Chapter 7404: Rotating Personnel Ves had a busy few days. Though he considered the Elemental Universe to be a supplementary means of contributing to society, its scope and profit potential meant that he had to take it seriously. He met with a coterie of officials from the Red Collective, the Wild Fighter Association and other interested parties. Although many of the latter grew disappointed when they learned that they could not obtain an ownership stake in the mysterious Elemental Universe, they still expressed plenty of interest in trying out its features. Ves and other Larkinsons frequently dipped in and out of the Elemental Universe in order to give tours to different people. Many of them came away impressed and inspired. Ves had no doubt that the representatives of various major powers such as the Cybernetic Empire and the Red Fleet aspired to create their own imitation of the Elemental Universe. Ves did not think it was too difficult for them to pull it off. When it came down to it, the Elemental Universe was just a persistent daydream of Vulcan. As long as other groups acquired the services of a powerful enough qi-based entity, they could engineer their own version of a spiritual universe. Of course, whether such a realm could match the accuracy and features of the Elemental Universe remained to be seen. Unlike many other entities, Vulcan specialized science, engineering and craftsmanship. He possessed a much more detailed grasp on the laws of physics and the behavior of extraordinary energies. He had observed so many phenomena related to E energy and true resonance that he possessed a substantial first-mover advantage when it came to simulating extraordinary power. "Opening up your Elemental Universe to any human who can buy or rent one of the new ’Elemental Helmets’ of yours is equivalent to opening up Pandora’s box." Jovy Armalon said as he looked down on the Living City from above. The Survivalist clearly had mixed feelings about this radical switch. "I think we are living in a time where opening up more boxes is exactly what we need to change our fortunes." Ves responded. Jovy sighed. "The Mental Simulation Training System has always been a useful benefit for the customers of your living mechs. We were quite content with it considering that it gave many mech pilots convenient access to superior training programs. However, now that you have opened access to norms, you are risking massive disruptions that we have not planned for. Many virtual reality programs will become obsolete or lose much of their value overnight. Many groups that have previously invested heavily in this sector will feel compelled to rush out their own alternatives. Regulating them all will be a nightmare." "That is a problem for the Red Collective, not the Red Association." Ves responded back. "The collies won’t take long before they establish the rules for this sort of stuff. They already know quite a lot through my partnership with their Education Department." Nobody mentioned the obvious conflict of interest inherent in this relationship. "I think the development of the Elemental Universe is a boon to our entire race." Vector Loban sounded more positive. "Mech pilots are important, but we are living in the Age of Dawn, not the Age of Mechs. We no longer need to provide special favors to them. They are no longer upstarts that need to rely on favorable policies to carve a privileged place in society. If we want to win the wars against our alien adversaries, we will need to activate and stimulate the potential of 96.5 percent of the population that have largely been left behind in the previous age." The Transhumanist voiced an opinion that aligned with his faction. Out of all of the members of the Red Association, the Transhumanists had always cared more about the collective evolution of their entire race, and not just mech pilots alone. The introduction of the Elemental Universe only benefited their cause as far as they were concerned. "Virtual reality technology has clearly peaked a long time ago." Ves remarked. "Ever since E-technology became available to the masses, the development of a superior alternative became inevitable. Even if we did not create the Elemental Universe, another group would have come up with a similar invention sooner or later. At least this time our clan enjoys a head-start. I think that is much more preferable than allowing another party like the Cybernetic Empire to gain first place." That was true. It was quite fortunate that when the Polymath and Bridgehead One remained stuck in their tampered spacebubble time, they had difficulty gaining access to E energy radiation. Otherwise, the Cybers definitely would have been able to create a much more developed and mature version of the Elemental Universe! "Will your clan be up to the task of keeping the Elemental Universe up to date and competitive?" "Our clan won’t run the Elemental Universe directly, Jovy." Ves responded. "The Elemental Universe Consortium will take care of everything, from commercialization to the development of new features. There will definitely be Larkinsons among the personnel, but the Education Department and the Wild Fighter Association have promised to contribute their own experts. Furthermore, the new consortium is not opposed to hiring external talents. I am sure that the superior starting conditions of the Elemental Universe will attract lots of ambitious creators." The Elemental Universe already attracted a lot of interest from small to medium-sized companies. They all recognized the potential of this new invention and wanted to get in sooner rather than later. Once the tour came to an end, both Jovy and Vector disconnected from the Elemental Universe and removed the prototype Elemental Helmets from their heads. Of course, Ves had no need for these helmets. He could directly interface with his external incarnation whenever he wanted. Only a few close friends and family possessed this privilege. After handling the final meetings with different representatives, Ves could finally take a small break. The Bluejay Fleet