The Mech Touch novel Chapter 2044

Chapter 2044 Two Great Minds

Everything that happened before was just a precursor for this moment. Now that Major Verle finally revealed his trump card, it was his turn to set the tone for this conversation!

Ves expected the major to list out a host of demands.

Yet despite holding the upper hand in this negotiation, Verle refused to press his advantage!

"I'm being serious." He spoke with a confident smile that belied his soft approach. "We don't want special treatment. As long as our unit can continue to maintain our martial tradition under the banner of your clan, we will be willing to serve as both Larkinsons and Vandals!"

"That.. is not what I expected." Ves muttered with amazement. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Is there something.. wrong.. with the life-prolonging serum you claim to have retained?"

"It's safe." Major Verle quickly clarified. "Only a handful of people from my inner circle are even aware of its existence. They have all kept their mouths shut as far as I can tell. Even if they have leaked the news, hardly anyone would believe it. Just to be sure, our fleet doesn't carry the serum. I made sure to stash it somewhere very secret and very secure."

Ves frowned deeper. "Just to be clear, are you actually offering the serum to me? As much as I acknowledge its worth, it's pointless for me to take it into consideration if it doesn't fall into my hands."

Certainly, he really wanted to obtain the serum. Seeing how even the oldest and wisest power players went crazy as soon as they believed they had a chance of obtaining it, Ves would be a fool to push it away!

While he was still at a very tender age, at some point he would grow old enough that his remaining lifespan became a very important concern.

Though Ves had some confidence that he'd be able to earn the merits to redeem a high-grade serum through his own efforts, he still needed to spend decades or longer in order to obtain it! If he could get one early, he would be able to make much better use of his time!

Major Verle should know that as well, so it was a mystery why he didn't play hardball.

The man seemed to enjoy the confusion he generated. His smirk grew wider.

"You have just explained your situation. Let me explain mine so that you can understand why I have decided to stick to my demands. First, it is not so simple to sell or auction the serum. Do you think we'd be able to keep our gains if we submit it to an auction or approach a black market organization?"

Of course not! Even Ves could see how those parties would instantly turn on the Vandals and steal the serum at any cost! It was simply too valuable to be left in the hands of a bunch of deserters!

"You can still leverage its value if you approach the right people such as myself." Ves retorted.

"That's true. I trust you to treat us fairly, and so far you have met my expectations. It is exactly because I trust you that I have modulated our demands with an eye towards long-term gains as opposed to more immediate benefits."

"You'll have to explain that, major."

"It's quite simple. If I demand special treatment, our Vandals will always be different from the rest of your clan. The other Larkinsons will no doubt question why you treat us with so much favor. Over time, this can be very harmful towards our integration into your clan."

While that sounded plausible, it wasn't enough of a reason to forgo the riches that the Vandals could receive in exchange for handing in the serum.

"What else?"

"According to the profile we've constructed of you, we can state with a reasonable amount of confidence that your gratitude is countless times more valuable than an astronomical amount of credits or a whole host of top-grade mechs. No amount of material benefits we can ask is worth more than your enduring appreciation!"

That is a very honest and revealing assessment. Ordinarily, people would hold this back. Not Verle. He deliberately exposed this reasoning in order to come across as transparent.

Ves happened to be very appreciative towards people who were open and didn't try to hide things from him. Despite knowing that he was being manipulated, he still gained a more favorable impression of the mech officer and his Vandals.

"I.. think I understand."

The major was betting on his honesty and goodwill. As long as Ves accepted the serum at little cost, he would definitely think favorably of the Vandals for a very long time!

This gift was so profound that Ves would feel incredibly guilty if he didn't do enough to take care of the Vandals!

This essentially meant that Ves would always find ways to accommodate the Vandals in various ways while making sure they weren't being mistreated.

While the Vandals still needed to pull their own weight, at the very least Ves would always make sure to keep them content.

Still.. Ves wasn't very comfortable about this proposal. Something about it smelled rather fishy, and he never liked it when someone else held the upper hand in a negotiation.

Verle recognized his concerns and tried to allay them. "Let me be clear. We won't be asking for an early retirement or anything like that. Our Vandals would just turn into useless leeches if we lose our edge. We will fight when necessary and won't shy away just because we have suffered some casualties. In truth, hardly anyone will know about this deal except for you, me and a handful of trusted Vandals. To everyone else, our relationship will appear normal."

Ves narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying you want to make a private deal?"

"Partially." The major admitted. "As much as I care about the Vandals, I have to look out for myself as well. I already explained that it is impossible for me or my Vandals to make use of the serum. I would rather trade it off to you and receive more attainable benefits in return. Aside from receiving your promise that you will take care of the Vandals, Captain Orfan and I would also like our lives to be extended by at least a single round."

This was a much more sensible demand to Ves, but still an unequal one as far as he was concerned.

A typical baseline human lived up to 130 years. Extending it to 230 years was fairly doable to most Seniors from a third-rate state.

Yet trying to prolong it further was at least ten times more difficult! The jump in lifespan from 230 years to 330 years was a much more ruinous price!

He could even try and sell it in exchange for a factory ship and many other valuable goods and services! _{frёewebηovel.cѳm}

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