The Mech Touch

From what it sounded like, Gloriana definitely had more than a passing influence on her students.

It didn't help that Maisie-Ann and Rennie briefly studied and resided over at the Hexadric Hegemony back during the old days.

The time they spent while immersed in Hexere culture had definitely caused them to become changed women by the time they returned to the Larkinson Clan!

"Why… are the two so adamant about… specializing in the two phases of existence?" Ves slowly frowned. "These are… extremely broad and abstract concepts that have little to no existing basis in modern mech design. Before they can even formulate… a proper design philosophy, they need to figure out what… they actually mean and how to implement it into their mechs in a more concrete fashion. Why… commit so much of their youth to… translate religious doctrine into mech design principles…?"

"Why not? Unlike other Hexer mech designers, Maisie-Ann and Rennie enjoy greater advantages than most in coming into touch with these concepts." Gloriana replied to Ves even as she began to scratch Lucky's chin right where he liked it the most. "They have earnestly built up relationships with the Superior Mother and the Daughter of Death in order to experience the meaning of dust or death first-hand."

"Meow~"

Lucky rolled over and offered his dark-plated tummy to the mother. Gloriana naturally began to rub his belly, causing the spoiled mechanical pet to purr.

"There is no guarantee… that all of their research and effort will go anywhere…" Ves asserted.

"I vehemently disagree. You do not know what you are talking about, Ves. Hexism is real. The guidance provided by your own mother and eldest sister has ensured that Maisie-Ann and Rennie are working in the right direction at the very least! Trust me. I have supervised them for numerous years. The two girls will prove themselves equal to Maikel and Zanthar. Just you wait."

Though Ves was skeptical about this claim, he did not voice his doubts to his wife. Gloriana had become way too invested in raising the two female Larkinson mech designers, so there was no way she could make an objective judgment.

Besides, for all of her boasting, Gloriana was usually highly attentive and thorough in her work.

She would have made sure to mentor Maisie-Ann and Rennie extensively and prevent them from making the common beginner's mistake that could trip up less experienced professionals.

Ves ultimately did not spend too much thought on the two girls. He had already shifted responsibility over them to his wife. As long as this pair of female Apprentices weren't obviously suffering or anything, there was no reason for him to pry any further.

The married couple continued to chat with each other. However, neither of the two intended to spend too much time on talking as they needed to get back to work pretty soon.

Besides, Gloriana could not endure Ves' delayed speech for too long.

"Aurelia is reaching her tenth birthday soon." Gloriana brought up their daughter's name. "She still has half a year to enjoy her remaining childhood, but once she celebrates her most important birthday, it is time for her to work towards her glorious future. We need to make preparations in advance and decide on her schooling."

Ves turned to his wife and frowned. "Why… do you want to talk about this? We already… decided to raise her into a politician and leader, which falls completely in line with her designer genes. I have given Aurelia a few alternative choices, but… she has no objections to following our original intentions. What is there… to discuss? Do you want to select her next school… right away?"

Gloriana tried to suppress her scowl. As much as she tried to be understanding towards her husband, Ves' flawed speech pattern grated on her ears the longer they spoke. He knew that as well, which was why he readily isolated himself in his design lab most of the time.

"Times have changed, Ves. The Age of Dawn has witnessed the rise of many miracles. From the Carmine mechs that you have gifted to the masses to the revival of systematic cultivation, norms have much more options at their disposal than before. Aurelia has repeatedly insisted that she wants to become a part-time Carmine mech pilot, and I intend to oblige her because this age is much more dangerous than the one that came before. I fear that few people will end up growing old without having the power to protect themselves. What do you think, Ves? Should we restrain Aurelia's qi cultivation to preserve her chances of advancing to an expert pilot, or should we encourage her to practice a serious qi cultivation method?"

Ves crossed his arms. "Isn't the answer… obvious? Aurelia is not a warrior. Sure, she is… still young and malleable, so we can still train… her into becoming an excellent Carmine mech pilot. It would be even better if… she has gained a good genetic aptitude. She can become an authentic… and orthodox mech pilot. However, I think this is not a good… direction for her. She's softer and less talented… in combat than Andraste. Our oldest daughter's chances of… achieving greatness is still better than average due to… superior endowments, but… her strengths lie elsewhere."

Gloriana felt so frustrated that she wanted to bash her head against a wall to escape this torture!

She maintained a brittle smile as she tried her best to endure the situation.

"If I had my way, I would love for Aurelia to become a political leader or a musician." The concerned mother said. "Yet in a society that is increasingly becoming more martial and less civilized, it is becoming clear that strength is the ultimate capital of leadership. Just look at the Evolution Witch and how she is able to dictate Red Ocean politics. She is one of the best role models for girls and women everywhere. Her example clearly proves that strength is the foundation of power in the Red Ocean. I do not intend for Aurelia to become a leader without a sufficiently strong backbone."

