Chapter 6008 A Critical Voice

Chapter 6008 A Critical Voice

"Congratulations, Saint Tusa!"

"Congratulations, Gloriana!"

Hundreds of Larkinsons spread across human space came together to celebrate the double breakthroughs.

The logistics of this celebratory banquet had been difficult to arrange. Many Larkinsons located in different star systems all had to enter a Hyper Chamber or other augmented reality setting in order to enjoy the illusion of entering a shared semi-virtual space.

On top of that, the invited guests also needed to be served with excellent dishes, each of which needed to be consistent in order to reduce the illusion of separation during the party.

Fortunately, the Larkinson Clan had plenty of planners and organizers on hand. They had come together and arranged everything within a couple of days.

Both Gloriana and Tusa felt honored and pleased to be able to show off and boast about their accomplishments.

"Chip! Chip!"

A much larger and stronger companion spirit was flying leisurely before a gathering of children.

"Wow! You've grown so much bigger, Blackwing." Andraste said as she reached out to touch the companion spirit's wing. "Is this how big a companion spirit can grow when you become an ace pilot? Can you make yourself any larger?"

Blackwing briefly concentrated and amplified in size. The shadowy bird briefly became as large as a shuttle before quickly returning to a more comfortable hound-sized form.

"Chip chip chip!"

"That is so cool!"

As Blackwing playfully began to show off a few other tricks, Saint Tusa stood before a gathering of admiring and ambivalent expert pilots.

Each of them were happy for Tusa's change in fortune, but they were also incredibly jealous that he got to be the first to realize this particular dream!

"It is fitting that you managed to break through sooner than everyone else." The physical projection of Venerable Joshua spoke. "You are the first to pilot a living expert mech. You have always been the fastest of us all. You have always challenged yourself more than the rest of us by throwing your expert light skirmisher into one enemy fleet of warships after another. I can hardly think of a more deserving pilot to break through than yours."

Another physical projection approached and casually slapped Tusa on the back!

"We won't let you keep your head-start for long!" Venerable Orfan exclaimed after she drained her glass of wine. "Our clan has become much safer now that you have managed to break through, but your Dark Zephyr doesn't have the staying power to fend off every powerful enemy. We will work hard and break through so that we can reinforce you soon enough. There is a tier 3 Destroyer spear waiting for my Riot, so you can bet that I will not keep you waiting. By the way, you can borrow my spear and make use of it in the meantime. It will definitely come handy in our next operation."

The junior ace pilot immediately rejected the suggestion. "That spear is too thick and heavy for my Dark Zephyr. I don't think I can keep that aggressive spear under control at all times. I am not even sure whether my mech can safely handle it. It is better to keep it here in Diandi Base and wait for a proper wielder to arrive."

Whether that wielder was Venerable Rosa Orfan or another pilot remained to be seen. The Destroyer spear was only fit to be wielded by a powerful ace pilot and a sturdy ace mech that had been designed to resist the destructive potency of the volatile weapon.

They lamented their inability to break through as quickly as Tusa, but looked forward to the day where they could finally wield this kind of power for themselves!

After a bit more chatting, Tusa finally found himself face to face with General Ark Larkinson.

The leader of the Davute Branch looked a lot less impressive to Tusa today. Their positions had switched so abruptly that neither of the two had fully adjusted to the new status quo.

For a long time, every trueblood Larkinson looked up to Ark Larkinson. The son of Benjamin Larkinson was by far the most successful Larkinson expert pilot of his generation. Many people treated him as an idol and only thought they could follow in his footsteps at most.

Tusa was no exception to this. He had always assumed that with the talent and ability that Ark had always displayed, the older man would manage to break through sooner than every other Larkinson.

Yet the reality was different. Breakthroughs did not necessarily happen in a logical order. For Tusa to break through sooner than Ark sounded as absurd as the former graduating from the mech academy earlier than the latter!

Although Tusa felt happy that he had managed to surpass the expert pilot that he once idolized, he did not miss the obvious fact that Ark's self-esteem had just taken a huge blow.

"Ark."

"Yes, Tusa?"

"If there is one piece of advice that I can give you... it is that you worry too much." The ace pilot solemnly spoke to his former idol. "You are a great expert pilot, but that does not necessarily mean you have what it takes to become an ace pilot. In my opinion, one of the issues that may be holding you back is that you assume way too much responsibility over stuff."

That caused Ark to feel a bit defensive. "Assuming responsibility has always been a part of my identity. I am a branch leader, a mech general and an important military asset of the Larkinson Clan. Each day, my actions directly affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. I cannot divorce myself from my duties."

"I am not saying that you should drop every responsibility." Tusa clarified. "I just think that you may have gone too far in this direction. You have become so swamped with responsibilities that I think your dedication to serving as a simple mech pilot may have fallen in priority. How often do you train in your Lionheart compared to the other expert pilots in your command? How many times have you been forced to set aside your practice sessions in order to handle administration or take care of unexpected issues?"

"The work is time-consuming, but rewarding. The more I lead my people, the more they bestow their strength to me. I never fight by myself."

"I am not criticizing your combat approach, Ark. In fact, I think it is strong in its own right. I just think that Saints and Divines do not waste their time on trivial affairs. The closer you reach the level of a god, the more you need to set aside the parts that make you human. I am not sure how far you need to go with this or whether this is the only way for mech pilots to break through. I am merely thinking that this rule applies particularly well in your case."

Ark frowned deeper. Tusa's analysis and advice did not sound groundless.

Perhaps Ark was truly being held back by his human behavior. Now that he thought about it, Tusa made a lot of sense.

His good friend Reginald Cross managed to become an ace pilot. Despite holding the position of patriarch, the man never really cared too much about carrying out the duties of a clan leader.

In fact, Reginald was outright negligent in this aspect! If not for the fact that Master Benedict Cortez effectively filled in for this role, the Cross Clan would have deteriorated a long time ago!

Perhaps... power and responsibility did not mix together as well as Ark thought.

He began to look back at his life with a much more critical perspective after he internalized Tusa's advice.