The Mech Touch

Ves rightfully feared what a Star Designer could do to him. It did not matter that the Survivalists claimed that they had her under control. It did not matter that the Polymath had sincerely conveyed her surrender and intention to stop any hostile actions.

Star Designers were True Gods. They were transcendent energy-based life forms that had completely shed their mortal roots. It was all too easy for these powerful beings to disregard the interests and sanctity of lesser organisms.

Though Ves considered himself to be a lot more special compared to an ordinary mortal, he was acutely aware that he was far from being able to negotiate with the Polymath as an equal.

Perhaps his mother could do so, but she was an entire galaxy away.

While Ves was most definitely wary of a Star Designer who had demonstrated the capacity to plan out exceptionally ambitious schemes, he did not allow his fears to dictate his behavior.

Ves was not completely helpless. He possessed several powerful backers, and though each of them were either restrained or conditional, the Polymath would still pay a heavy price if she acted out against him in any fashion!

Besides, the Survivalist Faction agreed to give her a way out so long as she played with everyone. It was in her best interest to show that she was willing to follow instructions as opposed to issuing them in the first place.

This created an unusual dynamic as soon as Ves entered a secure meeting chamber.

Although the Survivalists had been remarkably tolerant towards the Polymath, they weren't stupid.

It was best to keep the Polymath contained and out of contact with any lackeys and henchmen she might have. Who knew if she could still trigger Plan K, I or J in her current state.

At least the Survivalists were being serious about keeping the Polymath in isolation. Ves could clearly feel the presence of four overlapping Saint Kingdoms taking effect inside the chamber.

Four powerful ace mechs were stationed right outside this secure compartment. They might not be able to stop a secret transmission from getting through, but they could at least detect what was happening within their own domain fields.

The Polymath sat poised on her side of the plain metal table. She had mercifully replaced her regal empress outfit for a much simpler and more subdued professional-looking dress.

She still looked the part of a Star Designer. That quality remained undeniable. She just looked down on her luck compared to her previous appearances.

"It is a pleasure to meet you again, Professor Larkinson. Come and take a seat. We have much to discuss."

Despite speaking like she was still in command of the situation, Ves still obliged without thinking too hard about it. He just wanted to talk.

"You requested my presence?"

"I did." The Polymath's expression remained as cool and impassive as usual. "Let me begin by congratulating you on your victory. Both of us stood at opposite sides at one time. You have brilliantly concealed your true details during our prior encounters. This has enabled you to elude my calculations. If not for that, we may have been meeting each other under entirely different circumstances."

Ves narrowed his eyes in suspicion. There were layers in her words that held much greater meaning than was apparent on the surface.

He was too tired and fed up to play with allusions.

"Your crown." He said. "Back when Emma knocked the crown from your head, you and the Xenotechnician competed for it. After that, a blast of force erupted that just so happened to toss it onto my lap without any hindrance. This isn't a coincidence. I get the feeling that you are responsible for this. More than that, you managed to get your immediate opponent to play along."

The Polymath responded with a clear look of appreciation. "Sharp. I will not deny it. When it became clear that I am unable to regain possession of the crown during that critical interval of time, I produced a circumstance where it passed onto you. I believe it is better to leave it in your possession rather than allow the Xenotechnician to make contact with it. The Iron Resonant Crucifix Crown is a remarkably powerful relic, but one that is also associated with great risks and danger. It appears that you are already aware of this truth. You are quite well-informed. Perhaps that should not be a surprise given your background and relations."

The woman was too darned perceptive. It was awfully difficult to keep too many secrets from her. Since this was the case, he might as well be more open about his circumstances.

"I have my sources. Let me ask you a few questions. How long did you possess the crown, and how much did you pay to benefit from its power?"

A complex expression appeared on her face. The Polymath clearly possessed a lot of tangled feelings about the crown that she did not mind exposing to Ves.

"I owned it for over a century." She plainly admitted. "My relationship with it is not as straightforward as you think. I have always been cognizant of its origin and the threat it poses. I have constantly tried to maintain a balance between benefiting from its considerable power while also maintaining a sufficient amount of distance from its detrimental side effects."

"That sounds like a losing battle." Ves spoke.

The Polymath pointedly shook her head. "I disagree. I understand your skepticism. It is not difficult for you to conclude that I have been compromised by the Iron Resonant Crucifix Crown, but the reality is more nuanced. One of the main reasons why 1 have maintained a rational approach is to reduce my vulnerability to its effects. This has allowed me to selectively conduct calculated trades where I can obtain the greatest amount of power with the least amount of cost."

