The Mech Touch

　　ZZR offered to solve the Larkinson Clan's greatest problem, which was its inability to purchase the raw materials and other goods needed to keep a fleet numbering 10 capital ships and dozens of sub-capital ships in working condition.

　　The entire point of setting up a trade consortium and trying to lure Murphy & Sons to his camp was to solve this problem.

　　Compared to trying to outbid his other two competitors and trying to work something out after that, it was a lot easier and more direct to simply accept ZZR's naked bribe and be done with the entire issue.

　　Was it a big deal to abort his previous plans so that he could take the easy way out? Not really. A prideful person might say different but a rational person would have no qualms accepting the most beneficial course of action even if it meant that the Larkinsons would have to admit defeat.

　　Though Ves cared about reputation, he cared about practicality more. He only needed to say a single word to cement the deal and resolve the clan's supply problem.

　　He did not speak up, though. A decision like this should not be made in the heat of the moment. He glanced towards the advisors that he brought today.

　　Vivian Tsai clearly opposed the deal for obvious reasons. She was delighted with the possibility of developing a relationship with a genuine shipbuilding company. As long as Murphy & Sons joined the trade consortium, she could slowly begin to realize her new ship classes that were expressly designed to complement the Larkinson fleet.

　　Minister Shederin subtly shook his head. He clearly had problems with Tyana Delcrost's offer. If this wily old fox detected something amiss, then Ves had to take his judgment seriously!

　　As for Calabast, her expression said it all. She adopted the same expression that she used whenever she thought that Ves was engaged in another form of stupidity.

　　Even Lucky, who was basking in her arms, looked down on Ves.

　　"Meow."

　　Their unspoken responses all prompted Ves to judge Tyana Delcrost's offer from a more critical perspective.

　　Of course, the women didn't miss this silent development. She attempted to put a fire under the Larkinson Patriarch's feet.

　　"Decide quickly, Larkinson. I have little patience for doubters. ZZR Industries will not extend its generosity twice. This is a chance of a lifetime to your clan. We are prepared to provide generous treatment to you as long as you step aside and allow us to secure an alliance with Murphy & Sons. We will even allow you to place a handful of priority orders with our new shipbuilding partner. This way, you will obtain everything that your clan requires in this delicate early period of the conquest of the Red Ocean, allowing your Larkinsons to focus on achieving your true ambitions without any further concern about problems in your rear."

　　He had to admit that Tyana Delcrost certainly put out a good argument. The Larkinson Clan never wanted to get embroiled in logistical problems. What Ves really wanted to do is to turn around and face forward again.

　　Goals such as exploring the diversity of the Red Ocean, designing new commercial mechs and growing his clan into a much larger organization were all ways for Ves to further his ambitions.

　　He never asked to get embroiled in tedious and frustrating matters such as convincing potential business partners and begging for material suppliers to work with his clan. These were problems that his staff should have been able to solve in the background so that he could place his full attention on his greater plans.

　　Ves suddenly looked sharply at Delcrost. The woman had done her research and knew exactly which soft spots she needed to hit in order to pull him into her narrative.

　　As someone who was becoming increasingly more accustomed to persuading other people, he could sense he was being played with. Usually, those who did such a thing rarely had good intentions in mind.

　　"How long will this agreement hold?" He pressed. "Thirty years? Fifty years?"

　　"Don't get too excited." Tyana quickly replied. "Ten years should be enough for a start. We can reassess our relationship at that point. If our cooperation has proceeded well enough, there shouldn't be a problem to extend it further."

　　Ten years was enough for Ves. Though it wasn't as long as he liked, anything could change during this period. If everything went well and the Larkinson Clan became a lot bigger and stronger after a decade, then it should be much easier to gain the cooperation of other suppliers.

　　However, the begrudging way that Tyana answered his question did not inspire much confidence in Ves.

　　Her attitude towards him and his clan wasn't good, and that triggered alarms in his mind.

　　He narrowed his eyes. "I just thought of something. ZZR Industries only owns a single plant on Davute V, correct?"

　　"Yes. Our flagship manufacturing plant is capable of outputting a large amount of products."

　　"How much of your plant's capacity are you willing to allocate to our clan?" Ves sharply asked. "You still need to supply enough colony equipment to your existing clientele in order to maintain friendly relations with them. You also need to allocate production to facilitate the shipbuilding needs of Murphy & Sons in the event you secured a partnership with them. Given these obligations, how much production capacity is left? Can you still supply a sufficient amount of replacement parts and other essential equipment to our fleet?"

　　"We can specify those details in a contract. We can start drafting the terms tomorrow morning."

　　Ves shook his head. "It will be too late by then. Who knows whether you are willing to stick to your end of the bargain. If I make a decision now, I will forfeit the chance to cooperate with Murphy & Sons in exchange for a vague, non-binding promise from your company. Does that sound like a good deal to you? And before you offer to make a binding contract on the spot, I have more problems with this arrangement."

