Ves felt a headache coming on because of Gloriana's obstinate stance.
Unlike previously, this ti she firmly stood her ground!
"This is serious, Ves!" She angrily stated as her physical projection poked him in the chest! "I let you have your way when it ca to most of the ch designs that ca before. I'm aware that I'm not suited to design mass produced chs. This is different! Custom chs have to be designed according to different principles, and between you and , I know more about personalising ch designs to individual ch pilots than you will ever achieve!"
Though she sounded incredibly arrogant when she made this claim, Ves could only lower his head in response.
The two had collaborated on enough ch design projects to beco familiar with each other's strengths and weaknesses. Projects such as the Adonis Colossus design fully let him see the disparity between him and her when it ca to designing and tuning a ch until it almost completely fit an individual ch pilot like a glove.
This was not a difference that could be overco with studying and working hard. Gloriana excelled in designing custom chs because she centered her entire design philosophy around it. By dedicating herself completely to this discipline, she gained a frightening degree of intuition and feel towards these designs.
This was sothing that Ves could never surpass unless he too dedicated himself entirely to designing custom chs!
Obviously, he could never make such a decision. Ves wanted his designs to be used by as many people as possible who appreciated chs as more than disposable tools. The Larkinson Clan also depended on his clan-exclusive ch designs such as the Bright Warrior and the upcoming Chiron to gain a competitive edge over its rivals.
He was different from Gloriana. While he adhered to his own principles, from a general standpoint, he was a bit of a generalist. He wanted to design many different kinds of chs and refused to exclude any of them. His curiosity and yearning for new experiences constantly drove him to explore new ground.
ch designers such as Gloriana and Ketis were different. They purposefully concentrated all of their passion into a chosen pursuit, thereby attempting to reach greater heights in their field of specialty. As a consequence, their competence in matters outside of their specialty did not progress as fast.
This must be what Master Willix ant by growing trees. Gloriana was committed to growing a tall and narrow tree while Ves was the opposite. His tree grew considerably more branches than hers, but the price for directing his growth in this fashion was that its vertical growth wasn't as impressive!
"I'll take charge of this matter." Gloriana bossily said. "I can still contact my old teachers to obtain so guidance. A project as important as this has to be done as correctly as possible right from the start. Don't talk any further about adopting an incrental approach or any of that nonsense. An expert pilot deserves better! Expert chs not only enable them to channel their full power, but are also vital to their growth!"
"This is why I think we should provide her with a quick stopgap solution."
"You're not getting it, Ves! Expert chs directly shape the future growth and developnt of their exclusive pilots. Why do you think it is so important for Seniors or ideally Masters to develop their expert chs? It is because the better the ch designers, the better the expert ch! The better the expert ch, the faster the growth of the expert pilot in question!"
"What?! Is this true?!" Ves gasped.
"It's not as strong as you think, but it is a definite factor in the developnt of an expert pilot." She stated. "Masters are simply able to design expert chs that accommodate the needs of expert pilots to a much greater extent. That is the simple truth. Therefore, if we want the best for Venerable Jannzi, it's not enough to involve a Senior ch Designer. We need to invite an honored Master to collaborate with us! Only then will we be able to do right by her. Don't you want the best for your cousin?"
He did want that. However, he did not wish to let other ch designers take over one of his cherished designs.
The argunt put forward by Gloriana put him in a very difficult bind. It wasn't easy to invite a Master ch Designer to design an expert ch for Jannzi. Such august personalities would definitely want to take charge of the design project. With their superior thods and strong design philosophies, neither Ves nor Gloriana would have much room to contribute to the expert ch design.
At best, the pair might be able to get enough work in to qualify as contributing designers. At worst, the Master in question took care of so many aspects of the ch design that Ves and Gloriana could barely squeeze in any work, thereby relegating them to assistant designers!
This possibility was absolutely unacceptable to Ves, and Gloriana knew that. She patted him on the cheek. "Don't worry, Ves. I know how much you care about your Aurora Titan design. I'll make sure to find a Master who is anable to so of your conditions. Just wait! With the help of a great Master, the expert ch version of the Shield of Samar will fully unleash Venerable Jannzi's potential! This is what she deserves!"
After a bit of discussion, Ves finally ended the call. He felt conflicted. Though he deeply wanted to maintain total control over the developnt of Jannzi's future expert ch, he simply wasn't capable enough to accept this responsibility.
There were multiple reasons why ch designers had to attain the rank of Senior before they were ready to design expert chs. Even then, resorting to Seniors turned out to be the inferior options. For machines that were destined to beco the future partners of expert pilots, it was a lot better if a Master took charge!
It was this last condition that caused Ves to be stuck in a dilemma.
On one hand, he wanted to maintain as much control as possible. As long as either Gloriana or him beca the lead designer of the expert ch project, Ves was confident that they could preserve the original essence of the Shield of Samar.
