Referring to the Destroyer of Worlds as Irene rather than her cumberso and intimidating title did much to dispel the awkwardness in the air.
The illusionary observation compartnt provided a soothing and calming environnt. Though Ves could still feel the power of Irene's god kingdom, her control over her power was pretty good.
He figured that this compartnt was probably one of her favorite places to relax and decompress.
"You must be really busy all of the ti. Everyone must be clamoring for your help and protection. I am sure you are capable of fulfilling your duties, but it must be tiring for you to work and fight all of the ti without spending ti on other activities. Is it difficult for you to cling to your humanity?"
This was a rather invasive question, but Irene had done much to convince him that he could treat her as an equal.
Even though both of them knew that it was impossible for Ves to speak with her on the sa level, he had improved considerably compared to how he was before.
Irene continued to sit beside the window and stared out into the distant view of the Red Ocean from above.
The galaxy appeared small and unthreatening from this distance. Its red nebulas and its many twinkling stars made it look picturesque.
It was only when people actually resided among these stars that they experienced the many dangers of living in this divided and contentious dwarf galaxy!
"I am not able to give you a straightforward answer." Irene replied in a softer and more controlled tone than before. "No one aside from my fellow god pilots understands what we have beco. On one hand, we are more human than ever, far surpassing those Star Designers that have turned their knowledge into the core of their existences. I cannot share too much about this, but I consider myself to be more human than ever. My willpower is human from its root. That hasn't changed after I have strengthened and amplified it to an enormous extent. Out of all the humans that have reached this stage, I believe that god pilots have beco the most ideal form of human."
That ant that Irene considered Star Designers and the True Gods of the Five Scrolls Compact to be a lot more inhuman.
This was a valuable insight. Irene might not be as smart as the Star Designers, but she possessed her own profound perspectives on various subjects. Her understanding and views could shed a lot of light on topics that Ves had always wondered about!
"What about your god ch? Is it... alive, and does it consider itself to be a human?"
Irene smirked and glanced in his direction. "I knew you couldn't resist. It is not surprising for you to wonder about this considering the kind of chs that you have designed. The answer is... complex and touches upon one of the core secrets of god pilots. All I can say is that every god ch initially starts as a collaborative work between 5 top ch designers who are usually Star Designers. Each of them are brilliant in their own right, but when all of them join forces to create a single machine that surpasses all of their individual efforts, a miracle may be born."
The Ragnarok was a powerful machine beyond comparison. Its ranged offensive power was unmatched among all god chs. None of the other too known god chs possessed the capability to unleash so much planet-wide destruction after launching just a single fully-powered shot!
"So every god ch has developed an independent life because that is part of the characteristics of a grand work?" Ves guessed.
"You can understand it as such. It varies from ch or ch. I have seen many ace chs that have possessed a stronger spark of life, but never really amounted to anything more because their ace pilots are unable to make the jump. Each machine of this level will beco shaped by the willpower of their pilots. If any of them consciously wants to strengthen the life of their chs, then they can do so. It is just that few ever held this desire. Living chs did not really exist as a separate concept before you ca along."
Ves nodded in understanding. The only notable pilot that matched this description was General Axelar Streon, and he was clearly an outlier.
"You haven't answered my question. When you rged with your god ch, did the two of you fuse into a single composite entity, or maintained your separate personalities while occupying the sa 'body'?"
Irene shook her head. Of all of the questions an eager ch designer could ask of her, Ves fixated on this topic the most.
"What is the fourth step of the ch Body rger Process?"
"Total union. The ch and ch pilot have already reached an advanced stage of fusion at this point. The ch pilot only needs to shed the remaining vestiges of his mortality, whatever that actually ans, in order to fuse the remaining parts of himself with his machine."
"The fourth phase is called total union for good reasons. Everything must beco one. Body, mind, spirit and will must all be ford into a single pool that signifies the existence of a god pilot who is also a god ch. Do you understand now, Ves?"
Her answer caused Ves to frown. She was undoubtedly right about this step, but it sounded very disconcerting to him. It was not the ideal outco that he imagined when he beca serious about living chs.
"I... understand. If I am getting this right, the line that separates you from the Ragnarok has disappeared entirely. It is not possible anymore to distinguish where the pilot ends and the ch begins. It is aningless to make this distinction as the pilot is also the ch and vice versa."
