The Mech Touch novel Chapter 3198

Chapter 3198: Cross Game

The notion brought forward by Minister Shederin Purnesse sounded preposterous at first. Anyone who possessed even a sliver of familiarity with the Cross Clan knew that they were made up of a bunch of warriors who revered the strongest among them. With Saint Hemmington Cross as their greatest example, the Crossers all immersed themselves in a martial culture where only strength conveyed righteousness!

Therefore, the people attending the meeting did not seriously consider whether the guest designer that had recently been inducted in the Cross Clan was eligible to succeed Patriarch Reginald if the latter had passed away.

In the Garlen Empire back in the Vicious Mountain Star Sector, almost all of the citizens over there showed open disdain towards cerebral leaders who couldn't even beat a mouse. Their views on what kind of people made for good leaders had become so distorted that they directly equated piloting ability to good leadership!

It was a stupid mindset and one that Ves did not think would last. The Cross Clan should have ended with Saint Hemmington. He was the model example of how putting a meathead in charge was pure idiocy.

The fact that pretty much every single member of the Cross Clan still revered the deceased ace pilot to this day said everything about their ability to think critically and learn from the past.

Ves therefore found it very difficult to reconcile this negative impression of the Cross Clan with the notion that a mech designer could take it over.

"Shederin, why do you think that way?" He asked.

Everyone turned their attention to the former ambassador. The Purnesser calmly obliged and explained his reasoning.

"It is true that the Cross Clan is following the ways of the Garlen Empire, but it would be a great mistake to assume that it is still the same."

"First, this outlook has already failed them before." He raised a finger. "They had to have learned some lessons from the calamity that nearly ended their clan."

Shederin raised another finger. "Second, they are no longer in Vicious Mountain. As our fleet keeps traveling forward, the distance to their old home increases. This makes it increasingly more difficult to maintain the same values and customs as before. It becomes a lot easier to adopt the customs that are more common in their current surroundings."

He raised a third finger. "Finally, Professor Benedict Cortez is of much greater importance to the current Cross Clan than the alternatives. From my own observations, Venerable Linda Cross and Venerable Imaris Cross are not up to par. It will be difficult for them to command as much respect as their predecessors."

"I don't think you're wrong, but will the Crossers agree?" Ves questioned. "I don't think the clansmen will be able to accept the notion that they should turn to someone who isn't a fighter."

"Ah, but is that really true?" Shederin smiled. "Is Professor Benedict really as weak as you say? I think he shares a lot of traits in common with you, Patriarch Ves. Like you, he is a mech designer who is uncharacteristically able to project strength when necessary. Like you, he is an indispensable part of his organization because he is their main source of revenue. It is conceivable that the Crossers might look at the Larkinson Clan as an example of how a strong and capable mech designer can lead an organization into prosperity. If they decide that they want to pursue a similar future, then choosing a Senior Mech Designer over any of the expert pilots as their next leader might sound like a more viable option."

"When people get desperate, they tend to pay less attention to established rules and traditions." Calabast remarked. "Isn't that right, Ves?"

"Uhm, yeah." Ves lamely answered. "Will the Cross Clan really be driven to such a state, though? Even if Patriarch Reginald disappears, the rest of the Cross Clan will be okay, right?"

No one could say for sure.

"The Cross Clan has undergone several major changes since they have joined the Golden Skull Alliance." Shederin said. "Not only has it shifted into a nomadic, space-faring clan that is not attached to any fixed territories, the clan has also taken in tens of thousands of foreigners and inducted them into the clan with the help of their 'kinship network'. Think about what this can do. Both steer the clan away from its former identity. At some point, the changes may go far enough that it is no longer unthinkable to allow a Senior Mech Designer to gain acceptance."

"Acceptance won't come naturally." His son Novilon added. "Professor Benedict must actively lay the groundwork to convince the Crossers to break tradition. He will have to contact all of the stakeholders in the clan and win over a majority of them to induce a change. He should also be working on encouraging Venerable Linda and Venerable Imaris to comply with this unprecedented change. If either of them objects, then they can instantly rally a large number of Crossers against the Senior's takeover attempt. The conflict might get very bloody very quickly, and that will most certainly lead to grievous losses to both sides. If Professor Benedict is aware of this, then he will not commit to any action that will lead to a lose-lose situation."

Ves and everyone else thought about what the Purnessers had said. Their vision on this potential power struggle was much further ahead than anyone else in the compartment. Even Calabast looked thoughtful.

There were still a lot of questions. Too much about this scenario is based on spurious deductions. There wasn't enough evidence that any of this might take place.

"Does Professor Benedict really want to take over the Cross Clan?" General Verle skeptically asked. "In my opinion, the downsides far outweigh the gains. Not only does he have to be responsible for everything, but it will take an unreasonable amount of effort to tame the unruly Crossers. No matter how much he is able to manipulate them into accepting his leadership, the Crossers are still Crossers. They won't be able to shake off the sense that they should have appointed a genuine Crosser expert pilot instead of a mech designer who only entered the picture relatively recently."

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