The Mech Touch novel Chapter 3111

Chapter 3111: Sharing Burdens

Though Shederin did not look pleased that Ves insisted on maintaining a more direct hold over the military wing of the Larkinson Clan, he did not speak out too much.

"While not ideal, the Larkinson Army will probably remain under control as long as you exercise enough diligence. I suggest that you still rely on the Ministry of Defense to assist you in that. The defense minister does not have to hold much authority over the military, but he or she should at least be able to perform inspections and act as a liaison between the soldiers and the civilian population."

Ves waved his hand. "That's okay. I don't want whoever gets to become the defense minister to arbitrarily fire my favorite generals and legion commanders or impose radical changes to our mech doctrines. My relationship with the military is very good given that I'm the principal source of all of their wonderful mechs."

Retaining direct control over the military was also a guarantee for him to remain in power. If the civilians ever got uppity, then the soldiers would likely back him up and serve as his main support group.

He realized that this might be key to remaining in power over the long-term. He had to retain the support of enough stakeholders in order to enjoy enough support.

What Purnesse was warning him about was that different parts of the Larkinson Clan might no longer support him as much as now. In order to account for this, Ves had to pay more attention to this and secure at least a minimum number of supporters to keep his position stable.

If one group of stakeholders no longer backed him up, he could just rely on another backer.

Though it sounded far too political for his liking, he had no choice but to 'play the game' as Shederin Purnesse mentioned from the beginning. Every large organization necessitated a balance of interests in order to stay stable. Ves was not arrogant to believe he would remain universally loved and respected forever.

"I've noticed that you outlined three different pillars." He remarked.

"Correct." Shederin Purnesse acknowledged. "One represents the civilian administration. Another represents the Larkinson Army. The last pillar stands for the Living Mech Corporation. As a clan dominated by your mech design activities, the LMC plays an indispensable role in financing the clan, thereby directly keeping it alive and well."

Ves ruefully smiled. "This might not be the case anymore as time goes on. Our clan is already hard at work trying to diversify its industries. It is not healthy for our growing clan to depend solely on selling mechs to earn its keep. The Larkinson Biotech Institute is already making strides towards adding a second income stream to our clan and I'm sure that we will host more companies in the future."

"That is very much possible, but for the time being, the Living Mech Corporation will continue to play an essential and outsized role to the Larkinsons for a long time to come. While it is still strictly a company that should solely be concerned about providing value to its shareholders, which in this case is essentially you, it is in itself a formidable institution in itself."

There were two vital aspects to the LMC. First was its ability to produce and sell a lot of mechs. The second was the ability to come up with new and innovative mech designs that served both the market and the Larkinson Army directly.

Ves had a guess where Shederin was taking this discussion. "You're referring to the Design Department."

"Of all of the people in our clan, no one possesses as much influence and power as you." The diplomat nodded. "In the greater scheme of things, your enduring prominence has also amplified the role and importance of the entire profession of mech designers in the clan. Unlike the Cross Clan where Patriarch Reginald Cross is able to suppress a Senior Mech Designer, such a notion would be unheard of in our clan. Even if one of our expert pilots breaks through to ace pilot one day, it is highly unlikely that this individual would be able to become the next patriarch."

Ves could read the implications of this statement. "The situation will become different if an expert designer gains prominence…"

He nodded. "Even if a talented mech designer such as Gloriana Wodin or Ketis Larkinson advanced to Master ahead of you, your position as patriarch won't necessarily be lost. However, it is undeniable that such a great mech designer will have an outsized influence over the rest of the clan. Their ability to design powerful mechs for the Larkinson Army, their immense earning potential and the ease in which they can earn MTA merits all means that they are qualified to set up their own organizations. In fact, it is traditional for Masters to do just that."

What Shederin alluded to was a potential future in which the Design Department might split up. This did not sound ideal to Ves, but once any mech designer advanced to Master, it would be very hard for Ves to keep them under control even if he was a Master himself.

The only reason why this hadn't happened yet at the Journeyman stage was because everyone needed each other to progress their design philosophies. There was a much greater incentive for collaboration than trying to go alone, but a day might come where the mech designers gained so much clout that they developed their own power bases.

However, now that Shederin pointed this out to Ves, he was no longer ignorant of what might happen and how he should address this issue.

"It's fine if our mech designers want to become more assertive." He said. "As a mech designer myself, I understand the need to develop a network of helpers and supporters. It is very difficult to advance a design philosophy when it has reached the Senior-level."

"This could easily grow into something more if you are not careful. Perhaps individuals such as your wife or your student will seek to gain more control over the clan itself. Just like you, they can gain the support of a portion of the stakeholders that we have already discussed in order to have their way."

This was already the case, in a sense. Juliet Stameros stood for the Penitent Sisters, but at the same time enjoyed their support as well. The relationship between Ketis and the Swordmaidens along with the large group of newly-joined Heavensworders was so tight that they could be considered a single entity in some cases!

"How would you deal with this issue?" Ves asked, as he had little idea himself beyond using his personal power to keep the others in check.

"Well, we do not have to do much. You have already given your fellow mech designers enough opportunities by implementing your so-called Exemplar Plan. By giving your most prominent mech designers a share of the profits earned by the LMC, they have a strong incentive to remain within the current system. This is especially the case if most of the profits are generated by you instead of anyone else."

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