CHAPTER 389: 338

This was simply a leapfrogging kind of growth.

If this set of super armament could truly boost a hero’s combat power by such a large margin, then... what would Master Level heroes and Ultimate creatures even count for?

Yan Xing asked comfortably, "Can we start producing this super armament immediately once we purchase a lithography machine?"

"No!" Chui Chui said bluntly.

Yan Xing asked, "Why not? What else are we missing?"

Chui Chui replied, "Using a lithography machine to manufacture magic chips requires very high standards for chip design, and the internal magic circuit layout of the entire super armament is also a design challenge. That’s not even the most pressing issue; given time, I can design it. What we urgently lack now is refined magic material."

Yan Xing asked in confusion, "Aren’t our magic materials quite abundant? We can purchase anything we lack from the Silvermane Principality. If you think the Eternal Domain’s refinement technology for magic materials is inadequate, we could also commission the Silvermane Principality to do the refinement for us. Their magic refinement technology may not be as good as Cloud Tower’s, but it’s definitely better than ours."

"Not enough..." Chui Chui shook his head. "I’m afraid that even the refinement level of magic materials from Cloud Tower can’t meet the purity standards required for the super armament. I demand the magic materials be at least ninety-five percent pure; otherwise, the magic chips manufactured by the lithography machine simply won’t function. But the magic materials I’ve encountered so far only reach a maximum purity of seventy-six percent. It’s far too low."

So, all that excitement was for nothing?

Yan Xing, unwilling to accept this, asked, "Can’t we use solely divine alchemical resources? The purity of those is one hundred percent."

Magic Crystals, Magic Mercury, Magic Sulfur, and Magic Gemstones could be exchanged from the divine shop. They were the four essential commodities for a city’s operations and also important materials for setting up magical arrays. If a magical array used all four of these resources, then there would be no need to consider the refinement issue.

But Chui Chui vetoed, "Mages can use these four resources to assist in constructing magical arrays when casting spells. However, materialized magical arrays require different alchemical materials based on the specific structural demands of their magic conduction. Some materials are irreplaceable."

"Since you have an idea of what’s needed, there’s always a way to solve the difficulties. Just tell me what you need, and I’ll find it..." Yan Xing stopped offering haphazard ideas about technical issues, choosing instead to focus on what he was best at.

"I need to build a material purification laboratory, purchase a batch of corresponding equipment from the real world, and acquire a large quantity of materials for experimental consumption."

Upon hearing this, Yan Xing breathed a sigh of relief. To him, any issue that could be solved with money wasn’t a big deal.

"Alright, give me a list of everything you need, including that high-precision lithography machine and supercomputer cluster," Yan Xing assured with a pat on his chest.

He was never stingy when it came to investing in scientific research. However, as soon as he saw the procurement list Chui Chui laid out, Yan Xing’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Are you kidding me?!

Yan Xing checked the figure in the total column again.

No mistake... After checking three times, it was over ten billion. Even if I sold everything I own, down to my last pot and pan, and then sold myself, I still couldn’t raise that much money, could I?

"Chui Chui, you didn’t make a mistake in your calculations, did you? Why does it cost so much?"

Chui Chui answered, "All related equipment in this field of technology is very expensive. Even this estimated price, which is merely based on normal market value, could be higher at the actual point of sale. And this is just the initial equipment investment. For the project to operate normally, further investment will be needed to purchase additional necessary equipment and materials."

Climbing the tech tree had reached the point of requiring investments in the tens of billions. Yan Xing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. But this money was absolutely out of his reach right now. Even if he transferred all of the Eternal Domain’s current funds to this project, it would still be nowhere near enough.

But the super armament... It was too tempting.

"Leave the list to me; I’ll figure something out!"

Holding the list, Yan Xing was in no mood to look at other research projects in the Alchemy Laboratory.

