Chapter 1550: 1550
After they finished touring the manufacturing floor, they headed down to the lab and workshop floor of the Mech Nursery .
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Gloriana quickly scowled when she inspected the lab equipment . "Trash! I can't believe you are working with these cheap machines!"
"They are all standard equipment in the Bright Republic!" Ves innocently raised his hands .
"They're unacceptable! Luckily for you, I've already anticipated this problem . When I shuttered my Flawless Mech Workshop, I packed up all of my equipment and loaded them onto Stellar Chaser . I'll order some men to install them here . As for your old machines, you can directly scrap them as far as I'm concerned . I don't want any of them to taint my workplace any longer!"
Ves loudly coughed . "My workplace, you mean . "
"Our workplace . " She emphasized with a grin . "I'm a lead designer of the LMC as well now . "
While she was right, that didn't give her the power to rearrange his private sanctum within the Mech Nursery .
He quickly halted his protests, though . He knew that Gloriana probably owned some very powerful lab and workshop equipment . His old equipment simply couldn't compare .
Since Gloriana generously lent her high-quality equipment to the LMC, Ves gained massively from this development .
He'd be a fool to resist his girlfriend, especially when he knew that she would never give up this fight!
They quickly left the floor and headed down to the vault . They only spent a brief time there as Ves hadn't stored many valuables . He only showed off a couple notable items to inform Gloriana of their importance .
"These are my P-stones . " He showed off the four P-stones . He left the fifth one at his Cloud Estate so that he could periodically deposit his excess spiritual energy . "They're one of the most important exotics I own . "
"What do they do, Ves?"
"They're . . containers . They possess the capability to store some very good stuff . "
That wasn't enough for her . She frowned at him . "You're being vague again . Stop that . "
"Sorry, Gloriana . I'm used to keeping secrets . Let's just say that the P-stones are capable of storing . . the stuff I put in my mech designs . "
Ves provided her with a very shallow introduction of his P-stones, F-stone and B-stone lockbox .
As usual, Gloriana instantly interpreted his explanation in relation to divinity . He was used to that . He only wanted to inform her of their value and their utility .
"The exotics you've collected is quite remarkable . " She stated as she picked up a P-stone that was partially filled with excess spiritual energy . "This rock kind of feels like you, in a way . "
As soon as she picked up the P-stone, Ves' spiritual fragment reacted a bit . This lent some credence to his claim that she sensed his spiritual energy .
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Nonetheless, he insisted she put it back . The P-stones were far too precious to leave in Gloriana's possession . What would she even do with one that stored some of his spiritual energy?
Though his girlfriend looked unwilling, Ves offered her an option to get what she wanted .
"I'm very short on these three exotics . " He walked to her side and hugged her side . "If you really want a P-stone that reminds you of me, then help me obtain more . As soon as you bring your new lab equipment, I'll allow you to perform some detailed examinations on my stuff . If you can discreetly reach out to your supply network and obtain something identical, it would help me a lot . With more P-stones in my possession, I'll be much more willing to leave one in your hands that carries some of my energy!"
Her eyes instantly brightened up . "Really?"
"Really . "
"I'll do it!" She hugged him back and pecked him on the cheek . "While it's difficult for me to get in touch with my old suppliers now that war has broken out, I am not entirely cut off . I'll see what I can do . "
Ves placed his hand on her shoulder . "Make sure to be discreet . Don't disclose what these exotics can do . In addition, don't make it obvious that we need them . If others learn that we specifically need these exotics, they'll collect them first and rip us off by charging ten times their usual price!"
In fact, that was just an excuse . The real reason why he wanted to keep this search quiet was to avoid tripping off those who were also searching for these materials .
Any person or organization who sought for them specifically were entities that Ves did not want to meet!
Seeing how much importance he attached to this condition, Gloriana nodded . "I understand . "
"Don't delegate the search to Melody or anyone else on your staff . "
"I get it, Ves . "
After he showed off his exotics, he hesitated a bit about showing off something else stored in his vault .
Eventually, he decided he might as well introduce it to Gloriana so she became aware of its danger .
"The last item in my vault is a bit more special than the others . It's also a lot more dangerous . Maintain your distance and don't inspect the object too closely . That means no concentrating!"
Though Gloriana looked confused, her face quickly became turbulent the moment Ves retracted the Ancient Sarcophagus .
"Is that an alien relic?!" She gasped . "Wait, what's inside? And what is this pressure I'm feeling?"
"This is the Ancient Sarcophagus . It contains the dead body of some alien . Some treasure hunters retrieved it from the depths of the Nyxian Gap . The reason you are feeling this way is because a portion of the alien still remains alive . Do you want to know where I get my spiritual components from? Well, the Ancient Sarcophagus here is one of my most important sources!"
Gloriana quickly realized what he meant . "Ves! Don't tell me that there is a god locked inside this coffin!"
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Though Ves did not feel that the entity inside deserved to be called a god, he didn't bother to correct her terminology .
"Nyxie . "
"What?"
"I call it Nyxie, on account of its origins . "
She frowned . "Is the alien male or female?"
