The Mech Touch

"I still do not understand."

Veronica had trouble understanding the rules and logic of these so-called heavenly authorities.

From her perspective, a big galaxy like Messier 87 generated so much E energy that it could not possibly contain it all. A vast quantity of E energy radiation constantly escaped from the confines of the galaxy and spilled out into the depths of space.

A tiny proportion of that massive radiation happened to pass through the new coordinates of the Red Ocean, thereby allowing people like Ves to take advantage of this runoff energy.

How could Messier 87 care so much about what happened beyond the periphery of its own galaxy?

Why did it remain so touchy about the usage of this energy that would have just continued to dilute more and more until practically nothing of use was left?

Her mother definitely possessed a much more comprehensive understanding of the true situation, but she had an annoying habit of withholding crucial information due to believing that her child was not ready to face the greater truths.

Veronica was tired of being treated like an immature kid. Her main self was already a Senior Mech Designer, which in most places was regarded as a mature and accomplished professional!

While there was still a large gap in status between a Senior and a Master, the fact that she had already come in touch with the third rung of Senfovon's Ladder of Craftsmanship ought to be an indication that she should be able to learn about the relevant truths in advance!

"Mother." The cute cat said as she floated over and landed her metallic body onto Cynthia's lap. "1 need to know more. The rules that you have described don't really make sense to me. I lack the context to understand why the heavenly authority hates what I am doing. I won't stop, you know. I will continue to design and fabricate mechs that are stronger than the ones I have made before. Even if I rein in my ambitions and work at a more measured pace, I will bump into a lightning tribulation sooner rather than later. If I am forced to have a rematch, I would like it to happen on my terms."

The Lady of the Night calmly listened to her child's arguments.

"Information is power, but it is also a curse." The True God spoke in a weighty tone. "From the moment you become aware of certain truths, your perception of life, reality and fate will change forever. Ignorance is usually regarded as a negative trait, but I do not agree with that sentiment. There is virtue in ignorance. Those who live without having to bear the curse of knowledge can embrace their futures with greater optimism."

Her argument did have merit, but Veronica had moved way past that point. She had become embroiled in numerous galactic and intergalactic affairs, a few of which directly influenced the development of entire civilizations and the balance of power in the Red Ocean!

"I do not think your argument applies to me anymore." Veronica plainly told her mother. "Now that I have become a tier 3 galactic citizen in human society, I have reached a position of prominence and leadership where continuing to remain ignorant is regarded as a sin, not a virtue. My responsibilities have become to remain oblivious to the greater forces in play. Tell me, please. Give me the truth."

Not even the Oblivion Empress could remain unmoved by her child's appeal. It was a mother's greatest wish for her child to grow up safe and happy. However, now that her naughty offspring had become involved in affairs that were so threatening that even True Gods had to act cautiously, perhaps her baby had a point.

"Very well. I shall unveil the truth to you if you must know." The powerful woman relented and took a few moments to compose her words. "Previously, I have described the heavenly authority of Messier 87 to you. Since this large galaxy is governed by a collective consciousness, so can others. Virtually every galaxy that is not devoid of life and energy is overseen by similar heavenly daos."

Veronica firmly nodded. "I know. 1 have already come in contact with whatever is in charge of the Milky Way and the Red Ocean. They were quite nice to me back then. In fact, 1 suspect that one of the reasons why my phase lord cultivation progressed so effortlessly on New Constantinople VIII was because the Red Ocean secretly made things easy for me. I don't think Messier 87 was in charge of the last lightning tribulation."

Cynthia was surprised by these guesses. "You are not wrong. You have an astute mind. It just so happens that this is related to the truth that I am about to unveil to you. If you think about it, these heavenly authorities are similar to cultivators. You can even think of them as superorganisms in a similar fashion to an ant colony or a bee colony. They are not singular existences that you can easily distinguish, but they come forth through the intense cooperation between many specialized organisms that are operating within a conductive environment. Yet no matter how special a superorganism may be, it is still subject to the same pressures and desires as any other organism."

This explanation entered into familiar territory to Veronica. She possessed keen insights into life and also possessed a decent understanding of biotechnology.

"You're saying that heavenly authorities can become hungry and greedy. They yearn to compete for a limited amount of resources that they really need, so they inevitably enter into a competition against similar existences. Are the galaxies... competing against each other?"

Cynthia responded with a cold smile. "They are. It may seem perplexing to you. The cosmos is vast. There are as many galaxies as there are pebbles of rock on a typical planet, yet they cannot possibly fill up the vast stretches of space. However, the heavenly authorities that are rooted in these galaxies are competing over loftier goals than that. One of them is to become nothing less than the overarching authority of our entire universe!"

"What?!"

