As Ves continued to fantasize about all of the ways he could make use of the upgraded mech Designer System, he suddenly recalled his previous conviction. "Ugh, why am I growing so obsessed over the System again? Did I not promise that I would quit with this kind of thinking?!" No matter how much he tried to temper his desires, he found it difficult to do so. He was not an expert pilot whose will was as hard as steel. The return of the System and the surprise roll-out of powerful upgrade routes instantly pushed away his resolve to minimize his dependence on its capabilities. His life in the Red Ocean was already hard enough. He needed every advantage he could get to continue his rise to power! He decided to set aside these conflicting feelings for later. He still didn't know the extent of the System's changes. He wanted to wait until he learned the full extent of what had changed and what it could offer to him. Only then would he be able to formulate a sound plan on how to utilize its capabilities in the future. After the System had done enough to convey the possibilities and advantages of excelling in technology to the same degree as the Polymath, it began to present its next upgrade track. It started to project instances where Ves personally fabricated his mechs, especially the ones that went on to become masterworks. He already felt quite nostalgic towards those moments. The recent creation of the Mars was one of the best workshop experiences of his life, even though he was not primarily responsible for elevating it into a masterwork mech. "How many more upgrade directions do you have in store, exactly?!" [Upgrade Track #5: Ultimate Craftsmanship. This upgrade trajectory will facilitate and strengthen your creation capabilities. You will be able to make drastic improvements in your ability to make higher-quality objects, no matter whether they are tangible or intangible. In order to assist you in making better goods, you will be able to upgrade your understanding and vision for quality and the elements that make creations superior. You will also be able to teach and pass on much of what you have learned to apprentices and students that are receptive to your lessons.] This sounded a lot more in his ballpark! Compared to the previous option which basically entailed piling up as much science and engineering in his head as possible, the fifth upgrade trajectory focused more on how to best make use of what Ves already learned. Although the benefits sounded a bit less obvious and dramatic, Ves knew how much potential this upgrade track possessed. Many people in the mech industry struggled their entire lives to ascend Senfovon's Ladder of Craftsmanship. Even though Ves managed to reach the second rung of the ladder numerous times, he was under no illusion that it would be easy for him to reach the third rung that was normally exclusive to Star Designers for some reason. Even if he became a Star Designer himself one day, his journey did not end at that point. Ves still recalled the moment where Master Dervidian alluded to a fourth rung of the ladder that could potentially change the course of human civilization forever due to the incredible power of a product that reached this tier of quality! While it should definitely be possible for people to reach the fourth rung of the ladder through their own efforts, the value of shortcuts and external advantages should not be discounted. So far, it looked like every brilliant and talented Star Designer in existence struggled to climb up to the fourth rung of the craftsmanship ladder. If they weren't able to make this achievement up until now, then the chances that they would be able to succeed in the future were rather slim! "Even if the Polymath or someone else managed to do it, then that doesn't mean that other Star Designers are capable of catching up. I could definitely use all of the help that I can get when I reach this stage." Out of all of the upgrade tracks the System presented to him so far, Ultimate Craftsmanship appealed the most to his identity as a mech designer, a craftsman and a creator. It did not provide him with strengthening in areas that could pose as distractions that could cause him to go astray. It mostly strengthened his ability to understand and make better individual mechs and other projects. He could already imagine himself building masterwork mechs on demand and making a head start towards creating his first grand work. He also imagined creating other masterworks out of products that were not directly related to mechs. What would it be like to equip himself with masterwork armor, masterwork weapons, masterwork sensor systems and even a masterwork starship? He could potentially become the most impressive craftsman that humanity had ever produced! Compared to the fourth upgrade track, the fifth one was a much safer and more fitting choice as well. The fourth one would turn him into a clone of the Polymath while the fifth one allowed him to stand out in a more unique way. Ves already developed a reputation for being talented in craftsmanship due to all of the masterwork certificates he accrued at this stage in his career. Progressing a lot further in this aspect would not throw up any suspicions. In fact, people would expect him to make a lot of progress in his craftsmanship after he had shown a lot of talent in this area! "Damn, this upgrade track is so tempting." Yet as much as this option called to him on an emotional level, his rationality told him to slow down. There were at least two reasons why it would not necessarily be a good idea to choose this upgrade trajectory. First, Ves already had Vulcan. His incarnation might not be a mech designer himself, but he wasn't known as the 'God of Dwarves, Mechs and Craftsmanship' for nothing! With the help of the Hammer of Brilliance as well as the constantly expanding Creation Association, Vulcan continued to get in touch