Master Leehay Brixton turned out to be a controversial mech designer.

Even though he was a Master who was rooted in the LRA's biomech industry, he rejected its orthodoxy.

With a career that spanned two centuries, Master Brixton developed his design philosophy step by step and endured lots of opposition towards his deviating ideas.

"The LRA's biomech industry is deeply flawed." He spoke to Ves. "That old geezer Cline was already old back when I was starting my career. He was just as opposed to innovation as before."

When one Master criticized another Master, Ves thought it was prudent to keep his mouth shut. If he really had to say something, then he had to do his best to stay neutral!

"I don't really understand the division within your biomech industry." Ves innocently said. "I'm just a visitor. I didn't even know that there were mech designers who preferred to design cyborg mechs such as you until recently."

"You know nothing!" Master Brixton said in a heated voice! "Our state is kept in constant stagnation due to all of the geriatric dodders who are currently in charge! You may know them as conservatives, but they are cowards who are afraid of taking risks and value the status quo above all else. The mission to propagate the wonders of biotechnology to the greater galaxy is no longer on their minds. They don't care if their mechs are falling behind as long as they are able to lord over others in the LRA!"

Oh boy. Not again. What was it with old people and their rants?

Ves had a lot of practice with being on the receiving side of rants. Gloriana yelled in his face often enough for him to develop different strategies towards different kinds of rants.

Luckily, Master Brixton did not direct his ire at Ves. This made the situation much more tolerable. Besides, the Master Mech Designer was revealing a lot of insider information!

"Human civilization is built upon multiple forms of information. The mistake made by old fogeys like Master Cline is that they only think about incremental improvements. They just think that biomechs will eventually win everyone's hearts if they improve their performance step by step by building upon existing accomplishments. THEY'RE WRONG! These slowpokes are so bad at innovating that once they achieved a breakthrough, the conventional mech industry has already taken several steps forward! I thought that several centuries of failure would have made them realize that they're constantly falling behind, but they have done the opposite! They have dug in even deeper!"

From what Ves had learned about the biomech industry, he wasn't sure whether that was fair. One of the factors that complicated the matter was that the LRA's biomech industry did not exist in isolation. There were other enclaves throughout the galaxy that had chosen to adopt biomechs rather than classical mechs.

Even if the local biomech industry failed to make any significant breakthroughs, it could always leech from the success of other communities!

Of course, this was not entirely good either.

"The current leaders of our industry have all exhausted their usefulness! They may have contributed significantly to our sector when they were in their prime, but they have lost their drive to push their craft forward after achieving their greatest dreams! Becoming a Master is the end to many mech designers, but it is just the beginning to the truly ambitious!"

"And you happen to be among the latter?"

"That is a given!" Master Brixton proudly stated. His mind bloomed and loosened some of the restraint that kept it contained. Ves sensed a conviction that was so inviolably strong that it could probably endure a direct attack from a dark god! "Life-prolonging treatment is both a blessing and a curse. It can make the worthy live longer. It was originally meant to extend the lifespans of useful and productive people so that they can contribute even more to society. However, each century of life also removes an immense degree of urgency to the recipients. Those with feebler ambitions have become too complacent after they have lived a couple of centuries. They are no longer willing to do whatever it takes to lead our state to greatness!"

What did this have to do with Ves? He was still in his thirties. The profound issues related to extending people's lives was so far above his head that he couldn't even imagine what he would be like if he was two centuries older!

Master Brixton suddenly adopted a calmer tone. "The younger generation deserves a chance to be in charge. They're closer to contemporary society and their thinking is not as outdated as those who have lived in a time when the Age of Conquest was still a short-term memory. Constant change is necessary to move our state forward. No matter how much conservatives such as Master Cline are willing to consider other solutions, they always default to the least drastic option. It's in their name!"

To be honest, while Ves agreed with Master Brixton's logic, he didn't think that the conservatives were doing anything wrong.

Sure, they hadn't come up with anything exciting for a very long time, but that just meant they were doing a good job in maintaining people's livelihood. Stability may not be as sexy as radical innovation, but it also did not introduce any volatile changes that could easily worsen the lives of trillions of citizens!

The conservatives were good stewards of the state. Whatever their faults, the Lifers were happy and enjoyed a high standard of living.

Many other second-rate states were less well-off. The Garlen Empire was in a constant state of internal warfare while the center of the Komodo Star Sector turned into a slaughterhouse as millions if not billions of people died every day!

Of course, not everyone was satisfied with providing a good life to citizens. Some leaders wanted to achieve more, and they weren't afraid to risk the happiness of lots of people in order to accomplish a goal that many people might not even care about!

"Earlier, you questioned who I am. Well, let me introduce myself to you properly. I am Leehay Brixton, cyborg mech designer and co-founder of the combinants."

Ves already guessed that Master Brixton was related to the combinant faction. The amount of cyborg mech designers in the LRA was definitely small, so it should be a given that each of them banded together in order to pool their strength.

What he didn't expect was that the old man currently in front of him was one of the faction's leader figures!

In fact, he might even be their visionary considering his outspokenness!

Although Brixton mostly came across as a cranky old man to Ves, the man's ability to design cyborg mechs was unsurpassed. Anyone who could design mechs that could compete against the products of other Masters was still worthy of respect!

Ves awkwardly smiled. "As an innovator, I wish you luck in your goal. I need to go now. I only have three days to fix my broken mechs and I can't afford to linger too long here. Every second counts."

A strong grip clamped onto his arm. Master Brixton wasn't done with him yet!

"You must win." The older man hissed.

"Uhm, I already intend to win."

"You. Must. Win!" The Master emphasized. "I am being serious, here! Our faction has already given up trying to clear the fog from the minds of old fogeys such as Master Cline. These geriatrics are beyond redemption. What we can do is break the illusion that has captivated many of our citizens. Too many laymen who have no idea about the true state of our biomech industry think we are already strong enough to hold our ground. They're wrong!"

Were the combinants responsible for hijacking the design duel and turning it into a matter of national pride? That possibility caused Ves to become a lot more vigilant towards Master Brixton!

Even if Ves sympathized with fellow innovators, he never wished to get caught up in someone else's ambitions!

"I can't promise anything, sir. While I am confident in my own design philosophy, I am still younger and less experienced than Dr. Navarro. I can only promise that I will do my best. No matter what is going on around me, I am still a mech designer. I will exert myself to the best of my abilities and let my mechs do the work."

Master Brixton slowly let go of Ves' arm. He took a deep breath. "That is good to year, young man. Keep my advice in mind and do not base your decisions on faulty assumptions. Biomechs are highly adaptable and Dr. Navarro is better at changing the configurations of his mechs than other biomech designers. If you want the second phase to go smoothly, then you must adapt your mechs as well in order to avoid getting countered."

"I got it. I'll do my best, though there is only so much I can do in just three days."

The older man stared deeply into Ves' eyes. After a few seconds, the leader of the combinants finally departed.

Ves could feel the expectations put on his shoulder. The most galling part of this was that he never asked to carry the hopes of a faction he knew nothing about!

Just as he thought that he was rid of the cranky old man, Master Brixton abruptly stopped and turned around. He walked back and presented a pleasant smile towards Ves.

"I have studied your situation to an extent. You wish to venture into the Red Ocean, is that right?"

Ves nodded. This was no secret. "That's correct. We are only at the start of our journey, but we will definitely make it to the other side."

"That's great. The old galaxy is filled with entrenched rulers who are already content with their existing accomplishments. Only a new region of space will allow ambitious pioneers such as you to bloom. Have you already gathered the necessary amount of merits to obtain passage through the beyonder gate?"

"We are still working on it. We'll probably satisfy this requirement once we reach the gate."

"Well, let me offer you some aid. I happen to have a few million MTA merits to spare. I will grant you 5 million MTA merits if you are able to win this design duel. Is this an interesting offer to you, Mr. Larkinson?"

What?!

Even though Ves already earned a lot of merits, it was extremely difficult for him to earn more. The prospect of gaining 5 million MTA merits was a very attractive prospect!

However, nothing came for free. There was also another issue with this reward.

"Aren't MTA merits supposed to be non-transferable?"

"That's correct." Master Brixton replied. "While I cannot transfer any of my accumulated merits to your personal account, I can still put the aforementioned amount of merits at your disposal in another manner."

"How?"

"I can transfer one of my students to your Larkinson Clan. Once he is a part of your organization, you will effectively gain control over the merits he possesses!"

This was a viable way to transfer merits between people!

Technically, the merits belonged to the individual. Master Brixton's apprentice could easily refuse to contribute his merits, but Ves didn't really care about this problem.

He had plenty of ways to 'persuade' an unwilling person to act on his behalf!

Ves needed more information, though.

"What kind of person is your student?"

"He's a fairly accomplished Journeyman Mech Designer. He's a little older than you, but not as brilliant. He's similar to Frederico Navarro in that regard. To be frank, he's one of my more disappointing disciples. I am not sorry to let him go, and he has already expressed a desire to leave and find his own way."

That.. didn't sound very glowing. Still, awful mech designer or not, Ves was not about to let 5 million MTA mreits slip from his grasp!

Ves smiled. "As long as your student is willing to be a part of my clan, then I will welcome him to the fold."

"I am certain he will be ecstatic to hear the news."

The two had formed an agreement at that moment.