　　"What are your concerns?" Tyana asked in a neutral tone.

　　She became a lot more guarded now that Ves proved he wasn't a pushover. She began to see him as a more serious challenge.

　　Though her change in attitude was admirable, it was too bad that Ves already picked up numerous clues from her earlier demeanor.

　　Ves crossed his arms. "Contracts can never be the sole basis of a good cooperation. A CEO such as yourself should not be ignorant of this rule. There are too many ways that partners can screw each other over if they are unwilling to work together. I can think of dozens of ways that ZZR Industries can abide by the letter of a contract but not its spirit. You can supply sub-standard components. You can delay your shipments. You can claim your other obligations cannot be put aside. You can fail to procure the raw materials that we urgently need."

　　"We wouldn't do that."

　　"Says who? You? I want to believe, Miss Delcrost, but I have not sensed an inkling of sincerity and goodwill from you. The sole reason why you are making this offer to us is to get rid of a competitor. That may be sufficient for you, but it falls short of our standards. Our clan doesn't want to settle for just business. We value relationships as well. If there is no sincerity in any long-term partnership from your company, then why would our clan take anything about your offer seriously?"

　　His response did not meet Tyana's expectations. Her expression grew more severe as she took a step forward.

　　"Is this your decision, Patriarch Larkinson? Will you truly throw my peace offering aside because of your trust issues? Despite what you may think, ZZR Industries has always conducted honest business. Look into our record if you want."

　　Ves dismissively shrugged. "I don't need to look up sanitized records when I can clearly observe the disdain and lack of respect from you and your lackeys. Not once did you show any indication that you regard us as equals or at least valued customers. If that kind posture characterizes our cooperation going forward, then I would rather have nothing to do with your company. I mean, if you truly want to obtain our agreement, then the least you can do is to show actual earnesty towards us. The fact that you were too stuck-up to do that shows that you don't value our cooperation at all. I think we are done here. I wish you good luck on your upcoming attempt to win over the Murphies. You'll need it seeing as how you clearly have trouble respecting your business partners."

　　He spoke his words loud enough for the other people in the room to hear his condemnation of Tyana Delcrost.

　　The Redfields sniggered while the Murphies listened quietly without giving their true thoughts away.

　　"You can keep your luck, Patriarch Larkinson." Tyana said with undisguised acid. "You will need it more considering how little your clan can actually come up with. Fanciful dreams and ambitions will not get you anywhere in the Red Ocean. Plenty of pioneers have come while possessing an abundance of them, but look where that got them. Many have already died without achieving anything. Others had no choice but to get absorbed by larger groups. Given the similarities between them and you, your clan is heading in the exact same direction."

　　Her counterattack was good, but the damage to her own position was undeniable.

　　The two groups eventually separated from each other.

　　A few minutes later, the Murphy Family stopped stalling. Their leader stepped forward.

　　Gelly Murphy gazed at each of the delegations as they took their seats. "Redfields. ZZRs. Larkinsons. Murphy & Sons appreciates what each of you can offer. Each of you have been informed that we cannot bring our shipbuilding operation in the Red Ocean online without external aid. Since our creditors will be expecting us to pay our next installment in time, we cannot take the time to weigh our options over weeks or months. This is why I shall allow you to plead your case one last time so that we can make progress as soon as possible."

　　Although Gelly Murphy continually exposed the frailty of Murphy & Sons, it played in her favor this time. The more desperate she sounded, the more she compelled the bidders to drive up their offers in order to help solve the shipbuilding company's problems.

　　In any case, the bidders were competing against each other rather than Murphy & Sons.

　　Any attempt at bargaining from the Redfields and so on would only lower the attractiveness of their offer, thereby giving their competitors a handsome advantage!

　　Ves understood this quite well. His clan needed to show a lot of sincerity in order to remain competitive, but the problem was that his means were relatively limited.

　　As he thought about how far he needed to go, Gelly Murphy brought up an important issue.

　　"Each of you will only have one opportunity to make your case. We have not yet decided on the speaking order."

　　This was an important matter. Those who spoke first risked getting supplanted by the subsequent speakers. The one who spoke last enjoyed a significant boost.

　　This was not only because the last speech would be the freshest on the minds of the Murphies, but also because the speaker could retort the arguments put forth by the previous ones!

　　Seeing that none of the bidders wanted to surrender the option of speaking last, the Murphy leader proceeded in her own way.

　　"In order to remain fair, we shall determine it by drawing lots."

　　Gizzard Murphy stepped forward. He held a small bowl that contained three identical gray balls.

　　This was a simple, low-tech means of determining the speaking order. Ves already knew without pulling out his scanner that these dense metal balls were made of advanced materials that could block virtually any form of scanning.

　　"Fair enough."