Chapter 7286: The Struggle for Talent

By the time Jovy Armalon completed his overview on the disposition of god pilots and Star Designers in the Red Ocean, Ves felt as if he had lost a part of his innocence. Just like nearly any human, he still had the habit of engaging in a form of hero worship towards these True Gods. Each of them were exemplars who climbed their way up from mediocrity and attained greatness in their own unique ways. To learn that they were selfish and power-hungry took the shine off them. Ves already knew on an intellectual basis that True Gods were still prone to the same faults as mortals. He just did not think that they were this bad. Still, a part of Ves also grew reassured about what he learned. God pilots and Star Designers still retained enough of their humanity to remain recognizable. That made them easier to predict and plan around.

"The First Flame is one of the most enigmatic subjects of all." Jovy eventually addressed the final name on the list. "He has yet to emerge from the center of one of Bridgehead One's stars, and we may not welcome him when he does. The Cybernetic Empress is confident that the First Flame will not pose a threat to red humanity, but her confidence may be misplaced." Many people remained perplexed why the First Flame chose to hibernate in such a bizarre place. Ves and a small group of people may know more, but the thing about prophecies was that they were never 100 percent accurate.

The fact that the First Flame chose to take a gamble knowing that the potential outcome might not be in his favor seemed reckless. He had chosen to disappear during a time where his strength was sorely needed. The absence of a single god pilot significantly hindered red humanity's ability to defend the frontlines. Ves already knew that the RA stationed at least one god pilot in Yernstall on a permanent basis. There may be other locations that merited this treatment as well, which meant that the aliens at the frontlines did not get pruned fast enough. This was becoming an especially more significant problem at the Terran front.

Just because the mutated voribugs chose to attack the Rubarthans first did not mean the native aliens cease to be a threat. Fortunately, the Terrans established an agreement with the Cybernetic Empire where the latter lent its aid in exchange for serious concessions. The Cybers had already begun to expand and take control over the star systems surrounding Bridgehead One. These were painful concessions because many of these star systems happened to be old and extremely well-developed. They were originally set up to take advantage of Bridgehead One's prosperity and also served as the earliest headquarters of many rising colonial powers.

Taking possession of these star systems significantly increased the Cybernetic Empire's living space while further cementing its superiority in the industrial, logistical and research sectors. The Terrans and the Rubarthans would all regret the deals they made with the Cybers down the line, but they weren't in a position to care about that at the moment. With the native aliens and the mutated voribugs relentlessly hammering human-occupied space, the Terrans and the Rubarthans needed all of the help that they could get! Buying time was more important than clinging onto every piece of territory. While the aid of the Cybernetic Empire would take a long time to get in position, other forces were doing their best to pick up the slack.

Ves occasionally received word from the Premier Fleet about successful actions. The combination of the First Sword Mark III and the Minerva Mark II remained invincible in the face of any alien force that did not field Saint Armor-equipped phase leaders. The Saint Commander took full advantage of the relatively fast and modern ships of the Premier Fleet to bounce around between different hotspots. In this way, the Parkinson Clan's Premier Fleet essentially acted as a bootleg version of a patrolling god mech. While the First Sword Mark III and the Minerva Mark II backed up by several hundred first-class multipurpose mechs were not able to defeat every combination of native aliens warfleets, they were more than powerful enough to tip the balance in most battles. That was all the defenders needed in order to win their battles.

"One of the consequences of a fracturing Red Association is that the competition for talent has become more intense." Jovy said. "Our leaders are not just looking at the god pilots and Star Designers who are already successful. They are known quantities as far as we are concerned. We are much more excited and hopeful about tomorrow's heroes. Think about the growing number of peak ace pilot who need one fantastic opportunity to transcend to godhood. Think about the Master Mech Designers that are one grand design away from conquering an aspect of reality."

That sounded serious. Jovy was completely right that people should not fixate on the absolute top. Humans were adaptable and had proven multiple times that they were capable of rising to the occasion. The ongoing crises that had befallen red humanity exerted a lot of pressure on these mature talents! Their breakthroughs could come any day now. Just because none of them had yet to transform into a True God did not mean that they were defective. Perhaps the time was not right.

"How probable is it that a breakthrough happens in the following year?" Ves asked. Jovy grinned without much mirth. "Too numerous people have wasted their time and resources on this endeavor. Personally, I have seen a figure as high as 24.6 percent, but the confidence level of this prediction is so low that I cannot take it seriously. The true percentage may be lower than that, but I may be wrong."

