Chapter 7097: A Tentative Agreement Ves happened to possess another powerful piece of leverage. He was peripherally involved with the Oblivion Gate Consortium. Sure, he was not one of the people in charge. His voice had no say in front of the powerful True Gods that controlled the two gates and decided what should be exchanged between the galaxies. However, that did not change the fact that he was the son of the holder of the Black Oblivion Gate and also happened to possess a somewhat friendly relationship with the holder of the Red Oblivion Gate. One word from him should be enough to make one of them consider the possibility of inviting the Polymath into the Oblivion Gate Consortium. Ves looked carefully at the Polymath. She and her mini empire had a lot to offer, but her demands were also great. Being able to conduct trades with the old galaxy would definitely help her satisfy her needs for ultra-rare materials and devices that could not be found in the new frontier. The truth of the matter was that the Red Ocean was too small for her. There were too few major players that could trade with the Cybernetic Empire on an equal level, and each of them feared that it might take them all over one day. It would be much more convenient if the Polymath could trade with her old buddies in the Milky Way Galaxy instead. There were so many god pilots, Star Designers and other notable figures in the old galaxy that plenty of them should be willing to exchange their extremely powerful specialties. Much of the Cybernetic Empire’s superior technologies just so happened to have little to do with phasewater technology, hyper technology or E-technology. The Time of Isolation almost caused much of its local tech scene to regress to an low-energy environment that had much more in common with the Milky Way. In other words, the value of CE tech was even greater for the powers of the old galaxy, whose limited access to phasewater and hyper materials prevented them from utilizing many of the most recent technological advancements in the new frontier! Ves could easily foresee that the Polymath could make a killing through conducting strategic trades with her friends from the old galaxy. The question now was whether Ves was willing to see her become an active participant in the trades between the two galaxies. A 10 percent volume quota was a heavy concession considering that the amount of stuff that could be traded each time was quite limited to begin with. Every cubic meter mattered. Giving her a quota meant depriving it from others. On the other hand, Ves saw a great opportunity for the Oblivion Gate Consortium to earn a profit from the Cybernetic Empire. Sure, the Polymath spent half a decade transforming an original greater beyonder gate into a so-called Translocation Gate, but he was pretty sure that it was not able to cross intergalactic distances. The Oblivion Gates only managed to work because Master Moira Willix designed both of them to synchronize perfectly with each other. Even if Ves was not an expert in this field of spatial and dimensional physics, he could figure out that it was much harder to reach further distances with just a single gate as opposed to a pair of gates! So long as the Polymath was not able to compete with the Oblivion Gate Consortium, his mother and the Evolution Witch could impose a ludicrously high tax on every exchange of goods. The wealth and knowledge of the Cybernetic Empire would go on to benefit his ’allies’! Since that was the case, it did not hurt to give the Polymath a chance. "I can put you in contact with my mother." He eventually said. "You will have to negotiate further with her and the Evolution Witch if you want a piece of the action. They will not listen to me. They will make their own judgment." The Polymath, who still possessed Hugo’s body as if it was nothing but a convenient tool, did not quite agree with his assessment. "That is not true, Larkinson. You are the glue that connects multiple disparate parties together. I am in a much better position than your mother in providing material aid to her child and grandchildren. We can bestow you with superior tech and a well-equipped force to ensure that her bloodline remains protected in this dangerous dwarf galaxy. This is a compelling exchange for a mother. Introduce me. Give me your recommendation. Your approval will influence your mother’s verdict." Ves was not so sure about that. His mother had always been adamant about how he should fix his own problems rather than seeking external help all of the time. Perhaps she thought differently this time. The only way to find out was to bring her into the conversation. Ves reached into one of his suit pockets and retrieved a small metal statuette of the Superior Mother. He always kept a collection of these within easy reach in case he needed to consult one of his design spirits. He tried his best not to ignore the Hugo or rather the Polymath’s unnerving stare and did his best to attract the attention of a particular incarnation. "Mother, I need you to come. The Polymath over here wants to discuss a deal." The idol began to glow and grow in power. Whatever the Polymath had done to flood the chamber with communication signals did not hinder the Superior Mother from manifesting a small part of herself into the statuette. The ancestral spirit was unable to descend to the same degree as the Star Designer. The statuette was too weak and tiny to compete against Hugo Fournier. Fortunately, Ves did not call over the Superior Mother because he needed to borrow her strength. He could immediately feel the Superior Mother’s aura coming into contact with the Polymath’s more powerful presence. The air became a little more charged. The tension in the chamber increased. True Gods were supremely powerful individuals. They were usually long-lived as well. Their thinking was completely different from that