As Ves and Yenames Clive continued to hold a discussion that took place over multiple layers, Lucky continued to observe and listen as he settled down on top of the head of the Superior Mother totem. "Meow…" The gem cat yawned as his senses also kept an eye on the guards and mechs that quietly watched over the most powerful man in Davute. The tour itself did not last too long. Ves briefly introduced Yenames Clive to a handful of other totems tied to different design spirits. The prospective president at least had a good eye for excellent artwork. He did not hold back in praising the craftsmanship and the unique artistic fingerprint that made these totems stand out from many other works that he had seen in his life. "Even without these glows, your sculptures are already good enough to be put on display in our better museums for modern art." The 120-year old man gently praised. "If not for your lack of reputation in the art scene and your unusual background, I would have offered to admit your work in a top museum right away. This way, your art will most assuredly be able to reach the widest audience." Ves smiled at the praise. No one disliked being complimented on their earnest work. "These works are not purely ornamental in nature, and their glows make them unsuitable to be housed in the same exhibition halls. The works of other sincere and earnest artists will just get overshadowed by the glows. It is better to put them in a dedicated venue like this Ascension Gallery so that they can be enjoyed without any distractions or disruption." "That is an interesting name you have chosen for this grand hall." Yenames Clive pointed out. "Does the name express your personal hope of elevating yourself through your work? Or does it apply to these fascinating existences who by all rights can be described as gods?" That was another loaded question. Ves had already grown tired of getting his thoughts picked apart as he tried his best to answer in a manner that was internally consistent. "I let my works speak for themselves." He eventually said. "Whatever message I wanted to convey is already embedded in the artwork themselves. It's up to you to decide how you interpret them all. I don't have the right to override and invalidate the unique impressions that you have made. Just like how you aim to turn Davute into a free haven that is accommodating to all sorts of people and cultures, I prefer my work to be enjoyed by the widest possible audience. We both know that we cannot impose too much of ourselves onto others." They briefly exchanged glances at each other. Despite their vastly diverging backgrounds and vocations, both of them needed to appeal to a broad swathe of humans for similar reasons. Ves wanted to sell more mechs and make his design philosophy become the new standard of the mech community. That meant he needed to design many different mechs, of which at least a portion of them had to achieve mass market acceptance. Yenames Clive wanted to transform his upcoming colonial state into an economic juggernaut, but that was impossible if he tried to push too many of his own rules and directives down the throats of many unwilling immigrants and trading partners. It was the recognition that they were on similar boats that brought them a bit closer together. After all, it was natural for people who suffered from the challenges to sympathize with each other and lend a hand if convenient. Of course, Ves eventually became clued into this unconscious bias after receiving a helpful reminder from Shederin. He never let down his guard for a single second, but even he could slip up every now and then. It was only now that he became cognizant that the opposite man gently steered the conversation in a more favorable direction to Davute. Knowing was one thing. Calling it out was another. Due to various reasons, Ves did not find it convenient to confront the future leader of a colonial state on his clever conversation tricks. This was one of the many games that people played against each other. The consequences of losing were incredibly serious, so Ves needed to keep navigating the currents with exceeding care. Fortunately, he was not completely on his own. Minister Shederin Purnesse remained constantly within his field of view. If Ves ever became stumped or if he happened to overlook a rhetorical trap, then the highly seasoned diplomat would make a subtle signal that the two had agreed upon beforehand. It did not take much to clue Ves in. A shift in posture. A slight turn on the foot. The raising of a specific finger. Looking away for a specific amount of seconds. All of these subtle signals each conveyed a short meaning that Ves could easily decipher and contextualize by himself. So far, he did not have to rely on Shederin's help too often. Ves had already spent enough time in the upper levels of human civilization to gain a lot of proficiency in the social arena. As the group ended their tour and made their way back to the central hall, Lucky decided to float down and land on Ves' shoulder. "Meow." "Oh hey, buddy. Do you want to join the party as well?" "Meow meow." "I see." For his part, Yenames Clive did not comment on the strange sight. He was well aware of the many eccentricities of the Larkinson Patriarch. It was clear to see from the decision to put a giant totem of the Golden Cat in the center of the Ascension Gallery that he had an incredibly soft spot for felines! Now that they were done with probing each other over the short tour through one of the wings of the massive structure, it was time to take a more substantive turn in their talks. Ves gestured his arm towards the exit. "We have prepared a more suitable venue to continue our discussion. Please follow me to one of our conference buildings where we can go more in-depth." