Chapter 7134: The Ascended Giants The first meeting between Ves and the leaders of the Phase Lord Department took place in high orbit of Jotunheim. Although the base of the rogue department was well-protected, it had powered down its active turrets and other weapon systems as part of a pre-negotiated settlement. The Bluejay Fleet did likewise keeping its mechs in their carriers and the weapon systems of its warships in lockdown. Many people could feel the tension in the air as those involved in this troublesome affair realized how easily both sides could come to blows. Any provocation could lead to escalation. If the human phase lords were not willing to back down out of paranoia or misplaced pride, then they may decide to launch an attack, thereby starting a chain of events that would lead to massive losses to both sides! The Yernstall was supposed to be the safest and most secure star system after Bridgehead One. Any incident where warships, planetary bases and human phase lords started to exchange blows would definitely be detected across the central star node. Many more people would find out about the internal irregularities, turning it into a full-blown scandal that could not be contained. The Red Collective would suffer a huge crisis of faith! Every leader involved in this botched affair would suffer a huge hit in reputation! This included Ves! He therefore needed to be very careful and avoid setting off the compromised collies. Yet he could not allow the Red Collective to suffer too big of a disadvantage either. The RC had its bottom lines. It could not afford to tolerate outright betrayal. If the human phase lords did not fall in line, then the Red Collective had little choice but to call in the big guns. This likely entailed drastic measures such as requesting the intervention of a god pilot to sort out the recalcitrant human phase lords. Of course, it went without saying that such a move came at an enormous expense. Just the fact that the RC had to divert a god pilot from a vital responsibility was enough to affect the war effort! Nobody wanted the situation to deteriorate up to this point. Ves carried the hopes of many RC leaders. They wanted him to try and see if he could resolve the problem quietly and without drama. Ves personally did not have that much hope of success. He was not a professional diplomat and still felt he was lacking too much context. However, the RC promised rich rewards if he succeeded in convincing the human phase lords to submit themselves to authority. More importantly, if he failed, he would still come away with a generous consolation prize. The RC had plenty of good stuff that Ves desired, from exclusive hyper materials to forbidden knowledge. What Ves found most crucial was structural knowledge on how to convert alien phasewater organs into human-compatible versions. This was a long-standing shortcoming of the Larkinson Biotech Institute. The Phase Lord Department conducted a huge amount of research in this field. Though much of the research data was locked inside bases such as Jotunheim, the RC’s other databases possessed a sizable quantity of early research reports, enough to satisfy Ves’ appetite. The thought of those databases caused Ves to turn towards another important figure. "Meow?" Lucky raised his head and looked questionably at Ves. "Are you ready for another infiltration mission? This isn’t like the last attempts. Jotunheim is secured with lots of modern human tech. You cannot afford to be sloppy. Retrieving vital intelligence from their data cores is important, but preventing the human phase lords from finding out that we are sneaking behind their backs is even more important. You can literally start an internal war if any phase lord, any human thrall or any electronic system has detected your traces." The gem cat arrogantly lifted his head. "Meow!" It was as if Lucky felt insulted that Ves would even question his infiltration capabilities! "Hey! We got exposed while we were attempting to infiltrate the Protector of Karnak’s underwater lair, remember?!" "Meow meow meow!" Lucky believed he would be able to remain completely undetected if he did not have to babysit Ferrum this time! Whatever the case, the consequences of getting caught were much more severe this time. That was why Ves did not insist on employing his infiltration-oriented mechanical cat avatar. Compared to an amateur like Ves, Lucky was much more experienced with infiltration! Ves turned to Zariel-775. "Are you sure Lucky will be able to find anything particularly important or incriminating? Even if these human phase lords are not the sharpest tools in the workshop, they shouldn’t be stupid enough to document their evil master plan." "You would be surprised how negligent individuals can be." The mysterious spy responded. "Even the best can fall prey to complacency. It is still worthwhile to take the risk to send out your pet on an infiltration mission. The absence of proof also constitutes an important data point in itself. The results will at least provide more certainty to the Astral Octagon. Do not be too concerned about the possibility that your pet will get caught. We have discretely mobilized a troupe of formation masters and other cultivators that will provide various means of remote support. The human phase lord should not possess the means to detect these discrepancies." "Are you sure about that?" Ves questioned. "They all have companion spirits, right?" The secret keeper nodded. "That is true, but none of them excel in detection as far as I am concerned. Their companion spirits are mostly oriented towards enhancing and supporting their direct combat capabilities, which mostly comes in the form of elemental energy manipulation. They possess certain means of detection, but our experts have already taken this into account. What is much more important is that you do your best to attract their attention. We are certain that the self-styled polemarchos is broadcasting this meeting to the rest of his troops. He has no other choice given how much they look up to you as the trailblazer of their current path to power." "Polemarchos?" "When we found out that the human phase lords have become compromised, the department head has already taken the first step to distancing himself from our organization by adopting separate ranks for himself and his subordinates. Following the traditions of the alien phase lords, Scilo Karneon has cast off his ’mortal name’ and prefers to be known as the Oscillating Fist, the Polemarchos of the Ascended Giants." