4951 Poisoned Chalice



Gloriana most definitely dropped a bomb during the celebratory banquet!

The addition of another powerful ace mech meant that the upcoming expeditions would become even more secure!

Although the Golden Skull Alliance still wouldn't be able to match the combat strength of the temporary coalition organized by the Gemini Family back then, it was more than enough to guarantee everyone's security under ordinary circumstances!

The likelihood of earning a huge profit increased by another margin while the risks became less severe.

Even if the other alliance partners had to allocate a greater share of the loot to the previously unimpressive Glory Seekers, they readily accepted this change because an extra ace mech could save a lot of lives when encountering a setback.

"Those Hexers are awful people. They're the least likable people in this alliance."

"Who cares how much they hate men. They can keep their stupid ideology to themselves. I only care about whether they will cover my back in a fight. The Glory Seekers might be crazy, but they have always been reliable on the battlefield."

"What sort of ace mech do you think the Hexers will send to us? I hope we can get a ranged machine like the Mars. We can't let those alien battleships attack us from a distance with impunity."

As the news spread through the dining hall and beyond, the entire Golden Skull Alliance became excited because of the news!

The most ecstatic people of all were the Glory Seekers themselves!

For many years, the absence of strong or capable leaders such as Patriarch Ves Larkinson, Patriarch Reginald Cross and Master Benedict Cortez had caused the Glory Seekers to become increasingly less important in the alliance.

Hexers such as Marshal Ariadne Wodin and Venerable Brutus Wodin lacked the prestige and accomplishments to lift up the status of the Glory Seekers.

If not for the fact that the Glory Seekers possessed the ability to employ battle formations in combat, it was doubtful that they would still be taken seriously by the Larkinsons and the Crossers!

Due to these developments, the balance of power continued to tilt away from the special troop regardless of the active support provided by the Hex Federation.

This trend became even worse after the recent entry of the Adelaide Third Fleet and the Boojay Family!

"Hah! Our Glory Seekers aren't as pathetic as before!"

"Unlike the other alliance partners, our group enjoys the backing of an entire colonial state that is comparable to Davute. We can receive a lot more support if not for the fact the Fridaymen are keeping an eye on the Hex Federation."

"The Superior Mother has blessed our expedition!"

The surprise addition of a Hexer Saint instantly reversed the downward trend of the Glory Seekers. Every member of this group instantly felt reinvigorated. Whoever the Hex Federation sent, fighting in the presence of a Hexer Saint massively boosted their confidence!

Several hours went by as the party became more festive and boisterous throughout the evening.

Ves and his little family did not stay for long. They boarded their shuttle and returned to their Royal Mansion in the Cat Nest.

Once Ves and his wife put their tired but giggling kids to bed, they retreated to one of their living rooms in order to talk in further detail about the latest development.

Gloriana had not talked much about the offer of the Hex Federation during the celebratory banquet. It was not a suitable venue to talk in-depth about matters directly related to the security of the Golden Skull Alliance.

The married couple hadn't bothered to change out of their evening wear. Ves still wore his ceremonial Larkinson-themed tuxedo while his wife looked elegant in her black dress.

They both sat down on different couches while cats hopped onto their laps.

"Meow meow~"

Lucky playfully rolled onto Gloriana's body and begged for pets. The woman obliged and idly scratched the gem cat's sensitive ears.

"Before you ask, this isn't my idea." Gloriana started. "My mother came up with it first. She is so smart. It is not that the Hexers did not value you before, but that it was difficult to extend so much trust to a Journeyman, even if you are the Superior Mother's son. Your early breakthrough to Senior has managed to convince even the most skeptical and prudent Hexer leaders to invest in you. Does that not sound fantastic?! Our Glory Seekers have become our greatest protectors during our upcoming travels! Forget about Patriarch Reginald Cross and his uncontrollable warlust. Our Hexer ace pilots will never leave us to fend for ourselves!"

Ves still hadn't overcome his shock at the news. He leaned back as Gloriana continued to unleash a stream of words from her mouth.

"Miaow? Miaow…"

Fortunately, Clixie held to ground his emotions by resting on his lap and allowing him to pet her luxuriously soft fur.

The cat began to purr like an engine, causing Ves to relax as if he was being hypnotized.

No matter what the Hexers were up to this time, Ves had no reasons to fear them at this time.

"I haven't paid close attention to the Hex Federation as of late, but I know damn well that every ace pilot is a strategic weapon to the colonial state. The absence of just one of them will have massive consequences to the security of the Hexer people. Why are the Hexers willing to go this far to help our alliance?"

His wife continued to smile at her husband. "Because of you, my dear."

"Be serious. I don't believe the Hexers or at least their highest leaders have lost so much rationality that they are willing to make a losing transaction."

"Who says they will lose out by sending us an ace mech?" Gloriana replied. "According to my mother, the matriarchal dynasties have agreed to lend one of their ace pilots and ace mechs to the Glory Seekers on a temporary basis. The exact duration will depend on several factors, but it should typically be around a year. In order to ensure that the Hexer ace pilots and ace mechs can quickly join our expeditionary fleet or return to the Hex Federation, they shall be carried by the state's fastest and most modern superdrive-equipped combat carriers."

