The Mech Touch novel Chapter 4686

Ves did not like what he heard from Calsie.

When he initially founded the Open Consortium, the Larkinson Clan was still a small player in Davute. It was hard to get any company and material supplier to take the Larkinsons seriously.

Much of that had changed. The reputation of the clan had grown so much that the Larkinsons may have become among the most famous and renowned groups associated with Davute!

That along with years of rapid growth had improved the business circumstances of the various companies and institutions of the Larkinson Clan.

That said, the Open Consortium still played an immensely useful role to the Larkinson Clan and especially the Davute Branch.

Calsie made a good case for why the Open Consortium should not only continue to exist even after its original purpose became redundant, but also expand its membership so that it could increase its weight in Davute!

Although her proposals all made sense, the problem was that it made the Open Consortium and by extension the Larkinson Clan a more integral part of Davute's industrial economy!

This was yet another important contributing factor why the colonial administration paid so much attention to the Larkinsons these days.

He did not immediately respond to her proposals, but instead held out his hand. "Give me the Open Book. I want to take a look at it and see how it has grown."

"Ah, certainly. Here you go, sir."

Calsie had been attentive enough to bring the relic that has made the Open Consortium so successful.

Modeled after the Larkinson Mandate, the Open Book was a silver ancestral heirloom that contained the written contracts and commitments of all of the members of the trade consortium.

Presided over by the Solemn Guardian, every signee of the contract received constant encouragement to abide by the terms of the organization and never double-cross its members!

With the swelling of the membership ranks of the Open Consortium, the Open Book had grown a lot more powerful as of late.

Ves could feel how the hopes and good intentions of most of the signees had positively affected the development of this living artifact.

As he opened the book and browsed through his pages, he noticed that the earlier ones were occasionally crossed out, but that it stopped taking place the further he went.

"How many members have left the Open Consortium since its founding?" He asked.

"Dozens." Calsie replied. "Some members have clearly entered our consortium in order to get over a rough patch. Once they have reached a healthier state, they no longer want to meet the obligations of our organizations, so they eventually submit applications to leave our organization. Luckily, they have also done so in an orderly manner. There were only a few times where we had to strike a member off the book because they had become bankrupt. Lately, neither of these two events have happened because we are only taking in successful and promising companies."

Ves hummed and nodded. "How often have disputes arisen between the members?"

"Not often." She said. "It happens a few times every year, but everyone is remarkably honest towards each other. Much of that has to do with the Open Book, but the companies are also increasingly more afraid of getting on the bad side of our clan. Compared to a year ago, our deterrence has doubled if not tripled."

"I see."

Even though the Open Consortium was no longer entirely aligned with his goals, its operating model was still a smashing success. It was too useful for Ves to get rid of, and that made him feel a bit mixed.

"Sir, about our expansion…"

"Stop." Ves raised his palm. "I have my own ideas, Calsie. Let's not rock the boat too much. I think we have been focusing too much on quantity in the past few years. That has been useful to us, but I think it is time to elevate the quality of the Open Consortium. I don't mind if its membership numbers decrease as long as the participating companies become more useful to us. Let's focus more on building a support network rather than an empire, alright?"

"I see…" Calsie replied.

She couldn't hold in her disappointment. Her importance was tied to the size and significance of her organization. If the Open Consortium could no longer expand any further, she would remain stuck without making any further progress.

However, this wasn't all that Ves had in store.

"Calsie, all of the members of the Open Consortium are based in Davute, correct?"

"Ah, yes." She said. "There are a number of exceptions, but the rule that states that every company must send their effective leader to sign the Open Book makes it difficult for organizations based in other zones to join us. Besides, the Open Consortium's main business network is based almost entirely in this region. It is not so useful for companies who are entirely based in other zones such as Magair to randomly become a member."

Setting up the regional consortium in the Hex Federation was anything but ideal, but the Hexers would probably complain if Ves chose a different location. _{freewёbnoνel.com}

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