CHAPTER 438: CHAPTER 438: WATER DELIVERY (BONUS)

Bonuses as a thank you for your support last week, let’s get even higher this week, throw your PS at me.

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If Ethan’s hearing had not been enhanced, he definitely would not have immediately understood why the first list of transactions proposed by Senator Kevin Smith was not precious metals like gold or diamonds, nor rare element minerals that could be used to make weapons, but the most ordinary water.

His hearing had been enhanced. While it was not at the level of Clark Kent, who could hear Lois calling his name from anywhere on Earth, whispered conversations within close proximity could not escape him.

That staff advisor’s mind worked very quickly, and the Senator was also quick-witted, immediately realizing that this transaction could bring him immense prestige.

Gold, diamonds, and rare elements could not garner him fame from the general public, but water could.

People could live without gold or diamonds, and they might never come into contact with those rare elements in their lifetime, but water was a resource everyone had to use every day.

More importantly, global water resources were becoming increasingly scarce, especially in the southwestern United States, where a very noticeable water shortage had already begun to appear.

As a U.S. Senator, of course, he had to understand the current state of the entire country. Even for a politician notorious for just shouting slogans and not getting things done, you still had to know what kind of slogans to shout to gain more supporters, right?

Knowing the other party’s intentions, and even knowing more than the other party, Ethan deeply admired Senator Smith’s choice.

This world was roughly around the year 2007. The trend of water scarcity in North America had just begun, but according to multiple data analyses, if there were no special changes, this situation would worsen, though no one could say how many years it would last.

But Ethan knew that in the next ten years, the water shortage in the southwestern United States not only would not ease but would reach a more severe level, and gradually spread to the central regions. In California, the state most severely affected by water scarcity, some cities would even see "water theft"—not stealing money or cars, but stealing water.

In the famous city of Los Angeles, because there was not enough water to irrigate the lawns, more and more lawns in front of wealthy homes withered and died, forcing them to replace them with artificial grass or use green paint to meet community requirements.

The lack of water resources forced the California government to spend countless dollars and try various methods, but the results were very limited. If, at that time, one person could guarantee the supply of fresh water to several states in the Southwest and even the Central region, how much fame would that person gain?

By then, it would not be impossible for Kevin Smith, carrying immense prestige, to move directly into the White House.

Of course, the situation in California had not deteriorated to that extent yet. It was just beginning to show signs. After a few more years, following several years of drought, the southwestern states would enter a difficult situation.

But Kevin Smith could not wait until then to buy large quantities of fresh water from Ethan. He needed time to stockpile, and he also needed to conduct various tests. Could the water from space be used by Earthlings? Would it carry unknown viruses or other dangers? All of this would take time to verify.

By the time everything was tested and confirmed, several years would have passed.

Kevin Smith was not Ethan and did not know how bad the situation in California would become in the future. Even if it was not that bad, the increasing scarcity of water resources was a major trend, as the population was growing, and the reserves of several famous freshwater rivers and lakes in North America were showing a downward trend.

This trend was not just limited to North America, it was global.

However, for civilizations with space travel technology, water resources were the least rare resource.

Because the universe has no shortage of water.

Earthlings once thought that water was the rarest thing in the universe because they did not see it on other planets.

Later, people discovered that water was not absent in the universe, it was just difficult to find liquid water. Although later, the existence of liquid water was also discovered.

It can be said that water is the most abundant substance in the universe, but it usually exists in solid and gaseous states. Liquid water is rarely seen because the conditions for its formation are quite demanding.

Scientists also suspect that the water on Earth originally came from a large meteorite, and after crashing into Earth, these water resources turned into liquid in Earth’s unique environment.

"In short, I just need to collect meteorites with a large amount of water?"

Ethan thought for a moment. To ensure that the water resources carried on these meteorites were delivered intact, he would have to store them in a low-temperature environment.

This was not much of a problem. The only trouble was that the other party’s demand was quite large, and he had not truly entered space yet, making collecting meteorites more troublesome.

He could not just scoop up a few reefs from the Ocean World, freeze them with water, and bring them over, could he? That would be too unreliable.

So he could only fly into space to collect them. Currently, the only world capable of freely traveling to space and collecting was the Marvel Universe.

