Chapter 6496 Teach Me Ves spent a lot of hours aboard the Dragon's Den. He toured every department and inspected every major research project. The Larkinson Biotech Institute had expanded quickly and became highly productive. It also experienced a lot of growth pains, but good management helped to smooth over many issues. The main factors holding the LBI back was that it assumed way too many responsibilities in so little time. Ves recognized that he was partially to blame for that. He kept on acquiring cool new stuff before ordering his pet biotech researchers to conduct R&D on his new acquisition. Doing that once or twice was not a big deal, but doing it many times over significantly burdened the LBI's workload! "Now that you have seen how we have become burdened by too much work, I hope that you can reconsider your past decisions." Vice Director Maria Abselon eventually made a final plea when the long and exhausting tour came to an end. "We can vastly increase our progress if we collaborate with the Phase Lord Department of the Red Collective. Their researchers have developed a systematic approach to human phase lord cultivation that has broken much new ground. We can overcome many hurdles and borrow many existing solutions if we work side-by-side with our peers in the RC. Doing so will force us to share our own research progress with the collies, but they will also have to share their insights into adapting phasewater organs for human usage. We consider this to be a fair trade." Ves frowned, signaling that he was not happy with this proposal. "That is unacceptable, vice director. My concern isn't about earning a profit or loss in a transaction. It is confidentiality. Letting too many outsiders work on core phasewater organs that will become a part of my combat system is a huge security risk. Not only will it increase the chances that our collaborators may slip in nefarious bioprogramming, but they will become much more aware of my strengths and weaknesses as a phase lord, thereby allowing them to prepare highly effective countermeasures." Ves did not think that he could rely on the goodwill and promises of other people and groups. He still decided to keep everything in-house. The Larkinson Biotech Institute had its flaws, but he was certain it remained in the palm of his hand. He could not say the same for other research institutions. Despite knowing that the Red Collective was far ahead in terms of understanding and deciphering human phase lord cultivation, Ves still believed in the importance of doing everything himself. He was already preparing for a contingency where the support structure of human civilization no longer loomed above their heads. Ves did not spot any strong indications that human civilization in the Red Ocean may enter a freefall in the future. However, his intuition had become quite strong, and it currently told him that he would be a fool to rely on the assumption that everything would remain the same. The Milky Way was not the only galaxy that would undergo major upheaval in the near future! While that strengthened the argument that the LBI needed to become more self-sufficient, leaning too much in this direction would slow everything down. That was unacceptable to Ves. He needed to upgrade and expand his phasewater organs sooner rather than later. "Vice Director Abselon, if you truly wish to transact with the Phase Lord Department of the RC, you are permitted to do so under limited circumstances. If you can exchange knowledge that is vital to you with knowledge or goods that are not too critical, you can go ahead. Knowledge sharing may be good for our civilization as a whole, but we cannot selflessly dedicate ourselves to the good of our race if we cannot address our more personal needs as well." The current woman in charge of the LBI smiled in evident relief. "Thank you for heeding my words. This measure alone can significantly reduce our work burden on the phasewater organ projects." "Make sure to prioritize research on the lesser Collie organ. Its functions are incredibly useful to me and can help me become more productive. You can slow down progress on studying the other phasewater organs as long as you are confident that you can speed up your progress on the research that matters." After Ves stated his demands, the work visit finally came to an end. Just after he picked up a bored-looking Lucky and returned to the Tarrasque, he received an unexpected call from Ketis. Guessing that she may wish to talk on more substantive topics, Ves sighed and settled in his office at the design lab before he accepted the communication request. "Hello, Ketis. What brings you here today?" The swordmaiden went straight to business. "There are a number of topics I want to address with you. First, I'd like to share the feedback and reception towards the introduction of Larkinson-exclusive auxiliary qi cultivation methods. Overall, the legion commanders have been highly receptive towards them. It is hard to say whether they will remain enthused once their subordinates start to practice the advanced methods on a wide scale, but for now they are swayed by all of the possibilities." "Hmm. That is natural. The ones that we have devised for our mech pilots cannot be any less effective than the premium curated cultivation methods available in the Repository." "The gathered leaders are also sharp enough to wonder how a companion spirit might change the game. They are already researching the available options to develop the most optimal combinations according to their vision." Ves curled his lips into a smile. "I am not surprised. You can do a lot more when you have a little incarnation at your disposal. You and I are excellent examples of how we have managed to leverage our companion spirits to enhance our capabilities. That said, I cannot rule out the possibility that the wrong choices