The Mech Touch novel Chapter 7072

Chapter 7072: Booming Yernstall

Ves chatted with Raul Ottaviani for a few more minutes.

Just as he expected from a successful broker, the head of Ottaviani & Partners had plenty of stories to share. He also had a good sense of what sort of information Ves was interested in the most.

The man knew more about the economy and business opportunities of Yernstall than anyone else. Without the backing of his old state back in the old galaxy, Raul had adopted the Sapphire of the Red Ocean as his new homeland.

“The reappearance of Bridgehead One may be a disaster for the Red Two’s control over red humanity, but it has led to a resurgence of our economy.” The trade broker said. “The Terrans and the Rubarthans have declared their independence, but that has not only decreased their trade needs, but increased them instead. They are flocking to central star nodes such as Yernstall in greater numbers in order to acquire the goods and services they need to make up for the gap the mechers and the fleeters have left behind. They have even gone as far as to skip intermediaries and transact with each other directly considering they are peas in a pod.”

That surprised Ves.

“And the Red Two allows them to enter their unofficial capital and conduct their trade?” Ves inquired.

“It is better that they do so in a territory they control than elsewhere. The mechers and the fleeters still earn a large amount of fees and taxes from their stay, their spending and most of their transactions. Do not underestimate the magnitude of this revenue flow. There are strong interest groups among the local mechers and fleeters that have gone out of their way to reassure the Terrans and Rubarthans that it is still safe and convenient for them to trade in this central star node. It is rather problematic for them to possess such a strong pro-trade stance. They are being opposed by their more hostile peers who believe in choking out trade between the dissolute states.”

Ves grimaced. “I hope that does not happen. How much power do they have?”

“You need not be concerned, professor.” Raul responded with a reassuring smile. “The pro-trade factions maintain a persistent advantage. They are not warmongers who advocate hostile actions against the seceded superstates. Their income also dwarfs that of the pro-war factions. The Red Association and the Red Fleet no longer receive tribute from the Terran Alliance and the Rubarthan Pact, which means that both of them are operating with severe deficits in income and material imports. The pro-trade factions are doing their best to fill these gaps.”

“I see.”

The mechers and the fleeters were too accustomed to their wealth and luxuries. While most of their members were not decadent or anything, their research and their other activities demanded a huge amount of funding. They had long relied on their ability to suck blood from the states under their control to maintain their military supremacy and their technological lead.

Now, the RA and the RF were both at risk of losing their absolute advantages in these areas.

“There are those among us who argue that the Red Two have already lost their lead.” Raul said in a more subdued tone. “Participating in the Red War has savaged their mechs and warships. They cannot replenish them as fast as they are being lost. This is particularly the case for warships, which are much larger and more expensive to build. If you have access to the right statistics, you will note that the Red Fleet has been trending away from constructing large and unwieldy battleships and allocated more shipyard capacity to constructing small to mid-sized warships instead.”

Ves nodded in approval. His clan already owned a lot of sub-capital ships and capital ships, so he knew a thing or two about the differences between the two. This was especially the case after the Tortuous Scream had entered into service.

“That is understandable. There is stuff that capital warships can do that smaller vessels simply cannot match up with, but it is much more important for the fleeters to maintain a presence in as many star systems along the border as possible. Battleships are powerful without a doubt, but once they incur serious damage, they need to be sent back to a drydock and occupy it for many months at a time in order to repair it. Meanwhile, most sub-capital ships can be repaired by smaller repair yards in a month or less without necessarily needing to occupy an expensive drydock.”

The two chatted a bit more, unheeding of the time they spent or whether they had any other appointments on their agenda.

Ves actually grew comfortable enough with the trade broker that they soon addressed each other on a first-name basis.

Raul Ottaviani clearly wanted to turn Ves and the Larkinson Clan into his latest persistent trading partners.

This would grant an insane boost to Ottaviani & Partners as it would be able to attract powerful parties to come and use the trade brokerage firm to arrange potential business deals with the Larkinsons.

Ves saw no reason to reject this proposition, though he did not hold ultimate decision-making power over the clan anymore. Since the new matriarch came into power, Ves tried his best to remind the trade broker that he should make contact with the Saint Commander directly in order to establish a fixed partnership. She might not decide to work with Ottaviani & Partners for whatever reason. It all depended on her judgment.

Raul’s eyes seemed to sparkle as he observed Ves deferring to the leadership of the ace commander.

“I will certainly do as you say. Your introduction is all I need to get past her secretaries. It is noteworthy to see that you have truly shifted your leadership responsibilities to the ace commander that you have brought up for more than a decade.”

Ves frowned. “What are you implying?”

The trade broker quickly held up his palms. “Ah, please forgive me, Ves. I do not mean to imply or insinuate anything unpleasant. It is just that rumors are circulating about the abrupt and unexpected leadership transition of your clan.”

“What are the gossip mongers saying?”

“They are claiming that… your own subjects rebelled against you and usurped your leadership. The details of these rumors vary, but the gist of it is that your decision to step down was anything but voluntary. These stories also claim that there are Larkinsons who harbor different ambitions and have been longing to cast you away so that they can remake the clan in their own image.”