Chapter 6600 Adaptation Period When Ves started a Mission-clearing marathon, he immediately entered into another mindset. Time became a lot more precious than usual. It only cost 1 AP to reside in the System Space for 24 hours. That did not sound like much, but 30 days easily amounted to 30 AP, which was not a small sum! However, two people could bear this burden a lot easier than a single person. At least that was what Ves hoped. It turned out that he was dreaming too much. "Damn," Ves said. "So it turns out that a single payment will only cover for a single user. If we both want to stay in the System at the same time, we have no choice but to pay 1 AP each." Ketis did not look too surprised. "It was too good to be true. Don't you recognize the obvious loophole if it worked as you thought? What if we invited hundreds of mech designers into the System and let them design their mechs in the Workshop of Creation? They could easily earn a lot of AP which they could subsequently use to extend their stay for multiple years. During that time, they will have all of the time they need to complete a large amount of mech design projects. The mech industry and mech market will receive a massive shock once we finally come out and release amazing hyper mech designs." She made a good point. Ves did not think about abusing the System to this degree in the past because he was still extremely reluctant to bring other users into the Mech Designer System. Even now, he had yet to consider the idea of inviting Gloriana, even though she was his wife! "I better get to work, then," Ves said. "I have spent more than enough AP to expand my storage space in the Vault of Eternity. I really need to complete those easy missions as fast as possible if I want to avoid a premature exit." With so little AP in his account, Ves became extremely serious about completing Missions. He worked on the ones that he neglected in the past as well as the ones that he had recently accepted. He lamented his inability to complete Missions such as 'Developing the Locos organ, as that required deep and extensive expertise in multiple fields of biotechnology as well a thorough understanding of phase lord physiology. He had considerably less trouble with less complicated Missions related to mech design and cultivation science. He particularly liked to spend his time on the easier Missions related to cultivation science and E-technology. This was his specialization. By this time, Ves had accumulated quite an eclectic collection of knowledge due to devouring numerous enlightenment fruits. While his knowledge base was anything but comprehensive and complete, it at least gave him a basis to improvise his own solutions! His extensive experience in designing living mechs and innovating new solutions had thoroughly allowed him to train his ability to solve a myriad of problems related to cultivation science and E-technology. In the beginning of the Age of Dawn, hardly anyone possessed more competence in this field than him! Ves could rightfully call himself an expert in these new and esoteric disciplines! As Ves continued to tackle one challenge after another, he became a lot more intellectually stimulated. He reveled in the challenges and enjoyed the process of figuring out brilliant solutions to unconventional problems. From exploring demonic cultivation to creating a controllable cultivation inheritance mechanism to benefit descendants, Ves constantly broadened his horizons and developed an interesting set of solutions. He had no intentions of making use of most of them, but he could not help but keep a few in reserve just in case they were useful at a later date. It didn't matter if his Mission-related works had no practical application for the time being. The journey was just as important as the destination. The more he began to solve these interesting problems, the better he became at tackling them in the most efficient manner! It was not enough to be able to complete the Missions. Ves could only call himself a qualified mech designer if he was able to do so quickly and with as little wasted actions as possible. The constant time pressure along with the overwhelming need to earn AP pressured him to rein in his creative instincts and make sure he stayed on topic at all times. Ves found it difficult to maintain his focus on the job all of the time. It was his nature to let his mind wander into other areas every now and then. That was where he gained his inspiration and came up with brilliant new solutions to difficult problems. However, his previous foray with the Deep Research Mode had given him a new appreciation of maintaining constant focus. Even if he did not deliberately put himself in that special state of mind again, he could still imitate a small part of its charm just by making sure he imposed discipline onto his own unruly thoughts! Ves felt as if he was undergoing another small baptism as he tested out his new approach. Though he did not come up with any crazy new ideas, his normal problem-solving capabilities improved just enough to be able to maintain a brisk rhythm! While Ves managed to find his groove and enter a good flow of mind, he made sure to avoid neglecting the presence of a fellow mech designer. Compared to Ves who was readily able to work for months on end in seclusion, Ketis clearly appeared to be having trouble getting accustomed to getting cut off from her circle of family and friends. "I miss Kirian. I miss Mayra. I miss Joshua. I miss the Swordmaidens. I miss the Heavensworders." She said as she sat down on a bench while eating a nutrient pack for lunch. "I thought I could bear the silence and monotony of working with just the two of us, but... it is much more challenging than I thought. Even when I practiced my swordsmanship until my muscles started to scream at me, I could always take comfort that my