Chapter 3343: Humbling Realization Throughout this entire farce of a battle, the enemy never took the Golden Skull Alliance seriously. Over 10,000 mechs armed with ranged weapons did their best to flood the Olympus Mons with destructive firepower. They ranged from Bright Warriors armed with the new luminar crystal rifles to Eternal Redemptions whose ultra-heavy gauss cannons were meant to crack the defenses of extremely tough and powerful machines. Yet what did they ultimately accomplish? Almost nothing! The ace mech was like an umbrella that effortlessly withstood the incoming firepower like drops of rain. It gave out the impression that it could stand in the rain for days and not let a single drop pass through its cover. Its defense coefficient was so ridiculously high that not even a hundred expert mechs put together could compare! Not even the much-anticipated alpha strike posed a significant threat to the dwarven ace mech. To see the most powerful offensive trump cards of the Larkinson Clan combine their awesome power in a coordinated fashion was an unforgettably grand experience, but the ultimate effect only poked a hole through just one of the ace mech's defensive layers! The message conveyed by the famed Mountain Hammer of the Vulcan Empire was loud and clear. She and her ace mech could have easily crushed the entire Larkinson Army and the rest of the expeditionary fleet without ever coming close to defeat. The power gap was just that vast. Ves, who sat powerlessly on his observer's seat, chuckled helplessly as he took in the apparent defeat. "I was too naive to think the Vulcan Empire was a pushover. I got too carried away with the thought that it is a flawed state that is rife with internal division. Its military is still strong and its crop of ace pilots are truly close to god-like in strength. My clan is far from contending against even a fraction of the power of a second-rate state." A true second-rate state was enshrined by at least one ace pilot. Without such a powerful guardian, it was too vulnerable against other states that did enjoy the services of one. The extravagant combat power of an ace mech was enough to overrun any expert mech, and their soft power was also far-reaching. If an ace mech was backing up a mech army, then the combination turned into an extremely powerful war machine that could either form an impenetrable wall or an unstoppable spear! 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞 Aside from encountering opposing ace mechs, there were only a couple of ways for such an army to falter. Ace mechs were powerful but extremely expensive and difficult to maintain. A lack of funding, resources and high-level expertise could easily cause these transcendent machines to degrade over time. Ace pilots also had to be handled properly. They all fought for a specific reason. If they ever became displeased or disaffected by their employers, they might decide that they could no longer fight for a particular state or organization. This happened quite a lot, especially when states morphed over time! A typical example was when a formerly well-run state decayed into a corrupt and tyrannical state. Since ace pilots were typically soldiers who dedicated their entire lives to uphold certain ideals, it was difficult for them to tolerate serving a master that pursued the opposite. The threat of driving away an ace pilot was one of the more subtle reasons why states rarely fell to this extent. Even the most selfish and decadent rulers knew they couldn't mess around too much! Otherwise, their states would lose too many high-level protectors and only make them vulnerable to getting conquered by stronger rivals that had their affairs in order. "I wonder why Saint Yila Mayorka has left the side of the grand regent." Ves frowned in thought. "The Vulcan Empire is burning all around her. The dwarven citizens need her more than ever. What motivation is strong enough to ignore her people's suffering and remain hidden in this obscure star system?" He had a feeling that he would find out the answer soon enough, because he was about to meet with the opposing dwarves in person soon! Ves slowly lifted himself from the observer's seat and began to move to the hangar bay. Every clansman around him did not look happy at how the fighting came to a standstill. They were all aware that the only reason why they still existed was because the opposing Vulcanites allowed them to exist. The fact of the matter was that the Larkinsons, Glory Seekers and Crossers were at the mercy of the dwarves. If the enemy ever changed its mind, the entire Golden Skull Alliance minus the evacuated civilians would all perish without a doubt! The expeditionary ships halted their forward acceleration under the silent instruction of the Olympus Mons. The ace mech never took the initiative to communicate directly to the humans, but any soldier could easily interpret the powerful machine's standard military gestures. While Ves made his way down the nearest hangar bay, he was quickly joined by a number of leaders and advisors. "There is a high chance that the Vulcanites here belong to a different group or faction from the ones that we are familiar with." Minister Shederin provided his analysis as he walked while wearing a luxurious vacsuit. "Do not assume that the dwarves we're facing have sided with the central authority or the rebels. Their goals are likely at a higher level than the objectives pursued by more vulgar groups. That is likely why Saint Mayorka chose to be here. Since we are presumably meeting with a high-end group of Vulcanites, it is best if you allow me to accompany you and speak on your behalf." Ves frowned. "I think the dwarves want to speak to the man who assumed the identity of Vulcan, not a stand-in puppet. Still, I would love to have you by my side. We'll see whether the dwarves will mind your presence." Shederin was clearly a civilian