The Mech Touch

While there were plenty of people who did not hesitate to sell out to investors for a quick and generous infusion of cash, there were also kinds of entrepreneurs who abhorred any foreign control over their own business empires. They usually thought that they could achieve success without outside assistance as long as they put enough time and effort into their jobs.

"Sometimes, they're right, but most of the time they would have been a lot better off if they just accepted the damn help."

Ves leaned back in his chair as he read the report projected by his desk terminal.

He wasn't satisfied with the potential business deal that Minister Shederin Purnesse had negotiated with Zachren Bilitsa.

While the Pellysa branch of the industrial manufacturing company showed interest in working together with the Larkinson Clan, it refused to commit a lot of production capacity to Ves' products.

It remained to be seen whether a slightly updated incarnation of the Ferocious Piranha would catch on in the mech market. Its suppressive glow was highly novel, but the actual performance of the light mech moderately fell behind other competing models at its price range.

What Ves felt most exasperated about was that Zachren Bilitsa did not ascribe a lot of value to the Ferocious Piranha's more invisible and less definable traits.

The mech's growth potential and adaptability towards its mech pilots could not be translated in hard numbers. What was worse was that Zachren's test pilots could never fully experience the range of benefits of living mechs when they only tested it out for a few hours at most. They needed to pilot the same mechs for months in order to appreciate how well their machines molded to their particular personalities and piloting style!

Because of the inability of Zachren to appreciate the full range of features of the Ferocious Piranha model, its negotiators sought to lower the share of profits owed to the Living Mech Corporation as well as extract other concessions.

Ves and Shederin were both suspicious at Zachren's conduct, especially after its people initially showed a lot more enthusiasm.

"These guys may be in a desperate situation at the moment, but they can't shed their nature as businessmen. There's no way they're going to let go of an opportunity to earn back some extra money!"

They were using the presumption that the Ferocious Piranha was not an excellent mech design to drive a harder bargain!

Due to Zachren's tougher stance, the negotiations slowed down. According to Shederin, both sides were spending a lot of time on theatrics such as shouting in each other's faces or pounding their fists against the table.

To Ves, it was all a waste of time. The lawyers on both sides only needed a few hours to hammer out a contract for a relatively simple licensing deal. They could avoid a lot of time-consuming arguments if they just met each other halfway on every point.

"That is not what is happening, though." Ves frowned.

Instead, for the sake of increasing income by 0.5 percent or something, Zachren didn't mind straining the negotiations until they were close to breaking point!

It was difficult to decide whether the Larkinsons should give in or not. If the clan gave up ground too easily, then it would inadvertently show that its negotiating power wasn't strong. This would give Zachren more ammunition to ask for benefits.

This was why Minister Shederin opted to his stance by remaining unyielding over time. The clan needed to be patient in order to prove its willingness to close a business deal but not at the cost of too many concessions.

"Why must everything be so tedious!"

All of this dancing around was so inefficient and time-consuming that Ves thought it was better if the negotiators were replaced by bots. The two sides would likely be able to settle the terms of the contract within a single microsecond!

Still, however long it took, once it became official, the Living Mech Corporation would finally be able to build up a presence in the Red Ocean mech market!

As Ves thought about what kind of follow-up actions he should undertake in order to facilitate his mech company's expansion, he suddenly received another call.

His personal assistant brought word of another unannounced visit.

"Boss? Mr. Cefigo Barach is back, but he's not alone. He brought an older gentleman with him. Master Artisan Sivare Coriten Barach wishes to discuss a possibility to cooperate with our clan. Should I let him in or have him wait outside?"

"Is he empowered to speak on behalf of his house, Benny?"

"He says that his word carries a lot of weight among his fellow Barachs, but he is not the sole decision maker of his house. A committee of master artisans decide by vote."

"I see."

That was a familiar governing model to Ves. It suited the House of Barach because the split authority meant that it was unlikely for any single leader to steer the tradition-bound family organization in the wrong direction. A committee that consisted of the oldest and most set-in-the-ways fogeys ensured that the house would always remain stuck in its own inertia!

Ves guessed that Sivare Cortison Barach probably knew that the rest of the committee would reject any form of cooperation with the Larkinson Clan, so the respected craftsman did not come as an official representative of his house.

He came in a personal capacity just like junior Cefigo.

This was not what Ves wanted. If the House of Barach was truly willing to cooperate with the Larkinson Clan, then Master Artisan Sivare should not approach him in this manner!

Ves contemplated whether he should turn the man away, but he figured that he might as well hear the skilled craftsman out. He still had a decent amount of time on his hands.

"Let the Barachs in." He told his assistant. "Call Minister Shederin over if he's available. I have a feeling we might need his presence."

Soon enough, a familiar younger man accompanied a much older man inside the office.

