The specter of the war loomed heavily on Cloudy Curtain. It became increasingly more difficult for locals to maintain their cheer when they heard about the terrible battles taking place at the front.

It had gotten so bad that the Bright Republic became much more stringent about publicizing the war.

Morale had to be maintained at all cost. It did little good to everyone if they learned how many starfighter pilots perished each day. Otherwise, where would the Starfighter Corps get all of their fresh blood?

Due to his background, status and connections, Ves easily gained access to the truth.

The casualties were too horrible to imagine. If the survival of an entire state and the vast majority of its population wasn't at stake, a lot of people would have risen up in protest!

Unfortunately, everyone in the know was smart enough that the alternative was worse. The Bright Republic could not afford to let the sandmen grind its Mech Corps to dust before engulfing the people stuck on its vulnerable planets!

Every starfighter pilot deserved to be treated as a hero. Yet their lives were so short and fleeting that hardly anyone had time to pause and reflect on their sacrifices.

As cruel as it sounded, the Starfighter Corps existed to endure the losses the Mech Corps couldn't afford to sustain.

No one paused to remember the dead. A dead starfighter pilot was no longer of any value to the soldiers shouldering the burden of defending the Republic against the sandmen!

Only his closest friends and family remembered someone like Moses Larkinson. To everyone else, he was merely another name in a continually-expanding list of casualties.

Perhaps once the war was over, the Starfighter Corps would erect some pretty monument in Rittersberg that listed out his name for remembrance.

Of course, none of this had anything to do with Ves. Maybe he would have volunteered to become a starfighter pilot in a different life.

To the current Ves, answering this calling was beneath him. As a mech designer, he could make a bigger impact on the war by doing his job.

He had no desire to hop into a cockpit and blast the sandmen up close, especially when he heard how short the life of an average starfighter pilot spanned. Those lucky enough to survive six serious encounters were already regarded as veterans!

"The second generation of starfighter models are supposed to be more resilient." Raymond passed on the latest rumors that crossed his ears. "They feature much thicker frontal plating. While it's not enough for them to resist a heavy laser strike, they are able to resist at least double the amount of light laser attacks."

That could make a huge difference in the survival rate of starfighter pilots!

"The current starfighter models on the battlefields are cheap for a reason. Can the Bright Republic cope with the increased production cost?" Ves asked.

Raymond looked uncertain. "Our state has no choice but to invest in heavier starfighters. The loss in life has grown so severe that the officers and pilots of the Starfighter Corps are becoming increasingly more restless. It is one thing to ask them to do their duty, it is another thing to ask them to act as human shields. The pressure and trauma they are shouldering is enough to drive even the best of us to despair!"

Both of them fell silent for a time. Each of them had access to privileged information that painted a gruesome picture of the war so far.

"How is the LMC doing?" Ves changed the topic.

"The launch of the Militant Soldier and Peaceful Soldier added some much-needed diversity to our mech catalog. While the Mech Corps has been lukewarm in adopting the Militant Soldier, our Peaceful Soldiers are continuing to sell like hotcakes."

"It's too bad the Peaceful Soldier is exclusive to the Bright Republic." Ves said with regret. "If not for all of the proprietary tech, components and standards I've incorporated in its design, we could have easily sold millions copies throughout the entire star sector."

"You can still do so, Ves. With the experience you've gained with the Peaceful Soldier, it shouldn't take you too long to develop a civilian variant."

The LMC already received many solicitations from various governments and organizations throughout the star sectors. Each of them expressed a lot of interest in a true landbound version of the Desolate Soldier.

It was much more convenient to patrol a population settlement with such a mech! Their glows ensured that the locals became much more obedient in their vicinity!

"I've already considered the matter. While you are right that the demand for such a product is huge, any mech design that doesn't help in the war effort is not a priority to me right now. In addition, popularizing a landbound mech with the same glow as the Desolate Soldier is extremely disruptive."

Ves constantly reminded the people around him that they shouldn't solely look out for the LMC.

His mech company would do well regardless of how many mechs it sold. Ves was more than satisfied with the success of the Soldier product line. There was not that much benefit to pursuing more sales, especially if he risked stepping on too many people's toes in the process.

The Desolate Soldier and its variants mainly served to defend humanity against the sandmen. Nothing more. Ves even felt tempted to withdraw the Solemn Guardian from his position as design spirit because his glow was too vulnerable to abuse!

Sadly, Ves was quickly forced to set aside those notions. His reputation and the reputation of the LMC would be ruined if he intentionally sabotaged his existing products.

His customers bought his mechs with specific expectations. One of the biggest taboos in marketing was misrepresenting products.

Since the LMC never mentioned anything about expiration dates on their glows, every customer believed the Soldier mechs would continue to be useful for many years.

The discussion moved on to the Prideful Soldier. This cheaper variant had been out on the market for more than a month now. This was enough time to give the LMC a solid understanding of its market appeal.

