Chapter 2646: Not A Pauper Anymore The visit to the Ylvainans put Ves in a heavy mood. Thoughts of mortality, losing and other heavy subjects filled his mind. Lucky floated over to the shoulder of the Unending Regalia and perched upon it. "Meow." "You don't need to worry about me." Ves responded. "I'm not letting myself get distracted for long." Plenty of time had already passed. He did not have to wait much longer before the battle commenced. In fact, both sides were already capable of firing on each other's starships. The capital ships of both sides were massive targets and it was not impossible to land hits on the larger sub-capital ships. Even if it was difficult to maintain accuracy at stupendous ranges, sustained attacks from laser weapons could definitely inflict a lot of damage over time! In fact, there was a very real possibility that Venerable Ghanso and his Scarra would start to siege the expeditionary fleet. Every single starship was on full alert during this time. They did not fly a straight course but weaved from side to side in random patterns. Yet no matter how much the starships tried to turn themselves into difficult targets, it did not change the fundamental truth that they were far too sluggish to dodge attacks that arrived almost instantly! It was quite telling that the Fridaymen did not do anything during this time. As a mech designer, Ves understood the reason why the incoming strike force withheld their fire. At longer ranges, the effectiveness of sieging an enemy fleet was questionable. Too much energy would be wasted on missed attacks. Even if they hit, energy weapons were not famed for their penetration capabilities. The combined fleet had already put its vulnerable support ships and civilian ships behind the bulk of better-armored vessels. The Spirit of Bentheim, the Indigo Tremor, the Antonio Cross and the Hemmington Cross were all incredibly beefy, and the sub-capital combat carriers were also tough in their own right! What would happen if a few hundred energy beams struck any of those heavily-armored vessels? It was virtually impossible for them to converge on a single point on a single ship! What would likely happen was that many beams would go wide. Those that managed to strike a ship would just sear different lines across the hull. It was too difficult to keep any beam on a single point, especially when the starship that got struck was rotating along her axis! Simply spinning around the hull was one of the best ways to mitigate incoming firepower. Such a response basically made it impossible for distant enemies to pile up their attacks on a single weak point and succeed in punching through several meters of thick hull plating! While the starships in question would definitely suffer damage, the most important point was that it didn't result in any effective advantages to the attacking side. What happened instead was that the sieging mechs would heat up considerably while expending lots of energy and other supplies. The conditions of the mechs would also degrade slightly while in use, preventing them from fighting in the main battle at their peak condition. This was also why the Larkinson Clan did not order its Transcendent Punishers to open fire against the incoming enemy strike force. The rugged heavy artillery mechs were designed to cope with the stresses of extended engagements, but that did not mean they could maintain their peak condition over several hours! Even if the difference amounted to just 2 to 5 percent, this might still be enough to tilt the outcome of a battle! Besides, if the Larkinsons or the incoming enemies succeeded in taking down a starship, so what? It was the mechs that decided the battle, not the vessels responsible for supporting them and bringing them to the right location! The effort only paid off if the attacks managed to down a capital ship, but the chances of that happening was far too low. None of the capital ships in the Golden Skull Alliance were fragile and thinly armored. Ves was actually grateful that he hadn't acquired a refinery ship or ark ship yet. He also patted himself on the back for his insistence on beefing up the defensive capabilities of his factory ship. In fact, even if the Larkinsons already acquired a non-combat capital ship, they would just put other ships in the way. "This quiet will not last forever, though." He grumbled. Once the two fleets came close enough, he had no doubt that the space in between would become filled with deadly beams! Ves eventually