Ves looked speechless at her. Did she actually believe she was capable enough to use the crown without getting corrupted by its influence?

"If that is the case... then what was that display of yours about? I do not think you demonstrated a lot of rationality when you tried to make a common enemy out of everyone during the voting session."

The Polymath crossed her arms. "I devised the Unity Plan as a logical and grounded response to the problems at hand. While there are elements to it that explicitly take advantage of the properties of the crown, that is the extent of its involvement. Crown or not, I believe to this day that it is best if red humanity comes together under my rule. I still regret that our faction has ultimately selected the worst out of three proposals in consideration. It appears that you deserve much of the credit for securing this outcome."

It sounded as if the Polymath did not even acknowledge that she had been brainwashed by the crown!

He found it disturbing that despite getting rid of the influence of the crown, the Polymath still talked about it as if she had no remorse for her decisions and actions!

Ves shook his head in disappointment. "I really do not think it is up to mech designers like us to tell other people what to do. We are service providers. From the moment we treat people as subjects instead of our customers, we have already gone astray. I am well aware that putting proven mech pilots and warlords in charge has its own fair share of problems, but at least they have to earn their way to power."

There were many possible ideological disagreements between the two. This was not the time and place to debate all of those differences.

The discussion quickly shifted back to a more relevant topic.

"What did the splinter kingdom take from you back then?" Ves pressed the Star Designer.

The Polymath knew exactly why he was so concerned about this matter. She smiled as she offered her response.

"It is being referred to as the Red Kingdom now. As to your question, under the direction of the shade's final safeguard, the kingdom stripped me of my section of an artifact that I am certain you are familiar with. The separation has not been painless, but it could have been worse."

This was one of the answers he was looking for. Ves felt a lot of relief now that he learned that the Polymath was no longer a direct competitor anymore.

"Are you still a Star Designer, or did its punishment take that away from you as well?"

"lam still a Star Designer. Little has changed in that regard." The Polymath graciously explained. "The removal of the artifacts has deprived me of their considerable power and benefits. I have become diminished now that I must rely on my own efforts to remain productive."

"You don't sound particularly upset about growing weaker."

"One interpretation of today's events is that you have liberated me from a burden that has weighed me down increasingly more. I derived the majority of the benefits from possessing the ancient artifacts in the earlier phases of my career. I am more than satisfied with my rapid advancement to my current rank, and I can continue to benefit from it. As a Star Designer, I am still capable of researching a vast amount of technologies and designing exceptional machines. Diminished I may, I am still far more productive than a Master Mech Designer. This is my intrinsic ability."

Ves did not know how to feel about this. It sounded like the Polymath would be able to bounce right back without suffering any truly negative repercussions.

"I... congratulate you on your speedy recovery. 1 do hope that you will continue to make up for what you have done."

"I will be doing that and more." The Polymath stated. "You do not need to be concerned about that. 1 have come to a new arrangement with the Xenotechnician and other parties. I will go back to researching new tech and designing revolutionary new products. I will be freed from all other non-essential responsibilities. The Xenotechnician and the Fist of Defiance shall take over most of my former leadership duties within our faction and Association. Going forward, I shall continue to contribute to our civilization as a Star Designer, not as a leader."

A lot of people in the know would doubtlessly grow relieved when they heard about this. It was frightening to leave the Polymath in any position of authority after what she had done.

"What about Master Vayro Goldstein and your other confidantes?"

"They are not involved or culpable for my deeds. They shall face no consequences and are free to seek other patrons. Their decisions are no concern to me anymore. 1 have left this game."

That was good for everyone. Ves found it rather nice that the Survivalist Faction acted so reasonably when dealing with the aftermath.

"So... I heard that you are willing to compensate me for all of the damage that you have done."

The female Star Designer looked amused. "You are certainly direct. It may behoove you to take additional classes on how to comport yourself in settings such as this. A less tolerant Star Designer might not react well to your tone."

"I'm too tired to bother with all of that stuff." Ves irreverently responded. "Let's just get this over with. I am still upset at you for letting that blasted crown encourage you to ram through your Unity Plan by force. Don't think that giving me the source of your madness is enough to make me happy. You have added a lot of trouble to me instead, especially given that a lot of people correctly deduced that I currently have it in my possession."

"You shouldn't worry too much about that, Professor Larkinson. Those who are unaware of our true statuses will not be aware of our commonalities. They will predominantly assume that the Khamatar Reign or the Xenotechnician himself has teleported it away for safekeeping."

"I'm not sure whether everyone will buy that story."

"That is why I suggest you leave this summit with a sizable escort force."

".."