Chapter 6897 Ves the Influencer There was a lot of depth in curses. Ves should know. He swallowed a few enlightenment fruits that taught him about the subject. Although his actual ability to cast a curse remained shallow, he still gained enough of a foundation to roughly understand the curse master profession. He even used his own understanding to form an exclusive qi cultivation method that enabled the Larkinson Clan to raise its own curse masters. Still, his own efforts paled in comparison to that of the Red Collective! The collies had taken greater risks by actively contaminating the spiritualities of their curse masters with negative energies! Ves could not believe the RC valued curse masters so much that they resorted to this extreme measure. Such rituals permanently changed the lives of prospective curse masters. Their closer affinities to specific negative concepts should enable them to cast much more powerful curses than normal. Was the tradeoff worth it? Ves did not know. "Our curse masters have already discovered that they can strengthen their results if they are able to sacrifice a sample of organic tissue taken from the target." Eliza continued to explain. "The curse masters theorize that with a solid piece of organic sample, they may be able to cast a curse that is strong enough to debilitate phase leaders." Ves' eyes lit up. "It would be great if this is the case! While the requirements are difficult to meet, the results will definitely be worth it if we are met by particularly powerful or tricky enemies. When combined with our superdimensional ace mech, our ability to decapitate the most powerful enemy leaders can become even stronger." That said, it was not strictly necessary for the Larkinson Clan to accommodate the foreign curse masters. Not only did the Larkinson Clan possess the capacity to train watered-down versions of their own curse masters, but they already had several means of their own to take down enemy leaders. Still, taking along the curse masters of the Red Collective would help Ves get in touch with a much greater and more complete heritage on this profession. He and his clan would be able to learn more about curse masters and how to get better at casting curses. More importantly, the Larkinsons would also learn how to defend against curses cast by third parties, which was arguably even more important. Ves knew that since the capacity to cast curses existed, there were bound to be groups that would abuse their power for their own selfish purposes. It was practically an inevitability. Instead of burying his head in the sand, it was better to be proactive and learn everything he could about curses so that he could formulate proper defenses. After Ves became satisfied with what he learned about the batch of curse masters offered by the Enforcement Department, Ves wondered if the collies had developed other interesting cultivator professions. "Are there any other groups that I should take note of?" He asked. "No more, I believe." His chief of staff replied. "The remainder are less developed and speak for themselves. You should have enough of an understanding of what you can obtain if you choose the Enforcement Department's offer. Have you learned enough information to proceed with your selection, or would you like to ask more questions?" "I want to address one more issue, Eliza. I find it rather strange and suspicious that you collies present two competing offers to me. There is more to this internal rivalry between the different departments. Tell me the significance of my upcoming choice. What am I getting into? I have a strong feeling that my selection will generate ripple effects within the Red Collective." The physical projection of Eliza studied Ves carefully before nodding in approval. "Your political instincts are accurate. There is a greater dispute surrounding the decision of where the Red Collective should allocate its limited research capacity and resources. The Phase Lord Department is arguing that it deserves greater investment because it has already developed a mature if expensive pipeline to convert ordinary humans into powerful phase lords. The strength of an individual human phase lord is not particularly strong, but if deployed in a squad and bestowed with excellent equipment, our phase lords can pose a credible threat against many native gods. This is a good way to address the shortfall in ace pilots." The proponents of human phase lords had good reasons to be confident. While Ves had not been paying much attention to the initial deployments of the Ur-Titan Phalanx, he had heard that the human phase lords were able to defeat a superior team of alien phase lords. Just as expected, human phase lords that used to be elite infantry soldiers were able to rely on impeccable teamwork and mech-derived weapons and equipment to gain an advantage over their individualistic alien counterparts. If Ves agreed to host a squad of Flesh Choppers, then he would have his own troupe of human phase lords at his disposal. The increase in hard power sounded reassuring. The Flesh Choppers would not only be able to help with countering alien champions, but also help with wiping out enemy warships and fortifications, both of which fell in line with the Premier Fleet's objectives for the upcoming campaign. However, Ves also had to consider the merits of the alternative offer. "The Enforcement Department does not just represent its own interests, but also the interests of multiple other departments within the Red Collective." Eliza revealed. "This coalition of departments have balked at the excessive requests made by the Phase Lord Department. Their goal is to steer the RC away from making an overcommitment on human phase lords. They prefer a more balanced development where human cultivators seek to master as many different paths as possible." Ves narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "I can see how this dispute can affect a lot of people's projects, but I don't think that my choice alone affects the entire direction of the Red Collective. This is a political matter that should be debated upon in the Lower Council." "Different factions are already preparing to hold this debate, sir. What they need is proof that their stance is superior to the alternatives. Everyone is paying close attention to your decision for this reason. If you accept the offer made by the Phase Lord Department, then the supporters of human phase lords will interpret this as your endorsement of their position." Ves grew upset. "That is not my intention." "I know that, but others may not