The Cross Clan had changed!
Before, Ves and the Larkinsons looked down on the Crossers. The latter were a bunch of washed-up warriors who lost their foundation.
Ves even concocted so plans to assimilate the refugees into the Larkinsons. No matter their deficiencies, the refugee fleet largely consisted of bona-fide second-class soldiers. Their martial prowess exceeded that of the Hexers.
This was because unlike Hexadric Hegemony, the Garlen Empire constantly engaged in war!
Even though the scale of wars in the Vicious Mountain Star Sector was not very large, the fact that many Garlaners fought in their lifetis was undeniable!
Only true war produced true warriors. Ves had already observed many deficiencies from both sides of the Komodo War. In particular, the insular Hexers made many assumptions that turned out to be different from reality.
The tribes of the Garlen Empire would never make so many fundantal mistakes! Their enthusiasm for battle ant they were very motivated in increasing their effective battle strength.
Each ti the Larkinsons saw the Crosser chs performing live exercises, the disparity in martial tradition beca very clear.
The Cross Clan were consummate soldiers and warriors!
The precision of their formations, their controlled aggression, the versatility and utilization of their powerful second-class chs and more completely transcended everything Ves had witnessed!
Even if the Larkinson Clan's ch forces possessed a strong core of battle-hardened veterans, their foundation was still too shallow. Surviving a few desperate battles in the Nyxian Gap did not make the Larkinsons qualified to take part in proper conflicts between second-class powers.
"We still have much to go to complete our transition from a third-class to a second-class power." Ves sighed as his shuttle departed the grand flagship of the Cross Clan.
In terms of military developnt, the Cross clan possessed an undeniable edge.
The reason why the Larkinson Clan still kept its head high was because of its superior industrial and financial strength.
This went beyond just having a pair of Journeyman. The LMC was a rising ch company that had long exceeded the scale of other typical ch companies. The great attraction of glows caused its products to have a very wide appeal in many different markets.
The revenue earned by the company was astronomical! Though the low value of third-class chs and the large number of middlen involved ant that the per-unit profit was fairly low, the quantity of sales was terrifying!
Across the surrounding star sectors, LMC chs beca increasingly more ubiquitous.
The current comrcial ch models offered by the LMC all provided a lot of value, making them a good fit for many custors in almost every state.
The Komodo War also showed the great promise of employing LMC chs on a much greater scale. This ant that custors were ordering the LMC's products in greater batches than before!
These trends showed no signs of abating. In fact, the LMC's growth jumped yet again as the publicity of the Miracle Couple's wedding enabled the LMC to reach out to even further markets!
Money was the foundation of success in human space.
The Larkinson Clan only needed a little ti to convert its earnings into additional battle power.
"It's too bad I can't take advantage of the Crossers anymore." Ves regretfully sighed.
Now that the Cross Clan gained the support of the Skull Architect, their industrial and financial prowess would likely surge again. It would take ti, but the prospect of bankruptcy no longer lood over their heads.
The only advantage the Larkinson Clan possessed was that its scale and foundation was hard to match by most competitors.
The Skull Architect did not possess as great of a business foundation as the Miracle Couple. He essentially had to start from scratch, whether it was designing a set of suitable chs for the Crossers to acquiring the industrial capacity needed to produce his chs.
He did not possess the cluster-wide production, distribution and sales networks that the LMC painstakingly built.
His current cover identity wasn't famous enough. Almost no one had heard of 'Professor Benedict Cortez'. It would take years of hard work to build up a reputation that was sowhat comparable to recently-advanced Seniors. Without the brand recognition of an established ch company, the Skull Architect wouldn't be able to achieve a lot of sales at the start.
"It's doubtful whether he will even invest in a fixed industry."
There wasn't enough ti. The Red Ocean beckoned. The Larkinson Clan was almost ready to embark on its grand expedition. Once it departed, the LMC operations it left behind wouldn't beco abandoned goods.
The LMC already made adequate preparations to keep its local operations going. With the help of prior accumulation, business alliances, governnt support and the Larkinson Loyalty dallions, it was no problem to maintain their current level of productivity and profitability.
For at least a decade, the LMC's operations in the Yeina Star Sector would continue to supply a steady stream of cash to the Larkinson Clan.
This was vitally important because it was not easy for the Larkinson Clan to earn a sufficient amount of money on the move. Its expanding fleet and ch roster ant that its expenses were ballooning rapidly.
There was no choice. The current Larkinson Clan had to invest enormous sums in almost every aspect. The current developnt for the clan called for the acquisition of lots of capital ships, sub-capital ships, chs, supplies and augntations.
Even with the astounding success of the LMC, Ves still needed to work hard to expand its inco.
This was sothing the Cross Clan and its new guest would never be able to accomplish in a short ti.
"It seems the problem is not as bad as I feared. The Larkinson Clan should still possess a strong financial edge.
It was just that the Cross Clan was no longer in such a desperate position as before. Senior ch Designers had many ways to earn money aside from running their own ch companies.
