The Royal Mansion occupied the most desired location of the Cat Nest.
The estate reserved for the clan patriarch and his immediate family sat on a small hill surrounded by a luxuriously expansive forest.
As Davute VII continued to develop at a rapid tempo, the price of every square meter of space in Kotor City seemingly doubled every year!
It was hard to imagine that Kotor City had started out as a bunch of prefab structures that had been loaded out of the cargo holds of large colony ships.
The spread of human construction had been so rapid that any plot of land at Industrial District 2 had become at least an order of magnitude more valuable!
pαndα noνɐ1,сoМ Ves and his clan had been lucky enough to get in early enough and buy a nice and large piece of land when it was still available.
Nowadays, the more central districts of Kotor City had become so densely constructed in such a short amount of time that there was no more space to build on the surface!
The only construction works that still took place in the city proper mostly happened in the air.
The amount and density of floating structures in the city constantly grew each day. Dozens of new structures weighing a vast amount of tons joined the evolving skyline at a constant rate, making the entire place become so busy that a number of early immigrants even decided to move out and live in one of the many other less congested cities on the planet!
Fortunately, the Cat Nest was large and expansive enough to avoid much of the hustle and bustle that went on in the city. Large sound isolation barriers had been set up around the borders of the land owned by the clan to ensure that none of the city noises would disturb the residents.
Though over a hundred-thousand Larkinsons had descended from orbit within the first day of the expeditionary fleet's arrival in the vicinity of Davute VII, not all of them landed in the Cat Nest.
The Larkinson Clan had grown too big to be confined in a single location. The Davute Branch managed a bountiful portfolio of other industrial and residential facilities spread across the entire planet. Many clansmen would have to make do with living in other cities during their stay in the Davute System.
Of course, none of that mattered to Ves. he was right back at the estate that he admittedly enjoyed during his years-long stay in Davute.
It was also the childhood home of Aurelia, Andraste and Marvaine. Each of them had gathered a bunch of their equally young nephews and nieces and enthusiastically gave them a tour of the large back garden as well as the lush and beautiful forest!
"C'mon! There's a big treehouse up ahead that our papa built. You will love it over there!"
"Miaow! Miaow!"
As the gaggle of kids and pets ran off to play, the adults settled down in a lovely terrace garden that Gloriana had personally designed and arranged in the past.
A few bots flew in and put down trays filled with tea pots, snacks and other refreshments.
Gloriana picked up a tea pot and skillfully poured the cups that another bot had placed before the seats of the other Larkinsons.
"Thank you, madame." Melinda said as she picked up a cup and took a sip in a casual manner that remained unchanged since she was young. "Wow. This is good stuff! Is this what obscenely rich people like you drink all day?"
"That and more." Ves lightheartedly responded. "These little luxuries are nothing compared to what the first-raters get to enjoy."
Venerable Ark Larkinson leaned back on his seat and continued to gaze at the perfectly manicured garden.
"You have been doing so well in the last few years." The expert pilot and patriarch of the Larkinson Family sighed. "This place reminds me so much of our old Larkinson Estate back in Rittersberg. It could use more people, though. The retired uncles and aunts that sat in the back of the estate everyday made the estate warmer and more alive."
"I know. I miss that as well, uncle. There are different gathering points throughout the living areas of the Cat Areas where our clansmen can congregate. There are way too many people among us to fit in a single garden these days."
"Ah yes, the adopted Larkinsons. I have to admit that you have impressed me, nephew. I had heard many stories of how people who had never heard about us in the past transformed into diehard Larkinsons within a year after joining your clan. The sheer amount of people you've converted and the degree of loyalty you have instilled in their hearts are... unreal."
The expert pilot purposefully directed his gaze to Nitaa.
The tall and silent honor guard that had guarded the patriarch without any complaints over the years also bore another important responsibility.
She carried the responsibility of holding and guarding the Larkinson Mandate, the first and most important ancestral heirloom of the Larkinson Clan.
Ves followed the expert pilot's gaze and understood the man's concerns.
"You and the rest of your family have all felt her presence for years." He said. "Her bond with you may not be as strong as the connections she maintains with the members of my clan, but in her opinion every Larkinson is worthy of her care and protection. As far as I am concerned, she is a Larkinson just like each of us. Let me introduce her to you in person."
He stretched out his hand and transmitted a silent command.
The Larkinson Mandate which normally rested in a special case attached to Nitaa's combat armor came loose and flew towards Ves.
Once the heavy metal-covered tome reached his palm, Ves briefly admired the golden medallion on the front cover before he slammed the book onto the center of the garden table with a loud thud.
"Goldie, can you come out and say hello?"
Nyaaaaa!
A golden light bulb seemed to appear in their midst as a warm and glowing spiritual entity emerged from the Larkinson Mandate.