On the other hand, Ves wanted the best for Venerable Jannzi. The clan also benefited if their first expert pilot received an expert ch that was just as good as the expert chs fielded by the Friday Coalition and Hexadric Hegemony!
What mattered the most to Ves and the clan wasn't elevating her imdiate battle power. Instead, the true long-term benefit they needed to prioritize is accelerating Jannzi's progression!
By pairing Venerable Jannzi up with a high-quality expert ch, she could make considerably more progress in developing and increasing the utilization of her resonance abilities. Not only that, a well-designed ch also accelerated the growth of her resonance strength.
Resonance strength was the foundation of an expert pilot! Greater resonance strength not only allowed expert pilots to perform stronger resonance abilities in battle, but also increased their endurance in battle.
Having witnessed several expert pilots in action such as Venerable O'Callahan, Ves already knew the importance of fostering their fundantal growth.
If their growth rate was fast enough, then they might have a decent opportunity to advance to ace pilot!
This was a completely different level of strength, and one that was almost exclusive to second-rate states!
"Perhaps this is why the ergence of ace pilots is almost non-existent in third-rate states." Ves humd. "Third-class expert chs are not only weaker than second-class chs, but they are also designed by Seniors for the most part."
Such a gulf could not easily be overco with talent and other endownts.
In other words, the degree of investnt in an expert ch directly affected an expert pilot's growth prospects!
These realizations only made Ves feel more frustrated.
"When it cos down to it, I'm not ready yet." He sighed.
While Ves always wanted his expert candidates such as Jannzi and Joshua to undergo apotheosis as soon as possible, now that it actually happened, a part of him actually regretted this desire.
If Jannzi advanced to expert pilot a decade later or so, Ves would have been much better equipped to design a worthy expert ch for her! Even if he hadn't advanced to Senior yet at that ti, he could still offer her sothing that was not that much worse!
"Maybe it's not a bad idea to let Gloriana take charge this ti." He muttered. "She has always tolerated my design choices despite her own thoughts. Maybe it's ti for to learn how to tolerate her decisions. This is her specialty, after all. She truly knows better."
Ves knew he was being selfish when he revealed his desire to maintain his ownership over the Shield of Samar's design. Now that he reflected back on his stance, he felt as if he acted a bit too childish.
Properly speaking, ch designers existed to serve ch pilots. When Ves stubbornly put his foot down and insisted on designing a quasi-expert ch, he prioritized his own interests rather than his client's interests.
As long as the Shield of Samar did not change to the point of alienating her, Venerable Jannzi shouldn't have much of a problem getting used to a slightly different style of ch.
He remained indecisive as he exited the isolated chamber. Though he understood it was in the best interests of Venerable Jannzi to equip her with a proper, high-quality expert ch designed by a Master, he still felt unwilling to commit to such a decision.
"Maybe Gloriana can obtain sothing better." He muttered.
For now, he decided to wait and see how his partner dealt with this problem. She obviously wanted to advance her ideas, but Ves hoped she also took his own priorities into account.
In the anti, Ves decided to visit the clan's first expert pilot in person. Enough ti had passed for Venerable Jannzi to recover from her previous exertion.
Accompanied by Nitaa, Ves boarded a shuttle and traveled to the Redfeather. Once his shuttle docked at the light carrier, Ves stepped and greeted Commander lkor.
"Hello, Ves." lkor greeted him with a subdued voice. "I've been expecting your visit. Venerable Jannzi is ready to et you in the dical bay."
They began to walk to the sick bay while they discussed the state of the Avatars.
"The Battle of Ulimo Citadel has been hard on us." lkor remarked. "We can handle fighting regular pirates. It's the enemies we faced when we beca trapped in the anomaly that is difficult for us to stomach. You can't imagine how many Avatars and other clansn are confused by what we have lived through. What we witnessed and what we had to fight against aren't normal. None of us have ever imagined the Nyxian Gap is capable of producing such terrors."
Ves glanced at his cousin. Even if he covered most of his upper face with his new visor, lkor's discomfort was evident in his body language.
Conventional science couldn't explain the ghost chs and the abomination chs. None of the scientists or engineers in the task force could wrap their heads around powerful spiritual manifestations such as the giant avatar of the Unending One.
It was completely alien to them! Only Ves and a crackpot like Jas were able to understand the nature of the foes the Larkinsons had fought against!
He found it a bit depressing that not even the best intellectuals in the clan were stumped by the artificial anomaly.
"I can't really explain what we have witnessed either." Ves said. "However, we don't have to understand everything we see. Enemies are enemies. We just need to beat them. There is no need to think too deep about the thods of our enemy, especially when they are so abnormal. No matter what power they possess, we just have to rely on our own strength to gain the upper hand. This applies to every battle."
lkor mulled over his words. "I suppose you're right. I'll do my best to help the Avatars get over this battle, but it will take so ti before my n get back to normal."
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