Chapter 3069: Changing Cross (2/2)
”Here.” Reginald directly shoved the cross at the other man.
When the Senior held the cross, he quietly winced at the creative choices that Ves had made to design this object. There were more palatable ways to create a symbol that matched the Cross Clan's aesthetics.
It's design wasn't his focus, though. When Benedict tried to look deeper, he sensed a response from the Cross Warlord.
His thoughts turned into a very weird direction as he contemplated the existence of this so-called 'nexus'. What Ves had been able to achieve with the Cross of Rebirth and the Cross Warlord went far beyond mech design.
”What do you think?” Reginald asked.
”I have an idea that this Cross of Rebirth is at least a century too young to impress us. Ves Larkinson's products have a tendency to grow more impressive over time. I believe the Cross Warlord will already become a lot more notable in a year. I can sense that it has grown remarkably stronger since the last time I inspected it. Him. Whatever.”
”Treat the Cross Warlord with more respect, professor. He might not be my father, but he is watching over us all. He is our only guard against traitors and suspicious individuals.”
Professor Benedict twitched his mouth. Reginald only saw the benefits, but not the cost.
For example, how exactly was the Cross Warlord able to differentiate between loyal and traitorous Crossers?
The only logical answer that made sense was if the nexus was able to read the thoughts of everyone connected to the Cross Network!
The Senior Mech Designer was not unfamiliar with network administrators and their duties. Those who monitored any network of any kind usually had direct access to many systems. This caused their positions to become very sensitive as the wrong person could easily steal a lot of valuable data from their positions!
Right now, Professor Benedict deeply felt uncomfortable about allowing a new and unfamiliar lifeform to have complete access to the minds of every Crosser.
Fortunately, Benedict was pretty certain he was able to prevent the so-called Cross Warlord from lifting too much information from his own mind.
When the mech designer returned the Cross of Rebirth to the patriarch, the two eventually discussed more immediate business.
”The Larkinson Clan has churned out a number of impressive mech models. When will you be able to completely renew our entire mech roster?”
”I can deliver much of the designs our clan needs by the end of the year. Compared to the works of the Miracle Couple, my products might lack the gimmicks that the Larkinsons depend upon, but their efficiency and absolute performance are clearly superior. Their mechs are designed for battle. Our mechs are designed for war.”
Compared to the Larkinsons mech models, the machines designed by Professor Benedict were able to equal or surpass their peak performance being able to last longer at the same time.
This was an area that Professor Benedict had always been good at. The high efficiency of the systems of his mechs resulted in less waste and greater efficiency.
In other words, his mechs were able to accomplish substantially more with less energy.
”That's good.” Reginald nodded in satisfaction. ”If a battle ever stretches on to the point where the Larkinson mechs falter, we shall be the rock which will carry them to victory. It is too short-sighted for them to focus purely on short-term engagements when battles are always unpredictable.”
Both of them felt tempted to collaborate with Ves more extensively, but it was not that good to become too dependent on another person.
If the Crossers all became accustomed to piloting living mechs designed by the Larkinson patriarch, didn't that mean that the latter held a huge amount of leverage over the Cross Clan?
It wouldn't even take Ves a lot of effort to take over the Cross Clan if that was the case!
Though Reginald Cross did not mind if his men started to pilot living mechs, he did not want the clan of his parents, grandparents and ancestors to end under his leadership!
He owed it to everyone who fought and died to keep the Cross Clan alive to preserve his heritage.
Besides, who said that the mechs designed by Professor Benedict were weak? They were already more than adequate on their own, and they would only grow more formidable if the Senior finally managed to achieve his own breakthrough!
The two leaders spent a bit more time discussing various matters. Though Reginald was adamant about imposing his will on the Cross Clan, that did not mean he was deaf to the counsel of others.
As much as he tried to reject the notion that Saint Hemmington Cross was not as flawless as he imagined, Patriarch Reginald recognized that it was better if he solicited the views of others before he made a major policy decision.
In fact, Professor Benedict played a huge role in this shift. As someone who hitched his wagon to the Cross Clan, he did not want it to lead down the same abyss as before!
”The Larkinson Clan is constantly acquiring new specialties.” Benedict noted. ”They not only picked up a lot of good swordsmen, but also obtained a lot of Lifer researchers. This means that they will eventually become the leader in the field of biotechnology in our alliance. If we don't want to get overshadowed by the Larkinsons entirely, we need to develop a couple of industries ourselves. The more services we are able to provide to ourselves and our allies, the more our position remains stable in the alliance.”
Reginald frowned. ”We lost most of our original industries during our flight. We'll have to start from scratch if we want to develop a new sector.”
”You don't need to worry about that. I'm a Senior. I can solve many difficulties.”
”What sort of industries do you have in mind, then?”
Professor Benedict grinned. ”I was thinking about getting serious in developing our own mech component designs…”