The Mech Touch novel Chapter 2700

Chapter 2700: Unusable

The passing of James Ylvaine came as a shock to the Larkinson Clan!

Not a single clansman dismissed this piece of news. While the Ylvainans had long been relegated to a minority within the clan, they still possessed a considerable amount of influence.

This was especially so after their stellar performance during the Battle of Reckoning! The Transcendent Punishers that only the Ylvainans could utilize at their full potential had performed so well that even the most strident secularists were grateful to the faith and its leader.

No matter what the clansmen thought about the unique existence known as James, the so-called Living Prophet possessed a sense of modesty and friendliness that few leading figures were able to match.

He was able to befriend and disarm the suspicions of many different Larkinsons. No matter if they were young, old, men, women, Brighter or Reinaldan, they always gained a good impression of James after just a short talk.

Of course, it was not that easy to convert random clansmen into believers. Perhaps James might be able to convert tens of thousands more believers if he adopted a more forceful approach, but that was obviously not allowed.

Ves had always been afraid that James would turn the Larkinson Clan into a cult, but the man knew his limits. There were just enough Ylvainans in the clan to bolster it, but not enough to affect its overall direction.

James was very tactful, Ves had to give him that. The Living Prophet was a good man and deserved to live longer.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. The body expired after running out vitality or whatever other energy the prophet expended in order to empower his flock.

"He was so young." Ves whispered.

Although clones were flawed forms of life, he didn't expect James to shed his mortal coil so soon.

The transition was too abrupt!

On one day, the religious leader was still as hale and healthy as other people in their thirties.

On the next day, James seemed to have aged by a century and could only chat with Ves one last time before he expired!

It was impossible for Ves to remain unmoved under the circumstances. He had just witnessed yet another person dying in his presence.

While Ves was not a stranger to death, he had become accustomed to witnessing it at a distance after he assumed a position of power.

Most of the loss of life took place much further away from his presence. The Battle of Reckoning killed thousands of Larkinsons and many more enemies. The amount of blood that had been shed could probably fill an entire starship!

Yet because all of this slaughter took place tens, hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away from his physical position, it was easy for Ves to dismiss the tragedy since it was presented to him in such an abstract fashion.

This was not possible this time. James not only died right next to him, but also spoke to him as if he knew that his time was already up. The words that the prematurely-aged clone had passed to his ears still lingered inside his head.

This was incredibly frustrating to Ves!

"This goddamn bastard! Couldn't you have died after my visit?! I wouldn't feel so upset if you just croaked when I'm on the other side of the ship!"

As Ves tried to process his mixed thoughts and emotions, the rest of the Larkinson Clan offered their sympathies to the Ylvainans.

Strangely enough, once the faithful processed the news, they quickly tempered their grief. They were sad about the Living Prophet's passing. That was not in doubt. However, they did not react as severely as Ves expected of fanatics.

None of the Ylvainans cried until they had no tears left to shed. They did not fall onto their knees in a fit of despair. It was as if they had already accounted for the passing of the Great Prophet.

"Death is another word for the beyond." Taon explained to Ves with a smile. "This is only the Great Prophet's second death that we know of. Besides, he's not really gone. He is with me whenever I pray to him. Our mechs still radiate his sacred aura when we go near them. A grand figure such as him is not bound by the same concerns as regular people."

Ves found this to be an odd sentiment, but he understood some of what the expert candidate said. Ylvaine the design spirit was still alive and well. In fact, it even appeared to have grown a little stronger.

As a consequence, the Transcendent Punishers also retained their pure and sacred glows. It was very hard for the devout Ylvainan mech pilots to accept that the prophet was really dead when their own mechs suggested that he was alive!

Ves just grew more confused at the situation. He really didn't know whether he should grieve a lot for James' passing or not. No matter what he claimed to be, Ves considered him to be a unique individual rather than an extension of a greater existence.

The disappearance of James represented the end of a unique personality.

As far as Ves was concerned, this was a true death. The Larkinson Network was not set up to catch any passing spirits, so it was impossible for the Living Prophet to still be around somewhere.

Ves was pretty sure he would notice a stalking prophet.

"You do not need to be concerned about us, Bright Martyr. James Ylvaine does not require any special arrangements. Please afford him the same burial treatment as the other Larkinsons who fell in battle. He deserves to be among our fellow heroes."

"I can do that."

This was an easy request. The funeral ceremony was scheduled a few weeks later.

Although the Larkinsons preferred to hold this ceremony sooner, the current star system had become far too busy. If the expeditionary fleet launched the bodies into space, the heartless scavengers would probably pick them all up in order to loot the materials used to make the coffins!

No. Special arrangements had to be made in order to hold a proper funeral.

Already, Taon along with other leading Ylvainan figures such as Ophelia Kronon were stepping up as leading figures in their movement. _{ƒrēewebnovel.com}

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify