The Mech Touch

　　Before the Larkinsons, Glory Seekers and Crossers finally concluded all of their business and departed from the Pellysa System, Ves received one final message.

　　He grinned as he read the request for a meeting on short notice. "They finally took the bait."

　　The Creation Association might be fortunate enough to welcome another 'associate' today.

　　Ves had recently founded his latest organization after deciding to go serious with commercializing his totems. He needed to create a new division within his empire that managed all of the totems as well as the clients that made use of them. Neither the LMC nor the existing clan administration were equipped to handle these specialized duties.

　　It took quite a bit of time for him to settle upon a suitable name for his new totem management bureau.

　　He initially thought about calling it the Church of Vulcan but quickly rejected it out of hand. There was no way he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Prophet Ylvaine and all of those other charlatans.

　　Ves hated superstition and anything that had to do with it. While he was willing to tolerate other people's faith, he could not bring himself to propagate his own, especially when he saw how much the Vulcan Faith distorted the dwarves into ignorant tall folk haters!

　　Religion had a bad name in many circles. Secularists immediately rejected anything related to it out hand. Believers in other faiths were incredibly resistant to the elements of foreign beliefs. Ves would have to fight an uphill battle if he wanted to push a new religion onto the public!

　　"I need to set up a more enlightened organization."

　　He thought of various alternatives before deciding that it had to be an association.

　　The word did not possess any obvious negative connotations and it did not possess a hint of religiosity.

　　The Mech Trade Association may be the most defining organization that carried this word in its name, but there were plenty of other associations in human society.

　　Sure, their fame, prestige, power, wealth and reputation could not come close to the MTA, but at least they existed!

　　The appearance of a new organization called the Creation Association would not raise any eyebrows for that reason. It sounded generic enough for people to glance past it on a list, and that was exactly what Ves intended. He wanted to raise a neutral, inoffensive-sounding institution that would not evoke any undesirable prejudice or gut reactions.

　　Although Ves could have opted for an even more boring and meaningless name such as the '363 Association', he decided against it. Calling his new division the Creation Association not only sounded elegant and dignified, it also reflected the true meaning of the organization.

　　He did not intend to create a rival or an imitation of the Mech Trade Association. What he truly wanted was to set up a formal support network for Vulcan. As a spiritual entity, there were many things his incarnation couldn't do. Ves also didn't have the time to spare on these time-consuming matters. Only other humans were able to manage and propagate his totems.

　　For now, the Creation Association did not amount to much. Ves or more precisely his personal assistant had only recently taken care of the initial formalities. The new association did not have any members aside from Ves and did not even have any assets to its name aside from its mostly-empty bank accounts.

　　It was going to take a lot of work to turn it into a functioning organ, but Ves did not want to bother with all of that administrative work.

　　"I need to find a suitable director to lead this association."

　　That was going to be difficult. He needed someone who was open-minded enough to accept the existence of totems and Vulcan, but also possess a good mind for business. Furthermore, Ves needed to be able to trust the person in charge to act as a reliable agent that placed his interests first.

　　"There aren't many people in the fleet who can meet all of those demands." Ves frowned.

　　He decided to look into this matter later when he returned to the fleet. For now, he had to attend one final meeting.

　　After a short while, the armed shuttle landed close to the House of Barach's storefront under heavy escort.

　　The appearance of numerous mechs including two expert mechs attracted a lot of attention from the shoppers and residents.

　　Ves ignored the reaction he and his party evoked from the surroundings and marched straight towards the entrance of the store and workshop combination.

　　Compared to his last visit, the storefront was a lot more complete this time. The Barach artisans not only finished sculpting their individual blocks, but also painted them over with vivid colors in order to create an attractive and classy facade.

　　Once he was done with admiring the craftsmanship, Ves stepped inside and briefly studied the luxurious, half-finished interior before someone stepped forward.

　　"Patriarch Larkinson, we've been expecting you." Cefigo Maran Barach greeted him in a reverent tone. "Our Master Committee has already convened upstairs. We would like to invite you to meet with our honorable master artisans in order to discuss the possibility of cooperation."

　　Ves nodded curtly. "Please lead the way, but keep in mind that my bodyguards will accompany me inside as well."

　　"That will not be a problem."

　　After ascending to the next floor, they entered a basic but dignified circular meeting chamber.

　　Perhaps the Barachs would be able to paint and decorate it so that it conveyed a lot more gravitas than before, but the timing of the Larkinson Clan's departure didn't work out for them. They quickly had to arrange a meeting before the window of opportunity closed entirely.

　　The seven master artisans had already seated themselves on the raised thrones on the other side of the chamber.

　　Their positions along with the design of the chamber made it seem as if they were judges who were about to pass judgment on anyone who was presented before them. The fact that they sat higher than anyone else in this space was a simple but effective psychological technique.