"Sales of our Prideful Soldiers have actually exceeded our expectations." Raymond noted with a smile. "Their lower price points and their altered glows have become a huge hit among the gangs and underground organizations. The only downside is that it's hard to hide them, but even then they're rapidly becoming a staple in the Bentheim System!"

"Oh?"

"The BLM and the three dominant gangs have taken to the Prideful Soldier with great enthusiasm! Practically every Prideful Soldier rolling off the production lines at Bentheim ends up in their hands! In addition, its appeal isn't confined to our state. The Reinald Republic has actually become our second-biggest market for this product!"

Such a result astounded him a bit. Ves never realized that adding a mote of Zeigra's spirituality would induce such strong attraction in the auras of his Prideful Soldiers.

"I thought the Reinald Republic is barely holding it together."

"The Reinaldans are in bad shape, but the Frozen Leaf Alliance is still of value. The smaller states that haven't been hit yet are well aware that they'll be next once the Reinald Republic and the other states in the third line of defense are gone. The influx of foreign reinforcements in recent weeks have done much to stall the sandman advance."

A part of Ves was disappointed that the Reinald Republic hadn't croaked yet. He had bad memories of the state and regarded it as a tumor of the local region.

If it was up to him, he preferred it if the LMC stopped selling Soldier mechs to the Reinaldans.

Of course, that was just a petty impulse. No one would ever accept such a decision. Ves had a responsibility to treat his customers fairly.

"Is there anything else happening abroad that I should take note of?" Ves asked.

Hesitation appeared on Raymond's face. He carefully leaned forward. "There is one more issue that demands your attention. It's rather sensitive though…"

Uh oh. Ves immediately smelled trouble.

"What is it? Just spit it out."

"There is one more mech market in the vicinity which we haven't exploited yet. The demand for our product is growing, but our actual sales have been nonexistent due to one important reason."

It didn't take long for Ves to rule out the state that Raymond referred to. His products had penetrated almost every state in the region except for one glaring exception.

"You're talking about the Vesia Kingdom, aren't you?"

"Yes."

Ves immediately grew morose. Memories of the most recent Bright-Vesia War came to mind. The devastating defeat suffered by the ground forces of the Flagrant Vandals always haunted him from time to time.

He had seen too many Brighters die at the hands of the Vesians. Though he was fine with living alongside the latter in peace, becoming friends was a step too far.

"I take it that they are very eager to deploy our Desolate Soldiers and Prideful Soldiers, correct?"

"..Yes. In recent weeks, the LMC has received secret missives requesting us to open a direct sales channel to the Vesia Kingdom."

"Who are the people sending these missives?"

"Representatives from Imodris, Venidse, Hafner and so on. So far, the royal house hasn't contacted us yet, but according to our analysts, it's only a matter of time."

A very conflicting mood overcame Ves. "We aren't selling any Soldier mechs to the Vesians, right?"

"Not directly, but that hasn't stopped some of the more enterprising Vesians. Merchants are buying our Desolate Soldiers and Prideful Soldiers in enormous batches before shipping them to the Kingdom. Whether the merchants are reselling our products or fulfilling a commission on behalf of a Vesian client, the fact of the matter is that the Vesians have already surreptitiously adopted our mechs!"

Officially, mech companies from the Bright Republic never conducted business in the Vesia Kingdom and vice versa.

With all of the bad blood generated by so many generational wars, how could either side ever trade with each other?

That didn't stop smugglers and traders from exploiting this situation. In truth, a considerable amount of trade occurred between the two states. The trade ships merely made a detour through the former Coman Federation or the independent State of Pillis before entering the other state.

If Raymond was right, then the same took place with the LMC's Soldier mechs!

"What do you want me to do, Raymond? Establish a branch in the Vesia Kingdom in order to facilitate direct sales to their oppressive nobles?"

"The Vesia Kingdom is much harder pressed in the Sand War than us, Ves." The COO calmly pointed out. "We may not like it, but we need the Vesians to cover our flank. If the state ever falls, the victorious sandmen will certainly wheel around and hit the Bright Republic along a new front! With how thin the Mech Corps and the Starfighter Corps has spread their forces, we simply can't afford to cover so much additional territory!"

Ves understood this logic just as well as Raymond. Yet the thought of strengthening the Vesians by selling them his products was a very difficult pill to swallow.

If anyone told him that he would one day sell his mechs to the Vesians, he would have laughed in their faces!

If not for the sandman invasion driving everyone, including the Vesians, to desperation, Ves would have never been confronted with this choice!

"What do the Tovars say? I don't believe they kept their mouths shut."

"From what we have heard, the Tovars have tacitly consented to opening a sales channel. In fact, the government might take advantage of this opportunity to increase the flow of trade between our two states."

Ves snorted. "Of course they don't want to go first. Cowards."

He knew for certain that his reputation and the reputation of the LMC would take a hit in the Bright Republic once they pioneered a sales channel to the Vesia Kingdom.

He didn't care, though. In fact, he looked forward to selling his mechs to the Vesians! Just the thought of humiliating their entire mech industry was enough to lighten his mood!

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