Melinda and Raymond immediately became fascinated by the sight of the totem animal of the Larkinson Clan.
The lovely cat made a playful loop in the air and flew closer to Melinda in an inviting manner.
"She's so adorable! Amazing!" The mech officer and rising leader of the Larkinson Family spoke as she attempted to cradle the lovely looking cat. "I can't touch her. Is she real or is she a projection?"
NYAAA! NYAAA!
Goldie strenuously objected to being misunderstood as a projection. She was a true living entity and wanted every Larkinson to know it! She spontaneously strengthened her connection to Melinda until the latter undeniably felt the bountiful life contained within the deceptively small spiritual cat!
Once Goldie finished showing Melinda who was boss, the cat cautiously floated over to Ark Larkinson.
Unlike a normal human like Melinda, a strong expert pilot possessed a greater chance of causing harm to spiritual entities.
Though Ark had stepped out of the cockpit of his expert mech, he had developed his strength to such a degree that he already wielded a tiny amount of the power of an ace pilot.
The ancestral spirit wasn't the only one who grew nervous at this meeting.
Ves held a lot of worries on how his uncle would react. Ark Larkinson commanded so much respect and influence within the Larkinson Family that his opinions would largely determine the relations between the two groups that shared the Larkinson name!
If Ark and most of the members of the old family explicitly rejected Goldie and what she brought to every Larkinson, then closer forms of cooperation would be heavily limited.
However, as the Golden Cat drifted closer to Venerable Ark, the two didn't generate any tension.
The air between them actually became warmer and more comforting. Goldie's radiant glow that inspired love and affection among the Larkinsons did not get repelled by Ark's force of will.
Instead, they touched and eventually embraced each other as if they were siblings that had been separated from birth for a long time!
No matter how far apart they used to be, the two forces both shared a common root, which was a love and dedication towards the people who identified themselves as Larkinsons.
What differences they possessed such as their stances on who was qualified to be recognized as a Larkinson became utterly inconsequential.
After all, what they had in common was so strong for both Ark and Goldie that they might as well be soulmates!
"Let me take a closer look at you, cutie."
Nyaaa~
The spiritual cat fell more and more into Ark's physical and intangible embrace. Goldie did not hesitate to bear her entire being towards the expert pilot, allowing the other Larkinson who bore the title of patriarch to utilize his extraordinary willpower to develop a better intuitive understanding of the odd creature.
Ark did his due diligence and tried his best to study the Golden Cat. Thanks to the deep access that he had been given, he was able to discern a lot about the spiritual product.
He wordlessly learned about her intentions, her strange form of existence, her aspirations, her occasional pranks and above all her deep love of the Larkinsons.
The depth of Goldie's affection was so deep that she was probably the purest and most loyal Larkinson in existence!
This was not a surprise to Ves as her life was literally bound to the Larkinsons.
It was this quality that caused her to harmonize and even resonate with Venerable Ark Larkinson!
As a lifelong member of the Larkinson Family who came from a long line of Larkinson mech pilot who served with honor and distinction, Ark recognized that Goldie possessed numerous traits that he had in common with her. The two were so alike in the issues that mattered that it was difficult to treat each other as strangers!
"I should have met you sooner." Ark softly said as he cradled the cute and lovely cat in his arms. "I never thought I would say this, but I don't mind that a cat like you holds so much sway over the Larkinsons anymore. As long as you maintain this pure and simple heart, I will always come to your aid. Let us protect our family together, Goldie."
Nyaaaa!
No one expected the two to get along so well with each other, though it should have been obvious to Ves in hindsight.
The unexpected embrace between the ancestral spirit and the expert pilot disrupted his plan for this reunion. Ves had to think quickly in order to improvise.
"I can lend you the Larkinson Mandate for a while." He offered. "The Golden Cat has been with the Larkinson Clan for a long time, but your Larkinson Family had always been distant to her, both physically and symbolically. It would be good for your side of the Larkinsons to get to know Goldie a little better. She is one of the most important elements that has made our clan so strong and united despite welcoming so many adopted Larkinsons. Her existence is completely benign and she will never have any cause to do you harm. The only people she is hostile against are traitors and those who wish to do us harm."
"Thank you for your entrustment." Venerable Ark spoke. "I will take good care of your book and your... cat."
If Ves wanted to bring his clan and the old family closer, then he needed to build bridges and extend his trust towards his estranged relatives.
Though the mood between the two sides was fantastic at the moment, Ves knew that this was largely due to the jubilation at being able to meet family members after a long separation.
What Ves was truly concerned about was what would happen once this 'honeymoon' period had passed.
If he wanted to absorb the old family into his clan and convert Venerable Ark Larkinson into his most loyal and reliable combat asset, then Ves needed to navigate these crucial meetings with great care and planning!
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