The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1330

At the end of their lengthy conversation, Ves expressed his tiredness. Just as he said goodbye and cut the channel, Gloriana’s projection leaned forward until her face was millimeters away from his own!

If they weren’t talking by remote, she would have kissed by now!

"Tell me, Ves. Do you like me?"

"I do."

"Do you love me?"

"...Maybe. You know my feelings on this matter. A couple of meetings doesn’t mean we’re the right person for each other."

Obviously, Gloriana thought very differently about their compatibility. Ves did not need to be a telepath to know that she had already made up her mind concerning their relationship!

Despite his attempt to insert some distance into their relationship, she didn’t seem discouraged. She was confident she could capture his heart!

She giggled. "Since you thought of me when you came up with this scheme, does that mean you consider me your girlfriend now?"

"Uhm.."

"DON’T YOU DARE SAY NO." She ferociously hissed.

"Uhm, yes! I’m happy that you’re my girlfriend! I’m so lucky to have a smart, beautiful, and compatible woman by my side, hahaha!" He nervously laughed.

She turned all smiles again. "Great! It’s official then! I’m glad you came around to the truth. Once we begin this grand expedition of yours, the two of us will become inseparable! Hihihi! You don’t mind if I resume spreading the news of our happy union, right?"

"Ehhh..."

"Okie dokie! Goodbye, Ves! I’ll call you next time!"

Her projection winked out as she quickly cut the call. Not only did Gloriana disappear from view, but Clixie left as well, leaving Lucky cut off in his own conversation with the organic cat.

"Meow!"

"Don’t be so dramatic, Lucky! You’ll have plenty more opportunities to play with Clixie."

He sank back into his seat to reflect on what he accomplished.

"Convincing Gloriana to put aside her ventures to travel with me was easier than I thought." He murmured.

All of the reasons he presented to justify his travels caught on remarkably easy. To be sure, he already knew that Gloriana didn’t have to give up a lot to join him on his lengthy, generation-spanning journey.

To her, staying alongside Ves trumped every other concern. As long as they lived and worked together on a daily basis, their design philosophies would likely flourish by interacting with each other. Whether this took place in the Bright Republic, the Hexadric Hegemony or on a massive factory ship in the middle of nowhere didn’t matter.

The only ’downside’ to roping in Gloriana was that she expected more commitment from him. With all of the help she was willing to provide, Ves needed to play the role of a devoted boyfriend in order to keep her happy.

Trying to play nice with a woman like her was easier said than done. Yet Ves found it infinitely more preferable to deal with her mild version of craziness compared to the full-blown insanity that regularly plagued the researchers of the Five Scrolls Compact!

"If I have to choose between the two, I’d rather go with the option that wants me alive!"

Nonetheless, both choices entailed giving up a measure of his free-spirited freedom. To someone who prized his autonomy as much as him, this was a grievous price to pay.

Nothing came for free. Even the material assistance that Gloriana promised to prepare for their journey wasn’t actually ’free’.

In essence, the two established an implicit contract with each other. In exchange for Gloriana’s support, Ves would have to accept their relationship.

The moment Gloriana soured on him and their relationship ran aground, she would take away her factory ship and all of her other assets. Such a sudden parting would definitely weaken him to an enormous degree!

"Is this what a vulnerable woman has to worry about when they marry a powerful husband? How scary!"

Of course, the ironic part about this situation was that Gloriana firmly held the upper hand in their relationship. That was nothing strange to a hexer like her, but Ves couldn’t stand the thought of depending on a woman for the rest of his life!

He shook his head. "I’ll just have to work harder than her. One day, I’ll be the one she has to look up to! I’m sure of it! No matter how exceptional she is, she can’t beat my advantages!"

"Meow."

"You’re dreaming, Lucky!"

After concluding his talk with his somewhat official girlfriend, Ves pushed the matter to the back of his mind. He had a lot of time to think and prepare for his grand expedition, as he already started calling it in his mind.

"I’m not going on a simple trip, but neither do I intend to abandon my home. An expedition sounds about right."

A lot of expeditions took place since humanity took to the stars. Space was so vast that there was always something to explore, especially in the vast but sparse periphery of the galaxy.

Most of them attempted to explore unsettled star systems and virgin planets, though. The grand expedition that Ves had in mind would not stray into dangerous territory blindly. He would just be replicating his current tour but on a much grander scale.

"Meow." _{freeweɓnovēl.coɱ}