As Ves continued to put his effort into both his studies and his ch design projects, he grew more and more discontented over ti.
His performance was beginning to fall behind.
The problem hadn't been that obvious back when he stayed in Davute or in the expeditionary fleet.
He was by far the best and most competent ch designer in the Design Departnt.
Other second-class ch designers such as Gloriana, Sara Voiken, Cormaunt Hempkamp and most recently Beatrix Hendrix simply could not keep up with his workpace.
Each of them grew up under excellent conditions and beca excellent Journeyman ch Designers despite their relative youth. Their cranial implants played a major role in boosting their work efficiency.
Nonetheless, there was a vast gulf between second-class cranial implants and first-class cranial implants. These crucial devices combined with complentary gene treatnts could transform any ordinary human into a partially digitized powerhouse.
The total fusion between human ingenuity and advanced processing allowed ch designers and other engineers to work on the most advanced technologies without getting lost.
The better the cranial implant, the higher the increase in productivity!
There was an astronomical price gap between a second-class cranial implant and a first-class cranial implant.
The latter encompassed an enormous price range. The cheapest ones usually cost a few thousand MTA credits while the most expensive ones that were exclusively designed for high-ranking ch designers and such could cost hundreds of tis more than the price of a typical first-class multipurpose ch!
The increase in performance was nowhere near as exaggerated, though. Paying 100 tis more for a cranial implant may very well only increase a ch designer's work speed by only several tis.
While it was sowhat possible to combine the inherent processing capabilities of a cranial implant by linking it up with lots of external processing banks, there were many limitations and complications to this approach.
The security of this approach was dubious. The tiny but still significant lag between transferring signals between two radically different computer systems made it impossible for the human mind to completely rge with the data systems of a starship or a well-equipped design lab.
In fact, Diandi Base actually ca with a respectable centralized processing room. It featured a decent general computer core as well as enough processor banks to exceed the total processing power of the Spirit of Bentheim!
Unfortunately, neither Ves nor Gloriana could make use of their respective cranial bioimplants to intuitively connect with the external processors.
This ant that the pair could only make limited use out of the powerful processing capabilities.
Tasks that required a lot of number crunching but little ingenuity such as running simulations, solving problems by relying on brute force and performing a dizzying number of repetitive calculations was the extent of what ch designers could do with all of this processing power.
While that certainly made their jobs a lot easier, it still fell short of equipping themselves with a cranial implant that stuffed all of that processing power directly in their heads!
Of course, the advanced technology and extrely powerful exotics needed to create such an amazing cranial implant rapidly beca increasingly less accessible!
The effect of the law of diminishing returns had beco extrely strong at this point. The complexities involved with trying to cram more performance in such a tiny and interconnected package beca exponentially more difficult to handle.
Nonetheless, a lot of rich and wealthy people continued to invest lots of wealth into their developnt.
The market for high-end implants was constantly booming. In an environnt where every rival and competitor did their utmost to snatch up the limited opportunities that were available, anyone who refused to invest enormous sums in themselves would inevitably get pushed out of power!
Ves did not experience this pressure that much back when he was hanging around in the middle zones, but now that he had entered the Agamnon Upper Zone, he beca surrounded by excellent first-raters whose cranial implants impressed him on a daily basis!
From Jovy Armalon to the wealthier students who attended his classes, Ves constantly beca reminded that his 'hardware' could no longer keep up with his new peers.
In order to get a better sense of difference between himself and the Terrans, Ves planned an exercise during a practical class of his Advanced Manual Superfab Operation course.
He stood in front of the 100 awed and respectful fourth and fifth year ch design students.
Being able to teach them in the flesh as opposed to doing so by remote had only increased the attentiveness of his classes.
Even though Ves was still a second-class ch designer, it was a big deal to get taught by a tier 3 galactic citizen!
Ves did not even have to resort to parlor tricks like unveiling his glow or channeling any of his design spirits to keep these Terran students in line.
He activated a projection that depicted a scaled-down version of a generic second-class ch. It was roughly the size of a person, which ant that it looked similar to a suit of combat armor.
"Each of you have spent enough weeks on familiarizing yourselves with the operation of a superfab. You have learned how to configure its settings to your liking. You have learned a repertoire of fundantal skills. You have gained proficiency in fabricating many of the common parts at an acceptable degree of efficiency. Today is the ti to test how much progress you have made. I want each of you to fabricate a copy of this simplified design for the remaining duration of this class. While the scale model is only a simplified second-class machine, I have made sure to add plenty of tricky nuances in its design. If you think you can rely on automation to do all of the work, then you will be sorely disappointed."
Although the Terran ch design students were too polite and well-educated to groan, Ves could clearly sense that the brats were anything but amused!