of a mortal. Who knew how they regarded each other. There was a small chance that they might decide to wage war against each other for reasons that escaped people like Ves. This was why he and Lucky remained still. They did not want to do anything that could trigger them to lash out or whatever. The air became more active. Ves could sense a faint buzz in his head, but he was lacking a crucial component that could capture and translate the signals into a form that he could understand. Ves already guessed that the Polymath and the Superior Mother were communicating with each other on a higher level than normal methods. Several minutes passed by in relative silence. Seeing that neither of the two had lashed out against each other, Ves and his cat slowly relaxed, though they did their best to pretend as if they were static background pieces. "Very well." The Polymath eventually broke the silence through her human puppet. "We are in agreement. You will not regret your choice. In time, our provisional agreement shall evolve into an alliance. My empire and yours shall join hands across two different galaxies. With the resources and technologies of both galaxies at our disposal, we shall dominate our respective galaxies in time." The statuette of the Superior Mother pulsed a single time before losing power. Seeing that his mother had withdrawn without telling Ves anything, it became clear that he needed to learn what the hell had just taken place from the Polymath. Great. Ves carefully slipped the metal statuette back into his pocket and gazed at Hugo’s purple eyes. "From your previous words, I take it that you have managed to forge a tentative deal with my mother." Hugo nodded and responded with the same icy female voice. "Your mother has agreed to a trial. We will be conducting a number of limited exchanges in the future to establish whether there is truly grounds for cooperation between us. She will find that cooperation is the superior option. Once we transition into a more permanent arrangement, I will join her Oblivion Gate Consortium, pending the Evolution Witch’s approval." Damn. Ves had a number of apprehensions about this development. Letting her become a fixed trading partner of the Oblivion Gate Consortium would definitely enable her to grow stronger, thereby causing the balance of power to shift in her favor. That was not all. The Polymath would definitely become a more regular fixture in his life. This was exactly what Calabasdt had warned about during their last meeting. To be fair, the Polymath did not have to go through him in order to reach out to the Oblivion Gate Consortium. She could have found a way to make contact with the Superior Mother through the Hex Federation or the Evolution Witch through the Red Association. She chose to do it through Ves because she calculated that this would give her the biggest chance of achieving her goals. Whatever deal she struck with Cynthia Larkinson must have caused her to become incredibly satisfied, because she soon began to explain the benefits that she and her star empire owed to Ves. "Your mother has entrusted me with your defense. A part of the escort force that has accompanied my empire’s delegation to Yernstall shall be reassigned. They will join your Bluejay Fleet as the latest addition to your protection duty. Mr. Fournier shall act as my liaison since you are already accustomed to this relationship model. Since he is a living mech design specialist, he shall also be intimately involved in the development of your Promethea Mark II and your upcoming Bloodfire mech design project. These two projects will receive ample access to our technological library. We shall grant you the licenses that you demand, but only on stricter terms than the Red Association demands. If you wish to profit from our superior tech, then you must pay a considerable premium to us for every advanced mech you sell." The additional price would definitely hurt future sales, but that was still a hugely generous demand considering the value of her advanced tech. Ves was surprised that the Polymath conceded so easily. Did his mother promise her a massive benefit, or did the Star Designer never really care that much about making the relevant tech available to the rest of red humanity? "I would be happy to welcome your contribution to the Bluejay Fleet so long as your forces can come to a mutually agreeable arrangement with its existing composition." Ves said. "I am also happy to be accompanied by Mr. Fournier. He is... a bit inexperienced, but he has the heart of an earnest living mech designer." "Good, because you will need his assistance to properly integrate our advanced tech into your mech designs. If Mr. Fournier does not possess the relevant expertise yet, then he will quickly acquire it one way or another. The residue of this temporary condition shall ensure that. We hope that you can work briskly to complete the two Bloodfire mech design projects. We must field your Bloodfire mechs as soon as possible." Ves definitely had the sense that his Bloodfire mechs were important to her somehow. The Cybernetic Empress did not bother to hide her interest in a mech concept that still had no basis in reality at this time. "Please answer this question for me. Why do you care so much about my Bloodfire mechs? What is so special about it that you are willing to make so many concessions and accommodations?" Hugo’s head shook back and forth. "This is not the time and place to answer this question. We shall reveal the importance of your Bloodfire mechs at a later date. For now, you may rest assured that you will become part of a great endeavor that will have wide implications for the future. We shall be in contact." The air suddenly cleared. The Polymath abruptly withdrew her presence. The Journeyman Mech Designer’s eyes finally shifted back to their regular blue glow. The conversation was over.