Chapter 1176. Vampire (2/2)
”I see. These Apprentices.. none of them should have solid backing, right?”
Leon smiled sheepishly at Ves, as if he had been caught out. ”The Ylvaine Protectorate is a little more stringent in the amount of people who are allowed to study mech design. The independent Apprentices who have enjoyed a measure of success up to this point are all capable mech designers. Nonetheless, the Ylvainan mech market has been stagnant for a very long time, giving the smaller players very little room to grow and develop.”
Ves understood what was going on here. The Apprentices who were desperate to accept an opportunity to collaborate with a foreign Journeyman must be desperate for guidance.
Even though he was just a de facto Journeyman who advanced very recently, this status still elevated him far above the Apprentices. Any advice or help he could provide over the course of the design project would be invaluable to their own progression!
He figured that Calabast must have her own considerations for pushing these mech designers forward. Perhaps she wanted to nurture some mech designers in her camp in order to strengthen her grip on the Protectorate's mech market.
Whatever the case, Ves was open to teaching an Ylvainan some tricks as long as they went along well with each other.
He had already mentored a pirate designer, so what was the harm in providing some guidance to an Ylvainan? It was not as if Ves was teaching some valuable lessons to a Vesian mech designer!
”There's more to inviting the Apprentices, right?” Ves asked. Calabast would never do something simple! ”For these mech designers to step up and become a target to every Attendant of Ylvaine out there is a pretty heavy price to pay.”
”That is true. The truth is that Madame Cecily is hoping that your initial collaboration with one of our local mech designers will spark something more. I believe that Madame Cecily wishes to reveal the full details of her plan in person.”
”I will look forward to hear what she has to say.” Ves said mildly.
His initial talk with Calabast mainly dealt with him getting around to accepting it. They hadn't gone over a lot of concrete details and plans for the short, medium and long term as of yet. Ves needed more time to accept the new circumstances before he was ready to think ahead.
That night, Ves had an opportunity to meet Calabast again.
Vs left Lucky and everyone else behind at the guarded compound that Ylvainans provided to them as their temporary home on Kesseling VIII. While Leland quietly exited the compound and disappeared into Krent for some reason or another, Ves took a brief shuttle ride to the headquarters of the Office of Strategic Mech Management.
There, the staff guided him to a lavish, isolated dining room. Ves immediately felt the interference in the air as Calabast already activated a signal jammer ahead of time.
No one else except Ves and Calabast dined in the room. As each of them partook in the dishes that had already been delivered to their table, Ves brought up something important.
”How is our new partnership supposed to work?”
”What do you mean by that, Ves?”
”I can see how we can help each other out in the short term. You work on opening up the Protectorate for the LMC while I help boost your position in the Protectorate's power structure. That's simple enough for me to figure out. My question is what happens afterwards?”
Calabast sighed and paused in cutting her steak. ”It is already a strenuous effort for me to assist the LMC in strengthening its position in the Protectorate. In ten or twenty years, I hope your company becomes one of the most prominent mech companies led by a Journeyman in the Protectorate. While designing really good mechs goes a long way into strengthening the LMC's market position, if you want to make your gains permanent, you need a permanent presence within our borders.”
Ves frowned at that. ”What does this permanent presence entail?”
”What I have in mind is a joint venture between the LMC and one of my holding companies. Both of us would invest an equal amount of money into a subsidiary that is equally owned by both companies. All the mechs designed by you and sold by the LMC will go through this subsidiary before they are sold on the Protectorate's mech market!”
A joint venture! Setting something like that up between him and Calabast was not a small decision! It required a lot of thought and consideration!
”I need to think over it.” Ves guardedly replied. ”A joint venture is hard to do right and easy to screw up. Why do you want a joint venture anyway?”
”It's easier to expand the presence of the LMC if it comes in an incarnation that is half-owned by an Ylvainan. As long as you can present a local face to your business activities, the opposition to working with the LMC is much less severe. It's an ugly fact that many Ylvainans still won't be able to accept a mech designed by a foreigner.”
Ves tentatively nodded. ”I agree with that logic. A joint venture for the purpose of making my designs more appealing to the local market can help a lot in that regard. The main problem I have with this suggestion is where you will be taking it. Both of us will own the joint venture. While you say that you are willing to split our control of the entity, are you planning to do something more?”
”Heh. You know me too well, Ves.” Calabast smirked. ”The LMC is very much your company, and I have no intentions of meddling with your business. However, a woman like me has needs. While I've brought along a considerable amount of seed money to fund my initial ventures in my new position, that pool will run out eventually. If I want to set up a comprehensive network of informers and assist you in your endeavors, then I need a considerable stream of income.”
”Ah. So it's about money.”
”Yep. I'll be happy with half of the earnings the LMC makes in the Ylvaine Protectorate. After all, I've been working hard to facilitate your business in this state. Don't you think I deserve some remuneration from my services.”
While Ves agreed with that sentiment, why did he feel like he was facing a money-draining vampire?