Kelly McAfee raised her hand.
"Is this a graded test, professor?"
"Yes."
This ti, a couple of the students couldn't help but show their frustration.
Ves did not make an announcent about this beforehand! None of the students had been able to refresh their knowledge and practice their fabrication skills prior to this class as a consequence!
Even Axela Striker did not expect Ves to conduct a surprise practical exam today.
"I am aware that this is not an ideal circumstance to students such as yourselves, but that is exactly why I have decided to impose this test on you today." Ves spoke to them all. "Any ch designer can do a decent job if they have made thorough preparations beforehand. However, if you want to beco more than a cog in a giant machine that is called the ch industry, then you must be able to do more than that in order to be rembered."
His words resonated with the hearts of all of these fourth and fifth year ch design students.
They were just one or two years away from graduation. Once they exited the Eden Institute with a diploma, they had to enter a highly competitive ch industry where all of their high-ranking peers already dominated much of the market!
"It takes greater effort to internalize all of the skills and accrue enough practice to beco an experienced fabricator." Ves continued. "One of the traits of a good fabricator is the ability to do a good job on the fly."
After he explained the paraters of the graded test, the energetic students quickly approached their assigned superfabs and went to work.
By this ti, the students had already moved on from practicing with virtual superfabs to operating the real deal!
It was impressive to see a hundred superfabs entering into operation. Even if they weren't top-of-the-line, the Eden Institute still invested a hefty sum of money into their acquisition.
As the students all beca engrossed with studying the scaled-down ch design, Alexa Striker quietly approached her professor's side.
"This was supposed to be an ordinary practice session." She quietly transmitted to Ves. "Your spontaneous decision to turn it into a graded test will cause nurous problems. We will have to file new paperwork with the school administration in order to account for all of the ripple effects of this change."
Ves shrugged. "Then do so. I am sure that this is a trivial problem to the Eden Institute. How well do you think these students will do, Alexa?"
The young lady's expression loosened up. "I think that each of them will perform satisfactorily. Given your rapidly rising reputation, none of them wanted to leave a bad impression of themselves on you. They have all made sure to dedicate additional ti on learning and practicing what you have taught."
"Good. I hope I won't see anything ugly today. I expect much from these fine Terrans. By the way, has there been any progress on my latest offer?"
Alexa's eyes grew murky. "After my last talk with my grandfather, I have been trying to get ready to join your clan. It is not simple for to leave the ancient clan where I have been born and raised. The bureaucratic procedures are cumberso. Our elders must also convene and personally pass judgnt on my case. My grandfather should be able to make it happen, but he prefers to do it slowly in order to avoid attracting too much attention. I should be able to apply to join your clan before the end of this sester."
Ves nodded in understanding. "That sounds good. It doesn't matter if your entry gets delayed for a few months. It is more important for you to adopt the right ntality. I have already told you that it isn't enough to beco a Larkinson by na. You need to show enough sincerity and commitnt to earn everyone's trust."
"Your fad kinship network has been frustrating many spies as of late." The well-inford teaching assistant comnted.
The two eventually split up and walked along the hall. They supervised the students as they started to fabricate the parts needed to assemble a person-sized ch.
Normally, Ves and Alexa would co close and either correct an operation or provide helpful advice.
They did not offer any help this ti as this was supposed to be a serious test.
Every student concentrated fully on their own tasks. The speed and efficacy of their work varied considerably.
There were many variables that affected the speed of their work and the quality of their output.
As Ves looked over Klaus Robar-Fulton's shoulders, he beca mildly impressed by how far the civilian Terran student had co.
Having enrolled in all three courses taught by Ves, Klaus had beco a fan. The fourth year ch designer invested more ti in them, even when it ca at a detrint to his other classes.
Klaus had already co far since his starting point. His craftsmanship was still fairly basic and sloppy, but he at least made much fewer mistakes than before.
Now that he had gained a decent amount of practice, Klaus had already begun to express a distinct style. He only needed to grow more comfortable with his work in order to develop his personal style further.
That said, despite all of the work that Klaus put into improving his fabrication skills, his overall improvent could only be described as below average compared to his other classmates.
His low-tier augntation package was holding him back.
If his cranial implant belonged to a higher tier, Klaus should have easily been able to rank in the top 30 of his class!
Ves shifted his gaze to another nearby student who was descended from a clan.
The clansn easily perford better than Klaus even though his motivation and diligence might not be as great.
His superior cranial implants and other augntations boosted his performance to a much larger extent!
As long as the clan student did not do anything outrageous and slack off, he could easily remain ahead of a hard worker like Klaus.
This was the power of a superior cranial implant!
User Comments
0 comments from readers