Ves and Gloriana erged from the secret workshop with much less joy than they should. After all, the two of them succeeded in creating their second collaborative masterwork ch!
Yet the thought of giving it up was still painful, regardless of any high-sounding argunts that Ves put forth.
At least the Quint completely belonged to the Larkinson Clan. If he ever felt the desire to check up on it in order to make sure it was being treated right, he could always stop by the Avatars of Myth and inspect Joshua's assigned machine.
This wasn't possible for the masterwork ch that Gloriana impulsively nad the Little Angel. Every Blessed Squire ch belonged to the Hexadric Hegemony. At most, Ves and Gloriana deserved remuneration proportionate to the worth of the exceptional ch.
Ves had already adjusted his ntality towards giving up his masterwork chs. His Devil Tiger was still wandering in the depths of the Nyxian Gap. At least he could reassure himself that his father was piloting one of his best works.
However, Gloriana still required a lot of ti to accept this inevitability. Though she wanted to spend every single mont with the Little Angel, Ves forced her to leave.
"You have stayed awake for four days straight." He told her while he grabbed her arm. "Your body will fail if you push yourself further. Go to bed. You can return to the Little Angel tomorrow. It isn't going anywhere for awhile."
"Miaow."
Clixie pawed at Gloriana's foot in concern.
"See? Even your pet is concerned about you! I know the Little Angel is very fascinating, but there is a ti and place for everything."
"Okay, fine… I'll go."
When the pair of ch designers finally returned to their accommodations, the clansn they passed all noticed their downcast emotions.
Ves looked stoic as if he was holding sothing in. anwhile, Gloriana's tear streaks were still visible.
This caused a lot of Larkinsons to conclude that they had failed to produce another masterwork!
It was no secret that the two always worked hard to replicate their previous success. The Quint not only raised their stature, but also brought a lot of pride to the Larkinson Clan!
Many other family organizations boasted ch designers, but few of them had reached as far as Journeyman.
Of this group, only Ves and Gloriana could boast of producing a masterwork ch! The Quint was living proof that they had the potential of producing greater chs in the future.
Of course, the odds of making another one was very small. Every Larkinson knew that. So they did not think too much about the disappointnt shown by the two. It was a given to feel crushed when t by another failure.
Though the conclusions made by the clansn initially took Ves aback, he quickly decided to roll with the situation.
The Blessed Squire design and the Little Angel both had to remain hidden! Calabast already told him that DIVA could achieve the strongest effect if it revealed the design and the masterwork ch at a ti and place of its choosing.
While Ves agreed with this statent, he had one more reason to mislead the public that their attempt had failed.
He wanted to avoid Master Willix!
Ves had beco aware that the MTA would dispatch very capable experts whenever soone created a masterwork ch. It was the only way for the people responsible to receive their coveted masterwork certificates.
Though he admittedly desired to receive another masterwork certificate to his collection, he did not relish the thought of entertaining Master Willix in person! He liked it even less when she dissected his ch and design from inside out. There was just sothing about this rational ch designer that made him feel afraid that she would be able to crack his secrets any day.
If Ves was able to keep the surprise under wraps for a decent period of ti, he could leave for the Nyxian Gap and let DIVA inform the MTA afterwards!
By then, even if the MTA wanted to interview the ch designers responsible for creating the masterwork, Moira Willix would only be able to reach Gloriana!
As for Ves, he would be long gone in the Nyxian Gap, which was an anomalous region of space that even the Big Two couldn't ta!
Ves wanted to break out a laugh. This plan sounded brilliant! All he had to do was to make sure that everyone in the know sold the illusion that the attempt had failed.
Not a lot of people were actually aware of the truth. Aside from Ves, Gloriana and Calabast, he only had to worry about the lips of their bodyguards.
Nitaa was loyal to him to a fault while the guards dispatched by the Glory Battalion were loyal Hexers who would never harm the interests of their state.
Though the MTA possessed very powerful spying capabilities, Calabast had already made sure that the workshop they had just used was as secure as possible. The odds that the MTA had been pointing so powerful scanner that was both capable enough to penetrate a lot of shielding but also stealthy enough to avoid tripping any sensors was very unlikely!
Ves did not believe the local branch on Cinach VI possessed such advanced capabilities. Their local ch evaluators couldn't even make heads or tails of the Doom Guard!
As they returned to their bedroom, Gloriana instantly went out like a light. The exhaustion of the last couple of days had finally caught up to her. Ves was feeling a bit tired as well.
The next day, Gloriana woke up and dressed herself as quickly as possible. She wanted to return to the Little Angel straight away in order to study its exquisite structure.
Though Ves felt tempted to join her, he had to take care of other matters.
Gloriana leaned in and happily kissed Ves on the lips. "Thank you for lending that gem. I couldn't have made my Little Angel so perfect if not for your help. I was a bit too tired yesterday, but I'll be sure to reward you tonight!"
She winked at him before she hopped away, leaving Ves with a goofy grin!
"Ahem." He coughed. "I should et with Calabast."
