Trash or not, Ves doubted that he'd be able to get his hands on a better AI core. That 2000 percent edge in processing power was no joke!

With so much raw calculation power at his disposal, the productivity of his Design Department would certainly skyrocket!

Modelling that took days to complete in the past could now be done in hours. Many smaller simulations and calculations that previously delayed Ves and the other mech designers for several minutes could now be obtained at an instant!

What was even better was that the ASTERA was not just a simple processor, but a comprehensive AI core made by the CFA, the foremost authority on automation in human space!

The fleeters were highly-obsessed with developing artificial intelligences to facilitate or even take over the operations of their incredibly advanced warships.

Ves had a very profound impression of the CFA's advances in this area from witnessing the operation of the virtual officer system aboard the Starlight Megalodon.

Of course, that unforgettable CFA battleship also taught him a profound impression on the perils of rogue AIs!

Naturally, the ASTERA was different from that ominous mainframe that Ves had foolishly unlocked.

The sentient AI that called itself Sigrund arose from reckless experimentation from the crazed survivors of the Starlight Megalodon's crash. The CFA researchers aboard that ship were either influenced by or outright belonged to the Five Scrolls Compact!

In contrast, the ASTERA was made in a highly-controlled environment in a proper CFA facility. Its main ingredient was just an incomplete shard of a deceased sandman admiral. This was incomparable to a complete and possibly living sandman admiral body!

These differences were enough for Ves to put down his worries about the ASTERA possibly going rogue. The circumstances that birthed a monster like Sigrund simply weren't present in his factory ship.

That suited him fine. He had no need for anything greater. With the incredibly capable deep learning and adaptive programming of his new data core, the ASTERA was able to become more and more efficient at performing the same kinds of calculations.

This meant that an operation that might take 3 hours to complete may take just 1 hour to finish in the future!

Gloriana recognized the incredible benefits brought by the ASTERA.

"With this AI core, we can complete our design projects at least 20 percent faster! We don't have to worry about any of our current design projects "

"Exactly." Ves nodded in satisfaction. "Our factory ship is worth it for this AI core alone."

It was a huge waste to put something so powerful in a sub-capital ship. Only a proper capital ship like the HHX-6963 was eligible to integrate such a powerful starship core.

As the interim captain explained the AI core's various uses, she brought up an interesting proposal.

"In order to make it easier to operate this core, you can permit it to form a virtual avatar. Many people prefer to personalize their interactions with AI cores."

"Let's do it, Ves!" Gloriana eagerly urged.

"I don't know…"

"Come on. A high-quality AI avatar is one of the essential characteristics of an excellent starship. What would our guests think if our factory ship is missing such a function? If we want to make new friends in the Red Ocean, we need to show off our luxury!"

"If you insist." Ves acquiesced to his wife. "Captain Vraken, can you guide us through the steps?"

"Certainly. The procedure is not complicated. You mainly have to make some personal choices. No matter what kind of avatar you specify, do not forget that you are dealing with a rigidly-programmed AI. It is not alive nor able to exert any independence. It's a machine, just like your cat."

"Meow!"

Lucky objected to that designation! He was not a regular mechanical cat. He was a gem cat, and a living one at that!

"Hehe. Settle down, boy. She means no harm." Ves quickly bent down to calm down his pet.

Though Gloriana and some other people knew better, to everyone else, Lucky was just a very well-designed mechanical toy. The more lifelike the creation, the greater its quality. Yet no matter how good an AI imitated life, it ultimately lacked emotion.

To Ves, Lucky was far from just an AI. Ves could personally perceive the strong spirit and emotions of his supposed artificial pet. That was enough for him to treat his gem cat as a living being. The only downside was that it was not convenient to reveal Lucky's true nature to others.

With Ves' permission, Captain Vraken activated a small interface and began to input some commands.

Soon enough, the interface displayed a lot of avatar templates that Ves could choose from to personalize his AI core.

Ves scrolled through the options. There were many human templates, but that didn't interest him for long. He swiped some menus and came to a page that displayed many different cat-shaped avatars.

"That's better."

Gloriana's eyes lit up. "Look at that Maine Coon! Isn't it fluffy?"

Clixie pointed her paw towards a Rubarthan Sentinel Cat that possessed the same tufted ears as hers. "Miaow miaow!"

"Meow." Lucky floated over and bumped his nose at a mechanical cat with a silvery exterior.

Ves pushed his cat away. "Get lost. I'm settling for this one!"

He selected his finger on an electronic cat form. He wanted an avatar that was different from Lucky, Clixie and Goldie. For this reason, he selected a cat whose body was made out of rolling blue numbers. The electronic cat exuded a very techy vibe.

"It's certainly different." Gloriana admitted.

"Meow."

"Miaow miaow."

Nyaaa?

Even Goldie didn't know what to think about the new cat!

Now that Ves had made his choice, he had the option of specifying its simulated personality. He opted to instill the AI avatar with a calm, obedient, patient, diligent and helpful personality.

In other words, the opposite of Lucky.

When he came to the option of choosing the gender of his electronic cat, he briefly skimmed through the options. The choices ranged from male, female, nonbinary and even weirder ones such as 'black hole' and 'quartenary illuvian gender'.

