Calabast wanted to set up a joint venture owned by their own companies. The purpose of this joint venture was to manage the LMC's business in the Ylvaine Protectorate.
Unlike other states with more open economies like the Reinald Republic, the Ylvaine Protectorate made it really difficult for foreign companies to do business.
Selling ten to fifty mechs a year did not arouse too much scrutiny, but beyond that more severe trade barriers kicked in. Higher tariffs, extra fees, longer inspections, stricter quality requirements, quotas and more all served to stop foreign companies from taking over the Ylvainan mech market.
And those were just the legal trade barriers. Ves learned from his earlier tour throughout Krent that the Ylvainan attitude towards mechs constituted an unofficial trade barrier. The local culture favored a specific visual style that most foreign mechs lacked.