The Mech Touch novel Chapter 5819

Chapter 5819 The End of the Grand Auction

5819 The End of the Grand Auction

Ves saw no reason to refuse the Zeta-65 Warp Interdictors.

Their real functions were just too good to pass up. In his previous expeditions, Ves and his expeditionary fleet made exciting discoveries.

Every hidden phase whale enclave was a potential treasure vault. Those long-lived aliens tended to accrue a lot of good stuff, and they always needed a good place to stash their hoard.

However, it was difficult for Ves to judge whether the potential gains his clan could make by utilizing the Zeta-65 Warp Interdictors could surpass the value of 5 percent of his company's shares.

Ves only had a limited amount of shares that he could afford to trade away like this. He needed to make every transaction count, and that made him hesitant on whether he should embrace this offer.

If his forces encountered a lot of bad luck and traveled to star systems that were devoid of phase whale enclaves, then the Zeta-65's clearly wouldn't be able to earn a satisfactory return on investment.

Not that it would deter him. The potential gains were just too great for him to pass off the opportunity to gain early access to this exclusive tech.

The fact that accepting this deal would also save him a lot of phasewater by skipping the usual rule concerning the procurement of phasewater technology also made a difference.

Ves hated the industry standard of charging double the amount of phasewater needed to construct anything transphasic. The main reason why so many companies got away with this exploitative rule was because no one among the competition wanted to start a price war.

That would mean that all of the regular clients who wanted to get their hands on the Zeta-65 Warp Interdictors would have to pay a massive price once they became available a decade later.

The largest and most powerful model was so resource-

intensive that it took 200 kilograms of phasewater just to produce a single copy!

Ves would rather command Lucky to conduct a manual carpet search rather than give the mechers 200 kilograms of phasewater for free!

After thinking over this decision a bit further, he eventually decided that it was worth it for him to make this gamble.

He had more confidence in his ability to leverage the Zeta-65's than anyone else. He had plenty of bags in his tricks that could synergize with these modules.

"I find your bid acceptable." He told the mechers who conveyed the Polymath's offer. "If there is no one else who can exceed your offer, then I would be happy to conclude this transaction."

The bidding continued, but it was clear that the momentum had turned against them. There were not many people who possessed the ability or the willingness to exceed an offer made by a Star Designer.

It did not make everyone give up. There were still hopefuls who wanted to secure their last chance of gaining a real stake in Ves' mech company.

It was a pity that none of the offers sounded particularly attractive to him. He had no real need for any further real estate. A couple of fleet carriers or other combat assets sounded largely redundant to him as his clan had just gained the capacity to produce its own starships!

Sure, it would take a lot of time and an even greater amount of funding to build up a sizable first-class fleet, but Ves would rather wait than get ripped off. His company's shares were worth way more than just a couple of fleet carriers.

Seeing that no one managed to come up with bids that gained greater appreciation from Ves, Orion Leeds finally ended the bidding.

"Sold! The gracious Polymath and the honorable Space Lock have become the latest shareholders of the Living Mech Corporation in exchange for granting the Larkinson Clan early access to their exclusive Zeta-65 Warp Interdictors. This concludes the final round of bidding and signifies the end of our grand auction. Estaban Leeds thanks you for your participation, and hope to see you again in our next scheduled auctions."

While the auctioneer wrapped up the event, Ves floated back to his private box. The gem cat hanging on his shoulder showed greater signs of impatience.

"Meow! Meow!"

"Be patient, Lucky! I know that the last phase of the grand auction dragged out a bit, but I haven't forgotten about your prize. It won't take long before we can finalize the easiest transactions."

When Ves returned to his friends and advisors, everyone looked rather impressed.

"The present estimated value of your Living Mech Corporation is much lower than the sum of offers you have received for the shares that you have exchanged." Jovy stated first. "The fact that you have made the likes of the Evolution Witch and the Polymath offer concessions of greater value is a testament of your present and future worth. Word about this grand auction will spread out. Those with the right connections will hear that multiple tier 1 galactic citizens have proactively decided to invest in you because they believe in your work."

Ves did not know how to feel about that.

Vector did not look so certain. "It is best to ask for input from the Evolution Witch before you go through with this decision." _{freёwebnoѵel.com}

That did not mean that there were no consequences. The Smokestack prince and the Inferno Spear Prince were so radically different that they had very different plans in mind!

"You may be right." Kelsey said in realization. "Although small, the last round of bidding bestows 0.5 percent of your mech company to the Spacelock. Do you understand what this means? The Smokestack Prince or anyone else who finally ascends to the throne will not dare to retaliate against you for failing to lend your support. You have already received the favor of the Destroyer of Worlds. Combined with this related development, you can already be regarded as an honorary Rubarthan! No, it can easily be argued that you are a Rubarthan in heart and soul due to your patrilineal ancestry!"

Ves almost sputtered when he heard that!

"Let's not go too far, Kelsey! When my ancestor left the New Rubarth Empire a long time ago, he and his family had nothing to do with his home state anymore. Don't forget that I have forged a lot of deals with the Terrans. I don't want to spoil these arrangements by joining the Rubarthan Pact."

"Ah, forgive me then. The Larkinson Clan does indeed benefit from maintaining a neutral position. However, that will only remain the case if a sufficient number of allies are willing to protect you and guarantee your independence. It is good that you count on the Rubarthans to come to your aid."

Ves wondered what all of the new shareholders intended to do with their latest gains.

Would they try to change the way the Living Mech Corporation operated, or would they just sit back and allow their influence to fade to the background?

There was not much that an individual shareholder could do, but they would gain significantly more sway if they set aside their differences and formed a united block.

Fortunately, Ves already accounted for this possibility. There were good reasons why Ves only traded away 25 percent of his mech company at most. He still retained an absolute majority of shares in the LMC, which meant he could still operate it like the company was his own fief.

The change that worried him the most was that all of the laws and regulations imposed by the Red Association granted several rights and privileges to the new shareholders.

Ves would just have to deal with this complication while also making sure to take advantage of his new ties to these powerful groups and figures.

All in all, Ves fulfilled all of his objectives and more today. The grand auction had been a huge success to him. All he needed to do after this was to digest his enormous gains.

It would take years if not decades for him to upgrade the Otalus Sprius and build up a first-class colony from scratch, but Ves could afford the wait.

The only concern right now was that all of these activities required enormous sums of money.

Short of taking a huge amount of loans, Ves needed to step up on his studies and finally begin to design his own first-class mechs.