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However, Ves did not believe that Jocasta was as ignorant and 'naive' as she sounded. He could always sense a subtle air of calculation and utilitarianism around her. She did not engage him in conversation for trivial reasons. She talked with him because it was a worthwhile activity in her opinion.

Still, after talking with Jocasta a bit further about topics pertaining to the tournament as well as Davute as a whole, Ves figured that she was primarily a mech designer who did not spend much time on other matters.

This should not be a surprise. Any mech designer that became too distracted by mundane matters would not be able to channel sufficient passion and interest in their work. It was highly unlikely for descendants from rich and powerful organizations to make it far in their mech design careers if they became too entangled in their family businesses.

His wife Gloriana was the same. She had spent much of her time since she was young on learning how to design mechs. Even if she received lessons about the Wodin Dynasty, there was never any heavy expectation that she would take up any major responsibilities within her family organization. Her mother and her other relatives understood that she needed to pursue her passion without too many restraints in order to maximize her success.

Once he realized this, he briefly turned his attention to himself.

There was no doubt that Ves had already become heavily entangled in the clan that he had founded through his own efforts. He fueled its growth and continued to set a lot of policies and standards that had profound effects on the lives of a growing number of Larkinsons.

While he definitely gained a lot of satisfaction with seeing his homegrown organization swell to greater heights, he also could not help but recognize that he had taken more time off his design schedule than he should.

Had he truly gone too far and let all of his responsibilities drag down his work?

Ves didn't entirely think so. The time he spent on managing and growing his clan was not entirely unrelated to his mech design work. A stronger and wealthier clan provided him with much greater support than one that was hollow and lacking in resources.

Many Journeymen who attended the afterparty enjoyed much less support compared to the likes of Ves. They lacked the funding, the manpower, the facilities and the connections to freely engage in research and design their mechs.

It was not that easy to become a successful mech designer. Ves had successfully built up a prosperous organization around him that liberated him from all sorts of mundane concerns that restricted him in the past.

That made him feel a lot better about himself.

He was different from the travelers who came from afar and had no means of starting up an independent business in a highly competitive mech industry.

He was also different from the likes of Jocasta Clive who had access to a huge amount of resources but also became beholden to their family organizations.

In any case, as Ves grew more familiar with Jocasta Clive, he no longer found her worthy of suspicion.

"Where will you work in the future?" He curiously asked. "Has the Clive Consortium made any special arrangements?"

Jocasta smiled. "I have numerous options that I can choose from. Given my prior work at numerous classified research facilities, I can continue my work on important and strategic projects, though I will not have much opportunity to work on my own mech designs. It is a great honor to work for the Seniors and Masters that have earned the trust and approval of our colonial state. They have taught me much, though evidently not enough seeing that I have only been able to attain third place in this tournament."

This was a sector in the mech industry that Ves was not familiar with. His past experiences in the Bright Republic were hardly representative to the much more impressive research facilities owned by a second-rate colonial state.

"It sounds as if you do not think you want to persist in this kind of work." Ves observed.

"I would much rather follow your example and start my own business, but…" Jocasta trailed off her words.

There was no need for the two of them to talk about the many challenges of going independent.

"What can you do, then?"

"I have received an invitation from Master Elroy to become a teaching assistant and junior researcher at the Davute University of Technology." Jocasta Clive regained her proud smile again. "My work and my ranking has caught the eye of the professors of this institution. I can climb the academic track if I wish as long as I accept this invitation."

Academic mech designers spent far more time on research and experimentation than on designing mechs for the market. They also had the opportunity to work with numerous affiliated mech companies to incorporate new technologies into nextgen mech designs.

If Ves already hadn't achieved a lot of success in the commercial mech market, then he would have probably made for a good academic mech designer. He possessed the drive to push the boundaries of knowledge and investigate all kinds of interesting new ideas.

However, academics who were bound by a mech design university also had to follow the rules and the arrangements of that very same institution. Ves could not stand other people dictating what he should work on. He found it even less acceptable for him to become dependent on sources of funding that were outside of his control.

He looked carefully at Jocasta.

"If the DUT extended an invitation to you, then you would probably make for a good academician. Is that truly what you seek in your life?"

The female mech designer lowered her head for a bit. "In all honesty, I do not think I can reach my full potential if I work in a highly structured and regulated work environment of a top research institution. I would not be able to gain enough opportunities to engage in my personal projects. I will mainly be tasked with working on the projects of other, more accomplished mech designers. I can learn much from them, but there comes a point where you have spent enough years witnessing other mech designers design impressive mechs. You instead start to experience the growing desire to cut loose and focus on your own work while you still can. I am afraid that I have reached this tipping point."

It took a moment for Ves to recall her information and understand her plight.

Jocasta Clive was 51 years old. She was not particularly old compared to all of the geezers who were born during the closing years of the Age of Conquest and still managed to cling to life somehow.

However, Jocasta still dedicated more than her entire years as a child and a student in many different assisting positions. If she continued to work in a similar capacity for twenty or thirty more years, it would be much harder for her to break her habits and flourish in a more independent capacity!

"I have heard that you treat your lead designers well." Jocasta suddenly said without any forewarning. She smiled at him as she sipped her glass of wine. "Since you are a Journeyman, you sympathize and understand the plight of your fellow peers much better than the Seniors and the Masters who are detached from us. I heard that you even allow your Journeymen to propose and lead their own mech design projects, is that correct?"

"That is correct." Juliet confirmed. She had been standing besides Ves all the time, though she felt no need to interject until now. "Our patriarch trusts us to contribute to our clan in our own ways. That has worked out well enough for us so far, though I cannot say whether I can say the same a few decades later."

"Our clan is a family." Ves emphasized. "As long as any mech designer rises from the ranks of our Apprentices or as long as they have passed our strict entry tests, a Journeyman is worthy of our trust. While we still have several monitoring mechanisms in place to make sure that our lead designers aren't squandering our resources in vain, they can do whatever they want as long as they remain productive."

"That is remarkably trusting of you, sir. How are you able to keep it all together?"

"My clan is nothing like other organizations." Ves confidently smirked. "You really won't be able to understand what that means unless you actually join us. If you become a loyal and committed Larkinson, you wouldn't have any thoughts about leeching from our clan. In any case, I will just kick out anyone who hasn't been doing anything useful without a valid reason."

"I see." Jocasta said with increasing interest in her voice. "I assume you have gained a good understanding of my design abilities. Do you think I would be a useful addition to your Design Department?"

"..."

"..."

"Is there anything amiss, patriarch?"

Ves blinked a few times. "Uhm, you're from the Clive Consortium, right? Shouldn't you be looking for employment in Davute?"

"I am a Journeyman." The woman responded with a rueful smile. "If you have a better understanding of our consortium, you will understand how little that truly means. The only Clives whose entire lives are arranged in advance are the direct descendants of our most prominent leadership figures. A relatively unremarkable descendant such as myself enjoys much greater permissions. Transferring to your Larkinson Clan is not forbidden, especially if doing so is helpful to my career. The Clive Consortium would rather obtain a descendant that has become a Master while working in another organization than to stay at home and remain stuck as a Journeyman."

That sounded pretty cold to Ves, but that was how large organizations operated in human space.

Ves nonetheless frowned. "I am afraid we cannot fulfill your request, madame. I respect your ability as a mech designer and value your expertise on kinetic weapons. However, I have already explained to numerous other mech designers that joining our clan is a permanent decision. We strongly insist that every recruit retire all of their existing oaths and loyalties. This is because joining our clan means becoming a member of our family. Do you understand?"

"I… think I do, patriarch. Still, this is not an insurmountable problem. If I am able to gain permission from my elders to join your clan on a permanent basis, will you allow my entry? The Clive Consortium already has a history of sending away its descendants to the Mech Trade Association and other groups in the context of arranged marriages."

Ves frowned in thought. That sounded similar to his relationship with Gloriana, so it was not an outlandish idea.

He still felt deeply reluctant to recruit any individual called Clive, especially in a capacity as sensitive and important as a lead designer!

Though he wanted to say no to her outright, he didn't think it was appropriate for him to do so. Jocasta sounded earnest enough and she wasn't to blame for the many missteps of Davute.

"I need to think about it." Ves said in a noncommittal tone. "You also need to get in touch with your elders to figure out what you can do from your end."

The woman looked pleased. "Very well. We shall do that then. You should hear from me within the week."

Once Jocasta Clive finally bid goodbye and went off to chat with other Journeymen, Juliet slowly turned towards Ves.

"Are you being serious, sir? Are you seriously thinking about letting a Clive join our Design Department?"

"Relax." Ves told her. "She's just a mech designer."

"She's a Clive!"