Chapter 6329 Mentalist Crystal Monopoly The benefits of integrating a Mentalist Crystal into the Minerva was far greater than integrating it into any other high-ranking mech. While Ves believed that putting a Mentalist Crystal in the Dark Zephyr would make Saint Tusa sharper and more responsive. It may even help him utilize the Banish resonating ability more effectively, as the precise manipulation of Erlemin forced Tusa to be precise and detailed in his power application. However, the benefits were too marginal compared to using other hyper materials. The Dark Zephyr was a fast-moving mech that Saint Tusa piloted more with his highly developed instincts and intuition as opposed to his mind. The Minerva Mark II was different. Under ideal circumstances, the upcoming ace command mech shouldn't even fight her adversaries directly, let alone move from her commanding position from the rear. Ves envisioned her to become the Larkinson Clan's ultimate manipulator of the battlefield. The living mech needed to function as a conductor of many other mech units, channeling lots of true resonance to her subordinates so that they may act as her weapon systems. All of this did not require the Minerva to acquire a deadlier rifle, a tougher armor system or a faster flight system. While Ves and Gloriana made sure to strengthen these aspects anyway in order to guard against emergencies where the Saint Commander had no other choice, these wouldn't be situations where she fought at her best. The strength of an ace command mech lay in inspiring and leading a large number of troops to accomplish victories that were otherwise unattainable. Casella Ingvar possessed the potential to lead any mech army and defeat enemy forces that were easily five times or even ten times stronger on paper! While all of that sounded impressive, it was much harder for her to realize this potential in practice. Her Minerva served as both an enabler and a limiter to her power. Depending on how her ace command mech was designed and built, the living mech would strengthen some of her capabilities while weakening her other aspects. The goal that Ves and Gloriana had set for the Minerva Mark II Project was to strengthen Casella's ace mech's command capabilities as much as possible. They purposely decided to sacrifice the mech's direct combat capabilities if they had to choose between the two. They were willing to go quite far in trading one for the other, up to the point where the diminishing returns became too strong to make it worthwhile anymore. In any case, Gloriana had chosen to design the Minerva Mark II in a way that would probably make her into one of the best junior ace command mechs to exist, but only if she was able to draw mind energy from a whole Mentalist Crystal. Ves crossed his arms as he thought about this situation. He figured out that his wife already prepared this presentation for him for the purpose of begging him for the key material that could elevate the Minerva Mark II to a whole new level. "Gloriana…" "I do not like that tone, Ves." "Oh, come on. You should have a good understanding how difficult it is to obtain a Mentalist Crystal. Many people have tried to set up their own business around harvesting and selling them for exorbitant prices, but none of them have the ability to hunt down clever mutated beasts that have developed abnormally high intelligences as the trackers of the Hunting Association. They are the only ones who derive their power and knowledge directly from the Huntsman, thereby allowing them to find the needles in a haystack on a consistent basis." "So? Since the side branches of our clan have failed to harvest a single Mentalist Crystal, then let us leave that to the professionals. Let us approach the Hunting Association and pay whatever we need to secure a Crystal." "It's not as simple as you think!" Ves exasperatingly said. "As long as the HA maintains its highly coveted monopoly on Mentalist Crystals, it will take huge concessions for us to trade one for yourself. In fact, I don't exactly have a good relation with the HA at the moment, so I can't just approach them and propose a deal with the Hunters. You are not doing us any favors by requesting a whole Crystal instead of a bunch of fragments. Can't you just design the Minerva without this material? I can already guess you designed an alternative version that uses regular hyper materials." Gloriana shot up to her feet! "Do not give me your excuses, Ves! I refuse to settle for less when there is a much superior option available! The Minerva Mark II augmented with a Mentalist Crystal is much closer to a perfect vessel for Casella than any other variation that I can design. I can accept it if we do not have the status and wealth to acquire a whole Mentalist Crystal, but this is not the case. You are more than a mech designer these days! I have read the news and heard the rumors. You command far more than the Larkinson Clan these days. As the Hierarch of the Coalition of Faiths and the future leader of the High Council of the Red Collective, obtaining a Mentalist Crystal should be a trivial task to your high and mighty self! Even if you cannot request one from the Hunting Association due to strained relations or such, you can still approach other friendly organizations for their Crystals!" "Impossible!" Ves sputtered. "Mentalist Crystals are used up almost as soon as they are delivered to their intended recipients. No one keeps them lying around. Do you know how many statesmen, Master Mech Designers and other high-and-mighty figures are waiting to upgrade their cranial implants with ones empowered by this highly coveted hyper material? I have even heard of cases where they were stolen in transit in shocking heists! By the way, how the hell did you manage to get a Mentalist Crystal on loan anyway?" "A Master Mech Designer from the Mech Supremacist Faction acquired one from the Hunting Association. The Crystal was already in transit. The escort fleet merely took a short detour in order to let me use it for a battery of experiments. I believe it has now been