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂 The Cat Nest boasted a lot of different facilities, including a conference center that was used to introduce new mech releases or host gatherings for invited guests. The prospective president's security detail had already entered the structure beforehand and completely swept it to ensure that everything was in order. Inside the grandest and most luxuriously decorated conference room, Ves and Minister Shederin sat on one side of the imposing meeting table while Yenames Clive and Madame Reina Kernsk opted to sit at the other side. "Meow~" Lucky meanwhile left Ves' shoulder and tried to fall onto the lap of Yenames Clive's chief of staff. Reina Kernsk's severe-looking expression softened for a moment as she held the mechanical cat and petted his head. "My apologies, but for security reasons I must ask you to maintain your distance from us. I would love to spend time with you after we have successfully concluded an agreement with your clan, but that will take time." "Meow…" Ves could learn a lot about a person by observing how they reacted to different circumstances. Reina Kernsk was the primary gatekeeper and errand woman to the future ruler of a colonial state. The Black Cats had tracked her movements and learned that she had visited a lot of parties related to Ves and his clan. As the primary assistant of Yenames Clive, Madame Kernsk was an interesting person by herself. One of the more intriguing clues that the Black Cats obtained through their activities was that the chief of staff enjoyed the trust of both her immediate superior, but also reported to the higher ups of the Clive Consortium based in the old galaxy. Ves knew quite well that a single person could never properly serve two masters. The woman, who clearly possessed ambitions on her own, did not have to deal with any compromising situations as long as Yenames Clive and his elders were on the same page. For the most part, this had always been the case in the past. It was only after several years had passed that Yenames Clive began to show more initiative. It was not entirely a secret that he did not always roll over and implement the directives from the old galaxy. As the leading figure on the ground, the heir to the Clive Consortium thought that he knew better than his distant superiors. Perhaps he was right due to his greater familiarity with the local situation. Perhaps he was wrong due to his lack of experience in managing affairs at this scope. Whatever the case, Ves had been advised to pay attention to both Yenames Clive and his chief of staff to understand the true leadership dynamic of Davute. "Let me begin with stating the sort of cooperation we wish to establish with your clan." Yenames Clive began. "Davute appreciates the Larkinson Clan and is happy with your current level of activity within our colony. As we begin to form a state and seek to establish and strengthen the many institutions that we need to sustain our growth, we hope your clan will agree to become a more active and engaged partner in the Davute Project. Today, we would like to make a case that it is to our mutual benefit if you work together with our administration." This time, Ves allowed his minister to speak. Shederin Purnesse adopted a smooth smile that made it look as if he was genuinely looking forward to working together. "The Larkinson Clan is always open for business. That said, we are asking for your understanding as our organization is limited in what it can offer to a large colonial state. Our primary focus has always rested on our expeditions, which does not have much relations to Davute, and our mech business. If your requests fall outside of these two activities, then I must warn you that our ability to make a difference is exceedingly small." "We are aware that a single clan has limited capacity and resources to contribute to Davute." Reina Kernsk spoke on behalf of her principal. "We believe that your clan can still exert an outsized impact on our state and community under the right circumstances. We have prepared a list of proposals that we wish to go through with your team. For a start, we can begin to discuss a business activity that your patriarch is most known for, namely designing mechs." "You wish to commission a mech design from us?" Minister Shederin directly asked. "We do. We would like your clan to accept multiple different commissions from us. The more, the better. We have learned that your patriarch has previously fulfilled over half-a-dozen commissions for the Hexadric Hegemony, of which its successor state still makes use of the results. We are more than willing to compensate you for fulfilling ten of our commissions." Ves raised his hand. "Before we go any further, your superior mentioned that any commission involves a collaboration between myself and a team of Master Mech Designers of your choosing. Is this correct?" "That is so." Reina Kernsk nodded in confirmation. "Wish to combine the best of both worlds. Your glows and living mechs paired with the other powerful advantages of our Masters should produce an excellent combination. We not only want to maximize the combat strength of the jointly designed machines, but also wish to ensure that they fully comply with our military standards. It will be much more difficult to integrate mech models into our armed forces if they are not designed to fit our fighting systems in advance." This was a reasonable and understandable concern. Ves never had this problem with the Hex Army, but that was mostly because he designed his Hexer mechs in collaboration with Gloriana. His wife studied mech design at Kelma University, which was one of the most elite and prestigious institutions of the now-defunct Hexadric Hegemony. That meant that she not only received a high-quality education, but also learned the technical standards and doctrinal choices that the Hex Army had adopted for its military mechs. Ves did not have such a convenient collaborator within his clan this time, so he had no choice but to work together with an insider from Davute to make sure his commissioned works lined up with the prevailing standards.