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As for the greater scheme that Davute had in mind, Ves was not afraid of any follow-ups.

The Larkinson Clan maintained the upper hand in its negotiations with Davute. As long as this remained the case, the latter always had to pay a premium in order to secure the cooperation of the former.

The need to keep Ves happy and cooperative enough to supply his powerful mech designs ensured that any follow-up offer would be tailored to his likes and dislikes.

At most, he and his clan needed to swallow a few bitter pills in order to gain a lot of sweetness at the end.

As Ves and Shederin sat down at their respective seats, Lucky landed on the table and vigilantly observed the other two seated dignitaries.

Prospective President Yenames Clive looked as confident and charming as ever. His chief of staff maintained her usual expressionless demeanor.

Both of them looked as if they expected the meeting to go in their favor. Ves became more and more curious to hear what the Davutans had in store.

"Now that we have given you time to deliberate on our offer, what is your answer?" Reina Kernsk started the meeting again by asking this question.

"Our clan is receptive to your offer." Minister Shederin politely replied. "We are agreeable to fulfill the amount of commissions that you have requested so long as you go through with providing us with the stated quantity of capital ships and sub-capital ships. Our lawyers and technical consultants will need to go over the minutiae and technical specifications of the agreement to gain enough assurances that the trade remains sufficiently equitable by our standards."

Madame Kernsk nodded. "Agreed. Our team is already standing by to assuage your concerns and provide you with greater certainty. We shall not give you any cause to doubt our credibility. We will publicize a summary of our agreement and sign the contract under the witness and guarantee of the MTA. While it may be difficult to appropriate the necessary shipyard capacity required to fulfill your orders in the near future, we are prepared to demonstrate how much we hold you in our favor."

These were flattering words, but that made Ves more suspicious about any follow-up traps.

Calabast was right. There was no way that Davute would settle for such a costly deal. A lot of stakeholders who paid the price for this extravagance would probably torch Yenames Clive if they learned the truth!

At worst, Yenames Clive may even lose the support he needed to become the founding leader of the upcoming colonial state!

This made Ves respect the ambitious statesman even more. Yenames Clive acted differently than those cowards who only issued orders from the rear and always let their peons pay the price for their mistakes.

By traveling to the Cat Nest in person and pushing for an initial deal that sounded exceedingly costly for Davute, he boldly risked his own career prospects in order to do what he thought was right for his colony!

Yenames Clive used his actions to prove that he possessed the determination and commitment to earn the right to become Davute's highest leader!

The heir to the Clive Consortium reminded Ves a lot of himself. That was both good and bad.

As the two sides just came to a preliminary consensus on the initial exchange, Ves wondered when the other shoe would drop.

Yenames Clive finally unfolded his greater intentions by speaking up for the first time since they reconvened the meeting.

"We are pleased to learn that your Larkinson Clan is willing to engage with our administration to a greater degree." The man spoke with a hopeful expression. "You have shown with your reaction to our offer that we are right to extend our trust to your clan. To that end, we would like to invite you to make a more significant investment in our Davute Project. We are ready to give you a rare opportunity to become a partial owner of our colonial state. All we ask is that you stake more than technical support or normal business activities."

This was the big moment. Ves straightened his back a bit more as he waited for the plot to unfold.

"We have already contributed substantially to Davute's popularity and economic prosperity." Minister Shederin stated.

"We are not criticizing your clan, nor claiming that we are disappointed in you." Yenames Clive gently responded. "We are already content with everything that you have done. I am only observing a possibility in which we can consider a deeper cooperation, one that requires greater commitment but will stand to give us greater gains. I am proposing to forge a partnership between us that can not only give us a substantially greater chance of winning the war on the horizon, but also burnish the reputation of your clan and turn it into one of the stalwarts of our colonial state."

Ves widened his eyes. "Wait… are you asking our clan to take direct part in the fighting that will ensue when Davute and Karlach go to war? I have to inform you that we have no desire to commit to this degree. We are already on track to resume our Trailblazer Expedition and explore the frontier yet again."

His words did not deter the prospective president.

"We are aware of your proclivities, but what we are about to propose will not materially affect your core interests nor the viability of your expeditions." Yenames Clive said. "We have learned that your Golden Skull Alliance is currently in talks with the Adelaide Third Fleet and the Boojay Family. Both of them have powerful fleets. Each can contribute the strength of an entire mech division, numerous expert mechs and a single ace mech each. Think about how many powerful assets your main expeditionary fleet will have at its disposal."

If both the Adelaides and the Boojays agreed to join the Golden Skull Alliance, then the expeditionary fleet at its height could easily bring 30,000 standard mechs, over two-dozen expert mechs and three whopping ace mechs to bear at once!

That was an amazingly powerful mech army — especially at the top end — that many states wished they could harness for themselves!

Such an incredible high-end force concentration could no longer be described as an ordinary pioneering or expeditionary fleet.

