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Even the guards on foot appeared to be hired hands. Ves found that to be an admirable choice. In this way, the Mercenary Association tried to do its best to show that mercenaries could be trusted to guard sensitive and important locations.

As Kelandra, Ves, Gavin and Lucky stepped out of their aircar, they began to cross the extensive courtyard to an administrative center.

Just like every other structure on the planet, the administrative center purposed for servicing visitors was covered with bloodstone. Even so, the center had been built in the shape of a fortification, so the internal structure plating must be quite resilient.

As they entered the administrative center, they immediately encountered a representative that awaited their arrival.

"Kelandra! Good to see you again? Are you bringing another client?" An exuberant man called.

"Yes. This is Mr. Ves Larkinson, Journeyman Mech Designer from the Bright Republic."

"I’ve read the files." The man in business attire turned to Ves and stretched his hands. "Welcome to the Mercenary Association! I am Torin Viznef, and I will be handling your registration. Please follow me to my office."

As they all began to move, Ves looked around and saw plenty of visitors entering and exiting the administrative center.

"Your Mercenary Association appears to be doing brisk business."

"Mercenaries are always in demand!" Torin proudly stated. "To most people or organizations of means, it is best for them to cultivate a mech troop themselves. Yet this is far from easy to manage. It takes time, expertise, investment and more to establish an adequate protection force."

Ves nodded in agreement. He already experienced the difficulties in trying to raise the Avatars of Myth in a personal force that could keep up with his growth.

"Mercenaries aren’t the only option out there. Security companies generally have a much higher reputation."

"They are also more expensive." Torin pointed out with a grin. "Aside from that, the main limitation of security companies is that they only accept defensive assignments deployed closer to civilization or a fixed area. Every mech pilot who works for a security company is an employee. They expect to hop into their mechs, go on patrol for a shift, hop out of their mechs and go back home to spend time with their spouses and kids."

That was indeed the major limitation of mech pilots who worked for security companies and many other regular mech forces for that matter. Mech pilots refused to commit to frequent, lengthy deployments. They would have applied for the military if they were willing to endure these challenges.

"And mercenaries are different?" Ves asked, though he partially knew the answer already.

While Torin replied, they finally reached his office and began to sit down on the chairs that floated down from the ceiling.

"Mercenaries are willing to go through lengths that others don’t, for a price." Torin grinned. "Even if they wish to start families, at this stage in their lives they are willing to undergo substantial hardship, separation and risk. They’re much more independent and daring, and for this reason they won’t mind being on deployment for years at a time. For a price, of course."

"Of course." Ves smiled. "Yet while all of that sounds good, in practice their reliability tends to be.. a bit inconsistent."

Torin momentarily dropped his smile. "That is mostly on the fault of the clients. It saddens us that many clients often underestimate or underreport the actual risk degree of the assignments they hand out to mercenary corps. While the Mercenary Association maintains a policy that mercenaries must do their own due diligence when evaluating and accepting contracts, we do not hesitate to sanction a client if they supplied inaccurate information."

Hiring mercenaries could get very expensive, especially over longer periods of time. Ves could easily imagine the more unscrupulous clients misrepresent the actual danger of an assignment in order to save some money. Unfortunately, such malpractices frequently led to the deaths or flight of mercenaries on assignment.

Perhaps this was why the Mercenary Association maintained a system of recording red and black marks on the records of different mercenary corps. It would be unfair to force them to dissolve after being screwed by their clients.

"I suppose that is what my registration is supposed to reinforce, correct?" Ves guessed.

Torin nodded. "Exactly. The Mercenary Association maintains an active treaty with the Bright Republic and many other states. So long as you register with us and sign the relevant documents, you will have essentially agreed to subject to our rules and regulations. If you ever break them, we can lean on the Bright Republic to sanction you on our behalf."

"I understand. Kelandra already informed me of this arrangement."

"Great! Since you know what you’re here for, we can immediately move on with the formalities!"

In the next half hour, Ves signed a number of contracts and agreements. He formally registered as a client in the Mercenary Association. With his membership to the Association, he gained access to much more services, but in return he needed to pay a modest amount of membership dues.

Fortunately, to someone as rich as Ves, he could easily bear the fees.

"Great!" Torin said as Ves signed the last virtual document on the data pad after Torin briefly explained all of the clauses. "You have made the right decision. We here at the Mercenary Association believe that mutual satisfaction is always assured as long as both sides are honest and transparent to each other. Registering with us will mean that many mercenary corps, including this planet’s famed Kinner outfits, will become available for hire to you. Mind you, as a newly-registered member, you still have a way to go before you can hire the more demanding outfits."

He nodded. Just like collaborating with his peers in collaborative design projects, the mercenary trade also depended heavily on trust and reputation. He would have to conclude numerous successful assignments with smaller mercenary corps before he entered into the consideration of larger and more prestigious mercenary corps.

Torin began to guide Ves and the others back to the entrance of the administrative center.

"I’m thinking of hiring a Kinner mercenary corps for a year before contemplating whether to buy them out. Do you have any words of advice?"

