Chapter 3236: Ineffectual Response The expeditionary fleet began to move. While it moved away from the large dwarven combat fleet that had just arrived in the Fordilla Zentra System, the vessels did not engage their propulsion systems at full strength. The ships of the Larkinson Clan, Glory Seekers and Cross Clan made it clear that they weren't running away per se. Instead, they wanted to build up a measure of motion and make sure their dwarven pursuers didn't barrel down on them with high speed. According to the calculations, the expeditionary fleet's maneuvers would delay the interception by half an hour to an hour, which was enough to button down the ships and affix more improvised hull plating on their surfaces. This time, the expeditionary fleet no longer bothered to play stupid. The actions of the Golden Skull Alliance made it clear that it has already figured that the Ferril Province came with hostile intentions. Strangely enough, it did not do anything to the dwarven patrol vessel. Aside from launching an intimidating amount of mechs in order to make sure the vessel kept her distance, the Larkinsons left her and her incredibly annoying captain alone. "As much as we would like to blow this ship into pieces, we should refrain from being the ones who engage in hostilities first." Minister Shederin warned Ves and the other leaders. "If there is any hope of deterring the Ferrils from going through with this ill-advised attack, then we must make sure that they will have to pay a grievous price for their actions. The MTA will certainly not take kindly to any actions that blatantly disregard its authority." "Will the MTA actually come and stop this battle if the dwarves ignore our pass?" Ves asked. The foreign minister briefly paused. "We have already contacted the MTA. Unfortunately, the reply that we have just received isn't encouraging." "What did the mechers say?" "Well, they have already informed the officials of the Vulcan Empire that they will revoke all special privileges granted to the state if the Vulcanites persist in launching an attack. This also includes the Association's guarantee of protection." That was a heavy punishment that would certainly alarm a majority of the population of the Vulcan Empire! There were plenty of sober dwarves who did not want to lose their main form of protection against invasion by neighboring human states. Unfortunately, the Dwarven God Cult and the fanatics that had gained a lot of sway in the Ferril Province did not think so! The more radical dwarven supremacists did not appreciate the MTA at all and wanted to force a break between the Vulcan Empire and the human-dominated organization! Since the MTA's draconian threat of punishment fell exactly in line with the intentions of the dwarven radicals, Ves and the other Larkinsons immediately figured out that it became even less likely that the Ferrils would call off their attack! "These stupid mechers!" Ves couldn't hold in his anger any longer. "Don't they know that they're giving the radical dwarves exactly what they want? The MTA should never reward rule-breaking behavior!" Minister Shederin's expression turned awkward. "I have tried to argue the same to the local MTA branch, but the reply I've received is that the response of the Mech Trade Association falls in line with the rules that they have set. You have to understand that the Association is a rules-based organization. It only acts according to the laws and policies that it has already set. It rarely makes exceptions and it tries its best to avoid letting personal judgement and subjective opinions affect its rulings. The current punishment they threaten to levy to the Vulcan Empire is the best the MTA can do while maintaining its impartiality." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂 This might be true on the surface, but Ves knew the MTA wasn't above bending or breaking its own rules. There was no way that the MTA had its hands tied. If the mechers really wanted to stop the attack, they could have dispatched a squad of first-class multipurpose mechs to this star system and stop the dwarves from challenging their authority! Ves narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He had a hunch that the MTA was not that eager to stop the battle from taking place. The Larkinsons developed a lot of new and impressive expert mechs, each of which exhibited powers that were beyond the norm. The Larkinson Clan also exhibited several other strange methods that were quite impactful in battle. What if the MTA wanted to witness the Larkinson Clan fight a serious battle? What if the mechers wanted to observe all of the amazing methods that the Larkinsons came up with? What if there was a stealthed MTA ship lurking on the side that was already waiting to record detailed footage and high-quality sensor readings? Though these suspicions sounded ridiculous at first, Ves couldn't help but think that the MTA had deliberately decided to form a lackadaisical response in order to ensure the battle would go through! Of course, Ves wasn't stupid enough to voice these thoughts. Who knew if the MTA was actually listening in somehow? It was not a good idea to insult and berate one of the current hegemons of human space. Ves slowly rubbed his smooth-shaven chin in concern. "I've learned a long time ago that we can never rely on greater authorities. They're not our nannies. If we want to stay alive and remain strong, we need to be able to stand up for ourselves. This is no different. It would have been nice if the MTA chose to adapt its response to the situation, but since it thinks that a collective punishment on the Vulcan Empire is enough to make the dwarves pay the price for this misdeed, then so be it. Our clan doesn't need to rely on any big brothers to defend its sovereignty." Any further words were superfluous at this point. Though Minister Shederin and his staff were still trying to do whatever they could to convince different factions of the Vulcan Empire to stop their radical compatriots from going through with this insanely costly attack, it didn't matter. The