The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1343

"I’ll keep your earlier advice in mind." Ves smiled. "Do you have any other suggestions?" _{freewēbnoveℓ.com}

"You might want to hire a local mercenary corps."

"Oh? Do you lack the confidence to guard me, commander?"

He hired the Kinner mercenary corps with the confidence that they could cover most of his security needs. If Commander Cinnabar thought he couldn’t do it, then what was the point of hiring them in the first place?

"I’m still sure that my Battle Criers take care of most threats coming your way, sir." Cinnabar quickly added. "It’s just that having a local guide will help us avoid any trouble spots and introduce us to the right people."

"Why not hire an actual guide like Kelandra back at Bloodstone?"

Commander Cinnabar shook his head. "A civilian guide will help you navigate regular society better, but they’re not much use when you want to navigate the murkier side of the local region."

"I already intend to visit a local mech designer who might help me on this front."

"That will help, but they won’t be able to smooth over everything, particularly if you get into a conflict with the more unscrupulous groups. There are smaller mercenary corps for hire in the Chuko Republic who have made it their business to keep visitors like you out of trouble. They’re a lot pricier than normal, but you’re effectively paying tribute in exchange for a promise of safety."

"Are those mercenary corps in bed with the groups that might threaten us?" Ves asked suspiciously.

The commander grinned. "Very likely. That doesn’t mean that the local mercenary corps are untrustworthy. Crisis situation or not, the Mercenary Association is still respected there, I think. If mercenaries become as trustworthy as pirates, then that’s the moment when the Chuko Republic has really fallen."

That was a bold claim to make, but it made sense. The role of mercenaries declined during peacetime. Lack of conflict was bad business in their eyes.

When a moderate amount of conflict occurred, the mercenary industry enjoyed a boom time. There was plenty of work for them available and customers paid handsomely in order to secure their properties and trade convoys.

The situation at the Chuko Republic had gone beyond that. The awful security situation, the lack of trade and the deterioration of institutions meant that many companies had shuttered or were already teetering on the edge of solvency.

Many of these struggling companies hardly had the money to spare on hiring mercenaries.

The mercenary corps themselves found it increasingly more difficult to purchase fuel, supplies, mechs, ships and other goods. Without an adequate infrastructure, the prices for these goods and services increased to a level where many mercenary corps found it untenable to continue to operate in the Chuko Republic.

Many of them had packed up their bags and exited the Chuko Republic. Those that remained behind for various reasons barely made ends meet.

It did not surprise Ves to hear that these leftovers resorted to crooked means to supplement their income.

In the end, Ves decided to accept Commander Cinnabar’s suggestion. Bribing the local power players in order to avoid any opportunistic attacks was a necessary price to pay for mingling in a troubled state.

"Please explore some options for me and send the list to me." Ves instructed. "I’m sure you know the local landscape a bit better than I. Try and sound them out as well to see if they can offer something special."

"Will do, boss. I made some old friends a long time ago. I’ll get in touch with them again and see if they can give us a hand."

The commander did not have much to say beyond that. His knowledge of the Chuko Republic was rusty and out of date, which meant that most of his experiences were no longer relevant.

After Ves ended the call, he decided to contact someone else while he was at it. He called up Tristan Wesseling on a whim.

The call did not come through. After several minutes of ringing, Ves finally gave up with a disappointed sigh. "He’s probably busy or isolated."

Just like Ves, not every mech designer appreciated being interrupted by comm calls while they were in a crucial phase of their design projects.

Who else could he talk to outside of business matters?

One name stood out. Gloriana would definitely answer his comm call. Yet the thought of talking to her made him nervous. There was only so much Gloriana he could handle at a time.

Ves had a hunch she might be watching him through the ship’s monitoring system right now.

He turned his head to a random direction. "Gloriana, if you’re watching me right now, at least give me the illusion of privacy. Also, don’t bother trying to sneak a peek at me when I’m in the bathroom. I’ve already taken precautions."

No projection of a certain woman popped up after he had spoken, but he was sure she would get the message.

"Goddamn backdoors."

If he wanted to enjoy more thorough privacy, then he either needed to carry an active jammer all day or he should obtain a starship without any holes in its security.

He let out a rueful chuckle. "Unless I build a ship from the ground up, I can forget about obtaining a truly secure ship."

The best he could do in a reasonable amount of time was to start a shipbuilding company. He’d also have to hire some young shipwrights fresh out of university before other organizations got their hooks into them. Then he’d have to wait for years as they built up the necessary skills to progress from simple cargo haulers to being able to design and build more advanced spacecraft.

"That’s way too much trouble." Ves shook his head.

Mech designers that diverted into shipbuilding were only distracting themselves from their actual work. People like Professor Velten of the Flagrant Vandals already warned him not to take other vocations lightly.

Right now, Ves ought to focus fully on reaching Senior as fast as possible. Not only would he have more say in matters, but he could also stay a step ahead of Gloriana.