Megabase 023.

Leon descended into the still partially damaged Megabase in a specialized military Aerodyne of the Gene Army.

Having secured an appointment with Major Roshfield ahead of time, the Major was waiting for him in her office.

Leon met the Major dressed in a simple beige-colored suit.

Major Roshfield was going through an entire stack of documents with a serious look on her face when Leon knocked and entered her office. The moment she saw him, she pushed the documents aside and smiled.

"I learned that your real name is not Thomas Riley".

Leon froze.

The Major waved a hand dismissively, gesturing for him to sit down. "Your fake identity doesn't concern me so long you're not a criminal who's committed crimes against the Geneforge Clans".

Leon heaved a sigh of relief before going to sit down, quietly cursing Lieutenant Johnmark in his mind for betraying him to the Major.

The moment Leon sat down, Major Roshfield's face turned serious as she said. "I heard you intend to attempt the second Trial".

"Yes," Leon replied truthfully. "That's why I'm here, I came to ask for advice and things to potentially look out for".

Major Roshfield nodded in a solemn manner. "Your ambition is commendable but you have to know that the second Trial is historically far harder to complete than the first Trial".

"In our world of Ascended, D Rank is a major qualitative threshold. At D Rank, Ascended go through fundamental changes after choosing their Specializations".

"Over the years, I've had a lot of comrades who died attempting the second Trial. Some of them were extremely talented and hailed as prodigies, are you sure you want to attempt it?"

Leon stayed calm as he nodded. "I'm sure".

"Good," the Major nodded in approval. "It's important that you have self-belief in your decision, you can't attempt a Trial with doubt and expect to survive".

"If you're scared or having second thoughts, it's better you don't attempt it and work on your psychological state first".

She thought for a few seconds in silence, then she continued. "I don't know if you've realized yet but the events in Trials are mostly connected to events of the past in Neo-Tokara, so to stand a better chance at survival you have to have a good grasp of history".

Leon didn't interject as he let the Major continue, telling him most of her history knowledge but disappointingly, most of what she said were pieces of history that Leon already knew before now.

Once she was done, Leon finally took the initiative and demanded. "I want to know about the history behind Year 583".

Hearing that, Major Roshfield's eyes quickly turned sharp. "How did you know there's something special about Year 583?"

"I don't know," Leon didn't hide anything as he replied. "My first Trial was connected to it, that's why I want to know more about it in case my second Trial is also connected to it".

Major Roshfield nodded. "That rarely happens, but it's not wrong to be cautious and prepare for such a scenario".

Then with a complicated look on her face she said. "Year 583 is the year that the will of the Director-Prime was forcefully broken for the first time in centuries".

"Director-Prime? The leader of the Omnicore Federation?"

Major Roshfield nodded seriously.

She saw the silent question in Leon's eyes but she shook her head. "This involves classified knowledge that's too advanced for you. Just know that your Trial wouldn't directly involve this, it's too high-level for a second Trial".

"The only thing you need to know is that it's connected to the rise of the Freegrid Collective, and it's also connected to the total number of C Rank Ascended in the world".

Leon felt a bit frustrated by the lack of clarification, but he respected the Major's will and the little information that he got. He kept quiet.

Finally, he asked. "I want to know the D Rank Specializations of the Mechanist Class before attempting the Trial, can you help me with this?"

"This is also classified knowledge, but I can make an exception for you".

Major Roshfield leaned back on her chair and interlocked her fingers on the table. "Just like all Classes at D Rank, the Mechanist Class has 3 Specializations at D Rank and they're called Warmachine Specialist, Cannon Master, and Technician".

Leon's eyes glinted with curiosity as he listened.

Major Roshfield continued. "I'm not too sure about the abilities of Warmachine Specialists and Cannon Masters since the Mechanist Class is not a core Class controlled by the Geneforge Clans".

"But from what we know and from interactions with the Synth Order, Warmachine Specialists focus on combat automation, drones, and mechanical soldiers".

"Mechanical soldiers?"

"Yes," Major Roshfield nodded. "There are very few of them in existence, but we've observed that Warmachine Specialists control multiple mechanical soldiers like that robot of yours".

Leon's eyes lit up.

The Major continued. "As for Cannon Masters, the Synth Army has many of them and we've noticed that their abilities focus on heavy weaponry, long-range bombardment, and siege tactics".

"As for Technicians, there's one of them in our territory so we know all the abilities of D Rank Mechanist Technicians".

"The Gene Army has a Technician?" Leon was visibly surprised.

"Not the army," Major Roshfield shook her head. "He's an independent Mechanist, Vex Larkinson, the CEO of the Vex Larkinson Gene Hospital".

Leon was surprised. 'Did this guy not comment on Thomas Riley after my fight with King Agama?'

Major Roshfield continued. "Unlike the first 2 Specializations, Mechanist Technicians focus on repair, optimization, augmentation, and hacking support".

"They have an ability to automatically repair constructs even without their physical input and just with their ADE".

"They can repair constructs in a large scale, and they also have an ability to hijack enemy tech mid-battle though Technicians rarely enter battle".

"By choosing the Specialization, they come with craftable blueprints".

"Technicians unlock 3 craftable blueprints: energy shields, power batteries, and defense matrixes".

"The city-wide energy shield is an advanced form of a defense matrix, regular energy shields are not like that".

"Vex Larkinson has a close working relationship with the Gene Army, most of the power batteries used in powering the Megabases were crafted by him".

Leon's eyes lit up again as for the first time in a while, he felt a sense of urgency and anticipation for his new rank after completing his second Trial.

"Also, the signature ability of D Rank Mechanist Technicians is called Overclock Field".

"With Overclock Field, a Mechanist Technician can create a temporary zone that boosts ally machine performance by 30%".

"Vex Larkinson doesn't fight but in an aerial battle like the one we fought against the Omnicore Federation, a D Rank Technician is invaluable and can prove the difference between victory and defeat".

"Wow!" Leon could no longer hold himself, he was genuinely impressed.

His brain was already active as he analyzed the 3 Class Specializations, trying to pinpoint which one fit his style better.

Then, he suddenly blurted out. "If Technicians have a signature ability, does that mean the other 2 Specializations have signature abilities too?"

"Maybe". Major Roshfield answered vaguely.

Leon became even more excited. 'I wonder what the signature ability of the 2 other Mechanist Specializations are'.

And finally, he looked at the Major and asked. "What is the general name for Mechanists at D Rank?"

"They're called Field Engineers".

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