Published at 17th of November 2024 9:43 am

Chapter 6389 Humans Always Need Enemies

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After a final day of preparation, the big day had finally come.

The date of product reveal had arrived.

No accidents or emergencies arose that could have canceled or postponed the increasingly more hyped event.

No one tried to assassinate Ves or any of the collaborators that worked on the Swarm Project.

Of course, Ves did not really expect anyone to be able to succeed, let alone get close enough to make the attempt.

The Red Association has bolstered the security in the entire district where the Palace of Mechanical Marvels was located. The mechers also bolstered their defenses in orbit and

tightened their inspections even further.

The Survivalists and Transhumanists had become so invested in the unveiling of the Carmine System that they absolutely did not want any accidents to occur at this time.

There should be no instance where a tier 1 galactic citizen deliberately tried to stir up trouble to 'test' Ves.

This reassured him to an extent, but also made him more cognizant that he needed to do a really good job today.

He could not afford to screw up. Everything had to proceed smoothly. A single imperfection could tarnish the entire event.

Though he felt increasingly more nervous about it, he had made enough high-profile speeches to endure the pressure.

Not all of his colleagues could keep their nerves under control.

Jovy and Vector looked fairly composed. Their education and training had prepped them a bit better for occasions like these.

Lady Romanda Devos and Lord Richard Brownstone should have been more prepared as well, but their mentalities were not as firm.

Ves had to spend a bit of his time to reassure them and keep them cool enough to play their own roles in the upcoming presentation.

Out of the two, Ves directed more attention towards Lady Romanda.

The reason for that was because she not only represented the Terran Alliance, but also the Cosmopolitan Movement.

That latter part was a secret, but it still contributed to her conflicted feelings towards her participation in the soon-to-be historic Swarm Project.

In order to make the presentation as impressive as possible, the mechers dispatched the

best available stylists and makeup artists to shape the appearances of the 5 Senior Mech Designers.

Ves had to exchange his familiar red-and-white patriarch uniform for a resplendent ensemble of carmine-colored suit pieces. The long coat that resembled a cape, the golden filigree, the sharp lines, the reflective green gems and the black accents made him look like a dignified vampire elder.

At least that was what he privately thought. It made him appear a lot older and more stately than he was in reality.

That was probably the point.

He lamented the lack of cat symbols. The design of his outfit lacked any sense of playfulness that he preferred to wear on his sleeve. It was a silent hint that conveyed to others that they shouldn't take him all that seriously.

Ves would rather be underestimated than the opposite. The more people took him seriously, the more reasons they had to meddle with his life!

Alas, it was too late to play stupid at this junction. He had risen too far and passed too many tests to stay under the radar. From the moment he reluctantly chose to raise his profile, he was destined to present himself in the most imposing manner possible.

The other contributors to the Swarm Project also dressed in an impressive manner. Each of their suits thoughtfully adopted the colors and symbols that reflected their respective backgrounds and origins.

Though Ves did not know too much about fashion, he could clearly tell that the outfits of the other mech designers did not stand out as much as his own. None of them were supposed to upstage the person that invented the Carmine System.

"Are you ready to go down in history, Romanda?" Ves casually asked as he watched Lucky receive the pampering of a team of stylists.

They did not attempt to force a cat-sized suit on the gem cat. Instead, they adored the exterior of Lucky's plating and carefully oiled and polished the surface until it gleamed in the light.

They also placed flowers and jewels around the ears and onto the tail. These additions turned Lucky from a gem cat that was capable of depopulating a hostile starship by himself into a beautiful feline companion!

"Meowww..."

The cat in question clearly did not like his new look. It made him look a lot softer and harmless. His appearance became an affront to his pride!

It was a pity that no one cared about his complaints. They only wanted to make Lucky look as 'presentable' as possible.

Romanda meanwhile answered Ves' question. "I am on the cusp of receiving a large amount of recognition. My contributions do not deserve to be honored as much as

yours, but my work will soon become known to people in every corner of the new frontier. I do not reject this honor, but... I fear I may ultimately fail to live up to the expectations of the public. I am not comparable to you, Ves."

"I can understand what you are going through. You fear that you are ultimately unable to live up to people's expectations. You do not necessarily owe them anything. As a mech designer, you should only be accountable to mech pilots or more precisely your customers. The voices of others are not as relevant. As long as you hold onto the ethos of our shared profession, I am sure you will continue to have a place in the mech

industry."

