The Mech Touch novel Chapter 4566

Though the proposals presented by Marshal Ariadne Wodin and Patriarch Reginald Cross both sounded good, Ves ultimately sided with the one that came with the least cost.

Risking the lives of a bunch of sneaky women was much less serious to the Golden Skull Alliance than playing with the life of its only ace pilot!

As brutal as it sounded, the DIVA stealth vessels and commandos were expendable. They belonged to the Hex Federation to begin with so Ves had no emotional attachment to their survival.

The overall strength and survival chances of the Golden Skull Alliance also wouldn't drop that much if the DIVA assets suffered a complete defeat.

In contrast, Patriarch Reginald Cross played an indispensable role in the success and safety of the Golden Skull Alliance.

The man's sheer strength and ability to defeat opponents of a much greater caliber than normal conveyed a lot of advantages, both on and off the battlefield.

His effect in battle was obvious, but he also improved the status and negotiating positions of the Cross Clan as well as the Glory Seekers and the Larkinson Clan.

Each of them were able to do business with larger trading partners and receive better treatment than if they weren't covered by an ace pilot!

Aside from all of that, once Patriarch Reginald died or became unable to fight as well as before, the expeditionary fleet would lose a powerful source of deterrence!

This was bad news in ordinary times but it was especially inconvenient when the expeditionary fleet was stuck in the middle of a chaotic, conflict-ridden border region!

As such, the Glory Seekers or more precisely the Hexers finally gained an opportunity to prove their value to the alliance.

"You won't regret this decision." Marshal Ariadne Wodin stated.

It actually felt nice to rely on others to complete an important job. Although Calabast and the Larkinsons offered their assistance to the upcoming sabotage operation, the Glory Seekers politely declined the offer.

"We can complete the job ourselves. More importantly, DIVA must do this without your help, or else this test of our capabilities will become invalid."

The marshal made a good point. Ves had little to say to that. Though his clan possessed a couple of unique technologies that might give DIVA an edge, they probably wouldn't be able to play that big of a role. The Hexer intelligence agency was more than competent and experienced enough to prepare its own solutions for the many challenges ahead.

When Ves met with Calabast an hour later, she expressed the same confidence.

"If the matriarchs of the Hex Federation had any sense, then they wouldn't send run-of-the-mill DIVA units to our fleet." The spymaster said. "It is highly likely that we got the cream of the crop. DIVA has sent its very best to us because we are that important to the future of the Hex Federation. If we fall, it will inflict a heavy blow to the ambitions of the Hexers who have fled to the Red Ocean. The trauma of losing the Komodo War still weighs heavily on them. A second catastrophe will most definitely demoralize them while also emboldening the Friday Colonies."

That sounded logical. The Hexers did not help the Golden Skull Alliance out of the goodness of their hearts. Not entirely, at least. Sending over its crack DIVA troops advanced multiple objectives.

In any case, DIVA was still a large intelligence organization even after the Komodo War. The Hexers could train plenty of replacement agents to make up for the shortfall.

"How long has it been since you were last up to date with DIVA's internal situation?" Ves curiously asked.

"You should already know the answer to that question. I joined you when you were still a silly Apprentice." Calabast smiled wistfully as if she was recalling the good old days. "Once I cut ties to my old life, I officially had nothing to do with DIVA anymore."

That last part sounded a bit suspicious.

"What about unofficially?"

Her smile turned into a smirk. "I may have conversed with a few of my old colleagues from time to time. It's not as significant as it sounds."

"So what have you learned about your former employer? Did you learn anything juicy?"

"Not as such. DIVA has become relatively more important to the Hexers now. This is not just due to the greater need for intelligence services in a new and more dynamic environment. The biggest impetus behind this wave of expansion is the realization that acting without proper intelligence is one of the reasons why the Hexers badly lost the Komodo War."

Ves laughed in front of her face. "A random person off the street could have told you that!"

"I'm being serious here! There is no shortage of Hexers who respect DIVA, but too many of our military leaders overestimated the strength of the Hex Army and underestimated the capabilities of the Fridaymen. The biggest failure was the complete inability to predict the magnitude of foreign assistance that the Friday Coalition was able to obtain."

That sounded like a huge oversight, but that sounded typical of the Hexers.

That sounded rather strange to Ves. "I don't recall any moments you did what you have just said." _{freewebnσvel.cøm}

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