Doctor Leonardo Brixton was not the ideal recruit to Ves. He was older and more set in his ways. This meant that Goldie wouldn't be able to inspire as much loyalty and devotion to the Larkinson Clan.

Cyborg mechs sounded interesting but Ves wasn't convinced that it was worth the trouble to bother with fully or semi-organic mechs at all. All of the fleshy bits reminded Ves too much of Dr. Jutland's shenanigans!

Yet the value of recruiting a cyborg mech designer whose expertise straddled both classical mechs and biomechs was unquestionably high!

There was no way that Master Brixton withheld too many of his core trade secrets when instructing his blood descendant. Ves may not have reached this level as of yet, but even he had no intentions of passing any of his closest secrets to anyone aside from worthy offspring!

Others simply didn't deserve to know! Not even his wife was privy to all of his secrets!

The only people he truly trusted were those who he was able to shape himself. The more he was able to manipulate them, the more he was willing to pull them into his inner circle.

So far, a handful of people such as General Verle, Venerable Joshua and Dr. Ranya was starting to earn his appreciation. They were much less stubborn and high-minded than his own wife and were much more pliable as a result.

It also helped that they didn't seem to pursue any great agendas. With Gloriana, Ves always had to keep her advocacy in mind. She did not see any contradiction between helping the Larkinsons and helping the Hexers. Ves thought differently, and that was the cause of most of their disputes.

He still loved her, though. Even though it wasn't entirely logical for him to feel this way, his heart never made sense in the first place. He just wanted to maintain a certain degree of separation from her on business matters.

As Ves thought about implications, he finally took a brief rest and woke up just before the start of the second phase.

Ruuzon Arena attracted a lot more attention these days. The amount of spectators had increased as many Lifers wanted to witness Dr. Navarro's impending victory for themselves!

Expectations were still high even though the current record wasn't optimistic. It was impossible for many fans to drop their confidence after suffering a modest setback.

"Dr. Navarro shall prevail! He will prove to the entire star sector that our biomechs are competitive!"

"LRA! LRA! LRA!"

"We should kick every metal mech out of our state!"

Groups of people wearing green clothing and banners all passed through the entry gates and moved up to their respective viewing platforms. The crown of trees surrounding the main dueling ring became more and more populated as many of them wanted to witness a turning point in the LRA's history.

A lot of Lifers came in order to obtain the answer to a simple question.

Were their biomechs competitive enough?

Today, the Lifers deeply wanted Dr. Navarro to succeed. His biomechs not only had to make up for his disappointing score, but also win the hearts of the mech pilots who participated in the duel.

The latter part had become a lot more contentious than before!

"If they know what is good for them, then the mech pilots won't betray their own states!"

"They're trained in piloting biomechs. Why should they ever prefer to pilot dead machines when they can pilot living mechs instead? Our offerings are far superior!"

The partiality of the ten mech pilots who would be issuing their verdict at the end of the second phase was crucial. The locals all wanted the mech pilots to favor their own state while many foreign observers watched carefully in order to see whether the Lifers were about to cheat!

Ves wasn't too worried about that.

Even if his hosts couldn't resist the temptation to cheat, both Ves and Dr. Navarro knew the actual score. There was no way to lie about the results when both of them were mech designers.

That said, the Larkinsons were fully prepared for trouble this time.

The clan didn't even bother to open their new recruitment hall this time. Plenty of Larkinsons had already left the surface and those who remained behind were fortified inside Gentle Lotus Base.

The Infinity Guards had become more active as well. They not only put their available mechs on high alert, but also prepared several evacuation routes!

Though a part of Ves didn't want to show up at all, another part of him felt more alive. Old instincts and habits were starting to wake up. The complacency and lethargy that had settled over his mind started to shake off from all of the excitement running through his veins.

His blood was pumping faster. His attention became sharper. His competitive streak rose.

He wanted to win!

More precisely, he wanted to defy the Lifers for hoping that he would lose! As a proud mech designer, how could he tolerate any doubt in his own ability? While Dr. Navarro was a formidable opponent and a capable mech designer in his own right, his life experiences were much duller!

Out of safety concerns, fewer people accompanied Ves this time. More bodyguards accompanied him this time, though all of them had to stay outside the entrance of the VIP platform.

Only a couple of people kept him company this time. Aside from Lucky, he only brought a single expert pilot and 'consultant'.

"Damn, the stakes are higher than ever, Ves! Do you think they'll get mad if they lose?" Vincent cheerfully asked as his hover chair floated forward.

Venerable Jannzi slapped the side of the floating device. "Watch your words! Do you even realize what you are saying? You'll make a lot of people upset towards us if they hear your words. Show some care!"

