[1-200] THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 109: Making Plans

"Don't worry Ves. After working in quality control, I've learned all the ways the fabrication process could go wrong. I can guarantee you that I won't be sloppy!"

After finishing his talk with Carlos, Ves hung up and called his cousin Melinda.

"Hi Melinda, did I call at a bad time?"

"I'm still on duty, but my boss doesn't mind a short break." Melinda said as she was fiddling with her Planetary Guard uniform. "You're a big deal now back at home."

"I've heard. I called you up because I want to ask you if I'm still under investigation."

One of his mechs had been used to commit atrocities in Bentheim. Last he heard, the Republic's investigators wanted to bring in Ves for a very firm talk.

"All inquiries involving you have stopped." Melinda responded with a smile. "Your impressive achievement gave the investigators a scare. They changed their stance overnight and quietly pulled back their feelers."

The influence of a Master Mech Designer was so dreadful that people proactively bowed out of his way. He didn't even have to say anything for others to accommodate his needs.

"What does the family think?"

"Grandpa is proud of you, as ever. As for the rest, well, we know the importance of mechs, but they think you're still too young to exert any meaningful influence on behalf of the Larkinsons."

Melinda's assessment rang true. Just because he became an apprentice did not mean he wielded a lot of personal influence. Master Olson had her own dignity. She wouldn't direct her attention to the small and weak Republic and start to meddle in their affairs.

After exchanging some small talk, Ves ended the call so Melinda could return to her duties. He made a final call to his broker.

Marcella Bollinger's stocky face stared at Ves with an intriguing expression. "You've made quite a leap. I didn't think you were capable of stealing the show at Leemar."

As a dealer of mechs, Marcella knew far more about mechs than the typical mech pilot. The Ves who designed the Marc Antony could never match up to the geniuses from Leemar. The sudden leap in strength was perplexing.

"I've recently come across a chance. I considerably improved my skills." Ves stated simply, deciding to leave Marcella guessing. "How is the demand for my designs?"

She adopted a greedy grin. "They've been barging at my door for days. While I suspect that much of the enthusiasm will die down over the week, you won't be lacking customers anymore. Your name recognition alone has broken through the roof."

Marcella sent Ves a marketing report that detailed his increased brand value. Even if he only fabricated two physical mechs, the value of his brand far surpassed the small-time mech manufacturers from Bentheim.

In fact, his value came close to matching the brand of a medium-sized mech manufacturer.

"The problem is that while your brand is bigger, your scale is still too small. What are your plans?"

"First, I intend to halt my sales. My Marc Antony variant is too outdated so I intend to update its design. You can expect a substantial improvements in its specs once I'm done."

"That's good. The Marc Antony's main selling point is that it's cheap. For an advanced mech, its performance falls woefully short. If you can close the gap to the most dominant models in the market, then I'm sure you'll attract a steady stream of orders."

Ves nodded in agreement. They both knew that the Marc Antony could never match the currentgen designs that maintained a stranglehold on the market. By increasing his variant's performance, they both hoped that his meteoric rise in fame was sufficient to divert a portion of the customer base.