The Mech Touch

Although this was just a single test that produced a solitary set of data points, it already confirmed a lot of theories.

"Commandeering doesn't work properly because the process of turning a mech pilot into a Knight is inherently a domineering act." Saint Commander Casella explained her theory on what had happened during her initial attempt. "Standard mech pilots can easily accept my influence because they are frankly not strong enough to resist my authority. They are completely willing and able to allow me to take control over them. They realize that the difference in strength is so high that there is no point in resisting."

"Ah." Melkor said in realization.

"It appears you understand. Your recent breakthrough and increase in strength has boosted your confidence, and subsequently your self-esteem. From the moment you see yourself as a champion rather than a common soldier, you no longer want to bow to my authority. That is why you have been resisting my Command Field's attempt to turn you into one my Knights."

In other words, it was an ego problem. Melkor thought he was too good to be reduced to a cog in a machine.

As long as he held this thought, he would instinctively resist Casella's forceful influence over his mind and spirit.

There was nothing much Casella could do about it. The process of Commandeering should only be conducted between two willing parties. If one side did not want to let a powerful ace commander take charge, then that should be the end of the story.

"Is it possible for Melkor to adjust his mindset so that he can be Commandeered?" Ves curiously asked.

"I think so." The Saint Commander asked. "I will need to widen the gap between myself and him. If I become a senior ace commander and earn a large amount of glory in battle, Melkor will put himself in a lower position relative to mine. I imagine that this will work for other qi cultivators as well. As long as they sincerely believe that I am much more powerful than them, they will earnestly bow their heads and accept my authority."

This sounded rather troublesome. It meant that the great hope of amplifying Casella's impact on the battlefield by allowing her to Commandeer tens of thousands of cultivator mechs was probably a lot more difficult to realize.

The most crucial limitation was the power gap. At this moment, the Saint Commander had yet to prove herself enough times. She was still waiting on the much-anticipated upgrade of her Minerva to an ace mech before she could truly show off the majesty of an ace commander.

Right now, she wasn't powerful enough to suppress the ego of a newly emerged qi cultivator.

Of course, Melkor was not a regular qi cultivator by any means. He was a combat spell array master who was able to engineer the defeat of dozens of elite phasefighters and hundreds of regular phasefighters with the help of expensive formation anchors.

Even if the last battle ended up bloodier than he desired, Melkor still thought of it as a victory that cemented his growing strength as a combatant!

When Ves observed Melkor's expression, it became clear that it would be counterproductive to ask the new qi cultivator to humble himself.

After struggling for several decades to chase after a breakthrough that never came, Melkor finally took his first few sips of power and success. The feeling of becoming a qi cultivator on the same level of an expert pilot was simply too intoxicating. It could make anyone's ego swell.

"So is the ego problem the reason why Enfeoffing had a better effect?" Ves inquired. Casella nodded. "Likely so. Enfeoffment originally derived from my ability to empower my... late brother. When Imon broke through and became an expert pilot as well, I was able to infuse him with power because he had absolute trust in me. He was completely willing to put his entire life in my hands because of that. Even so, I never attempted to abuse his hospitality and largely allowed him to retain control over himself and his mech. I merely loaned him my willpower so that he could wield much greater power in combat than usual,"

This dynamic had a lot of potential. Regrettably, Imon died before he and his sister could perform this promising capability at the level of an ace pilot.

At least Casella's breakthrough enabled her to apply an ability that was once exclusive to her brother to other recipients. Being able to elevate them into Barons effectively allowed her to add several dozen additional low-tier expert mechs on the battlefield at any time!

While Casella's Enfeoffment ability was already amazing when used on powerful quasi-first-class mechs such as the Transcendent Punisher Mark III of the Eye of Ylvaine or the Storm Swords of the Swordmaidens, its value had skyrocketed now that. they found out that it also worked on cultivator mechs and qi cultivators!

"I understand." Ves said as thoughts spun in his mind. "The process of Commandeering is like drafting soldiers under your command. It is hierarchical, forceful and not very subtle. The process of Enfeoffment is like loaning a part of your power and authority to others. They can make use of your power, but still retain their own pride and much of their autonomy. It is more of a ritual between equals if you conduct it with a fairly powerful mech pilot."

"It doesn't work on other expert pilots or ace pilots." Casella mentioned. "It only ever worked with my brother. As for other expert pilots. my bond with them is not as

Strong. The closest that I got to making it work was with Joshua, but even his willpower still rejects my wholehearted attempt to give him an advantage."

"I see. That makes sense." Ves said in thought. "High-ranking mech pilots constantly need to prove themselves. From the humblest low-tier expert pilot to the most accomplished peak ace pilots, each of them are under constant pressure to hype themselves up and prove that they have what it takes to become the heroes and gods that they aspire to be. From the moment they take any step back in their pursuit of greatness, their growth has come to an end. That is how most expert pilots and ace pilots begin to stagnate in their progression."

