The Mech Touch novel Chapter 3076

Chapter 3076: Wider Contributions

In general, Shederin Purnesse didn't think it was worthwhile to associate with any local organizations.

"Don't misunderstand." He said. "We are not the strongest or most impressive group in the surrounding star clusters. Far from it. We may meet several other individuals or organizations that may be willing to make heavy concessions to become a part of the Golden Skull Alliance. However, taking them in is a grave mistake. We must not only look at the present circumstances, but also take our future trajectory into account."

"What do you mean by that?" Ves leaned back on his chair while clasping his hands.

"When I evaluate the growth potential of the Larkinson Clan, I see many positive signs. Granted, most of them are based around you and your unique products, but that sets us apart from the competition. The enduring success of the LMC and your personal relationship with Master Willix of the Mech Trade Association are two clear indicators of your high potential… For all intents and purposes, at this stage you should be regarded as a highly accomplished Senior rather than an up-and-coming Journeyman. Now, what do you think will happen once you advance your mech design career in reality?"

Ves understood the gist of what the former ambassador tried to convey.

"You're saying that I'll turn into the equivalent of a Master by that time."

"Not literally, and not completely, but it is undeniable that your value and your influence will vastly surpass that of a more conventional Senior such as the Cross Clan's resident mech designer. The power of a real Master is not simple. Aside from their individual design prowess, their ability to network and make deals with similarly powerful individuals is enviable. It is a relation manager's greatest dream to work for a Master."

Shederin Purnesse exuded excitement as he imagined this scenario. The look he directed towards Ves hinted that the old man thought very highly of his new employer.

If Ves was able to advance to Master one day, then Shederin or his descendants would likely be entreating some of the most powerful and influential individuals in human space!

It appeared that Shederin Purnesse's research on Ves and the Larkinson Clan fully convinced him that he should embrace his current situation. The old man no longer held any reservations about giving up the Purnesse Family in favor of becoming a member of a more powerful and promising family organization.

Ves waved his hand. "All of this sounds nice, but let's not get too excited. Much of what you said won't become relevant until later on. Right now, we shouldn't neglect our short-term needs. Not only do we need to find more opportunities to earn MTA merits, we also have to procure enough goods and assets to prepare us for our trip ahead."

"It will take around one to two more years to reach the beyonder gate. Time will be tight, but I have faith that we will be able to find a solution."

It was easy for someone like Shederin to say that Ves should earn more MTA merits, but it was anything but simple. Otherwise he wouldn't have agreed so easily to Master Willix's latest assignment.

Right now, Ves had no idea how many MTA mech pilots he could successfully elevate to expert pilot at the end of the five-year period. Perhaps he might only be able to pull it off once or twice, which hardly made any difference in the greater scheme of things.

He briefly recalled that Professor Benedict managed to earn a couple of million MTA merits not too long ago. The speed in which he earned this reward was rather unreal and only further emphasized that the Skull Architect hadn't been driven out of the Friday Coalition because his products were bad.

The presence of Professor Benedict in the expeditionary fleet exerted a lot of pressure on the Larkinson Clan. If he didn't want this ruthless but incredibly capable Senior to dominate the alliance's mech industry, then Ves had to work harder in order to narrow the gap!

He frowned. "There are several opportunities to earn a lot of MTA merits, but none of them are quick and easy to accomplish. It will be very hard to gather all of the required merits in a short amount of time without partnering up with more aspiring pioneers."

"I have a different view on the matter." Shederin confidently replied. "First, our two allied partners are not standing still. I have heard that even the Glory Seekers are trying to make up for the shortfall."

Ves looked surprised. "That's new to me. I thought they would just continue to freeload off our merits."

"You haven't been paying attention to them lately. The Hexers are proud and arrogant people. How can they be satisfied with their current situation? Marshall Ariadne Wodin is aware that the Glory Seekers is the weakest of the three partners in the Golden Skull Alliance. The strength of our clan is already evident, and the Cross Clan has just started to enter its own rapid growth phase. If the Glory Seekers wish to remain relevant, they have to develop their own specialty in order to maintain their value."

Shederin Purnesse had become a lot more sensitive towards this dynamic due to the tragedy that had befallen the Purnesse Family.

Before the Purnessers joined the Larkinson Clan, it had been a part of a large and broad coalition of the Hegenarion Party. However, his family had become so complacent about its apparent value that everything went drastically wrong when Crown Uprising upended the status quo.

The current situation of the Glory Seekers highly resembled that of the old Purnesse Family. Compared to the two clans, this Hexer organization did not really bring that much value to the table these days. The advantages it used to possess such as superior military power and extensive ties to the Wodin Dynasty and the Hexadric Hegemony became less relevant.

The Larkinsons already took advantage of most of what the Glory Seekers was able to provide. Their well-trained mech pilots fought and died on behalf of the Larkinson Clan when it was still weak. The dynasty supporting them from behind also extended a lot of favorable deals to Ves.

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