Super Mothership
But such a reaction was almost as good as confirming the experts’ suspicions.
At this moment, the strength of the Ant Empire was raised to new heights in their minds…
Energy Crystals were suspected to be cosmic wonders—mysterious objects that could not be explained by existing physical laws. And yet, the other side had actually found a way to recharge them?
At the very least, this showed that they had already taken the first step on the path of researching Energy Crystals. In the world of scientific research, this first step was as significant as the apple that struck a certain Newton—utterly crucial!
And no one knew whether they had only taken this first step, or whether they had already advanced by many smaller steps…
If that was the case, then the “spatial coordinates” the other side had just mentioned were more than enough to send imaginations running wild. Could it be that they had really touched upon the legendary spatial technology?
But then, why hadn’t such a technology appeared on the trade list?
Ah, of course!
A bottom-of-the-box, treasure-hoard-level super technology like this—even if you sold the entire Gemini civilization, you probably couldn’t afford it. How could the other side possibly list it?
Ignoring the Gemini experts whose thoughts were already running in every direction, the Black Butler continued to elaborate on the trade rules.
“If your side wishes to trade for Energy Crystals, then the exchange ratio between Blank Crystals and Energy Crystals will be 1000 to 1. In other words, 1000 tons of Blank Crystals can be exchanged for 1 ton of Energy Crystals.”
This exchange rate was undeniably steep—nearly a 1000-fold profit. Just thinking about it was enough to make people’s eyes turn red with envy.
But… this was the charm of technological monopoly. What could you do when they had the technology?
Besides, for Gemini, even with such a high exchange rate, it was still worthwhile—after all, Blank Crystals had originally been completely useless in their hands.
Now, with waste being turned into treasure, it was as if they had gained a massive fortune out of thin air.
“1000 to 1? Why don’t you just go rob someone? It has to be 1 to 1!” Arthas snapped.
Everyone: “……”
Even Catherine couldn’t help but twitch at the corners of her mouth.
They’d already agreed to pay “emotional damages.” Didn’t that mean no more pointless arguing?
Sure, bargaining high and settling low was normal, but this kind of haggling was going too far, wasn’t it?
Even if the other side had a technology to recharge Blank Crystals, how could you exchange 1 Blank Crystal for 1 Energy Crystal…?
Did recharging cost nothing?
“Heh heh… sorry, but our All-for-One Society has always had fixed, transparent pricing. If you feel it’s unsuitable, you’re welcome to look at other goods.”
The Black Butler sneered, shrugging with a “take it or leave it” attitude, clearly irritated by such bottomless bargaining tactics.
“Who knows how much your shady middleman cut into this price? How about this—100 to 1 at most!”
“Heh! With such an exchange, not only would our allies never agree, even our Society wouldn’t recover transportation costs. 900 to 1—that’s our bottom line.”
“Ridiculous! A profit margin of 900 times? No one in the world has ever heard of such outrageous business!”
“You’re overestimating the role of Blank Crystals. If 1 Blank Crystal could produce 1 Energy Crystal, do you think our allies would still bother collecting Blank Crystals from outside? If that were true, Energy Crystals would already be limitless!”
“But at such a high exchange rate, we might as well keep the Blank Crystals as a strategic reserve and wait until recharge technology is developed. It wouldn’t be too late to use them then!”
“That research could take hundreds, even thousands of years. All I can say is—good luck.”
“……”
The two sides clashed in a fierce war of words. After a round of back-and-forth “good cop, bad cop” bargaining, Arthas, with his “one more word and I’ll blow up” aura, managed to press down the other side slightly. The final exchange rate was set at 300 to 1.
Of course, this ratio had already been secretly “pre-determined” by Nie Yun after fully considering Gemini’s capacity to accept it.
After all, only by letting Gemini see the enormous profits within would they go all out to gather the Blank Crystals in their civilization for trade.
Given Gemini’s centuries-long history of using Energy Crystals, the amount of accumulated Blank Crystals was bound to be massive. Even at 300 to 1, if all were exchanged, the resulting Energy Crystals would be an astronomical figure.
In the face of such staggering wealth, few people could resist temptation.
Even if they knew that Blank Crystals still held potential value, compared to the distant, uncertain recharge technology, the tangible, immediate profits were far more alluring!
