Chapter 5814 Sweetening the Offer

Chapter 5814 Sweetening the Offer

5814 Sweetening the Offer

Ves let out a deep breath.

The future of the Larkinson Clan had changed forever.

For the first time in its short history, the young organization was on track to gain near-complete possession of two different orbital shipyards!nove(l)bi(n.)com

This meant that the Larkinson Clan had taken a major step towards entering the big leagues.

It still had a long way to go before it could be regarded as a proper first-rate power.

It needed to hire a lot more first-raters.

It had to take over actual territory, and not rely solely on occupying space on other people's turf.

It also had to build up a complete and fully functioning first-

class mech force.

However, all of that could be accomplished with enough time and effort.

Obtaining first-class starships and more importantly the capacity to build them was one of the most difficult goals to complete, and he had just managed to fulfill it. That was why he felt so happy at the moment.

No longer would the Larkinson Clan become bottlenecked by its inability to procure first-class starships that were powerful and resilient enough to keep up with the highest level of warfare.

So long as all of the deals went through without issue, Ves knew for certain that his clan would enjoy a smooth growth trajectory for multiple years to come. He had effectively solved the persistent challenge of procuring enough first-

class starships to prepare his clan for future struggles.

Of course, it would be even better if he could acquire a number of second-class shipyards. The Larkinson Clan maintained a strong presence in the second-class community. It would be a shame to throw away this advantage by over-

prioritizing the Premier Branch of his clan.

In any case, he could think about this later. He still had an auction to conclude. He clapped his hand to signal a resumption of the process.

"Alright. Now that I have fulfilled my main objective, I am much more open to other bids for the remaining 15 percent of shares in my mech company. There are three lots remaining that hold 5 percent of outstanding stock in the LMC each. We shall follow the regular process this time. Let the second round of bidding commence!"

Many people had been waiting for this. They previously remained silent and refrained from placing bids because their respective groups weren't willing to give up their precious shipyards for just 5 percent ownership in the LMC.

They still had a lot of other stuff that they would be glad to exchange instead.

This was the time for them to shine!

A Terran representative immediately rose from his seat.

"The Shuku Ancient Clan is willing to bid a 51 percent stake in Roteron Security, a first-class mercenary company that is able to field over 1200 first-class multipurpose mechs at maximum. Roteron Security maintains a small fleet that has recently suffered losses due to its latest mercenary contract, but is still able to convey roughly 400 first-class mechs into battle. Its remaining mechs have largely been allocated to training or lengthy defense missions."

Unlike the Terran Alliance which largely inherited the decentralized nature of the Greater Terran United Confederation, the Rubarthan Pact was supposed to be ruled by a single Star Emperor.

Just because the Rubarthans in the Red Ocean had become leaderless due to the Great Severing did not mean that their centralized institutions fell apart!

Despite the ongoing struggle between the Rubarthan princes, they weren't stupid enough to splinter their colonial superstate apart even further.

Their military mech armies still maintained their cohesion and coordinated extensively with each other in order to fulfill their common objectives.

All of this caused the Rubarthan Pact to suffer comparably less losses than the Terran Alliance up to this point.

As nice as it was for the Terrans to reject the notion of taking orders from a single tyrant, the age-old rivalries between their ancient clans had always caused them to be responsible for their own defenses.

That was good news for the ancient clans that fielded larger mech armies or occupied more secure territories.

It was a pity that the Nayald Ancient Clan was not in a secure position! Its circumstances were comparable to that of the Devos Ancient Clan, which also worried about whether a strong enemy offensive might sweep away its vulnerable star systems.

In short, taking over an entire planet to do as he wished did not sound as attractive as it appeared on the surface!

The huge interest-free loan certainly made it a lot more economical to found a decent first-class colony on an empty planet, but it was a giant decoy as far as Ves was concerned.

He had to admit that he was a little tempted to accept the offer anyway. Interest-free loans pretty much translated to free money because they implicitly did not come with the expectation of ever paying back the entire principal.

If neither Ves nor the Nayald Ancient Clan kicked up a fuss, they could just remain silent and pretend that it didn't exist in the first place. This happened so often in these kinds of circles that even he knew about these shady arrangements.

In case Ves and the Nayald Ancient Clan ever fell out and became enemies for whatever reason, he could always default on the loan, though he would incur a large hit to his reputation and credibility if he went through with this decision.

He shook his head. This was inconsequential because he did not intend to found an expensive first-class colony on a planet that was located close enough to the frontlines to become vulnerable to alien incursions.

The representative of the Nayald Ancient Clan frowned for a time, but did not sit down. She was probably communicating with a more senior Nayald leader.

"We would like to revise our offer. Our Ancient Clan maintains the prior terms, but you may gain ownership of an entire star system within our territory as long as no other party has occupied it in a permanent capacity. Furthermore, our ancient clan is also ready to offer you 1.5 trillion MTA credits in the form of an interest-free loan. This is the highest that we can go. You will also be able to call on our local patrols to pass by your star system more often for the ensuing 5 years."

These were powerful sweeteners. The Nayalds had shown a lot of sincerity by making its terms a lot more attractive.

The Terrans were really clever. They had made their bid so much more attractive that Ves could not readily dismiss it anymore.

Ves furrowed his brows.

Owning an entire star system was a welcome step up from owning a single planet.

The larger interest-free loan meant that he would not have to burden the finances of his clan to build an expensive colony.

Additional patrols from the armed forces of the Terran Alliance should hopefully reduce the risk of suffering catastrophic losses due to incidental alien raids.

In short, the cost and risks associated with building a genuine first-class colony for the Larkinson Clan had fallen within a range that Ves could tolerate!

Even if he did not have a strong need to build such a colony, Ves would be a fool to turn down such a profitable offer.

"I... find your bid acceptable."