and exuded the vibe of an officious dignitary. Ves was hoping to slip him into the inevitable meeting with the dwarves. "You'll come with me as well, Lucky." Ves softly said while he reached out and petted the gem cat that was perched on his Unending Regalia. "If these dwarves insist that I should remain on board their ship as a guest, then… you know what to do. As long as you can neutralize the threat, anything goes." "Meow." Lucky responded as he nervously swung his tail. Even though the dwarven vessel was too small compared to the capital ships of the Larkinson Clan, Ves did not underestimate the danger she posed. Just the Olympus Mons hovering right outside was a massive hurdle that he needed to overcome before he could ever think about attempting an escape. "The identity and motivations of this dwarven group is highly suspicious." Calabast's projection said. "We have been trying to decipher whatever clues we can find from analyzing the appearance of the dwarven frigate and the pattern of behavior shown so far. Although she doesn't look like it, the vessel is actually extremely high-end. What you see on the surface is definitely a form of misdirection." It was difficult to make detailed scans of a ship that was under the protection of a domain field, but the Black Cats managed to make many observations and found out a couple of elements that didn't quite make sense. This was not a cheap frigate-class starship, that was for sure! Once they reached the shuttle, only Ves, his honor guard and Minister Shederin remained. There wasn't much of a point to bring anyone else. That would just endanger more Larkinsons. "Let's go." The shuttle slowly emerged in space and flew towards the ship where Ves, or Vulcan, was expected to enter. The closer the shuttle flew to the other side, the more Ves and everyone else aboard the shuttle experienced the pressure exuded by the Olympus Mons. The powerful will-infused domain of an ace pilot that was amplified by a compatible ace mech was much more horrible than the glow of any design spirit! Ves realized that even if they were roughly existences at the same tier, their capabilities differed enormously! A powerful ancestral spirit like the Superior Mother might be good at forming bonds with lots of Hexers or lending her power to certain mech pilots, but these were mostly assisting functions. Ace pilots were different! As long as they were in their ace mechs, they excelled like no other at leveraging their immense power in direct combat! Their skills and abilities were fully geared towards winning battles in the material realm! This was why the battle formations that Ves had previously been proud of worked so poorly against the ace mech. A matchup between a design spirit and an ace pilot was like a contest between a city mayor and a trained soldier. If the competition was about who could best perform an administrative function, then the mayor would likely win. If the competition was about who could vanquish over the other in a fighting arena, then the soldier held absolute superiority! "High-ranking mech pilots truly rank at the top when it comes to direct combat." Ves sobered up as he sensed that some of his hubris had faded away from his mind. As of late, he had been focusing too much on leveraging the power of his design spirits. His focus on developing his battle formations was a distortion of what mech combat should actually be. His design spirits shouldn't be doing the bulk of the fighting. That was not what they excelled at. Instead, they should continue to focus on facilitating the mech pilots who were truly needed to win battles! Did that mean that he should stop employing his battle formations? No. Ves merely recognized that continuing his development on them would ultimately sidetrack him from achieving his goals. Mech designer creed was that their profession existed to serve mech pilots. It was not his job to diminish or replace the role of mechs and mech pilots. The original reason why he employed design spirits in the first place was because he thought they could assist the users of his products even more! Ves needed this humbling reminder. He just wished it didn't come in such a painful way. When the shuttle crossed into the Saint Kingdom of the Olympus Mons, everyone aboard the shuttle felt as if they had entered the territory of an apex predator. One that was not only aware of its prey, but also harbored clear hostility towards the entrants! Even someone who was as spiritually dull as Minister Shederin was able to read Saint Mayorka's undisguised hostility. "We have stepped onto the web of a watchful spider." The old diplomat said as his body shook under his vacsuit. "I have met presidents and cabinet ministers under the protection of other ace pilots before. I can tell you that they are constantly 'watching'. Nothing happens without their awareness." Ves grew concerned. "Can they read minds?" "I… cannot answer that. They can likely read what people are thinking or feeling to varying degrees depending on the individual strength and power of the ace pilot in question. Some are better at reading people than others. All of them can sense hostility and danger, though, as that is what they are most accustomed to anticipating in battle. You should not think of attacking our hosts." "Heh, I've already figured that out. I'm not stupid to think I can turn the tables." This was one of the few situations where Ves felt truly powerless! Unless Saint Mayorka ever took a break and exited the cockpit of the Olympus Mons, Ves could not let down his guard for a single second! He needed to temper his behavior and make sure he did not act suspiciously in any way. He wouldn't even be able to get away with drawing his Amastendira! The shuttle transmitted a soft bump. "We've arrived, sir." Ves let out a deep and nervous breath… "Let's hope the dwarves are generous enough to look past my previous deeds."