Chapter 5714 Esteban Leeds 5714 Esteban Leeds With three major appointments in his schedule, Ves became busier than ever. He was not able to devote as much time to overcome the many design challenges of the Dark Zephyr Mark III Project, but it was not as if Gloriana noticed the difference. Ves still felt bad about slowing down his other projects such as the much- anticipated upgrade of the Valkyrie Redeemer line. He was so enthused about all of the possibilities and features that he intended to introduce to this popular Hexer mech that he wanted to delight its fans as quickly as possible. Postponing its anticipated release by a few weeks would be a letdown to many people. The price of delaying the release of the next iteration of the Valkyrie Redeemer was not that bit, though. Botching the public inquiry on the safety of living mechs was much more catastrophic for his future prospects! Ves also wanted to make sure he was abundantly prepared to auction out a significant chunk of his mech company. If he did not do a good job of making his case before a gathering of wealthy and powerful groups, he could miss out on trillions of MTA credits worth of value! Since the public inquiry and the bidding of the shares had to take place in a secure and highly developed first-class planet located in a fairly neutral region, Ves had the bright idea of handling both of them on a single planet. It just so happened that the organizers of the public inquiry wanted to interrogate Ves in a public forum in the Ector System. The first-class port system was situated in the center of the Zelmar Upper Zone and had risen up to become a prominent shipbuilding center in the entire region. It was situated close enough to the front for lots of salvaged alien materials to be shipped back from the frontlines without excessive delays. It was also located far away enough from the border regions to remain safe from alien incursions. The alien raiding fleets occasionally chose to bypass a lot of targets in order to launch a surprise attack on a human-occupied star system that was still full of riches, but that became a lot more difficult the further they traveled behind enemy lines. Besides, the Ector System was anything but lightly defended. As a strategically important first-class shipbuilding nexus, it hosted a truly formidable amount of defenses. In short, the Ector System not only met his security needs, but also allowed him to tour the highly sophisticated shipyards that he might be able to take into his possession in exchange for a portion of his valuable shares. The process of auctioning those shares needed to be impeccable and beyond any fault. The elite representatives of large first-class powers were accustomed to enjoying the highest level of service. If the Larkinsons made a faux-pas or stumbled in the organization of this immensely important event, then that would most definitely depress the enthusiasm for placing a higher bid! "We cannot organize one ourselves." An assistant concluded after he had led an investigation into the viability of organizing a high-end auction. "We do not have the personnel, experience, clout, expertise and connections to guarantee a perfect experience for the attendees. It is better to contract this event to a trusted third party. The most professional option is to allow an existing auction house to allow its VIP guests to bid on your shares. A first- class port system as large and wealthy as Ector is most definitely host to many exclusive auctions." Ves definitely saw the wisdom in this approach. He always wanted to attend one of these mysterious grand auctions that he only recently became qualified to attend. The first dividend payments from Isthmus Manufacturing was also about to come in, and even if he had to pay back the large debt accrued by his wife, the income was still generous. The Ultimatums produced by Isthmus had sold for such great quantities that demand still continued to grow with each passing month! The exceptionally high product margin of the Ultimatum line made it so that the company was raking in profit. Although the price levels of Isthmus Manufacturing's first-class products were much greater in absolute terms, their sales volumes did not come close to that of a mainstream second-class mech model. The initial popularity of the Ultimatum was already impressive enough, but what truly caused the first-class mech manufacturer to value this celebrated product line was that it had all the signs of becoming an enduring seller. It was difficult to imagine that any competing mech model could dethrone this unique heavy artillery mech anytime soon. In any case, the money earned by Isthmus from selling a sizable range of first-class and second-class mechs made it so that Ves was not lacking in financial strength at this time. If Ves ever encountered an offering during the grand auction that was way beyond his means to pay in cash, he could always borrow a page from Gloriana's book and go heavily into debt to secure a juicy prize. "Please look into this option. Find a reliable partner that we can work with on this matter. It would be best if the auction takes place not too long after the public inquiry in Ector." "That is a risky decision, sir. If you decide to hold the auction a short time after your public interrogation, then the enthusiasm for shares that you are willing to make available will heavily depend on your performance. The value of the LMC is highly dependent on the quality of its products and the strength of your works. If there is a growing demand to limit the growth of your living mechs, then that will be detrimental to obtaining a high price for your shares." Ves shrugged at that. "I will just have to make sure that I won't fail then. Don't worry. Even if I don't do as well as I hoped, it is unlikely that