As the giant chalice was being filled with the blood of a dozen different exobeasts, the four Journeymen diligently proceeded to perform their various tasks. They started out small and focused on producing the smaller and more delicate components first.
The roars and shouts that reverberated throughout the mech arena did not reach the open workshop. A special energy barrier filtered out every sound vibration before it could reach the center of the arena ground. This ensured that the Journeymen were able to work with complete concentration.
There were still differences, though.
The energy barriers provided the Journeymen with an unobstructed view of the theatrics and the crowd outside.
Different mech designers dealt with this novelty in different ways.
Gloriana hunched close to her workstation and leaned close until her entire vision was surrounded by projections and display screens.
She was obviously not a fan of all of the unrestrained outbursts and ritual fighting that went on outside the open workshop.
Juliet did not go as far as to block her vision of the ceremony outside. Instead, she narrowed her concentration and disregarded anything that wasn't relevant to her task of fabricating the parts that made up the flight system of the Decapitator Project.
Compared to the two women, Ves and Ketis reacted in a different manner to the unusual circumstances.
This was not the first time that Ves performed his craft in public. From competing in the Leemar Open Competition to pitting his products against biomechs at Ruuzon Arena, Ves had plenty of opportunities to rid himself of stage fright.
His abundant confidence in his own abilities as a mech designer kept him stable. No matter what others thought about his work, he knew he was able to do his work well.
Different from his wife, Ves did not shun the crowd and the ceremony. His spiritual senses received more stimulation than usual due to the raw emotions the spectacles evoked.
With each speech, with each sword that struck its mark and with each instance where a Swordmaiden vanquished her foe, the rousing emotions of tens of thousands of Larkinsons spiked.
Even the most spiritually dull individuals would be able to feel a hint of the human energy generated from the collective!
As someone who possessed a lot more sensitivity than that, Ves experienced the celebration of life in a deeper and more profound fashion. In fact, his deep connection to the Larkinson Network amplified this sensation as he was able to perceive the overflowing enthusiasm on a more direct level.
He worked a little harder and he became infected by the glee around him. He did not want to disappoint the crowd and aimed to inject more life in the parts he made.
Ves ultimately did not undergo any radical shifts. The output of his work was a little better than when he worked on the Vanguard Project but not by much.
He enjoyed the spectacle, but its theme and focal points did not center around himself. He was a side character today as the rituals and the current audience were overwhelmingly pinning their hopes on Ketis.
"Well, it's fine. The Decapitator Project is Ketis' pet project. It is only right for her to grab all of the attention today."
Just as expected, when Ketis was finally working on a mech that completely conformed with her extreme specialization, she transformed into a substantially different mech designer.
The air around her became fully charged with her own will as she had taken back Sharpie from Bloodsinger.
Ketis kept Sharpie separate from her mind most of the time for various reasons.
Whenever the companion spirit occupied Bloodsinger, her personal greatsword constantly accumulated strength. Though the pace was slow, as long as Sharpie kept occupying it over time, the weapon would likely complement Ketis much better in a couple of years.
Second, she entered a much more serious and absolute mindset when she adopted her full swordmaster guise. Though she became the indomitable swordswoman that she had always yearned for, the lack of levity caused her to come across as far too serious for her liking.
Ketis did not want to turn herself into an inhuman warrior who only thought about training and killing all the time. Her sharpness orientation compelled her to hone her blade and self-developed sword style so she would become even more ready to defeat her next challenging opponent.
While she did not object to working hard to improve herself, she did not want to lose too much of her humanity in the process.
Her relationship with Joshua and her love for the Swordmaidens were just some of the relationships that brightened up her day and made her feel fulfilled. When she took Sharpie back in her mind, her affection still existed, but they became overshadowed by her overarching ambitions.
She certainly didn't aim low. She not only vowed to become the best swordsman mech designer in existence, but also wanted to become a sword god in her own right.
It was already nearly impossible to reach the top of one profession. To aim for the top of another profession at the same time had never been done, at least when it came to this unique combination.
Ketis was not ignorant of her low odds. In fact, it was exactly because she recognized how many challenges she needed to overcome that she was so driven when she adopted her full swordmaster persona.
Ketis the woman was an optimistic mech designer who believed she would be able to reach her goal by working diligently and waiting for the right opportunity to arise.
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