Even without producing a single ch, Professor Cortez could leverage his formidable design skills to design excellent chs and simply put them up for licensing or outright sell them like a design studio.
He could even accept commissions from wealthy clients. Just like how Ves initially accepted a commission from DIVA, it was no problem for a Senior to solve the problem of individual clients for a rich reward.
Aside from that, there were other ways that the Skull Architect could earn money. He could tutor ch designers over the galactic net. He could leverage his formidable science and engineering knowledge to assist in the research and developnt of ch components.
In short, Seniors were never destitute!
"There are limits, though."
Why did so many ch designers dream of running their own ch company?
It was because selling chs was the most lucrative choice out of all of their options!
While the Skull Architect would doubtlessly work hard to earn money in his own way, Ves was pretty certain that he held an advantage in this area.
There was only so much a single person could achieve. The ti of a Senior was very valuable, but without the backing of an entire ch company, Professor Cortez shouldn't be able to reverse the fortunes of the Cross Clan single-handedly.
"The situation will only change once we reach the Red Ocean." Ves guessed.
The Red Ocean would be their new base of operations. It was not unthinkable for the Cross Clan to establish a fixed presence on so planets in order to get the Skull Architect's ch company up and running.
In fact, with his strength as a Senior, Professor Cortez's business operations in the dwarf galaxy might surpass that of his own ventures!
"It depends on how I plan to conduct business in the new galaxy." Ves humd.
He held many discussions on this topic with the likes of Gavin and Raymond. Ves was inclined to rely primarily on his upcoming factory ship to produce high-end chs, but most of the executives of his ch company wanted to establish a stronger presence at fixed settlents.
Regardless of the choice, Ves believed that the Cross Clan might rise up rapidly once it established a firm foundation in the Red Ocean.
That did not spell good news to the Larkinsons. Once the Crossers grew stronger, they would definitely want more say in their partnership.
"How troubleso."
Their partnership might dissolve or at least diminish to a lower level of cooperation.
Ves shrugged. "That won't happen for at least a decade. At that ti, our Larkinson Clan should have caught up to the military developnt of the Cross Clan. Perhaps we don't need to rely on any close alliances to survive in the Red Ocean."
Aside from sharing the cost of a beyonder ticket, the principal motivation to band together was because the Red Ocean was too dangerous.
In the first ten years of their stay in the dwarf galaxy, none of the pioneers could guarantee their safety. As long as any of them stepped outside of the protected star system, it was open season!
Partnering up with the Cross Clan still made sense.
Besides, the addition of the Skull Architect brought a lot of benefits in this critical early period. The offers he made showed that the forr fugitive was not domineering and knew how to act according to his current position.
Ves was no longer the weak Apprentice ch Designer of before, while the Skull Architect had long left behind his identity as one of the most formidable pirate ch designers of the Faris Star Region.
Despite the gap in age, experience and rank, the two of them were actually quite close in status. They also needed each other to complete their own goals, and this caused Ves to feel at ease.
There were no inherent conflicts between them. There was no logical reason for the Skull Architect to go against the ch designer who might possibly play a key role in helping him advance to Master!
"I should stop referring him to his old moniker."
Professor Cortez seed determined enough to leave his old life and habits behind. As long as he did not engage in any crazy experints, he shouldn't be a liability.
While his shuttle was still on its way to its next destination, Ves briefly conferred with Calabast, Major Verle and so other people about the changes to the Cross Clan.
"Our bargaining position has weakened." Calabast frowned.
"We haven't lost out that much. The Cross Clan is able to provide more benefits now. Besides, the amount of MTA rits is the most important factor. Our superiority in this aspect will ensure we retain enough dominance."
"That is true, thankfully."
Once Ves dealt with these matters, his shuttle finally arrived next to a civilian passenger ship.
This was not a regular ship. She hailed from the Harmony Association of Majestic Teal.
Ves passed through the hatch and stepped onto the deck of the foreign ship with Lucky and Nitaa. Two people along with so perfunctory guards awaited his arrival.
"Patriarch Larkinson! Welco aboard our ship." Erander Tsai called.
Ves shook hands with the senior shipwright.
"Thank you. Is this…"
"This is my daughter, Vivian Tsai."
A woman in her thirties with straight black hair and a professional outfit stepped forward and bowed. "Hello."
Ves sensed that the younger ship designer was feeling rather mixed.
She never expected her father to recomnd her to the Larkinson Clan all of a sudden. She was doing fairly well in the Harmony Association. Why should she leave behind her friends and family and travel hundreds of thousands of light-years away?
Vivian didn't know what to make of her current situation!
This was one of the reasons why Ves visited in person. He did not want to delay her recruitnt and integration into the Larkinson Clan. With the impending arrival of his factory ship, it beca more important than ever to gain an expert who understood ship construction at a deeper level.
If he waited, who knew whether she would leave. He needed to take matters into his own hands and convince this young but promising shipwright to work on his behalf!
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