"Correct." Irene nodded in satisfaction. "If you think about it, you are not just addressing myself as a god pilot, but also the Ragnarok as a god ch. I am both a human and a machine at the sa ti. I have beco so much more than the sum of those two parts. I truly cannot describe to you how much different I have beco because only my fellow god pilots are able to experience this special state of life. What life the Ragnarok used to possess has beco a part of . Neither of us consider this to be bad. The Ragnarok did not lose its personality, and I have not lost my humanity. Both of them continue to live on inside my very being. It is just that my personality as a human is stronger, so that has remained the most noticeable to the outside cosmos."
This had major implications for the future of his living chs.
For example, if General Axelar Streon was able to fulfill his greatest ambition and trigger his ultimate advancent, he would completely absorb the Ouroboros and everything that made it alive.
While the fusion granted the resulting amalgamation between the two a titanic power boost, both of them had lost the ability to maintain their own separate existences!
Separation was both unthinkable and impossible.
In this regard, a living ch had to be willing to make a sacrifice and allow itself to permanently lose the ability to live a separate existence from its ch pilot.
This was a heavy price for certain living chs as well as ch pilots.
Ves was not unfamiliar with these permanent bonds. The Carmine System actually shared a few common traits with the ch Body rger Process, but the permanent bond fell short of fusing the two parties together.
The answers provided by Irene gave Ves a more specific direction for improvent. For example, he could purposefully develop upgrades to the Carmine System that sought to rge the personalities of the ch and ch pilots a lot sooner!
This would allow a living ch to experience what it was like to be a human. It would also enable the ch pilot to gain a much more comprehensive understanding of his ch!
Of course, now was not the ti to delve too deeply in these kinds of ideas.
"Do you think that living chs will bestow any advantages to ace pilots looking to advance to the next rank?"
"I cannot say." Irene shrugged her shoulders in a very human fashion. "I have never piloted one of your living chs, so I do not exactly know what will happen if they fuse with their pilots and turn into god chs."
"Wait." Ves suddenly paused. "Is it possible for you to pilot other chs as a god pilot!? Can you pilot other god chs?"
What an incredibly banal question!
God pilots were already paired with the ultimate chs that had been designed and built with their characteristics in mind. There were no other chs that can serve them better than their own god chs!
Irene directed a slightly more intensive stare at Ves. The power of her irritation was so strong that Ves experienced a painful sting to his Spirituality!
"Enough with these silly questions. I may have told you to treat as a friend, but my patience is not limitless." Irene rebuked Ves. "Let us talk about matters of substance. I originally wanted to wait until you had settled your nerves, but now I think it is better to direct your attention to more important purposes."
Ves agreed with her sentint. He was not one for small talk at the mont. Too much had happened for him to return to a state of calm. The failed assassination attempt made it impossible for him to relax for the being.
"Let's talk about what happened earlier. I understand now that the Red Association used my product reveal to lay a trap. Were you involved in it from the beginning, or did you just agree to help when you arrived and noticed what the chers were doing?"
Irene smiled. "The latter. The chers originally stationed one of their ace pilots at Phoca Arena, but I can do a much better job at protecting you from danger. I hope you understand why we did not inform you of our plan. The surprise must be total in order to attract enemies who are highly cautious and observant."
"I see. May I ask what has happened to Master Xieliq Quan now that he has fallen into the hands of the chers?"
"I care little for what the chers will do with him. I can imagine that they will utilize all of the tech and more special asures to steal all of the confidential information related to the Cosmopolitan Movent. I can tell you that a captive as high-ranked as him is a massive prize to the Association. The chers harbor so much hatred against the cosmopolitans because they are so slippery. If they are able to use Master Quan to collapse an entire cell, then that will earn a few more useful favors."
Ves picked up a certain subtext behind her words. He narrowed his eyes and looked around. This was a useless gesture as there was no way the chers could possibly eavesdrop a conversation involving a god pilot.
"Forgive for asking this, but... are the Terrans and Rubarthans as opposed to the cosmopolitans as the chers and the fleeters?"
The female god pilot directed a distinctly subtle look at Ves.
"That is a good question. It is also a dangerous one. You are not ready to get involved in matters of this level. No matter what sort of accomplishnts you have made, you are only a Senior ch Designer for the ti being. You need to grow up more. What I can say to you is that my personal stance is that the cosmopolitans are better off dead. They have beco so greedy for your bounty that they will persistently threaten your life in the years to co. This is an intolerable affront. If not for the fact that the cosmopolitans are so difficult to track down, I would have set out and crushed each and everyone of them with my Ragnarok after they dared to claim your life. No one is allowed to threaten my friend!"
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