returned to his personal workshop. After clearing his mind of distracting thoughts, he checked his list for any measures he could still implement to gain an edge in the upcoming battle. "I don't have many choices left." Ves glumly concluded. While he had empowered a lot of mechs and mech pilots, he couldn't help but feel his preparations weren't enough. While his actions definitely improved his odds of winning, the battle could still go either way! "I haven't exhausted all of my resources yet. I need to do more to give myself more certainty. It seems I can't avoid it any longer." He looked around his personal workshop and entered an isolated compartment. He specifically ordered it built in order to provide him with a better venue than his bathroom to do his shady business. "Lucky, please check if there are any bugs or anything." "Meow." "Nitaa, guard the entrance. Don't let anyone in no matter what." His tall and silent bodyguard moved into place. Once Lucky swept the small compartment, Ves relaxed and activated a mental command. A shimmering comm materialized into existence. The comm briefly floated in the air before morphing into an opening in one of the vambraces of his Unending Regalia. Once the comm integrated with his personal armor, Ves activated the Mech Designer System for the first time in many months. The System instantly booted up. A flood of announcements scrolled past the projected interface. Ves ignored most of the information and only paid attention to how many Design Points he earned since he completed the design of the Blessed Squire. [Design Evaluation: Transcendent Punisher TP-A-01-B] … [You have received 50,000 Design Points for completing an adequate original design that has no other equivalent.] [You have received 50,000 Design Points for designing a mech with a high presence of X-Factor.] [Valkyrie Redeemer Valkyrie Redeemer VR-A-01-B] … [You have received 50,000 Design Points for completing an adequate original design that has no other equivalent.] [You have received 50,000 Design Points for designing a mech with a high presence of X-Factor.] [Design Evaluation: Chiron CH-A-01-C] … [You have received 50,000 Design Points for completing an adequate original design that has no other equivalent.] [You have received 50,000 Design Points for designing a mech with a high presence of X-Factor.] [Your project involvement is lower than 50 percent. Your rewards for completing this design are halved.] [Design Evaluation: Sanctuary SA-A-01-C] … [You have received 50,000 Design Points for completing an adequate original design that has no other equivalent.] [You have received 50,000 Design Points for designing a mech with a high presence of X-Factor.] [Your project involvement is lower than 50 percent. Your rewards for completing this design are halved.] [Design Evaluation: Crystal Lord Mark II CL-A-02-C] … [You have received 50,000 Design Points for completing an adequate original design that has no other equivalent.] [You have received 50,000 Design Points for designing a mech with a high presence of X-Factor.] [Your project involvement is lower than 50 percent. Your rewards for completing this design are halved.] [Design Evaluation: Ferocious Piranha FP-A-01-C] … [You have received 50,000 Design Points for completing an adequate original design that has no other equivalent.] [You have received 50,000 Design Points for designing a mech with a high presence of X-Factor.] [Your project involvement is lower than 50 percent. Your rewards for completing this design are halved.] [Design Evaluation: Valkyrie Avenger VR-AA-01-B] … [You have received 10,000 Design Points for completing an adequate variant of an existing design.] [Design Evaluation: Valkyrie Brunhild VR-AB-01-B] … [You have received 10,000 Design Points for completing an adequate variant of an existing design.] [Design Evaluation: Valkyrie Interceptor VR-AI-01-B] … [You have received 10,000 Design Points for completing an adequate variant of an existing design.] [Design Evaluation: Valkyrie Huntress VR-AH-01-B] … [You have received 10,000 Design Points for completing an adequate variant of an existing design.] [Design Evaluation: Valkyrie Hurricane VR-AC-01-B] … [You have received 10,000 Design Points for completing an adequate variant of an existing design.] As expected, The System awarded a hefty amount of DP for his major design projects. He received half as much Design Points for his minor design projects, but he did not have anything to complain about. Ever since he