fellow sisters were always close at hand." Ves gave her an encouraging smile while he used a spoon to scoop up the tasteless paste contained in his own nutrient pack. A phase lord like himself could never fill his stomach with such a miniscule amount of nutrients, but he still made an effort to go through this seemingly redundant process in order to keep Ketis company. "This is just one of many tests that you need to endure on your journey to greatness, Ketis. How can you possibly prove yourself to be a sword god and a Star Designer when you cannot endure this temporary seclusion? It will only last half a year to a few years. Meanwhile, not a single second will pass in the main universe. Your children will remain just as young and cute as they were when you entered the System Space. The only sense of separation that exists between you and others only exists in your mind. As long as you can adjust your mindset, you will find that this is not a big deal." Ketis remained silent even as the Heavensword feebly attempted to remind her that she had a friend on her back. "How do you cope with this situation?" She asked. "I don't know, I haven't done this a lot. I never really thought too much about this problem. I only focused on my goal, which is to earn a huge amount of AP so that I can redeem a handful of juicy and expensive enlightenment fruits. Perhaps that is the key to making this ordeal more bearable to you. Don't think about your suffering. Think about something pleasant like what you can get out of this. Now only will we be able to upgrade the Dimension Observatory to the point where it becomes useful, you should also have enough AP leftover to buy an excellent enlightenment fruit. This is what you truly need. Your knowledge base is still too narrow." The swordmaster did not entirely agree with that last statement, but she was already beginning to follow his other advice. Her eyes began to shine as she fixated her thoughts on her ambitions. "One of the reasons why I agreed to participate in this marathon is because I see an opportunity to quickly improve my swordsmanship." She told him. "The Mission Hall conveniently offers multiple missions related to traditional swordsmanship. I enjoy the process of devising and mastering new sword techniques. I have even started to wield the Heavensword instead of the Bloodsinger." "I have noticed." Ves said. "It is difficult to miss the elemental fluctuations from your training sessions. It is quite impressive how much E energy radiation you can draw from the environment. It reminds me of the swordsmanship demonstrated by the simulated aliens from Messier 87" He never thought about hiding information about the strange swordsman aliens he encountered during the crazy lightning tribulation event that ultimately doomed the first Elemental Lord. In order to pull Ketis out of her funk, Ves dredged up the first-person footage that he stored in the depths of his cranial implant. He activated a projection to play out the footage. It was as if the pair of mech designers were watching an action drama. Although the stability of the footage left much to be desired, Ketis immediately grew fascinated at the techniques demonstrated by one of the four-armed alien swordsmen! No true swordmaster could ignore the attraction of viewing the techniques demonstrated by other skilled sword practitioners. Numerous four-armed swordsmen fought by combining the power of lightning with other elements. The combinations opened her mind and earned her appreciation, especially now that she had gained more skill and insight in combining swordsmanship with the elements. She saw far more about the alien and his swordsmanship than Ves, who fought against the powerful tribulation manifestation in person. Even the Heavensword expressed its enthusiasm for the show by rattling its scabbard in excitement! 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮 "Fascinating..." Ketis said. "There is actually much in common between the swordsmanship of this Messier 87 native and the swordsmanship demonstrated by the past wielders of the Heavensword. In both cases, the swordsmen always seek to amplify their techniques by borrowing the power of heaven. The strength of the former is only a fraction of the strength of the latter. You don't even need extraordinary willpower to harness so much E energy. As long as you can achieve harmony with one of the E energy attributes, I can become strong enough to crush a city even if I am wielding a human-sized sword." Ves directed a curious expression towards his student. "It sounds as if you are trying to become stronger by solely relying on this new form of swordsmanship." "That is true." Ketis nodded her head. "I am well aware that I have the option to bond myself to a Carmine mech of my own design. If I combine my swordsmanship with the frame of a high-ranking mech, I can overcome the weaknesses of my frail human body. While I felt tempted to go down this path, ever since the Heavensword chose to accompany me, I don't think it is necessary for me to branch out anymore. I only need to master a form of heavenly swordsmanship and use it to upgrade my existing sword style." Ves did not look surprised. He didn't even feel disappointed that she explicitly rejected his Carmine mech solution. "Not anyone has the privilege of wielding a grand work. Many people would kill to hold the Heavensword. You can totally fight against a phase whale if you are able to effectively harness the power of this relic weapon. However... what is gifted can easily be taken away. Will you still be able to fight against the powerful enemies of red humanity if the Heavensword departs one day?" "I... don't know, if I am being honest." Ketis slowly replied. "But I will make sure that I will become strong enough to stand on my own. The Bloodsinger will always be my main weapon."