Innovation was never easy. If the Carmine Conscript could easily forge a Blood Pact with a relatively ordinary human individual, then Ves could have sold his design application a lot easier. He wouldn't have designated the Carmine System as his main research direction in his quest to realize his design philosophy if this was the case. One of the reasons why he had not been in a hurry to design further Carmine mechs and conduct experiments of this nature was because he did not have much confidence in his chances of success. The first two successful results happened under special circumstances. Most mech pilots lacked the strength and advantages of Venerable Jannzi and Venerable Benjamin. What happened just a moment ago was fully predictable. Ves felt sorry for Leon Di Maggio, if only because his name would likely be forgotten. Only the candidate who succeeded in forming the Blood Pact deserved the right to go on public record! The unfortunate death of Leon did not douse the enthusiasm of the members of the secret panel. The two Masters continued to study and analyze the data for several more minutes before they were ready to proceed. "Let us leave the Carmine Conscript aside so that we can study it in greater detail." Master Xena Wintress suggested. "This peculiar machine can still provide us with a wealth of data that we can use to improve subsequent implementations of this tech." Master Goldstein nodded in agreement. He also did not forget about keeping the inventor of the Carmine System in the loop. "We should transfer a copy of our research and analysis to Professor Larkinson here. We will have to depend on him to develop his Carmine System to maturity." The remainder of the testing session did not proceed nearly as bombastic as before. The first activation of the Carmine Raider proceeded without a hitch. The circumstances for this test were much more similar to the first one. In fact, the conditions were even better despite the fact that they were testing the Carmine System on a demimech as opposed to a full-sized machine! Curiously enough, the Carmine Raider was actually weaker than both the Carmine Trooper and the Carmine Raider. Its smaller size and scale directly caused a proportional reduction in the strength of its spiritual foundation. Ves found this to be a curious interaction, and one that he should keep in mind for his future projects. This ultimately meant that the pilot had to put in a greater effort to form a Blood Pact, but this did not turn out to be a problem for Pilot Krio Delamar. Blessed with A-grade genetic aptitude and benefiting from an existing man-machine connection, Delamar did not come close to putting himself at risk when he smoothly forged a Blood Pact with his compact little demimech. "I feel good..." The man spoke with wonder. "This demimech is far smaller and weaker than anything else I have piloted before. It... is interesting. This is unprecedented. Is this what a living mech can do? The Carmine Raider is eagerly obeying my commands. I have never piloted a mech that actually has emotions. I am enjoying this novel experience!" The man did not exhibit any indication that he was still suffering from a chronic lack of motivation. Pilot Delamar was fully enjoying his new toy! They even tried to see whether Delamar was able to pilot his Carmine Raider after shutting down the neural interface. "Ah! I can't hold out for long. I can feel... my connection with my new living mech is under jeopardy." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚 Interestingly enough, the new and relatively fragile Blood Pact between the Carmine Raider and Pilot Krio Delamar did not fall apart right away. It actually managed to endure for a significantly longer time before it exhibited gradual signs of deterioration! Even though it became clear that the two newly bonded partners were still not ready to fight together by relying on the Blood Pact alone, Ves became encouraged by the noticeably better performance at this time. It not only provided greater proof of his assumption that stronger spirituality could strengthen the Blood Pact, but also indicated that not every candidate had to wait a long time before he could do anything useful with a Carmine mech. Master Wintress, the Mace of Retaliation and Master Goldstein all valued the data they obtained from this test. They were much further ahead than before now that they obtained the proof they needed to make comparisons and make more informed decisions. Much to Ves' relief, the three envoys did not see the need to push the pilot to his limits. "That is enough, Professor Larkinson. We can suspend this experiment. We can conduct any subsequent tests with both the Carmine Trooper and the Carmine Raiderby ourselves." "Krio Delamar has great potential. If he does not suffer an accident in the following months, he can serve as an adequate trainer as well as the commanding officer of a new and separate demimech unit." Poor Leon. The three high-ranking Survivalists had already dismissed his unfortunate passing and showered much greater attention on Pilot Delamar. Ves could easily understand the difference in treatment. Genetic aptitude was still paramount to the mechers. Anyone whose genetic aptitude reached A or higher was a high-quality piloting talent! Even in the Red Association that must have been able to attract a lot of talented mech pilots, talents such as Krio Delamar were still rare enough that their lives still needed to be treasured! It was a waste of scarce manpower and resources to subject him to a battery of dangerous tests when there were much more expendable substitutes on hand! For every Krio Delamar, there were millions of Leon Di Maggios. The Survivalists could easily pluck hundreds if not thousands of readily available volunteers from the crew of the Khamatar Reign! Ves gained a new understanding of the drive and ruthlessness of the Red Association today. He already had a low opinion of their ethical standards, but what happened with the Carmine Conscript