Ves shook his head. "I know what you are… dreaming about, but it is too difficult for her. Have you forgotten how… much blood, sweat and tears it takes… for mortals to push themselves past their limits and transcend their willpower? I am… confident that Andraste can do this because she has been training for this since… her childhood. Besides, high-ranking mech… pilots tend to be very direct, transparent… and dogmatic to the extreme. They make for excellent figureheads, but… not necessarily excellent politicians. It… is better for Aurelia to practice a variation of a qi cultivation… method because she at least retains a greater… degree of sanity and flexibility that will enable… her to respond deftly to all sorts of situations."

Gloriana's teeth were grinding like millstones.

"According to the Red Collective, all of the qi cultivation methods, even their most expensive premium ones, are ultimately not able to defeat a high-ranking mech at the same level in combat. You have given me similar warnings in the past. If Aurelia does what you suggest, she will always remain beholden to the expert pilots, ace pilots or god pilots in her orbit."

"That is not necessarily… the case." Ves said. "There are ways for qi cultivators… to beat willpower cultivators. I already… formed a plan for Aurelia. She should… improve her charm and social skills so that… she can easily befriend other powerful allies. The best way for her… to defeat a hostile expert mech, is not to fight it directly, but… have a friendly expert mech take her place. I want… for her to amass an army… that will become more loyal to her than me. She is… strongly predisposed to making friends and… building coalitions."

His wife had to admit that there was a strong appeal to that development trajectory. Why should Aurelia ever have to dirty her hands when she could command her many loyal and fanatical subjects to fight in her stead?

However, there were still flaws to this approach. Gloriana seemed much less certain than before whether this was still the right plan.

"Should we enroll her into one of the many cultivation academies founded by the Red Collective?" Gloriana asked. "Our daughter will not be able to learn as much traditional classes, but she will be able to master a structural and fully systematic cultivation framework that will allow her to make the best use out of her qi cultivation."

That was a good question.

As a high-ranked figure within the RC, Ves possessed a bit more awareness of the policies adopted by the Education Department.

"Those cultivation academies… are a product of the times." Ves said. "Under ordinary circumstances, most of… the academies should have a strong civilian focus. Aurelia would be able to take classes… on arts, history, languages, psychology, sociology… as well as more cultivation-oriented subjects. That is… not the Education Department's priority at the moment. At this time, the people… over there are more interested in… creating military academies where enrollees will primarily… undergo physical training and learn about how to kill, how to wage war and so on. The Red War… is unlikely to end in the short term, so we… may still be locked in a conflict against an… endless amount of native aliens. Not every cultivator… is suited for war, but many of them have no other choice."

Gloriana grew more upset, and not just because she was being driven mad by her husband's speech pattern.

"That is far from what I expected out of these cultivation academies. I want our daughter to become strong, but not necessarily turn into a soldier. I believe… that elegance and grace are among Aurelia's best traits. She may lose them if she is forced into undergoing harsh military training."

Was that what his wife was worrying about the most?

Ves scratched his head. "Aurelia doesn't have the attitude… of a serious cultivator. I think she is beter off attending regular… classes at traditional schools, and focus on absorbing… more refined subjects that will give her an excellent… foundation in the upper echelon of human civilization. As for her cultivation, I am totally… within my rights to pass on a cultivation method to her and give her… extensive guidance and tutoring to strengthen her foundation. The Larkinson Clan is a sect, after all. I am confident that I can… help her grow faster without needing to rely too much… on the facilities available at her next school.

His suggestions threw Gloriana off-guard. She lost her composure for a moment as she tried to figure out whether there was any purpose to Ves' suggestions.

"Do you truly think you can make up for full-time systematic education and training by tutoring Aurelia in person?"
Continue your adventure at m|v-l'e m,p| y- r

"No. Not seriously." Ves conceded. "I can give Aurelia… enough of the basics as I understand them. That should be… enough to turn our daughter into a capable cultivator, but not an excellent one that can unravel… and reconstruct cultivation methods. That isn't… necessary for a future leader like her. We need a… leader who can do more than declare wars and solve problems by resorting to… brute force."

His wife looked more and more convinced in his argument. "Very well, I shall take a closer look at the traditional schools. Well, it may be fine enough for Aurelia since I have learned that more and more universities are beginning to incorporate systematic cultivation in their lesson plans."

"Makes sense. They can't afford a massive drop in enrollments. The cultivation academies are bound to steal a significant chunk of students."

Their oldest daughter would be the first of their offspring to reach 10 years old, to grow into an adult and to take up a job.

Aurelia… had a bright future ahead of her. That did not mean she was guaranteed to attain greatness, but she had many more opportunities than others.