After Ves and Gloriana moved to the Scarlet Rose, they were eager to comnce their new project.
The next day, they moved down to the ch workshop compartnt which had undergone a lot of changes.
Aside from blocking off Compartnt G-13, the compartnt also featured an expanded design lab with several more anities that were useful in the ch design process.
Their two design teams awaited the arrival of the lead designers with deference. As soon as Ves and Gloriana entered the workshop, their subordinate ch designers bowed!
"Welco back, Mr. Larkinson!"
Ves smiled and gestured them upwards. "Rise. You don't need to perform these kinds of rituals for . As long as you perform your duties earnestly, that's all I ask of you. As ch designers, it's our work that proves our sincerity."
Once his subordinates rose, Ves observed them very carefully.
A month had passed since he last interacted with them. A lot had happened during this period, and Ves was curious whether his ch designers were still as eager to work for the LMC as before.
He already got a read of the Tovar ch designers. Because he hadn't told them whether they were allowed to remain in the company, the Tovars looked eager but nervous.
Unless they were very good actors, Miles Tovar and the rest actually looked afraid of getting dismissed!
Though Ves wasn't sure whether he should trust his judgent, the sight nonetheless pleased him. He beca a bit more inclined to retain them. While they weren't the best subordinates he could obtain these days, he was very satisfied with their foundation and work ethic.
He directed his attention to the second design team.
As expected, all four Ylvainan ch designers decided to stay. Oscar, Renee, Erica and Pascal were all sincere believers in the Bright Martyr!
However, considering how extensively the True Ylvaine Dynasty infiltrated his ranks, Ves wasn't sure of their loyalties.
"Are any of you True Believers?"
"No." Oscar DiMartin answered. "None of us worship the Living Prophet. We... don't think he represents the founder of our faith."
The other three Ylvainans shook their heads as well.
"Are you telling the truth?"
"We would never lie to the Bright Martyr!"
Ves could buy that. With his near-deified status among the Ylvainans, they shouldn't be able to lie in his face!
After asking a few more questions to the Ylvainans, he turned his attention to the last two oddballs.
Mayer Torto and rrill O'Brian no longer stood out from the Ylvainans anymore. They used to regard Ves as a very good but very human ch designer.
Now, their expressions were hardly different from that of the worshipful Ylvainans!
"I'm sorry for all of the dangers you've endured." He said.
rrill smiled. "You don't have to apologise, sir. I've experienced worse in.. my old job."
"It's a given that the Friday Coalition wants to target the two of you after you received your Masterwork certificates." Mayer added his own voice.
The Sentinel ch designer was honest, at least. Mayer mainly stuck around because he wanted to work under bona fide masterwork ch designers!
Ves appreciated his frank reasoning. It allowed him to tailor his expectations to Mayer and avoid any unfortunate misunderstandings with regards to his willingness to remain under his employ.
Overall, he was pretty happy with his design teams. While he wouldn't shed a tear if any of them decided to quit, he would certainly miss their contributions!
"Before we announce our latest ch design project, I would like to talk to each of you in private."
As Gloriana kept everyone occupied, Ves invited the ch designers to a private office one by one. He wanted to hear how they were faring and what they thought of recent events.
He started with Miles Tovar. The Apprentice ch Designer fidgeted in his seat once they entered the office.
Seeing him so tornted by uncertainty prompted Ves to soften his expression.
"Let be honest." He began. "I still haven't decided whether I should retain you and your fellow Tovars."
"I'm aware that our political situation isn't very convenient." Miles ekly responded.
The disparity in status between them had grown significantly. Ves was not just an ordinary Journeyman anymore. Despite his age, he achieved sothing that evoked envy in almost every professional in the ch industry!
"The good news is that I don't really care about the opinion of the Bright Republic these days. I'm concerned what the governnt will do to your Tovar Family, though. I don't want to be the cause of the downfall of another family of our state!"
Miles offered a reassuring smile to Ves. "There is absolutely no need for concern. My fellow Tovars and I are already exiled from the family."
"That didn't stop the Friday Coalition from coming after my unconnected relatives in the Bright Republic."
"To be honest, Mr. Larkinson, that won't happen. Our Tovar Family is too intertwined with the institutions of the Bright Republic. Unlike your Larkinson Family, our removal will instantly throw the Bright Republic into chaos. The CRC can hardly provoke another mass uprising like the one that rose up in the Ylvaine Protectorate. The Fridayn have already attracted a lot of alarm due to their recent actions. They can hardly afford to provoke more trouble for fear of getting admonished by the MTA."
Ves didn't fully comprehend how the Tovar Family would be able to avoid getting Larkinsoned. Still, Miles sounded so confident in his family that Ves might be engaging in needless worry.
"If that is what you claim, then I don't have many more objections to keeping you in my employ. Just rember that as long as you are on the LMC payroll, your primary loyalty belongs to and my ch company. The Tovar Family's interests co afterwards, especially now that you're exiled. Have I made myself clear?"
