Chapter 7406: Alexa’s Entry Alexa Streon still looked a little bewildered. Ves did not blame her, and neither did Gloriana. "This is what you deserve." Ves stated as they stood at the top of the mountain. "Since you have come under my employ and tutelage, you have not only met our expectations, but regularly surpassed them. Your work ethic is admirable. Your loyalty to the clan is not in doubt. Your ingenuity and initiative is precious. All of these traits and more have ultimately convinced us that now is the right time to induct you into one of our most sensitive secrets." The former Terran mech designer felt honored. She knew that she had become privy to the most critical reliance of Ves and the rest of the Larkinson Clan. Now that she had become enlightened to this massive secret, there was no way back for her. She knew without needing any reminders that she could never bear the consequences of betrayal. Not that she considered such a course of action in the first place. The Golden Cat herself had vouched for Alexa’s loyalty and integrity. Though she still maintained a lot of affection for the Streon Ancient Clan, she was still very clear who she needed to answer first. The Streons may have shaped her into an adult, but the Larkinsons offered her a much better pathway to the top. This was particularly the case now that she had truly entered the inner circle of the Larkinson Clan! "How many others have you brought inside this amazing pocket dimension?" The young woman asked. "There are currently 4 of us." Ves calmly responded. "Me, my wife and Ketis are your predecessors. To be more specific, I am the only one who has made use of it since the start of my mech designer career. I invited the other two ladies much more recently. Now, you are the fourth to become a user of the Mech Designer System. This is a great privilege. If you make efficient use of its various features, you can not only accelerate your progression by years or decades, but also master rare and unique knowledge that can form the basis of your unique approach to mech design." Alexa finally possessed a complete understanding of how Ves was able to climb his way up to the most innovative and successful mech designer of his generation. She already knew that it was practically impossible for a third-class mech designer from the galactic rim of the old galaxy to develop amazing inventions such as companion spirits and the Carmine System without relying on a powerful legacy of sorts! While it had already become common knowledge that Ves benefited hugely from her infamous mother’s assistance, almost no one had a clear idea of the exact details. Now Alexa knew. Her gift came in the form of a fragment of the mythical Metal Scroll, which perplexingly had been repackaged into the so-called ’Mech Designer System’! There had to be a much bigger story behind this System. The Miracle Couple had been remarkably helpful, but they did not explain the full story behind the formation of this amazing relic. Perhaps not even Ves understood the complete origins of the tool that had enabled him to operate at a much higher level than his peers. Alexa inwardly shook her head. It was not important for her to get to the bottom of the Mech Designer System. As a small Journeyman Mech Designer that had just entered this exclusive circle, her main mission was to catch up to her mentor and the other users! She had a fairly clear understanding of how much of a difference the Mech Designer System could make. The young woman only had to trace the progression of Ves, Gloriana and Ketis. The latter two particularly displayed noticeable shifts in their patterns. The two female mech designers distinctly developed a lot faster at certain points of time. This was strong evidence that those were the periods where they had just been inducted into the Mech Designer System! Now, Alexa would be the latest beneficiary of this highly exclusive privilege. "This is... an amazing gift. I could have asked for nothing better." She sounded genuinely grateful. "However, I am not naive enough to know that you invited me out of the goodness of your hearts. What... do you expect from me now that you have given me a key to this hallowed space?" Gloriana smiled like a shark. "While we do not want to impose any hard quotas, we expect you to contribute to the improvement of the upgradeable facilities here. We just gave you a tour of the Dimension Observatory. This is the true source of all of our superdimensional matter. Ketis deceived everyone when she implied that the reason why she can cut an entrance into the Blue Dimension is by relying on the power of the Heavensword. In truth, it is because she is actually relying on the power of the System." "Creating a breach into another dimension is a costly endeavor." Ves explained. "Ketis needs to pay a lot of Ascension Points just to create a temporary passage, and that was when we have already invested hundreds if not thousands of AP to expand its size and duration. Now that you have become a user, we expect you to complete Missions at the Mission Hall and spend at least a portion of the AP that you have earned to further upgrade the Dimension Observatory. Doing so will directly enrich the Larkinson Clan and strengthen its inviolability. Much of the reason why no one wants to mess with us is because we can directly cut off their access to a huge source of superdimensional matter. The only other way to obtain this highly strategic material is to capture Saint Piercers and Saint Armors from defeated enemy phase lords." The latter was easier said than done. It was virtually impossible for junior ace mechs as well as senior ace mechs without superdimensional armaments to defeat extremely well-equipped phase leaders! Perhaps only peak ace pilots could overcome the enormous gap in equipment quality and defeat such amazingly tough and lethal alien champions! In other