with more and more mech designers, craftsmen and artisans. The constant exposure to different styles, different crafts and different philosophies had already turned Vulcan into an excellent and qualified craftsman in his own right! His incarnation already knew significantly more about making masterwork products than Ves himself. This was remarkable progress considering that Vulcan was only a handful of years old. "Vulcan still has a lot of room for growth. His mastery of craftsmanship may not have grown as fast as before, but it is still evolving over time." Ves was certain that Vulcan would become a lot more formidable in fifty or a hundred years time. Together, Ves and his incarnation may be able to make as much progress in advancing their craftsmanship and their ability to climb up the craftsmanship ladder than if Ves just made use of the System with this upgrade track! "Even if Vulcan can't substitute the System's capabilities, there is someone else who is already trying her best to exceed what everyone else can do on this front." His thoughts wandered to his wife. Though Gloriana could be rather abrasive and annoying at times, Ves never doubted her talent, her drive and her design capabilities. She had already chosen to do her utmost to excel in the more physical aspects of mech design. At the same time, she also opened herself up to more esoteric influences. One of her more recent research interests was finding ways to blend the tangible with the intangible in order to produce powerful new synergies. Her god body concept was a wonderful product of that effort. Though it was still immature and had yet to prove its potential, the promise it held was great. Given Gloriana's considerable effort to climb up Senfovon's Ladder of Craftsmanship with nearly single-minded determination, it sounded rather redundant for Ves to focus on the same goal. One of the driving motivations of their marriage and collaboration was to split up their responsibilities and specialize in different fields! Though it would be great if Ves was able to excel in craftsmanship by himself, he could spend his time on much more useful endeavors if he left much of the heavy lifting to Gloriana. Together with Vulcan, it appeared that Ves already possessed enough advantages in this area. Adding the System on top of this sounded excessive! "Next, please." The System proceeded to show him moments where he was fighting for his life and trying to survive under arduous circumstances. From hiding and running away from hostile mechs to trying to keep his head intact while he was stuck on Prosperous Hill IV that had descended into civil war, Ves was not a stranger to violence and threats! Though Ves did not worry as much about personal threats anymore due to the massive growth of his clan, he still understood the truth that strengthening others did not necessarily make him invulnerable. There may be crises in the future where he might be stripped or taken away from all of his friends, colleagues, allies and subordinates. If he ever had to rely on himself to survive a sticky situation, then his chances would vastly increase if he became as formidable as the best soldiers of his clan! [Upgrade Track #6: Unparalleled Combat. This upgrade trajectory comprehensively enables and strengthens your ability to fight against a variety of threats. You will gain access to a large selection of special and powerful augmentations that increase your physical and non-physical capabilities. You will also gain access to new skill sets that allow you to master different forms of personal combat, thereby enabling you to wield powerful weapons with excellent proficiency. Eventually, you will be able to forge a powerful combination of spiritual, technological and physical advantages to survive and defeat almost every threat up to and including mechs and warships.] 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖 "Ridiculous…" The sixth upgrade track appealed straight towards his paranoia and his persistent concerns about survival. The cosmos was anything but peaceful and the two galaxies where humanity was present were filled with all kinds of internal and external enemies. Though humanity had entered a golden age after the end of the Age of Conquest, Ves knew that the good times probably wouldn't last forever. There were too many enemies that wished nothing more than to tear down the existing order and impose their own vision onto others! If Ves took this upgrade trajectory, he would definitely be able to arm and empower himself beyond any reasonable measure! Even if the highest-ranking mech designers were able to create all sorts of gizmos for themselves that allowed them to wield a surprising amount of power, that did not change the fact that they were still non-combatants by nature! The sixth upgrade track perfectly addressed these shortcomings and more by offering options that quickly enabled Ves to develop the fighting skills and other aspects that were normally mastered by professional soldiers. One of the more positive aspects about this upgrade path was that it did not clash with his existing work and specializations. Though the upgrade track would definitely steer the Mech Designer System away from its initial purpose, it was not as if Ves had a burning need to keep all of those original functions. Ves already possessed plenty of means to improve his skills, advance his design philosophy and bring his craftsmanship to a higher level. However, his ability to secure his life and freedom were mostly limited to relying on the protection of others. He did not mind it if he could address this shortcoming with the help of the new and improved System. It would resolve a concern that was related to his most basic and essential needs. He could design mechs and engage in spiritual engineering as much as he preferred, but the basis for doing so was that he remained free and undisturbed!