The Mech Touch novel Chapter 3586

Chapter 3586 Business in the Red Ocean

The Larkinsons all had the opportunity to rotate to the surface of Pellysa III to get a taste of frontier life.

Whereas Chance Bay was expensive, refined and filled with high technology, Pejana was practically the opposite.

Sure, there were certain structures and facilities that exhibited impressive tech that was far beyond the reach of average pioneers, but the overwhelming part of the city was still made out of cheap alloy prefab structures.

Another trait that caused Pejana to stand out was the obvious defensive works.

Whereas the defenses of Chance Bay were mostly invisible in order to avoid disturbing its peaceful and prosperous aesthetics, Pejana's defenses were considerably more ostentatious.

Turrets, bunkers, tunnel networks, depots and more were strewn throughout the urban landscape. Though the architects made sure that they did not stand out too much from the civilian structures, they were definitely noticeable to those who were sensitive to security.

The THZ Consortium was hardly the only organization looking to dominate trade in the Magair Middle Zone. Competition was harsh and it was not uncommon to hear about attacks on large trade systems by jealous rivals.

Aside from that, alien raiders also posed a threat. Though rare in these parts, errant alien fleets did show up on occasion and attacked the colonies that had been built on top of their ancestral planets.

Even if these alien fleets were quickly hunted down and eliminated, it did not stop the nunsers, puelmers and other alien races from exacting revenge at any cost.

These incidents showed that the aliens were taking the invasion of the Red Ocean pretty badly. Plenty of alien leaders who saw their home planets, star nations and people being overrun en masse went crazy and irrationally sought to reciprocate the cruelty that had been dealt to their civilizations.

They would have been better off if they consolidated all of their forces and either formed a united front or fled the Red Ocean entirely.

Yet instead of doing their best to preserve their remaining assets and numbers, a lot of individual alien leaders either sought to conduct guerilla warfare or plainly wanted to go out in a last blaze of glory for whatever reason.

This was why the people who lived in the Pellysa System never fully relaxed. There were so many different threats in the new frontier that the people here needed to be on guard and have their weapons close at hand at all times.

"It's a different life." Ves remarked as he looked out of the window of the hotel that the Larkinson Clan had reserved in its entirety. "Pellysa isn't even situated that deep in the frontier but the culture and attitudes here are already different."

The people in Vulit were much more relaxed. With the Big Two watching over everyone, no one had any fear about getting wiped out. As long as they had money or belonged to the organization, they could enjoy life in the Red Ocean just like they did in the old galaxy.

Ves felt fairly torn about this to be honest. He knew that he would do fine in a safe and protected environment, but if he wanted to bring the best out of his design philosophy, he needed to get out of his comfort zone and explore new sights.

That said, he wasn't in a hurry to reach the frontlines of the ongoing invasion. The zones where the Big Two had just taken from the aliens were still too fresh and filled with plenty of hazards. Only the strongest and most daring pioneers explored these areas first.

Though the bounties they harvested from the fresh and smoldering ruins often made many of them rich overnight, their survival rate was anything but high!

Given the current strength of the Golden Skull Alliance, it was better if it made up the latter waves of scavengers and explorers.

Even if most of the truly valuable substances such as phasewater and high-grade exotics had fallen into the hands of those that came before, there should be just enough treasures left to make the trip worthwhile.

What Ves was really looking for was remnants of alien culture and society. Just as with the luminars, he hoped to stumble on tech or methods that synergized well with his design philosophy.

"In fact, it would be best if I can stumble upon an intact alien settlement!"

The chances of stumbling upon them was rare because the Big Two always paid bounties to pioneers who wiped them out. Still, if the expeditionary fleet moved forward enough, there was always a chance of encountering one in small and obscure star systems.

"Bwa…. guuuawaawaaaaaaaa…. WAAAAAA.. WAAAAAHH!"

"There, there, Aurelia. Don't cry. Mommy's here. Are you hungry? I have your nutrient solution ready for you. Shh shh shhh."

Ves turned and smiled as he drank in the sight. Marrying someone and having a kid had also played a role in his decision to exercise a bit of restraint.

Though he simply couldn't give up on his ambitions, he increasingly took his daughter and his future children into account when he made important decisions.

This was why he was contemplating an intriguing business offer at the moment.

Though Ves remained committed to his decision to not allow the Larkinson Clan to establish a permanent presence on any planet, there were ways to get around this restriction.

For example, a local manufacturer offered to produce and sell the Larkinson Clan's mechs. Though the business deal wasn't large in scope, it represented a new beginning.

So far, the Living Mech Corporation practically conducted no business in the Red Ocean. What activities it performed were mostly directed towards their legacy operations back in the old galaxy. The company also handled and coordinated a portion of the logistics of the Larkinson Army.

Chief Minister Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson had never failed to remind Ves that the LMC was becoming increasingly more marginal the longer this went on. The Red Ocean should be the mech company's new focal point, but the current plan made it difficult for the company to get its footing in the local market.

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