The Mech Touch novel Chapter 3627

Chapter 3627 Arrival at Davute

The completion of another serious mech design project made Ves quite happy.

The end of the design round was in sight. With several other design projects scheduled to finish in the coming weeks, the Larkinson Clan's various mech legions all gained substantial new possibilities once they were able to put the new mech models into service.

"If only we can actually produce the damn new mechs." Ves muttered.

He had taken the time to inspect and survey his fleet's material stores. What he found was not good.

The fleet had salvaged, bought or picked up a lot of different goods over the years. The Graveyard was especially filled with debris and space junk that no one saw fit to make use of. While the materials were all valuable, the clan did not have a ready application for any of them at this time!

This not only included materials salvaged from broken mechs and starships, but also encompassed valuable exotics obtained from breaking down the most valuable portions of flesh of the Titania.

Ves was unsure what to do with all of these eclectic materials. He could sell them at Davute for a pretty nice premium, but that meant he would be parting with them forever. Some of those resources were extremely hard to come by. If the clan needed any of it at a future date, then it would be an uphill battle trying to find another batch!

However, the longer those useless resources kept piling up inside the cargo bays of the various ships, the less space the Larkinson fleet offered for other goods. What if they encountered a rich mineral deposit in their travels? It would be quite unbearable for the clan to dump its precious cargo so that they could make room for slightly more valuable cargo!

This was why Ves made a decision and passed on his instructions to Chief Minister Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson.

"Once we're in Davute, you need to consolidate our resource stockpiles. Aside from our vault and strategic material reserve, you have permission to empty any materials that are not useful to us and will most likely not play any role in the foreseeable future. We need to clear up space and fill them with something more useful, whether it is materials, spare parts or even packed mechs. Can you do this, Raymond?"

Raymond slowly nodded. "This is going to be a major endeavor. It will take time to select the materials that we wish to get rid of and sell them to willing buyers. We're fortunate that we have just arrived in the Davute System. This is a hotspot for frontier trade and practically any exotic materials will command a high premium here. The only challenge we face is to sell our unwanted materials for the highest possible price. Due to the inflated numbers in the regional market, there are many shrewd operators that have become proficient at driving down prices."

"Just do whatever is best. By the time we depart from this star system, I want our cargo holds clear of useless junk."

"The injection of funds can also play a useful role in facilitating our other objectives. Our chances of establishing a trade consortium is much higher if we are able to throw more money around."

Ves nodded in understanding. "That's true, but the spending has to make sense. There is no point in investing massive funds in the consortium only to obtain marginal benefits. The consortium is supposed to consist of many different members, so I don't want our clan to bear all of the costs."

"There are advantages to doing so, though. Money translates to ownership. The more we are responsible for funding the consortium, the more we can control the levers of power within it. You should seriously consider taking a more active hand."

"I'll think about it." Ves replied in a noncommittal tone.

Time continued to pass as Ves busied himself with various priorities.

He helped the other mech designers complete their design projects.

He met with Shederin to discuss their progress in establishing a trade consortium.

He spent time with his daughter in an attempt to make sure that 'papa' would be her first word.

There was plenty of work to do so Ves did not remain idle for long.

When the fleet finally entered orbit of Davute VII, the Golden Skull Alliance entered into a familiar routine and began to engage with local businesses.

Davute VII was not actually the most developed planet in the star system.

That honor went to Davute V, where a lot of heavy industries were based. Its surface was already dotted with dozens of large cities that revolved entirely around their massive production plants.

A lot of ores and raw materials were shipped to the planet in order to refine them and supply them to other factories that produced essential goods to various parties. Mechs, starship parts and infrastructural goods were being produced in vast quantities before they were sold and exported to the various colonies in the Krakatoa Middle Zone.

It was too bad that access to Davute V was restricted. Only residents and those involved in local shipping and production were allowed to set foot on the planet.

Much of the trade took place on Davute VII. There wasn't as much industry on the planet, but it held a lot more warehouses, trade centers and entertainment facilities. The planet also hosted a large and growing service industry.

If the trade consortium that the Larkinsons were working on truly lifted off, it would likely set up its headquarters on Davute VII.

Honestly speaking, Ves didn't like that at all, but Minister Shederin was quite adamant about setting up a permanent location.

"Our trade consortium cannot be based in our fleet." He told him during a meeting. "To put it into simple terms, it has to be a 'clubhouse' that is open, welcome and accessible to any member. Putting it in a fixed location and particularly on a planet that already stands out as a trade nexus is much better for everyone involved."

Shederin's logic was sound, but Ves still grew concerned about it. Setting up the headquarters in Davute meant that his clan would probably have to staff it with a few clansmen!

The balance of power in the consortium should never be slanted towards a single other player. Inviting a more powerful organization would be akin to inviting a wolf into a chicken coop! _{fɾēewebnσveℓ.com}

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