The Mech Touch novel Chapter 4728

4728 /7079

In order to prevent Venerable Ark Larkinson from making any further decisions by himself, Ves wanted to rope him into his clan as soon as possible.

Once Ark and the clan administration took care of all of the necessary paperwork, Ves personally wanted to induct his uncle into the fold.

An ordinary oath pledging ceremony that was normally conducted in front of the nearest available Bright Warrior mech was not sufficient to welcome a Larkinson of such stature.

The clan did not organize a grand and public ceremony either. Ves did not want to hype up Ark any further. Since Ark was dead set on joining the Davute Branch, he essentially became a leadership competitor.

If Ves wasn't careful enough, his clansmen might drive him out of office and put an incredibly charismatic Larkinson like his dearest uncle in his place!

Of course, Ves did not believe that was likely to happen. He even saw Ark's arrival as a positive influence on himself. As the Larkinson Clan became larger and more unwieldy in size, it was good if he could share his burden and give his clansmen another figure to gain reassurance.

The growth and expansion of the Davute Branch due to Ark's cooperation with the colonial government also didn't sound so bad anymore.

Ves could not foresee how successfully Ark and his helpers would be able to extract concessions from Davute. The most lucrative reward by far was the promise of receiving claims of ownership of the conquered star systems and territories that currently belonged to Karlach.

The message was loud and clear. If the Larkinsons along with other groups fought hard enough to tip the war in Davute's favor, then the territories that would fall into its hands would get distributed to the greatest contributors!

The colonial government originally did not mention this possibility at all to its military partners, but Karlach's increasing momentum had forced President Yenames Clive's hand.

If Davute did not offer nearly as much sincerity as its archrival, then all of the large and powerful mercenary organizations would all flock to Karlach's banner!

It was Davute's willingness to reward military contributors with actual territories that fully convinced Ark to volunteer his services.

He did not necessarily have a strong emotional attachment to the Davute Project, but the cold hard promise of letting the Davute Branch take over a planet or two was enough to earn his support for the colonial state!

It was with that dream in mind that Venerable Ark Larkinson entered a peaceful estate and stepped into the bedroom that held his old and infirm father.

The high-tier expert pilot's strong and confident demeanor softened its edges as his love and affection for family surged into his mind.

"Father."

"...Come… my son…" A weak voice called out from the chair placed in front of a tall window.

This was one of Benjamin Larkinson's good days. Though the deteriorating former expert pilot had grown a little weaker compared to a week earlier, he was still lucid and comfortable enough to witness the upcoming ceremony.

Ves had already arrived fifteen minutes earlier. Not only that, but he also decided to bring along his oldest daughter in order to keep his grandfather company.

Aurelia had already been chatting with her great-grandfather for a while now. She held Clixie in her arms and offered the cat to one of her oldest living blood relative.

"Do you want to cuddle with Clixie? She's really warm and fluffy!"

Benjamin smiled warmly at the young lass. "Your cat is lovely, but I do not think my poor legs can bear her weight with any comfort. You can put her on the armrest if you want."

As soon as Aurelia placed the lovely Rubarthan Sentinel Cat onto the armrest that was barely large enough, Clixie purred and offered her furry back for pets.

As Benjamin slowly raised his feeble arm and touched Clixie's body with his wrinkly palm, the dying smile smiled brighter as he felt the love and warmth radiating from the feline.

"Miaow~"

"I think I understand a little more why your clan have become such avid cat lovers."

Meanwhile, Ark had come close enough to exchange greetings with Ves.

"I see you are doing as good as ever, Ves."

"You've come in time. Aurelia, come greet your grandfather's brother."

Aurelia adopted a gentle smile and bowed in respect. "Hello Great-uncle."

"You have raised a well-mannered girl, Ves."

"I don't deserve all of the credit for that. My wife did a much better job at that sort of stuff."

"You certainly found a lovely woman to share your life with, then. Gloriana compensates for many of your flaws and blindspots. You chose well."

After they got the casual chatter out of the way, Ves soon moved onto business and turned to his lovely little daughter.

"Aurelia, can you fetch the Larkinson Mandate for me? It is time to start the ceremony."

The girl nodded, though her braided hair hardly shook. She turned and ran towards one of the dozen honor guards that were silently and stoically trying their best to blend into the background.

"Hey, Nitaa. Can you unlock the big book?"

The harness that automatically contained and protected the Larkinson Mandate clicked open, allowing Aurelia to pry the heavy metal-covered tome from its resting place and bring it back to the other three trueblood Larkinsons.

If not for the antigrav module built into the ancestral heirloom, Aurelia would have found it a lot more difficult to lift up the book!

She soon stopped in front of her father and offered up the sacred-looking tome.

"Here it is, papa!" _{frёewebnoѵēl.com}

"You can keep hold of it while we conduct the ceremony, dear. It is time for you to learn how to expand our clan. You need to verify the loyalty, compatibility, commitment and sincerity of those who wish to become a part of our expanding family. We shouldn't bring in anyone who sounds good on paper. Do you understand?"

"Uhm!"

"Then follow my instructions. First hold the book in your hands like this. Uncle Ark is a lot taller than you, after all. Good. Now voice a pledge and ask Uncle Ark to repeat your words."