The System offered many Skills related to ch design, but probably not everything. Even if it did allow him to learn so highly-exclusive knowledge, it was often locked behind insane price tags or onerous mission requirents.
Take for example the foundational Skill that was simply called Expert chs. Ves needed to obtain this Skill first before he could access the huge variety of Sub-Skills that were each tailored to enhance specific aspects of these powerful machines.
Most of them related to manipulating resonating materials and getting them to cooperate with the resonance abilities of specific expert pilots. From what little Ves could see when he activated the System and browsed the Skill Tree, these Sub-Skills ford the actual specialization of ch designers who engaged in designing expert chs.
"This is probably why multiple Seniors or Masters usually collaborate on expert ch designs." Ves muttered.
Certainly, a ch designer specialized in defense was probably the most suitable person to design an expert ch for Venerable Jannzi, but other specialists were needed to round the ch out and ensure they weren't too one-dinsional.
It took far too much ti and effort for any single ch designer to learn all of the branches in his lifeti. Doing so would only cause them to gain a basic proficiency in each area. This was much less efficient than just specializing in one branch and going as deep as possible. If they ever needed to add sothing else to an expert ch, they could just reach out to a colleague for a collaboration.
Expert chs were very impressive. Their performance was high and their budgets were even higher. This ant that many ch designers who were constrained by the limited budgets of comrcial ch designs could finally let themselves go and implent the solutions they had always dread about!
With budgets ranging from 100 to 10,000 tis more than a typical design, a lot of ch designers could employ extravagant solutions in an expert ch design. Not only would they gain a lot of experience and insight from implenting their high-powered solutions, they were also able to gain a lot of data from seeing them at work.
It was not unusual for ch designers to try out cutting edge innovation in expert chs first. With all of the data they gain from the implentation, they were sotis able to derive a lesser but much more economic version of their inventions.
"And this is just one of the reasons why ch designers are so eager to participate in an expert ch design project!"
Few opportunities existed for ch designers to take part in an extrely high-spec design project. It was unrealistic to go through all of that effort for a ch design targeted to mundane ch pilots. Only high-ranking ch pilots were worthy of this level of pampering! Only in their hands would the most powerful chs be able to justify their existence!
This was why Senior and even Masters who possessed the qualifications to design expert chs were very eager to take part in such projects. As long as Ves or Gloriana were willing to bankroll the enormous expenditure of developing an expert ch, they could easily attract the interest of many Seniors and higher.
Of course, that was just one of the aspects he needed to take into account. Up until now, Gloriana still hadn't been able to accomplish a deal that satisfied everyone's demands.
"It's better if we can just design an expert ch ourselves."
This was not possible for Journeyn. The ch community generally presud that only Seniors were capable of designing them. Ves wasn't sure why, but when he read up on the topic, he learned a very telling piece of news.
Any ch designer who advanced to Senior had to visit one of the MTA's sector headquarters and stay there for a ti as a guest. They not only had to register and prove their qualifications as a Senior, but also gained nurous other benefits during their stay, including the ability to design expert chs!
Even if a ch designer couldn't care less about the Big Two, this last reason alone was enough for them to bow their heads to the MTA!
Ves was a bit suspicious of what these newly-advanced Seniors experienced when they went on another pilgrimage to the MTA. Different from Journeyn, Seniors always enjoyed positions of considerable power and authority. They also beco professors at educational institutions without exception.
It was as if the MTA put a gun to their heads and threatened to pull the trigger unless the new Seniors imdiately promised to teach a class of ch design students!
"Well, I'll probably have to go through the sa ordeal in the future." He grimaced.
That would take a couple of decades at the very least. While Ves had made so progress in advancing his design philosophy, he had barely stepped away from the starting line. He still had much to go before his tree grew wide and bushy enough to advance to Senior.
Most ch designers who couldn't wait to design an expert ch therefore did their best to advance to Senior as quickly as possible!
Ves thought he would have to follow this trajectory as well, but the System actually offered him an alternative.
[Expert chs - Senior] - 1,000,000 DP
Prerequisites: Senior ch Designer OR fulfill 1 S-Rank Mission
The Skill started at Senior rank straight away, which made sense since Journeyn and lower were only able to participate in expert ch design projects as assistants.
Just the amount of DP he had to pay was extrely high. While he was sure that the price tag was sowhat justified by how much complete and extensive knowledge the Skill imparted to him, it was still a huge burden to fork over so many Design Points!
Aside from that, he also had to et one of the two requirents imposed by the System.
Advancing to Senior ch Designer was the default requirent, but also made the offer redundant. Once he advanced, would he fork over 1,000,000 valuable points to the greedy System, or would he visit the nearest MTA sector headquarters and obtain the knowledge for free?