And for Nie Yun, a nearly 300-fold profit, with the chance to repeat it three times over…
Hmm! I really must be one of those legendary geniuses with an extraordinary gift for business…
Even if it temporarily increased Gemini’s strategic energy reserves, it wouldn’t directly enhance the combat strength of the Gemini fleet very much.
If Gemini proved greedy enough, then through this trade Nie Yun could strip the entire civilization of all its accumulated crystal resources. Ideally, in the end he would hold reserves of Energy Crystals several times greater than Gemini’s own.
At that point, no matter how much Gemini’s foundation improved, Nie Yun’s would improve even more. When it came to a battle of attrition, he could crush the other side simply by hurling Energy Crystals at them!
The Energy Crystal trade was also the main highlight of these negotiations.
It allowed Gemini to witness his side’s deep reserves and “powerful” foundation, without overly boosting Gemini’s own strength, while at the same time bringing him enormous wealth. Truly a “three birds with one stone” arrangement!
Looking even further ahead—once Nie Yun had amassed a massive reserve of Energy Crystals while also controlling Gemini’s only source for acquiring large quantities of them…
It would be like an oil magnate on Earth—holding vast oil reserves while monopolizing the export routes. A full-fledged energy trust!
Right now, with war between Gemini and the Wulf Civilization about to erupt, once the conflict escalated, weapons and Energy Crystals would undoubtedly become the most in-demand goods.
Nie Yun couldn’t predict how the war would unfold, but the trade list he had prepared for Gemini clearly contained some hidden calculations…
Although the exchange ratio was agreed upon, whether Gemini ultimately decided to purchase Energy Crystals—and how much—still required a decision from their United Council.
Next, both sides moved on to formal negotiations regarding the items on the trade list.
After some discussion, Gemini’s experts first tentatively put forward three mechanical technologies in exchange for the “Foundations of Psionic Energy Studies.” Among them was the most valuable, the “Armor-Piercing Weapon Blueprints.”
But what they saw in return were rows of extinguished lamps across from them…
Clearly, the proposal had been unanimously rejected—there wasn’t a single light left on.
Undeterred, Gemini’s experts tried to sweeten the deal by offering more in hopes of trading for other Psionic Energy–related technologies. But without exception, all were rejected. The best result they got was a meager one or two lamps lit—nowhere near enough to pass.
“What do you mean by this?” Arthas looked like he was about to explode again.
“Gibber-gibber, gibber-gibber…” At that moment, one of the robots in the middle suddenly rattled off a string of Ant Empire speech.
“Hmm… our ally says that the technologies on your list are mostly things we already possess or of relatively low value. Even if you offered them all, they cannot compare with the advanced Psionic Energy technologies they hold. The only item with any real technical substance is your wormhole detection technology. Without an equivalent-level technology in exchange, Psionic Energy technologies are impossible to sell.” The Black Butler translated.
“Impossible! Wormhole detection technology is the cornerstone of our civilization—it will never be traded!” Before Arthas could reply, one of the experts behind him sternly vetoed the suggestion.
Wormhole detection technology was Gemini’s ultimate secret, the key to its rapid expansion, with immense strategic importance. No matter how tempting the other side’s technology was, the Council would never destroy its own foundation.
Of course, this was within Nie Yun’s expectations—otherwise he wouldn’t have dared to test them with it.
“Then how much Energy Crystal would it take to buy the full set of technologies?” Arthas pressed, unwilling to give up.
“Gibber-gibber, gibber-gibber…”
“He says Psionic Energy technologies are too valuable to be measured in terms of Energy Crystals. They can only be exchanged for technologies of equivalent level.” the Black Butler relayed.
“So nothing on our list interests you at all?” Arthas asked.
“Gibber-gibber, gibber-gibber…”
“On the contrary, he does have some interest in Gemini’s unique agricultural and biological products—such as delicious livestock breeds, or plant seeds with culinary or ornamental value… These are, of course, just his personal hobbies, and he says Energy Crystals can be used as payment for those.”
“……”
The negotiations finally hit a deadlock, and both sides decided to temporarily end the first round of talks.
Isabel then relayed the situation back to the Gemini Council, awaiting the higher-ups’ assessment of this deal…
TL Note- Trade deal...
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