After the stars of the Andromeda galaxy went out, this region of space fell into eternal darkness.
The Sulphur Dwarves lost the energy source they depended on for survival. Their technological system relied too heavily on stellar energy output; throughout the development of their civilization, any equipment not connected to stellar energy pipelines had been eliminated. Thus, after the stars went out, the fire of their civilization nearly went out as well.
Now, only a handful of lights remained on their homeworld cluster. Looking closely, one could see that most of them were mining development hubs owned by humans.
The Sulphur Dwarves possessed a gift: they could mine a special metal called molten steel from the minerals of their homeworlds. This metal was highly suitable for fledgling spacefaring civilizations. Its reserves were abundant, its properties balanced, and its performance excellent in every respect. It could be called a cheaper substitute for Vibranium.
But it would soon become a superior replacement for Vibranium, because its price was simply too low.
First of all, the main star cluster inhabited by the Sulphur Dwarves covered an enormous area, contained countless planets, and was rich in mineral resources.
At the same time, although molten steel was not an open-pit resource, the Sulphur Dwarves had a mature mining system of their own. It was not difficult to extract, making the cost even lower.
The only relatively high cost was transportation. But the ships used for transport were Kree ships, and Kree ships ran on stellar energy. Other than the time involved, it was practically free.
Thus, molten steel gained an overwhelming advantage in price. Even though Vibranium surpassed it in certain properties, humanity accepted this metal with astonishing speed and intended to sweep Vibranium into history's garbage heap.
Vibranium was a metal. It would not