"Crystal, sir. While I can't promise you that I will always be comfortable with that, I will make sure to bring any potential issues to your attention before they turn serious."
"That sounds good. I would rather prefer you to be honest to up front. Do you know what I hate the most?"
"No?"
Ves leaned forward and displayed an ominous grinned. "The people I hate the most are traitors. It's unfortunate that I didn't have the chance to take care of the last person who betrayed . He took his own life before my guards could restrain him. If not for that, I would have probably turned him into my test subject!"
Though Miles was obviously confused why a ch designer of all people required a test subject, he was astute enough to refrain from asking further.
After Ves made it clear how generously he intended to treat traitors, he lightened up and directed his attention to Miles' professional developnt.
"I haven't been able to tutor you and instruct you as much as I wanted to in recent tis." He said. "That said, you should have still been able to manage your developnt on your own. How much progress have you made?"
"I study every day." He said. "While I don't have Miss Wodin's high-quality augntations, my learning ability is well above average, or I wouldn't have graduated from the DCTI with my grades. While I'm not as fast as so, I'm very happy with how much I've been able to improve. I've even started to tackle so of the unlocked Clarion University books you've added to the library. While much of their material is too advanced to , I'm a lot more confident in my foundation these days. My colleagues are just as happy."
Ves nodded in satisfaction. "That's good. Graduation doesn't an your learning cos to an end. You are still close to the bottom of the ch industry totem pole. In order to make sothing of yourself in this business, you need to advance to Journeyman, and to do so you absolutely have to develop a certain level of mastery over the skills required to design a ch."
"I have done that, Mr. Larkinson. While I'm happy with how much knowledge I've gained, I'm still uncertain whether I have co closer to advancing to Journeyman. I could use your advice."
Instead of answering imdiately, Ves quickly studied Miles with his spiritual vision. While Miles was the only Tovar ch designer who possessed spiritual potential, it didn't seem to have developed since the last ti he checked it out. This signified that Miles hadn't fully developed or committed to a design philosophy.
"Take it from , Miles. Learning alone is not enough to elevate you to my rank. Even if your knowledge is rather lacking, you can still utilize what little you know to design a decent ch. The key is to develop your own style and figure out what exactly you wish to specialize in. Developing a design philosophy is not rely about picking your favorite flavor. You need to flesh out the reasons why you want to design a certain style of chs."
"I did that, sir! For almost ten years, I dedicated myself to designing aerial chs! I even narrowed the scope of my design philosophy even further upon the advice of a ntor, but I still haven't made any progress!"
Ves could sympathize with Miles. Despite his rich family background, ch designers mostly had to rely on themselves to beco a Journeyman.
It was impossible for soone incompetent to beco a Journeyman! If he was wrong, he would let Gloriana dress him up!
"From my own understanding of the promotion process, Apprentices like you need to develop a strong conviction for your design philosophies. It's not just about knowing that your design philosophy has promise. You need to believe in it. You need to believe in your ambition."
Miles frowned. "I don't entirely understand."
"It's simple." Ves lifted his hand and tapped his temple. "It's not just about your head."
He tapped his chest. "It's also about your heart. You need to devote yourself to your design philosophy as if it's your girlfriend. Love your design philosophy. Date your design philosophy. Marry your design philosophy. Sotis, thinking too much is detrintal to this process. You need to offload so of the processes from your mind to your heart. It doesn't matter if your design philosophy sounds daunting or that it is almost inconceivable to realize it. As long as you believe in your design philosophy, you will be in the best state to break through your current bottleneck."
Though his advice sounded earnest, Miles still began to frown.
"Respectfully, Mr. Larkinson, that.. sounds awfully close to religion. You are essentially asking to treat my design philosophy as superstition."
Ves blinked.
"I.. can see how you can develop such a misunderstanding. It's not as bad as it sounds. There is much more to ch design than is apparent on the surface. Part of the reason why high-ranking ch designers are so revered in the ch community is because their design work transcends what is strictly possible in reality. As long as you open your mind to the possibilities, I think you'll find it easier to find your heart in ch design. Do you know Ketis?"
"I'm familiar with her." Miles nodded. "I occasionally get in touch with her in order to talk shop."
"I guided her along this thod. While I didn't explain my theory to her so straightforwardly, I believe she can beco a promising Journeyman ch Designer in ti. Both of you are Apprentices, but I'm much more optimistic about her chances than yours. Unlike you, Ketis genuinely possesses a heart for swordsman chs. Unless you can develop a similar degree of obsession for aerial chs, I'm not sure you'll be able to remain ahead despite your age."
Ketis was almost a decade younger than Miles. By all rights, Miles should be able to advance to Journeyman sooner than the forr pirate designer, but right now Ves was not very optimistic!
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