The week-long tour deepened Ves' understanding of Terran space and culture.
Although the Terrans and the Devosans in particular weren't as wealthy or advanced as the mechers, the rulers of the New Constantinople System still possessed enough capital to make their superstate proud.
At least that was the case on the surface.
While the Devosans tried their best to project strength and class, Ves couldn't help but notice that he only got a cursory look at the local armed forces.
Even then, his tour guides only led him to the bases of the most elite and well-equipped mech unit stationed on the planet.
Perhaps Ves wouldn't have been able to notice these details if he possessed his old mindset, but now that he understood the greater truths, he became perceptive enough to spot the gaps.
The Devosans were highly perceptive and could analyze a lot from the behavior of their guests.
It was not difficult for the hosts to discover that the recently elevated tier 3 galactic citizen could not be fooled so easily.
This was why Master Laila Devos eventually invited Ves over to hold a brief but honest discussion at the end of the seventh day.
The two looked across the window of the floating restaurant. The city of Sandan remained bright and vibrant even as darkness settled in on this side of the planet.
"What do you think of our territory? Is your stay in the Terran Alliance to your liking?"
"The wealth and tech on display is impressive." Ves replied. "My second-class sensibilities can't help but take note of all of the extravagance around me. This is practically a small paradise in the Red Ocean. It is a pity that we live in the wrong time."
"What do you mean by that, professor?"
Ves waved his arm at the city before him. "While I am sure that your ancient clan has built up a lot of defenses, you could have done more to prepare this planet for war. So many valuable resources have been squandered to construct luxurious buildings. I understand that all of this attracts a lot of trade and commerce to this port system, but this will only form a greater attraction to the native aliens. If I was in your shoes, I would push to fortify and militarize this strategic star system as much as possible. Your ancient clan needs to go on a war footing."
The Master Mech Designer looked rueful. "Numerous people have voiced the same proposal, but it is not that simple for us to change tack. We are constrained by too many factors. These changes normally take place over years or decades. We are more concerned with upgrading and expanding our mech units."
In other words, there was not enough resources and political will to push through the difficult decisions needed to respond to the crisis.
Ves shook his head in disapproval. "The Age of Dawn is an age where warlords will become the dominant players of human society. It takes more than spending money to raise powerful enough mech units that can survive in an increasingly more hostile dwarf galaxy."
"I am aware. I have listened to your Frontier Wisdom lectures. We are open to other solutions."
This gave Ves to present a few proposals to test the willingness of the Devos Ancient Clan to do business with him and his clan.
It was not appropriate for Ves to offer a kinship network as this was a matter that the Terran Alliance preferred to address as a whole.
He couldn't offer anything related to companion spirits or the Carmine System because of the restrictions imposed by the Red Association.
That left Ves with few means to help the Devos Ancient Clan.
Nonetheless, he still possessed enough innovations to attract the Devosans.
Out of all of his suggestions, Master Laila indicated a bit of interest towards one of them in particular.
"Your training mechs have gained great appreciation in the middle zones." The woman spoke. "While the unclear principles of your MSTS is of significant concern to us, I do not believe we have the luxury to let our caution hinder our efforts to improve our forces. How well is your MSTS able to simulate first-class combat?"
"Quite well." Ves confidently replied. "The realism of my MSTS is unequaled. This is not an idle boast. Everyone who experienced it in person has said as much. While we have yet to give any first-class mechs access to the MSTS, it is not difficult to fully simulate the performance of any standard mech model in a short amount of time."
The Master Mech Designer nodded in appreciation. "We have already collected a large amount of information on your training mechs and the special training system that you have invented for them, but we will need more than that to make a major decision. If you can supply us with additional information that is relevant to us, it is not impossible for us to conclude a business deal within three months."
Ves was waiting for this! He understood the value of his MSTS quite well. If he handled this negotiation well enough, then the resulting deal may serve as the first proper anchor of the Larkinson Clan in the upper zones!
He had a short but fruitful talk with the Master Mech Designer after he transmitted an information package that he had already prepared in advance.
Even though Ves strongly believed in the benefits provided by his MSTS, he could not guarantee whether the Devosans would be willing to adopt it in the end.
That was not a problem. Ves still had other ways to be of service to the Devos Ancient Clan, and that was before he had completed his promotion to a first-class mech designer!
After he finally concluded his evening talk with Master Laila, he retired for the evening in order to get ready for the next day.
When Ves woke up the next morning, the atmosphere around him had changed.
The Devos Ancient Clan had its turn with Ves. Now was the time that the Streon Ancient Clan was allowed to approach him next.
Due to the unfortunate incident related to the Ouroboros, General Axelar Streon had become persona non grata on New Constantinople VIII.
The Devosans didn't dare to let him or his potentially uncontrollable ace mech approach the surface of one of their most important planets!
This forced Ves and the Streons to schedule their introductory meeting off-world.
Holding the meeting on the Tarrasque seemed obvious, but neither side wanted to talk on a warship that was under the complete control of the Red Association.
This was why Ves agreed to meet on a small and relatively neutral space station that the Streons had rented for a period of time.
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