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚 "...That is a drastic change." Ves remarked. "He is one step away from designating human phase lords as the giant race." "We know. We believe that the polemarchos have deliberately assumed these new names to fulfill multiple goals. Among them is to use the threat of declaring the existence of the giant race to force us to accommodate his other requests. It is working. The Red Collective cannot afford to let this catastrophe come to pass." The stakes were too high. Ves felt more pressured than ever. He continually doubted himself. He truly did not feel he was not the right person for the job, because the RC could not find anyone better, they defaulted Ves. It seemed reckless and unnecessarily risky, but the collies had conducted a thorough analysis and concluded that letting an amateur like Ves make an attempt was better than all of the other alternatives. As Ves continued to absorb more information, the Bluejay Fleet finally approached the orbit of Jotunheim. Just as agreed, the Tarrasque along with a small amount of escort vessels continued onwards while the remainder of the Bluejay Fleet remained a bit further away. In case either side launched an attack, the bulk of the mechs and warships would have to spend precious minutes getting closer before they could offer material assistance. This was a gesture of goodwill on the part of Ves and the Red Collective. Hopefully, the human phase lords would not make Ves regret his decision to proceed with the plan. As the Tarrasque and her meager escorts approached the target orbit, Zariel-775 took Lucky away in order to prep the gem cat for his mission. Ves knew that the Tarrasque was ready to launch a stealth shuttle that was currently parked in a blind spot on the exterior of her large hull. This shuttle would hopefully approach the headquarters of the Phase Lord Department and drop Lucky off without setting off any perimeter alarms. Ves silently wished his cat would stick to the mission and not get up to any unnecessary mischief. Minutes continued to pass as the Tarrasque assumed a stable orbit. Ves along with his chief of staff and a fortified troop of Apocalypse Wardens boarded an armored shuttle that would take him to the commercial transport vessel parked in a nearby orbit. The shabby venue was specifically chosen to prevent any ambushes and limit the damage if the human phase lords became too ’energetic’ for whatever reason. Ves glanced at his bodyguards. They came from the 2nd Apocalypse Warden Battalion of the Enforcement Department. They were well-trained and talented in qi cultivation. They received a regular supply of elixirs to accelerate their growth, but even if they had gained a certain level of combat effectiveness, he doubted that they could pose a serious threat against even a single phase lord. The difference in scale was too great. The only upside was that the Apocalypse Wardens were all trained in combining their strength to launch collective attacks. That should give them at least a decent chance of slowing down their opponents. The armored shuttle flew over to the empty transport vessel without any incident. As Ves and his entourage stepped inside, an attendant from the Phase Lord Department bowed and wordlessly led the party to the main cargo hold. Ves knew that the human phase lords had all become indoctrinated by the heavenly authority of the Red Ocean, but that did not explain why the regular human staff of the Phase Lord Department still did their jobs like nothing had changed. "Hello. Can I ask a question?" The attendant turned his head and looked at Ves even as he continued to stride forward. "You are not a phase lord. Why... have you chosen to remain in the service of your current superiors?" "You would not understand." The man said while shaking his head. "Try me." Ves challenged. "My orders do not allow for that. My only responsibility is to lead you to the right destination." Damn. Ves would have loved to gather first-hand insights from a member of the Phase Lord Department. They eventually entered a large and hollow metal cavern. While the transport was only middling in size, the vessel’s cargo capacity was still impressive in absolute terms. Instead of ferrying raw materials or finished goods back and forth, the transport had now become the improvised meeting place between two parties. Ves and the others immediately caught sight of the delegation from the Phase Lord Department. They would have to be blind to miss the presence of four human giants! Each of them had adopted a uniform size that allowed them to match the height of 2 average mechs stacked on top of each other. They all wore nanosuits instead of raiments, which Ves interpreted as a good sign. Ves did not believe for a second that this was their maximum size limit. The Oscillating Fist stood at the head of the small procession. He exuded a great amount of strength. His gigantic but handsome face belied a strong sense of conviction and personality. = This was not a leader who gave up easily. Ves briefly glanced at the other three phase lords. Each of them were the heads of the three active phalanxes. He recalled their names and their biographies, but seeing them in the flesh breathed life into their stories. The human phase lords all formed a united front. They observed Ves with a mixture of caution and respect. As Ves and his party stopped a respectful distance away from the four giants, a tense silence ensued.