In other words, the mechers had no clue. Not really. Ves did not know what to make of it. Nothing happened in the first few years of the Age of Dawn, but then again the more immediate benefits of the new age took time to proliferate. Once the concrete benefits of hyper technology and superdimensional technology became more accessible, a lot of people who were already on the cusp of greatness might break through in batches! Perhaps that may be the reason why the quoted percentage was so high. It already took this dynamic into account.

The only major point of uncertainty was whether it would take a single year or several years for the benefits to become accessible to the bulk of the current god candidates.

"Are there any individuals in particular that you guys find promising?" Ves inquired. "I can easily present 100 names that we are hopeful about, and I am not involved in keeping track of every high potential figure." His friend responded. "Red humanity may be a splinter of original humanity, but we are never short of brilliant heroes and eminent scholars. From the Messenger of Silence of the Terran Alliance to the Gamer of our very own Red Association, we are hopeful that at least a handful of them will become the next celebrated god pilots. As far as mech designers are concerned, I am personally optimistic of Master Vayro Goldstein. He has never neglected his mech design work even as he undertakes more leadership responsibilities."

Ves liked Master Goldstein a lot. His support mechs possessed a level of quality, creativity and functionality that certainly deserved to be elevated. However, it was not that simple for Master Mech Designers to break through. From what he currently knew, Masters not only needed to develop a genuine grand work, but also deepen their understanding of their own craft to the point where they could become the embodiment of a fundamental concept or law. Ves vaguely understood how a Master was able to do the former, but he had very little clue on how to do the latter! He figured that this was a secret that he would find out sooner or later. The mechers would definitely fill him in once he advanced to the rank of Master Mech Designer. It was currently a bit premature for him to think two steps ahead.

"I think I understand the situation." Ves said. "There are only 8 god pilots and 14 Star Designers in the Red Ocean. These numbers are small for the time being, but will definitely grow larger in the following decade. Since the Red Association is fracturing, it becomes incredibly important for an independent power to snatch as many of these future gods and heroes as possible. I bet that a popularity contest of sorts has already broken out. The Marmedions, the RA loyalists and the Transhumanists all seek to earn the loyalties of god candidates in the hopes of getting them while they are still affordable."

It would be a lot easier to secure the services of a mighty god pilot or an incredibly clever Star Designer if they were already part of an organization before a breakthrough. True Gods were not immune to gratitude and loyalty. Inertia alone would ensure that most of them would stick around after they had broken through. It would be too shameless of them to defect right after they attained their godhoods with the help of their existing organizations.

"So which groups are the most popular?" "That is hard to say, Ves. The Red Association is a known quantity and already has a foundation of relative neutrality and stability. However, I am not blind to the fact that more radical and adventurous tier 1 galactic citizens find that to be stifling. It is impossible to remove this fault. This trait is a symptom of the RA's identity as a trade organization."

The RA was stuck. To change its DNA and its method of operation was unthinkable so long as multiple god pilots and Star Designers still held sway. The Association could not afford to degenerate into the playground of any singular being.

"What about the Marmedions? They may be trying to set up their own dynasty, but they are an uncommonly united power." "We frankly do not know." Jovy plainly admitted. "We do not think that Star Designers are eager to join the Marmedion Dynasty. Maybe the only possible scenario where this might happen is if one of its direct descendants manage to break through. Other Star Designers will likely not be interested in joining the Marmedions because they do not want to be treated as second fiddle to those who hold the right names and bloodlines." "I bet the considerations are different for god pilots."

"Yes. So long as they are fine with helping the Marmedions realize their ambitions of empire building, we can see a possibility that one or multiple god pilots will be glad to serve them. The Energy Warder, the Limitless Provider and the Dimensional Architect are all strong in their own right. Their expertise has become much more relevant than before. It is the dream of numerous high-ranking mech pilots to take possession of a mech designed by these three particular Star Designers."

In other words, god pilots with not much political ambition but a strong hunger for powerful god mechs would definitely be willing to fight on behalf of the Marmedion Dynasty! Ves was surprised that the Fist of Defiance did not side with the Marmedions, but maybe his principles and loyalty to the Association kept him in his current place.

"If this is true, then the Marmedion Dynasty has the potential to grow quickly." Ves remarked. "It may even exceed the Cybernetic Empire due to accruing a growing number of True Gods. The Polymath hasn't made herself popular ever since she attempted to pull off a coup. Her subsequent reign over her little empire shows that she has never let go of the belief that only she is qualified to make the important decisions. I find it difficult for any external god pilot and Star Designer to willingly submit to her regime." (More chapters in Buyers club for TMT)

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