The Mech Touch

Chapter 3221: Persham Chamber of Commerce

When the medium-sized trading vessel began to approach the massive expeditionary fleet, she slowed down as if she became intimidated by the thousands of combat-ready mechs hovering close.

A small escort dispatched by the Avatars of Myth eventually flew alongside the vessel called the Dented Coin and performed detailed scans with specialized equipment. When the Avatars verified that the civilian vessel contained no bombs, heavy weapons, viruses and other significant hazards, they cleared the ship but continued to escort her forward.

The scans not only searched for potential booby traps, but also provided the Larkinsons with a fairly detailed glimpse inside the Dented Coin.

Ves called up a projection that displayed the overall schematic and other properties of the medium-sized trading vessel.

"She's roughly thirty years old, which means she was built fairly early in the Vulcan Empire's history. Her design is already adapted to the needs of her dwarven crew. The gravitic projectors are extra strong in every compartment of the ship except the cargo bay. What's really annoying is that the height of most of her corridors and compartments is a lot shorter than normal!"

If someone like Ves stepped aboard the Dented Coin, then he had to keep his back hunched for him to even walk through the cramped passageways! If he wore something bigger like his Unending Regalia, then his helmet would probably smack against something each time he attempted to pass through a hatch.

Ves glanced at his most trusted honor guard. Someone as tall as Nita in her immensely bulky heavy combat armor might not even be able to squeeze through the narrowest corridors at all! It was as if the vessels were deliberately designed to frustrate normal human boarding parties!

Paying a visit to the Dented Coin was out of the question to the Larkinsons even before security considerations came into play.

In truth, Ves didn't even have to show up for this meeting. Shederin Purnesse already possessed sufficient rank and status to represent the Larkinson Clan to foreigners. He just wanted to show up because he was curious about how the dwarves were like and how much they differed from the ignorant mining slaves that used to work in the mines of Desala X.

They waited for a moderate period of time before a pair of Bright Warriors escorted a fat, stubby shuttle into the hangar bay.

Ves could tell a lot about people from the equipment they used. It was his favored way of judging others because most individuals never thought about hiding their true nature when they handled their own stuff.

In his eyes, the shuttle was over a decade old and had seen its fair share of landings and departures.

The underside of the broad shuttle was marked with plenty of stains, scratches and even marks left by firearms. It appeared that the Persham Chamber of Commerce wasn't exactly having the best of times.

Though the shuttle was in anything but a pristine state, Ves still saw signs that the Pershams did not neglect it completely. The propulsion system worked smoothly in a way that could only be accomplished through regular maintenance. According to the scans, every critical system was in sound condition and wouldn't break down anytime soon. The vehicle could easily last for two more decades before it required an extensive overhaul.

"I see." Ves quietly murmured.

Once the dwarven vessel touched down onto the deck, a hatch slowly slid open with a hiss. A metal stairway folded out from below. The rather low-tech nature of this solution caused Ves to feel nostalgic.

The Dented Coin, the shuttle and the dwarves he was about to meet were all of a low standard. Ves felt an inherent sense of superiority over the visitors even though he used to be a third-rater himself a couple of years ago. It was weird how quickly his mentality shifted.

Several short and stocky forms emerged out of the shuttle. Their boots loudly clanked against the steps of the metal stairway. Despite the shorter forms of the arriving dwarves, they were not lighter than ordinary humans.

In fact, they were heavier! Their genetic makeup caused them to grow much denser and stronger bodies. Their flesh, bones and other organs were all tough and durable in a way that baseline humans could never reach. Only extensive augmentation allowed other humans to reach or surpass the strength and durability of the dwarven subspecies.

Out of the handful of dwarves, most of them looked like guards or assistants. Only two notable figures were among the procession today. Both of them looked quite different from the rest.

The leader of the visiting group consisted of an older dwarven man with balding greying hair and a noticeably bushy grey beard.

In fact, the apparent leader's beard was so long that its tip reached all the way to the dwarf's thick ankles!

Though the Persham did not seem to spend much time grooming his beard, its rugged appearance conveyed a sense of rural toughness that probably allowed him to blend in with other rougher types.

The other dwarf was a younger but still mature-looking woman. Her long, curled hair was dyed in violet and she was nearly just as broad and substantial as her leader.

Both dwarves radiated a typical air of authority. Ves found it impressive that they managed to maintain their composure despite stepping aboard a ship of powerful foreigners.

The Vulcanites were a proud people and even their third-raters still held a bias against humans no matter the status of the latter.

Minister Shederin took a step forward and raised his arms in greeting.

"Welcome to the Larkinson Clan, my dwarven friends. I am Minister Shederin Purnesse. We have already spoken to each other over the comm."

The grey-bearded dwarf looked up at Shederin. "Aye, that is so. So you tall folk want to visit my home province, do you? Well, you're welcome to go as long as you are willing to put up the goods. Half now, half later. That's the agreement."

