Ves felt that he had just gone through one of the most dangerous and significant checkpoints of his life!
All kinds of awful outcomes could have happened if the Polymath discovered that he possessed the Mech Designer System.
Though Ves deeply wanted to believe in the Polymath's stellar reputation and noble sentiments, he would be a fool to think that anyone could remain truly selfless.
Anything that was related to the Metal Scroll was immensely powerful. Leaving it in the hands of a mere Journeyman was a huge waste when it could do so much more in the hands of a Star Designer.
If there was ever a boundary beyond the rank of Star Designer, then humanity as a whole would gain a lot more if the Polymath gained a better chance of breaking through it with the help of a more complete piece of the Metal Scroll!
This was all of the justification that the leader of the Survivalist needed to rob Ves of his System and silence him in a permanent fashion.
The situation hadn't come to that, though. Ves was 90 percent certain that the Polymath's ring did not yield any fruitful results.
Whatever else the ring might have detected in his body and mind were completely trivial compared to the possible presence of another Metal Scroll fragment.
Ever since the MTA and CFA secretly rebelled from the Five Scrolls Compact, the Metal Scroll had broken into pieces and became lost.
That was what Ves really knew about it. He did not know how many fragments existed and where they were located.
Given the immense size of human space, he thought that the odds of actually encountering another fragment of the Metal Scroll was so statistically low that it was practically impossible for him to meet with one in his lifetime.
He hadn't accounted for the possibility that another fragment holder would proactively seek him out, though!
Ves maintained his nervous smile as he awaited what the Polymath might say next.
There was no need to disguise any of his apprehension. Any random person that had just undergone such a violent scanning process would react the same way!
Showing weakness and vulnerability was natural. Ves was grateful for that as it made it easier for him to process all of his realizations.
Then, the Polymath spoke again.
"Let us drop with the pretense, Mr. Larkinson. You are a mech designer, but that is not your sole identity. My scans have detected numerous anomalies that should not be present in normal Journeyman Mech Designers."
Uh oh.
Had Ves failed to maintain his secret? Had he given himself away by worrying so much about his System?!
"You are not only aware of the existence of the secret organization that is known as the Five Scrolls Compact, but you are also making use of its heritage to further your own career."
"That…"
The look on the Polymath's face showed that she was not receptive to false denials.
Ves recalled that Jovy warned him that he should never lie or make excuses about himself in front of this great personality.
Though he felt highly conflicted about what he was about to say next, it was a much better alternative than admitting that he was a System holder.
"I… yes." Ves lowered his head as he tried his best to exaggerate his defeated reaction. "You are correct, Your Excellency. I don't know any details, but my mother… had relations with the Compact. Over the course of my life, I have also managed to cross paths with agents and members of this cult. These encounters weren't pleasant for me. I barely survived them. One of the reasons why I was so eager to move to the Red Ocean was to get away from those deranged and murderous cultists."
He revealed more to one of the most powerful individuals of human space than he had ever done before, and he felt utterly vulnerable because of it. He did not share his secrets easily and being put in a position where he had no choice but to do so was awful.
It also made him feel liberated. For too long, he had been dancing around the truth even knowing that the MTA had kept him under observation for a long amount of time.
The problem was that Ves couldn't restrain himself. Even knowing that the Simile Halifax had quietly studied him and his clan for several months, he did not stop with creating new design spirits or performing other spiritual shenanigans.
Though he made a decent effort to obfuscate his actions, there was no way the MTA was stupid.
Right now, one of the smartest humans in existence happened to be sitting on the other side of the table!
He knew that if he didn't feed her information that conformed to her own analysis on him, she would continue to press him until he coughed up his secrets anyway.
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