It only took a few seconds for him to make up his mind.

"Wait!" Gloriana walked up and held his arm. "The avatar has to be female!"

Ves didn't give in to her request this time. He peeled her fingers off his arm and firmly pressed his finger against the physically projected button that denoted the male option.

"Why, Ves?!"

"We already have Clixie and Goldie." He calmly explained. "If we turn our electronic cat into a female as well, Lucky will be all alone as the sole tomcat. Don't you think that is seriously unbalanced?"

"I don't see the problem in that." She responded.

"Well I do, and my opinion matters more. Don't forget who is in charge of this factory ship."

The ownership of the factory ship was rather complicated, but Ves had the greatest say in matters.

Much to Gloriana's dismay, the ASTERA AI core finally formed an elegant, blue electronic cat in midair.

Fortunately for Ves, Gloriana didn't remain upset for long. The cat avatar's proportions were perfect. She had never seen a more aesthetically-pleasing cat in her life!

"What a cute fellow!"

The newly-created avatar settled his glowing purple eyes on Ves and adopted an attentive sitting posture.

Ves smiled and stroked the electronic cat's head. Due to the physical projection technology integrated in the compartment, he felt as if he was touching a real surface.

The new cat began to speak in a young, boyish voice.

[Virtual avatar established. ASTERA-35762 is at your service, Mr. Larkinson. Do you wish to finalize your choice?]

Ves frowned. "I don't want you to sound like a little boy. Please change to an older and more mature voice. Try a formal butler-like voice and accent, just like in all of those historical dramas."

The avatar instantly switched his speech.

[I have executed your instructions.] The electronic cat said with a much more pleasing voice. [Are you satisfied with your choice?]

Ves grinned. "Yes! You don't need to change this anymore. I'd like to add one more instruction. When I give a specific command, I'd like you to change your human speech into cat speech. Your avatar is not complete unless you can cry like a cat."

[Very well, Mr. Larkinson. I have generated a pattern of unique, expressive cat cries.]

"Activate Pet Mode."

[Mew. Mew. Mew.]

Both Lucky and Clixie jumped back at the sudden transformation! The avatar played the role ofa cat too well!

"Meow!"

"Miaow!"

"Okay, that's enough. Switch back to Assistant Mode."

[Exiting Pet Mode. Would you like to make any more changes, sir?]

"Yes. You need a name. From now on, you are called Bygul, understood."

[Name set. I will now respond to the designation 'Bygul'. Do you wish to make further alterations, sir?]

"No. Please finalize your avatar and return to standby. I will specify your programming later."

[Very well, sir. Confirming your choices now. Please note that you are only able to alter the parameters of this avatar and change other important settings by accessing this ASTERA AI data core in person.]

The blue electronic cat disappeared as the physical projectors returned to standby.

"Let us proceed to our next destination." Captain Vraken suggested.

Ves nodded. "Lead the way, captain."

Everyone aside from Ves and the captain looked bewildered at what they witnessed. Even though Gloriana and their cats knew that Bygul was not a real living cat, the CFA's programming was simply too good. The virtual avatar could probably pass a harsh Turing test in a very convincing manner!

Still, the way that Ves judged whether an artificial creation was alive was different from that of other people. To him, spirit was the root of life. No matter how well Bygul pretended to be a sentient cat assistant, he would always be a set of programming code to Ves. This was why he specified the avatar to adopt a body made out of projected numbers.

Captain Vraken didn't move too far from the primary data vault. Even though it was situated a little high, the 6th deck of the factory ship housed a lot of important command and control functions.

The group reached another checkpoint. The security procedures this time weren't as strict, but the blast doors were almost just as thick and resilient.

As soon as they passed through, Ves and Gloriana were momentarily taken aback by the huge and expansive hall stretching out before their eyes.

Captain Vraken proudly swung her arm at the stretch of consoles, work stations, projections and impressive seats. "Welcome to the bridge of the HHX-6963. This is the main command center that can govern the entire factory ship."

"There is also the Combat Information Center in the middle decks, right?" Ves asked.

"Correct, Mr. Larkinson. The CIC is situated in an even better-protected section of the HHX-6963. It can be utilized to command your entire fleet or serve as a backup option if this bridge ever loses function."

To be honest, Ves didn't expect too much use from the CIC. Dedicated fleet carriers were much more suitable ships for Major Verle to command a battle from. However, in the absence of choice, the HHX-6963 could do the job in a pinch. It was just that her sensor systems and communication systems weren't geared for this purpose.

Ves and the others walked around the bridge. There was space for hundreds of bridge officers and specialists, but only 50 or so were present at the moment.

As long as his fleet wasn't in battle, it wasn't necessary to man every bridge station. In fact, if needed, only a couple of people could control the factory ship from the bridge, though the loss in efficiency was horrendous.

Ves approached some fake windows. It depicted a very realistic view of the space in front of the factory ship.

Captain Vraken stepped next to him. "The bridge is situated close to the center of the 6th deck. Any attacks will have to go through a lot of obstacles. Even then, the reinforced bulkheads and other protective layers will do their best to block any threats. In order to ensure the safety of this bridge, it is impossible to place it close to the exterior."

"It's fine. A good view of the action is not worth exposing the bridge. I'm not that stupid."