The Mech Touch novel Chapter 7452

Chapter 7452: Early Tempering Plan

His wife held a lot of concerns about her children. It was in her nature as a mother to worry about their lives.

Yet she always wanted her children to excel in their respective careers. Ambition burned within her tired eyes.

"I have spent a large amount of thought about the meaning of the Age of Dawn." She whispered to Ves even as she shuffled closer to lean against his chest. "This is an age of gods and miracles. It is to our benefit that we have entered the start of it. Think about it. We previously lived through the Age of Mechs that has run for over 4 centuries. All of the early movers have already monopolized most of the power and resources available in our society. The wars had already been fought and the power plays had already resulted in the institutionalization of the Big Two, god pilots, Star Designers, grand admirals and so on. The only way we could have risen to the top in the old system was to follow the rules set by others."

"The old system has crumbled." Ves responded.

"Exactly, dear." An opportunistic glint shone on his wife’s eyes. "We no longer have to play by other people’s rules, knowing that the established powers are far better at playing this game than us. The Age of Dawn has put everything into disarray. In this grand reshuffling of power, brand-new ways of climbing to the top have emerged. You have already done so by gaining the allegiance of hundreds of human phase lords. Unlike most pioneers who mindlessly kept obeying the old rules, you willfully violated them and took advantage of opportunities that everyone else has missed. This is the kind of attitude that a winner must possess in the early phases of every age cycle."

"You sound as if you have conducted a study on this subject."

Gloriana briefly grinned. "I have, in fact. I dove into the historical archives and skimmed through the accounts of the winners and losers of every age. Did you know what I found? The latter always consisted of those who behaved more proactively than their peers. The latter more often than not consisted of established groups who had grown far too comfortable in their own skin. Their stability allowed them to extract the greatest amount of benefits in their golden era, but as soon as the circumstances had undergone a drastic change, that same stability held them back from adapting quickly. This pattern occurs so often that I have concluded that we must be braver if we wish to thrive in the Age of Dawn."

She was very correct in her assertion. Ves knew from his understanding of biology that species that evolved to adapt extremely well in a specific ecosystem tended to do great during this stable time scale.

However, no period lasted forever. Once the ecosystem became disrupted, the previously pampered species always found themselves struggling, with many of them going extinct outright!

The species that tended to do a lot better during these transitions generally tended to be the species that previously struggled to occupy a niche under the oppression of the previously dominant species.

Since the former had to work a lot harder to survive, many of them inherently possessed the capabilities that allowed them to adapt and thrive in different environments.

This pattern was so universal that it had been observed on countless untamed planets in both the Milky Way and the Red Ocean.

It could also be observed in domains beyond biology, as Gloriana had learned.

"What you have described is not an absolute rule." Ves gently retorted. "While I agree with you in principle, you are speaking of generalities. There are exceptions such as the Terrans. These people have declined over millenia since the peak of the Terran Empire, but always possess just enough flexibility to maintain their foundations in the next ages. There are also many enterprising groups and individuals who acted recklessly and suffered massive losses as a consequence. None of my actions can guarantee success. Sure, we enjoy greater advantages than most, but it only takes one catastrophic misstep to see everything fall apart. We are still dancing on a knife’s edge."

His wife shook her head. "It is better to strive for greatness when the opportunity arises than to settle for mediocrity for the rest of our lives. This is one of the lessons that your Larkinson Clan has taught to me. I admit my judgment is tainted by all of our successes, but that only provides further proof that this age is practically made for us. The introduction of exotic radiation is the best accelerant to our ambitions. I am not blind to the consequences of failure, but I would not be a true Larkinson if I let my fears override my ambitions."

"That may be easy to say for adults like us, but our children..."

"Our children are destined for greatness." Gloriana spoke with such conviction in her soft voice. "Andraste wants to become the best warrior of her generation. Marvaine wants to follow our footsteps and become an innovative mech designer like ourselves. Most parents would react to this by giving their children encouraging words, but not much more. Not us. We are different. We are Larkinsons. We are wealthy and capable enough to help our children realize their childish but precious ambitions. One of the essential steps that we must take is the opposite of what many parents are doing, which is to flee as far away from active warzones as possible and raise their offspring in the safest and most peaceful regions imaginable."

He understood her point. She had become a strong believer in the premise that a harsh and challenging environment tempered the greatest heroes.

Though she used to start off as a pampered and privileged scion of the Wodin Dynasty herself, she may have convinced herself that she had become just as deserving of greatness as her much more successful husband due to accompanying him throughout all of his wild expeditions.

Ves had plenty of ideas on how to temper his children, but he did not want to go too far with them. Andraste had not yet reached her 10th birthday, though it was awfully close. Marvaine was far too young to consider such matters. The only reason why the possibility even existed was because his learning and maturation rate was uncommonly high!

"So what do you propose we do for our children?" He asked as he decided to throw the ball in her court.

"Bringing Andraste and Marvaine along with us as we journey behind enemy lines is dangerous, but an essential part to teaching them the reality of living in a dangerous time and galaxy." Gloriana meticulously said. "In order to justify the risks of doing so, we must ensure that they will be able to make the most of this experience. Though young, our children should not be treated as passengers, but very young trainees. They must actively participate in the Nemesis Campaign in order to gain first-hand experience of struggle and conflict."

That was her true intention!

Though it sounded ridiculous for a pair of pre-teens to actively participate in a major military campaign, it was not entirely impossible in this case.

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