Chapter 5856 I Am On Fire

Chapter 5856 I Am On Fire

"Why is the Dominion of Man on fire?! It doesn't make any sense! There is no oxygen or other propellant in space that can sustain an exothermic reaction of this magnitude! The hull of the dreadnought has not sustained any apparent burn damage as far as we can observe."

"The fleeters are refusing to give us any answers. Professor Larkinson remains out of contact. The escort vessels surrounding the Dominion of Man have adjusted their formations. They are maintaining their distance while simultaneously remaining vigilant towards outside interference."

"From what I last heard of him, my prevailing theory is... that Larkinson couldn't resist the urge to apply his Carmine System to the Dominion of Man. I know it sounds unrealistic, but it is the only explanation that fits his eclectic capabilities! The dreadnought must possess special properties that coincidentally match the requirements of his Carmine System somehow. I think that the dreadnought's famous Spark Reactor has played a decisive role in this attempted transformation. That is the most reasonable explanation why the enormous hull appears to have caught fire."

Jovy Armalon answered a lot of calls ever since the Red Fleet began acting strangely.

What happened to the Dominion of Man only confirmed that Ves was ultimately responsible!

Master Goldstein and many other powerful leaders demanded a lot more answers than he could give at the moment. If not for the fact that mechers such as himself had not been invited over the Dominion of Man, he would have been able to supply much more exhaustive answers!

As Jovy continued to endure requests for more information, he pressed his fingers against his forehead.

Ves' latest actions had ignited yet another controversy!

"At least you are still here, Lucky."

"Meow." Lucky casually lounged on Jovy's lap as if he belonged on this spot.

"Your owner could truly do me a favor by being much more clear about what he intended to do today. He will be the death of me one day."

As interesting as it was to accompany Ves as he continued to come up with the most inventive and revolutionary initiatives a Senior Mech Designer could come up with, Jovy was starting to get tired of getting jerked around all of the time.

The more time and energy he spent on cleaning up after Ves, the less he could allocate his resources to his own personal mech design activities.

Still, it wasn't all that bad. Jovy had learned a lot of useful lessons from Ves that accelerated his progress.

As far as he was concerned, it would do RA mech designers a lot of good if they shadowed talented but unconventional mech designers for a few years. The changes in perspective and exposure to completely different approaches to mech design never failed to broaden people's horizons.

Alas, Jovy did not think that many of his fellow peers would be able to tolerate the sheer craziness that Ves regularly introduced to the cosmos!

"Why did he do this?!" Vector Loban looked ready to tear his hair out! "If our theory about applying the Carmine System to the Dominion of Man is correct, then Professor Larkinson has just committed a massive breach of confidentiality! No matter how many precautions he has taken, the fleeters may have gained crucial intelligence about the Carmine System and its many implications!"

Jovy directed a sympathetic glance towards the Transhumanist. "I do not know what Ves was thinking when he broke the rules. I can say that he is usually more diligent and attentive when it comes to abiding by his agreements. He must have his reasons to act on his own initiative and cooperate with the fleeters of all people. Regardless, it is not our place to judge him. We should leave that to the likes of the Xenotechnician and the Evolution Witch."

Vector Loban furrowed his brows. "The two leaders are too invested in him to withdraw their support. This has never been in question. It is the disapproval of other tier 1 galactic citizens that we must be concerned about. Known critics such as Fleet Admiral Amelie Jameson and the Energy Warder will capitalize on his overreach."

Jovy did not feel as much concern. He continued to stroke Lucky's back in an effort to ease his nerves.

"I think that Ves will remain just fine. The premise is that his gamble has paid off. If he truly manages to create the very first Carmine warship in existence... the Red Fleet will become ecstatic. Our Association won't necessarily be happy, but I think that there will be enough who understand that anything that increases the survival of red humanity is an act that should be pursued."

"Spoken like a true Survivalist." Vector grumbled. "You are the sort of mechers who would not hesitate to engineer the downfall of our Association if it is for the benefit of our race."

"Ves may have already done so by proposing to found the Red Collective." Jovy calmly responded. "Not that this is a probable outcome. Our faction keeps the rest of our Association in line. Enough of you are cognizant that we will do what is necessary to fulfill our mission. Our last conference has already proven that in spades. It is best to never test our bottom lines."

This produced many consequences.

At first, the spacers merely felt as if they were standing next to a blazing bonfire.

It was only later that the spread of fire-attributed E energy began to light several crucial ship systems on fire!

Not only did the Brain Trust and the Rubicon Spatial Transfer System inexplicably burst into flames, the same also happened to every single fleeter equipped with Dread Armor!

Initially, the soldiers wearing these heavy armors assumed they were under attack!

If not for their excellent training and discipline, a few of the more trigger-happy soldiers would have discharged their weapons by this time!

Fortunately, their protective suits did not indicate any obvious battle damage, so the troops quickly figured out that the flames did not pose any threat.

That did not mean that they could be ignored!

Not only did every person locked inside a Dread Armor feel awfully hot, but their powerful equipment actually felt as if the flames fueled their growth somehow!

Not a single piece of Dread Armor aboard the Dominion of Man was exempt from this phenomenon.

The fire phenomenon did not spread to the Dread Armor stored in the cargo hulls of supply ships or other storage sites.

One of the most notable Dread Armors that got 'refined' by the flames was the high-quality officer-grade unit worn by Volkert Argile himself!

It was precisely because the commander of the Dominion of Man experienced this phenomenon first-hand that he allowed this to proceed without making any attempt to interrupt the process!

"Are you in distress, skipper?!"

"I am not in pain." Argile waved his arm to fend off one of his adjutants. "I have sustained no injuries so far. Please continue to monitor my condition, but do not employ any safety measures unless you have actual proof of harm."

Though the Dread Armor became directly affected by the fiery refinement process, Dread Captain Argile did not remain completely unaffected!

A minute portion of the fire energy spilled into his body, causing subtle changes that he was barely able to notice.

Whether deliberate or not, Dread Captain Argile inexplicably felt more closely connected to the Dominion of Man.

It was a wonderful sensation. Volkert Argile had always wanted to master a ship as fine as the Dominion of Man to a greater degree, but there were limits to how much he learned about the dreadnought.

The fire energy coursing through his body enabled him to develop a closer bond with the Dominion of Man through other means.

Yet as the fires began to subside from his Dread Armor, the feeling grew weaker.

"No!"

A part of him wanted to take back this addictive sensation! Despite his strong discipline, the temptation to become one with his massive starship was too great for him to ignore!

"Come back and light me on fire!"