The Mech Touch novel Chapter 4671

Though there was much about the Boojay Family that Ves liked, he did not embrace them right away.

Every group came with its fair share of problems and complications. The Aidelaide Third Fleet had its flaws and the Boojay Family should be no exception.

When Ves asked his two advisors to list the possible downsides to letting the Boojay Family join the Golden Skull Alliance, he received plenty of points of concern.

Calabast started first by explaining the conclusion she had drawn from analyzing the behavioral patterns of the current subject.

"The Boojays are clearly uncomfortable with the life of a pioneer. They are unaccustomed to the high degree of uncertainty, the fast-changing environment, the frequent and ubiquitous conflicts and the lack of territory to fall back upon. What they seek from the Golden Skull Alliance is an easy ride to success, and not necessarily a life of hardship. They won't take losses well."

That sounded like a potential problem down the road, but it was one that Ves was willing to deal with in exchange for strengthening the expeditionary fleet.

"What else?"

"The Boojay Family may be slow to grow over time." Minister Shederin mentioned to him. "Think about how fast our alliance has grown since its founding. Our Larkinson Clan and our allied Cross Clan have opened up our doors and relied heavily on recruitment to facilitate our rapid growth and expansion. The Glory Seekers meanwhile rely on steady reinforcements from the Hex Federation to fuel their own growth. The Boojay Family on the other hand has always remained closed to outsiders. It has relied on the reproduction of its own members as the sole source of its manpower for many centuries."

That indeed sounded like a potential problem, especially when the Golden Skull Alliance was able to maintain its astonishing growth rate in the coming decades.

"What if we can change that?" Ves proposed. "We managed to convince the Cross Clan to change its ways after we granted them a spiritual network of their own that can quickly assimilate and imbue loyalty to large numbers of new recruits."

Minister Shederin's expression became skeptical. "It is highly unlikely that the Boojay Family will change its ways so easily. You have to remember that the Cross Clan at the time was at its lowest point. It had lost many of its long-standing leaders, including Lord Hemmington Cross. Patriarch Reginald Cross is not an effective administrator and likely did not understand the full repercussions of adopting a part of our unique tech. The leaders of the Boojay Family are not so easily fooled or persuaded. Their decision-making process has always leaned towards restraint."

Ves furrowed his brows. This could indeed lead to a greater problem down the line.

"In other words, the Boojays would rather get left out than to take a serious risk that could lead to great profits, is that right?"

"It is not impossible for organizations to change, sir. The most effective way for old, established groups with highly centralized leadership structures to make a radical course change is to initiate a change at the top. However, that is unlikely to happen in the current state of the Boojay Family."

"Calabast?"

"Why are you asking me, Ves? Are you fantasizing about initiating a coup on a future ally? Don't think about it. Not only will it cross a line, it is highly unlikely to succeed. From the intelligence I have gathered, the Boojays are incredibly hierarchical. The younger generations that possess more flexible minds don't have close to the experience, knowledge and seniority they need to take over leadership."

Ves looked at the spymaster with an expression that conveyed his lack of amusement.

"I was not asking for that. I wanted to hear your input about other problems concerning the Boojays. Your Black Cats have dug into their history, right? What skeletons are they hiding in their closet?"

The spymaster smiled. "Surprisingly, not that much. Don't get me wrong. A family that has been around during the Age of Conquest has definitely experienced its fair share of controversies. The thing is that the Boojays are so boring and cautious most of the time that they hardly do anything outrageous, and even their lowest acts are fairly tame compared to what we are accustomed to. The best way to describe it is that they have plenty of skeletons in their closet, but they all come from animals instead of humans."

"I see."

"It is one of the reasons why the Boojay Family successfully survived to this point." Minister Shederin approvingly said. "Certainly, an unwillingness to take risks may have caused it to stagnate, but its continuity will always remain secure unless a drastic external factor comes into play."

That could be both good and bad depending on the circumstances.

Shederin and Calabast provided a few more stories to Ves, but none of them sounded particularly important. The Boojay Family experienced little drama over the centuries as it had always maintained a well-structured hierarchy and a clear line of succession. Every member of the Boojay Family knew his or her place and there were clear paths to promotion for them as long as they were willing to invest many decades of their life to a specific vocation.

Ves asked one more question about the Boojays.

"How does this family earn its keep these days? You told me earlier that it sold all of its previous holdings in the old galaxy. Have they built any industries in the Red Ocean?"

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify