“The development rights to Meltstar cannot possibly be handed over to you.”
The human side quickly reached a decision. Not only were the trade delegation representatives of one mind, but the Higher-ups at the joint video conference shared the same opinion.
It was true that Tianshui Star Civilization knew nothing about the “universe market,” but based on basic rational judgment, any material capable of helping humanity break through the limits of materials science would certainly be extraordinarily valuable.
Perhaps the importance of that “magnetic substrate” to humanity’s full entry into the space age was comparable to the importance of oil during the Industrial Revolution.
Moreover, humanity had not forgotten that the Dialoguer had only mentioned that this material existed on Meltstar.
If Meltstar was the only planet in the entire star system possessing the material humanity desperately needed, then no matter what, its development rights could not be handed over to an alien civilization.
“Why?” Mr. Ga spoke in a tone of incomprehension. “Even when Meltstar is at its closest to your Mother Planet, it is still more than one hundred million kilometers away. With humanity’s current level of spaceflight technology, you cannot reach it at all.”
“Why don’t you explain first why you selected Meltstar out of all the planets?” Zhao Ming countered.
“What is there to explain? Meltstar contains commercial resources that can be developed. It is as simple as that.”
“Do you mean the magnetic substrate?” someone from the trade delegation asked bluntly.
Mr. Ga was startled. “You actually know that magnetic substrate exists? Indeed, according to the Star Scar Merchant Group’s investigations, that material does exist on Meltstar.”
The people on the human side exchanged glances. They had not expected Mr. Ga to admit it so directly.
“However, I assume that apart from its name, you know absolutely nothing about the material, correct?” Mr. Ga said indifferently.
“Why do you say that?”
“Heh. If you had mastered the magnetic substrate and actually put it to use, your technology would not still be at its current level. And if you knew the form in which it exists, you would not be so resistant to letting us develop it.”
“...”
“My dear neighbors, I can see your distrust and wariness toward the Star Scar Merchant Group. But I am not angry. To win your trust, I can tell you some information free of charge.”
Mr. Ga paused before continuing, “The magnetic substrate is a special type of magnetofluid. Its formation conditions are extremely harsh. Multiple requirements must be met simultaneously, including a radiation level within the required range, the presence of an extreme temperature difference, and a suitable magnetic-field environment.”
“Its harsh formation conditions mean that it appears on only a very small number of planets, and that extracting it is exceedingly difficult.
“To extract this material, you must first construct a completely sealed refining facility on-site. Then, you must use technology to simulate a zero-magnetic-field environment before employing special high-energy equipment to cut it out.”
Mr. Ga looked at the people across from him and spoke with absolute certainty. “Even if humanity could reach Meltstar, you still would not master the technology required to extract this material within the next one hundred standard years.”
His words instantly left everyone feeling dejected.
Although they could not determine whether Mr. Ga was telling the truth, humanity had indeed underestimated the difficulty of obtaining the material.
Reaching Meltstar was merely the first step. After that came the extraction of the material, its practical application, and many other formidable obstacles.
By the time humanity overcame all of those difficulties, the Doomsday Rules might have already come to an end.
“If you are willing to lease or sell Meltstar’s development rights to the Star Scar Merchant Group, we are willing to provide additional assistance on the basis of revenue sharing.”
Mr. Ga took advantage of the moment and struck while the iron was hot, adding even more favorable conditions for humanity.
“You are willing to include an additional clause in the contract, under which part of the extracted magnetic substrate will be sold to the Tianshui Star Civilization at a favorable price, along with some of the relevant technology for applying the material.
“With the help of that technology and material, the technology of the Tianshui Star Civilization will rapidly advance in every field. Would that not demonstrate the Star Scar Merchant Group’s sincerity?”
The people on the human side exchanged glances and indicated that they needed to discuss the matter.
Mr. Ga and his two assistants once again left temporarily.
“What does everyone think?”
“If all the information Mr. Ga provided is true, then leasing the development rights to them is indeed a good option.”
“That’s right. There are too many difficulties involved in developing it ourselves, and who knows how long it would take us to succeed? If we outsource the work to the Star Scar Merchant Group, we can still receive a share of the profits and part of the magnetic substrate. Most importantly, we would also obtain the supporting technology. I think this is a worthwhile deal.”
Several people leaned toward agreeing to the lease and completing the transaction.
However, some people opposed the idea. The strongest reaction came from the private-enterprise owner, who had spent decades weathering the ups and downs of the business world.
“You government departments are used to conducting business with other public entities, so you simply cannot see the traps hidden in this deal,” the private-enterprise owner said with a frown.
“You are only looking at the fact that the other side has promised to provide us with a small amount of the extracted magnetic substrate and some technology. But I am focused on how scarce this thing is in the universe! Think about it. If it were not scarce, why would the Star Scar Merchant Group travel such a long distance to conduct this trade?”