integrated into a brand-new implant suite similar to my own augmentations." "I see. You were really lucky that you managed to obtain this opportunity. As this example shows, other parties simply don't hold onto their Mentalist Crystals. If they place them into their vaults, then a group of expert heisters will find a way to break in and steal the Crystals under everyone's noses. These damn Crystals are more valuable than phasewater these days. They have become one of the most coveted strategic materials in our civilization. In fact, I hear that even the aliens are eager to obtain them for their own purposes." His wife did not seem moved by his counterarguments. She raised her eyebrows as she continued to stare at him as if he owed her 15 top-of-the-line handbags. "You have often complained how your status is rising faster than your ability to protect yourself. This is your chance to rectify this problem to a large extent. We all need the Saint Commander at her best. If she is paired with a Minerva Mark II that is enhanced with a Mentalist Crystal, there will not be many enemies that can directly threaten us anymore. I thought you would have done everything to increase your protection now that you are on the cusp of becoming the highest leaders of the Red Collective." "Look, I would really like a Mentalist Crystal of our own, but the price is too high. I can't get one from other parties because they always use them up too quickly. Even if they can get one that has remained intact and unused, then we will have to pay an even higher price than if we requested one from the Hunting Association directly." "If that is an issue, then why are you so opposed to negotiating with the Hunters?" "It's complicated." Ves sighed. "The Hunting Association has become too powerful to bow its head to the Red Collective, but it is not powerful enough to become a rival. It has occupied a very favorable position in high-level politics. It can afford to remain aloof because no one wants to spoil their relations with this powerful organization." "That sounds interesting, but what is the issue?" "The problem is that it is not in the best interest of the Collective to let the Hunters stray too far from its orbit, as they are technically cultivators. It is best for the RC if the HA accepts our jurisdiction, but there has been a months-long standoff on this issue. Many people simply do not want to piss off the Hunters, or else they will lose their only channel of Mentalist Crystals. It would be extremely embarrassing for me if I have to beg the HA for a Mentalist Crystal. If I do this, I will weaken the bargaining position of my own superorganization." He needed to think beyond his own perspective and the perspective of the Larkinson Clan these days. Now that he had entered the game of high politics, he needed to be a lot more mindful of the repercussions of all of his decisions. His wife finally accepted the gravity of this troublesome situation. She furrowed her brows as she thought about how she could still attain her goal. "Will you be able to ask for a Mentalist Crystal once your Red Collective has solved its ongoing impasse with the Hunting Association?" "Yes, but do you understand how difficult that is? There is only one real chance of reconciling the two organizations before the start of the highly-anticipated founding ceremony of the Red Collective. I will be traveling to the Yernstall Star Node very soon to preside over this event and open the doors of its brand-new headquarters. Since so many movers and shakers of human civilization will be attending this historic event as well, I plan to take care of a lot of other important business as well. One of them includes participating in a last-ditch effort to convince the Hunting Association to accept the jurisdiction of the Red Collective." This was a really dubious attempt, but it was the last chance the Red Collective had left to bring what could arguably be described as the most powerful human sect at this time to heel. "You are taking care of much more business while you are staying in Yernstall, correct?" "That's an understatement." Ves chuckled. "I hear that there is a good chance that the Evolution Witch will be present to provide security for the founding ceremony and handle a few matters related to her future role in the Red Collective. I have been asking her office for months for a personal meeting with the god pilot, and I think I will finally get my chance at Yernstall. I have a couple of important… matters to discuss with her. I believe she may have her own reasons to seek me out and talk about important matters." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚 Ves intended to take care of a lot of important matters in the Yernstall Central Star Node. A great convergence was on the horizon. The culmination of many different plans was about to occur at the same place and time. There was no way this was a coincidence. Everything was interconnected, somehow. "What else will you be doing in Yernstall, Ves?" "Well, I will be paying a personal visit to Starfarer Bay. I have already toured it by remote, but that is different from being physically present. I want to make sure one of our shipyards is working hard to churn out first-class sub-capital ships for our latest fleet according to the specifications that I have set." "That shouldn't be all. You have been preparing for a more important and significant event. Do not deny it. I can tell from the way you return from your secretive design sessions aboard the Tarrasque. Are you finally ready to introduce your Carmine mechs to the dwarf galaxy?" Ves assumed a grave expression. "I am. It's a bit rushed, but it is not as if I have any choice. This… is going to change everything. You and the kids will need to be prepared for a huge reaction towards my upcoming work. You will notice vastly greater security covering you all while I am gone." "I see. This was going to happen sooner or later. No one can remain calm when the greater masses finally gain an opportunity to pilot mechs. This is a true paradigm shift."