　　It was too bad that Ves did not pay any attention to these childish tricks. He was stronger, wealthier and more powerful than the Barachs. Their old glory and their outdated heritage did not earn any respect from him. There was no reason to extend anything but basic courtesy to this group of craftsmen.

　　"Good afternoon, Barachs. Mr. Cefigo here recently informed me that your house is willing to discuss terms with me. Well, here I am. Make your case but don't waste my time. My fleet is scheduled to depart within hours and it would be quite troublesome to delay it just because you guys intend to string me along."

　　His irreverent tone might not sit well with the highly-skilled and accomplished artisans, but Ves really didn't want to go through another inconclusive meeting like before. His patience with the Barachs was running thin and he didn't mind letting them know that through his tone and attitude.

　　Though five of the older and impeccably-dressed master artisans immediately frowned, they did not bluster or try to defend their honor or anything. Ves was quite impressed at their level of control.

　　Master Sivare Coriten Barach cleared his throat before addressing the visitor. "Patriarch Ves Larkinson. We have discussed your unusual offer amongst ourselves. While it is difficult to think about betting the future of our house on a vague and uncertain benefit, we believe in your credibility. Your previous business dealings along with your accomplishments in the field of mech design makes us willing to acknowledge that what you have done for my grandson Cefigo can also be done for us. We have also heard what you have done for Zachren Bilitsa plant."

　　Ves narrowed his eyes as he heard that last part. "That only happened a short time ago. Where did you hear that?"

　　"One of our members is acquainted with Chief Fabricator Denner of Zachren Bilitsa." Master Sivare smiled. "The craft and industry sector of Pejana is relatively small at this point. We all belong to the same circle and regularly keep in touch with each other. When we asked about his experience with your totem, he gave an enthusiastic endorsement."

　　Ah. So that was how the Barachs discovered the news. Well, Ves did not stipulate that any dealings concerning the totems had to be kept under wraps. Something as big as this couldn't remain confidential anyway. The harder he tried to hide everything, the more attention he would draw from the wrong sort of people. It was better to put everything out in plain sight and hope that his arrangements would blend with all of the background noise.

　　"Well, what do you want to talk about?" Ves said as he deliberately exaggerated his impatience. "I have already made my offers clear. If you want to obtain the same benefits as Denner, then you need to make it worthwhile for us. Zachren Bilitsa already agreed to produce my mechs so that is why they received one of my totems. Your house does not provide the same level of service to me, so you need to compensate in another manner. You can either provide half of your craftsmen or half of the shares of your house. It's your choice."

　　The mention of these incredibly onerous demands caused the master craftsmen to look even uglier. Nonetheless, the Barachs did not reject his words out of hand, which meant that they recognized that they truly needed help.

　　"We will not split ourselves up under any circumstances." Master Sivare spoke in a firm tone. "We will all rise or fall together. That has been our rule for centuries. As for giving you ownership of our house, we do not wish to compromise our independence, but… if you are willing to lower your demands, we may be open to cooperation. We are open to the possibility of giving you 25 percent ownership of our house."

　　"Pfff!" Ves scoffed. "What I can offer is worth more than a fourth of your declining house. Look at this place. After all this time, you Barachs have continually grown smaller and poorer, and I don't see this trajectory changing anytime soon. You need outside assistance to change your course, but ordinary investments won't be able to accomplish that. The root of success of a designer house is its ability to come up with fashionable and popular new products. I understand this dynamic quite well since the mech industry operates along similar lines. Given that your sales aren't enough to support a larger presence on this planet, I would say that you urgently need a boost to your creativity and craftsmanship in order to stand out from the competition. This is a service that only I can provide. You can either agree to my terms or give up on the only opportunity to save your house from extinction."

　　The Barachs couldn't accept the current terms. They were just too much for them. The master artisans conferred amongst themselves for a few minutes before they formed a new consensus.

　　"33 percent." Master Sivare spoke in a heavy voice. "We are willing to give you a third of our house in exchange for your support. That is our final offer. We will not consider any higher demands even if your prognosis about the future of our house is correct."

　　Ves frowned. He could sense the emotional swings of the craftsmen and knew that they all had strong feelings about this matter. The seven master artisans including Sivare all reached their limits. Their pride and sentimentality towards the House of Barach did not allow them to go any further.

　　Though 33 percent was a considerable step down from his original demand, Ves figured that it was the best that he could get from these stubborn craftsmen.

　　"I… am willing to accept 33 percent, but I will not provide a medium totem to your house." He eventually said. He reached into his coat pocket and retrieved one of his hand-sized statuettes. "You will have to make do with one of my mini totems. It works the same as the statue that I've provided to Zachren Bilitsa, but it works on a smaller scale. This is the most I am willing to give for 33 percent. Is this acceptable?"

　　The Barachs did not look pleased when they saw the little toy in his hands, but then again the Hammer of Brilliance wasn't that big either.

　　"Please give us a moment to discuss your counter-offer."