Ves could barely believe that he had made such a radical decision. The consequences of going through with his intention of turning Alexa Streon into his apprentice were enormous. The Rubarthans were bound to dislike this action, and so would the mechers to a lesser degree! A lot of analysts who had a habit of overthinking would definitely try to glean the political implications of this course of action once it became known. People might guess that Ves had started to favor the Terrans for whatever reason. Ves could do little about all of this outside speculation. He could only proceed forward and do his best to make the most out of this new situation. Shortly after Ves had revealed his intentions to Alexa Streon, the woman had just concluded a private correspondence with her grandfather and possibly a few other key figures. "Professor Larkinson." She spoke as she did a remarkable job at maintaining her poise. "You are correct about the need to talk in person. It is better to meet sooner rather than later. I... cannot give you an immediate answer to your invitation. This is a matter of great significance, as it will cause our two clans to become associated with each other in a formal relationship. It is not so easy to sever these new ties once they have been formed." "I understand. I believe that this is the best possible outcome for the both of us. I want to help you, Alexa. I want to help you be of service to your grandfather. I won't be able to turn you into a competent living mech designer overnight, but so long as you stay by my side and work with me for a few years, I am sure you will be able to learn all you need to develop your own variation of living mechs and break through to Journeyman." The possible scenario presented by Ves sounded incredibly attractive to Alexa, but she possessed enough caution and rationality to restrain herself. There was no need to make any hasty decisions at this junction. She still had plenty of time to collect more information and perform a thorough analysis on whether it was a good idea to accept this unique offer. "Is there anything else you would like to add?" She asked as she kept a tight lock on her composure. Ves furrowed his brows. "There is. It is very difficult for you to inherit my design philosophy when I haven't even realized it yet. I have come up with an alternate solution that might allow you to quickly get started with living mechs. You have heard about my companion spirits, right?" "Yes. It is a source of great promise, but has generated a lot of controversy among our community." "Well, I intend to create a custom design spirit for you that will allow you to work with living mechs to a much better extent than you can accomplish by yourself." Alexa reacted with mild shock. "Is that even possible?! According to our sources, only warlords and warfighters are eligible to receive this reward. You will be breaking the rules set by the Red Association if you try to give me a companion spirit." Ves smirked in response. "That is not entirely correct. As the inventor of companion spirits, I retain the right to hand out my own work to the members of the Larkinson Clan. Do you see where I am getting at? As long as I induct you into my clan, I am legally allowed to bestow you with one of my companion spirits." That was not an action to be taken lightly! Different from companies or other organizations, clans were always tight-knit family organizations that weren't so easy to join or leave. The Larkinson Clan might be unusual in that it openly recruited a huge number of outsiders, almost none of its members had left and sought to join another organization. Alexa Streon was clearly a member of the Streon Ancient Clan. While she was still young and unproven, if she managed to make a lot of accomplishments and become a much better mech designer, her strategic value to her clan would definitely skyrocket! It would not be easy for Alexa to leave the Streon Ancient Clan and join a foreign clan. Perhaps the only reason why this option was not completely unreasonable was because there was great value in developing a closer and more permanent relationship with Professor Ves Larkinson. "Joining your clan is permanent, correct?" She asked. Ves nodded. "That is generally the case, but I can change the rules of my clan anytime I want. Look, I don't mind it if I make use of a loophole by letting you become a Larkinson long enough to receive a companion spirit before you return to the Streon Ancient Clan. There is no need for you to remain a member of the Larkinson Clan in order to receive my tutelage. However, I don't think the Red Association will find this acceptable behavior. The integrity of the New Elites Program must be maintained, so it is best to follow the letter as well as the spirit of the rules." In other words, if Alexa accepted this offer, she would have to live her life as a member of the Larkinson Clan for the long haul. Perhaps the galactic climate might undergo a lot of changes in a few decades that would eventually allow her to sever any formal ties with the Larkinson Clan and return to the Streon Ancient Clan. There was no guarantee that this might happen. There was a real possibility that Alexa would have to resign herself to assuming the identity of a Larkinson for the rest of her life. This was too big of a transition for her life. While the abrupt rise of Professor Ves Larkinson as a tier 3 galactic citizen made this option a lot more palatable than before, Alexa was not enthused about separating herself from her family and her home state. "I need time to contemplate this further." She said. "That is okay." Ves responded in a gentler tone. "You do