Gloriana most definitely dropped a bomb during the celebratory banquet!
The addition of another powerful ace ch ant that the upcoming expeditions would beco even more secure!
Although the Golden Skull Alliance still wouldn't be able to match the combat strength of the temporary coalition organized by the Gemini Family back then, it was more than enough to guarantee everyone's security under ordinary circumstances!
The likelihood of earning a huge profit increased by another margin while the risks beca less severe.
Even if the other alliance partners had to allocate a greater share of the loot to the previously unimpressive Glory Seekers, they readily accepted this change because an extra ace ch could save a lot of lives when encountering a setback.
"Those Hexers are awful people. They're the least likable people in this alliance."
"Who cares how much they hate n. They can keep their stupid ideology to themselves. I only care about whether they will cover my back in a fight. The Glory Seekers might be crazy, but they have always been reliable on the battlefield."
"What sort of ace ch do you think the Hexers will send to us? I hope we can get a ranged machine like the Mars. We can't let those alien battleships attack us from a distance with impunity."
As the news spread through the dining hall and beyond, the entire Golden Skull Alliance beca excited because of the news!
The most ecstatic people of all were the Glory Seekers themselves!
For many years, the absence of strong or capable leaders such as Patriarch Ves Larkinson, Patriarch Reginald Cross and Master Benedict Cortez had caused the Glory Seekers to beco increasingly less important in the alliance.
Hexers such as Marshal Ariadne Wodin and Venerable Brutus Wodin lacked the prestige and accomplishnts to lift up the status of the Glory Seekers.
If not for the fact that the Glory Seekers possessed the ability to employ battle formations in combat, it was doubtful that they would still be taken seriously by the Larkinsons and the Crossers!
Due to these developnts, the balance of power continued to tilt away from the special troop regardless of the active support provided by the Hex Federation.
This trend beca even worse after the recent entry of the Adelaide Third Fleet and the Boojay Family!
"Hah! Our Glory Seekers aren't as pathetic as before!"
"Unlike the other alliance partners, our group enjoys the backing of an entire colonial state that is comparable to Davute. We can receive a lot more support if not for the fact the Fridayn are keeping an eye on the Hex Federation."
"The Superior Mother has blessed our expedition!"
The surprise addition of a Hexer Saint instantly reversed the downward trend of the Glory Seekers. Every mber of this group instantly felt reinvigorated. Whoever the Hex Federation sent, fighting in the presence of a Hexer Saint massively boosted their confidence!
Several hours went by as the party beca more festive and boisterous throughout the evening.
Ves and his little family did not stay for long. They boarded their shuttle and returned to their Royal Mansion in the Cat Nest.
Once Ves and his wife put their tired but giggling kids to bed, they retreated to one of their living rooms in order to talk in further detail about the latest developnt.
Gloriana had not talked much about the offer of the Hex Federation during the celebratory banquet. It was not a suitable venue to talk in-depth about matters directly related to the security of the Golden Skull Alliance.
The married couple hadn't bothered to change out of their evening wear. Ves still wore his ceremonial Larkinson-thed tuxedo while his wife looked elegant in her black dress.
They both sat down on different couches while cats hopped onto their laps.
"ow ow~"
Lucky playfully rolled onto Gloriana's body and begged for pets. The woman obliged and idly scratched the gem cat's sensitive ears.
"Before you ask, this isn't my idea." Gloriana started. "My mother ca up with it first. She is so smart. It is not that the Hexers did not value you before, but that it was difficult to extend so much trust to a Journeyman, even if you are the Superior Mother's son. Your early breakthrough to Senior has managed to convince even the most skeptical and prudent Hexer leaders to invest in you. Does that not sound fantastic?! Our Glory Seekers have beco our greatest protectors during our upcoming travels! Forget about Patriarch Reginald Cross and his uncontrollable warlust. Our Hexer ace pilots will never leave us to fend for ourselves!"
Ves still hadn't overco his shock at the news. He leaned back as Gloriana continued to unleash a stream of words from her mouth.
"Miaow? Miaow…"
Fortunately, Clixie held to ground his emotions by resting on his lap and allowing him to pet her luxuriously soft fur.
The cat began to purr like an engine, causing Ves to relax as if he was being hypnotized.
No matter what the Hexers were up to this ti, Ves had no reasons to fear them at this ti.
"I haven't paid close attention to the Hex Federation as of late, but I know damn well that every ace pilot is a strategic weapon to the colonial state. The absence of just one of them will have massive consequences to the security of the Hexer people. Why are the Hexers willing to go this far to help our alliance?"
His wife continued to smile at her husband. "Because of you, my dear."
"Be serious. I don't believe the Hexers or at least their highest leaders have lost so much rationality that they are willing to make a losing transaction."
"Who says they will lose out by sending us an ace ch?" Gloriana replied. "According to my mother, the matriarchal dynasties have agreed to lend one of their ace pilots and ace chs to the Glory Seekers on a temporary basis. The exact duration will depend on several factors, but it should typically be around a year. In order to ensure that the Hexer ace pilots and ace chs can quickly join our expeditionary fleet or return to the Hex Federation, they shall be carried by the state's fastest and most modern superdrive-equipped combat carriers."