"Our cargo holds contain enough mining, agricultural and industrial equipment to start up a new city. These goods are yours as long as we are able to reach the Paramount Province."

The older dwarf looked pleased with the reassurance. He turned his steely gaze to Ves. "So you're the boss of this clan, right? You've got a lot of fancy stuff. This is the first time I've seen a ship this big with a prow shaped like a giant cat. Back home, you'd be beaten black and blue if you dared to waste so much money and resources on that kind of waste."

Well, third-rater or not, the Vulcanite did not treat his wealthier human client as royalty. Ves found it rather refreshing.

"And you are?" Ves raised his eyebrow.

"The name's Olivier Persham. I'm the director of the Persham Chamber of Commerce. That means I'm in charge. Don't you have a fancy implant or something that can tell you that?"

"I do, but I find it much more preferable for others to introduce themselves to me on their own accord. It's more personal that way."

"Huh. Well, you're not that bad for a tall folk." Olivier grumbled before gesturing his meaty hand at the woman standing next to him. "That's my daughter, by the way. Utha's currently in charge of procurement, but she'll be taking over from me when my beard grows long enough for me to trip myself."

Male dwarves were insanely touchy about their beards.

Unlike tall folk who didn't ascribe any symbolism to their own facial hair, the dwarves came up with lots of different meanings. There were so many nuances to dwarven beards that Ves would only put his foot in his mouth if he made a remark about this topic.

Utha Persham did not look particularly impressed at Ves and his bare chin. "I'm here to inspect the goods promised to us. I need to make sure the equipment you promised to us is usable by dwarves. I can't count the number of times you ignorant tall folk sent us machines where the controls are too high or the seats are too tall."

Shederin gestured to a nearby official from his Minister. "My assistant here shall bring you to the ships which hold the gear you are interested in. We have already made sure that the machines are fully compatible with dwarvenkind."

"I shall be the judge of that." The woman said. "Let's go. The sooner we can get this done, the sooner we can start moving."

While the Larkinsons guided Utha to another shuttle, Ves and Shederin led Olivier to a broad aircar which flew deeper into the Vivacious Wal.

The brief trip provided the dwarven director with an impressive view of what the Vivacious Wal had to offer. From the splendid corridors to the gleaming towers of Dawn City, the joyful side of the capital ship showcased the prosperity of the Larkinson Clan.

Only a wealthy organization was able to erect and maintain such a large and impressive living environment in space!

Though Minister Shederin and Director Olivier Persham only occasionally exchanged words, Ves was able to learn a lot about his dwarven guest.

The older fellow might look old, but his mentality was vigorous. Olivier possessed a lot of inner strength and had plenty of life left.

Once the aircar touched down on a special landing field in front of the Golden Palace, Olivier finally couldn't keep his thoughts straight. He looked at the impressive facade and gazed at the monumental bust of the Golden Cat.

That latter element was a recent addition to the Golden Palace. Ves had personally casted this ornament in order to turn it into another totem. Its presence gave the seat of the clan administration a strong sense of belonging towards the Larkinson Clan and its ancestral spirit.

Ves was curious to see how the director reacted to his first encounter with a glow. The Fermi Star Cluster was so far away from the LMC's activity zone that none of the locals should have experienced anything comparable.

"What is this…?" Olivier asked as he temporarily lost his tough persona. "Is this… a god?"

"The Golden Cat is our mascot. We see her as our patron and our source of unity." Shederin smoothly answered. "This piece is personally made by our patriarch. If you were a Larkinson, you would experience this glow in a much more intimate way."

"Excellent craftsmanship." The dwarven director genuinely praised the work. "Our dwarven artisans are good, but I haven't seen many pieces that can top the quality of this piece. If it wasn't made by a human, I would have made an offer for it. A work of art like this is worth a lot of hammers in the Uriburn Province."

The hammer was the local currency of the Vulcan Empire. It was a strange name but the dwarves didn't seem to have any problem with it. The dwarves had become good at distinguishing whether someone was referring to literal hammers or the currency that went by the same name.

Ves smiled. He instantly felt a little closer to the dwarf. "Thank you for the compliment. I have made an earnest effort to create this bust but it is far from my best work."

"So I've heard." Olivier said. "Do you know why I decided to accept this contract? It's because you and some of your pals are excellent craftsmen. Tall folk or not, the fact that you managed to make not one but several masterwork mechs means that you are blessed by Vulcan himself. You must be a good friend of dwarves like us since our god is vouching for you! Am I right?"

The mention of being 'blessing by Vulcan' almost caused Ves to stumble. His eyes turned weird as he tried to process Olivier's strange words.

"Uhmm… I guess you're right, hehe." Ves nervously laughed. "I love dwarves. I have great respect for the dwarven people. I hope we can be friends."

Olivier grinned back at Ves. "I like you a lot more already!"

Perhaps Ves did have a way with dwarves.