Chapter 7096: The Voice of the Empress The Polymath’s compulsion for control knew no bounds. When she gained control over Bridgehead One and ensured that she remained in charge for just over half a century, she took steps to consolidate her rule. From dissolving the Big Two to founding a new star empire, her ambitions were clearly great. In order to prevent herself from repeating the mistakes of the past, she proactively sought to strengthen her grip on her new subjects. Her unparalleled control over the Cybernetic Empire enabled her to implement a more thorough solution than normal. She not only mandated every citizen of the Cybernetic Empire to adopt cybernetic brains that granted the Star Designer permanent backdoor access, but also created a culture where this was regarded as a blessing rather than a curse! This was the most subversive and objectionable aspect of her actions. The Polymath had deliberately altered the culture and beliefs of the Cybers to such an extent that they violated a fundamental human right. Their right to remain fully in control of their own minds and bodies. This was one of the central tenets of human supremacy, and it had stood strong for multiple millennia. The human race had learned the hard way that compromising this principle in any way usually opened them up to exploitation and maybe even eradication. The Polymath should definitely be aware of the historical baggage and the lesson of truth it centered around, but she completely violated this old wisdom and imposed her own rules! This was why Ves found it difficult to recover from this latest shock. Once the other groups learned of what she had done, they would definitely harbor even greater mistrust towards the self-crowned sovereign! "I did not descend into Mr. Fournier’s mind in order to account for my decisions." A very distinct female voice continued to utter from the mouth of a man. "I came here because you provoked me into coming here. This was what you wanted, Professor Larkinson. Your wish is granted. Now speak. Ask your questions. Demand my tech. Do not hold back on my account." Ves shuddered. Inwardly, he felt like crying. He did not want to summon her at all! She was his least favorite Star Designer in the Red Ocean and he meant that! Meeting with her was like playing with fire. Yet... the Polymath may be many things, a lot of which possessed negative connotations, but she was not a liar. She was the Star Designer who embodied the concept of Truth. Much like how the Xenotechnician embodied the concept of Assimilation and the Web Mistress the concept of Networks, the Polymath could never betray what she stood for because she had effectively evolved to become on with this fundamental force or rule. Of course, that did not necessarily mean that everything she said was 100 percent correct and totally factual. Truth was relative. Multiple truths could exist at the same time depending on the cognition of different people. It would be far too restrictive for the Polymath to only be able to voice the complete objective truth. Yet given that the Polymath was the smartest individual in the Red Ocean, her words were able to ring with truth even if she did not rely on any mysterious abilities inherent to her status as a Star Designer. If she spoke the truth, then... at least a part of Ves truly desired to talk to the Polymath. From the moment he considered this possibility, he knew in his heart that it was true. He feared the Polymath and wished to avoid her as much as possible. At the same time, he also wanted to come into contact with the Star Designer and have a frank discussion on highly sensitive topics. Both could be true at the same time. Ves couldn’t help it. The part of him that sought answers pushed him to ask questions about her fragment of the Metal Scroll and how extensively the Iron Resonant Crucifix Crown had warped her cognition. Yet he knew that this was most definitely not the time and place to talk about a subject of such magnitude. He was still on Yernstall IV, a planet that was fully administered and defended by the Red Association. Although the Polymath or her people had probably secured this entire facility from eavesdropping, Ves still felt it was far too dangerous to talk about overly sensitive topics. "I won’t ask any stupid questions such as why you took over Bridgehead One and founded your own empire." He slowly said as he continued to gather his thoughts. "Let me ask a more fundamental question. Are you still human?" It sounded like a simple and easy question, but that was not the case this time. Hugo’s eyes glowed purposefully at this moment, which signified that the Polymath was in control this time. Yet the Polymath took an unusually long time to break the silence. When she finally spoke, she added a hint of her true emotions into her words, as if she remembered that she was more than a rational entity. "I still consider myself a member of the human race. I am more than a human, but I have not forgotten or forsaken my roots. There is no need for you to be concerned that I shall abandon my human identity. That would be a fundamental betrayal of my identity. I can understand why you have entertained this falsehood, but do not insult my intelligence. Your humanity is just as questionable if not more." Ves grimaced. He did not appreciate her reminder of his problematic phase lord physique. "Since you still consider yourself human, why are you not being more forthcoming in sharing much of the advanced technologies that you and your subjects have developed over the years? Why are you being so reticent about sharing even the most basic versions of your tech? I thought that Star Designers were supposed to rise above politics and contribute much of their works to their race and civilization." Hugo’s expression grew sterner. "Technology can play a decisive