Aboard the Redfeather, The Larkinson Assembly had convened in person to make one of the most pivotal decisions of the Larkinson Clan!

Fifty elders who shared the same blood exchanged their views.

Ves was disappointed with the debate raging through the assembly theater. Though the assembly members sometimes raised their tones, there were remarkably few Larkinsons who supported extending greater rights to the soon-to-be-clansmen.

Instead, the overall discussion descended into nitpicking as various Larkinsons proposed various schemes and amendments to best integrate outsiders while keeping them at arm's length!

"Two tiers are not sufficient!" An old Larkinson shouted. "We need at least ten tiers! We have to provide incentives to the adopted Larkinsons in order to make sure they have something to work towards! We can't give them a dead end once they join our clan or else they'll sit back and mooch off our existing gains!"

"Ten?! Are you out of your mind? We might as well shout in front of their faces that we never intend to turn them into complete Larkinsons! This is not a game where we can expect our adopted kin to diligently work to promote themselves into higher-classed Larkinsons! Don't you have some decency!?"

"I disagree! I think this is an excellent idea! Granted, ten tiers sound excessive. How about five tiers? We need to give our new brethren some hope that they are able to reach our height within their lifetimes!"

Ves palmed his face as the Larkinson elders became completely consumed by the discussion on how to erect a means to put up more and more barriers between trueblood Larkinsons and adopted Larkinsons.

The greater the distance, the more Ves felt the clan was moving in a direction that wasn't to his liking!

Certainly, hierarchy was important. Any large organizations needed people at the top and bottom to function properly.

Even if Ves declined to intervene and let the current consensus go into law, the Larkinson Clan wouldn't instantly decline.

The supporters for limited integration weren't incompetent, nor ignorant. They had already rolled out several clever-sounding plans and frameworks to manage the clan's transition to a greater entity where the peripheral members served the core members in exchange for gaining benefits from the clan organization.

If everyone supported the consensus and tried their best to implement it properly, the Larkinson Clan could grow strong in the future.

Yet was such an organization truly what he sought?

No.

Ves wanted the clan to maintain its emphasis on fellowship. Every Larkinson had to be able to lean on another Larkinson. That had always been his ideal. Separating Larkinsons by their bloodline and their 'tier' didn't sound bad, but it was the underlying intent that troubled his sensibilities.

The trueblood Larkinsons were trying to do their best to deprive the adopted Larkinsons from getting their full due. Ves had a sense that if he didn't stop the current proceedings, his clan would forever be locked in an invisible struggle between trueblood and adopted Larkinsons!

This kind of internal tension displeased Ves immensely. While he valued his bloodline and heritage as much as any Larkinson, he increasingly accepted the notion that obsessing over blood purity was too insular of an approach!

The competition in the Red Ocean didn't care about the differences between trueblood Larkinsons and adopted Larkinsons. Ves anticipated that his Larkinson Clan would experience unimaginable challenges in this new region of space.

In light of the future, Ves wanted his clan to be as internally strong as possible! In his heart, he wanted to trust everyone who bore the Larkinson name regardless of their origins.

Right now, there were too few trueblood Larkinsons for Ves to depend upon. Instead, he was much more reliant on the loyalty and dedication of the Brighters, Ylvainans and other people that made up his current fleet!

Considering that Ves and the Larkinson Clan would not be able to attain any of their ambitious goals without the assistance of so many people, it made a lot more sense to secure their loyalty in the strongest fashion possible! The earlier, the better!

Unfortunately, no one else in the assembly thought so. They would all dismiss his opinion as a reckless extreme if he tried to explain himself.

As the debate was slowing down, Gloriana reached out her arm and grabbed his hand.

The two formed a hardline connection with their implants.

"It looks like the Larkinson Assembly won't support your vision." She began.

"I know."

"Why don't you step in, then? It will be too late to insert your voice if you delay any further."

"I.." He hesitated. "I have a plan, but.. I'm not sure whether it is the right thing to impose my views onto my clan. My relatives deserve to have their voices heard."

His girlfriend shifted her head in his direction. Her face exhibited mild contempt. "No offense, Ves, but you are much greater than the squabbling old men who have never run anything on the scale of your clan. Don't you see how limited their visions are compared to yours? If not for you, none of them would ever contemplate that they would be able to travel to the Red Ocean!"

"What's your point, Gloriana?"

"Take charge, Ves. You can't delegate your way out of everything. At some point, avoiding responsibility means abdicating responsibility. This is a slow means of losing control!"

"Is control even that important?" Ves hit back at her through their internal channel. "I am a mech designer. Designing mechs is what I do best. Sure, I took up leadership positions to expand my mech company and help my family, but it is all so I can design mechs with ease. Chasing power for its own sake has never been my goal!"

