Chapter 7291: Super Combo Effect It was times like these that Ves regretted that he neglected the importance of alchemy and elixirs. He could not do anything about it due to his lack of background in these new and exciting fields. Due to the existence of Vulcan, Ves happened to be extremely good at crafting artifacts. This was a pretty deep and profound discipline that required a lot of study, practice and dedication in order to achieve any major successes. Traditional blacksmithing and related fields happened to synergize well with mech design. It made sense to match his side profession with his main profession. Both of them were intrinsically related to the metal element. It was simple for Ves to transfer skills in one profession to the other profession and vice versa. The same could not be said for alchemy. This was an entirely different field of expertise that had a much weaker relation to the metal element. From what he heard, the Alchemy Department primarily focused its recruitment on qi cultivators who happened to possess notable affinities for the other 4 elements, but most notably the wood element. The growth and cultivation of reagents, especially the more potent ones, demanded a lot of attention from specialized planters and farmers. Many of them had less than a year of training and cultivation under their belt. Their skills and extraordinary techniques were still rudimentary. Only the most talented and learned among them may have been able to skip ahead and master more potent techniques. This was probably the most important reason why the supply of Premium and Excellent Version Elixirs was not even close to meeting demand. Red humanity needed more time to ramp up production and raise the quality of the end products. Until that happened, the good stuff would remain in short supply. Currently, Ves did not think it was worth it to exchange a major favor for a single Excellent Version Elixir. The effort and risk put into earning a major favor was worth much more than a single elixir, even one as good as the highest grade of Pilot Breakthrough Elixirs! One important reason why Ves looked down on this trade offer was the fact that Ves could already induce breakthroughs by relying on his own methods. Sure, the risks and dangers were much greater, but at least he was able to exert better control over the process and outcome. Saint Tusa, Saint Dise and Saint Orfan all managed to attain their ranks as a direct result of his actions. Although his methods were far from perfect, Ves was confident he could refine his approach and achieve good enough results to skip the usage of the elixirs. After all, the use of Pilot Breakthrough Elixirs was a shortcut, not a challenge. Any pilot who broke through by relying on them inevitably suffered from sequelae. Even the Excellent Version Elixirs could not avoid this consequence. In fact, the use of such a 'near-perfect' product would probably cause mech pilots to feel even more unworthy due to the low failure rate. At least the mech pilots who successfully broke through with the help of the Standard Version could claim to have undergone a test of life and death! Ves let out a deep breath as many different thoughts crossed his mind. He was not yet done with thinking over the implications. The Pilot Breakthrough Elixirs possessed the potential to disrupt the entire mech community! How could he possibly maintain his composure in the face of such a colossal future development? "This could have been a war-winning strategy." Ves suddenly realized. "If the native aliens happened to be our only enemies, then the drastic increase of expert pilots and ace pilots would allow us to more effectively fight back against the native alien warfleets. Their warships are vulnerable to expert mechs while their phase leaders struggle against our ace mechs. The more high-ranking mechs our side can deploy, the easier it will be to defeat the native aliens by relying on quality. Regrettably, quality is not an effective approach against the mutated voribugs." Jovy grimly nodded. His assessment matched that of Ves. The mutated voribugs could leverage an unending tide of disposable insects. Not even god mechs could quickly clear a single star system of all hostile life. Therefore, a strategy that relied on expanding the pool of champions in red humanity would not work all that well. Defeating the mutated voribugs demanded an entirely different strategy. Still, that did not mean that the Pilot Breakthrough Elixirs held no value. At the very least, multiplying the amount of expert mechs and ace mechs in the field would definitely ease the burden on much of the frontlines. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶 "I have one big question for you." Ves spoke as he thought about a big gap in Jovy's lecture about the elixirs. "So far, you have mentioned the availability of a Low Concentration and a High Concentration makeup for the Pilot Breakthrough Elixirs. Are you guys developing an even stronger iteration that can be effective for god pilot candidates?" This was indeed a very big question. Jovy already expected that Ves would bring up this topic. Practically anyone who learned about Pilot Breakthrough Elixirs couldn't help but consider this important possibility. "...Developing an elixir for peak ace pilots is impossible." The Survivalist mech designer responded. "First, the elixir's main function is almost certainly redundant. We know for a fact that peak ace pilots have gained enough control over themselves to start the Mech Body Merger Process at will. Second, any other beneficial effects will be minimal unless the concentration of reagents is exaggeratingly high. You are talking about a much larger vial that is a thousand times if not a million times more expensive than a Premium Version Elixir. Third, the failure rate will almost certainly be worse than a natural breakthrough because the very act of depending on an external aid that does not constitute a mech will be treated