That sounded incredibly convenient. The fastest superdrives could complete a single transition up to a hundred times faster than an ordinary FTL drive!

While Ves did not think a second-rate colonial state such as the Hex Federation could harness such an exaggerated speed, it should be no problem for a superdrive starship to complete a journey in weeks instead of months!

The only major concern was ambushes, but it was impossible for them to succeed. A superdrive starship was too fast and could quickly reach any obscure star system.

Even if it was possible to pull off an ambush, the ace mech stationed on the vessel could easily demolish any obstacles in the way!

As such, the risks for this exchange were not as great as Ves initially thought.

The mention of a rotation caused Ves to become suspicious, though. Why would the matriarchal dynasties bother to rotate their most important trump cards?

His powerful mind rapidly considered many different suggestions before he stumbled upon a possible answer.

He almost stood up! "Wait. Are the Hexers expecting me to upgrade their ace mechs with whatever I can slap onto their powerful frames?"

Gloriana grinned at him. "You are almost right! As expected of my husband! The contract that the Hex Federation wants to sign with you will essentially spell out a transaction. To put in plain words, each matriarchal dynasty is willing to lend an ace pilot and ace mech to the Glory Seekers in turn. The implication is that these loaned aces will protect us and support our initiatives. If that is not enough, the matriarchal dynasties also grant us full access and permission to examine and modify their ace mechs! As long as we can prove that our alterations will improve the combat effectiveness of these powerful machines, we can do anything we want!"

"What!?"

"Miaow!"

Ves couldn't calm down at this point!

Every ace mech represented a concentration of a state's best design work. Only the most proven and capable Master Mech Designers were allowed to implement their most powerful design solutions that demanded the most expensive materials in order to develop mechs that could decide the fortunes of their entire state.

Each of them contained so much brilliance that Ves could harvest a lot of lessons and inspirations from examining their frames!

The benefits of modifying the ace mechs were even greater. Ves could apply all kinds of different design applications and see how well they amplified the performance of these top machines!

This not only allowed him to accrue valuable experience in working with some of the most high-end mechs that he could get in touch with, but also boost the top-end combat power of the expeditionary fleet by a significant margin!

His eyes widened yet again. Thinking about how he could employ certain solutions to quickly increase the combat power of ace mechs quickly caused him to recognize what the Hexers truly sought!

"I see now! Those matriarchal dynasties aren't lending out their ace mechs to us for free. They want us to turn them into living mechs so that I can empower them with blessed weapons! Once these powerful Hexer ace mechs that no doubt incorporate a lot of transphasic tech are able to channel the power of the Phase King, they can practically beat up any Fridayman ace mech!"

The amplification provided by blessed weapons couldn't be overstated. Powerful ace mechs such as the Thunderer Mark II and the Embodiment of Love became several times deadlier after their formidable ranged armaments gained the capacity to punch through much tougher defenses than before!

Applying this powerful design solution to a single ace mech could already made a substantial difference in the long-running conflict between the Fridaymen and the Hexers.

If this arrangement continued to persist for a decade, then so many Hexer ace mechs would gain such a massive edge over their Fridayman counterparts that the entire Magair Middle Zone might get upended!

"Do you know what will happen if I agree to this deal?! Sure, our fleet will benefit from a lot more high-end protection than before, but the Hex Federation will eventually build up a lot of blessed and empowered ace mechs that those stupid women will not be able to resist the urge to launch a full assault on the Friday Colonies! Billions of people will suffer! Lots of ace mechs will fall due to our actions! The Hexers will put their entire future on the line because they have no fallback option at this point."

Gloriana's grin grew wider as her husband kept speaking. None of this sounded distressing to her ears!

"Exactly! It may be difficult for the Hexers to destroy the Friday Coalition back in the old galaxy, but the Hex Army should easily be able to overrun the Friday Colonies. Just as the Fridaymen once used the disparity between expert mechs to their advantage, the Hexers shall use the disparity between ace mechs to eliminate the enemy's greatest protectors. The remaining Fridayman soldiers will despair as they will have nothing left to keep our superior Hexer ace mechs in check! It is because of this dream that all of the Hexer matriarchal dynasties have agreed to this special arrangement. The Vraken Matriarchal Dynasty have agreed my mother's proposal first, so its ace mech shall have the honor of becoming our first exchange pilot."

"..."

Ves didn't know how to respond. The deal sounded like a fantastic win-win cooperation at first. His expeditionary fleet gained a powerful thug while the Hex Federation slowly built up a huge advantage in high-end combat power.

However, once the Hexers dramatically made use of the advantages bestowed by Ves, he would no doubt attract a huge amount of attention, and not all of it would be good!

If Ves could massively amplify the combat power of the ace mechs of the Hex Federation, then what about the Colonial Federation of Davute? What about all of the first-class colonial states that seek to become empires of their own in the new frontier? What about all of the powerful mechers that Ves could not resist?

The amount of attention and trouble he would incur far exceeded the benefit of having a powerful ace mech at his disposal!

This proposal sounded like a poisoned chalice!