After Ves taught Venerable Jannzi his lesson, he soon retracted Qilanxo's presence.
It was too costly in terms of spiritual energy to channel her powerful might. Now that he lost the Grand Dynamo, he had to become much more careful about depleting his mind.
Fortunately, he didn't have to persuade an entire crowd this time. The loss he suffered was small enough to minimize the impact on his mentality.
He carefully watched Jannzi's expression to see whether his words hit home. He had become tired of Jannzi's constant accusations and attempts to tear him down. If he wanted to work together with her to protect the Larkinson Clan, then he needed to do something about her distorted views of reality.
What better way to correct her mindset than attempting to change those views?
Even though Ves knew that his attempt amounted to another distortion, he hoped his attempt might be able to nudge her towards normality.
As the tense silence stretched, Ves began to harbor some doubts. Had his attempt worked? Had his description of Qilanxo hit home?
Eventually, the expert pilot calmed down. She no longer looked as conflicted. Her force of will had shifted, but it still retained much of its original character. That was not an optimistic sign.
She let out a deep breath. "I don't know Qilanxo as well as I thought. Thank you for pointing that out to me. I'll be sure to commune with her and get to know her better. However, don't think that you've won. I respect Qilanxo and I am grateful for all of the help she has provided, but I am a Larkinson, not an Ylvainan. I do not worship gods, and I never viewed her as one. There is no rule that states I have to take over all of her values. I will hold to my own ideas. I believe that Qilanxo is open-minded enough to allow me to disagree with her. If it turns out that I am wrong, then I have no qualms about going it alone."
As she spoke, her force of will calmed down. She had ceased the turbulence that had swept over her mind.
In fact, Ves even suspected that he may have pushed her will forward!
"While I agree with you that Qilanxo isn't a god, she is the root of your strength. She has not only played an indispensable role in your breakthroughs, but has also helped with turning the Shield of Samar into the fantastic mech it is today. She made you just like I did. In fact, you should consider us your parents."
Jannzi indignantly crossed her arms. "Should I call you daddy, then?"
He coughed. "You don't have to go that far. My point is that we aren't your enemies, Jannzi. We might not be of one mind, but we don't have conflicting goals. All three of us want the Larkinson Clan to prosper. Sure, we also have our own agendas, but the best part about our clan is that it embraces ambition. There is room for Larkinsons and relatives who don't want to take too many risks. However, don't force everyone else to turn into herbivores. Some of us just want to eat more meat. Let me tell you that Qilanxo is a carnivore as well. For all of her yearning to protect her family, she's a meat eater like other predators."
The conversation ended soon after that. Jannzi still stuck to her stubborn stance that Ves was not suited to be the patriarch of the Larkinson Clan. She even voiced her willingness to turn her back to Qilanxo if the sacred god prevented her from pushing her own agenda!
What an obstinate expert pilot!
Ves had seen his fair share of stubborn demigods, but Venerable Jannzi willingness to burn everything in order to accomplish her goals!
Well, maybe Venerable Ghanso came close. The two expert pilots were so similar that Ves felt unnerved.
As he watched the expert pilot march away, he wondered whether Jannzi would follow in the footsteps of his hateful cousin.
Had his conversation with her pushed her further upon this path? Ves wasn't sure. He did not possess a sufficient understanding of expert pilots and how they progressed. He had too little exposure to older expert pilots to know what it took for them to ascend to the rank of ace pilot.
All he knew was that this road was long and difficult to traverse. Far too many expert pilots died or declined in strength before they came close to reaching the next rank.
Of every expert pilot that Ves had ever met, only Patriarch Reginald Cross gave him the feeling of someone that was very close to becoming a Saint.
Ves continued to wonder about expert pilots for the remainder of the day. When Ves finally returned to his grand stateroom, he laid down on one of his couches and idly hugged and cuddled with Bygul.
[Mew~] The electronic cat cutely purred.
"Hehe. You're so well-behaved. Lucky doesn't even come close to you. It's too bad you aren't alive."
Despite this shortcoming, Ves still came to like his new pet. It was just like embracing a new plushie animal. Even if it was nothing like a real animal, it still provided him with joy.
It was at this time a hatch slid open. Gloriana, Clixie and Lucky tiredly entered into the living room.
"I'm home, Ves!"
"Welcome back, Gloriana."
As ves was about to suggest they eat dinner, a certain cat became indigant.
"MEOW!"
Before Ves and Gloriana could blink, Lucky zipped forward and clawed Bygul's projected body!
The glowing blue cat instantly disappeared as the physical projectors were no longer capable of maintaining his form. The ASTERA AI core's avatar popped like a balloon!
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