The conclusion of Operation Night Jazz and the introduction of the Hyper Generation still generated massive shockwaves throughout human and alien society.
Ves corresponded with a lot of people from different parts of society. His expansive network provided him with many advantages as he was able to solicit many different opinions.
Although his contacts in the middle parts of human society were plentiful, he did not have a sufficient amount of contacts in the upper parts.
He had years to build up his network in various second-class states such as the Hex Federation and the Colonial Federation of Davute. His penetration of first-class society was much less comprehensive.
Ves tried to compensate for this shortcoming as much as possible. One of the main reasons why he chose to settle in New Constantinople VHI for a time was because he wanted to foster deeper contacts with the Terrans.
The Eden Institute served as an excellent place for Ves to measure the pulse of the Terran Alliance. Its students and professors came from various different clans and backgrounds. Visitors regularly came from other places in order to take supplementary courses or to collaborate on various research projects.
Every Terran had a story to tell. Though Ves knew that a lot of people only agreed to talk to him because of his perceived usefulness, he didn't mind. What mattered was that he could gain the information he wanted to hear.
Through all of these talks, Ves vaguely sensed several undercurrents running through Terran society.
The Streon Ancient Clan kept itself mum for the time being, but it was already making moves that were hard to obfuscate. The Streons had stepped up their efforts to procure supplies and war materiel, so much so that the price levels of these goods rose faster than before.
No one had any clue that General Axelar Streon was planning the heist of the century.
Perhaps the only other sign that hinted at this great undertaking was the gradual spread of Gaia worship.
The Terrans possessed a strong affection towards Old Earth. Humanity's ancestral home planet was the totem of their culture, and their permanent separation from this sacred symbol had traumatized these people.
It did not surprise Ves at all that cults centered around Gaia or Old Earth emerged as a result. They were still small-time for the most part. No official institution expressed any concern that these wacky groups of people would get up to mischief. The Terrans had endured the rise and fall of so many different faiths that they formed a well-established set of routines against their potential threat.
If these upstart cults ever stepped over the line, the ancient clans could easily squash them with only the slightest amount of effort!
"Interesting."
Ves had a feeling that these strange new cults had the shadow of a True God behind them. That made them a lot more significant than the ones founded by cheap charlatans.
The gradually unfolding oddities of the Age of Dawn had sparked a resurgence of the mystical side of reality.
Although only a small proportion of people had become initiated to this profound secret, Ves noticed many signs that a lot of states and organizations were gradually inoculating the masses to sights that defied common sense.
Broadcasting the battles of Operation Night Jazz was just one of many steps. The deliberate portrayal of god pilots as war deities did much to expand people's tolerance for unexplainable phenomena!
Ves only managed to gain a deeper insight in these changes after he met with Jovy again.
When he teleported back up to the Tarrasque and met with Jovy in his mech workshop, the two immediately engaged in a substantive discussion.
"The god pilots are on their way home, right?" Ves asked.
Jovy nodded even as he directed most of his attention towards the design of a virtual first-class multipurpose mech. "Operation Night Jazz yielded a lot of results. Our highest priority is not to cause any further trouble in the core of alien space, but to return in safety and digest all of the gains that we have attained from raiding the four Tide Stations. It is also important for us to recall the god pilots as quickly as possible in order to defend against the inevitable counterattack."
The mention of that last word put Ves on edge.
Anyone could see that the aliens suffered a heavy blow. Their Tide Station Network had been rendered inoperable and a lot of highly respected ancient phase whales died at the hands of human gods!
The surprise attacks had shaken the confidence of the local alien community. The Red Cabal which previously held an undeniable position of authority over the other alien races suddenly suffered a major decapitation strike that betrayed a lot of weakness!
The implications were many. The surviving leaders of the Red Cabal needed to make a big move in order to stop this event from collapsing their prestige even further.
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