"Only fools will pass over sothing given for free!"
Of course, the MTA didn't actually pass on this exclusive knowledge without a price. Nonetheless, Ves hadn't heard anything bad about these pilgrimages.
"Still, I can't wait that long. Our clan already has an expert pilot, and we'll probably gain more if we manage to survive the upcoming battle."
With so many expert pilots in the clan, Ves did not want to rely too much on external ch designers to solve the need for expert chs.
This was why he was a bit grateful that the System offered him another way to gain the necessary Skill.
Ves was only happy for a small mont. In order for him to skip the need to beco a Senior, he just had to complete a S-Rank Mission. Simple, right?
"You damn scamr!"
He resisted the urge to whack his System comm against his desk. This requirent infuriated him! Were S-Rank Missions easy to complete? Heck no! Ves had five outstanding S-Rank Missions, but had made little to no progress in fulfilling any of them. The Supply Missions asked too much!
Perhaps the only mission that Ves could complete in the near future was the one that demanded an extraordinarily valuable exotic known as Timpala Steel, but that entails years of travel.
"You stupid System! Can't you offer a way to design expert chs that won't take years or decades to complete? How can you be so obstinate?"
Of course, the System did not deign to reply to him. Ves hoped that it would be generous for once and offer him so alternative missions such as 'Destroy the Gravada Knarlax' or 'Escape the Nyxian Gap Alive', but it wasn't that generous.
"Co on, help a poor fellow out, will you? My fleet is surrounded by pirates. Won't you lose your investnt in if I die?"
[The ch Designer System becos unbound when its current user is no longer able to design chs. Other ch designers will then be able to gain user rights to the ch Designer System.]
WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!
"You goddamn piece of crap!"
His attempts to cajole the System into helping him failed. Even if his mother possessed so sort of influence over it, the System largely followed its own rules.
From a transactional perspective, the System demanded a lot of energy and resources. Ves provided what it needed by designing chs and obtaining special, high-value exotics.
Nothing about this transaction implied that only Ves could fulfill the System's needs. Others such as Gloriana and one of the countless other ch designers in the galaxy could satisfy its needs as well!
It was pointless for Ves to get angry over this fact. The System possessed unknown motives and wasn't necessarily dependent on him. It could afford to sit back and relax while Ves went through all kinds of crises.
If he died, the System would simply hop over to another ch designer, simple as that.
Ves sullenly smirked. At least he made sure not to beco dependent on the System either. Certainly, he was still willing to take advantage of its services, but he was still capable of getting what he wanted the old-fashioned way.
He shook his head. There was no point lusting after the Expert chs Skill when he only had a little over 100,000 DP in his System account. Even if he t one of the prerequisites, Ves still had to complete a lot of ch designs to pay for the price of redeeming this potent Skill.
"Let's get back to business."
Ves transferred the encrypted data transmitted through the Xona Crystals to his System comm.
The little device beeped upon receipt of the data. Ves waited for sothing to happen.
"Uhm… are you doing anything with the data?"
The System remained silent for a ti until the System nu suddenly made way for an entirely new projection.
Ves imdiately took in the large projection. It turned out to be a schematic! A design schematic!
While Ves was happy his hunch turned out to be true, Ves quickly frowned as he studied the design in greater detail.
"This… is not a ch design. Nor a design of so other device."
If he interpreted the complicated schematic correctly, the design actually represented a spiritual construct!
"What?! Mom! Do you think I can put sothing as complicated as this together?!"
The design almost blinded him by how dizzyingly complicated it appeared. While it wasn't as ridiculously advanced as the Grand Dynamo, its complexity far exceeded that of his simple spiritual constructs!
Ves had to be a much better spiritual engineer in order to put sothing as multifaceted and multilayered as this together. There was a reason why it took four separate communication attempts to transfer over the complete design!
What was worse about the design file was that it ca with very little explanation and context. Ves didn't even know what it was supposed to accomplish if he put this elaborate spiritual construct together!
The final difficult aspect about this outrageous design was that Ves had to use up a lot of spiritual energy, far more than he possessed himself!
As his shock began to fade, Ves tried to figure out what the spiritual product was supposed to do. He didn't recognize anything, but his intuition gave him so hints.
"If I'm interpreting this correctly, it's.. ssing with sothing in the Nyxian Gap. Is it.. a beacon? Maybe a portal?"
If this elaborate spiritual construct allowed his parents and the rest of the Oblivion Hand to arrive in an instant, then it was still worth the effort to create it no matter how many hurdles were in the way!
There was no way his mother would leave him out to dry. If this was the solution they prepared for him, then it was definitely worthwhile to try it out. After all, his mother loved him, right?
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