?Chapter 6444 Ves the Embezzler The gifts from the Energy Warder and the Dimensional Architect neatly solved one of Ves' problems. Ever since his status had grown so quickly since the start of the Age of Dawn, he failed to update his equipment in time. There was too much work for him to do. How could he possibly spare the time to tinker with his personal equipment and upgrade his gear? His severely outdated Unending Regalia was still collecting dust within the Vault of Eternity. Ves actually planned to look for opportunities in Yernstall to acquire better gear. Equipment that performed at an extremely high level were not really available on the open market, so they had to be commissioned from difficult-to-reach makers. He did not really trust devices produced by third parties. If Ves had a choice, he would rather acquire high-grade materials to cobble together his own gear. That was not always a choice. He lacked the broad and deep knowledge base to design his own personal teleporters and personal shield generators. Sure, he vaguely understood their most basic working principles, but he lacked the expertise and familiarity with materials to miniaturize their functions in such miniscule packages. He needed to spend far too much time to build a satisfactory set of equipment for himself. It was a lot better to rely on the generosity of a pair of Star Designers, though Ves still couldn't shake the suspicion that the gifts weren't entirely devoid of vulnerabilities. Oh well. Ves gladly replaced the outdated equipment on his person and wore his new masterwork devices with pride. "Now that we have taken care of this matter, let us begin with more serious concerns." Eliza Mo Ragadan picked up a secure datapad and called up the agenda. "The affair relating to the Hunting Association requires your immediate attention. The Hunters have responded to your ultimatum as expected. They waited just before the founding ceremony had begun to transmit their formal answer. Regardless of the words that they have chosen, it is clear that their leadership does not view you in high regard." Ves shrugged. "That is not the end of the dwarf galaxy. I can deal with that. Tell me whether they accepted or not. Is the Hunting Association willing to subordinate itself to the Hunting Association?" "Yes... and no." ??? Ves look flummoxed. "That is a useless answer, Eliza, Please give me an actual answer," The woman responded with a rueful smile. "The Hunting Association has tentatively agreed that it is acceptable to subject itself to the Red Collective's authority, but not as an ordinary sect. The Hunters have demanded a large amount of exemptions from the rules and regulations of the RC. They also insist that we reduce our supervision of the HA. If we satisfy these demands, then the Hunting Association will exist as a unique sect that is entitled to receive special and especially favorable treatment." "That... sounds really outrageous. Ves immediately frowned. "They are playing with us. They are pushing our boundaries because they think they can get away with it. These Hunters still cannot let go of establishing a strong and independent institution." "You are not responsible for handling this affair anymore, sir. Now that the Red Collective has formally been established, the responsibility for leading the negotiations with the Hunters has been transferred to the Office of Executors and the Sect Management Department. They have their own experts and diplomats who can make use of the opening you made to secure an agreement that should satisfy both parties. The Hunters are more willing to negotiate with them than you. In fact, leaving you out of the process is one of their top demands. My analysis of the situation is that the final contract between the RC and the HA will end up returning a large amount of autonomy to the latter in exchange for tribute." "That sounds as if the Hunters intend to offer bribes to the collies in order to maintain their privileged status." "That is how the game is played." Eliza explained. "It is actually quite a favorable agreement to us. We are severely lacking in resources. The Hunting Association had quickly grown into prosperity due to harvesting so many natural bounties from their hunting grounds. As long as the Hunters pay a 'protection fee, we are willing to let them be for the most part." That indeed sounded like a protection racket. It painted the Red Collective as the bad guys, which Ves did not entirely think was the case. "Wait second. Eliza. Did you mention that the Hunters are willing to pay tribute? Does that include Mentalist Crystals?" His chief of staff smirked. "That is most certainly the case. Mentalist Crystals are one of the most valuable specialty products of the Hunting Association. It is impossible for the Red Collective to let this opportunity pass. This reason alone gives me confidence that. the collies will eventually pass this proposal." Interesting. This sounded great, as Ves might be able to obtain HA-exclusive goods without actually approaching the Hunters. He just recalled that he promised his wife to return home with a particularly valuable item in his possession. "I need to get my hands on a whole Mentalist Crystal." Ves straightforwardly revealed. "It is a vital requirement for one of the ace mechs that my clan is designing for one of our new ace pilots." "Congratulations, chief councilor. The rise of a new saint is not only a benefit to your clan, but to all of red humanity." Eliza flatteringly said. "That said, your request is difficult to meet. I can foresee that our negotiators will certainly demand that Mentalist Crystals be included in the HA's annual tribute. The issue is that there are many departments that have a strong demand for this strategic resource. It is not impossible to place your request at the top of the priority list, but... you will burn a large amount of social capital right away if you go through