Chapter 7276: The Importance of Control

"The plan that I have devised for you is not as complicated as you think." Ves responded to Isobel's justified doubts. "I think it is important that we first define the goal of engaging in artifact cultivation. You want to acquire the powerful concepts attached to the Artificial Fire Heart. There are several ways you can fulfill this goal. Stealing them is the fastest but also the most reckless solution. It is much better to study the concepts and comprehend them as deeply as possible. As long as you combine this with frequent contact with the artifact, you should definitely be able to duplicate the concepts or even the higher-level laws that form the foundation of our reality."

“You can steal the runes and concepts from others?" Isobel asked.

Ves nodded. "Yes, but you should think carefully on whether you have picked an acceptable target. Nobody will care if you steal the concepts from an exobeast. In fact, I think that this is one of the reasons why the Hunters of the Hunting Association are able to grow so powerful in so little time. Instead of trying to patiently understand every concept before duplicating them with great care and attention, the Hunters simply plunder the concepts from their defeated prey. You can even steal them from other humans."

“There has to be a limit."

"As far as I know, that is not the case." Ves gently told the ace pilot. "One of the mandates of the Red Collective is to discourage and respond to incidents where cultivators are up to no good. While these incidents are usually suppressed and swept under the rug, I have access to enough data that tells me that out-of-control madmen will only become more prevalent in the years to come. This is the sequelae of plundering what you do not understand. The lack of comprehension will result in an imperfect fit between cultivator and his stolen concepts."

“That sounds like piloting a mech designed for another person.”

Ves twitched his lips. "Sort of. If you want to play it safe, then use Ascension Runes as a reference. You can rest assured that they are a perfect fit for you. They formed organically as you piloted the Promethea since she became a third order living mech. While it is highly likely that you already possess some of the concepts represented by the Ascension Runes, you can still use them as a way to translate the runes of the Artificial Fire Heart. This can subsequently allow you to pick the most desirable concepts in accordance with your plan."

"And what is my plan, exactly?" Isobel pressed.

“Control and immunity." Ves emphasized the words. "You should try to obtain more from the precious artifact, but you must absolutely prioritize stability and safety. Systematic cultivation usually results in the opposite, especially if you are greedy for power, but you do not need it as much as the Promethea is your primary pillar of strength. If there is any room, you can try to increase your mastery and comprehension of other concepts such as combustion or heat. This will allow you to amplify your attacks just like the Alfari Corps Detonation Code you have learned."

Isobel was one of the few pilots who Ves entrusted with an enlightenment fruit.

The mention of the Detonation Code caused Isobel to recontextualize what she learned. Now that Ves imparted her with a higher-level perspective on systematic cultivation, she felt she gained a new understanding of that code.

“I see. I understand now why the Detonation Code is so... insistent on adopting certain superstitious beliefs. I understand it a bit better now that I know what it is trying to do. The Detonation Code is big on emphasizing power, but it doesn't pay much attention to safety. It seems to me that this may be deliberate. Those who fail to master it wil inevitably set off an accidental explosion in their own bodies."

Ves shrugged. "The goal of transference is to empower oneself. Without a strong enough regulating authority such as the Red Collective, you can be as unscrupulous as you want. We are literally talking about turning yourself into living weapons. The temptation to go further, master more dangerous concepts and wield great power is irresistible to many people. Even expert pilots and ace pilots are vulnerable to this. I know you look composed right now, but I know that you have a strong desire to become stronger. This is nothing special for ace pilots like you. Saints would not exist if they could already solve their problems when they were weaker."

Saint Isobel felt unsettled at being exposed. She wanted to reject his accusation, but she could not bring herself to state an obvious falsehood.

Just the fact that she had to confront this truth already filled her with unease. She did not feel ashamed for desiring more power. She just did not want to lose control and appear shameful in front of others.

Fortunately, she did not mind that much if Ves was the one who understood her better than others.

Pilots should always place their trust in the mech designers who served their needs. Isobel reached out and took hold of the artifact. It was quite dense, making it heavier than an organic heart.

it was well-built and designed to take a beating. It contained a lot of advanced tech, much of which she struggled to understand. Her Saint Kingdom could only penetrate parts of its structure. Its center was a complete black hole to her perception.

That concerned her a bit. By choosing to implant this in her cybernetic body, she would introduce an unknown but extremely potent power source inside herself. That was not much different from installing a bomb inside her chest!

Yet... Ves made a lot of sense in his explanations. A bomb only posed a threat under certain conditions. So long as Isobel maintained control and took enough precautions, she may be able to benefit from its presence, but only as long as she remained disciplined and in control.