had gathered up again at this point. The various vessels looked better than before now that all of the holes had been patched up. Though their hulls still showed signs of hasty patching and replacements, their integrity has been raised to the point where they could fully be relied upon in battle. That was enough as far as everyone was concerned. The holes in the mech rosters had been filled. The combat carriers all berthed at least 30 first-class multipurpose mechs each, and the machines themselves had received more extensive repairs and upgrades. These upgrades were very necessary because Ves had no intention of letting all of that combat power go to waste. In the meantime, the Armitage had replaced its entire complement of Ascended Giants. An entirely new squad of 15 Ur-Titans took the place of the previous squad of elite giants. The new giants had not personally faced defeat, so their morale and confidence still remained fairly high. Despite their lack of tempering, they had spent more time on training and also benefited from the lessons learned by other giant units. They knew better than to underestimate any alien opponent. What particularly stood out was that the new squad no longer wielded their ’old’ superdimensional halberds. They instead received hastily reforged Resonant Breaking Hammers, each of which had been sized to match their 2.5x scale. The same applied for the squad of Flesh Choppers that had been rotated in to take the place of the outgoing Faceless Giants. While Ves respected the Faceless Giant Phalanx, their strength and skills proved inadequate in the face of the kind of opponents that he provoked these days. Ves was especially disappointed by the meager 1.5x scale of most of the Faceless Giants. They were barely larger than mechs and could not sufficiently leverage their size to keep up with more formidable alien enemies. The Flesh Chopper Phalanx was designated as an elite unit and could all grow to at least 2.5x in scale, which was a lot more impressive in reality. Unlike the Ur-Titans, the Flesh Choppers did not receive a new batch of Resonant Breaking Hammers. The new weapons were troublesome and time-consuming to make. The Larkinsons did not have enough time to reforge more superdimensional weapons according to the designs gifted by the Resonance Smith. The Fiery Axe, who took the place of the Divine Harpoon within the Bluejay Fleet, also argued in favor of keeping their old weapons. "The Ur-Titans don’t mind the new hammers because they are a defensive unit. The hammers are ideal for weakening and crippling powerful enemy units." The female giant told the Dark Apostle. "However, when it comes to direct killing, my Flesh Choppers still prefer to wield their superdimensional axes. Their weapons are razor-sharp and can cut through nearly anything. My troops can complement the Ur-Titans with their current loadouts." The Dark Apostle looked troubled. "Are you sure you want to set aside the new weapons? I have tried them out myself. The new Resonant Breaking Hammers are truly deadly, just in a different way." "I am sure. Let my Flesh Choppers retain their edge. Our entire phalanx is based around specializing in bladed weapons. The new hammers are too blunt for our liking. If you think that we are putting ourselves at a disadvantage, then help us by giving us stronger axes. You still intend to wield that Withering Sting of yours, right?" "Yes, but it is a special weapon. My other self used up a bunch of rare and powerful materials in order to make it. He also employed special methods to increase its deadliness. He can probably upgrade that axe of yours to the same standard, but it is too much to ask for him to provide the same treatment to the rest of your men." The female giant grinned. "I am already happy enough if you can make my axe hotter and more irresistible. Don’t worry about the rest of the Flesh Choppers. They already received enough pampering by receiving their superdimensional axes. Most humans and aliens can only dream of wielding such potent arms." The Fiery Axe possessed a more aggressive mindset than the Divine Harpoon. The Dark Apostle would have to take time to get used to being in the presence of a more aggressive leader and advisor, but he welcomed the change. While the polemarchos still valued the wisdom and self-control demonstrated by the Divine Harpoon, he could make much better use of his capabilities at the headquarters of the Phase Lord Department. The Dark Apostle felt relieved to assign the Divine Harpoon the responsibility of implementing changes and reforms based on their experiences at the Rubarthan front. Both of them understood the stakes a lot better than other giants. Meanwhile, the Fiery Axe had spent enough time in the rear. She was raring to go out and bloody her axe! While her aggressive tendencies might land her in hot water, her strong motivation and confidence gave the Ascended Giants a more inspiring role model. "I have been looking forward to this for months." The Fiery Axe grinned. "I have a lot of respect for the Divine Harpoon, but he is too old to lead soldiers at the front. Putting him behind a desk is the best decision you could have made. I will show all of you how giants should truly fight!" Well, she was not lacking in confidence, that was for certain. Though the Dark Apostle was not fully certain whether the Fiery Axe would do any better at the front, he was willing to give her a chance. Even if she was not that enthusiastic about following all of the advice given by the Divine Harpoon, she at least knew better than to underestimate any enemy. "While I applaud your confidence, don’t look down on the alien phase leaders." The Dark Apostle warned. "They may be our most familiar enemies, but they are constantly improving. More and more of them are equipped with Saint Piercers and Saint Armors. Even if they are primarily geared towards defeating enemy ace mechs, their lethality against giants like us is not small." "Feh. The alien gods fight like individuals. My giants and I will show them what it is like to face true soldiers!"