The Mech Touch (Web Novel)

5934 Teamwork and Hope

Once Ves learned enough about Gloriana's adventures with archetech, the two settled back into their old routines.

Ves tried his best to make up for all of the days he had been away on his business trip by showering his attention on his children.

He not only played with Aurelia, Andraste and Marvaine, but also taught them lessons based on his own recent insights.

He also fulfilled his promise by devoting his time on crafting and refining tailored cultivation methods for his children and their developing companion spirits.

While Marvaine was a bit too young to get serious about this, Aurelia and Andraste possessed enough mental development to understand what they were dealing with more or less.

Of course, Ves did not try to use his limited understanding of cultivation science to invent anything too complicated or ambitious.

There was no need for him to come up with a cultivation method comparable to the Imaginary Universe Method or the Metal God Method.

He instead drafted a couple of simplified and low-threshold cultivation methods that primarily enhanced the remarkable natural cultivation of his daughters.

"You like to make friends with people and animals, right?"

Aurelia nodded. "I do! Look at Clixie here. The two of us have grown so close that I know what she is thinking about all the time."

"Miaow~" The Rubarthan Sentinel Cat squinted her eyes as she rested in the little girl's arms

"Then how would you like it if I teach you a cultivation method that can speed up the development of this bond and help you forge closer relationships with others?"

His girl was not completely ignorant about cultivation. With Ves as her father and Cynthia as her grandmother, she definitely held a huge advantage in this regard!

"That sounds dangerous, papa. I thought that we were not supposed to use our power to manipulate other people's minds?"

"You are not wrong, but there is a difference between willing and unwilling manipulation, sweetie." He steadily replied. "You were born as a designer baby. Do you understand what that means?"

"The genes I was born with granted me talents in leadership, social engineering and general intelligence." Aurelia studiously answered. "It is much easier for me to make friends."

Ves smiled and stroked her daughter's lovely black hair. "That's the simple version. While it is true that you have been gifted with artificial talents, it does not necessarily limit your choices in life. You can choose to set them aside if you do not want to become a leader when you have grown into an adult. I will still support you to the best of my ability if you want to become a mech designer like your parents. I will even help you become a mech pilot if you happen to develop the right genetic aptitude."

Aurelia frowned cutely at Ves. "Mama does not like that. She wants me to make the best use of my talents. It is the most optimal choice."

Children of her age shouldn't even be using the word 'optimal'!

"Your mother wants what is best for you. I want what is best for you as well. The only issue is that both of us have different ideas on what constitutes 'best'. I am not telling you to disregard your mother's wishes. I just want you to know that if you do not like her plan for you, I will support you if you want to do anything else. I don't care about efficiency, waste or optimal results. What I want is for you to grow up into a happy woman that finds success in whatever calling that speaks to you the most. I love you, Aurelia."

His daughter smiled and placed her tiny hand on his own. "I love you too, papa. You do not need to worry about me. I truly want to lead the Larkinson Clan. This is what I was born for. There is no shame in admitting this. I like befriending people, living mechs, design spirits and beasts. There is no one who is more suitable for this position than me. I am looking forward to taking over the clan for several years already."

Though Ves had reasons to doubt whether Aurelia would be able to maintain the same conviction once she reached her teenage years, he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

After all, her remarkable conditions had accelerated her mental development. She was already smart enough to understand the significance of her decision.

"Since that is the case, let me develop a cultivation method for you that will direct your growth and make you better at your job. I will need a little time to put it together, but once I am done, I hope you will be cautious in practicing it. I will be keeping a close eye on you to confirm that you are not inadvertently harming yourself."

Aurelia obediently nodded.

She held high expectations towards her father's work. Ves tried his best not to disappoint her little girl by developing a set of methods that were suitable for both Aurelia and Mana.

Ves put a surprising amount of thought into deciding what sort of cultivation methods were suitable for the pair. He asked his girl a number of questions that gave him a better direction on what she wanted to accomplish in her life.

"Here you go." Ves said as he transferred a set of documents to Aurelia's comm. "I have developed two simplified cultivation methods for you. They are not too serious, so you don't have to commit to them if you dislike them or want to pursue a different life."

His daughter curiously activated her comm and projected both documents.

"The Power of Teamwork Method? How does it work?"

"It is a cultivation method that is primarily based on qi cultivation and contract cultivation. I think I explained to you in the past what those two cultivation approaches mean, correct?"

"You did."

"Good. Now, the simplified cultivation method that I have devised for you does two things. First, it speeds up and narrows the focus of your natural cultivation so that it enhances your spirituality and social capabilities. One of the secret weapons that I have relied upon in my career is my ability to read other people's spiritualities. I have become quite good at figuring out people's thoughts and emotions. I'm not sure whether you can already do this, but this method will help you hone your senses a little better."