It was a straightforward warfleet, one that became qualified to fight in greater battles that could materially affect the balance of power in the Red Ocean!

As Ves thought about how much combat power that he could gain in his expeditions, President Yenames Clive continued to build his case.

"Let me ask you a question, Patriarch Larkinson. How many mechs and ace mechs do you truly need to bring on your expedition? Given your Golden Skull Alliance's past records, you can already make do with less. If your force composition has expanded by the full might of the Adelaide Third Fleet and the Boojay Family, is it truly essential for you to form a bloated armada that is watched over by not one, but three ace mechs?"

"It is not necessary." Ves admitted. "That doesn't mean it is unwise to concentrate our forces to this degree. There is no such thing as overkill in the new frontier. Sure, most of the opponents we will encounter in our expeditions will seem woefully weak to our forces, but we will also have a greater guarantee of coming back alive at the end. That is precious in itself."

"Is this truly what all of the soldiers of your Golden Skull Alliance aspire to take part in?" Yenames Clive asked.

Ves began to frown. "You speak as if you know their opinions better than myself."

"I do not claim to understand your clansmen any better, but when my men have approached them in order to investigate their willingness to fight for Davute, we have discovered that they are attracted by the alternative that we are offering."

"What do you mean?"

Yenames Clive subtly gave off a more assured demeanor. It looked as if he was just about to checkmate Ves!

"Let me begin by announcing to you that our administration has reached a preliminary understanding with the Cross Clan. Our representatives have recently concluded a highly productive discussion with Patriarch Reginald Cross. Your fellow clan leader has expressed so much enthusiasm at the prospect of dueling the ace pilots fighting on behalf of Karlach that he has promised to commit two of his clan's mech regiments to the war cause. It goes without saying that your fellow patriarch in the Cross Clan will lead this task force in person."

What?!

That gloryhound Reginald actually decided to throw himself in this war on his own without telling his buddies?!

Ves wanted to groan and palm his face. He was 99 percent certain that Patriarch Reginald already said yes in the first five minutes of receiving this offer!

In hindsight, it should have been obvious that Davute would target Patriarch Reginald with a targeted offer. The ace pilot was so painfully easy to understand and manipulate that he was a living example of why high-ranking mech pilots often turned out to be poor civil leaders!

"Did you manage to rope in the Glory Seekers as well?" Ves bitterly asked as he did not bother to hide his displeasure.

President Yenames Clive shook his head. "We judged our chances of success to be too low. The Glory Seekers do not have the numbers to spare on this additional venture. The Hex Federation that they are dependent upon has a greater need for mech pilots and war materiel in order to keep the Friday Colonies in check. Besides, the Glory Seekers do not dare to make a unilateral decision without consulting other parties such as you and the Wodin Dynasty."

That provided Ves with a bit of relief. At the Glory Seekers managed to stay sane and resist temptation.

"However, we have gained a considerably better reception when my chief of staff spoke to the former patriarch of the Larkinson Family."

WHAT?!

This time, Reina Kensk briefly reported on the results of her talk with the 'other' Larkinson leader.

"Venerable Ark Larkinson has not changed his mind on joining your clan." The woman spoke. "With my help, he did recognize a possibility where joining the Davute Branch grants him enough leeway to lead a mech regiment or two into war. Officially, it would not be your main Larkinson Army that is entering the conflict under our flag, but merely your Davute Branch. That will technically preserve the neutrality of your mother organization, but still allow you to reap the benefits of the victories produced by the mech regiments manned by the volunteers of your clan."

This was the constriction strategy executed by President Yenames Clive!

The man was like a puppeteer who put all of his dolls into place before he commenced the play!

Ves already felt pushed into a corner even before he even started a discussion on the Larkinson  Clan's possible participation in the upcoming war.

It turned out that Davute had already won over several of his confidantes in advance!

Yenames Clive smiled like a cat that got the canary. "I was pleasantly surprised to hear how quickly your capable uncle agreed to fight in our war. He is a true soldier and clearly wishes to turn your Davute Branch into a major pillar of our colonial state. Our examination of your Larkinsons has revealed an eagerness to do more than stand guard in your Cat Nest."

Ves found it hard to believe that his clansmen would rather throw themselves into a petty but exceedingly dangerous squabble between two rival colonial states.

Was it not enough to bring them deeper into the frontier and smash multiple alien warships?

What was wrong with a little adventure?

The head of Davute clarified the reasons for Ves.

"Their motivations to fight for our cause are varied. Many wish to earn glory for themselves and give their career greater meaning. Others, most particularly your expert pilots, seek to challenge themselves against proper human mech forces. Numerous Larkinsons aim to become a material contributor to the success of our colonial state and thereby build a better future for their descendants. Venerable Ark Larkinson is driven by all three reasons and more. He and his band of veterans from the Larkinson Family will feel right at home in our armed forces."

"...Damnit, uncle."

If Prospective President Yenames Clive ever earned a nickname, then he should be called 'the Constrictor'!