Chapter 5776 Ominous Premonitions 5776 Ominous Premonitions Ves felt as if the water pressure inside the grand hall of the Dragon King's Palace had increased. The entire environment seemed to press onto his specialized energy barrier a little harder than before. He also suspected that additional particles had been added to the water mixture. It increased the mystique of the enormous chamber and caused stuff in the distance to look hazy and gain a bit of mystique. As Ves stared up at the enormous masterwork statue of a dragon king, he had the illusion that the ultimate sovereign of this palace had descended from the heavens in order to pass judgment on his living mechs. "What is the matter?" Jovy asked as Ves unconsciously slowed down. "I have an unsettling feeling, no, premonition about what is about to happen. I don't have any concrete clues that justify a higher state of alertness, but… I feel worried regardless." Captain Zonrad Reze looked slightly puzzled. "It is normal for people to feel nervous. This is akin to a final exam that will decide whether you have earned the qualifications you need to graduate." "It's not like that, captain." Ves shook his head. "I can handle ordinary stress situations. This is more. I can feel it in my gut, and before you say anything about it, my gut feelings have rarely led me astray." "You suspect that the opposition may have prepared a killer blow for this third and final session." Jovy stated. "Now that you mention it, I can sense a hint of it as well. Your destiny has always been unreadable to me, but it seems that everything around you has become considerably less stable than before." That was enough for Ves to make a decision. "Give me a moment. I need to consult a source." Though Ves looked as if he had blanked out while floating in the water, he was actually consulting a resource that he had refrained from using until this point. There had been no pressing need to resort to this measure, but the ominous premonition that crept up to him gave him sufficient cause to take this impending threat extremely seriously. It took around two minutes for Ves to gain a response. His expression worsened. "What is the matter?" "The Great Prophet can't foresee anything about what is about to happen. That indicates that whatever is about to happen is either an enormous turning point or involves one or more extremely powerful entities. It could even be both. Whatever the case, this is pretty much confirmation that the opposition will not be as tame as yesterday!" His advisors did not look so surprised at this revelation. "This fits with the pattern of a deliberate debate strategy." Vector Loban thoughtfully said. "It appears that the opposition is a lot more united and coordinated than we initially gave them credit for. Perhaps they have shaped their entire multi- day strategy around the coup-de-grace that they have planned to reveal on the final day." Jovy agreed with this assessment. "If that is the case, then the topics they addressed in the first two days are merely a setup for their decisive argument. You need to be careful, Ves. The opposition is determined to either reign in or outright ban your living mechs. Given how your premonition is making you feel so defensive, then you probably won't like what you are about to hear from them. Whatever they do, do not let your impulses override your rationality. The ratings of this broadcast have already exceeded the highest level of the previous days. Practically every red human has set aside their usual duties as much as possible in order to witness this historic session. This will amplify every mistake you make." Ves waved his hand in an exasperated manner. "Who do you think I am? I am perfectly capable of maintaining my cool. I know better than to let my emotions get the better of me when I am presenting myself into this enormous stage." The Survivalist was right about mistakes. Ves literally could not afford to ruin his reputation because far too much was riding on him right now. A lot of Larkinsons and other dependents were relying on his success. Personally, he wouldn't feel too bad if he suffered a setback today. He knew that it would only be temporary. Ves had learned long ago that every problem could be solved as long as he designed a good enough mech. Whether it was Carmine mechs or another killer solution, Ves was confident enough in his design ability to earn back the good graces of the public. There was no way that red humanity could afford to turn its back on obviously superior solutions just because their maker didn't follow all of the rules. However, a lot of people who depended on selling his products for a living would probably lose their livelihoods. Perhaps they might be able to recover by shifting their business away from LMC products, but a setback would still inflict untold damage to his extensive business network. In short, Ves could not afford to suffer a total loss today. He would probably be able to make do with a partial victory, but a severe loss would be hugely damaging to his interests! This was why he grew more fearful of what the opposition had in store for today. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂 Unfortunately, without any additional sources of information, Ves could not come up with any countermeasures beforehand. He could only psychologically prepare himself for a heavy blow. and hope that he would have enough time to figure out an effective response. Once he and his group had reached their usual positions beyond the edge of the speaking pit, they all stared at the speakers of the opposing side. The usual suspects had returned while wearing their best suits or uniforms. Though the speakers all made sure to school their expressions to avoid giving away any clues, the fact that they were being so serious about it was a tell in itself. Ves grew a lot more alarmed when he felt that his adversaries definitely intended to launch their killer move during the upcoming session! As both sides waited for the guests to arrive and swim over to their seats, the opposition made a surprising move. Lieutenant-Commander Astrid Jameson actually launched from her position and swam over to the opposite side of the speaking