"Hahaha! What a funny joke. No mech designer can do everything alone. Designing mechs is an expensive and time-consuming endeavor, and it only gets worse the further up we go. Every successful Senior and Master have grown to become leaders of their own networks and organizations because all of this support is essential to sustain their growing research, financial and industrial needs!"

Ves knew this, but a part of him was reluctant to see his clan as a provider of loyal manpower to his organizations. There was something distinctly heartless and utilitarian about that perspective that clashed with his values as a Larkinson!

"What is in it for you?" He asked back. "Why are you so adamant in urging me to steer the clan in a different direction?"

"I'm a part of the clan as well, remember? No matter what my dynasty says, I signed the Larkinson Mandate during its founding, so that makes me as much of a clan member as you! I have a stake in these proceedings as well!"

"I don't understand why you don't want us to adopt a class system." Ves furrowed his brows in confusion. "Do you want to make it easier for Hexers to gain influence in the clan or something?"

She shook her head. "It's not about that! I never told you this, but the Wodin Dynasty also adopted a tiered system of sorts. While I'm lucky enough to be part of one of the main branches, people like Ranya received less opportunities because she's from a side branch. My dynasty isn't really pleasant if you look at it from the outside."

"I see." Ves understood her concerns. "I don't know, Gloriana. It isn't right to override their voices."

"This isn't about what's right, but what's necessary. Feeling good about yourself isn't going to save you when you will pay for letting the clan run itself into the ground! Just look at the people who you entrust with responsibility! Do any of them inspire trust in you? I sure don't see anything worthwhile! There are too many boys in the assembly!"

"What does that have to do with this problem?!"

Gloriana ignored his inquiry. "I've seen you struggle and change your mind several times over the course of the last few days. Time is running out, Ves. I know it's not what you wanted to do, but a good leader is someone who is cruel enough to make the necessary choice instead of the right choice!"

It wasn't as if Ves hadn't adopted this approach before. In fact, there were way too many times where he briefly set aside his principles and morals to make the necessary choices. This was often the case when his own interests were on the line.

Yet.. when it came to his own clan, his own family.. could Ves really bring himself to go this far? He already felt a little remorseful for fracturing the original Larkinson Family.

In his perspective, that had been a necessary choice at the time, but that didn't make it okay.

As his conscience warred against his desires, Gloriana's face turned sly.

"If you score a victory today, I'll dismiss the guards tonight. We'll have our stateroom all to ourselves, hihi! I'll even convince Lucky and Clixie to play elsewhere for a while!"

Ves suddenly turned to her in shock! "Are you serious?!"

"Of course I am! I'm always in the mood when something great happens! A great man like you deserves a reward. Just think about it. Didn't you enjoy your first time? The eagerness you showed back then is something that I'll never forget! Won't it be great if we could relive that night? We could also do more if you want!"

He frowned. "Do you think I make my decisions based on my libido? I'm not that kind of person!"

"Oh, Ves, I don't mean it that way." She smiled. "Just consider it a cherry on top, a bonus to look forward to. You don't want to return to the Scarlet Rose in defeat, don't you? You'll never get me in the mood that way. Now stop stalling. Do what is necessary and make the clan follow your lead! Will you be a good leader or will you be a strong leader?"

Good leaders never got anywhere. Ves tried that already and only received betrayal in return. Not only his allies, but also his own family stabbed him in the back because they thought they could get away with their actions!

Perhaps Gloriana was right. Perhaps Ves needed to show some spine and throw his weight around. He didn't set up the position of clan patriarch to serve as a symbolic figurehead!

He drew his hand away from hers while adopting a stern expression. He grabbed hold of the Larkinson Mandate floating besides his throne and drew on its strength!

"Golden Cat, please support me and lend me your strength!" He mentally pleaded with the young spirit.

Nyaaaa?

She looked hesitant in meeting his request. As a spiritual entity that was in tune with every Larkinson, she was much more sympathetic towards the consensus of the majority! Right now, that meant she was loathe to interfere in the current assembly session!

However.. While she had been set up to represent the greater will of the Larkinson Clan, she was still a young and naive entity! Ves was like a father to her considering that he literally created her into existence!

Private sentiment warred against public interest. The latter soon lost out. In the end, Goldie was far more affectionate towards Ves than the entire clan.

This wasn't surprising to Ves. It was something he consciously and unconsciously willed into her spiritual makeup!

Nyaaa!

With Goldie's consent, Ves began to draw upon her spiritual energy, suffusing his body with a glow that was identical from the ones radiated by the Bright Warriors surrounding the assembly theater!

"Larkinsons!" He shouted, rudely interrupting the current discussion on some proposed amendment. "We have debated enough about one option, but there is also another choice we can make!"

Every Larkinson fell silent. The sheer pressure exuded by the clan patriarch wasn't stifling, but there was something about it that compelled every Larkinson to shut up and listen!