Ves smirked as he observed his latest initiative bearing fruit. Lots of fruit, in fact.

Ever since he stumbled upon an experimental new method that could potentially put people on the path to transcendence, he could not let this discovery go. He had to keep delving further in order to work out all of the problems and produce a workable result.

​​

While it sounded crazy to continue his experiments during a time of crisis, Ves was too enthralled to put this new research on ice!

"I can't stop! I have to keep going! The sooner I crack the secret, the sooner I can put my gains to good use!"

He had become so obsessed with his current research project that he didn't even want to flee the planet. At least not too quickly. Once he returned to the expeditionary fleet, his access to test subjects would severely be hampered.

There was no way he could experiment on his own clansmen! Unless some other traitors popped up, Ves might have to spend weeks or even months in space before he would have the opportunity to pick up another batch of test subjects.

Rather than allow himself to be bottlenecked by this, he would rather take advantage of his current circumstances and harvest his crops right at the source!

A planet that had descended into rebellion and anarchy happened to be an excellent producer of human specimens!

While the Nyxian Gap happened to be an endlessly renewable source of test subjects, the anomalous region was much more dangerous. Not only that, it was inconvenient for Ves to venture back.

As his status and prestige increased, it became less and less tenable for him to go on wild adventures. A moment like this where he happened to be stuck in a place where there was plenty of scum for the taking was rare.

There was also another advantage to ordering his troops to go out and hunt test subjects.

"They used to call us locusts." Venerable Jannzi said as she stood next to Ves.

Both of them looked out of the balcony of an office building. The enormous biomech production facility loomed close while vehicles regularly touched down at the landing zone in order to offload their goods and prisoners before loading up on food and other basic supplies.

Jannzi's gaze landed on these vehicles. "I didn't expect you to change track all of a sudden. I like our humanitarian approach. I've long wanted to do something about the degenerates who think they are infallible, but I'm surprised that you of all people are willing to expend so much effort to help the Lifers."

"It's the right thing to do."

"Do you think I'm a child, Ves?"

He helplessly shrugged. "Okay, I admit it. There are a couple of other reasons why I have decided to change my approach. First, take a look at our clansmen. What do you observe?"

She peered down the balcony and looked at the tiny figures in the distance. Even though the distance was a bit too far for her to examine any individual in detail, she had been among them many times, particularly recently.

"They're… more engaged. More upbeat. More confident."

"Exactly. What better way to unite our new recruits than to task them with saving their former people?" Ves smiled. "Joining the Larkinson Clan is a big decision and one that will forever separate them from the LRA. Many of them flock to us in desperation or because they lost faith in their leaders. Despite this, they still love their former state. Leaving Prosperous Hill in haste will only leave a shadow in their hearts. By giving them the opportunity to give back to the people they used to be a part of, they will be able to find closure and leave this state without guilt."

"That's not all, I see." The female expert pilot said. "You're teaching them how Larkinsons are supposed to act. None of the Lifers recruited into the clan know how much we value our honor. By embodying it during this difficult moment, we have all shown that we are serious about living according to our ideals. That already makes our clan better than 90 percent of all organizations."

"We are Larkinsons. This is what we do." Ves convincingly spoke. "Of course, we are not invincible. It is only after we have accumulated enough strength that I am willing to engage in a little charity so that we can truly integrate the new recruits into our clan. If we were any weaker, I wouldn't have agreed to this course of action. The greatest responsibility of a Larkinson is to defend our clan and kin. We need to take care of ourselves before we can take care of others."

Not everything he said was false. He could truly observe the changes in his men as they began to rescue more civilians. Every Larkinson felt more proud to be a part of the clan and the amount of refugees who wanted to become a part of it had tripled!

Jannzi was right. No one called the Larkinsons locusts anymore. Even their earlier deeds were excusable now that everyone witnessed how they let go of their selfishness and used their power for good.

Not just the average citizens, but also the powerful factions began to develop a better impression of the Larkinson Clan.

No matter which faction would eventually gain the upper hand in the Prosperous Hill System, Ves wanted to make sure he remained on the good side of big shots.

After all, even though he managed to build up his power on the surface, the rest of the star system was still firmly in the grasp of the Lifers. There was no way his expeditionary fleet would be able to pick him up and make it out if the local garrison forces tried their best to block the attempt!

So far, the actions of his forces on the ground should definitely lower the risk of getting waylaid. It was too difficult to justify taking action against an organization that had earned the gratitude of so many citizens.

Once Ves managed to part with Jannzi, he strode to the workshop and entered a restricted underground floor.

No one was allowed to enter this space except for Ves and his honor guards.