with this measure. The other collies will develop a worse impression of you if you claim a Mentalist Crystal that is meant for public use for private ends. This is the textbook definition of embezzlement." That did not sound like an insurmountable problem to Ves. He just had to get a little more creative. Ves chuckled. "Relax, Eliza. I can easily avoid an embezzlement charge if I make sure that my usage of a Mentalist Crystal benefits the RC. I will make sure to write a bunch of research papers that describe the interaction between a Mentalist Crystal and a living ace command mech as well as an ace command pilot. I don't think that any of this has been done before, so the value of these observation studies should be high to the Red Association and moderate to the Red Collective." His chief of staff did not entirely look convinced. "That is not a proper justification from the perspective of the department heads and researchers that are eager to use a Mentalist Crystal to promote their research projects. They are not ignorant. They will know what you have done. While I believe you can get away with this, you can only do this once. Others will remain onn guard for a long period of time after this. Do not expect to be able to abuse your power in a similar capacity in the next handful of years." "That is okay." Ves said. "If I need anything valuable from the Red Collective, I will honestly try and earn enough RC merits to redeem the good stuff. I just don't have nearly enough to get what I want in a short timeframe." What was the point of securing a high office if he did not take advantage of his newfound power and authority? Ves could have acted noble and refrain from abusing his office, but he saw little point in doing so. Obtaining a Mentalist Crystal was extremely important for his wife, Saint Commander Casella and the Minerva. The latter was one of the most powerful expert mechs of the Larkinson Clan before Casella's breakthrough. Once the Minerva's core functions received a large boost from the mysterious Mentalist Crystal, Ves expected to see a drastic improvement in performance! Ves was quite proud of how strong the Dark Zephyr Mark III Revision 2 had become in the hands of Saint Tusa Billingsley-Larkinson, but if the Minerva Mark II fulfilled all of his expectations, she should easily be able to outshine the ace light skirmisher in most battlefield circumstances! This was not necessarily because the Dark Zephyr was inherently weak. The two ace mechs excelled in different aspects. The nature of the ongoing Red War made it so that the Minerva Mark II could always make much more substantial contributions due to her disproportionately high impact on large battles. If the Red War ever came to an end or turned into a stalemate, then the Dark Zephyr would have much more opportunities to shine in smaller operations. In any case, Eliza Mo Ragadan agreed to do her best to divert a Mentalist Crystal to her superior. "Let me make it clear that I do not approve of your intentions, sir. I shall do what I can to requisition a whole Mentalist Crystal through the proper channels. It will likely take one or two months for the negotiations between the RC and the HA to conclude. The Mentalist Crystals will be transferred shortly after that. You can expect to receive a specimen of this strategic hyper material as soon as it is shipped to your location." That sounded good enough to Ves. He would have preferred to return home with a Mentalist Crystal already in his possession, but he could wait as long as he managed to get one in the end. "That sounds good. Maybe it will help if you tell everyone that I don't really care about the Hunting Association anymore once I get my prize." "That is... a questionable assumption. It is best if you leave communication to my staff and I." Eliza diplomatically replied. "Let's move onto the next item on the agenda. What else do I need to know before I attend the secret briefing?" "You have mentioned that you wish to recommend a list of personnel to take office within the Astral Octagon." "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. Am I allowed to do this, or do I have to gain the approval of multiple department heads in order to recommend my people to fill up the vacancies?" "That should not be necessary, sir. The Red Collective has entered a phase of rapid expansion, so there are always vacancies. The competition for directorships and senior management is extremely high. Appointing one of your loyalists to those desired offices will allow you to exert a significant amount of indirect control over the relevant departments. I do not recommend that you try and fight for them. You are unlikely to make any gains since you have already decided to burn your social capital on obtaining a Mentalist Crystal." That was true, and Ves did not regret his decision. He did not have a strong desire to take control over large parts of the RC's central administration. He just needed to make his wife happy by finding a place for her mother inside the Astral Octagon. "A mid-level position that can be fulfilled by a former second-class security minister and prime minister of a highly populated star system should be enough to satisfy one of my most important demands." Ves explained. "I also want to place a handful of military and civilian Larkinson officials into various different departments of the RC. It is not necessary for them to occupy any important or financially lucrative positions. I just want them to obtain decent starting points that come with enough promotion opportunities. If they are capable enough, they can climb to higher office by relying on their own merits. If they are not able to do so, then it is fine for them to stick around and serve as my eyes and cars in those corners." "That is a prudent and far-sighted choice, sir. My staff can arrange most of the positions for your clansmen as long as they are not too picky."