The Mech Touch

Even though Ves managed to charm Brutus by finding something they supposedly shared in common, that did not mean that Brutus reversed his stance in an instant.

Expert pilots were never easily swayed. Regardless if Ves provided all of the right answers, he could never completely assuage the male Hexer's worries!

While Ves noted that his altered personality managed to connect with Brutus, it was difficult to go any further.

If Brutus ever asked him what he thought about Hexers rather than his mother, Ves would be placed in a difficult position!

He truly didn't like the Hexers! Even if his mask allowed him to massage the truth, his contradictory thoughts would definitely weaken his performance.

At worst, he might expose his falsehood, which was the last thing he wanted!

Ves drew back on his act after expressing his admiration towards women in a vague sense.

The conservation sound wound down as Brutus gained what he wanted. He developed enough of an impression of Ves to determine whether he was worthy of Gloriana.

Brutus was still on the fence.

To someone as precious as his sister, the male Wodin did not wish to gamble!

The reason why Brutus and the other Wodins vastly preferred Hexer suitors over Ves was because they knew exactly what the former brought to the table.

In contrast, Ves was a wildcard.

Perhaps Ves was more suitable than the Hexers boys the Wodin Dynasty set their sights upon. Maybe it was true that Ves empowered Gloriana's design philosophy. If he respected his mother and loved Gloriana as much as Brutus, then how could the latter spoil her sister's opportunity for happiness?

While Ves failed to win Brutus over, at the very least the male Hexer exhibited some uncertainty.

Even his force of will reduced its hostility towards Ves!

"I admit that you are different from what I expected." Brutus eventually said. "You've impressed me, and I'm starting to believe my sister isn't misguided when she set her sights on you. That does not mean I agree with her. No matter your qualifications, you are not one of us. That alone is a major problem."

"Your mother is willing to give me a chance." Ves stated.

This was a very simple but a very powerful argument! Male Hexers, even expert pilots like Brutus, did not have the right to make impactful decisions!

Only women were qualified to do so! And no one was more qualified to make decisions for Gloriana than her own mother!

Even though Gloriana was already an adult, she was still a member of the Wodin Dynasty. It was not that rare for women of her age and station to follow the arrangements of her parents or dynasty.

In addition, it wasn't rare for marriages to be arranged for people who were in their thirties, forties or even fifties!

The lives of those who were well-off lasted very long. The expected lifespan of a second-rate human almost certainly surpassed a century!

It was even more exaggerated for talented individuals like Gloriana. As a galactic citizen and a Journeyman, it was already assured that she would be able to live for at least two centuries!

As long as no one aimed at her life, Gloriana possessed plenty of time to find a suitable partner.

Of course, just because Gloriana could afford to take her time did not mean it was a good idea to wait too long.

The fact that Madame Constance Wodin extended three years to explore this pairing was already a very concession towards her favored daughter.

Ves was not a Hexer. This was a problem that continued to hinder his attempts to gain acceptance.

Not only was he a foreigner, he also came from a third-rate state. This was a very significant handicap that made it incredibly difficult for Ves to distinguish himself from the masses.

It wasn't enough to match the capabilities of a Hexer mech designer. He had to surpass his peers from the Hegemony in such a decisive fashion that he left no more room for arguing!

Gloriana was right. The best way for Ves to prove himself was to exhibit the capability to make a masterwork mech. Showing this ability while collaborating with Gloriana at their young age would certainly raise a storm in the mech community!

The Hexers and the Wodins in particular should definitely push aside their concerns about his identity once he astonished them with such an accomplishment!

The only problem was that fabricating a masterwork mech was easier said than done. Ves and Gloriana attempted it several times, to no avail. Either their passion wasn't enough, the moment wasn't right or the chance simply wasn't there.

Ves and Gloriana only had a bit more than 2 years left to overcome this challenge. If they still failed to produce their desired result, Gloriana's mother would definitely lose patience with their relationship!

"I'm aware that my mother has given you the benefit of the doubt." Brutus said and stood up. "It seems she saw something in you as well. I'm willing to give you a chance as well. As long as you treat my sister right and keep her happy, I won't object to my mother's arrangement."

Ves inwardly felt relieved. He managed to convince Gloriana's overprotective brother to give him a chance!

Of course, it was just a chance.

A curious detail was that Constance Wodin not only looked out for her daughter's wellbeing, but also sought what was best for the Wodin Dynasty.

Brutus did not exhibit the same priorities. While he doubtlessly cared about the Wodins, he clearly loved Gloriana above anything else!

This was a very important difference! Ves realized that it might be possible to win Brutus over without committing to his state.

Even if Ves rejected the Hegemony, it would still be possible to gain Brutus' support! After all, the expert pilot wanted Gloriana to be happy, and that mattered more than anything else!

Of course, male Hexers did not have much say in their society. Even if Brutus supported Ves, his opinion hardly influenced the rest of the Wodins!

