"I'm telling you, Raella! So good old-fashioned ch duels are indispensable to a good show!"
Director Raella Larkinson shoved Vincent aside. "Your suggestion is noted. I will make sure to consider your input carefully before I throw it in the trash."
"Co on! Why don't you agree? The ch athletes in our clan are jumping at the opportunity to impress the wedding guests!"
"I SAID NO, OKAY?! Many of our guests are Hexers or visitors from other second-rate states. They'll laugh at us when we try to entertain them with duels between third-class chs."
"Then why aren't we duelling with second-class chs instead?"
"We're not good enough yet! Rather than embarrassing ourselves, we should impress the guests in other ways. Parading around the captured warships and showing off our expert pilots is enough to earn their respect. There is no need for us to paint ourselves as clowns by showing off our weak and pathetic chs."
"The Adonis Colossus is not weak and pathetic! He's a masterpiece!"
Raella glared extra hard at Vincent. "My decision is final. Besides, even if you managed to convince , you still have to go through Gloriana. Let tell you that she thinks even less of our ch gas circuit."
With all of the focus towards the military side of the Larkinson Clan, the leisure side received relatively little attention.
The more serious clansn still saw Raella's efforts as trivial, but she knew her investnt would eventually pay off in the future.
The main reason why the Larkinsons didn't yearn too much for in-house entertainnt was because they had easy access to an entire planet. Off-duty Larkinsons frequently took a shuttle ride to the cities of Cinach VI. There, they could attend much grander arena matches or go out at so amazing venues.
Yet once the grand expedition truly started, every Larkinson needed to get used to living most of their lives aboard ships. The carriers, transports, logistical ships and so on provided much less venues for entertainnt.
At that ti, Raella believed the Larkinson Championship Series would beco the primary form of group entertainnt for her fellow clansn. Compared to most forms of virtual entertainnt, a competitive circuit that not only took place in realspace but was rooted in the clan should be able to capture the imagination of many Larkinsons!
"Am I right, Minxie?"
"Nyeow~"
The elegant white cat resting on her lap squinted her eyes and rubbed her furry head against Raella.
As Raella laid so plans for the future while ignoring Vincent's complaints, elsewhere another Larkinson contemplated his future.
After presiding over an exhaustive eting that dealt with the reorganization and expansion of the Avatars of Myth, lkor Larkinson wandered off to a large ch workshop. After passing through the mandatory security checks, he entered the enormous hall.
A large number of heavily-damaged chs that Task Force Predator hadn't been able to restore were being reconstructed by hundreds of industrious ch technicians. A handful of low-ranking ch designers diligently planned out the repairs while the chief technicians made sure their n followed their instructions.
Off to the side, a team of Braves and Erudites were personally caring over a special ch.
While the Quint was still in fighting shape when it returned to Cinach, its condition had deteriorated. A lot of smaller issues and microcracks had ford that might not impact its performance now, but would lead to severe problems in the future.
In order to make sure the ch retained its masterwork quality, the clan had to provide it with excellent care.
Several teams of notable ch designers such as Rina Orion, Felicia Slenn and Oscar DiMartin reverentially disassembled the exceptional machine and serviced its parts.
"How is the work proceeding?"
"It's going well, sir, though we're running behind schedule." rrill O'Brian answered. "The Quint is not a regular Bright Warrior ch. We would rather err on the side of caution than ruin one of the Miracle Couple's best works."
The majestic ch that was still assigned to Venerable Joshua deserved the best treatnt that the Larkinson Clan could offer. Strictly speaking, Ves and Gloriana should have been working on the ch in person, but they were far too busy to perform this kind of work.
The lead designers entrusted the responsibility of maintaining the chs assigned to the expert pilots to their assistants.
While lkor wasn't able to judge the quality of their work, so far the Quint did not appear to have suffered. That was good.
"Excuse , commander, but this is the third ti you have co to inspect the Quint in the last three days."
"So?"
lkor raised his eyebrow. It was too bad that his large visor hid this gesture.
"The Quint is no longer under the purview of the Avatars of Myth." rrill flatly stated. "Venerable Joshua Larkinson and his Bright Companions have been transferred to the Hall of Heroes. Frankly speaking, the condition of the masterwork ch is none of your business anymore."
The Avatar Commander smiled wryly. "I am aware of that. I still can't stop myself from coming back. I'll be seeing this ch a lot less once Venerable Joshua settles on another berth. Hopefully, once he obtains his expert ch, the Quint will beco free."
"Are you.. hoping to beco its next ch pilot?"
"I can't hide it from anyone, huh? You're guess is right."
"It's not much of a guess when everyone here can see how much you yearn to pilot it. Even I get amazed at how this ch just cos together in a way that none of the other machines can match. You're not a ch designer, so you don't fully understand the brilliance of what we see. It's a privilege to work on such a subli ch."
"I hope you will take good care of it, because I will fight to be its next ch pilot." lkor spoke with determination. "I've saved up all of my rits and refrained from spending it anywhere else. I hope Ves will grant my request even if my Avatars haven't perford fantastically well during the Nyxian Gap Campaign."
