[401-600] THE MECH'S TOUCH

Chapter 408: Diminishing Confidence

Once they arrived at Bentheim, Ves and the people he brought along went to work. They booked one of the better convention halls in the center of Dorum to hold their second product this time.

It took a lot of effort to secure a booking on short notice. Coincidentally, a mech manufacturer that previously booked in the same period had shuttered its doors due to recent events.

"The ongoing war is making a lot of people concerned." Marcella explained as she met with Ves at the entrance of the enormous hall. "Business is going well for now, but a lot of influential people have started moving away from Bentheim."

That meant less customers and less demand. Ves hummed at the news. "Hm. Will it affect our opening?"

"You'll be seeing a lot less movers and shakers in the crowd. Instead, they're sending out their representatives. Therefore, take note in your presentation to who you are talking to. To reach the people holding all the money, you have to appeal to them through their reps."

The recent raids by the 3rd Imodris Legion terrified the entire Bentheim region. Magnates and wealthy families that contemplated moving out all pulled the trigger and left the volatile planet behind. This reordered the local power structure and disordered the local economy even further.

Still, despite all the doom and gloom pervading throughout the streets, life went on, and so did the mech industry. Press conferences continued to be held all the time for the mech designers that remained to introduce their new designs.

Not every mech designer got called up to serve. The Bright Republic knew that they would cripple their entire domestic mech industry if they did so. In general, they left aside those who contributed enormously on their own and those who already served in the previous wars.

Thus, even if most of the younger generation of mech designers disappeared from the market, the mech industry as a whole would still be able to stay aloft.

As they toured the empty hall, Marcella began to explain the recent situation. "This is a time of war. Though most of the news is kept from the public, the Republic is extremely concerned about Lady Amalia's legion. She hasn't shown up since the raids and that's a huge concern. The threat she poses is a lot more damaging to our confidence than actually showing up to attack a star system."

"In other words, she's hanging the 3rd Imodris Legion over our heads like a sword of Damocles?"

"Exactly so. Some mech manufacturers are thinking of winding down, while others are starting to stockpile rare resources. Prices have gone up by ten percent since the raids."

This was only the start. As the war progressed, prices would continue to skyrocket, bankrupting over half of the mech manufacturers based in the Bright Republic. This happened in the previous war and the wars before that. Ves knew that his company was in better shape than most. He deliberately set a high profit margin on his products in order to absorb a substantial spike in costs.

He could afford to do so because the LMC exclusively produced premium mechs. Though Ves recently developed an ambition to enter into the ultra-cheap bulk mech market, he wouldn't be able to keep up with the razor-thin margins as of yet. His company wasn't geared to compete on that level yet.

They finished touring the hall and Ves nodded in satisfaction at the open spaces. A high-end convention hall like this not only provided ample space to show off multiple mechs, it even offered a small-scale arena space to show off the live combat capabilities of their mechs.

Gavin met the pair near the arena. "Boss! This arena doesn't offer a lot of space, but the security screens are powerful enough to endure a full-powered blast from the Crystal Lord's chest laser! Why don't we hold a live duel?"