This also happened to be the place where the prisoners who were supposed to be executed were sent, although few people knew this. Once they were sentenced to death, the convicts were brought to a different building.

Instead of meeting their end in a humane fashion, the guards over there secretly knocked out the prisoners before moving them through a hidden underground tunnel to the workshop.

While this little charade wasn't very elaborate, it was sufficient enough for the purpose. As long as the prisoners didn't enter the same building where Ves conducted his work, it wouldn't be easy to accuse him of human experimentation!

"Ah, another batch of test subjects has arrived." He grinned as he studied the sleeping bodies that had been dumped into an improvised holding cell. "Let's see how you fare compared to the last."

He ordered some beetles to remove a dozen test subjects from their cells and bring them to a prepared testing chamber.

Different from before, the testing chamber featured a lot more furniture. Ves had installed a dozen restraint chairs that were strong enough to contain any test subject.

Ves ordered the beetles to strap the prisoners into the chairs before injecting them with a small substance that would quickly wake them up from their slumber.

"Huh.. where am I…"

"I'm supposed to be dead…"

"Is this heaven…?"

Ves calmly waited for the dozen prisoners to make themselves up. He had already tried to perform experiments on test subjects that were either asleep or under the influence of various stimulants.

These tests never ended well. Ves eventually concluded that it was best if his test subjects were conscious and sober when they became affected by the Aspect of Transcendence.

Once enough time had passed, Ves entered the testing chamber.

"Hey! It's that foreign mech designer!"

"What the hell are you doing with us?"

"If you don't free us now, our buddies will come and ruin your day!"

"Quiet down!" Ves forcefully spoke. "That's better. Now, I don't owe you all an explanation. I've talked to many batches of people like you before and it gets a little tiring for me to explain what I am trying to do. Instead, I'll just share some advice to you so that you stand a better chance of surviving what is about to come."

"Wait.. what is going on? Are we being tested upon?"

"Damn! He's a mad scientist! There's no other reason for us to be moved in this kind of room!"

The test subjects all panicked once they recognized their new status. They squirmed and pushed their bodies against their bonds with all their might, but nothing worked!

"Your actions are futile. If I were you, I would conserve my energy. You will need it. When my experiment begins, each of you will experience great changes in your head. If you resist it, you will only hasten your death, so try to go with the flow instead. I can't exactly tell you what you will go through, but generally speaking your mind will grow more and more active. That is normal. At some point, a huge change will occur that will cause you to feel more powerful but also more strained than ever. This is the critical moment, and one that will determine whether you will be able to live at the end."

"What must we do to survive this dangerous period?" A clever prisoner asked.

"That depends. Overall, you must restrain yourself and avoid getting caught up in any rush of power that you might experience. Every change is accompanied by danger, and while it is difficult for you to remember all of this while you are experiencing great changes in your mind, try and maintain control over yourselves."

Once Ves exited the testing chamber and entered the observation chamber, his anticipation grew as he started his latest test.

Just like before, the Aspect of Transcendence drew closer. Every prisoner quickly became engulfed by a glow that caused them to blank out every thought and emotion except for the one they cared about the most.

The beginning of the test was identical to the last ones. As time went by, the strong and unrestrained obsessions of the prisoners began to bloom without opposition.

As these obsessions continued to grow, they eventually reached a point where they became too big to be contained in a single collection, so they broke up into several near-identical pieces which all began to resonate with each other.

Ves had already noticed beforehand that the point where their obsessions split into several pieces was different from person to person.

Some obsessions were stronger than others, and held together a lot longer than Ves expected.

Others possessed more remarkable minds. They offered greater room for the obsessions to grow and reach their critical mass.

Yet regardless of their individual differences, once their amplified obsessions had filled up their minds, an intense reaction occurred.

"It's starting!"

The first prisoners to reach saturation began to show signs that they were channeling their excess energy to their tiny spiritualities. The influx of so much strength caused the spirits to fight against its boundaries.

Once the overstuffed spirits couldn't take it anymore, they transformed into spiritual potential!

Yet just as the earliest test subjects were able to shake their entire bodies apart, a different glow began to take effect on these individuals!

Hidden on the other side of the testing chamber, the Aspect of Tranquility followed Ves' programming and forcefully purged the minds of the test subjects that had just experienced a profound transformation!

Though the Aspect of Tranquility was able to act very quickly, its intervention did not always work.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Five bodies violently exploded!

Before their blood and broken tissue could dye the test chamber in red, several energy shields came into existence that prevented the mess from spreading.

The test run ended shortly afterwards.

"Hmm. Seven out of twelve survived. That's a better than average ratio. Let's see whether there is anything left inside their minds."