Several of the people who had been accused of doing too much business with public entities looked displeased. One of them retorted, “No matter how scarce it is, if humanity cannot develop it, then its scarcity means nothing.”
“Who says humanity has to develop it?” The owner chuckled. “One of the fundamental rules of business is that as long as something is sufficiently scarce, there will be no shortage of buyers. The universe is so vast. Could the Star Scar Merchant Group really be the only potential buyer?”
Zhao Ming’s eyes lit up when he heard that. “Are you suggesting that we lease it out through a highest-bidder system?”
“Hey, there’s another saying in business: even the finest wine fears being hidden in a deep alley. We do have something valuable, but how can we make other civilizations aware of it and get them to compete with the Star Scar Merchant Group? Even if we find a way, wouldn’t a large-scale interstellar publicity campaign risk attracting hostile civilizations that might simply seize the resources by force?”
The private-enterprise owner shrugged. “I cannot say for sure either. But my decades of commercial instinct tell me that there is something seriously wrong with this Star Scar Merchant Group. The risks of conducting high-value trade with them are simply too great.
“To be honest, if I were making the decision myself, then from the moment I learned that they had initially concealed the existence of the Convention despite their hostility, I would have refused to discuss every subsequent trade negotiation.”
“That is too arbitrary and too emotional. After all, we have no evidence proving that they deliberately failed to mention the existence of the Convention.”
Neither side could persuade the other, so they asked the Higher-ups at the joint video conference for their opinion.
The Higher-ups quickly reached a decision and sent it over.
After seeing the decision, the members of the trade negotiation delegation were surprised, but they all expressed their approval.
When Mr. Ga and his two assistants returned, the human side formally presented its proposal according to the decision.
“Our proposal is as follows,” the human representative said. “We will select a planet within this star system and lease it to your merchant group for development. Depending on the success of our cooperation in developing that planet, we will then consider whether to lease Meltstar to your merchant group for development.”
Mr. Ga’s expression did not change. However, even though it was incapable of displaying human facial expressions, everyone present could still sense that this alien individual seemed somewhat angry.
Even the negotiating table formed from crystalline thread in front of them appeared to become unstable, with many crystalline threads trembling faintly.
But everything quickly returned to normal. Mr. Ga spoke. “Please provide a specific time for the ‘subsequent’ decision.”
“At least two years,” the human side replied.
Mr. Ga immediately refused. “No. That is too long.”
This unyielding attitude instantly put the human side on equal footing with him.
“That is strange. Mr. Ga said earlier that humanity would not be able to develop Meltstar’s resources even in one hundred years. If that is the case, what difference would two years make to your merchant group? Could the magnetic substrate resources on Meltstar lose their value after two years? Then what is the point of starting with a one-hundred-year lease? Are you only planning to earn money during the first two years?”
Mr. Ga fell silent.
The countless people watching the live stream of the negotiations in front of their screens felt extremely satisfied when they saw Mr. Ga rendered speechless. They believed that humanity had seen through the scheme of this alien merchant.
The human side’s questioning was indeed forceful. If the Star Scar Merchant Group could not even wait two years, then either there was a problem with the resources, or the merchant group had intended to play dirty from the beginning.
Moreover, starting with a one-hundred-year lease was itself far too long. It also created the risk that an advanced civilization could completely strip a planet of its resources during the lease period.
After one hundred years, if the Star Scar Merchant Group had extracted all the important resources and returned a planet that had been thoroughly drained, what use would it be to humanity?
Just as the human side assumed that Mr. Ga would continue objecting, he unexpectedly agreed.
“...Very well. If this can earn your trust, we can wait two years before discussing the development contract for Meltstar.”
Mr. Ga seemed to have adjusted his mindset in a short time, once again regaining his usual composure.
“During these two years, we will develop one of the planets you designate. For the sake of convenience, we hope to establish a liaison station on your civilization’s Mother Planet and arrange for some members of our merchant group to reside there.”
“This...”
The human trade negotiation delegation had no authority to decide the matter of allowing them to reside there. However, the Higher-ups immediately sent a message through the joint video conference indicating their approval.
The establishment of the first alien civilization’s liaison station on Tianshui Star was not merely symbolic. Humanity also hoped to use this opportunity to learn more about the advanced aspects of the Yinluo Civilization.
There were certainly some risks, but compared with the Doomsday Rules, they were hardly worth mentioning.
Besides, the human Higher-ups were also very curious about how the alien civilization stationed on Tianshui Star would respond when the new Doomsday Rules were released.
“We can accept the establishment of the liaison station.”
“Excellent.” Mr. Ga laughed. “Then the first trade proposal can be considered temporarily complete. Next, we have one more proposal, which is also our final trade proposal.”
“There are other trade proposals?” The human side was slightly surprised.
“Yes,” Mr. Ga said. “The second trade proposal concerns a currency exchange. We wish to use purified chaotic matter energy to exchange for the Ascension Coins currently held by the Tianshui Star Civilization.”