Chapter 603 - 603 A Promise for the Future and New Tech

Avery was appreciative of all the information that Matthias had shared with him.

Other than potentially meeting the other two Awakened mercenaries the man personally knew, there was not any actionable intel, but it did give Avery a lot more to think about.

Still, he knew that he was not going to figure out more about himself and people like him unless he sought out those with more experience than him.

'I've got the medallion that Zefield gave me. Perhaps it's time I seek out the person that gave it to him.' Avery thought, mentally upping the importance of this item on his list of things to do.

With their discussion on Awakened having wound down, Avery not so subtly hinted at his interest in the metal that Matthias's weapons were made of.

He really wanted to get ahold of its specific composition so that he could use it for some of his own equipment.

"Well, since you're part of the family now, I don't mind sharing some things with you. Though, I would like to ask a favor of you and Liesel in return."

"Sure, so long as it's something we can do and not too time sensitive. I really don't want to get involved in this war and further, and we've got a lot to do." Avery responded.

"That shouldn't be a problem. I just want the two of you to swing by the next time the entire fleet meets up for our scheduled family gathering. After hearing what happened to Konrad, I think I need to give the latest generation of Kaizers some perspective."

Matthias was not a fan of the underhanded tactics that some of his great grandchildren were employing to get ahead.

So, he planned to hold a competition where he would pick his successor.

Except, he had no intention of letting any of them win. Which was why he wanted Liesel and Avery to participate. So that they could beat everyone else.

Of course, Avery pointed out some flaws in Matthias' plan, though the far older mercenary did not seem particularly bothered.

"If any of them can beat you two, then they'll be good enough to lead the fleet. And if you do win, feel free to take over instead. I was serious when I made my earlier offer. Having my great granddaughter and her powerful Awakened husband at the head of the fleet would be perfectly fine with me." Matthias said, a wearing a wide grin.

Avery's mouth hung open in shock for a few seconds before he corrected his expression.

He had thought that earlier Matthias was joking or testing them when he had told them he would be fine handing the Kaizer Fleet over to him and Liesel.

Now, he was not so sure.

'It doesn't really matter. Neither of us have any intention of taking up that position.'

Liesel also reaffirmed to her great grandfather that she was content with where she was now.

Her original desire to become the fleet leader was more rooted in her wish to be free and prove herself rather than actually wanting the role.

"That's what I figured. It is a bit of a shame, but I suppose that I'll have to look further into the future then. When do you two think that you'll start having kids? I'd love to have plenty of great great grandchildren to dote on once I've retried."

Both Avery and Liesel spluttered at the mention of children.

They were both still pretty young, and the topic was not something either of them were interested in broaching right now. Especially considering how dangerous their profession was.

"Great grandfather, I think that it's a bit earlier for us to be talking about having k-kids." Liesel said, her face flushed red.

"Oh, I don't think that it is. You're married now, so it's only something natural to consider. I was about your age when my first wife and I had our first child." Matthias said with a hearty laugh.

He teased the two of them for a little longer but quickly backed off before making them both too uncomfortable.

"Well, I won't push. It'll happen eventually. Ah, but if you want my advice, you should set up a support network for any crew members that do have children. It'll make life a lot easier for you when it does happen."

With over three thousand people aboard the Intrepid, it was basically inevitable that some couples would form and have kids.

While it was not something that Avery particularly wanted to discuss, he knew that this was a good opportunity to learn from an expert.

The Kaizer Mercenaries had been going strong for centuries now. No doubt they knew of the best way to handle children.

Thankfully, Matthias was happy to have someone send over the data that his team had collected on the subject and how they handled kids aboard their ships.

"Since you're in the sharing mood, you wouldn't happen to have anything else special like that alloy? Of course, I'm not expecting anything for free. I don't mind paying or exchanging some specialized technology we have."

"Oh, that's quite brazen of you. There aren't many that would so openly ask me for the Kaizer Fleets secrets. Though, I certainly appreciate your forwardness. I don't want your money, but if you have specialized devices that we don't, I think that a deal can be made."

Feeling confident, Avery gave Matthias a brief overview of the Hydra Siphon equipped on Olivia's ship, and the Field Disruption Projector on the Intrepid.

Matthias tried to hide his interest, but he could not quite disguise his true feelings due to the sparkle in his eyes.

"Both of those do sound quite interesting. I suppose that I'll have to bring out some of our best if I want to match you. You've got some amazing engineers on your side."

For the next couple of minutes, Matthias described some of the advanced tech his fleet used that no one else had.

However, there was far more than Avery had been expecting, and his end of the trade honestly seemed a bit lackluster in comparison to what Matthias was bringing to the table.

When Avery brought this up, Matthias just waved his hand like it was no big deal.

"Not everything has to be fair between family. I'd like to give the two of you the best chances possible. And if you need another justification, just consider it a late wedding present. I won't take no for an answer."