The Mech Touch

　　Second, their relations had developed to such a degree that she somehow came to believe she had to pay back 890,000,000 MTA credits to Mr. S!

　　There was no need to hide his utter befuddlement at this revelation. 890,000,000 MTA credits was an unimaginably huge sum to him. He could not imagine getting his hands on that much money in the next decade or even five decades.

　　The Polymath's debt was equivalent to 7,416,666 Hoenbach handbags! Gloriana would drown in puelmer leather articles before she could enjoy all of them. In fact, Ves seriously doubted that Hoenbach employed enough craftsmen to make all of those bags in a timely manner. Even if it could, the prices would definitely fluctuate based on supply and demand!

　　If he was able to get his hands on 890,000,000 MTA credits, then he would instantly command the expeditionary fleet to head straight back to the nearest first-class central star node.

　　Once he returned to one of the Big Two's public strongholds, he would instantly splurge all of that money on first-class starships and mechs.

　　Though he wouldn't be able to gain as much as he wanted, he could at least form the nucleus of a first-class force. This would make him qualified to enter the Upper Zones where there were much more riches and fortune available!

　　The Upper Zones was where the major alien races that had long dominated the Red Ocean truly obtained their prosperity from. The dangerous zones was where most of the phasewater in this dwarf galaxy could be found.

　　Although the danger coefficient in these places was much higher, there was no faster way for him to uplift his clan into a first-class organization!

　　This course of action would allow him to skip decades of long and steady growth and development. Ves would not have to waste so much time playing with inferior second-class goods when he could quickly achieve parity with Jovy Armalon!

　　As he entertained more and more fantasies about what he could do with so much money, he carefully offered the Polymath a suggestion.

　　"If you want, I could hold your repayment on your behalf. When Mr. S. comes into contact again, I can transfer the funds to him straight away."

　　Once the System finished its lengthy upgrade cycle, Ves planned to do exactly that. Naturally, there was no way that it would take a liking for human money.

　　When the System inevitably rejected the money, Ves could make an excuse about how Mr. S. didn't need the MTA credits and just threw the sum to his pupil!

　　This simple but ingenious plan would allow Ves to rightfully claim the 890,000,000 MTA credits!

　　Unfortunately for him, the Polymath's expression did not show any indication that she was receptive towards his 'helpful' proposal.

　　"I am burdened with this debt for many years." She calmly responded. "I do not enjoy the fact that this small sum has been weighing on my mind for longer than is necessary, yet I will not choose convenience over what is right. I will pay him back in person when I have the opportunity to meet with him. You can pass my message on to Mr. S."

　　"Uh… I will, Your Excellency."

　　Damn. His plan to enrich himself with an immense fortune had failed. It might be a 'small sum' to her current self, but it was an absolute fortune to him and his clan.

　　A Star Designer was not that easy to manipulate!

　　Knowing that the Polymath supposedly had relations with Mr. S. was a huge revelation to Ves.

　　At first, it should be impossible. Ves did not recall ever meeting with the Polymath.

　　There were three realistic possibilities why the Star Designer made this claim.

　　First, she was lying about owing a debt to Mr. S. This was the simplest and most realistic possibility.

　　Though Ves didn't think that someone like the Polymath deigned to speak any lies, Ves knew that she already engaged in a form of misdirection in order to keep her presence in the Davute System a secret.

　　Perhaps this was her way of trying to persuade Ves to get into contact with Mr. S.

　　Second, she was telling the truth, but she mistook the identity of the creditor.

　　This was not an implausible case. Maybe the Polymath hung out with someone who kept his identity a secret and subsequently guessed that this individual was Mr. S.

　　Third, maybe her claim was literally true. The Polymath truly owed a debt to Mr. S., or actually Ves!

　　The only way that this could be true was that Ves used the System to go on another Mastery experience at some point in the future. This would subsequently propel his consciousness to the past where he would somehow get into contact with a past version of the Polymath!

　　He already began to get headaches as he thought about all of the convoluted actions that he would make in the future but had already transpired in the past!

　　If this third possibility was true, then Ves obtained a definitive answer on how the System's time travel shenanigans affected his reality.

　　All of the Mastery experiences that he would undertake in the future had already made its mark to the 'current' timeline!

　　Of course, this wasn't actually helpful information. He had no idea how many Master experiences he would go through and how he altered the normal progression of history.

　　All he knew was that the System would definitely return at a point in the future and that Ves would live long enough to use it at least one more time.

　　"We are related to each other." The Polymath stated.

　　"What?!"

　　Was the Polymath a Larkinson?! How could she possibly make such a shocking revelation all of a sudden!