"I'm pretty sure it's a male, but I'm not sure . Nyxie possesses the temperament of a male at the very least . "
"I see . " She replied flatly . Her interest in the Ancient Sarcophagus and what it held inside instantly faded! "That explains the cruelty, aggressiveness and dominance I am inexplicably sensing . Nyxie is a very angry god, it seems . A very male god . "
Ves shrugged . "I don't blame him . I did cut off one-fiftieth of its essence and heavily processed it in order to create the spiritual component for my Desolate Soldier design . "
"Well, please get this filth out of my sight . Your imprisoned male god is ruining my mood . "
As long as Gloriana knew not to mess with the Ancient Sarcophagus, Ves didn't care what she thought about Nyxie . He did wonder what would happen if Nyxie turned out to be female .
Would Gloriana demand he free the trapped spiritual entity or something?
He shook his head . Not for aliens . God or not, the Hexers at least didn't worship aliens .
They left the vault shortly afterwards . They returned aboveground and calmly walked across the grounds . They quickly reached a small fortified base that housed the Avatars of Myth .
Different from last time, it was a lot more emptier since his last visit a year ago . Most of the Avatars of Myth had transferred to the Living Sentinels, thereby leaving his original mech force with the best and most loyal mech pilots .
"Melkor! Good to see you again!"
"Sir . " Melkor nodded stiffly to Ves before directing his visor to his girlfriend . "I'm pleased to meet you, Miss Gloriana . I'm Melkor Larkinson, Commander of the Avatars of Myth and Ves' cousin . "
"Ah, I'm already familiar with you . " She smiled and eyed his physique like a tailor eyed a client . "We planned to design a custom mech for you, infact . "
That was new to Melkor . "Did you?"
Ves sighed . "I wanted to design a laser rifleman mech to reward you for your services, but…"
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"The sandmen eat lasers like breakfast . I understand, sir . Other projects take priority . "
"I'm glad you don't have any hard feelings . "
"How can I be upset at something I've never enjoyed? I can wait . Besides, I'm not sure I should be the first Avatar to receive a custom mech designed by the two of you . While I don't have a lot of Avatars left, the ones that remained are very skilled and dedicated . I've even recruited some amazing talents recently that will certainly grow to become our elites!"
The group walked to the administrative building while they talked .
"How many Avatars do you have right now?" He asked .
"Enough to field eighteen landbound mechs and sixteen spaceborn mechs . I'm trying to get those numbers back up to a full mech company each . "
"How is recruiting?"
"It won't be as slow as before . Different from last time, our foundation is solid now . Our structure is mature and the mech pilots I have right now form a very solid cadre that can keep the Avatars cohesive even if I double our numbers in a matter of months . I hope to fill out our mech roster within a month . "
"A month?!" Ves reacted with surprise . "That's pretty fast! Are you sure you are maintaining our standards?"
Melkor chuckled . "It's not as hard as it sounds . The Avatars of Myth is not as obscure as before . What's more, I expect some of our new recruits to consist of Larkinsons . Young Larkinsons . "
Once they reached Melkor's office, Ves met with Crindon again .
"Sir . "
"Hello Captain Crindon . How are you doing in the Avatars of Myth?"
"Commander Melkor has been showing me the ropes . " His Kinner bondsman responded . "Overall, it's clear that I have a lot of work in store . "
Upon his return to Cloudy Curtain, Ves decided to transfer Crindon to the Avatars of Myth .
While he could have opted to keep Crindon on his direct staff, Ves needed someone trustworthy to take charge of the Virtual Security Department of the Avatars .
Only someone as impeccably loyal to Ves as Crindon was suitable for this position!
The newly-instated captain of the Virtual Security Department explained what needed to be done .
"Many experts that formerly worked at this department have transferred to the Living Sentinels, thereby leaving us deprived of skilled hackers and security experts . I've only recently started recruiting, but it will take some time to bring this department up to par . As per your instructions, I'm being exceedingly careful about the loyalty and trustworthiness of new recruits . "
Ves nodded in satisfaction . "I hope you can do a good job . There is no hurry . I would rather you take it slow than to make too much haste and risk introducing a traitor in our ranks . "
Once he finished discussing matters with Crindon, the Kinner left the office .
"How is our guard infantry department? Is that old dog Coyin Larkinson still around?"
"Captain Coyin Larkinson still leads our sole guard infantry company . " Melkor replied with a thin smile . "Our uncle is a little hard to work with, but he's taking a liking in leading his own unit with much more autonomy than he ever enjoyed in the military . Do you want to talk to him, perhaps?"
Ves quickly waved his hands . "No, thanks! I don't need to talk to all of your men . I think you're doing a good job so far . Even with the reduction in numbers, the Avatars still remain promising . Anyway, let's get down to business . Checking up on the Avatars is only one of the reasons why I'm visiting . "
"I know . " Melkor said . He activated his desk terminal and projected a map of the Bright Republic . "It's time we discuss the deployment of our Avatars of Myth and our Living Sentinels . "
"How many Avatars and Sentinels are willing to be dispatched to the front?"
"Well, it's mandatory for the Avatars, so all of us will go . As for the Sentinels, you should speak with their new commander to hear the details . From what I've heard, about half of them are willing to do their duty . "
"Just fifty percent?" Ves frowned .
With all of the Desolate Soldiers in their mech roster, he would have thought the Sentinels would be glad to do their duty!
Melkor shrugged . "You know what these mech pilots are like . Even if they are willing to do their duty, they cherish their families . "
Even the Desolate Soldiers could only do so much to compel people to do their duty!
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