The Mech Touch

Chapter 7073: Relic of the Sixth Star Emperor

The alien relic did not earn a lot of appreciation from Ves.

That was because he had no indication of where it came from, which race created it and what sort of remnant soul had managed to cling to life with its aid.

The benefits that Ves could gain from this trinket were too questionable relative to its estimated asking price.

Even if Ves liked to take a gamble every now and then, that did not necessarily mean he wanted to become known as a gullible fool who could easily be convinced into overpaying for stuff.

He had a lot of items on his wishlist. If word got around that he was bad at bargaining and did not understand the real value of goods on offer, then he would soon find himself paying twice, thrice or even ten times more than what he got in return!

His eyes sharpened as he gazed at Raul Ottaviani.

Ves had a feeling that this initial offering served as a test.

The self-made trade broker deliberately presented an item that barely stretched his willingness to make a bid on it. How Ves chose to respond to it would say much about his appraisement skills, his negotiating skills and his ability to control his emotions.

Perhaps Ves may not be a consummate businessman who could easily act in a nature that was completely opposite to his true self, but he was no stranger to performing a specific role.

He had to remind himself that Raul Ottaviani was not on his side. Not truly. The man was a broker who earned a living by connecting buyers to sellers and vice versa.

The trade broker was not an agent to either party. No, that was not quite true. He had a vested interest in helping sellers succeed as he earned a commission based on the money, or value expressed in MTA credits, changed hands.

This not only incentivized the trade broker to persuade a buyer like Ves to accept the transaction, but also encouraged him to overpay as much as possible.

It might not sound fair, but this was how the Yernstallers played this game. They perfected it as they facilitated trade between first-raters up to and including the Terrans and the Rubarthans.

Ves could enjoy the same advantages if he turned into a seller as well. That was what kept trade brokers in everyone’s good books. They managed their relationships carefully and made sure to find a way to make a buyer regain their satisfaction by profiting through other means.

Of course, the premise of all of this was that the trade broker continued to earn his commissions through every transaction that took place under his supervision.

Sure, his clients may seek to conduct repeat business with the trading partners that Ottaviani introduced to them, but there was always a demand for the services of a trade brokerage firm.

Yernstall was too big, and new entrants like Ves showed up all of the time.

After reminding himself of his positioning and the positioning of Ottaviani & Partners, Ves made a gesture with his hand.

“Please present the next item to me please.”

Raul Ottaviani smoothly changed the projection to show an item that stirred immediate interest from the target audience.

“Is that…”

“This is a damaged, incomplete and partially burned banner that used to symbolize the might and authority of the Sixth Star Emperor of the New Rubarth Empire.” Raul spoke in a serious tone. “Despite its outwardly shabby appearance, there are enough intact portions left to repurpose this cloth into an object of the dimensions that you have specified. The damaged banner only appears dark and covered with soot because its present owner and those that came before decided to preserve its original condition. If you choose to acquire it, then you may clean it however you desire. The underlying threads are completely undamaged due to their rare and precious material composition.”

Ves stared intently at this damaged banner. Even if the projection could not convey it, he knew that it carried the marks of history. This was a banner that had once generated pride among the Rubarthans.

Now, it only evoked shame and regret, and that was solely due to the failures of the Sixth Star Emperor.

“What used to be the significance of this banner? Have you verified its providence?”

Raul had all of the answers.

“The damaged banner is one that has hung in the very throne room of the New Rubarth Empire since the time of the late Imperial Majesty’s ascension to the Coldstone Throne. If you rewatch historical footage of the broadcasts of the throne room from that time period, you may see glimpses of it. Ottaviani & Partners has thoroughly examined the banner and concluded that it is the genuine article beyond reasonable doubt. I can transmit the documents that explain our analysis and conclusion.”

A banner that hung in the legendary throne room of what used to be one of the most powerful human empires in the old galaxy.

Ves felt his desire for this historical relic growing by the second.

This was good, because it indicated that he could definitely think of a way to make good use of this precious item.

It was also bad, because showing too much interest in this banner meant that the seller could demand a higher price that Ves would have to swallow in order to secure this unique prize.

“What is it made of, and who would possibly want to sell such a precious historic relic?”

“The threads that make up the banner are made out of the back fur of a rare but exceptionally powerful mammalian exobeast that resides in the Milky Way Galaxy. The species has evolved on a planet that is rich with a certain combination of exotic resources. The Arxelin Rex species somehow managed to evolve stronger and more resistant bodies through forming fur out of combining these exotics in a unique and mysterious fashion. The Arxelin Rex have been able to dominate their ecosystem as a result as they have proven themselves to be almost invincible against the other exobeast species.”

While Raul explained the origins of the thread, a second projection appeared that showed a savage exobeast that was the size of at least several mechs squashed together.

