The Mech Touch

5940 My Own Choices

After a bit more discussion, Ves gained a more solid understanding of the soul mark.

Cynthia did not understand how it worked in its entirety. Its design was a product of a completely alien cultivation community, so there were plenty of aspects about it that eluded her comprehension.

However, the soul mark was small enough that she was able to recognize plenty of universal aspects that remained the same in any part of the universe. Just as how math had to be the same in every society, there were plenty of E-technology principles that probably remained identical enough that they showed up in every cultivation society.

His mother was able to glean a number of insights on the Subjugation King solely by admiring his craft.

"The God King that you have made an enemy of is a terrible opponent." She said. "His desire to subjugate others is overpowering that it may compel him to make unreasonable decisions. Killing his enemies is not his preferred solution. This is good news for you as I believe that he will not execute you despite his claims. If it is true that the element of darkness is offensive to him, he will keep such a tight grip on your life that you will not be able to die as he will subject you to eternal torture."

Given what Ves had seen and heard from the Subjugation King, this was actually a realistic possibility!

Killing him once he got caught by the alien tyrant was too easy an escape.

Only punishment without end was the most suitable way for the Subjugation King to make Ves suffer!

This made it even more important to prepare red humanity against the arrival of the invaders from Messier 87!

Ves and his mother began to discuss other related subjects. They talked about the formation of the Red Collective, the creation of the first Carmine dreadnought, the creation of Caramond as well as Furia.

Each of these subjects were heavy enough to occupy the two all day. Cynthia appeared to be both bemused and alarmed that Ves had managed to change the face of red humanity several times in the span of a couple of months.

Her son's capacity to stir up trouble was too great!

While Cynthia refrained from sharing too much of her opinion on affairs that Ves should be able to handle on his own, she did express greater concern towards the existence of Furia.

"The mechers and the fleeters are right to fear the possible return of one of the ancient immortal gods. They are powerful. What is worse is that he is so far removed from humans that he has long lost all sympathy for 'his' race. Human lives are no different from alien lives as far as such a powerful god is concerned. He will not hesitate to kill us all as long as it is beneficial to his interests. Since Furia is one of the potential gateways that can bring him to life in the present day, she will continue to pose an existential threat to red humanity."

"I already figured that out, but is there a way for Furia to get rid of this really awful burden?"

"No." Cynthia decisively shook her head. "You do not know what you are dealing with. What you managed to do to Furia is already a miracle in itself. I advise you not to push your look. Do not even make use of her as a design spirit if you can help it. Let the god pilots and Star Designers monitor this problem."

"Okay…"

"I am being serious, my son. The threat posed by Furia surpasses that of your new alien enemy. The latter may be hostile towards you, but he will likely keep you alive but in captivity. The former is much less restrained in every way. Earlier, I told you that concepts, elements and so on can dramatically alter your attitudes and behavior. Fire is heavily associated with passion, anger, impulsiveness, destruction and more. The maker of the Fire Scroll is defined by all of these traits. If he ever deems you to be an enemy, he will use as much power as is necessary to kill his opponent."

Ves got the message. He truly would not like it if any further meddling on his part caused Furia to lose access to the faith that kept her grounded and closer to her newfound humanity.

In any case, once Cynthia was done with sharing her perspective on the aforementioned subjects, Ves brought up the most contentious topic in his mind.

The System upgrade.

He briefly summarized the current state of the Mech Designer System and what he had done to trigger an upgrade.

There were only a few days left before the 15 day time period had passed. Ves expected the System to return better than ever.

His best hope of solving the annoying soul mark rested in the System. It had access to so many powerful features that one of them must surely be able to provide him with a more viable solution.

The manifestation of the Superior Mother remained still for a time. She looked at Ves in a way that made him feel that she was examining the System directly.

Ves couldn't help but wonder about the theory he shared with the System. What was his mother's role in procuring it? How much did she know about it, and what was her relation to the legendary Progenitors of Mechs?

He had a lot of questions in mind, but he refrained from voicing any of them. He knew his mother would just brush them aside like many of the other questions related to her past.

Part of it was because her death and subsequent revival caused her to lose a lot of memories.

Another part of it was because she did not want Ves to dig up old and forgotten secrets.

"The Red Fleet already supplied you with one super-class material. The Evolution Witch is working on delivering another super-class material. It is indeed of great significance if the System is able to absorb both of them. I am not familiar with these exceptional materials, but the information you have on them gives me a few clues on how they will be used."