That sounded incredibly convenient. The fastest superdrives could complete a single transition up to a hundred tis faster than an ordinary FTL drive!
While Ves did not think a second-rate colonial state such as the Hex Federation could harness such Gloriana grinned at him. "You are almost right! As expected of my husband! The contract that the Hex Federation wants to sign with you will essentially spell out a transaction. To put in plain words, an exaggerated speed, it should be no problem for a superdrive starship to complete a journey in weeks instead of months!
The only major concern was ambushes, but it was impossible for them to succeed. A superdrive starship was too fast and could quickly reach any obscure star system.
Even if it was possible to pull off an ambush, the ace ch stationed on the vessel could easily demolish any obstacles in the way!
As such, the risks for this exchange were not as great as Ves initially thought.
The ntion of a rotation caused Ves to beco suspicious, though. Why would the matriarchal dynasties bother to rotate their most important trump cards?
His powerful mind rapidly considered many different suggestions before he stumbled upon a possible answer.
He almost stood up! "Wait. Are the Hexers expecting to upgrade their ace chs with whatever I can slap onto their powerful fras?"
Gloriana grinned at him. "You are almost right! As expected of my husband! The contract that the Hex Federation wants to sign with you will essentially spell out a transaction. To put in plain words, each matriarchal dynasty is willing to lend an ace pilot and ace ch to the Glory Seekers in turn. The implication is that these loaned aces will protect us and support our initiatives. If that is not enough, the matriarchal dynasties also grant us full access and permission to examine and modify their ace chs! As long as we can prove that our alterations will improve the combat effectiveness of these powerful machines, we can do anything we want!"
"What!?"
"Miaow!"
Ves couldn't calm down at this point!
Every ace ch represented a concentration of a state's best design work. Only the most proven and capable Master ch Designers were allowed to implent their most powerful design solutions that demanded the most expensive materials in order to develop chs that could decide the fortunes of their entire state.
Each of them contained so much brilliance that Ves could harvest a lot of lessons and inspirations from examining their fras!
The benefits of modifying the ace chs were even greater. Ves could apply all kinds of different design applications and see how well they amplified the performance of these top machines!
This not only allowed him to accrue valuable experience in working with so of the most high-end chs that he could get in touch with, but also boost the top-end combat power of the expeditionary fleet by a significant margin!
His eyes widened yet again. Thinking about how he could employ certain solutions to quickly increase the combat power of ace chs quickly caused him to recognize what the Hexers truly sought!
"I see now! Those matriarchal dynasties aren't lending out their ace chs to us for free. They want us to turn them into living chs so that I can empower them with blessed weapons! Once these powerful Hexer ace chs that no doubt incorporate a lot of transphasic tech are able to channel the power of the Phase King, they can practically beat up any Fridayman ace ch!"
The amplification provided by blessed weapons couldn't be overstated. Powerful ace chs such as the Thunderer Mark II and the Embodint of Love beca several tis deadlier after their formidable ranged armants gained the capacity to punch through much tougher defenses than before!
Applying this powerful design solution to a single ace ch could already made a substantial difference in the long-running conflict between the Fridayn and the Hexers.
If this arrangent continued to persist for a decade, then so many Hexer ace chs would gain such a massive edge over their Fridayman counterparts that the entire Magair Middle Zone might get upended!
"Do you know what will happen if I agree to this deal?! Sure, our fleet will benefit from a lot more high-end protection than before, but the Hex Federation will eventually build up a lot of blessed and empowered ace chs that those stupid won will not be able to resist the urge to launch a full assault on the Friday Colonies! Billions of people will suffer! Lots of ace chs will fall due to our actions! The Hexers will put their entire future on the line because they have no fallback option at this point."
Gloriana's grin grew wider as her husband kept speaking. None of this sounded distressing to her ears!
"Exactly! It may be difficult for the Hexers to destroy the Friday Coalition back in the old galaxy, but the Hex Army should easily be able to overrun the Friday Colonies. Just as the Fridayn once used the disparity between expert chs to their advantage, the Hexers shall use the disparity between ace chs to eliminate the enemy's greatest protectors. The remaining Fridayman soldiers will despair as they will have nothing left to keep our superior Hexer ace chs in check! It is because of this dream that all of the Hexer matriarchal dynasties have agreed to this special arrangent. The Vraken Matriarchal Dynasty have agreed my mother's proposal first, so its ace ch shall have the honor of becoming our first exchange pilot."
"..."
Ves didn't know how to respond. The deal sounded like a fantastic win-win cooperation at first. His expeditionary fleet gained a powerful thug while the Hex Federation slowly built up a huge advantage in high-end combat power.
However, once the Hexers dramatically made use of the advantages bestowed by Ves, he would no doubt attract a huge amount of attention, and not all of it would be good!
If Ves could massively amplify the combat power of the ace chs of the Hex Federation, then what about the Colonial Federation of Davute? What about all of the first-class colonial states that seek to beco empires of their own in the new frontier? What about all of the powerful chers that Ves could not resist?
The amount of attention and trouble he would incur far exceeded the benefit of having a powerful ace ch at his disposal!
This proposal sounded like a poisoned chalice!
User Comments
0 comments from readers