the masses imagined him to be. This was not the exact same version of Ark as his current self!

Even with this weakness, Ark and his Lionheart could still be trusted to save the day and make a difference when it counted.

This was one of the reasons why the Saint General had become an actual contender in the leadership race.

The timing worked out a lot better for him. Right now, the Saint Commander had withdrawn from the expeditionary fleet so that she could lead the Premier Fleet.

However, the Premier Fleet had yet to launch from the New Constantinople System and engage in battle against the invading aliens.

This meant that Casella Ingvar had lost visibility during a moment when the Larkinsons most needed to see their prospective leaders in action!

Even if the Saint Commander had already established a strong impression, there was no doubt that the Saint General took advantage of her absence to play catch-up.

If this trend continued, then Casella risked losing her considerable lead in the polls!

Fortunately for Ves and the Saint Commander, there were no more reasons for the Premier Fleet to remain stuck in the New Constantinople System.

The Larkinsons only needed to finalize a few transfers and make sure that latest crew transfers to the Tortuous Scream and the Vulcan's Glory had settled into their new berths.

As long as the Larkinsons were willing to set aside a few safety protocols, the Premier Fleet could depart right away.

As Ves thought about how soon the Premier Fleet could arrive on an active battlefield and give the Saint Commander a good opportunity to showcase her power, Ketis and Gloriana had already directed their attention to the final Divine Core.

Alexandria's Divine Core looked like a red octagon-shaped spider web.

"What a fitting image." Ketis remarked. "While your own Divine Core reflects your narcissism, your companion spirit embodies your obsession to control everyone around you. It is a good thing that you do not need to rely on her to wrap Ves around your fingers."

Gloriana scowled and turned towards the swordmaster. "What is your problem, Ketis?! You have repeatedly insulted me ever since we entered this shared space. I have already apologized for my past transgressions and told you that I will do better next time. Is it that much to ask for you to believe I can do better?"

The swordmaster crossed her arms while directing a skeptical look in the other mech designer's direction.

"Some people can learn from their mistakes. Some people take their promises seriously. Some people are mindful of how their actions affect others."

"And you think that I am not among those people?"

"Yes." Ketis bluntly said. "We both know what kind of person Ves can be. Too many people have betrayed his trust. This has caused him to become far too cautious about who he is willing to put his faith in. As his spouse, you should have been one of his most trusted partners without any doubt. The fact that this is not the case is a major problem."

Gloriana frowned. "I will not blame you for your doubts, but are you not able to see that I am seriously trying to make amends? Regardless of how you feel about it, my husband has seen fit to give me another chance to prove myself. I only ask you to give me the same chance."

The swordmaster sneered at the other woman.

"I will not hide the fact that I think that he has made a mistake. Yet now that he has done something as big as this without my consultation, it is far too late for me to dissuade him from this course of action. You will get what you want. I will give you the chance that you do not deserve, but only because I have no other choice. Let us hope for all of our sakes that your personality is not as rotten as your Divine Cores suggest."

"Hey! My Divine Cores are beautiful! They are perfect for me! I will not tolerate your insults towards my character."

Ketis gave Gloriana a contemptuous expression before pointedly turning in another direction.

Ves had picked up on their tense dialogue. Even now, their body language betrayed how out of sync they had become.

If not for his presence, the two women would never agree to be in the same place!

What a problem.

Ketis had grown so much that she no longer had any qualms about defying the wife of the patriarch.

Oh, Ves would soon resign from his position, so Gloriana was bound to lose a considerable amount of power and influence in the clan because of that. She could only rely her skills as a mech designer and her position of director of the Design Department to prop up her own place in the changing clan.

Ves clapped his hands. "Now that we have come to the end of this tour, let us take the time to check up on each other's plans and make sure we are not working against each other. All three of us have our own personal goals as well as a number of shared responsibilities. With the Red War continuing to inflict serious losses onto red humanity, it has become more important than ever for us to make contributions that are effective in the short-term. Do any of you have any new and original ideas in mind on how we can make an immediate difference?"