Chapter 2699: Step Up Ves didn't have a habit of meeting with the Living Prophet. He detested religion and had no patience to listen to the gospel of any believer. As far as he was concerned, he only needed to care about his immediate life. There were way too many unknowns in current science that he would need trillions of years to figure out all of the answers. There was no way he could spare the time to contemplate the more mysterious and philosophical aspects of reality and existence. "I'm just a mech designer. Why should I bother with aspects that are completely unrelated to my area of expertise? Scams should be left to the professional scammers!" Because of this, Ves rarely met with James. For his part, the Living Prophet was content with spending time with his adherents and trying to fool more unsuspecting Larkinson into his faith. If there was one good thing that Ves had to say about the religious leader, it was that he looked the part. Even though James was fairly young for a prophet, he was quite handsome. Of course, that wasn't special enough in itself. In an age where cosmetic treatments were highly-developed and commonplace among those with enough money, anyone could put on a pretty face. What the Living Prophet had was a lot more special. He was persuasive and charismatic in a way that would probably make any politician and statesman green with envy! Whether James trained hard to become such a good speaker or whether it was his natural talent, his charm was so compelling that even enlightened Brighters fell under his sway! Ves expected to meet a handsome and charming man who was about his age when he paid a visit to the so-called 'Ylvainan Quarter' of the Spirit of Bentheim. Instead, he encountered an aged figure whose appearance almost matched the classical depiction of Prophet Ylvaine! When Ves entered the shrine where a disturbingly-accurate statue of himself was spreading out his hands in a welcoming gesture, a single figure knelt before the altar. When that robed figure rose to his feet and turned around, Ves felt as if the original prophet had traveled forward in time! The wrinkles, the loss of vitality, the decrease in energy and above all the greying hair all matched the original prophet back when he was alive during the time where his faith was at its peak! This older version possessed a more subdued presence. A profound sense of wisdom and sagacity exuded from his thinner and frailer-looking body. The current James had taken on an appearance that many men would want to look like when they grew older. Even Ves wanted to foster a similar kind of air when his body eventually aged to this level! He quickly suppressed his yearning and focused on the more important matter. "What happened to you?" He asked bluntly. "If I remember correctly, you didn't have as many wrinkles when we last met, and that was just before the Battle of Reckoning." The older-looking James smiled in that annoyingly familiar fashion. It was the kind of smile that someone adopted when they knew something that the other person was ignorant of. It was the kind of expression that one took when they wanted to be smug about their information superiority. "The battle that we have fought is indeed a reckoning, but not just to our enemies. They have all received the judgement they deserve, have no doubt about that, but we are not exempt either. There is a price for everything. In order to ensure a better outcome, I have decided to make a sacrifice that is well worth it considering the alternatives." "This.. doesn't answer my question. What exactly did you do? Is it because of a lack of energy?" James shrugged. "You might as well see it that way. I no longer have as many worshippers as before. While my influence in the Larkinson Clan is slowly expanding, it is incomparable to the flock that I used to have before." Ah. Ves had already suspected as much. With the Ylvaine Protectorate doing everything possible to warp its interpretation of the Ylvainan Faith in a different direction, even the diehards had difficulty maintaining their grasp on their original beliefs. With the loss of so many believers, the amount of people who supplied actual spiritual feedback to the Ylvaine the design spirit had dropped to a paltry level. Aside from scattered believers living elsewhere in the Komodo Star Sector, the only core that the Great Prophet had left amounted to thousands of sincere believers. While this was still a large sum in some respects, apparently it was not enough to fuel Ylvaine's demanding powers. Ves couldn't hold his curiosity any longer. "Are you dying?" James nonchalantly shrugged. "Everyone is dying, Bright Martyr. Some die sooner than most. I suppose that I have fallen into this category as well. I can't say when I will finally succumb. It could be weeks. It could be years. All I can say for certain is that my current end has been shoved forward by a wide margin. It's a shame to skip over so many decades, but it is a worthwhile sacrifice considering how many lives I have saved through my actions. I would gladly exhaust my entire life if that is what it takes to grant salvation to every Larkinson." The Living Prophet sounded as if his great sacrifice was just a trivial matter to him. Ves felt incredibly disturbed at this situation. He didn't like it! He hated to be put into situations where he or the ones who were on his side had to sacrifice their lives or freedom to pull others out of a fatal situation. Back in the past, he witnessed the destruction of the ground forces of the Flagrant Vandals and Lydia's Swordmaidens at the hands of Venerable Foster and her fellow Vesians. During the Battle of Kesseling VIII, the Swordmaidens came to the aid of the Larkinson Clan and lost even more of their precious mech pilots because of their decision. Now, it appeared that James had given up a considerable portion of his life to empower his design spirit. Was it worth it? Certainly. The instance where the Transcendent Punishers systematically demolished the Destiny Hammers was a crucial turning point of the battle. If the Ylvainans hadn't