gave him an object lesson that the mechers cared little about the lives of people who possessed negligible value. Unlike Ves who at least grew up among the grassroots and steadily moved through each and every layer of society in between, the most elite and accomplished mechers already started out in an advanced and highly developed environment. Age was also a major factor. The older they grew, the further they became removed from the more common groups of people. It was rare for Ves to encounter anyone old that still retained a lot of empathy towards outsiders. These were the sort of people who had all of the say in the Red Association and the Survivalist Faction. How wonderful. In any case, Ves had completed his obligation. Master Goldstein moved closer in order to discuss the upcoming agenda. "There is no need for you to hold a presentation on your final topic." He said. "We are aware that you wish to introduce your transcendence glow to a wider audience, but your role is dispensable. The Transhumanist Faction has already conducted extensive research based on the mechs and other support you have provided to them. The data that we have received from the Transhumanists is already convincing enough that there is no need for you to sell it any further." It took a moment for Ves to understand what this was all about. "The closed session that 1 am scheduled to preside over in a couple of hours is... canceled?" Master Goldstein nodded. "Plans have changed. Important events are being set in motion that will drastically change our society regardless of the outcome of the vote on the seventh day. Your work may play a role in the events to come. It is no longer appropriate for you to abide by your old schedule." That caused Ves to grow quite annoyed. He had already missed a lot of interesting conferences that could have provided him with a lot of useful information. He did not look forward to getting waylaid yet again! The bald Master raised his hand and placed it on Ves' shoulder. "My apologies. I am unable to divulge the information that you wish to know. We must keep our actions as confidential as possible. I can tell you one useful piece of news, however." "And that is?" "The Xenotechnician and the Polymath have both expressed interest in meeting with you in private. This is a great honor, Ves. You should prepare yourself as best as possible." What?! Both Ves and Jovy reacted with shock at this announcement! Even though Ves had met with the Polymath before, this was different! The previous encounter happened in complete secrecy. Only a handful of people were aware that Ves had met with the youngest Star Designer in the past. This would not be the case anymore! The Khamatar Reign had gathered so many powerful and high-ranking Survivalists together that it would be hard to hide any major movements. Ves did not like this development at all. His presentation on companion spirits had already raised his profile more than he was comfortable with. Meeting with not one, but two Star Designers in quick succession would definitely direct a lot more unwanted attention to his identity! As he tried to figure out why the two Star Designers wanted to meet with a little old Senior Mech Designer like himself, he failed to come up with a logical answer. "What are the topics for discussion, exactly?" He asked in a clear tone of suspicion. "I highly doubt that those two Star Designers want to have a chat with me about companion spirits and the Carmine System." "You might be surprised." Goldstein smirked. "To be honest, I am not fully informed of their intentions. I only know that they have deemed it worthwhile for them to allocate a small portion of their busy schedules to talk to you in person. This is a great honor and opportunity for you. Even if little comes out of the conversation, you will still be able to boast about meeting two of the top leaders of human civilization. Reputation is important in our circle. Take it as a gift if nothing else." That was right. Ves honestly did not expect much out of these short meetings to be honest. He had plenty of dreams and ambitions, but his ability to deliver on them was less than ideal. He needed more time. This was a major problem as time was the scarcest resource in the entire Red Ocean. Everyone was short on time. Ves let out a tired breath. "Alright. 1 will prepare to meet with the two Star Designers in person. Do I need to make any special preparations?" "Not per se. Just ensure you are at your best and avoid any obvious missteps. Do not oversell your promises and do not attempt to lie in front of them. Keep their identities and histories in mind. The Xenotechnician is part of the oldest generation of Star Designers. His ideology and principles may sound odd to you, but there are good reasons why he has become the man he is today. Some of his attitudes are old-fashioned, but he can sound remarkably extreme when the conversation shifts to any subjects relating to aliens or alien technology. You should be careful not to get caught up in his narrative." "Understood. What about your own patron?" Master Goldstein adopted an admiring expression. "The Polymath is among the youngest to attain her current rank. She is much more supportive of radical changes. She is a reformer at heart. She detests stagnation, especially when it is clear that better alternatives are available. The two of you will likely talk about how your work can change our society for the better in your private meeting. Do not hold back. Present your ideas when prompted, even if you think they are flawed." "Thank you for your advice. Seeing that two of the leaders of your faction want to meet with me in person, what about the final one? Will The Fist of Defiance or one of his representatives meet with me as well?" "I am uncertain about that." The Master Mech Designer responded. "The god pilot of our faction is indisposed. It may be possible that the Mace of Retaliation will meet with you himself. You will find out in a couple of hours." "Very well."