The Mech Touch novel Chapter 3066

Chapter 3066: The Lamentations of a Pawn

Ves never held a discussion about his future ambitions to this extent with anyone.

Sure, he shared a few of his dreams and aspirations to his inner circle and his trusted companions. He told Gloriana plenty of fanciful-sounding hopes, and she always responded with a smile and a clap of her hands.

Though Ves could always count on his wife's unflinching support, she did not offer that much help when it came to questioning his assumptions and asking some critical questions.

She was a mech designer, just like him. While both of them could talk for many days about the strengths and weaknesses of any given mech design, statecraft and grand geopolitical shifts fell well beyond their area of expertise.

No one in his inner circle specialized in these vastly different fields because he never recruited anyone who was good at this to begin with. Perhaps it would have been a different story if he managed to rope in people like Senator Tovar or some fancy noble from the Sentinel Kingdom, but the recruitment priorities of the Larkinsons had always been aimed at mech pilots and mid-level professionals.

Though Ves always treated upper class snobs with contempt, he might have to revise his stance towards them. The rulers and shakers of a state had to be good at something in order to remain in power…

At the very least, their vision alone was worth keeping around. This was what separated people like Shederin from Calabast and everyone else in his clan that sounded smart.

"What is the point you are trying to make?" Ves frowned.

He decided not to answer the two questions posed by the former ambassador. He felt that they were very thorny because he had no clue how to answer them. They were too open-ended and subject to interpretation.

Shederin sighed. "You hold great responsibility as the patriarch of the Larkinson Clan. Now that you preside over an organization that encompasses more than 100,000 members, you cannot afford to view everything on a surface level. You must learn how to look deeper and grasp the truth that everyone else routinely overlooks."

"How can I do that?"

"There are no easy solutions, patriarch. Some are born and raised to rule. Others acquire the ability after long years of trial and error. This is a more uncertain path because any error can easily become fatal to you. This is your current path, and it is not advisable for you to continue in this direction. This is my preliminary judgement based on what I have learned about your clan and observed from your responses."

In other words, Shederin pretty much thought that Ves was no good as patriarch!

Ves curled his lips into a wry smile. "What is your solution?"

"You should leave this to the professionals. As a mech designer, you should not be forced to spend day and night on solving problems outside of your area of expertise. There are ways to maintain control over the clan without surrendering supreme authority. There are many possible people in your clan that can adequately govern and direct the clan on your behalf."

Of course, Shederin Purnesse was obliquely directing Ves to the members of the Purnesse Family. No one else in the Larkinson fleet came close to matching the sheer governing qualifications of a group of former officials!

Ves deferred this matter by waving his hand. "Let's not get too specific this early. Right now, I am wondering what suggestions you might have in order to increase our odds of survival in the Red Ocean. If it is anything like the crucible that you describe, how can we ensure we won't get eliminated in the coming struggle?"

"I cannot give you any specific solutions." The old man carefully replied. "That is your prerogative so long as you continue to hold your position as patriarch. I am also not sufficiently versed in the circumstances of your clan to formulate any specific advice. I can speak on general terms, however."

"Please share your wisdom."

"Very well. Let me begin with asking what you rather prefer. Do you want to surpass the majority of the pioneers in the Red Ocean and reach the other shore where you can be promoted from the status of pawn to a greater chess piece?"

Ves shrugged. "It sounds nice if we can move up from a pawn to a knight. I don't dare to ask for anything greater. My ambitions don't lie there. I don't think this is the best course of action, though. I don't want to treat the Red Ocean as a competition where I have to climb on top of the bodies of the losers. Why can't I just find my own niche and focus on my mech design and mech sales activities? My greatest priority is to become a Star Designer. Nothing else is comparable. As long as I become one of the best mech designers in human space, I will naturally be able to fulfill many other goals at that time."

"If your ambitions only stretch this far, then you will have to settle with the identity of a pawn for a long time. Considering how long it takes for mech designers to become a Master or Star Designer, you will not be able to elevate your role on the chessboard for the duration of this chess match."

"And that is bad?"

"Not necessarily. Some chess pieces are more valuable alive than dead. The Big Two and any other big players that can reluctantly take their place around the board do not have a habit of wasting their pieces at will."

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