pit! Everyone around Ves raised their guard as the young but already infamous 'whistleblower' came close enough. The fleeter stopped before Sigrund's human form and threw up a proper salute. "Captain." "Lieutenant-commander." "With all due respect, you shouldn't be here, sir." "I am not a part of your chain of command." Captain Reze calmly replied. "It is not your place to comment on my actions. I am acting on the orders issued by my own superiors. You could learn a thing or two about following the rules." The young fleeter narrowed her eyes. Though her stunt on the first day had catapulted her name into the public sphere, she also cemented her reputation as a maverick. That probably wouldn't be a problem for her as long as she remained under the umbrella of Admiral Amelie Jameson. However, the repercussions of her actions became a lot more noticeable if she tried to interact with the other branches of the Red Fleet! Despite all of this trouble, the female officer did not even pretend to contribute. Her poker face broke when she couldn't help but exude a greater sense of confidence and victory. "I do not know what your game plan is, but you are betting on the wrong horse this time. The Seventh Light Fleet that you are part of is tasked with scouting our external enemies. Leave internal affairs to the Fifth Enforcement Fleet." Captain Reze shook his head in obvious rejection. "Separating responsibilities among different fleets is an outdated policy. We cannot act as silos anymore. If we want to sustain our current momentum in the Red War, then we need to reach out to each other as well as outside parties. Cooperation is key to breaking the current game." The two fleeters clearly did not see eye-to-eye on this issue. Astrid did not bother to argue any further with Captain Reze. She instead turned her body until she faced Ves directly. "I bear no personal animosity towards you, professor. I respect your intelligence, ingenuity and salesmanship. I only regret that you have channeled your abundant talent and opportunities in the wrong directions. We cannot remain blind to your living mechs anymore. As much as we are reluctant to act against a prominent contributor to human development, I am obliged to do my duty and employ whatever measures are necessary to prevent you from causing any further harm." Ves gave her a flat stare. "I think we both disagree about what exactly constitutes harm. I appreciate your message, though. You are only fulfilling your own mission. As long as we remember that we are both humans, I think we can still get along with each other." "I wouldn't be so sure about that, Professor Larkinson. Enforcing taboos has never been conducive to building friendships. The Fifth Enforcement Fleet does not ask for your understanding. It only asks for your compliance. Whatever the verdict may be at the end of the session, I hope that you will abide by the terms." Ves paused for a few seconds before slowly nodding. "Fine. I can do that, but I expect the Fifth Fleet to do the same if the outcome does not fall in line with your expectations." "That is a given. Our organization is the embodiment of order. We will not violate our own rules in order to fulfill our short- term goals. The common folk must know that we are both fair and rule-abiding." Ves could comment on how Astrid did not show these traits when she flagrantly spilled the secret on cultivation during the first session, but he let this impulse pass. "It looks like we are about to begin. You better go back to your own compatriots before people develop the wrong impression about your movements." "That is so. Good luck, Professor Larkinson." As the young fleeter officer swam back to her own camp, Ves exchanged highly concerning glances with his advisors. "Be ready to throw out our entire game plan the moment it becomes clear that it is no longer applicable to the situation." Jovy sagely advised. Once everyone had taken their places, Planetary Governor Rod Mergan-Castelaus appeared before his clamshell throne once again. This time, he wore a more stately outfit that was predominantly made out of obsidian scales. "Good morning, citizens of the Red Ocean. After two days of exhaustive exploration of living mechs, we have arrived at the third session. The public inquiry will end on this day, but that does not mean that the debate on the merits and potential risks of living mechs shall come to an end. I fully expect that this subject will remain a point of contention for many years." That was for certain. The governor spent a few more minutes on nice-sounding platitudes before he made a surprise announcement. "Before I announce the start of this session, I must inform you all that the opposition to living mechs have approached me for permission to disclose information of such magnitude that it threatens to distract us from the main subject at hand." What? Ves and the others from his group grew a lot more concerned about this sudden turn of events. The governor continued with his explanation. "The information used to be highly confidential, but certain parties within the Red Two have recently agreed to declassify the relevant records and make them available for public consumption for reasons that you shall find out. I have already perused these records beforehand, and while I hesitated whether I should allow the opposition to reveal them to you in this venue, I have decided to permit them to do so because they are already publicly available. The newly declassified records are sufficiently credible and tangibly related to living mechs to form a meaningful contribution to this inquiry." The moderator turned towards Ves with a clear apologetic expression. "I only ask the defenders of living mechs for patience and understanding. In order to preserve your rights, I have insisted that the opposition present their new information at the beginning of this session. The speaking order is therefore reversed. The opposition shall have the first word." This did not make Ves feel any better about this situation! The sense of doom and gloom grew even stronger as Lieutenant-Commander Astrid Jameson maintained a grave expression as she slowly moved towards the center of the speaking pit.