Chapter 5704 Another Vital Clue

Chapter 5704 Another Vital Clue

5704 Another Vital Clue

"You have been a good boy. We are pleased by your performance, your dedication and your willingness to take the greater picture into account. Our faction prizes individuals who have not only demonstrated great ability, but also the magnanimity to let go of trivial affairs and work towards the common good of humanity."

Why did Master Goldstein have to use that cursed phrase?

Ves did not like being called a good boy! He was a man! He accomplished more in his life than the vast majority of mech designers throughout the history of the Age of Mechs!

He wasn't even a 'boy' anymore as he was already a father of three lovely children. He liked to think of himself as a good role model, though he hadn't exactly been able to spare enough time as he wished on showering them with attention.

None of this was particularly important, though. Ves could tolerate being called a good boy so long as he obtained the reward he was due. Though he was not able to help the mechers create and implement their own design spirits right away, he had abided by his works and given them the basic theoretical framework and method that enabled them to puzzle out the rest themselves.

The mechers might be greedy bastards, but they always reciprocated the favors they received.

Of course, that did not stop them from manipulating the exchange rate or setting up deals that always allowed them to secure the greatest advantage in the end, but that was their prerogative as the more powerful partner.

Ves just wanted to gain as many benefits as he could extract from the Assocation.

"Please don't tease me any longer. What can I get for my contribution?"

"That is up to you." Goldstein said. "Galactic citizens at our level do not strictly work for MTA merits anymore. The Merit Exchange is set up to provide a fair, transparent and informative trading platform for individuals throughout human space to obtain goods and services that they otherwise could not have attained based on their existing wealth and connections. It is most helpful to contributors who are young, inexperienced or not that talented enough. Obviously, you have already risen beyond this level. Whenever people such as you and I make a significant contribution, we usually earn the right to barter for exclusive benefits, much of which is never put on any official exchanges."

Ves nodded in understanding. "I get that, but that doesn't give me a lot of clarity on what I can gain. I already obtained the right to ask for three minor favors from the Star Designers of the Red Association. Will I be able to gain additional ones?"

"It is... possible, but not recommended. Consorting with Star Designers at your current stage will do more harm than good. Your primary goal is to advance to the rank of Master Mech Designer as soon as possible. You must dedicate your time to design more mechs and develop your core research projects. Relying too much on outside help will only stifle your enterprising spirit and make you develop bad habits. Three minor favors is already the limit."

Ves let out a frustrated grunt. He already heard this argument before. The mechers really cared about this kind of stuff.

"Fine. I am in no hurry to use them up right away, so I guess I don't really need any more. What else can I get?"

"That is up to you, Professor Larkinson. I still have a wide range of authority, and I can refer you to other high-ranked members of the Association if I cannot make arrangements directly. Perhaps it would help if you list out the issues that you are struggling with or are keeping you up at night. What are the problems that occupy your mind?"

There were plenty of concerns on his mind, a few of which he would never dare to mention to a mecher.

He recalled one of his oldest problems that he had yet to make any progress in after a long time.

"Do not give up yet, Ves. There is an alternative means for you to obtain what you seek. The Xenotechnician can supply you with his detailed examination report of the substance known as Yondu Milk. He is willing to let you have it if you are willing to use one of your saved-up requests. Once you have the report, you can bring that to a god pilot and respectfully ask him or her to utilize their God Kingdoms to directly synthesize this material on the spot."

"Wait, you can do that?!" Ves asked in a shocked tone.

Master Goldstein laughed at his response.

"Yes! It is more common than you realize. It is how we are still able to attain small quantities of extremely scarce exotics that we are no longer able to obtain because they are only prevalent in the Milky Way Galaxy. There are still limits, though. A difficult and powerful exotic material such as Yondu Milk cannot be synthesized without great effort on the part of the god pilot. Their strengths and specializations also limit what sort of top-end materials they can synthesize."

"What do you mean by that, Master?"

"I am aware that you have developed closer relations with the Destroyer of Worlds. She can synthesize many materials with her God Kingdom, but she mostly excels at producing substances that are strongly aligned with her attribute. She can produce the most powerful and destructive combustibles, some of which are even used in the production of her most potent explosive shells. However, if you ask her to produce other powerful materials, then she will either face an uphill struggle or is simply not capable of fulfilling the request."

"Oh. Does Yondu Milk..."

"It is an organic substance that is especially known for its healing properties." Goldstein informed Ves. "I will give you another freebie. Yondu Milk is a known ingredient for a formula of one of the most high-end life-

prolonging treatment serum in the old galaxy. You can forget about letting the Destroyer of Worlds synthesize it through her own abilities."

"What about the other god pilots?"

"They are unlikely to succeed. Ask them to produce iron or lead for you, and they can produce tons of metal bars in front of you in a matter of seconds. If you ask them to produce phasewater, they will struggle to produce a small drop. They all have their strengths. The First Flame excels at producing fire- related materials. The Fist of Defiance is good at producing materials with good toughness and physical impact properties. The Huntsman can produce materials that are lethal when striking powerful organisms. They will not be able to accommodate your request. Your only hope is..."

"The Evolution Witch." Ves finished the sentence. "If there is any god pilot who can do it, it has to be her. Shouldn't she already have the technical specifications of Yondu Milk?"

Goldstein shook his head yet again. "Likely not. There is a lot of complicated politics behind it. The Longevity Faction of the Mech Trade Association treated it as a controlled substance. It was one of their sources of power, and they do not take kindly to others breaking their monopoly. It is already exceptional that the Xenotechnician was able to make so many detailed scans of it. He has likely assisted them into furthering its production or utilization given his extensive specializations. Whatever the case, the old covenants no longer apply to our Red Association anymore. No senior ranking member of the Longevity Faction has even bothered to travel to our dwarf galaxy."

That was good news, but there was not enough certainty that this would work.

Ves began to frown.

If he wanted to get his hands on Yondu Milk, then he would first have to use up one of his minor requests to the Xenotechnician.

He then had to approach the Evolution Witch and convince her to produce the necessary quantity of Yondu Milk.

This was going to cost Ves a lot.