Suddenly, he realized that this seemed to be Kevin Smith’s subtle test of Ethan’s technological capabilities.

Fortunately, he agreed readily. If he had hesitated, the other party would definitely have noticed something was wrong. These politicians were truly complicated. It was easy to be led astray if you were not careful.

"For the first delivery, we only need one meteorite, preferably one near Earth. We want to conduct some tests."

Kevin Smith knew that it was best not to use these alien things casually. Who knew what they might carry? Although he had not studied related subjects, he had at least seen many Hollywood movies.

Ethan nodded. The first test would take quite some time. By the time the other party purchased a large amount of fresh water from him, he estimated that he should have already broken out of the Ocean World and be heading toward the universe. At that time, he would definitely have his own spaceship, and preparing a few extra would not delay anything. He could collect some meteorites nearby before landing when he came to this world.

Seeing that Ethan readily agreed to his requests, Kevin Smith was also quick to agree to Ethan’s demands. For the few things he could not agree to, he promised to try his best to get them for Ethan.

Thus, Ethan obtained an official identity. Superficially, it was still the identity he and Tony had privately registered, but now it had become official.

His actual identity was, of course, that of an interstellar merchant. They had the right to free trade on Earth, but they needed to report their arrival and departure each time.

Although that was the rule, Kevin Smith guaranteed that in the future, this would just be a formality. Ethan could simply have his subordinates notify them or even just make a phone call when he came.

Actually, Ethan had no objection to this. It was normal to say hello when visiting someone else’s home. It was understandable that humans were unhappy with Optimus Prime, who just showed up whenever he wanted, and not only came himself but also kept calling his friends.

Finally, Ethan would open a company on Earth. The company’s address was tentatively set in Los Angeles. The company would nominally be a shell trading company, but in reality, it would be the office for Ethan and his people on Earth, equivalent to an unofficial embassy.

In the future, when Kevin Smith or other official personnel needed to find Ethan, they could go to this place. Even if he was not there, they could leave a message to be conveyed when Ethan next visited, or use some more advanced communication method to transmit it directly to Ethan.

This was also a plan Senator Smith was making for his future. If his staff advisor’s analysis was correct, the southwestern states would become his base of operations in the future. Even if he could not successfully move into that white mansion, he could ensure his position remained unshakable for the next ten years.

Ethan and Smith reached an agreement and became allies. Their subsequent conversation was filled with laughter. Although it was impossible to tell from his expression whether Senator Smith was genuinely happy, Ethan could roughly judge whether a person was lying based on their spiritual fluctuations.

Clearly, Senator Smith’s spiritual fluctuations at this time were much livelier than the still-water-like fluctuations from before.

Tony Stark, who had been standing by the side, was lost in thought. He had always disliked this kind of insincere polite socializing, thinking it had no practical use.

But looking at Optimus Prime not far away, still arguing with the Secretary of Defense, and then looking at Ethan, who was chatting happily with Senator Kevin Smith, this clear contrast made him realize that sometimes, this kind of thing was somewhat useful.

Of course, he could not do this kind of thing himself. He felt it was best to leave all these matters to his own father. After all, he was better at this sort of thing than he was.

With Howard handling these kinds of troubles, Stark Industries would face much less political pressure in the future.

"What’s the plan next?"

"Go back to Los Angeles to rest and wait for your news? Maybe I can look for a suitable place to open a company?"

Ethan did not need to worry about this at all. Smith would be even more concerned than Ethan. Perhaps soon, a complete company would be handed over to Ethan.

It was foreseeable that once Ethan’s company was established, there would be a great many people who wanted to meet with him.

Kevin Smith was immensely grateful that he had taken on this mission and met Ethan in advance. Otherwise, he could not guarantee that what he had thought of, others would not also think of. Perhaps being half a step slower would result in a completely different outcome.

"I need to return to Washington D.C. to report. The things we have agreed upon should be fine."

Kevin Smith bid a simple farewell to Ethan and then took a helicopter to a nearby airport, where he would switch to a private jet to Washington D.C.

Ethan, along with Tony, Mikaela, and Sam, went to say goodbye to Optimus Prime, who was still discussing various cooperation details of the military alliance with the Secretary of Defense.

(To be continued.)

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