words, superdimensional matter was still unattainable for the vast majority of human groups, at least at this moment of time. This only increased the importance of the Larkinson Clan’s possession of an exclusive means to create a passage into the Blue Dimension. Alexa already understood much of the implications of this matter. She still felt amazed that she too possessed the power to create an identical breach into that strange dimension. Of course, she knew better than to exercise this power. Not only did it cost a lot of AP to create an entrance, she would also expose the ruse that successfully obscured the existence of the Mech Designer System! The three talked a bit more. In general, Alexa should strive to contribute at least half of her AP income into various System upgrades, but the others were not too picky about this quota. "Since you have just become a user, we don’t expect you to contribute immediately." Ves generously said. "You first need to spend your first few hundred AP on plucking helpful fruits from the Tree of Possibilities. Your AP earning potential will become a lot higher once you have become a much more knowledgeable and competent mech designer." This made a lot of sense. While Alexa felt that she was one of the best mech designers of her university cohort, she was still inferior in many aspects when she compared herself to Ves and Gloriana. Even Ketis had recently shown many signs of overtaking Ketis when it came to the more practical aspects of mech design! Alexa had always known that there was a line that separated ’normal’ mech designers from ’abnormal’ mech designers. Those who did well in their studies and spent a lot of time on book learning after graduation might be able to become successful in their careers, but they would never be able to break through the ceiling of mundanity. The only mech designers who could breach this barrier were those who possessed special traits and circumstances. Unfortunately, Alexa never considered herself to be among this small group. She understood her own conditions well enough that she lacked the special spark that could enable her to stand out from her peers such as Ves and Ketis. This time was different. With all of the amazing possibilities offered by the Mech Designer System, even a pig of a mech designer could become a remarkable creator over time! Alexa would have to be an absolute idiot if she still failed to gain prominence in the mech industry after becoming a user. Her eyes sparkled with dozens of different development strategies. Depending on her selection of enlightenment fruits and other extraordinary goodies, she could think of multiple different ways to excel as a mech designer in the next handful of years! Ves reached out and patted the younger mech designer’s shoulder. "I know you are excited, but do not be too hasty. One of the reasons why we invited you here is to help you contribute a lot more to our clan. To do so effectively, you need to develop strengths that do not overlap with ours. This is not that difficult for Gloriana and Ketis as their ambitions are much more different than mine, but your case is a bit more challenging. Your current specialization heavily overlaps with my own." While Alexa aspired to develop legacy mechs that could form entire dynasties of living mechs, that did not change the fact that her design philosophy was derived from that of Ves! What Ves was afraid of was that Alexa would end up consuming enlightenment fruits that turned her into a pale copy of himself. The latest user of the Mech Designer System immediately understood his concerns. "I understand, sir. Have no fear. I will not seek to waste my AP on redundant knowledge. I will strive to branch out further and develop design applications that are truly different from yours." Alexa had already visited the Mission Hall and understood how difficult it was to earn lots of Ascension Points. She needed to think carefully before she spent any of her AP. Combined with the expectation that she would eventually spend half of her Ascension Points into System upgrades, the remaining AP that she could invest in herself became even more precious! "Do you have any further questions about all of this?" Ves finally asked. The woman gazed across the idyllic mountain environment. The sight took her breath away. To think that Ves had hidden such a massive secret for so many years. "Since you have seen fit to make me a part of your exclusive club, I assume that I will not be the last new entrant. Who else are you thinking of inviting into this space?" "There are a couple of names on the shortlist. Zanthar Larkinson and Sara Voiken are on the top of our shortlist. There are a bunch of other lead designers that have caught our eye, but they require more tempering and monitoring before we are satisfied with them. We do not want to grant access to the unworthy." To be honest, only Alexa Streon truly met the strictest criteria set by Ves. The other Larkinson mech designers still possessed certain shortcomings that lowered their confidence levels. For example, Ves was not too worried about Zanthar’s loyalty and devotion considering that he was a trueborn Larkinson. However, the young man still lacked a certain degree of tempering and maturity. He might benefit from another year of struggling as a ’normal’ mech designer. Sara Voiken on the other hand possessed a lot more competence and maturity, which was not that surprising as she belonged to the same generation as Ves and Gloriana. What prevented Ves from inducting her into the Mech Designer System right away were lingering doubts about her loyalty and commitment to the Larkinson Clan. Unlike Alexa who had made clear and proactive steps to integrate with the Larkinsons, Sara Voiken and her brother still maintained a bit of reserve. While this was not unusual behavior among adopted Larkinsons, it still put their trustworthiness into question.