"She's right, Vincent. I didn't bring you here to brag on my behalf. As pathetic as it sounds, I still find your insights useful."

He enjoyed the commentary he received during the first phase of the design duel.

He cared about Raella, though, so he decided to leave her behind.

Vincent was a different matter. Ves didn't care at all whether the bastard lived or died. It didn't matter whether the wounded Larkinson was an expert candidate.

In fact, if Vincent happened to meet an unfortunate accident today, then Ves would have one less future expert mech design to worry about!

Not that he actually expected something to happen. Ves only had to look around to spot hundreds of biomechs in the air and on the ground. Each of them were marked in the colors of the Planetary Guard and other government institutions.

A lot more security guards on foot appeared as well. The authorities must have shipped in an entire security division to Ruuzon Arena on short notice because there were guards posted around every group of fans!

Their odd combat armor was organic in nature and so were their rifles. It made them look like infested humans, but strangely enough their monstrous appearance didn't inspire any fear or revulsion from the locals.

As Ves waited for the second phase to begin, Master Werther Cline approached him once again.

"I heard you made a deal with Master Brixton."

The old Master went straight to the point.

"I did." So what? "He offered me a reward for doing something that I already plan to accomplish. I see no reason to refuse a free deal?"

"You should have refused his offer. The two of you share a connection now. No matter how benign it seems, you cannot deny that you are a bystander now."

"I was never a bystander to begin with." Ves pushed back, heedless of the fact that he was talking to an esteemed Master. "I didn't ask to get involved, but since someone pushed me into this cesspit, I might as well go for a swim."

Master Cline looked exasperated. "I had hoped you would show more prudence, but I did not sufficiently account for your youth."

"It is rare to hear a Master admitting a fault."

"We are still human, Mr. Larkinson. We may stand at a greater height than you, but we are still plagued by the same flaws that afflict any individual. In fact, some theorists claim that our faults are magnified."

Ves definitely believed in that theory. No mech designer achieved success by going through the motions! Being abnormal was practically a necessity!

"Can you tell me what's in store for me once I advance to Senior?"

"Heh." Master Cline smirked as a hint of amusement shoved aside his irritation. "You must have asked this question to many high-ranking mech designers, correct?"

"It's worth a try."

"Well, I will give you the same answer that my other colleagues have told you. Don't worry about it. Becoming a Senior is a major threshold. While it is not considered to be a significant transformation, your approach to mech design will undergo a major transition. You will have to look beyond your immediate mech designs and start to consider the bigger picture."

"I see." Ves looked disappointed. "I'll look forward to that then. Do biomech designers have a harder time advancing than classical mech designers?"

"This is not a simple question to answer. The threshold to become a biomech designer is higher because there is much more knowledge involved. While this means that our numbers are not as great, each of us are more brilliant on average. This is not a boast, but a fact that is backed up by plenty of studies."

"I believe you. The logic holds up. Even I'm a bit intimidated by having to learn so many biotechnology-related subjects. It's a different discipline." Ves replied.

"Correct. It's a different discipline, though there are many ignorant critics who think differently. The fact of the matter is that mech design and biotechnology require different skill sets and aptitudes to excel at. While there is a lot of overlap between the two fields, it still takes a genuine talent to marry the two together."

"What about cyborg mechs?" Ves curiously asked. "From my shallow understanding, Master Brixton is a very renowned mech designer in this state. What makes his kind of products so special?"

"You should ask this question to someone else. As much as I oppose his stances, I still respect his work."

Master Cline didn't stick around for long. After he gained whatever he sought from Ves, he quickly bid goodbye and returned to his seat.

Just like before, six Master Mech Designers had showed up. Perhaps a few of the faces had changed, but Master Cline and Master Brixton were both suddenly on the opposite ends of the row of plushy seats.

Master Brixton even turned around and nodded at Ves. It seemed that the leader of the combinants was quite optimistic about Ves' chances.

Why?

Did Master Brixton get a sneak peek at the mechs prepared by both sides?

That shouldn't be the case. Their dueling mechs were under strict guard. Masters weren't even allowed to get close because there were a million different ways they could strengthen or weaken any given mech!

At this time, a familiar bombastic voice boomed over everyone's heads.

[Welcome everybody to the second phase of the design duel between Ves Larkinson and Doctor Frederico Navarro! After pitting five pairs of mechs and mech pilots against each other, we will be performing the matches again! This time, the mech pilots have swapped their seats. Each of them are now expected to do their best to achieve victory for the mech they previously fought against !]

The second phase was a lot more strategic than the one that came before. Both the mech designers and mech pilots knew what they were up against now. This not only allowed them to plan in advance, but also leverage the information they gathered to their own advantage!

The next set of matches would surely be a lot more dynamic than before!