So ti later, he entered her office. While Ves sat on a chair and started to pet Lucky's head, Calabast switched off her terminal.
"Ves. It's to see you here early. I conferred with DIVA yesterday on a secure channel and managed to convey the good news to them. The reaction I've received is very positive."
"Are you sure?"
The spymaster smiled. "DIVA fits in a different mold than you think. Unlike many other Hexers, the agency is fully capable of appreciating the competence of boys. My forr superiors agree with my suggestion to make use of the Little Angel to introduce the utility of your work to the decision-makers of the Hegemony. DIVA has already notified that a secure transport convoy is on the way to pick up the Little Angel."
"That's rather slow."
She shrugged. "While DIVA has stationed assets closer to the Sentinel Kingdom, they're not strong enough to defend sothing as valuable as the Little Angel. Don't underestimate the significance of its existence. In my opinion, the addition of your glows to the Hex Army is enough to tilt the balance of the Komodo War in the Hegemony's favor! The biggest hindrance we face is the rejection from our own side. Parading your masterwork ch is a powerful way to neutralize their core justification for rejecting chs designed by boys."
"The stuffy matriarchs who decide which chs to approve always believe that male ch designers like are incompetent." Ves ruefully smiled. "I can see how the existence of a masterwork version of a Hexer ch design, a male one no less, can collapse their entire logic!"
The logic of those biased matriarchs and Hexers were flawed to begin with. Let alone Ves, many other male ch designers produce just as much masterworks as their female counterparts.
It was just that the Hexers always discounted the works of male ch designers for la reasons. The fact that not a single male Hexer ch designer had been able to make a masterwork ch, as far as the public was aware of, had always supported the existing policies.
Though DIVA was not an organization that specifically advocated for increasing the rights of boys, right now it was to their benefit if they carved out a place for soone like Ves. There was no female alternative to a ch designer with his specialty!
Calabast noticed his look. "Don't read too much in this developnt. Female Hexers aren't about to improve their treatnt of boys due to this change. Even with the help of the Little Angel, it will take a lot of lobbying and political maneuvering to carve out an exception for you. You're an outlier as far the Hexers are concerned, so it is not impossible to give you a pass on account of the substantial difference you can make to the war effort. The sa does not necessarily apply to their dostic male ch designers. Even if they are given more liberties, they will hardly nudge the direction of the war."
"Mhmm."
He wasn't a part of the Hegemony. Even if he plotted to change the mindset of Hexers by exposing them to the Superior Mother, this was a long-term plan that took years to co into fruition. There was simply too much institutional opposition towards giving the males of their society more space and opportunities.
"In any case, I do have so good news for you." The Black Cat Commander continued. "DIVA has put a very generous valuation on your masterwork ch. "In general, the perceived value of a ch is multiplied by as little as 10 to as much as 100 or more. So even go as high as 1000 tis more. Since the Little Angels is based off a premium military second-class ch design, multiplying the value by 100 sounds fair."
"What is the estimated market price of the Blessed Squire?"
"200 million hex credits. This is what the analysts at DIVA have concluded after studying its design for several days. Do you have any objections?"
"No." Ves shook his head. "Considering the performance, proprietary tech, materials along with the added value of the Superior Mother's glow, that is a reasonable sum to pay for a single copy of the Blessed Squire."
This ant that the Little Angel, which was hardly distinguishable from a regular Blessed Squire at first glance, was worth 20 billion hex credits according to DIVA!
If it was before he released the Doom Guard, this sum would have been enough to make him wild. Nowadays, this windfall sounded extrely paltry!
His disappointnt was apparent on his face.
"You think the multiplier is too low?"
"It's hard not to think so. If I submit the ch to the MTA, I could get a lot of rits in return."
He was already starting to contemplate whether he should leak the existence of the Little Angel to the MTA.
Soone as astute as Calabast imdiately guessed what he was thinking. "I advise you not to spoil your relationship with DIVA. My forr agency is one of your few supporters along with the Wodin Dynasty. I have already managed to negotiate a better deal with DIVA on your behalf. Its director is not going to demand the Little Angel from you without a hefty reward. What do yo think about receiving a state-of-the-art second-class factory ship built according to your specifications?"
Ves imdiately straightened his back. "Those ships cost way more than 20 billion hex credits! In fact, not even 200 billion is enough in so cases!"
Factory ships, especially the higher-classed ones, were enormous investnts. They were not only capable of pumping out as many chs as a manufacturing complex, but were also tough enough to withstand at least so attacks without falling apart.
That latter was very crucial and one of the main reasons that proper factory ships were so expensive!
In truth, Ves highly doubted that the Little Angel was enough to pay for a modern factory ship!
"It's not as straightforward as you think, Ves." Calabast stretched her arm. "As long as the Blessed Squire takes off in the Hegemony, DIVA wants to extend and renew its cooperation with you. As long as you fulfill additional commissions, the agency will pledge to deliver a brand-new factory ship to you within a year."
Ah. So the factory ship was part of a package deal. This was a lot more complicated than he thought. As excited as he was to obtain the most important ship of his grand expedition, this was not the ti to make an impulsive decision!
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