learned how the System adjusted its rewarded based on involvement, Ves made sure he contributed at least more than 20 percent to any project. This ensured that the System wouldn't shrink his cut any further. Compared to the DP he earned from designing his original mechs, the rewards for designing a bunch of variants really didn't amount to much! "It makes sense, though. I spent much less time designing these variants." He quickly checked whether he received any awards for developing his prime mechs, but the System wasn't so gullible. Despite discovering a new form of resonance, his stingy partner never paid attention to his innovations. Only mech designs earned its appreciation, and they had to pass several thresholds before the System took notice of them. The Valkyrie Prime and the other prime mechs were too low effort to earn him any DP. "Well, let's see how much progress I've made." [Status] Name: Ves Larkinson Profession: Journeyman Mech Designer Specializations: Spiritual Man-Machine Symbiosis Design Points: 457,342 Attributes Strength: 1.6 Dexterity: 1.6 Endurance: 2.0 Intelligence: 2.4 Creativity: 2.1 Concentration: 2.2 Spirituality: 2.1 Neural Aptitude: F Skills [Assembly]: Journeyman - [3D Printer Proficiency V] - [Assembler Proficiency V] - [Masterwork Mech Assembly III] [Battle Mechatronics]: Journeyman - [Knight Mech Mastery I] - [Rifleman Mech Mastery I] - [Space Knight Mastery I] - [Hero Mech Mastery I] - [Light Skirmisher Mastery I] [Custom Mech Design III] [Business]: Apprentice [Computer Science]: Journeyman - [Mech Hacking III] - [Programming IV] [Electrical Engineering]: Senior - [Structural Pathway Configuration V] - [Energy Storage V] - [Conductors IV] - [Ultracompact Energy Storage I] - [Power Reactors II] - [Dense Energy Transmissions I] [Materials Science]: Journeyman - [Crystallography IV] - [Crystal Laser Propagation IV] - [Lithic Materials I] - [Heat-Resistant Materials I] - [Luminar Crystals III] [Mathematics]: Journeyman - [Simulations V] [Mechanics]: Senior - [Jury Rigging IV] - [Speed Tuning IV] - [Mechanical Fault Detection II] - [Fine Motion Control I] - [Heavy Mech Design III] [Metallurgy]: Senior - [Alloy Compression IV] - [Fixed Armor Specialization IV] - [Flexible Armor Specialization I] - [Smart Metal IV] - [ASMAS III] - [Internal Structure Specialization II] [Metaphysics]: Apprentice - [X-Factor V] - [Spiritual Senses II] - [Spiritual Exploration I] - [Spiritual Manipulation III] - [Spiritual Engineering III] [Interfacing]: Novice - [Neural Interface Optimization I] [Physics]: Senior - [Directed Energy Weapon Optimization IV] - [Gamma Laser Weapons II] [Lightweight Armor Optimization II] - [Mediumweight Armor Optimization IV] - [Melee Weapon Optimization IV] - [Polarizing Shielding II] - [Rapid-Fire Laser Weapon Operation IV] - [Optics IV] - [Ballistic Weapon Optimization IV] [Propulsion]: Journeyman - [Flight Systems IV] [Salvaging]: Apprentice - [Field Repairs III] [Signals and Communications]: Journeyman - [Anti-Stealth Detection III] - [Active ECM Systems II] - [Passive ECM Systems II] [Stealth and Cloaking]: Journeyman Abilities [Superpublish]: Available. Can be activated once a year. [Inventorize]: Unavailable. Evaluation: A competent Journeyman Mech Designer who has made progress in the mysteries of life, mechs and synergy. Ves briefly smiled as he noted a lot of small improvements. His Spirituality had grown to 2.1, which was slightly out of his expectation. He thought he might bump into a bottleneck or something, but if there was any, he easily surpassed this barrier. Various Sub-Skills scored higher than before, reflecting his ongoing studies. He often referenced various textbooks while he was working on a design project. Gloriana always insisted that he should come up with better solutions whenever he bumped into challenging design problems. He even gained a couple of new additions to his Skill List without redeeming them from the System. "I can admire my mech design capabilities later." He reminded himself. The only piece of data that was truly relevant to his circumstances was how much resources he could spend. Ever since he completed the first round of mech designs, he earned several hundred Design Points at once! This clearly reflected the benefits to expanding his Design Department. With more and more helpers at his side, he was able to output a lot more mech designs than before, thereby skyrocketing his DP earnings! "I have over 450,000 DP at my disposal!" He was no longer a pauper anymore!