living mechs will be prohibited outright. At most, I will have to limit the emergence of third order living mechs to the public." After Ves had made his decision on how he preferred to auction his shares in the LMC, his staff quickly went to work and explored their various options. A few days later, the Larkinson Clan signed a quick deal with a prestigious auction house that operated in the Ector System. Ves shook hands with one of the managers working for Esteban Leeds. "It is an honor to serve your needs in our upcoming grand auction. Please be assured that we shall handle everything related to the handling of the stock that you have made available. The nature of this prize makes it unsuitable for us to include it in the main auction. There are too many individuals who have no chance of placing a competitive bid and will only impede the more serious bidders. We recommend a private auction that takes place in an adjacent auction hall that is only accessible to VIP guests that we have especially invited to take part. We have an excellent understanding of the interest and payment abilities of all of our major clients. We can also leverage our extensive network to persuade other interested groups to dispatch their representatives so that they can take part in the bidding as well." "Online bidding is not allowed?" Ves questioned. "That is the prevailing standard in such occasions, Professor Larkinson. Attending in person is a sign of respect as well as commitment. Remote communications are also too flawed and imperfect. They can be blocked, intercepted or even altered by nefarious parties. Attending in person brings its own share of problems, but it has worked well for humanity for many years." The demand to attend the private auction in person would hinder a lot of wealthy groups from taking part. They were either situated far away and did not have a trusted representative close enough to arrive in time. Regardless, Ves did not want to delay this matter too much. He wanted to obtain a first-class shipyard sooner rather than later and this was the best opportunity for him to secure one. Taking over one of the shipyards in the Ector System would be perfect as he would be able to inspect his new asset straightaway. "Do you wish to impose any limitations on the eligible individuals or groups that can attend this private auction, or are you willing to allow any upstanding member of red humanity to place a winning bid on your shares?" That was an important question. "I have no restrictions per se, but I do not want my shares to fall into the hands of any enemies. I will transmit a more detailed list of criteria later, but aside from certain enemies, I don't care too much about the rest. You can let the Terrans and the Rubarthans participate in the auction. I have no objections to them, so long as they don't obtain the full 25 percent of outstanding shares that I am willing to exchange." "Understood. We shall make certain to invite the representatives of Terran Ancient Clans and Rubarthan Principalities. We have ample experience in hosting them both without causing them to come into frequent direct contact with each other. What is pleasant about working with them is that they are so driven to compete against each other that we can exploit their brinkmanship to stimulate more bidding. You can expect to exchange your shares for a higher price, although much of it may end up in the hands of Terrans and Rubarthans in the end." "I don't believe the mechers will let that happen." Ves openly speculated. "They may secretly back a handful of neutral participants from the Red Ocean Union just to stymie the efforts of the first-rate colonial superstates." Both of them smiled. The greater the competition, the higher the bids. "Auctioning out highly desirable shares is usually an event that is announced a year in advance. This is not possible due to demanding that your shares can be fought over on a relatively short notice, but the urgency of the moment may spur participants to bid higher. We shall see what we can do, but again, it is our honor to accept your entrustment." The manager from Esteban Leeds made all of the right sounds. Ves had little concerns about the follow up actions of the highly regarded auction house. Of course, Ves was not completely stupid. Once the call came to an end, he made sure to send a couple of his first-class staffers to the Ector System in advance in order to keep an eye on the proceedings. When Gloriana heard what he was up to, she immediately grew red with desire. "You actually managed to secure an agreement with Esteban Leeds? You also intend to participate in the grand auction as a bidder? Change of plans! Bring me with you! How can you possibly attend such an elite auction that is able to attract the leaders and representatives of the great powers of red humanity without letting me participate?" Ves could already imagine all of the money pouring out of his bank accounts. "No. We already talked about this. You are staying here. The Design Department needs a leader in charge, and you are the only one that qualifies. Our children will also need their mother even more now that their father is going on a business trip." "Then we will just take our children with us! We can request an early vacation for them so that they can travel with us to a busy first-class port system and expand their horizons!" "This is not the time! You are staying put and that is it. Don't argue with me any further." Ves did not want to bring along his wife and children for several reasons. His greatest concern was safety. Each time he traveled, he put himself at greater risk of interception by greedy opportunists who sought to claim the juicy bounty on his head. While he trusted the mechers to do their jobs, it was best to be safe rather than sorry.