“This is a well-built device." She said. "I see no reason to question its engineering. The greater threat to my own safety may be myself. You are right. The temptation of power is universal. Hardly anyone can refuse an opportunity to gain greater strength. I might be okay with playing it safe right now, but who knows whether I can resist the temptation if I am locked in a difficult fight. The greater the danger, the more I am willing to lower my bottom line."

“Then don't." Ves sternly told her. "You are better than this. From what I know, one of the greatest dangers of artifact cultivation is that you become enthralled by the artifact. You are not its servant. The only acceptable relationships are one where you remain in control, or one where you are equal partners. Anything else is self-defeating, if not today, then tomorrow. I know it sounds simple when I say it, but it is really a lot more difficult in practice.”

"How... how do I prevent this from happening?"

Ves smiled. "You should ask for advice from Ketis. She is doing a good job of staying to her true self even when the Heavensword is practically begging to become her life sword. She staunchly refused to become its slave and stuck to her much-weaker blade instead. The massive boost in power is not enough to give up so much control. The same should apply to you. In order to guard yourself against surrender, you should formulate a set of rules and principles for yourself. That way, you will be a lot more reluctant to lower your bottom line."

This sounded like familiar territory to Saint Isobel.

Expert pilots and ace pilots wielded far greater power and influence than their mortal counterparts, so the MTA and RA had always been attentive about the importance of sticking to their principles.

She had always stuck to these teachings without thinking why they existed. Everyone else just took these rules for granted.

Now she knew.

Sticking to her principles was not just about nobility and honor. It was not about remaining civilized when she was controlling a war machine that could devastate entire cities.

Principles were the guard rails of her personality. If she ever broke her own rules, then damnation became a very real possibility.

“Is this... why Rosa Orfan turned out so badly?" She asked.

"Her situation is complicated." He said. "She was still an expert pilot by the time she formed a Blood Pact with a very dangerous version of her mech. She was not qualified to pilot the Riot Mark Ill at her previous rank. We gambled on whether she can trigger her second apotheosis and gain the strength and resolve to resist the contamination. The end result is... that she succeeded, but only at the very end. She and the Riot Mark Il have become too deeply intertwined. Trying to separate them is exceedingly dangerous because their concepts have partially blended together."

He manipulated the interface to produce a second theoretical model. This one showed the variables referring to Rosa Orfan and the Riot Mark Ili starting out separate, but slowly coming closer together until their symbols partially overlapped with each other. “This is one of the risks that can happen.” Ves said. "An unplanned and undesirable merger can lead to a lot of unforeseen consequences. Right now, whether Saint Orfan is still alive and able to maintain her humanity and rationality is still unknown. There are signs that she is waking up, so I suppose we'll find out in a couple of days."

The thought of ending up like Saint Rosa Orfan made Isobel feel sick.

Even high-ranking mech pilots were still prone to suffering accidents. She could not blindly believe that her extraordinary willpower would protect her against every malady. She let out a sigh. "I understand. I will make sure to formulate a set of rules for myself. I will also try my best to focus on improving my control and immunity to fire. The latter should be my top priority considering that I am supposed to channel fire energy through my artificial veins."

The examples given by Ves forced her to take safety seriously.

Power was great, but if she turned into a machine-driven monster, then what was the point?

Of course, she already foresaw that she would be questioning her own rules at one point in the future.

Not every adversary could be defeated by relying on control. There came a point where power without limits mattered more.

Would she be able to stick to her principles at that time?

Isobel did not want to find out the answer.

The two talked a bit more about the specifics. Ves was in no hurry to conduct the implantation right away. Both of them needed to make preparations.

Saint Isobel needed to spend more time on comprehending the fire element. The more she mastered this element, the easier it would be for her to link up with the artifact and maintain control.

Ves needed to consult with the mechers about adjusting Isobel's cybernetic configuration. The Artificial Fire Heart was a product of cutting-edge CE tech, which meant that the ace pilot's body needed to make room and make sure it could handle the Cybernetic Empire's deviating technical standards.

“If everything goes right, we can commence the implantation in two weeks or less." He said. "I am very busy at the moment, but I will try my best to keep the waiting time to a minimum. The sooner you start to cultivate with the Artificial Fire Heart, the more prepared you will be when you can finally pilot the completed version of the Promethea Mark II. Since we are going through with this plan, your ace mech will not start off as strong as we initially intended. The artifact won't be able to run at full power when it is working in the middle of your chest after all. If you want to empower the Promethea Mark Il further, then you will need to raise your tolerance towards fire energy. This will be your new mission." (More chapters in Buyers club for TMT)

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