Birth Of The Crafts-God-Chapter 410: Maessen’s Speech
"Good evening everyone, and thank you for being here tonight." Maessen said as he stood on the stage.
"I know that many of you must have thought deeply before coming here. You probably considered your situation, the risks and all involved before deciding to uphold the invitation. I'd like to say thank you once again."
Maessen bowed at the crowd.
His humble approach warmed some of the hearts in the crowd, leading to them applauding him.
After the venue went quiet again, Maessen continued with his speech.
"Baylands City stands on a six hundred years historical foundation. Baylands city-state came to exist after the city's forces expanded their reach in all four corners.
"In these six hundred years, Baylands City has been through thick and thin. We've faced faced various threats, both from beasts and men, but we stood tall in them all.
"Even then, there existed a flaw within the city. The lack of advanced technologicsl processes. For many years, a period spanning centuries, we had to rely on imports to sustain our economy. But as we grew, we developed. We developed, and we thrived. And one of the fruits of our struggles, is none other than the company I am proud to work for, the Silverine Factory."
While Maessen's words sounded off, there was nothing wrong with it. Although the Ross family controlled the majority share of the Silverine Factory, as a stellar processor industry and the only local one in Baylands city-state, the government had to be involved in the project. Seven percent of the shares of the company were allotted towards the City Lord Manor, so it wasn't wrong to say that the company was a property of the people.
"The Silverine Factory holds the title of Baylands city-state's homegrown processor industry; something we are very proud of. We've worked tirelessly for almost three decades now, ensuring that we are capable of providing the various technological branches of the city with the key component to all their products. We've ensured that the citizens don't need to worry about the quality of their products as we completed on a global scale.
"When there was a need for a local stellar processor producer, we pivoted from our safe path and ventured into the unknown; and we were successful. We became the first local stellar processor producer of the city; the first advanced model stellar processor producer of the city. We became a beacon for the people of the city —their pride and hope.
"But even then, we were still limited; not by our own hands, but by your support. On our shoulders was the burden to lift the city-state to new heights, but we weren't entrusted with the support we needed.
"Baylands city-state lacks a space hub. We also lack a company capable of manufacturing spacecrafts. Why is that?"
This question got people hooked. They even forgot that Maessen had somewhat dissed them earlier. Why was this? It was because the topic had shifted into space travel.
Just a few weeks ago, the Versailles Group had announced that the Falcon X9: Yotsuga would go into production the following year and it would be produced and sold locally in Baylands city-state. The most astonishing thing about that news was the released specifications of the chip, which showed that it could be used to construct a network array capable of operating a spacecraft.
Rumour had it that this Silver Star Exhibition Show would host an announcement about the new stellar processor under development by the Silverine Factory. With the topic of Maessen's speech shifting into space travel, it began to make one wonder whether the new chip could also achieve the same standards as the Yotsuga.
Seeing that the crowd was drawn by his words, Maessen continued.
"There are three conditions to have a space hub, but of the three, only one really holds us back —our technological weakness.
"Many might attribute this weakness to us, because as the leading stellar processor manufacturer of the city-state, which should be at the forefront of development. However, I'd like to ask the crowd, are we truly to be blamed?
"When contracts that could have funded our research was handed over to foreigners, were we at fault? When industries relied on foreign technology to manage their sensitive products and data, were we at fault?"
No one said a word despite feeling attacked. Not only was it inappropriate to retort, but everything Maessen had said was true, albeit not entirely.
It was indeed true that many of the companies allocated contracts towards Versailles Group and the recent Novanio Tech. However, part of this was because the Silverine Factory was unable to satisfy their requirements, especially when it came to high-end processors.
Even so, none of the guests attempted to refute Maessen's words. They were all experienced individuals in the business industry. There was no point losing their emotions to a few words that would be forgotten after today.
"But even then, we can't be absolved of blame. We, at the Silverine Factory, admit to our faults in failing to serve you properly." Maessen bowed his head in silence once again, stunning the crowd.
'What a smart move.' Russell inwardly praised Maessen as he stared at him from the crowd.
From pointing figures at the guests to becoming the centre figure of fault, Maessen had sent the crowd into an emotional rollercoaster. But most of all, he managed to pass his point without offending anyone as he later turned himself into the villain.
"However, that will all change starting from now on. In a bid to serve you better, we at the Silverine Factory had partnered up on a new project.
"I know most would want to hear about it and gain some information out of it. However, any talk on that won't be coming from me. With that well said, I'd like to invite my special colleague as well as the representative of our new partner —who are the mind behind this project. Everyone, please help me welcome the Managing Director of the Seven Stars Spring Dealership, Director Altimo Mertens."
Unlike Maessen, Altimo's speech was a little bit long. He talked about the goal of the Seven Stars Spring Dealership as well as their plans for the nearest future. He also brushed on the achievements of the company.
Although nonexistent for the most part, the Seven Stars Spring Dealership had already been operational for over a month. They had focused on developing their trade routes, purchasing materials and minerals, and closing partnership deals with small resource firms. Even though the Mertens family had a resource firm and freelancer team, Altimo didn't choose them as the dealership's partner because they weren't a suitable pick —when considering finances.
Since the Seven Stars Spring Dealership only dealt mostly on contractual and management matters so far, Altimo had to embellish these actions. Luckily, the guests were mostly businessmen with some knowledge in finances. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
When Altimo presented the data on the progress and projections of the Seven Stars Spring Dealership, it was astonishing but also interesting. For instance, when he stated that the projected annual revenue from their patent licensing arm would reach up to four million FeC, many of the guests present were shocked. Four million federal coins wasn't a small amount, yet despite that, Altimo believed that the Seven Stars Spring Dealership would make that amount only from licencing two patents.
It was easy for the crowd to guess that the licence holder was the Silverine Factory, and that at least one of those two patents related to the new stellar processor. This made people wonder just how amazing the new stellar processor is for Altimo to be so confident in his data.
One should know that the finance world was a very harsh one that didn't care about one's feelings and emotions —only numbers. If Altimo's calculated projections were wrong, it would damage his image in the finance industry. It would also affect the stock price of the Silverine Factory and the brand identity of the Seven Stars Spring Dealership. With his identity as a Mertens family member, the Mertens would also suffer a bit from this.
Hence, many didn't believe that Altimo was faking the numbers. Nonetheless, it was still absurd to believe they were real, which resulted in an impasse.
During the speech, Altimo briefly hinted at some of the features of the new processor. For instance, he stated that there would be plans for the Seven Stars Spring Dealership to begin exploring the possibility of constructing a spacecraft in the future.
This statement made heads turn, and even though there was no official announcement yet, everyone now firmly believed that the new stellar processor was going to be just as amazing as the Falcon X9: Yotsuga. Even then, there would still be discrepancies, so the question of which was better than the other still existed.
After wrapping up the statistical performance, financial projections and future goals of the Seven Stars Spring Dealership, Altimo brought his speech session to an end.
For people like Lucas, Vergil and Melissa, they aroused from their dreary states and prepared to enter the exhibition hall. As for those who had been 'awake' all through the two speeches, they had emotional flames burning in their eyes as they couldn't help but want to feast their eyes on what the Silverine Stars Exhibition Show has to offer.
"With that well said, let us proceed forward."
