"This design… what have you been doing with them?" Ves wondered.
"I asked Sharpie to help ." Ketis answered. "He's been really helpful, though I feel a bit drained whenever he does sothing to my design. Whatever it is, I think it's useful! Whenever I think about it, I feel as if I'm more in tune with it. It's a swordsman ch designed by a swordwoman. It doesn't get any more genuine than this! Don't you agree, Ves?"
Ves didn't necessarily subscribe to that theory, but he nodded because he didn't want to pop her bubble. "Your personal experiences are invaluable to your work. It's just that I still don't entirely think this ch concept can actually work. Using two broad-bladed swords as shields is still an awful idea no matter how you look at it. A proper shield is much thicker and covers a significantly larger surface area. Certain models of shields even co with sharp edges if you still want to add so cutting power."
"I already told you that I am not interested in designing sothing as boring as a knight ch. Even if this idea isn't practical, I still want to design it to completion, just to see how well it can defend against ranged attacks.
"Well, if you're sure. I like your commitnt at least. Fail or succeed, at least you'll get sothing out of it. Just don't try to push faulty products down the throats of your target audience."
"I know, Ves. I think this ch could be very interesting to the Swordmaidens. Defending in this manner is sothing that every Swordmaiden ch pilot has trained in. My sisters don't like to pilot traditional knight chs because they heavily constrain their ability to attack. Offering an alternative that suits their fighting style can go a long way into improving their tactical flexibility."
Ves continued to study her updated design. Compared to the original, it was a bit more developed. It also gained a lot of technical refinents based on his feedback.
Her strength as a ch designer had beco a lot more impressive to him. Due to all of the candies he stuffed in her, the amount of knowledge she possessed was already sufficient.
The challenge she faced was utilizing what she learned. Ves suffered from the sa problem sotis and that was an unavoidable consequence of absorbing too much theory and know-how from the System at once.
He didn't expect much improvent in this aspect. He was wrong.
Not just this defensive swordsman ch design, but all of her other personal ch designs exhibited the sa degree of maturity as well. It was as if she had transford from an awkward, inexperienced Apprentice into a more seasoned ch designer who knew her craft well!
He saw the hint of an Apprentice that was ready to advance to Journeyman at any ti.
What she did to the ch design might beco her main direction.
He pointed at the sword wielded by the duel-wielding swordsman ch projected in front. "Although I'm not sure what Sharpie has done, my best guess is that it has imparted so of his strength to the ch design. Any ch derived from this design will probably be able to channel so of that into its swords."
"And therefore make it sharper, right?"
Ves reluctantly nodded. "That's my guess, but I'm not certain whether it will work. Though Sharpie is a part of you, it is not a good habit of using powers you don't understand. You need to know what you are doing in order to make true progress."
"I'll take that into account." Ketis grimaced. "I don't know whether I'll even be able to do so, though. From what I heard, we're facing so very powerful enemies soon. Without anyone to help us, will we be able to escape?"
"It's hard to say. We're not going down without a fight, though. We've plundered a lot of resources from Ulimo Citadel and we're already starting to make good use of them. In addition to that, I have so other surprises in store that may be able to level the playing field. Warships may be the ultimate weapon in the galaxy, but the ones built and operated by pirates are probably ramshackle and deficient in many ways. There is no way the shipbuilding infrastructure in this unstable region can sustain the production of better-quality ships."
It took a lot of people and so very expensive machinery to build a starship, and that only applied to the simplest ones such as transports and cargo haulers.
The bigger and more sophisticated a ship, the greater demand on expertise and infrastructure. Since the Nyxian Gap was not known to be an intellectual or industrial powerhouse, the Allidus Alliance must have wasted far more resources on building the Gravada Knarlax than the pirates should have.
It didn't really make sense to Ves at first. Then he began to recall the bottleneck on ch pilots.
Though there were always outcasts and criminals fleeing into the Nyxian Gap every day, the supply of ch pilots still remained limited.
In comparison, the amount of norms that entered this region was a lot higher. Even if non-ch pilots weren't treated as well, those with useful skills could still find a place in the pirate community.
Being able to crew a warship with norms was the biggest advantage to fielding them. Though truly skilled and knowledgeable people such as naval engineers and command officers were still in short supply, they didn't catch as much attention as ch pilots. It was therefore easier for any pirate faction to prioritize employing them. The Allidus Alliance only had to spend a couple of years to gather and train a full crew.
Ves continued to evaluate Ketis' recent design work. She even showed him an updated draft design of her so-called Monster Slayer ch.
Different from the rest, the Monster Slayer was a second-class ch design. Even though her draft was anything but complete, Ves spotted many more points that might have worked in lesser ch designs but would surely beco a problem if Ketis wanted to design a higher-specced ch.