not have to make your decision right away. Let's talk again when I have arrived at the Eden Institute. I need to go now. An issue has come up that I need to address right away." Once they said their goodbyes, the remote connection that allowed them to interact with each other disengaged. The Hyper Chamber around Ves no longer simulated the office room at the Eden Institute. This also removed the physically projected office chair that he had just been resting on a moment earlier. Ves had already learned his lesson in a past incident. He had made sure to stand up before he fell onto the deck of the Hyper Chamber that had just returned to its neutral setting. He quickly checked his schedule. An important meeting with General Verle and his legion commanders was coming up. This was where he intended to discuss their future participation in a deep strike operation. He also intended to address the subject of making use of his EdNet quotas and bring up the availability of the new general cultivation elixirs with his expert pilots. All of this was vital to laying the groundwork for the Larkinson Clan's partial transition to a serious first-class organization. His interactions with Alexa reminded Ves the need to expand his own power. He could not keep relying on third parties to maintain his safety and protect his own interests. Betrayal was always a possibility. If the mechers ever thought they could get more value out of him by betraying their trust, there was a high probability that this would actually happen! This was not the fault of Jovy Armalon or the other mechers that he had become acquainted with. They just thought on a different level than ordinary people. Ves frowned all of a sudden. "Now that I think about it, my thinking and decision-making processes have become janky as of late. I am pretty sure I wouldn't have interacted with Alexa Streon in this fashion if I stuck to my old habits." He started to grow disturbed at how much he had changed since his return. He felt he had become unusually arrogant and disdainful towards the authorities that he once feared and respected. While he was sure that he had been repressing his real feelings for a long time, that was no reason for him to embrace the other extreme and speak irreverently on so many matters! Ves abruptly narrowed his eyes as he left the Hyper Chamber. Had he become affected by mental or spiritual contamination? He did not feel anything wrong, but that was the insidious part about contamination. The victim never noticed the danger while he was being changed on a fundamental level! Though Ves did not believe there was any cause for alarm, it was better to check in person to see whether everything was still alright. He diverted to a small and empty office compartment that afforded him a bit of privacy before he started to look inwards. "I've been avoiding this for far too long. I should have checked up on it much sooner." He took a deep breath before he entered the System Space. His entire surroundings changed as he was mentally transported to an idyllic mountain top environment. THere was no time to appreciate the view. Ves raced towards the Vault of Eternity and checked its current contents. Amidst all of the junk that he had kept in storage, a single object was noticeably absent. "What? Where is the crown? It was supposed to be right here!" He just confirmed that the Iron Resonant Crucifix Crown was safely stored inside the Vault of Eternity a few days ago. He emphatically recalled that he had not withdrawn the crown since that time. There were only three possible explanations. First, the System withdrew the crown for whatever reason. Second, Ves unconsciously took the crown out of storage. Third, the crown somehow managed to find its own way out of its cage! Ves quickly fixated on the last possibility. When he thought of how strong the crown was supposed to be and how it was intricately tied to the Metal Scroll, it became clear that relying on the System to restrain this dangerous symbol of authority was not the best idea! "Damnit, I need to track it down before it does any further damage!" He quickly climbed up the steps of the mountain top and visited every stop along the way. There was no sign of the crown at the Divine Bazaar or the Tree of Possibilities. Ves grew more apprehensive as he came closer to the top. When he still found no trace of the crown, his imagination started to conjure up more alarming possibilities. His alarm continued to spike to greater heights as he approached the Sacred Temple. The Chosen Courtyard and the Pantheon still looked the same as ever. This only caused his mood to sink even further as there was only one location left where the crown might have holed up after escaping the Vault of Eternity. When Ves finally entered the central chamber where the Sacred Hearth was located, it became clear that the worst possibility had occurred. The crown had somehow managed to find its way to the representation of his Divine Core! Three Divine Cores hovered inside the Sacred Hearth. One corresponded to himself. One corresponded to Blinky. One corresponded to Vulcan. Of the three crucial Divine Cores that represented his essence, the Iron Resonant Crucifix Crown had somehow lowered itself on top of the developing Hand of Creation that represented his purest essence! The very sight chilled Ves to the core. Considering how extensively the crown had managed to corrupt an actual Star Designer, he did not look forward to becoming its latest victim! "GET AWAY FROM MY CORE!" When Ves reached out and tried to pull away the crown, he found to his dismay that he was unable to separate it from his Divine Core! The crown was stuck!