There was a huge difference in scope between governing a galaxy and governing an entire universe!

The difference in scale was so unimaginably huge that it was like comparing an ant to a Red Fleet Dreadnought!

Even if Messier 87 was impressively one of the biggest and most energetic galaxies in the block, it was pure arrogance to think that it could dominate the rest of the cosmos!

"This is not a goal that can be attained in any human's lifetime." Cynthia explained. "Entire races may rise and fall before any noticeable change occurs. However, these heavenly authorities can afford to play the long game. They can live as long as their origin galaxies can last. Their strategies and methods of operation are incomprehensible to you because they are inherently not human. Conquering the universe may be impossible to the likes of us, but Messier 87 has already been working towards this goal. Do you know how it intends to invade other spaces?"

Veronica thought back on her mother's previous explanations. The answer was obvious now that she thought about it from this angle.

"Energy. It is energy, right? Earlier, you told me that no energy is free, and that all of it is already owned. From the moment that people like me make use of E energy radiation, we develop some sort of relationship or dependency on its originator."

Cynthia grimly nodded. "This is one of the direct methods that heavenly authorities rely upon to expand their claims. Each of us are made out of matter and energy, and even the former is derived from the latter. The humans of the Milky Way are completely native to this galaxy. Their bodies are completely derived from nutrients that originate right here. The energies that sustain their existences are also generated by the stars and other resources of their native galaxy. This means that they are full subjects of the local heavenly authority from beginning to end."

It was rather weird for Veronica to look at life from such a colonial perspective, but she was able to understand the logic behind this thought process.

"What about red humanity?" The cyborg cat asked. "What about my main self? Do they still belong to the Milky Way, or are they being assimilated by other authorities?"

"There are no straightforward answers to your questions, my child. There are two dominant factors that roughly determine your allegiance, for a lack of a better word. The first factor is to look at the energy and matter that has made you who you are today. In your case, you are born in the Milky Way, emigrated to the Red Ocean and recently began to make heavy use of Messier 87's E energy radiation. From a materialistic standpoint, your allegiances have become split between all three galaxies."

That sounded incredibly messy to Ves. It explained that he had been confronted by the heavenly authorities of both the Milky Way and the Red Ocean during his first sublimation. Back then, he had already obtained dual citizenship of sorts!

"I don't think that most red humans are keen to allow Messier 87 to take over us in this way." Veronica retorted. "I certainly have no love for this supermassive galaxy, even if I am eager to exploit its E energy radiation. I am also sure that a lot of red humans still harbor a lot of attachment to the Milky Way. They are still natives to the old galaxy in their opinion. They merely regard their territories in the Red Ocean as colonial extensions of the galaxy of their birth."

Cynthia smirked. "That is why the origin of matter and energy is not the only factor that determines your allegiance. Do not get me wrong. You cannot afford to disregard this factor. Your mixed interactions with the Milky Way, the Red Ocean and Messier 87 have caused you to develop strong debts of karma with each of these 3 galaxies. They are essentially investing their resources in you with the hopes that you will generate a profit for them in the future."

That sounded awfully familiar to Ves. States and powerful family organizations operated in the same manner!

"What happens if I am not in the mood to pay one of them back?" The cyborg cat's purple glowing eyes flickered.

"If you continue to take from them without ever paying them back, then these heavenly authorities will become hostile to you. They may not be able to punish you directly, but they can make it harder for you to advance by amplifying the power of a lightning tribulation. They can also 'encourage' their own subjects to attack you on its behalf. In short, it is not pleasant to be targeted by a hostile galaxy."

That was bad news to Veronica!

She had already pissed off the authority from Messier 87 once!

"Damn. Do I have to make amends in order to make up for my crimes?" Veronica asked with concern.

"Not necessarily." Cynthia shook her head. "You cannot maintain friendly relations with everyone. This is what the second factor is about. The bonds of karma formed by making use of energy and matter from a specific origin can only make you indebted to that heavenly authority. What truly matters is where your heart lies. Many red humans still think of themselves as full natives of the Milky Way. That means that they do not harbor any allegiance towards the Red Ocean and Messier 87. This is in spite of the fact that they have no qualms about exploiting the resources from both galaxies."

"You can do that?!"

"Yes, my child. What this means is that all of those human immigrants are still regarded as subjects of the Milky Way. They are essentially invading or colonizing other galaxies on its behalf after they have left their native galaxy. This is one of the fundamental reasons why the native aliens of the Red Ocean are so hostile to human colonists. The phase whales and the other alien races cannot tolerate an intruder that seeks to convert the Red Ocean into a conquest of the Milky Way!"

This... this competition sounded way too big for Veronica! She had no idea that these galaxies were locked in an epochal struggle for universal dominance!