After spending years on establishing the Avatars of Myth as the premier ch troop of the Larkinson Clan, his personal developnt as a ch pilot had suffered. It was impossible for him to match the training intensity of every other Avatar ch pilot when he had to be in charge all the ti.
Yet in his heart, he still hadn't forgotten his identity as a ch pilot. Whenever he encountered Venerable Joshua or Venerable Tusa, he wanted to be like them. He would eagerly give up his position as Avatar Commander if he was able to beco an expert pilot!
"You should wait before you make any hasty requests." rrill advised. "The clan patriarch has made it clear to us that the Quint is no longer a ch to be piloted lightly. He is personally in charge of deciding who gets to pilot it, and he has already told us that only expert candidates are eligible."
Her words instantly collapsed half of lkor's dreams!
"Why?"
"You would have to ask our patriarch about that. From what I see, the Quint and a number of other LMC chs that have survived the Nyxian Gap Campaign are.. different. They are stronger and greater than the chs that have always been in use here in Cinach. I think that these machines may have been the reason why our clan has welcod the likes of Venerable Joshua."
Her views only fueled lkor's desire to pilot the Quint! Wasn't it good that the masterwork ch facilitated Venerable Joshua's rise? What if he received the opportunity to pilot this great machine?
Though lkor understood the logic of letting the expert candidates pilot the Quint instead, the selfish part of him wanted to seek out Ves right away!
"Hold your horses, commander." rrill grasped his arm. "The Quint is a fine ch, but it's design doesn't completely fit a ch pilot such as you. It's better off in the hands of soone who is skilled in more aspects of ch combat. Our clan will soon have sothing better in store."
"Such as what?"
"The successor to the Crystal Lord."
lkor frowned. "I've heard about that. I'm no longer interested in piloting third-class chs."
"I think you'll find the second version of the Crystal Lord to be a lot more impressive than you think. Besides, just like the Quint and the other chs of the expert pilots, you can ask the Miracle Couple to customize a ch that fits your needs."
That sounded a bit more interesting to lkor. "Tell more."
As the two discussed his potential options, so Wodins were gathering so distance away.
Constance Wodin greeted her oldest two daughters as she studied a projection of the hexagonal-shaped wedding platform.
Every single detail had to be as precise and flawless as possible to do her youngest's wedding justice!
"Mother." Amarintha Wodin spoke first. "We have studied the changes taking place in the Larkinson Clan ever since the boy returned."
"Report." The imperious woman spoke.
"The Larkinson Clan is accelerating its preparations to embark on a grand expedition. Their current focus lies in recruiting high-skilled ch pilots and other personnel as well as accumulating supplies suited for extended journeys."
The three Wodin won were disappointed at this developnt.
"So Ves Larkinson truly intends to leave." Constance wearily remarked.
"He's too rebellious for his own good." Kellandra gritted her teeth. "Gloriana hasn't done a good job at restraining him. In fact, she's letting him run free!"
Constance raised her hand, causing her second daughter to fall silent.
"We have talked about this. We cannot apply our standards to the boy and his clan. They are foreigners, not Hexers. It may be difficult to accept this truth, but for the sake of our daughter, let us not spoil our relationship with the Larkinsons."
Amarintha reluctantly nodded in agreent. "Mother is right. We're not used to this, but we aren't dealing with other Hexers anymore."
Dealing with foreigners on an equal basis was sothing new to the Hexers. To them, foreigners either ant Fridayn or lessers. In both cases, the Hexers were used to issuing demands.
"Kellandra, what have you learned from the movents of their high-ranking ch pilots?"
"They're trying out sothing different. Rather than keeping their expert pilots attached to their units, the Larkinsons have set up a Hall of Heroes where they will preside from now on. Strangely enough, control over them is very loose. They can do as much or as little as they want, but if they want to obtain rewards such as upgrading their expert chs, they have to earn rits like the rest of their clansn."
"How.. Fridayn of them." Her sister reacted with contempt. "This is straight out of the playbook of the Fortune Legion. Rather than keeping his expert pilots under control, the boy intends to incentivize them as if he were a rchant."
"He's a ch designer and a businessman. You can't expect anything better from such a greedy boy."
"His greed played an essential role in his success. While we Hexers are accustod to taking orders from those who are older and wiser from us, the debased people of the rest of the galaxy can only be manipulated by acting on their material desires." Constance lightly rebuked her daughters. "Now, what is the state of our Glory Seekers?"
"They are fully ready to accompany the Larkinson Clan." Kellandra answered. "We have made sure to add plenty of civilian personnel to their ranks. Once they reach the Red Ocean, they can establish a Hexer colony in the new galaxy whenever they find the right opportunity. Gloriana will have her kingdom if she so desires."
"Gloriana has always been ambitious. If the Larkinson Clan cannot keep her safe, then the Glory Seekers cannot fail."
"We know, mother. While there are limits to what the Glory Seekers can bring, Brutus will make sure that Gloriana is well-cared for. He's a good boy."
"That he is." Constance smiled.
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