Chapter 108. Clifford Society (1/2)

The virtual structures built on top and around the mountains were remarkably diverse. Some were shaped like ancient temples, while others borrowed from the latest architecture.

”Are you wondering why nothing matches? The Society is not in a habit of imposing firm controls. We're not the Konsu Clan after all. Every member above the rank of squire has the right to place a permanent structure in this mountain range. The higher your rank, the larger your personal space.”

It turned out that the Clifford Society ranked its members in a simple hierarchy.

The lowest rung consisted of Squires. They formed the largest member group as each year many of the top 500 in the Leemar Open Competition chose to join. They only had basic level access to the Society's resources, but for the designers with shallow backgrounds, it was an oasis in a desert. They had to earn merits through missions in order to pay for more exclusive services.

The next step up were the Knights. Only rarely do Squires get promoted to this rank. Most of the apprentices, disciples and regular middle-ranked mech designers were Knights. They formed quite a substantial influence, and enjoyed more extensive access to the Society's exclusive libraries, Mission Hall and restricted lectures.

As Ves entered the society with this rank, Horatio gave him a better idea on what to expect with this status.

”Don't bother mingling with the Squires unless you want something done. You can assign a mission at the Mission Hall and attach a small reward. I can guarantee you that hundreds of the little buggers will flock to your task.”

It appeared Horatio took a very dim view of Squires. Considering the mixed composition of this year's top 500, Ves understood his disdain. Due to the competition's weird format, plenty of unqualified mech designers had slipped through. These lucky bastards probably stagnated later on due to their lack of talent and work ethic.

”It's best to interact with your peers. Every Knight is an exceptional individual who has earned their rank. While you are able to earn merits the boring way through fulfilling missions, it's more convenient to trade for knowledge or assistance with your fellow Knights.”

When Horatio guided him to the Mission Hall, Ves knew why he dismissed the Mission Hall. Many of the missions appropriate for Knights lasted for months or years.

They included missions like tutoring a spoiled brat until he successfully graduated with a degree in mech design. Such a mission rewarded the taker with fifty merits if he succeeded after five years.

”Don't underestimate the value of fifty merits. While there's no direct equivalent in cols, Knights like you often treat one merit as one million cols.”

This meant that a single merit was worth at least a hundred million bright credits! He could fabricate four Marc Antony mechs with that much money!

”As a Knight, you are entitled to ten merits per standard year. This is merely play money to tide you over. To illustrate the value of a merit, let's take a look at the libraries.”

The Society's library complex took over an entire plateau. Several different greco-roman structures offered varying levels of knowledge. The Star Library was meant for Squires and contained books and articles that ranged for novice to apprentice level. A Knight had unrestricted access to every book.

The Moon Library offered deeper knowledge. The books and articles in its catalog were of a higher level than the textbooks that Ves had previously bought from the open market. The vast majority of its books was at the journeyman level, though the highest floor also offered Senior-level books.

Knights like Ves had to exchange merits to gain a virtual copy of a book. He could only receive them onto special secure tablets in order to safeguard the knowledge. These tablets featured an abundance of encryption and other forms of copy protection.

The way they worked was very strange. If Ves wanted to read a book, he had to swallow a special neural capsule tailored to his DNA that temporarily reconfigured his optic nerves to read the nonsensical patterns displayed on the tablet. His brain would automatically interpret the squiggly lines and symbols into legible words.

The Society provided Knights with only twenty neural capsules. This meant that Ves received only twenty attempts to read through an entire textbook. He had to pay more merits if he wanted another batch of neural capsules.

”As you can see Ves, the foundational journeyman-level books only costs one merit for Knights. The more advanced books range from five to fifty merits. As for the senior-level books, don't even think about it until you've accumulated at least a thousand merits.”

Even Ves needed to complete a ten-year mission if he wanted to earn a thousand merits. Some missions paid more or lasted shorter, but they also entailed a lot more dangers. Some of those missions placed the takers in the middle of active conflicts!

After leaving the structure, Horatio led Ves to the front of the most magnificent library. ”The Sun Library is the holy grail of Leemar's Mech Development Faculty. Every professor of the LIT has donated at least a single book. Over the years, the amount of knowledge it has accumulated is very terrifying, even if most of it is dated.”

”Have you ever had the opportunity to read a book from this library?” Ves curiously asked. Horatio looked rather old. He must have worked under Master Olson for many years.

Horatio puffed up his chest. ”I completed a critical assignment for Master Olson a couple of years ago. I gained the right to access a single book from the Sun Library. Oh, you can't imagine the brilliance seeped into every page! To experience the essence of their specialties is a marvellous chance!”

”Ahem!” He awkwardly coughed once he realized his emotions got the better of him. He quickly regained his composure as a friendly senior. ”The knowledge within this library is extremely dangerous for young mech designers like you. Unless you have gained a lot of experience and tempered your design philosophy to a strong degree, you better not sneak a peek.”

Ves nodded in agreement, though he reserved some skepticism. How could something as innocent as books break a mech designer's mind?