"That is not exactly what I meant, but I appreciate your sentiment." The slightly older woman replied. "No matter what, I am a mech designer first, and a Terran second. Today, my contribution will benefit our entire race and seek to bring balance in the ongoing war. I truly hope that our Swarm Project may ultimately heal the many fractures in our society. For all of our differences, we are ultimately the same. It is my hope that our works will encourage individuals to recognize their shared identities and find cause to drop their grievances with each other."

He could clearly hear the double meaning in her words.

"Oh? I did not take you for a pacifist or a uniter. Are you willing to let the Terran Alliance and the Rubarthan Pact shake hands and make friends with each other?"

"After working together with Richard Brownstone, I have long come to the realization that the historical conflicts between our states are a relic of the past." Romanda said. "I think that Terrans have become so accustomed to inheriting the hatred towards Rubarthans from their parents that they blindly pursue this behavior without thinking whether it is still merited. We have already entered an age where the original cause for hostilities has already become ancient history, but no one is doing enough to correct our perspectives to fit the modern era.""

Ves stared into her eyes. "I do not think that the Terrans and the Rubarthans are still locked in a life-and-death conflict. They have already eased into a milder and less harmful rivalry. So long as they both share a common enemy, they will not have any reason to go too far. I feel that people always need enemies to fight against. If they don't feel sufficiently threatened, they will grow complacent and start to turn their weapons against themselves. That is just who we are. I don't think we can ever achieve lasting peace in our society. We are just too different and diverse from each other."

The Terran mech designer clearly did not agree with this cynical sentiment, but she did not feel the need to argue her viewpoint any further.

Ves actually did not think his Carmine System would lead to greater unity. It should intensify existing conflicts because Carmine mechs had the ability to empower a lot

more people.

Giving people more weapons would definitely encourage them to use their new toys. That will definitely make human society a lot more lively than before, and not always in

a good way.

Fortunately, that was not his problem. The Red Association existed to regulate the use of mechs. Ves may not like this organization all that much, but he could not deny that it served an essential purpose. Mechs could have done a lot more harm to people if a strong regulatory institution did not exist.

As the stylists finished their jobs, Ves and the others waited for the Palace of Mechanical Marvels to welcome the invited guests.

Many people had come to Yernstall in order to attend this mysterious product reveal.

Unlike in previous cases, Ves had his collaborators had done a much better job at preserving the details of his mech design project. Few clever people missed the fact that the Red Association was unusually invested in whatever Ves had worked upon. That served as a signal that they should not dismiss the importance of this product reveal.

As such, the main exhibition hall of the Palace of Mechanical Marvels had been set up to receive several million guests. A large proportion of them were either people of importance or their representatives. Each of them expected comfortable and luxurious accommodations that fit their status.

Not everyone was able to obtain the treatment that they desired. The place was just too packed. The mechers had done a good job at hyping up this event, so there were far too many people who applied to attend the product reveal in person.

The target audience of the Swarm Project was the common folk. The first Carmine mechs did not feature amazing combat power, and Ves wanted to wait until he came out with more premium products to satisfy the needs of the elites.

This was why he insisted that a large proportion of the audience had to consist of

ordinary folk.

While Ves partially got his wish, it was difficult to satisfy this condition. Yernstall was an incredibly expensive place to visit and reside in. The people who gained the qualifications to visit the central star node were much wealthier and more successful by definition. There was no place for losers and poor people in the Sapphire of the Red

Ocean.

"Oh well."

As Ves continued to wait backstage as the guests slowly passed through the incredibly

strict security checks, he petted Lucky's oiled and shiny back and occasionally greeted the friends and acquaintances that he agreed to meet.

"Thank you for inviting me, Ves. I would have never been able to travel to Yernstall and witness your famous presentations in person without your help." Tristan Wesseling said as he openly eyed his friend's carmine outfit. "The mechers must be truly excited for them to dress you up to this extent."

"I can promise you that you will cherish this moment for the rest of your life." Ves

grinned.

"I cannot wait. Is there a place for my gems in your new works?" "Not per se." Ves honestly said. "Your gems will have the same effect on them as they do

on my older works. There is no special synergy as far as I can tell. That may change in the future. I will develop more premium and powerful products where your hyper gems can play a more material role in elevating their performance. The economics also makes a lot more sense in those cases. Nothing is certain in the future, but if all goes well, I will approach you in order to forge a long-term partnership with you. The premise is that your hyper gems are powerful enough to be worth my time. You are not the only mech designer that can offer comprehensive enhancements to my products."

"I have not been sitting still." Tristan seriously said. "I have made numerous discoveries and advancement since I produced my initial batch of positive and negative hyper gems.

I have not been able to suppress their cost, but I am continuing to discover new

methods to make them stronger."

"That is good to hear. The more noticeable the changes, the better."

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