Molten Hammers, the Slug Rangers and the Hivar Roarers were all self-contained mech divisions that were already committed to their mission. The authorities based in other provinces might object to the Ferril Province's unilateral decision to force a break between the MTA and the Vulcan Empire, but they were too far to do anything about this action. It would take too much time to send a fleet that was powerful enough to prevent the situation from deteriorating! Though the Vulcan Empire kept this news from the majority of the population, plenty of leading figures within the expansive dwarven state learned about what was happening. Many traditional leaders such as Grand Regent Habidas Aaden and High Priestess Lyvell Greybeard vehemently opposed this move. Yet much to their surprise, a significant amount of leaders, including key figures within the central Uriburn Province itself, approved of the attack on the tall folk! The entire dwarven state thus entered into a political crisis that intensified the contradiction between the followers of the original Vulcan Faith and the members of the Dwarven God Cult! Since the separation between church and state was never a thing in the Vulcan Empire, a change in beliefs automatically translated into a change in policy. Ves always hated this because of one particular reason. It granted religious nuts real decision-making power! Plenty of Larkinsons felt the same way, but that did nothing to change their current situation. They had no choice but to accelerate their preparations. A lot of shuttles and transports moved back and forth. At the start, they transferred a lot of personnel and valuable goods from the combat carriers to the capital ships. At the same time, a large number of spacers in hazard suits as well as other vehicles began to fortify the starships with whatever hardy materials they had on hand. The logistical vessels were the primary beneficiaries of this treatment. They were too easy to cripple in their base configurations so toughening up their hulls would not only allow them to stall the enemy longer, but also buy more time for the skeleton crews to evacuate the damaged hulls in time. All of the mech legions of the Larkinson Army had already made special preparations. To Ves, the Battle Criers and the Eye of Ylvaine were especially worthy of his notice. The Battle Criers was one of the mech legions that had lost much of its value as the Larkinson Clan bloomed and gained a very effective measure of ensuring everyone's loyalty. As former mercenaries, the Kinners under the leadership of Commander Cinnabar didn't excel at any battle role. This had caused the Battle Criers to gradually fall to the bottom of the ranking of mech legions in the Larkinson Clan. Even the Living Sentinels was considered to be a more attractive mech legion for mech pilots to build their careers! If this trend continued, then there might come a day when the Battle Criers could no longer justify its existence. That was a big shame to Ves, so he had already taken it upon himself to repurpose them somewhat so that they remained relevant to the Larkinson Clan. Pairing them up with Lufa was key to granting them their new niche. Ves hoped to prevent a retread of the Battle of Reckoning where the struggle against enemy mechs led to a disproportionate amount of losses. "I hope my trust in you is not in vain." He whispered. It took a special sort of courage and dedication to resist expert mechs in an upright manner. In post-battle analyses, the Larkinsons identified a lot of instances where mech pilots let their awe and fear towards enemy expert mechs get the better of them. The reaction didn't have to be strong to affect their battle performance. Even a subtle, unconscious moment of hesitation or retreat was already enough to doom their lives! Since the Battle Criers were more loyal than any other Larkinson, Ves believed them to be the right choice to become his anti-expert mech specialists. Although this was just an experimental measure in his eyes, he held high expectations toward their performance in the coming battle. As for the Eye of Ylvaine, this was their first battle as a formal mech legion. Not only did they gain a strong legitimate identity within the Larkinson Army, they also received two powerful boosts in the form of a battle network and the Rod of Ylvaine. Their morale and enthusiasm had shot through the roof once Ves presented them with these gifts. "I hope they'll be able to maintain their confidence when they start to slug it out with the Slug Rangers." Ves muttered. As the distance between the two fleets slowly narrowed, everyone suited up for combat. Ves donned his Unending Regalia once again and sat down in the observer's seat while lifting up a new addition to his equipment. Different from his other gear, the hammer he held in his hands exuded a glow that should only be familiar with dwarves. This was the totem that he had created in order to enhance his upcoming charade. He wasn't sure whether it would help or not, but he appreciated the craftsmanship of his new toy. Even though the living totem was only a relatively simple hammer made out of Unending alloy, it had the potential to become something greater. "It's also a pretty good tool for hammering metal or bashing skulls." Due to the density of Unending alloy, the one-handed hammer possessed quite a lot of heft. The black object boasted a flat surface on one end and an axe-like blade on the other end. He only really needed a single flat side in order to hammer stuff. The sharp end of the totem gave him the option to cut through solid matter. The only embellishment that Ves decided to add to the hammer was to socket an enhanced luminar crystal onto the pommel of his hammer. It did not quite fit with the aesthetic of a rough work tool but Ves liked it nonetheless. It twinkled nicely with the light and lit up depending on how much spiritual energy he channeled into his new creation. The only point he was struggling with was how he should name this totem? "Should I call it the Brilliance Hammer or the Hammer of Brilliance?"