The Mech Touch novel Chapter 5259

Chapter 5259 Better Nature

When Ves ended his call to the council of matriarchs, he let out an exhausted breath.

"This talk was way more stressful than it should." He said. "It's kind of funny as we haven't managed to agree on anything solid during the entire discussion."

Minister Shederin Purnesse had actually been listening in all of this time. He merely remained out of sight and only gave directions and advice in a discreet manner.

"The reason for that was because you did not want to upset the matriarchs or cause any unnecessary offense." The old man pointed out. "You comported yourself well in front of the effective leaders of the Hexer state. You are becoming more proficient in communicating with heads of states and other powerful figures. You not only let yourself become affected by their halo of authority, but also managed to stand your ground despite their insistence on making a deal with you and your clan."

Ves snorted. "Well, I am not about to let them warp my clan into an unholy fusion with the Wodin Dynasty. That is one of the most awful suggestions that I have heard. I cannot even begin to understand why they thought I would actually agree to such a proposal. I would have thought that they proposed the Wodin Dynasty to become a vassal to my clan instead. That would have been a much more palatable suggestion."

The foreign minister shook his head in disappointment.

"The matriarchs have badly miscalculated. While their attempts at diplomacy are encouraging, it is clear that they are still too far behind. They lack too much understanding of your needs and your circumstances and they overestimate the value of their offers to an egregious degree. Their greatest mistake was to hold talks with you directly. They have dedicated diplomats in their employ that have made considerably greater progress in mastering their craft. Still, given their demands, 1 do not think that much can be accomplished so long as the Hexers refuse to recognize reality."

The power balance between the Larkinson Clan and the Hex Federation had completely flipped by this time.

Ves always knew it had only been a matter of time before this happened, but even he was surprised by how quickly he completed this transition.

The speed of this development took everyone by surprise. It wasn't that much of a surprise to see that the Hexers were still stuck in the past on this matter.

"I am not opposed to giving the Hexers a hand." Ves said. "The fact remains that they are still the strongest and most fanatic supporters of the Superior Mother. I want them to do well, but I am already burdened with the need to uplift my clansmen into first-raters. I don't have the capacity to extend my charity to others. That is why I suggested the Hexers fight for their own gains by relying on the New Elites Program."

"That was a fine suggestion, sir. The Hexers won't be able to refute this argument so easily considering that they have always held the assumption that their armed forces are superior in strength. It is painful and almost impossible for them to admit weakness in this area."

Denial of reality was a greater fault than actual weakness. At least the latter could drive people to work hard to address this inadequacy.

Ves was a good example of that. He hated his own weakness and lack of agency so much that he had pushed himself to the limit many times in order to get to this point!

"So what do we do with the Hexers?"

"That is up to you, Ves. I do not recommend that we deepen our cooperation with them any further. The Hexers cannot provide us with any significant benefits that we value. Control over a second-class star system is a needless burden to you and additional armed forces are superfluous considering that you are permanently being shadowed by an RA escort fleet. The only manner in which the Hexers can provide actual value to us is if they agree to become our subjects, either in part or in their entirety."

Both of them knew that this would never happen. The Hexers were just too damn prideful and immersed in their own delusions.

"Well, at least we said no in a way that preserves our current relationship with them. I think." Ves remarked. "While I personally don't need their help anymore, it is still useful to have them cover our backs while the bulk of my clan remains second-class. Maintaining ties at the current level also keeps my wife happy."

His wife would probably have words for him once she learned that his talks with the Hexers had resulted in no gains.

"You do not need to concern yourself with the Hexers any further, sir. Our ministry will take it from here. 1 think we can partially placate them by agreeing to conduct minor exchanges and to continue working together with the Glory Seekers. We can still offer numerous benefits to the Hexers without committing ourselves to any unnecessary entanglements. If the Hex Federation succeeds in making solid gains in the upcoming deep strike operations, then we can always reconsider our stance."

Ves nodded in agreement. "Let's do that, then. Now that we have handled the Hexers, who is next?"

"The Fridaymen."

"Pardon?"

Minister Shederin chuckled. "Why do you look so surprised? Your star is rising. Your influence is growing. It is becoming increasingly less comfortable to maintain an antagonistic relationship with you and your clan. I am not certain what the Fridaymen have heard, but if we assume they have better information channels, then they should definitely understand that opposing you increasingly resembles suicide."

That sounded a bit exaggerated, but Ves most definitely wasn't in a forgiving mood towards the Fridaymen.

"What do they want, Shederin?"

"The Fridaymen are much more grounded in reality compared to the Hexers. Their diplomacy is considerably more advanced as well. They are fully capable of bending their heads and finding an earnest way to reconcile with a former enemy if the need is great enough. They will seek to melt hostilities by giving you enough concessions to agree to their proposal. It is not a secret that you are susceptible to bribes."

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