Chapter 2497: Growth and Decline

As morning went by, Ves finally completed all of the rituals.

All of the theater made him tired. If he had a choice, he would have been fine with conducting a shorter and more subdued wedding.

Regretfully, he was too big of a person to get away with a private ceremony. His clan benefited a lot from his celebrity persona. The attention his wedding attracted today was such an incredibly valuable public relations opportunity that it would be criminal to throw it away!

"Besides, Gloriana will kill me if she doesn't get her perfect wedding." He muttered.

He was glad the bride wasn't by his side at the moment. While it might be strange for the groom to think this way, his soon-to-be-wife wasn't exactly the pleasant person to be around when she became invested in these kinds of matters.

Fortunately, she was engaged in her own ceremonies right now. As a devout follower of hexism, Gloriana insisted on paying tribute to the six phases of existence. Naturally, she also wanted to show her devotion to the Superior Mother.

When Ves glanced at her itinerary, he immediately became disgusted. The sheer amount of superstition involved made him crazy.

He was more than glad that she and her family went off to entertain the Hexers by themselves. If he took part in them, then he would just be forced to play the role of a 'good boy' whose only purpose was to stand still and let the women pat his head!

Though the rituals he had just completed were also spectacles, at the very least the symbolism wasn't rooted in baseless beliefs. The reason why he honored his ancestors and his human heritage was because these acts reinforced his image as an exemplary husband and a proper galactic citizen.

A good reputation was incredibly important to Ves. As long as people knew that he was a 'good' person, no one would believe he engaged in illegal activities!

"Ves, a war criminal? How could that be! He's such a good person! Just look at how close he is with the MTA. He's so successful already. Why would he possibly risk his career by breaking the rules?"

As long as Ves worked hard enough to cultivate a virtuous image, he could get away with a lot more improper acts when it truly mattered!

Naturally, he considered giving up on breaking the rules entirely. He couldn't really imagine becoming a goody two shoes though. If there was one lesson he learned about life, it was that everyone cheated whenever possible.

Rules only constrained people when they were too weak to avoid getting caught.

He was different. He had gotten away plenty of times already.

One of his ultimate ambitions was to become powerful enough to join the ranks of those who made the rules. Once he attained this goal, every rule became negotiable.

The Big Two served as a great example to Ves. They imposed several strict taboos to lower humanity's destructive potential, but they continued right along with performing mass human experimentation, fielding incredible weapons of mass destruction and building enormous battleships.

What amazed Ves was that the MTA and CFA actually got away with engaging in hypocrisy on a galactic scale!

Sometimes, Ves took pride in being called the Devil Tongue. He had to develop his social manipulation ability quickly in order to survive and thrive, yet he was a mere novice compared to Big Two. For centuries, the mechers and fleeters deceived and indoctrinated the entirety of human space that only they deserved to field all of the best weapons!

While Ves learned that the Big Two's hegemony over human space generated at least some opposition, by and large the vast majority of humans simply agreed to be stripped of their sovereignty!

How long did he have to develop himself until he reached this height? It would take a century at a minimum, but realistically he probably had to be patient for a couple of centuries more. Human civilization was so expansive that there were many more talented and capable people in front of him. Their backing was no less effective at boosting their careers than the Mech Designer System.

In fact, for the most privileged sons and daughters such as Axelar Streon, they received much more benefits!

If Ves only looked at mech designers, then the descendants of Star Designers were definitely in heaven as far as he was concerned.

When Ves recalled the sheer amount of wealth and luxury Axelar had access to in his younger years, he suddenly felt as if his wedding ceremony was not that much of a spectacle.

To local standards, his wedding was quite extravagant, yet in the galactic center, he would probably be seen as a boor!

He sighed and he petted Lucky's back. "We're still too weak."

Lucky arched his back to adjust how his miniature tuxedo outfit fit his upper body. "Meow."

"That's easy for you to say. Growing stronger by eating materials doesn't require any thinking at all!" Ves snorted.

"Meow meow."

"I have to go out of my way to gain inspiration and keep up a rapid pace of growth. Innovating is not something that you can do with your brain turned off. I don't even know how long it will take for me to reach Senior."

As someone who began to utilize the process of growth in his work, he was quite intrigued by his own growth trajectory. He constantly tried to figure out ways to accelerate his progress, but ever since he reached Journeyman, he found no easy solutions.

It wasn't unusual to hear about Apprentices breaking through to Journeyman in a couple of years, but the same was not the case for the next big leap.

Though Ves wasn't dissatisfied with his current status, he became more and more constrained by the fact that Senior was still too far away. Right now, his lack of qualifications posed a serious hindrance in his ambition to design his own expert mechs.

"I guess I have no choice but to turn to other people to make up for my shortcomings."

This was one of his goals today. The wedding attracted a lot of powerful people and groups. While most of them did not have anything to offer to him, some of them had a basis of cooperation. The Cross Clan was a decent example of this. There were bound to be more among the list of guests.