"You haven't designed any chs yet, Ketis. While I understand your haste, it's better for you to take your ti and focus on studying what makes a second-class ch different from a third-class one. What I'm seeing right now is that your depth of knowledge in this area is too shallow."
The woman looked glum. "It's still an early version. I'll keep working on it. I don't want to downgrade my design. My goal is to deliver sothing useful to the Swordmaidens, and I don't want to wait several years to do so. If we survive the coming crisis, then becoming a second-class ch designer is my second-highest priority after trying to advance to Journeyman!"
"How close are you to breaking through?"
Ketis shrugged. "Beats . Did you know beforehand whether you would advance?"
"I did so right after I completed the design of the Aurora Titan and presented it to the market. You haven't designed or published a single complete ch design of your own making yet, so you don't know what you're missing out. Once you start serving custors, any custors, you will experience a degree of satisfaction that is unique to creators."
He stretched his hand and placed it on top of her own hand. "It is easier to destroy than to create. Just look back at the Age of Conquest. It takes centuries to turn a barren planet into a thriving population center. It takes a single battleship to bombard it all to oblivion."
"Aren't the products we make supposed to be used to destroy?"
"You're not wrong, but that's not the complete picture. Humanity is a race that thrives on order. Ever since our civilization has started, we have constantly expanded our territory and exploited more resources in order to make greater greations. Weapons, farming implents, houses, vehicles and more can't be made without people like us who develop the knowledge to create all of these essential products."
Ketis raised her hand to adjust her poofy beret. "What does that have to do with what I said?"
"Weapons are tools. chs are tools. Their imdiate use may be related to violence, but they are actually the ans which people use to impose order. Warfare is nothing but a struggle to gain supremacy. The galaxy may look a little bad with all of the petty wars taking place between states, but conflicts like these can't be prevented. Our place in this society is to supply the war machines that our custors need to further their own interests."
"And that leads to order?"
"Yes." Ves sincerely nodded. "As long as our chs are the strongest, our custors will reign supre in their respective domains."
"What if our custors consist of both sides of a conflict?"
"Then they have both made a good choice. Regardless of who wins or loses, the battle will solely play out by the rules that we have set. This is a different form of order."
Ketis narrowed her eyes at her. "I don't know. It all sounds like crap to . chs are big, powerful machines that can kill thousands of people in a minute. Every battle fought by chs has led to a lot of destruction. Just look at the pirate bases that we have overrun."
"They're pirates." Ves dismissively snorted. "Setting them back is a great way to increase the order in civilized space."
Ketis crossed her arms. She looked increasingly skeptical at him. "It all sounds like excuses to . Why can't you just admit you just want to channel your urge to destroy sothing with your chs? Isn't that why we have entered the Nyxian Gap?"
"That's different! We didn't enter the Nyxian Gap to satisfy this nonexistent craving! We set out to earn a lot of MTA rits in the fastest way possible!"
"Uh huh. Whatever you say."
Really. What was Ketis talking about? Did she think of Ves as a savage or sothing? That couldn't be further from the truth!
He coughed. "We've strayed from the original topic. Let's head back to my original point. Right now, you have beco better at designing chs, but that doesn't necessarily an you are a good ch designer."
His student looked confused. "Isn't that the sa?"
Ves shook his head. "Designing chs is just one aspect of being a ch designer. There are steps preceding this act and steps following this act. Before you design a ch, you need to understand your target audience. What do they need? What do they prefer to use? What are they lacking?"
"I already did that with the Swordmaidens. None of my ch designs are irrelevant to them, even my dual-wielding design."
"You possess a unique advantage in that area, I'll give you that." He conceded. "It's what happens afterwards that you need to work on. Right now, you have little experience in this. While you have participated in several successful design projects, those works belong to Gloriana and I. As an assistant, your contribution is marginal, so you don't feel the sa sense of pride and accomplishnt that we do. Every creator craves validation. It is the reward that your inner ch designer sorely needs to lift you to greater heights."
She didn't understand him. How could she? Her uneven developnt had left her very stunted in this area. The reason why Ves placed so much importance in this aspect was because he predicted that she would definitely be able to step up once the addressing this shortcoming.
Ves truly hoped to see her turn into Journeyman soon. Still, it was hard for him to feel optimistic about her chances when his fleet was under an enormous crisis. What could Ketis possibly do if she ever manages to advance to Journeyman?
Unlike expert pilots, ch designers did not exhibit any flashy powers when they ford their design seeds. All of the excitent happened in their minds.
He sighed. "Just work at your own pace. You don't need to hurry. You're still young."
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