"What about the teamwork elements?"

"That's the part that makes this method a little special." Ves grinned. "For whatever reason, you have developed a natural talent in forming close spiritual bonds with people such as myself or Clixie. The steps explained in your new method will make everything more systematic and orderly. You can purposefully forge new bonds, strengthen existing ones or excise them if they become a burden to you. These bonds will not exist in vain."

"How so, papa?"

"The reason why this falls under contract cultivation is because your method is based on the concepts of reciprocity, among others. Do you know the definition of this word?"

"I do! It is a word to describe a state where people help each other."

"That's a clever girl!" Ves leaned down to kill her forehead. "The Power of Teamwork Method should hopefully allow you to forge mutually beneficial bonds with others. The purpose is to lend your help to your buddy while receiving an equal amount of help in return. The ideal is to develop multiple bonds with equal partners who work together to grow stronger and help each other achieve their goals. The more you work together, the more your cultivation advances. The method is not complete. The later stages are too complex for me to figure out at this time, but it doesn't matter for the time being. This is enough to accompany you in your teens."

Aurelia grew fascinated by the promise of this kiddie cultivation method. While it was indeed a bit too simple and limited to satisfy a proper cultivation, it was enough for a particularly clever child!

"Papa?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"This cultivation method heavily emphasizes bonds with partners of equal strength. What if I try to make use of a bond with someone as strong as you? It is much more difficult for me to adhere to reciprocity when I cannot do nearly as much as you. There is also grandma."

That was a good question. Fortunately, Ves already took this into account.

"The Power of Teamwork Method may involve contract cultivation, but it is not suitable for unequal partnerships. The bonds you cultivate with buddies of different strength levels will only scale to the weakest partner. For example, the bond you share with me will not allow you to inherit so much stuff from me, even if I am willing to give you additional help. This is for your own protection. You cannot freeload off other people's efforts. You still need to do the hard work of comprehending your own strengths and exercising your own abilities. However, your cultivation method carries an implicit recognition that it is not a big deal if you borrow other people's help every now and then. You just have to make sure to provide similar help to your partners to make it even."

His girl frowned as she struggled to understand her father's intent. "Why add contract cultivation in the first place?"

"Because it is most suitable for an aspiring leader such as yourself, Aurelia. If you don't want to become a mech pilot, mech designer or other specialized profession, then you will have to accept the fact that you will depend on the strength of your subordinates and allies to get stuff done. The Power of Friendship Method mirrors that in terms of your cultivation. One of the reasons why I want you to practice it is because it should give you the option of borrowing the power of your bonded partners. At the same time, your partners may be able to borrow your power in return, though they probably won't be as good at it because their cultivation is different."

His daughter widened his eyes. She was clever enough to understand the implications of this claim.

"Will this allow me to create my own design spirits?!"

"Theoretically, yes, but don't get too excited. The cultivation method I gave you is not complete enough to let you do that, I think. Just practice it first. We will find out later on if you want to commit to this approach."

After Aurelia learned enough about her new personal cultivation method, she turned her attention to Mana's own method.

"Mew."

The spiritual kitten in question emerged from Aurelia's head and began to read the document as well. The white feline became engrossed by the details!

"The Beacon of Hope Method. You want my companion spirit to combine light and purity to inspire hope?"

Ves nodded. "If the Power of Teamwork Method is meant to help you build a close network of trusted relatives, friends and allies, the Beacon of Hope Method will help you gain the loyalty and obedience of the masses. Whenever Mana shows up, she should be able to win over a crowd of receptive people all by herself. This is why her cultivation is largely based on qi cultivation and deity cultivation. The goal is to help you gain the support of large groups and populations by presenting you as a beacon of hope."

"Mew mew."

"Is this necessary, papa?"

"No. It is not necessary." Ves gently answered. "This is merely a possibility for now. I think that mana is well-suited for this role, and you did tell me that you want Mana to be helpful to others. Light and purity can assist any decent entity without needing to form a close bond with them first. There are dark times ahead in the future. Once red humanity begins to suffer serious losses, there will be a greater need than ever for a beacon of hope that people can rally around. Someone has to shoulder this responsibility, and I would prefer that person to be someone who can trust. I can think of no better choice than you, Aurelia."

Ves was not sure whether it was a good idea to impart Aurelia and Mana with such a heavy expectation, but his hands were tied to an extent.

The Red Cabal was preparing to launch a major offensive. The Subjugation King was coming. He could not afford to allow his children to grow up defenseless and ill-prepared to handle these powerful threats.

If he had to encourage his daughter to turn Mana into a more benign version of the Subjugation King, then he would do so as long as it gave her the capital to survive and thrive!