After Ves enjoyed a sumptuous lunch, he continued to take part in various public events.

He took part in a couple of interviews. He talked in detail about his mechs when interviewed by a mech publication and talked about general matters when questioned by the Rimward Star Herald. With the reach of these news portals, Ves knew for certain that his name would spread to star clusters beyond his native one. Perhaps his reputation might even spread all the way to the Smiling Samuel Star Sector!

"I can't forget about that." He muttered under his breath.

The System was probably staring at him with an intensity greater than that of Gloriana. After going through so much trouble to put him in a position to retrieve Timpala Steel, Ves had to travel to the location where he secretly stashed it during his most recent Mastery experience!

This would be his first main objective once his grand expedition commenced. Visiting the Life Research Association in Majestic Teal was just a convenient stop.

Hopefully, he'd be able to complete the System's remaining Supply Missions in the Red Ocean. Even if the other ultra-rare exotics such as Orphedian Glow Glass wasn't naturally available in the dwarf galaxy, there were bound to be Terrans or Rubarthans who had some lying in their vaults.

One of his favorite moments of the day was when the Larkinson Clan held its long-anticipated triumph. He impressed the audience by parading the savage Gravada Knarlax and her dangerous escorts over their heads.

Though the Larkinsons requested permission to fire the heavy cruiser's main guns, the MTA resolutely turned them down.

What a shame!

The Larkinsons could only make do with showing heavily-edited footage of the Battle against the Abyss. By showing some never-before-seen footage of the Gravada Knarlax blowing up a succession of resilient Hexer combat carriers, the wedding guests became suitably impressed by the effort the Larkinsons invested in defeating the Allidus Alliance!

Throughout the afternoon, Ves no longer spent time with his fellow Larkinsons. He began to mingle with some of the honored guests.

One of them approached. Several other prominent people who wanted to have a word with Ves suddenly felt uneasy and moved away.

"Patriarch Cross. How are you enjoying the show so far?"

"This triumph is definitely a unique experience. I have taken part in numerous parades, but none of them feature actual warships."

"We aim to please."

Just like Ves, the patriarch dressed up. The expert pilot's white and pale blue dress uniform exuded a much more militaristic vibe. His chest was bedecked by medals and ribbons while his velvety cape showed off the emblem of his clan, a prominent templar cross.

Together with his force of will, Reginald's presence did not lose out against that of Ves!

"You must feel proud for conquering the Gravada Knarlax." Patriarch Reginald Cross remarked.

Ves raised his eyebrow. "Should I feel differently?"

"No. The act of defeating the pirates who fielded this terrible weapon is a great accomplishment. I am merely trying to caution you not grow overconfident. I have fought many battles against enemies who have brought enough firepower to break the Gravada Knarlax in half. Although we never had to fight in an environment as abnormal as the Nyxian Gap, the enemies we have fought against are on an entirely different level."

The Cross Patriarch made a subtle jab at the Larkinson Clan's lack of depth. Ves and his clansmen were still upstarts compared to the established powers.

"We are still new at this." Ves conceded. "However, we're growing quickly. We were much smaller a year ago. Have you ever heard of third-raters turning into second-raters in so little time? We didn't even receive any help. We managed to climb our way up through our own efforts. Not only that, we are still continuing to grow. Our future is getting brighter and brighter."

He could be snarky as well. While Ves ostensibly defended his clan, he actually made an unfavorable comparison between the Larkinson Clan and the Cross Clan. The latter used to be much more powerful, but it had gone downhill ever since Lord Hemmington Cross fell in battle.

Now, the Cross Clan had been reduced to a remnant fleet. What was worse was that its decline hadn't stopped. Without territory, the Crossers weren't able to earn enough money to keep their expensive assets afloat.

The main question was how much cash reserves the Cross Clan had left. Patriarch Reginald and the Crossers did well in hiding this critical detail. Ves wasn't able to read how desperate the Crossers were. If their money was about to run out in a matter of months, then they would probably fold easily in subsequent negotiations!

The Cross Patriarch maintained a stone-cold expression. "The true basis of power in the galaxy is might, not wealth. Possessing the latter without the former leaves you vulnerable to predation."

"Wealth can be converted in many different forms." Ves lightly retorted. "Even now, we are investing in many different assets to strengthen our forces. It is only a matter of time before our fleet surpasses yours in might."

"Some things can't be bought with money."

"My men aren't wallet warriors. Good mechs are indispensable to us, but that doesn't mean we are neglecting the development of our mech pilots. In fact, it's the opposite. The mechs we design mainly exist to facilitate their growth. This one of the exclusive benefits that I provide to my men. If you wish to enjoy my attention, then I need to hear more than condescending remarks."

The Cross Clan may be powerful, but it was definitely in decline! There was no reason for Ves to show too much respect to a bleeding body!