In other words, if Joshua was truly willing to accept Enfeoffment, then his chances of breaking through a second time and ascending to sainthood was virtually nil!

It was good that this outcome did not happen.

"So what does that mean for qi cultivators like myself?" Melkor asked.

"You should be fine. That goes for every other qi cultivator. Your willpower isn't strong enough to make a fuss over this matter." Ves theorized.

This was ultimately a good outcome. It meant that. Casella still had the option to infuse her willpower and true resonance into cultivator mechs.

"What is your current. Enfeoffment limit, Casella?"

"40 mechs, sir. I am barely able to convert 40 mechs into Barons."

"Your growth rate has slowed."

Casella casually shrugged. "You know why. I am still waiting for you and Gloriana to upgrade my Minerva to a first-class ace command mech. My resonance strength has hardly grown. My current peak is 149 laveres."

That was way more than a high-tier expert pilot, but it was barely better than any other junior ace pilot in her first year.

Having a good ace mech made a huge difference in the growth rate of an ace pilot!

"We are still working on it, Casella. The Minerva Mark II Project has only slightly fallen behind schedule. We have recently acquired a Mentalist Crystal which should massively boost your Command Field and its associated abilities. The trouble is that it is such a powerful hyper material that we are having trouble figuring out how to best integrate it into your future ace mech. Don't worry. We'll figure it out. Even if our implementation is suboptimal at first, we can apply incremental improvements over time. Right now, not many people have worked with Mentalist Crystals, so there is not much knowledge out there on how to make full use of its wonderful capabilities." Saint Commander Casella Ingvar was already fairly powerful in her current state, but she would definitely become a monster once her battle partner received a massive

Upgrade!

Melkor looked envious as they talked about their expectations of the Minerva Mark II. Piloting an ace mech was beyond him now that he had chosen to commit to qi

Cultivation.

At least the future for mech pilots like him was still fairly bright once Ves managed to

Design a proper cultivator mech.

The three Larkinsons continued to talk about various subjects before the testing

Session finally came to an end.

Time was of the essence, and Casella needed to attend to a lot of other duties.

"Melkor?"

"Yes?"

"Good luck. I know how important it is for you guys to put up a good fight later today, but don't take too many risks, okay? You are a qi cultivator now. You are not obliged to act like a foolhardy and suicidal challenger like other high-ranking mech pilots. I know it will be difficult for you to adjust your mentality, but please understand the differences between qi cultivators and willpower cultivators. Cowardice is not an unforgivable sin, and you don't have to force yourself to fight against phase lords head-on, especially when you have only taken your first steps as a combat spell array

Master."

Though Ves meant well with his words, the Avatar Commander still looked offended.

"With all due respect, patriarch, do not lecture to me about matters you do not. understand. I may be a qi cultivator, but I am also a soldier and officer of the Larkinson Army. For as long as I lead the Avatars of Myth, I must always hold myself to the highest standards of my mech legion. Becoming a qi cultivator is no excuse to

Tarnish my honor and forsake my dignity"

Ves' physical projection did not bother to hide his disapproval.

"Ugh, you mech pilots are all the same. Fine. You can do what you want. It is your life.

At least recognize that you are still a baby in terms of qi cultivation. It is not your job to confront the greatest threats. Not yet. Phase lords should only be dealt with by ace pilots, and only two of them are left in the expeditionary fleet."

"Three." Melkor corrected Ves. "You are overlooking Saint Dise."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about her. I'm sorry. That said, my point has not changed all that much. Dise's effectiveness as an ace pilot is severely constrained by the First Sword Mark II. It is still a mid-tier expert mech at best. It is grossly underpowered compared to Dise's current capabilities."

"That won't stop her." Melkor confidently said.

"I know, and that worries me. She knows a lot better what she is doing, though. I have no choice but to trust her judgment and let her decide to pick a fight that she knows

The Larkinson Clan was undergoing a second rapid growth phase. The explosive sales of the Yellow Jackets was filling its coffers with more money than it could possibly spend on a monthly basis, and several Larkinson ace pilots had emerged in the last few years.

As long as those precious ace pilots survived for a few more years and grew accustomed to piloting their powerful new ace mechs, they should definitely have the capital to defend themselves against most alien threats!

The first-class mech force and warships of the Larkinson Clan should also be ready for action in a few years.

The Larkinson Clan would gain the initial ability to defend itself against enemies at

That point.

Ves would no longer have to rely so heavily on the protection of the Bluejay Fleet and other external forces to maintain his foothold in the Red Ocean.

If possible, he did not want his underequipped ace pilots to risk themselves in the next

Few battles. Unfortunately, there was no choice.

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