can lead to anti-synergy. Our clansmen need to receive enough instructions about the dangers of recklessly mashing two volatile and incompatible attributes together." "Do you truly believe that will become a problem, Ves?" "Yes. Don't underestimate people's stupidity. Most of these guys haven't honed their sensitivity to the point where they can instinctively feel that what they are doing is dangerous. We need to treat this with a firm hand." The two talked a bit more on the problems that may arise with the introduction of Carmine mechs at an early stage. There was no need for either of them to impress anyone at the moment, so they did not hold back when sharing their criticism. "...Alright, enough chatter about this Ketis. What is the true reason why you called me? You are radiating a noticeable sense of urgency" "If you want the simple answer, it is because I have developed new ideas of the MSTS. Have you forgotten about it already? One of the reasons why our Larkinson mech pilots and the pilots of other well-known mech families have been able to adapt so quickly is by frantically training inside the simulated space generated by the Mental Simulation Training System. I have not forgotten about the original reason why he made this device." That was not entirely true. Ves had become so swamped with responsibilities that his determination to improve the MSTS continually got pushed down his priority list. Upgrading the MSTS became more and more important, especially when Ves considered a huge amount of influx of Carmine mech pilots. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶 It would be much easier for them to prove their ability to pilot mechs ahead of time if they were able to experiment freely with their techniques and methods! Ves eventually sighed. "The fact of the matter is that I don't have the time to upgrade the MSTS right now. I have too many obligations. I urgently need to help my wife complete the designs for the Amaranto Mark III, Riot Mark III and the Minerva Mark II. Their expert pilots have already waited too long to obtain upgraded machines." The swordmaster's expression softened. "You are correct about that. They do deserve to receive their new machines. Anticipation for the Minerva Mark II is especially high in our clan. That said, improving the MSTS has the potential to benefit far more mech pilots than the Larkinsons and our allies. With the continued spread of living mechs and Carmine mechs, the MSTS can quickly help mech pilots acquire new skills and improve their existing ones in a vastly superior simulated environment." Ves truly felt torn between these two priorities. He really wanted to work on the high-ranking expert mechs for the next few months while also designing the Rule Breaker Project on the side. He suddenly gained a brilliant new idea. "Wait. Ketis, your schedule should be rather clear after you have finalized your Stormblade Samurai Mark II Project, correct?" His former student nodded. "That is correct. I was thinking about designing a swordsman Carmine mech as well as a machine that is suitable for the Heavensword Mech Legion. Oh, have I mentioned that we should finally get serious about raising this mech legion?" "I have no objections to it as long as everything is done properly. I imagine that the unexpected arrival of the Heavensword may have given you plenty of motivation to get the ball rolling." "I can't deny that it has played an important motivating factor." Ketis admitted. "I think it is prudent for us to not give the powerful sword a reason to grow upset at us. In any case, we can handle the work involved with raising the Heavensword Mech Legion." "That should keep you a little busier, but not to the point of where you can assist me. Ketis, would you like to work on the MSTS on my behalf?" "What?! I do not understand anything about the underlying technological principles behind the operation of the MSTS. I do not have the qualifications to work on this game." "I disagree." Ves shook his head. "Even if you are not quite as aware of the dangers lurking in the shadows, you are a fast learner. I can tutor you on the bare basics needed to understand the mystical design and programming of the MSTS. Perhaps it is better to introduce a fresh perspective on this project. It doesn't matter if you lack the skills to modify the MSTS. You can always share your ideas with me. I can decide what to implement and what I should leave alone." This gave Ketis greater confidence in her new assignment. This was a good opportunity for her to learn E-technology and enrich her own options. Ves made a big step today. Ketis could tell how much he had to overcome his paranoia and suspicion in order to give Ketis the right to make changes to a mysterious realm with wonderful applications. She was partially afraid that she might botch her work and trigger a flood of accidents that ultimately led to the destruction of all of their work. That was not a good reason for her to reject change. The situation in the border regions had always grown worse over time. Ketis had already decided to unveil her 'ability' to cut a tear into a different dimension once the Heavensword arrived. As long as the weapon chose to stick around and allow Ketis to swing it every now and then, she already planned to use this ancient grand work as the ultimate excuse to explain all of the drastic improvements! Nobody knew what exactly the Heavensword was capable of. However, recorded history already described many different dazzling powers. The weapon was meant to be used, no matter in war or in peace. Before the Heavensword was about to arrive and change her life trajectory forever, Ketis focused back on the original request. If Ves was willing to let Ketis improve the MSTS, then she would definitely do the best possible job! "Teach me, please." "That is what I am for, Ketis." Ves grinned.