The two possessed clear family relations. Their skin tones and faces looked the same, but the older man's hair had gracefully turned gray.

Through his implant, Ves quickly called up the record of the master artisan and noticed that he was 130 years old.

That was a pretty respectable age. Most second-class citizens with respectable accomplishments were able to obtain the first round of life-prolonging treatment. Sivare looked like he already went through it given his relatively smooth skin and strong vibrancy.

This was an artisan who was not at the end of his career.

"Please be seated, master." Ves politely gestured in front of his desk.

Even though master craftsmen weren't as special as Master Mech Designers, they still deserved a lot of courtesy. Each of them passed the universal standards set by the official trade association of their respective professions.

Without these trade associations, creators such as gunsmiths, painters, instrument makers and more would all call themselves masters without good reason!

This was why Ves was more than willing to show deference to Master Sivare. His rank was truly meaningful considering only a tiny fraction of tailors such as himself were able to become recognized as masters!

The two Barachs stepped forward. The office had automatically raised two identical chairs from the floor.

Only the older man sat down this time. Cefigo assumed the posture of a servant and stood at his elder's side.

"Patriarch Larkinson, please allow me to introduce Master Artisan Sivare Coriten Barach. He is both my mentor and my grandfather. He excels in tailoring but he is also proficient in a dozen other traditional Barach crafts such as shoemaking and architecture. He is also a member of our Master Committee."

Master Sivare exuded a sense of grace, wisdom and elegance that reminded Ves of Minister Shederin.

Unlike Shederin, Sivare embodied the charm of a high-class individual as if he was an existence of a higher level. The master artisan's demeanor came across as arrogant because of that, though Ves had the sense that the man did not set out to offend anyone.

The master artisan's finely cut and tailored suit also increased his gravitas. Though Ves couldn't describe it, something about the way the man was dressed made him come across as the ultimate gentleman. The subtle patterns on the man's beige-colored suit along with the touch of navy and more colorful tones exuded the right amount of formality but also added a touch of personal flair.

Ves already felt out-classed by the impeccably-dressed man. Even the master artisan's shoes were on another level! Its subtle flame-like gradients in dark burgundy and black along with the reverse stitching and custom medallion perforation pattern added a lot of personality to what should have been ordinary business footwear.

"Well, you should know who I am. What brings the two of you to my office, today?"

Master Sivare finally began to speak. "My grandson here has regaled me with tales of a special hammer of yours. Though his claims are difficult to believe, his work and his sudden improvement lend credence to his words. Although I am not eager to reach out to any third party for help, the possibilities you present are too compelling for me to dismiss out of hand. I owe it to Cefigo to verify the effects of your mysterious hammer before I make any further decisions."

"You want to try out my hammer?"

"Yes." Master Sivare plainly answered. "I do not wish to imply that my grandson is wrong or that you have misrepresented your capabilities, but a single incident is not enough to form the basis of decisions that will have massive implications to the House of Barach and its members. I hope you understand our caution."

Ves responded with a friendly smile. "Of course. Your prudence is fully justified. I'm not in the habit of giving away too many freebies, though. I gave your grandson an opportunity to experience my hammer because I felt generous back then, but that does not mean I am willing to run a charity for craftsmen. What can you offer that will convince me to provide you with a demonstration?"

The master artisan seemed to have expected this inquiry. He looked towards Cefigo. "Bring out the sketch."

The younger man reached into his jacket and pulled out an old-fashioned paper drawing.

Ves' opinion of the Barachs dropped even further. Who the hell worked with something as inefficient and imprecise as paper drawings in this day and age? The master artisan might as well use a stick to draw lines on mud if he wanted to respect ancient traditions!

Cefigo slowly stepped forward and placed the sheets of paper on the desk. Lucky sniffed it for a brief moment before declaring them to be safe.

"Meow."

"What's this?" Ves asked as he picked up the top drawing. "Is this… a crown?"

Master Sivare nodded. "Indeed. According to my research, your clan is centered around your identity as a strong leader. While you have proven through your deeds that you are capable and worthy to lead your people, you do not make use of all of the available means to enhance your authority. Given your preeminent status within your clan, it is appropriate for you to wear a crown or suitable headwear. A crown not only completes your ceremonial ensemble, but also adds height and gravitas to your appearance. If you find that crowns are too… ostentatious, then you can opt to wear a felt or fur hat."

In other words, the master artisan thought that Ves needed to wear a crown or at least a hat.

"Interesting."

Ves took a look at the designs that Master Sivare had exquisitely sketched on the paper sheets. Each of them displayed several different forms of crowns and hats that all looked great and harmonious when put on his head.

Under ordinary circumstances, he might be attracted to these designs. Unfortunately, the master artisan had made one big mistake.

"I don't need your help to make a crown." He said as dropped the papers on his desk.