Naturally, Ves did not look down on this accomplishment. While Brutus might not be of help due to his gender, he would be an awful enemy if he became hostile to the relationship!

If Brutus thought that Gloriana was better off elsewhere, then he could probably take Gloriana away!

He was an expert pilot after all! If he believed that Gloriana was under threat or something, he would definitely act according to his force of will!

A few minutes later, Ves and Brutus emerged from the lounge.

Gloriana and Ranya waited right outside. Both women didn't seem to have listened in on the boys.

"What do you think, Brutus?" Gloriana asked.

"Let's just say that I'll reserve my judgement. I'm willing to let our mother decide whether Ves is the right person for you."

Gloriana grinned and clapped her hands. "Ves will definitely surprise you! Thank you for giving him a chance."

"I won't stop you from pursuing this relationship, but that doesn't mean our other brothers and sisters will follow suit."

"Heh, if Ves managed to impress you, then it's only a matter of time before our entire dynasty embraces him! Just you wait!"

While Gloriana and her brother discussed her relationship, Ranya turned to Ves and studied him with a curious expression.

"Huh. I didn't expect you to make Brutus give you a chance. I was really sure he would object to you. When it comes to Gloriana, Brutus is willing to do anything to ensure she's safe! There is no way a third-rater like you can protect her as well as a Hexer suitor who enjoys the support of an entire dynasty!"

"Gloriana won't be better off if you keep her in a cage." Ves spoke with conviction. "While I admit that I don't have the capital to protect my girlfriend as well as a Hexer, I still managed to kill a lot of Fridaymen! Since I have the courage to hijack a ship from captivity, I'll definitely protect Gloriana to the best of my ability! Don't look at my current strength and influence. I'm still in the early stages of my career. Once I develop for another decade or so, I'll definitely grow to the point where I can protect Gloriana against any second-class threat!"

Those were some very big words! Dr. Ranya clearly doubted his assertions.

"You don't sound very reassuring. If I had to choose between keeping Gloriana safe or keeping her happy, I would rather pick the former than the latter!"

"Let's leave the decision up to Gloriana." Ves replied. "To her, separating from me will definitely ruin her career! I'm not lying about this. Since Gloriana is very passionate about mech design, robbing her of the opportunity to fulfill her ambition will definitely break her as a person!"

"Absurd!"

"It's the truth." Ves stated. "It's a mech designer thing. Just ask her if you don't believe her. She'll give you the same answer. At this point, our collaboration has grown so close that we're practically inseparable! Neither of us will be able to make any accomplishments in our fields if we no longer enjoy each other's support!"

He was exaggerating a bit. The consequences to him weren't very serious. While it would be a shame to lose Gloriana's design philosophy and the synergies she enabled, Ves would live.

His design philosophy still followed a direction that Ves could develop through his own efforts.

Even with a collaboration partner like Gloriana or Aisling, Ves still possessed the confidence to advance to Master by himself!

It was a different case for Gloriana. After Ves contaminated her with his insights, she decisively shifted her design philosophy to accommodate spiritual components, or divine components in her words!

Since Gloriana lacked the spiritual perception that Ves took for granted, it was extremely difficult for her to make any accomplishments in this area!

There was no way she could replicate his feats and obtain a design spirit, let alone instilling it into a design!

Now that Gloriana received this revelation, she could never go back.

Ordinarily, the only way to recover from a possible breakup was to correct the direction of her design philosophy.

The only thing she needed to do was to discard the use of spiritual components in her mech designs.

Yet.. could she even do that?

As a mech designer who wanted to design the perfect vessel, it was crucially important for her to leverage every possible method to reach perfection!

Now that she became aware to the value that spiritual components added to her mech designs, how could he deprive her perfect vessels of this powerful component?

From a logical perspective, Gloriana would never be able to justice the absence of this component!

For this reason, Ves did not fear Gloriana's betrayal. Knowing that his specialty was essential to her own development, Gloriana should be doing her best to stay by his side!

Ranya didn't know this, and she obviously didn't believe that Ves was being truthful. To her, Ves was simply blowing his horn.

Typical boy.

"Don't think you've won. Brutus is just her youngest brother. You need to convince two more brothers and three more sisters to win over my cousin's siblings. Then you need to overcome their mother. Let me tell you that my aunt is one of the strictest Hexers that I have ever met! She's harsh on herself and harsher on her children! Every Hexer must meet her ludicrously high expectations, or she will make her wrath known!"

This sounded very worrisome. Ves truly feared Gloriana's mother. He heard so much about her to know what Ves shouldn't even be able to come within her sight if not for his excellence.

He had to grow stronger! This was the only way to resolve his issues with Gloriana's mother and the Wodin Dynasty!

His urge to design a second-class mech and fabricate a masterwork mech grew even stronger!

He couldn't afford to fail!