"I expect the System to present me with a number of upgrade tracks related to improving the System's interaction with space. I don't know what to expect, but I think that expanding its internal space and giving me more extensive teleportation capabilities are among the options."

His mother looked skeptical. "Your thinking is too shallow. There is no guarantee that the System will follow its prior formula. Even if it does, it may try to force much more significant changes than a handful of functional upgrades."

"Do you have any advice on what I should pick?"

She shook her head. "No. You are its sole user. It is your prerogative alone to make a choice. From the moment the System passed from my hands, I have severed all my remaining responsibility over it. You are the latest inheritor. Do not allow others to dictate how you should use your treasures. They will no longer be yours if you continue to be swayed by the opinions of others."

In other words, Ves needed to grow a stronger spine.

Her words lifted a burden from his shoulders.

"Thank you for your advice. I guess I will settle this matter on my own once it finally comes up. I don't know if I will make the wrong choice, but at least it will be a reflection of my own self."

Cynthia smiled in approval. "You are starting to understand. That is good. Once you become a domain shaper, you will become more prone to getting consumed by your own domain. Do not let this happen. You must master your domain rather than the other way around. You may be able to progress with greater ease if you conform yourself to the concepts and elements that comprise your domain, but you will pay an even greater price further into the future."

Though Ves tried to maintain a skeptical mindset, he did not feel that she was lying about this subject. He strongly agreed with her message and preferred to remain in control over himself.

Now that he thought about it, he already saw examples where expert pilots became so obsessed with their principles and convictions that their personalities changed right after undergoing apotheosis!

Venerable Jannzi Larkinson was the most definitive example of this phenomenon. Ves always wondered why certain expert pilots turned into different people while others barely showed any changes to their personality.

Now, he knew. The degree of change was based on how extensively an expert pilot or other cultivator for that matter allowed their domains to define themselves.

"How does this lesson relate to the System?" Ves asked.

"Pay close attention to the 'upgrade tracks' if the System presents them to you again." Cynthia said. "Think about how much an option will benefit you or the System. You should be able to place the available choices in either of these categories. This should not only make it easier for you to make a choice that benefits you the most, but also gain an important insight on the ulterior motives of the System. If you suspect that all of the available options benefit it more than you, then that should give you a better understanding on how earnestly it is willing to serve you. A System that is not sincere about fulfilling its stated purpose has no reason to exist."

That did not sound like a threat, but Ves was sure that the Mech Designer System might interpret it that way, assuming that it was able to pay attention to this conversation.

Perhaps his mother had just given the System a subtle nudge to behave!

"I never thought about the System from this angle. I will be sure to pay really close attention to this." Ves promised. "I have a question, though. There are other ways to categorize the possible upgrade tracks. What if you can divide them into how much they will benefit me personally and how much they can contribute to red humanity as a whole?"

"Then you should choose the option that benefits you the most." Cynthia answered without any hesitation. "You are not the sole savior of our civilization. Do not underestimate the will of the god pilots or the ingenuity of the Star Designers. Your greatest problem is that you are far too weak to possess enough agency over your own life. The mechers, the fleeters and even an alien God King have successfully exerted their control over you. Do not allow this situation to persist. The sooner you become a Master Mech Designer and Star Designer, the sooner you can stand on your own in this dangerous galaxy. Any upgrade track that provides you with the best growth opportunities must be prioritized at all cost."

That did not entirely sit well with Ves.

His previous choice was a a bit selfish, but Ves was also able to use the benefits of Spiritual Ascension to make several major contributions to human civilization.

As a mech designer, he felt obliged to seek additional ways to contribute to the mech community and society as a whole.

Doing so might not assist him as directly as he wished, but it would arm many other humans with the solutions they needed to repel the enemies that Ves was worried about!

This was how mech designers fought their battles. They never cared too much about improving their personal strength and fighting capabilities.

Instead, they became better at arming other people with the mechs they needed to smash their common enemies!

Ves inwardly sighed. His mother was still an archetypical example of an old-school cultivator. She rejected the notion of developing a dependence on others and always emphasized the need to pursue personal power.

Though he understood her viewpoints, that did not necessarily mean he agreed with them. He was his own person. He was not his mother. He refused to let her dictate his own choices!

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