This creature radiated power. Even if the Arxelin Rex species grew up in a low-energy environment, that merely meant that it was incapable of mutating rapidly like the creatures of the Red Ocean.

The exobeasts of the Milky Way instead relied almost entirely on the Power of Earth along with traditional evolution.

While most exobeasts across the old galaxy did not possess any remarkable or powerful traits, there were always outliers. The Milky Way was so big that these exceptions grew numerous enough for humans to find plenty of interesting creatures to hunt and break down into rare and precious resources.

“The Arxelin Rex species is filled with so many powerful exotics that every part of their bodies are organic marvels.” Raul continued to explain. “That has also led to an overhunting phenomenon that has almost caused it to go extinct. Cooler heads from the Galactic Hunting Club prevailed and took concrete measures to protect its home planet, but the exobeasts never quite recovered. This adds to the rarity and preciousness of this banner. Even if we can engage in limited trade with the old galaxy, it is highly unlikely you can obtain this kind of fabric because its existing owners refuse to part with it. Their most protective clothing is woven with this thread.”

The trade broker certainly did a good job of hyping up the value of this fabric. Ves could already feel the price tag increasing with every additional spoken word.

“Since this fabric is so tough, why give it away at all?” Ves repeated his question.

“Because the seller, who happens to be a Rubarthan of high standing, has little need for a historical relic that is only gathering dust in a vault or a museum, professor. Times are tough these days. The Rubarthan Pact is beset by not one, but two powerful enemies. It is not that useful to recycle the fabric of this banner in order to make protective clothing because the life of any single individual that is weak enough to benefit from its defenses is inconsequential to the war effort. It is also taboo for a Rubarthan to break down an imperial banner of such historical significance. Then there is a separate taboo for making use of an object that once represented the Sixth Star Emperor.”

“The Disaster Star.” Ves voiced the title that this infamous Rubarthan sovereign had earned during his lifetime.

Nearly every Rubarthan had a negative opinion about this infamous former soverign. The Disaster Star oversaw the descent of his empire towards depravity. He had been utterly unable to prevent his own admirals from going rogue and bombarding planets for reasons that most contemporary people would consider flimsy.

What was worse was that the Disaster Star was unable to resist the explosive rise of the Mech Trade Association and the Common Fleet Alliance.

Rubarthan spacers who once pledged allegiance to him had forsaken their oaths and turned into fleeters!

They used the Empire’s powerful battleships and other warships against their former masters and won!

This shame could never be erased from the legacy and historical record of the Rubarthan people.

They all lived in the shadow of the Disaster Star’s blunders and failures. It was a small miracle that the Imperial Rubarthan Household could still remain standing after everything that happened.

Fortunately, the Seventh Star Emperor that reigned to this day was doing a far better job than his father. It was a pity that his authority only extended as far as the old galaxy.

That did not mean that he was off the hook. Many Rubarthans, most notably the survivors of the final days of the Age of Conquest, still watched their Imperial Majesty vigilantly for any signs that he might falter.

The trauma of those calamitous years still haunted far too many people.

Even now after the Rubarthans of the new frontier managed to pry their sovereignty back from the Red Two, they still remained highly vigilant towards the mechers and the fleeters, afraid that history might repeat at any time in the future.

It was understandable that the current owner, who presumably had to be a Rubarthan Prince or a member of Rubarthan high society, wished to part with this symbol of Rubarthan failure and impotence.

The imperial banner may have served as an adequate reminder of the descendants of those turbulent times, but that did not help with resisting the advance of the native aliens and the mutated voribugs.

A potential buyer like Ves did not have to deal with all of this stigma. He was not a Rubarthan, after all. Perhaps a few people might kick up a fuss, but the Rubarthans had much more pressing issues to deal with than a mech designer tearing apart a relic that they would secretly liked to destroy anyway.

Ves folded his hands. “I would like to obtain the data concerning the performance of this special fabric to understand how much damage it can resist. Since it is not a transphasic or superdimensional, it is not necessarily the most damage-resistant fabric in the Red Ocean.”

Raul Ottaviani nodded. “That may be true, but the fibers that comprise this Rubarthan banner do not come with the complications that make it difficult or even dangerous to place transphasic or superdimensional items too close to a fragile human body. The threads made out of the fur of the Arxelin Rex species are known to be nearly absolutely inert. They do not even stain as any dirt slides off their surface.”

“Well, you can contact the seller and let him or her know that I am interested in acquiring this banner. Much will depend on what I can make out of this shameful relic.”

“I shall do so, professor. Please take into account that it is unlikely that you can purchase this banner with MTA credits, phasewater or other widely available resources. The seller has needs that are greater than funding. You will know more when you finally meet the party in question.”

“I look forward to this meeting, then.”

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