　　"Mr. S. and I are… acquainted with each other." She calmly continued. "I do not know how much he has taught you, but according to our standards you are qualified to be his disciple. Whether this status is official or not is of no concern. What is important is that you are one of the mech designers that is carrying on a part of his legacy. In fact, you are doing more than that. You have successfully branched out and found your own direction."

　　Was Ves misinterpreting her earlier statement?"

　　"Uhm, what does this have to do with what you said earlier?" Ves carefully asked.

　　"The mech design community can be a small world, especially at the top. There are not that many Star Designers in existence and most of us are in frequent contact with each other. We occasionally teach lessons or provide assistance to the disciples of our peers whenever it can help."

　　Ves inwardly sighed in relief. He didn't know what he would think if he was actually blood-related to the legendary Polymath.

　　"Then… are you offering to provide assistance to me?" He asked with a hopeful expression.

　　"As I have stated earlier, you are doing well. You do not require any further assistance. This may be why Mr. S. is not in contact with you anymore. Continued reliance on a greater authority will only distort your progression, which is not helpful to your chances of advancing to Master."

　　He became disappointed. Any form of aid from someone as powerful as a woman who could stand on an equal level to a galactic mech councilor would be of immense value!

　　"However…" The Polymath smiled. "I do not think highly of all of the decisions that Mr. S. has made. With his proven capabilities, he can be of immense service to the Mech Trade Association and humanity as a whole. He does not need to hide in the shadows and make himself elusive to the point where our best trackers have failed to find his trace. This is a troubling pattern of behavior. Whether he disagrees with our policies or not, the Mech Trade Association is diverse enough to accommodate all opinions, even those that advocate for its dissolution."

　　Ves made a slightly risky remark. "I heard from Master Vendar Patricus Bouderin that the cosmopolitans aren't welcome in the MTA."

　　The powerful woman sneered. This was the first time he saw so much naked contempt from the Star Designer!

　　"As undesirable as the Unbound Humanity Faction, the Dissolution Faction and even the factions aligned to the first-rate superstates may be, their hearts are ultimately in the right place." She stated. "Each of their members have their own visions on what will make humanity and the mech industry stronger. That is why their radical ideas are tolerated in our Association. The past adherents of cosmopolitanism have proven that their ideology is not deserving of this treatment."

　　The Polymath truly did not think highly of cosmopolitanism!

　　This made sense as she was one of the leading figures of the MTA Survivalist Faction, a group that was highly concerned with the survival and the continuation of the human race.

　　The people in the past who believed that humanity should engage with their alien neighbors eventually served the interests of their inhuman masters. Even after several millennia had gone by, the hatred and ill feelings towards this group had yet to fade!

　　"Do you suspect that Mr. S. is a cosmopolitan?"

　　"He is a cosmopolitan." She immediately answered as if to show there was no shadow of a doubt of her judgment. "It is a great regret that a mech designer of his stature has aligned himself to a lost and discredited cause. For what it is worth, I believe he truly means well. There are still a large number of sympathetic human beings who believe that human civilization can not only exist alongside alien civilizations, but that we can also befriend or even merge with them. These romantic ideals are painfully misguided, but even the best of us have fallen for them, as evidenced by your teacher."

　　"I… see."

　　"What is your stance towards cosmopolitanism?" She asked.

　　He didn't need to look in her eyes to know that she was paying careful attention to his answers.

　　"I don't know much about it to be honest." He admitted. "It's so rare that everything I've heard about it comes from a limited number of sources. While I can understand why people support it, I am realistic enough to know that humanity has long burned that bridge. We will never gain the trust of the aliens that we have attacked and we do not even need to make these attempts. Perhaps this may be a viable way for humanity to survive during the Age of Stars, but we have become much more powerful now that we can easily take care of ourselves. Given this condition, it is logical to eliminate the sentient alien races in our vicinity in order to eliminate as many hidden dangers as possible."

　　The Polymath softened a bit and smiled. "That is a proper, logical argument. I am relieved to see that you have not inherited your teacher's cosmopolitan ideals."

　　"I do not want to get kicked out of human society. I like it here. Even though I may dabble with intelligent life forms, I never want them to supplant the human race or anything. I support the MTA and don't want the good times we have to end."

　　Unlike Joshua who previously struggled against the idea of invading the Red Ocean, Ves had no qualms about it.

　　He would kill a trillion aliens if he could profit from the act!

　　Life was precious but it had better be on his side. If not, he had no obligations to care about others.

　　The Polymath approved. "Your views are good. I am glad to hear that you are not conflicted in any way. The longer you stay in the Red Ocean, the more it will challenge your views. Do not falter. The aliens deserve no sympathy."

　　She really hated aliens.