"I figured you would have that intention. They are Bloodstone’s specialty product, after all." Torin eyed Ves with an appraissing expression. "Hmm, despite your youth, you possess several advantages as a client. Mech designers are known for being loaded with money. Poor and destitute Journeymen practically don’t exist! As long as you make your status known from the start, I’m very certain that many Kinners will seek your patronage. Kelandra can tell you more about that, I’m sure."

"Aye." Kelandra grinned. It wouldn’t do to have Torin steal all of her business. "You’re going to be a very popular man among the mercenaries, Mr. Larkinson."

"That’s because in Bloodstone and the Kinner Tribe, money talks." Torin rubbed his fingers together in a universal ’pay me’ gesture. "The Kinners only care about two things, their children’s future and money. Any client who can satisfy both will receive their eternal gratitude!"

They eventually reached the exit of the administrative center. Ves said goodbye to Torin and thanked him for his advice.

As the group entered an aircar that would bring them to their next destination, Kelandra elaborated on Torin’s previous remark.

"Kinners love to work with mech designers like you. While Novices and Apprentices are rather iffy, Journeymen can always be counted on to pay generously and without much fuss. Not only that, but due to your profession, you can easily supply your mercenaries with newer, better mechs! For this reason, high-ranking mech designers are one of the most desirable clients a mercenary corps could have!"

Ves nodded in understanding. Mech designers possessed an abundance of wealth due to their business endeavors, but could be killed as easily as a regular human. The MTA did not extend much protection to them because they were perfectly capable of insuring their own safety by putting their earnings to use.

"So as long as I make it clear I’m a mech designer, I’ll be able to attract more interest?"

"Yes. I suggest you put a badge on your business attire. The MTA should have given you the right to bear the insignia of an officially-recognized Journeyman mech Designer on your person."

Ah, that was one of the many perks he received when the MTA recognized his Journeyman status. It was just buried underneath all of the other minor benefits he received.

Ves called up the interface of his smart clothing, which was currently configured in a stylish and luxurious green business outfit, and added a hexagon-shaped badge with a recognizable symbol onto the breast of his suit.

"Excellent." Kelandra smiled in approval. "As Torin previously mentioned, money talks, and high-ranking Journeymen are practically walking bags of money in our eyes. Ordinarily, many people will try to swindle you, but with a guide like me around, I’ll make sure they’ll charge you fairly for their services."

Ves smiled back. "I’ll be counting on you for that. You too, Benny."

"Don’t worry, Ves. I’ve studied and memorized all the customary rates for mercenaries!" Gavin proudly beat his chest.

Although Ves was inclined to believe in Kelandra’s goodwill, she was a Kinner after all. As a local, Ves did not expect her to work too hard in making sure he got a good deal. Having a second person on hand to help him check and negotiate the prices would help keep his supposed guide honest.

This implication did not escape Kelandra’s notice. She sent a knowing glance to Ves and Gavin. Even if she knew that her client was on guard against her, she endured this kind of treatment many times. It came with the job and there was no reason for her to be offended about it. She quietly buried her more sketchy plans.

The aircar only made a short trip before descending back to the ground. The Mercenary Association headquarters wasn’t situated very far from the oldest, largest and most culturally-significant mercenary halls.

"Welcome to Askaya Halls, the principal gathering place of mercenaries on Bloodstone." Their guide introduced to them as they took in the hustle and bustle of mercenaries and clients entering and exiting the ancient-looking bloodstone halls. "It is here where the first Kinner tribesmen gave their oaths to foreign clients looking for mech pilots to bolster their forces. A new industry was born since then, and Askaya Halls became the premier destination for qualified Kinner mercenary corps to ply their services and servitude to interested clients."

"This is not the only place where we can find mercenaries, right?" Ves asked.

"Correct. Askaya Halls is where our most honorable Kinner mercenary corps showcase what they can offer. While they do not come cheap, their strength and reliability are absolutely not in question!"

Gavin frowned. "Many of those mercenary corps are priced out of our budget, though. We don’t intend to buy an entire mech army."

"My demands are more... modest." Ves nodded in support. "I’m currently looking for a more modest-sized mercenary corps that’s only a couple of mech companies strong. More would be.. impractical."

Their guide nodded. "I am aware. You will be able to find such mercenary corps as well at Askaya Halls. Even if you decline to hire any of them here, at the very least you’ll come away with a benchmark of what our best has to offer."

The group began to enter one of the smaller halls after a leisurely walk through the dusty, unpaved path. The bloodsand that whipped over their clothes failed to find purchase on Ves’ smart clothing, though Gavin was not as well off.

The inside of the hall seemed chaotic to Ves. Despite being the gathering site of the more reputable Kinner mercenary corps, they seemed more like drunken pirates lounging haphazardly at the piece of turf they’ve claimed.

Kelandra explained the reason for the lack of order. "This was how it looked all those centuries ago when we first hired ourselves out. In order to commemorate that occasion, we have kept everything as it is. The crude surroundings also reminds us of the sacrifices our people have to make in order to survive."

Bloodstone wasn’t called the Planet Dyed in Blood for nothing! An endless amount of Kinners had been sent out into the galaxy from these halls, only for their blood to spill all over the stars!