He knew that there must be other pricey lists hidden somewhere, waiting for him to uncover. He dared not look. If he did, he feared he wouldn’t be able to resist approving more research and development. This place is a real damn bottomless pit. I definitely need to come here less often.

Yan Xing walked into the Alchemy Laboratory with his head held high and his chest puffed out, then he came out listlessly.

With a shopping list totaling over ten billion in hand, he really wasn’t in the mood to deal with his domain’s affairs. He turned and returned to the real world.

Appearing back in his secret apartment, Yan Xing took out his smartphone to check for messages he had missed. Then he called Eternal Commerce and Trade to ask how much money was left in the company’s account.

Fifty million. That would last for a while.

Buying the stuff on the list was out of the question.

Gryphon Island wouldn’t generate any short-term returns, and he couldn’t possibly divert funds from Thunderous Company.

So, he had to find another way to cover this ten-billion bill. First, go to Gryphon Island to see Tong Yitong. Having not seen her for a while, he wondered whether she could control her powers now.

Unexpectedly, just as Yan Xing’s private plane landed at the Gryphon Island airport, the first person he saw was Feng Tingyue.

Feng Tingyue said, "Mr. Yan Xing, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you."

"Let’s go. I was planning to take a walk on the beach anyway." Yan Xing led Feng Tingyue toward the beach adjacent to the airport, while several company bodyguards fanned out to secure the perimeter.

When they reached a secluded spot, Feng Tingyue said to Yan Xing, "Mr. Yan Xing, the batch of Composite Armor you delivered to us last time has sold out completely. The clients are very satisfied and want to place another large order."

Yan Xing was now interested in anything that could make money.

"Great! How much do they need this time? Give me the sizes and specifications, and I’ll arrange production immediately."

Feng Tingyue looked around and said softly, "Mr. Yan Xing, this time we’d like to order one hundred thousand tons."

Hearing the order was so large, Yan Xing was even more interested.

It was like someone offering a pillow just when he was getting sleepy!

Remember, the Magic Energy Composite Armor plates Yan Xing sold to Renlun Investment Bank were priced at a staggering 200,000 per ton. One hundred thousand tons would be 20 billion.

After deducting costs... Chui Chui’s list would be perfectly covered!

"No problem, no problem..." Yan Xing chuckled and said, "Buying so many Composite Armor plates—are you building an aircraft carrier? Never mind, forget I asked. However, producing the quantity you’re asking for will take some time on my end."

Feng Tingyue said, "We understand that the manufacturing process for this Composite Armor must be very complex, and delivery within three to five years is acceptable. But we have one condition... the technology must be transferred."

"Technology transfer?" Yan Xing’s expression hardened, and he refused immediately. "The technology absolutely cannot be transferred!"

Feng Tingyue explained, "According to convention, for such a large purchase amount, it’s a reasonable request for the client to ask for a technology transfer. After all, no one wants to be hamstrung by their raw material supply, and the client also needs to be able to reprocess these materials. If you refuse the technology transfer, I’m afraid the client is likely to opt for their existing special steel instead."

The deal was going south!

Yan Xing understood the client’s reasoning. No one would want the critical materials for their nation’s strategic assets to come from an unstable source. No one could bear the responsibility if major repairs were needed and the materials were unavailable.

But this technology... even if Yan Xing gave it to them, the client wouldn’t be able to produce Magic Energy Composite Armor. It wasn’t something that could be made in the real world.

Yan Xing had to refuse, though it pained him. "I’m sorry. Please convey my apologies to your client, but this technology cannot be transferred under any circumstances. Miss Feng, if there’s nothing else, I’d like to return to my room to rest."

"There’s nothing else of major importance." Feng Tingyue was visibly disappointed. "Mr. Yan Xing, when you have time, I’ll update you on recent company matters."

Company matters? Yan Xing was taken aback. Wasn’t Chen Shi supposed to be the one updating him on company matters?

However, on second thought, Yan Xing had a good idea of what Feng Tingyue wanted to discuss.

"Alright... We can talk this evening."