After a lot of preparation work and dancing around, Davute finally decided that the time was right to open up a dialogue with the patriarch of the Larkinson Clan. Ves had been waiting for this a long time. He had a strong suspicion that he would enter into an important talk with the future state centered around Davute. His recent tour through his clan's facilities along with the regular reports he received from his advisors strengthened this notion until it had become an absolute certainty in his mind! He was expecting a visit from Madame Reina Kernsk any minute now. The Black Cats had kept careful track of her movements as she approached one party related to the Larkinson Clan after another. If he didn't know any better, he would accuse Kernsk and the bigshot behind her of building an increasingly unescapable net around the Larkinson Clan! It was a dastardly clever diplomatic approach and one that the clan could not easily counter. After all, there was nothing wrong with stopping by and having a chat with the friends, allies and relatives of the Larkinson Clan. As the colonial administration entered into secret talks with the Glory Seekers, the Cross Clan and even the Larkinson Family, Ves already started to consider how he should handle his own upcoming meeting with the Davutan officials. There was no way to downplay his own importance this time. Using his age-old excuse of being 'just' a Journeyman Mech Designer wouldn't fly in the face of overwhelming evidence of his massive accomplishments! Perhaps the only consolation was that his massive stature afforded him a lot more respect and caution than ever before. No longer would states like the Bright Republic and the Friday Coalition make a careless decision to squash him as if he was a bug. His clan had grown too strong and his MTA backing became too solid for others to command him like he was their lackey. Ves had worked hard to earn this kind of status and protection. He knew he still had a long way to go before he truly became impervious to external interests, but he was slowly getting closer with each passing day. However, before the colonial government invited him for a direct talk, he still had plenty of other matters to concern himself with. One of them was highly personal. "C'mon, kids, don't run around too much and especially don't raise your voice. The person we are about to meet isn't in a good shape these days, so let's make sure not to add more stress to his life, okay?" "Okay, papa." "I'll be good." "Miaow." Ves brought his family to another estate that was located a short distance away from the Royal Mansion. The structure possessed a more subdued appearance, but that did not mean it was any less well-constructed. After passing through the main entrance and taking the double stairs up the next floor, the group moved through the corridors until they stopped before the double doors at the end. Melinda Larkinson along with a number of guards were already waiting for their arrival. "Madame Gloriana." Melinda greeted the woman. "Children. The person inside is eager to meet with you all. Before you go in, let me give you a set of rules that you need to abide by. The last thing we want is to worsen his condition. He already has a few days left to live. Let us make his remaining days as pleasant as possible." After everyone listened to the rules and confirmed they understood them all, they finally managed to pass through the final doors. The bedroom was large, but not exaggeratingly so. A few doctors and other medical experts were quietly monitoring their patient, who was currently sitting on a custom chair that was placed before the tall windows. As the little family walked closer, they gained a better glimpse of the garden below. Older Larkinsons sat on the garden chairs while dozens of children played in the garden. The sight was highly reminiscent of the Larkinson Estate that had once housed the original family for centuries. "Come closer." A soft and feeble voice called. The well-dressed father, mother along with their three children slowly walked forward until they were able to face the old man sitting on the chair. Though Benjamin's condition had worsened considerably over the last year, he still possessed some of the strength of a highly skilled warrior. "Hehe… don't be afraid, children. Your great-grandpa won't die if you breathe on me. Now come closer… and give your family a hug." "Is it okay, mama?" Andraste cautiously asked. Ves called over a doctor dispatched by the Larkinson Biotech Institute. "Can he handle the stress?" He quietly asked. "Mr. Benjamin Larkinson's condition has improved in the last two days, though we cannot say how long that will last. That is also why we have permitted him to accept visitations today. It should be okay as long as you do not induce too much stress." "Very well." After a bit of encouragement, Aurelia, Andraste and Marvaine both approached their great-grandfather and hugged him one by one with great care and attention. Even Andraste who tended to be a lot more physical most of the time reined in her rambunctiousness and treated Benjamin as if he was an ancient porcelain vase! Pure love flowed between the relatives with each and every cautious hug. The old man's condition seemed to improve a little more as he became more invigorated by the chance of holding his great-grandchildren for the first time! "It is so lovely to finally meet you all in the flesh…" Benjamin smiled with pride and joy at the kids. "After meeting you so many times through projections and virtual meetings, it is refreshing for me to touch you all for real. I have satisfied my greatest wish. I feel like I can die happy today." Ves quickly coughed. "I hope you can still stick around longer. Don't worry. My biotech experts should be able to formulate effective treatment that can slow the deterioration of your physical condition. After enough time, our doctors may even improve your physical state and allow you to live a little longer. If that doesn't work, I can always spend a few million MTA merits to acquire excellent treatment for you. Our clan is really powerful these days so nothing is impossible." "Yeah, our papa is right! He can buy anything!" Andraste happily exclaimed. The old and tired man sighed and shook his head even as he held little Marvaine on his lap. "Don't bother. Ark has already consulted plenty of doctors and studied me extensively with his own abilities. He has even exchanged a considerable amount of MTA merits to get one of the Association's doctors to perform an examination on me and recommend possible treatments. It turns out that not even life-prolonging treatment can remedy my wounds. The root of my condition does not lie within my body. It is my inner self that is failing." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮 "Huh?" Andraste looked confused as she held Benjamin's large, spotty and wrinkled hand. "You were an expert pilot in the past, right? You fought in a really big war and beat lots of bad guys, right?!" "Hehehe… that was a long time ago, my great-granddaughter. It has been a lifetime since I last piloted a mech. Those days are long behind me, sweetling. When expert pilots get broken and dulled…. they no longer retain the qualities that make them special. I am sure that your father can sense that clearly. I am told he is good at that. What do you see in me, Ves?" "...It's a little complicated to explain." Ves eventually said. "Well, to put it in the simplest terms, Benjamin is like a combination between a mech and a mech pilot. Both of them have incurred plenty of damage and grown considerably old. The problem is that they are not deteriorating at an equal rate. The 'mech pilot' in this analogy has suffered fatal damage at one point in the past and is slowly bleeding out. This in turns leads to the mech deteriorating faster as well as it is no longer receiving as much support from its partner as before. While my grandfather's physical condition does not look like it is at the end of its rope, in truth his spirit has already decayed by a considerable decree. It is… not a pleasant process." He had only seen this kind of deterioration from the likes of truly decrepit people. It wouldn't take long at all before the spirit became so unstable that it simply… collapsed. Gloriana quietly moved closer to him and leaned over. "You are good at correcting problems in the head, correct? Are you able to do something for your grandfather?" Ves shook his head. "Not to this extent. My grandfather used to be an expert pilot, but for some reason his extraordinary willpower has disappeared, making him powerless again. Now, there is no problem for norms to be without power, but the problem here is that my grandfather has lived for many years as an expert pilot, but suddenly lost over half of what made him who he was. What is left after he was forced to retire has so many gaping holes that it is like an open wound that has constantly festered and made things worse. You can't fix this kind of damage anymore." If there was any reasonable hope that he could fix whatever ailed his grandfather, he wouldn't have entered into such a glum mood this time. Even though Ves prided in his ability to be able to fix any problem through the correct application of engineering, he was truly at a loss at this time. The only possible ideas that might stand a chance of working were all too radical and crazy even for Ves! He could attempt to merge Benjamin's spirit with the remains of another powerful entity, but he was sure that the result would be an absolute desecration of his grandfather! In particular, attempting to make up for the missing willpower of his grandfather by merging his spirit with the willpower remnant of Venerable Relia Foster sounded like a great way to potentially create a monster beyond reckoning! Ves could also try and transplant Benjamin's wounded spirit into a baby clone made out of the same DNA, but Ves' intuition strongly warned him that messing around with life to this degree would definitely blow up in his face! The most viable idea that had the highest chance of working was to beseech Gaia to employ her formidable power over life to inject vitality into Benjamin's mind, spirit and body. However, as Ves discreetly concentrated his mind and conveyed his request to the powerful and somewhat uncontrollable design spirit, the powerful entity replied with a remarkably thoughtful message. His expression dropped even further. It turned out that mindlessly injecting vitality into Benjamin was no use. He was a broken demigod. Though he wielded far greater strength than mortals during the height of his career, once his source of power got damaged, it was pretty much impossible to mend it again after so much time had passed without any proper treatment! Ves had no choice but to accept the inevitable truth. He moved closer and gently placed his hand on his grandfather's skinny and feeble shoulder. "You don't have many days left to live, grandfather, but I am sure you know at least that much." Benjamin nodded. "All good things must come to an end. Don't feel sorry for me, and don't feel guilty that you cannot cure my condition. I have lived longer than many of my comrades from back then. I have been able to start a family, raise my children and see them become successful in their own ways, greet and hold my grandchildren and now I am able to do the same to their children in turn. I am more happy and content than I could have ever imagined. Why should I fear the inevitable onset of death when I am blessed with so much life?" He was right. Ves could genuinely sense that his grandfather did not regret anything despite his immensely painful fall from grace. All of that was history as far as Benjamin was concerned. Nowadays, he only cared about his family. This was why hugging Aurelia, Andraste and Marvaine in turn gave him so much joy and satisfaction! Meeting his great-grandchildren had definitely reinvigorated the old Larkinson a bit. He probably bought a few extra days of lease on his life, but that was the extent to how much his condition could improve. Gloriana gently placed her own hand on Ves' shoulder. "Your grandfather is right, Ves. Death is not the end of the road. There is still life after death. I am sure that your lovely sister Helena will safely shepherd him to his next destination." Benjamin gradually began to frown as he heard that. "Wait… what is this about a sister, Ves?" "Uh, it's nothing." "Oh, you don't know, sir? Your grandson has a new sister!" "Wait… did that scoundrel Ryncol father another child without informing the rest of our family?!" "Wait, it is not what you think! Calm down, grandfather! Your vital signs are already starting to show excessive strain!"