role, but uncontrolled proliferation can end our race just as easily. Not everyone deserves access to every tech. My subjects have all learned from my lessons and embody the ideas that I have espoused. The rest of red humanity does not deserve to gain access to my mechs. People must earn it first, and so far I am not impressed." "You insist on maintaining this selfish stance when there are many mech pilots and warship personnel that are dying in droves across every border region. Where is your humanity? You claim that you have not lost it, but you have already become a lot more disconnected to it than usual." "My humanity is still very much intact, Professor Larkinson. Advanced tech must be earned. I cannot and will not gift all of the advancements that I have made. I no longer believe that all humans deserve my tech. Too many of you are unguided projectiles. Without enough central direction, you are prone to making illogical and suboptimal decisions that wastes too many lives and resources. Only my own subjects are obedient and intelligent enough to follow my directions without casting doubt or undermining my plans. Only they can make full use of my technology." Ves grimaced. The Polymath still identified herself as human, but she no longer bore a sense of responsibility towards red humanity as a whole. She effectively absolved herself of responsibility for those who she could not control like a puppet. This attitude practically excused her dereliction of responsibilities towards her race! Only the humans she recognized were the humans worth protecting in her opinion! This was a dangerous regression and one that bent or outright violated one of the fundamental responsibilities of a high-ranking mech designer. Of course, the Polymath was not a pure mech designer anymore. From the moment she became a Star Designer, she had transcended the rules and limitations of her previous profession. There was no blueprint or map that dictated the progression of a Star Designer. Once they reached the stage of a True God, they needed to figure out how to proceed by themselves. Ves was not sure what the other Star Designers had chosen, but the Polymath had likely intertwined her subsequent cultivation to the Cybernetic Empire and her many subjects! He knew that there was no chance he could persuade her to abandon her current course. The Polymath had already become entrenched and held many advantages. There was no reason for her to give them all up and surrender the power that she had worked hard to accumulate. "Did you really have to impose this level of control over your subjects?" "Yes." The Polymath said through one of her citizen’s mouths. "Traitors among our own kind are one of our greatest threats. I cannot afford to let my technology fall into the hands of incompetent humans, or worse, our alien adversaries. Only by taking extreme measures are we able to achieve maximum discretion. Not a single one of my subjects will be able to leak any important knowledge or technological secrets. The rest of red humanity may share their inferior tech freely with their alien opponents, but my Cybernetic Empire shall always preserve its technological superiority. We are the failsafe that may one day rescue you from your own mistakes." Her high-and-mighty attitude grated on Ves. She truly saw herself as the only human with eyesight while being surrounded by the blind. The Polymath never even considered the option of working together with others in order to fulfill their shared goals. "Will you share the tech that I have requested?" Ves finally asked. Hugo’s purple eyes bore into Ves. It was as if the Polymath tried her best to penetrate through Ves’ head in order to see what was going on in his mind. "I have underestimated your greed... and foolishness. I did not anticipate your outrageous demands. However, you are in luck, because I can accept one scenario where I am willing to give you access to our technologies that are relevant to your Bloodfire mech concept. You must convince the Oblivion Gate Consortium to accept my entry and promise at least 10 percent of the transportation quota of all future exchanges between the galaxies." Ves reacted with mild shock! She certainly knew what to ask for. From what he knew, the Oblivion Gates were about to commence a third exchange very soon. The Evolution Witch and her hand-picked personnel were in the later stages of upgrading the Red Oblivion Gate with modest amounts of superdimensional matter. Successful implementation of this wonder material should hopefully enable much greater volumes per inter-galactic swap! There was a huge amount of resources that people wanted to import from the old galaxy. At the same time, the Red Ocean offered plenty of unique materials and treasures that had great value to the people of the old galaxy. A single trade could earn both sides a huge amount of profits. The Polymath clearly could not ignore the potential of this kind of trade and sought to regularize it whenever possible. "I... cannot decide on this matter." Ves slowly replied. "The Evolution Witch and my mother are the only ones that can make the call. So long as they approve, I will authorize the deal, but only if you deliver on all of the promised tech. Also, permanent access to the Oblivion Gates goes too far." The Polymath had made a hefty counterproposal, but one that Ves was forced to take seriously. One did not casually turn down a Star Designer. Her demand was also not entirely unreasonable. "I will convey your demands to the leaders of the Oblivion Gate Consortium." He replied. "I cannot guarantee that they will accept you into their fold. Their goals and priorities are different from yours. You may need to make further concessions in order to join their club." "I understand, Professor Larkinson Clan. I shall speak with them directly if necessary."