defeated their Fridayman counterparts so soon, they wouldn't have been able to provide as much support to the expeditionary forces in the later phases of the battle! The role the artillery mechs played in the Battle of Reckoning couldn't be overstated! The Larkinson Clan would have definitely been in a much poorer state if Ves hadn't completed the design of the Transcendent Punisher in time! Yet.. the mech still wasn't strong enough to carry the entire battle. The entire reason why the Larkinsons had to borrow the power of glows, design spirits, prime mechs and battle networks to begin with was because they were too weak! Their mechs were too cheap. Their mech pilots didn't receive enough training. Their expert pilots lacked proper expert mechs. Addressing these deficiencies became an even greater priority to Ves. He never wanted to end up in a similar situation in the future. He needed to work as quickly as possible in order to elevate his mech forces to their highest potential. However, that was easier said than done. The reason why those problems hadn't gone away was because it took far too much time to address them all. There was only so much design work he could accomplish by himself. Perhaps he should consider expanding the Design Department to a much greater extent than he originally planned. He needed to acquire more assistants to complete the grunt work faster. He also needed to obtain more lead designers in order to design more mechs concurrently. In short, everything needed to go faster! "I won't let this happen again." Ves spoke with a measure of steel in his voice. "We have a lot of resources at our disposal that we didn't enjoy before. I should have been more proactive in converting them into actual strength. I'll try my best to elevate our strength so that people like you don't have to make any choices again." James gently shook his head. "That is a noble sentiment, but you don't need to work yourself to bone. The future is never as straightforward as you think it is. I wouldn't say that your previous approach is wrong. Time is a resource that every single existence is short of. Even gods wish they could conjure up more time for themselves." They soon entered into a philosophical discussion about time. Ves didn't know why, but he became increasingly more caught up in the prophet's interesting perspective on this subject. Their discussion only halted when a third person in uniform entered the shrine compartment. "Ah, Taon. You are here. Please come forward, my champion." The latest expert candidate of the Larkinson Clan strode forward with a greater measure of confidence than he previously held. Though Ves hadn't spent much time with Taon either, he definitely sensed a change in demeanor. "Prophet. Bright Martyr." Taon greeted them both in turn. "What do you require of me, sirs?" "Are you strong enough to defend the clan?" James asked. Taon frowned. "I dare not make such a claim. I can only state that I can fight much better than before. With the help of the blessing that you have bestowed upon me, I am ready to fight against any expert pilot if the need arises!" "Hahaha! Do not be so quick to stand out. You still have a long way to go before you are ready to take on such a heavy responsibility." James patted Taon's shoulder. "Also, don't put too much stock in your blessing. The sole reason why you have become stronger is because of your merits." As Ves witnessed the interaction between James and Taon, he noted that Taon was still quite deferential despite advancing to the rank of expert candidate. Many other expert candidates tended to develop a stronger ego after they had taken their first step in transcending their human limits. It was natural for them to become more conceited in their own importance. The widespread idolization of high-ranking mech pilots in human space only made the transformations worse. While Taon definitely seemed to be more assured in a way, his change was not as drastic. Of course, Ves knew that the biggest swing was yet to come. When Taon eventually underwent apotheosis, he would literally be born anew. "Never forget who you are, Taon. Just because you are a Larkinson as well as a man of faith doesn't mean you have to stick to those categories. Think for yourself and fight for yourself before you devote yourself to others. The future is becoming increasingly turbulent. Escaping to the Red Ocean only delays the inevitable." Taon immediately adopted an expectant posture. "Please share your wisdom." James smiled sardonically. It made him seem like an indulgent old grandfather. "Taon, it is no longer enough for you to be a follower. The capable must step up and lead the flock. When you grow in strength, more and more faithful will look up to you. Every choice you make will have great implications to those who share the same beliefs." "I understand." The expert candidate responded. "I have already taken charge of the mech pilots under our watch." The prophet looked reassured and turned to Ves. "As for you, I have little advice to tell you. To be frank, even if I tell you something, you are too stubborn, biased and contradictory to pay any mind to my words." "That sounds about right." Ves shrugged. "Hehe." James shook his head before turning around before looking at the marble statue of Ves. "You are different from others. It is reasonable to make certain allowances for you. No one is perfect, not even gods. That doesn't mean you should give up. As long as you keep caring about the lives of your growing flock, they will help you become an existence that they can look up to. It is not nice to be alone." What was James talking about? Before Ves could reply with his usual dismissal of gods, the robed figure standing next to him collapsed. It happened so suddenly and without warning that both Ves and Taon were slow to respond. "James…?" The panicking expert candidate quickly lowered himself to his knees in order to feel the aged body's pulse. "He.. he has ascended ahead of time!" It was as if an invisible shockwave had swept throughout the Ylvainan shrine. "THE LIVING PROPHET HAS PASSED!"