necessarily believe that. Regardless of what you decide, you will make new friends and enemies. This is an inevitable outcome. Due to multiple reasons, you have risen to become one of the leading figures of red humanity in the Age of Dawn. You have engaged in cultivation long before the founding of the Red Collective. You have proven to be a keen opportunist. For better or worse, you are seen as a role model to the members of the Red Collective. There are many people who are trying to imitate you in order to replicate just a fraction of your success. Each of your actions generates a significant amount of influence onto our wider society." "Are you saying that I have become an influencer?!" Eliza responded with a mirthful smile. "At least you are not one of those spoiled brats who are famous because they are famous. You are the best kind of influencer. By that I mean the kind that has proven to be a net positive to society. There is no reason for you to equate yourself with the 'celebrities' whose degeneracies have turned them into parasites who have not done anything productive in the sum total of their lives." Ves dismissively waved his arm. "Enough meaningless flattery. Let's get back on topic. While I can understand what you are saying about how many people are paying attention to my decision, this is just one data point among many. What makes my choice so much more significant than that of others?" "Your choice holds greater weight because we expect you to make excellent use of the capabilities of the cultivator soldiers and experts that we put at your disposal." His chief of staff replied. "Everyone has high expectations for your Premier Fleet. Despite its modest size and other shortcomings, you and your Larkinsons have a proven track record of defeating the strong with the weak. We believe that you will be able to help our cultivators unlock their hidden potential and give them a grand stage to demonstrate their capabilities in and out of battle." In other words, Ves could provide the proponents of his choice with additional proof by winning fights with the help of the RC contingent. No matter whether he chose to accept human phase lords or a more eclectic mix of qi cultivators, he was confident that he could whip them into shape and make them useful to his Premier Fleet. So long as he did not suffer an embarrassing defeat, Ves' choices and actions would have a significant influence in the development trajectory of the Red Collective. He knew enough about the RC that its finances and resources still fell far behind the RA and the RF. There was no way for the collies to catch up with the mechers and the fleeters in a short amount of time. This meant that the RC carefully needed to manage its budget. It could not afford to engage in too much waste. In the quest to engage in the most productive activities, the RC needed to decide whether it is better to go all-in on human phase lords or seek a more balanced development. From Ves' perspective, the former was an excellent short-term choice, but the lack of investment into more diverse cultivation fields would cause the RC to fall behind in those areas. The latter provided fewer benefits in the short term, thereby making it harder to win battles during this crucial stage of the Red War. Yet the benefits in the long term were much greater and more promising due to the sheer versatility and utility of all of those cultivator professions. Ves frowned in thought. He found it difficult to make up his mind. The most logical choice to make was to accept the offer of the Phase Lord Department. It was much easier to make good use of the human phase lords. They were already qualified combatants and did not need a lot of time to integrate into his existing forces. Having these powerful phase lords at his disposal massively increased the fault tolerance of his Premier Fleet and raised the threshold to defeating it. Even fewer enemy forces would think to challenge the Larkinsons! This was especially the case if Saint Commander Casella Larkinson was able to Commandeer of Enfeoff the 12 human phase lords! Ves could not imagine how much more powerful they could become if they wielded the power of true resonance! Yet… as attractive as this sounded, was it truly essential for him to receive more muscle? When Ves thought about the formation masters, priests and curse masters offered by the Enforcement Department, he could think of many ways that these experts could benefit his Premier Fleet. While their knowledge and cultivation strength were still too shallow for them to display much power, this was an acceptable shortcoming. Rather than strengthen the hard power of his Premier Fleet, Ves saw greater value in expanding its versatility and soft power. The Premier Fleet lacked the support structure of a large state or superorganization. It relied too heavily on external sources for intelligence, technology, repairs and resupply. While the cultivators aligned with the Enforcement Department could not address all of these shortcomings, they could still provide a lot of help in their own ways. From being able to divine the locations of key leaders and supply depots to multiplying the combat effectiveness of his mech forces by 10 to 20 percent with a powerful blessing, Ves believed his clan would ultimately benefit more if it tapped into the greater potential qi cultivation! Perhaps his personal bias may be getting in the way, but Ves did not have a good opinion towards phase lord cultivation. Body cultivation was expensive and was lacking in depth. It relied on enormous accumulation of phasewater as well as the implantation of rare and difficult phasewater organs to bestow greater power to its practitioners. If red humanity continued to lose territory, then its supply of phasewater would continue to decrease. Ves did not think it was a good idea to bet heavily on proliferation of human phase lords when there was a good chance that phasewater was about to become a lot more scarce in the future. Even if the war turned around, the argument still remained valid. It was simply too expensive to raise an army of human phase lords. At least regular qi cultivators maintained their human proportions. It was much cheaper to outfit them with quality gear and feed them with modest doses of elixirs. "I have made my choice. Please convey my gratitude to the Phase Lord Department for their thoughtfulness, but I have decided to accept the offer made by the Enforcement Department." Eliza nodded with a serious expression. "If that is what you have decided, then I shall make the arrangements."