as a form of dependency by the pilot in question." Ves sighed. "I guess you are right. That was a pretty stupid question. Even if someone is willing to synthesize a super duper version of the Pilot Breakthrough Elixir, I do not think that any peak ace pilot is willing to serve as a guinea pig for such an outrageous experiment." Peak ace pilots possessed their own dignity. They had already become so powerful at their point that they were leaders and tier 2 galactic citizens in their own right. It was impossible to hoodwink them at that point. In that sense, neither Jovy nor Ves thought it was likely for the alchemists to develop an elixir that could truly make a difference for god pilot candidates. Perhaps that might change in the far future, but it would probably require an elixir or other form of aid that operated on different principles. After Jovy explained most of the general theory behind Pilot Breakthrough Elixirs, he finally began to address why he disclosed this particular secret at this time. "To be honest, Ves, I did not have to share this particular secret development to you at this phase of its development cycle." He said. "With at least 6 months of confidential testing to go, there was no need for you to be informed about its existence. Normally, we would have waited for at least 3 months before we could even consider the decision to give you a heads up. We could have presented you with much more reliable hard data at that point. The reason why we shared this information to you sooner is because we seek your assistance." That sounded unexpected. Ves raised his eyebrow in bewilderment. "I... don't know about that. Alchemy falls beyond my field of expertise. As much as I would like to learn how it works, I shouldn't bite off more than I can chew." "We are not seeking any further assistance from this angle. What we are asking from you instead is to help us expand our breakthrough system even further. Think about the measures that our Association has taken. First, we lowered the standards of the Red Kingdom. Second, we are permitting the use of high tolerance neural interfaces. Third, we are on track to release the aforementioned Pilot Breakthrough Elixirs. Each of these factors can already raise the rate of breakthroughs by a significant extent. Combining them together will most certainly produce a combo that cannot be ignored. While we are already happy with the anticipated results, we believe we can do even better, especially for aspiring champions." It took a few more seconds for Ves to connect the dots. He gasped in shock. "Wait! Are you thinking of borrowing the transcendence glow that I developed?!" Jovy grinned. "Yes! We know for a fact that your transcendence glow has a positive effect on mech pilots who are attempting to break through. While its effectiveness on peak expert pilots and stronger is almost minimal, we believe it can still make a substantial difference for standard mech pilots and expert candidates. The glow can help them condense their convictions during their forced breakthrough moments. According to our scientists, the added inspiration and direction may be able to reduce the failure rate by as much as 20 percent!" That was a massive difference and one that could yield numerous more expert pilots for red humanity! A boost of this magnitude was already worth adding to the methodology that the mechers were eager to establish! However, Ves grew a little more skeptical. "As far as I know, the transcendence glow's effect on mech pilots has steadily been weakening due to the effects of E energy radiation on red humanity." He said. "While it is still moderately effective for now, as people continue to passively or actively absorb E energy radiation, their spiritualities will continue to grow more powerful and therefore more resistant against the glow phenomena. In order to make this work, mech pilots will need to be exposed to a high-powered form of this glow." "What will it take for you to produce this effect, Ves?" Ves briefly paused. "I will have to design a dedicated mech that is centered around the Aspect of Transcendence from the ground up. It will have to be a pure support mech that is stuffed with hyper materials. It will have to accompany mechs containing the promising mech pilots. Alternatively, you can commission the Creation Association to task its craftsmen to produce lots of totems of the Aspect of Transcendence. The hopefuls can purchase the statuettes or altars and put them in the cockpits of their machines. When the right time has come, they can attempt to beseech Lufa for a boost." Jovy did not expect to receive two different proposals. He frowned as he weighed both of them. "I see. I shall relay your words back to the RA. I believe that the second suggestion is more expedient. The first requires you to design the specialized transcendence mech in person. We cannot wait for you to complete this commission. It is better to approach the craftsmen influenced by 'Vulcan' and ask them to mold a batch of artifacts that are tied to what you have described as the 'Aspect of Transcendence'. Please contact your subsidiary and tell it to cooperate with our initiative." "I will. I am even willing to take a few days to handcraft a few totems if that is what it takes." "Good. Very good." Jovy eagerly smiled. "Because we intend to conduct an experiment. Theory is good, but it is only by combining it with empirical data that we can become more confident that our work is effective." "What... what are you talking about?" Jovy slipped his hand into his suit pocket and retrieved a small container. After unlocking the surprisingly elaborate security measures, he retrieved a vial containing a special kind of power! "Is that...?!" "This is the T19-AEW26-LP Pilot Breakthrough Elixir. In this case, it is the Low Concentration and Premium Version of the new product. What do you think about using it in the next battle against the Goliath Hive?" (More chapters in Buyers club for TMT)