The Mech Touch novel Chapter 2467

Chapter 2467: Cultivating Helpers

The spiritual remnant of the Unending One was one of the most valuable gains of the Nyxian Gap.

The dark god's strange ability to convert heterogeneous spiritual energy into a form more suitable for himself held a lot of attraction to Ves. How could he not be greedy of this ability himself?

"Energy is a resource! The more energy I possess, the more I can do with it. I can't let myself be slowed down because of my restraints!"

He even thought about merging himself with the spiritual remnant in some way. Since he managed to merge the spiritual remnant of the Blinding One with the crystal golem, it should be theoretically possible to apply this same technique to himself!

Ves slapped his face.

"What am I thinking! This is crazy!"

Altering his Spirituality in this fashion would completely transform him as a person. Sure, he might be able to gain the ability to absorb spiritual energy to a much greater extent than his mother, but there were bound to be repercussions!

Right now, his domain mainly centered around life and mechs. If he added another major attribute to the mix, Ves wasn't sure how it would affect his ability to design mechs.

Since he always considered himself to be a mech designer first and a spiritual engineer second, he could never allow the latter to threaten the former.

If Ves really went through with this insane procedure, he feared he might cross a line he might never be able to walk back from. Perhaps he would be no different from the insane cultists of the Five Scrolls Compact!

"I need to pull myself back and cool my mind. I'm letting my excitement get ahead of myself too much."

His eagerness fueled his passion, causing his heart to burn hot and bright. It was too easy for him to tunnel vision on his goals and disregard every potential danger.

Ves recognized that he wouldn't have attracted so much trouble in the Nyxian Gap if not for his lack of self-control.

He fell into a moment of introspection.

"The biggest problem is that I can't share my considerations with anyone. Having a second opinion at hand would definitely be able to keep me sober."

He already had access to a bunch of advisors who fulfilled this role.

Gloriana collaborated with him on everything related to mechs.

Major Verle provided him with deep insights on military and occasionally political matters.

Calabast mainly served as his spymaster, though she also advised him on matters of diplomacy.

James was the closest to a spiritual advisor that Ves could get. Even so, the former cult leader was an obnoxious bastard that didn't inspire much trust. _{freeωebnovēl.c૦m}

Ves viewed anyone who leaned on faith and unquestioning belief with deep suspicion. Religious nuts simply didn't inspire any confidence in him. The so-called Living Prophet's motives also remained something of a mystery.

"If not for this, I could actually confide in him more." Ves regretfully muttered.

Despite founding a clan that largely centered around his ambitions, he found that he still couldn't completely trust the people around him very much.

Sure, the Larkinson Network ensured that everyone connected to it became aligned to the Larkinson Clan, but that did not immediately entail unquestioning loyalty to himself.

It wasn't that he was tempted to do so, but Ves knew that performing such overt brainwashing would definitely trigger some alarms from the Big Two. Developing rapid loyalty to his clan could still be explained, but developing a cult of personality that was so unflinching would definitely invite a lot of unwanted scrutiny!

Perhaps the only people he could truly trust were the bonded Kinners. Yet people like Nitaa were simply mass-produced human products with limited imagination and talent. It was okay for them to serve as his footsoldiers, but he shouldn't expect much more from them unless he got his hands on some high-class Kinners.

The point was that Ves felt more and more frustrated that he was still unable to share all of his burdens to someone without reserve.

Perhaps in time, Gloriana might become that person to him, but for now his instincts warned him against doing so. He loved her, yes, but that didn't mean he had to trust her to such an extent.

He didn't forget that she possessed her own motives and ambitions, some of which weren't aligned with his own. There was no way he was willing to embrace her entire agency!

Ves crossed his arms and frowned. He really couldn't go on like this. He knew that whenever he spent his time alone for an extended period, he always came up with increasingly more radical ideas.

With no one grounding him to reality, he might have very well went on to perform the stupid stunts he just considered. After living through all sorts of crisis, it would have been incredibly stupid if he finally met his end by his own hands.

"Still, the problem is that I really don't have anyone I can trust without reserve."

From his future to his strategic partner, everyone around him supported him because he was useful to them in some way. Even Gloriana wouldn't be as enthused about marrying him if he didn't benefit her mech designs so much.

The moment he stopped being of use, much of that support would probably evaporate. That made him very nervous. While this wasn't a unique problem to anyone with valuable capabilities, he felt he couldn't go on like this for much longer.

"I need to cultivate a group that is truly dedicated to me." He concluded. "The Larkinson Clan doesn't qualify. It has grown into its own existence."

Since the Larkinson Clan was initially made up of his trueblood relatives, he refrained from being too overbearing. Back then, he possessed a lot less power, wealth and prestige. In order to attract a part of the Larkinson Family into following him, he had to make sure to offer them concessions.

Overall, Ves was still pleased with the Larkinson Clan. While his control over it was slipping a bit due to its rapid expansion and rise of capable leaders, its strength was undeniable.

"It's too bad that my clansmen can't help me with my current problems."

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