The Heavenly Court's Understanding Had Increased
One by one, containers were auctioned off at prices ranging from high to low. Some manufacturers would inspect the goods on the spot, but many others would ship the containers away together.
Ultimately, this isn't exactly a respectable profession. If you actually manage to get a legendary gold item, you can't guarantee you won't be intercepted on the way.
Although Old Li's Yuelai Tavern has opened more than a dozen branches throughout Bailin Country and owns one or two assembly plants, it is ultimately just a small and micro enterprise. In the end, he only managed to acquire some parts from old battlefields.
This feeling is probably similar to "buying a few pieces of old mine jadeite rough to prove you were here," right?
At least that's what Mang Ke thinks for now.
Until...
"What is this?!"
Looking at the open container, Mang Ke's face showed confusion. It wasn't that the contents of the container were too good or too bad, but rather...
"Why is the damage to these machines so strange?"
Yes, it's strange.
This box of parts comes from a secondary battlefield in the Ideal Country. The machine itself is roughly at the second-tier level of the Ideal Country, and the Core Fighter with the Onboard Computer has already been taken away. As for the valuation, it's barely enough to break even.
However, the problem is that the damage to these parts is not the same as that of regular battle damage. They are covered with tiny cuts no more than 0.1 millimeters thick, making them look like skin cut by a knife.
Such a wound would be no problem on a mortal body, but it just so happens to appear on the body of Ideal Country machine, even a second-tier machine, which is still armor plating!
Seemingly noticing Mang Ke's strange expression, Feng Xue walked over and frowned after inspecting the damage to the batch of broken weapons.
"There are no signs of melting due to high heat; the cut was purely due to physical properties..."
After muttering something to herself, Feng Xue suddenly looked up and said:
"Old Li, where did this box of goods come from?"
"Wait, I Think!" Old Li found the Tag, glanced at the number on it, compared it with the delivery note in his hand, and then spoke:
"The Remut Northern Battlefield... that desolate place where the War of Independence raged for over a decade. If it weren't for the constant aid from Budali, the indigenous people there would have been wiped out long ago."
"Impossible! Budali's technology couldn't have caused such damage!" Mang Ke made a decisive judgment. Feng Xue thought for a moment, took out her terminal to search, and then said excitedly:
"Oh wow, this might be a lucky break! Old Li, bring over a few high-precision machines, and also a few small vacuum cleaners, the portable kind for home use."
"Alright!" Old Li didn't ask why, and directly instructed his men to move the things. Mang Ke also took out his terminal and searched for information about the Remut Northern Battlefield, but found that there was no news at all.
But this did not disappoint her. On the contrary, as a professional, she knew the ins and outs of the industry very well. Although this kind of small battlefield did not attract much attention, if you wanted to, you could always find some news.
In a situation where there's absolutely no information, the only explanation is that the relevant news has been blocked.
And the fact that news of a battlefield where a war has raged for over a decade was kept secret—that's probably the only one that could explain it, right?
At this thought, Mang Ke n't help but feel excited. Although it was just a bunch of loose parts, what if? Just like a year ago, who could have imagined that Palin would be able to bring home the Sea Monster's Power Reactor right under the noses of Budali and the Ideal Country?
However, since these were items salvaged from the battlefield, they had already undergone one or more rounds of screening, so the probability of finding anything good was low. Mang Ke only concentrate as much as possible and carefully search for what she imagined from these "wounds."
A dozen workers at the assembly plant, along with Feng Xue and Mang Ke, worked from noon until dawn, finally managing to inspect an entire box of parts from beginning to end. The final result was just a small clump of bluish-white "dust".
"That's all." Feng Xue rubbed her back dramatically. Old Li, who had gone to deal with the other parts, reappeared, raising an eyebrow at the small bottle of dust.
What is this?
"We don't know yet, but it's very likely a 'trace' of some kind of weapon." Mang Ke sat at the makeshift table, his eyes fixed intently on the tiny object under the microscope. Feng Xue, standing beside him, glanced at the workers and whispered:
"A special crystal structure with excellent strength and hardness."
"It's not just about being outstanding anymore." Mang Ke wanted to say that, but she restrained her desire to show off. She simply took the small bottle from Feng Xue's hand and gently swept the contents of the microscope slide into it.
After doing all this, she sealed the bottle cap and put it in the safe, just as she had done when she protected the core of the Sea Monster.
Seeing her posture, Old Li's face also turned serious, and he immediately said:
"Things are almost done here. The usable parts will be delivered to the workshop tomorrow. I'll drive you back."
"That would be perfect." Feng Xue nodded, and the three of them fell silent until Old Li's car drove off. After confirming there were no eavesdropping devices, Old Li finally spoke:
"Things from Heaven?"
"It should be." Feng Xue nodded, while Mang Ke, like someone who had been underwater for a long time, finally surfaced and began to speak fluently:
"Definitely! The physical properties of this thing have completely overturned the current understanding of Material Science. Compared to physical weapons made from this, high-frequency weapons and high-temperature weapons are nothing but garbage! The Heavenly Court is so extravagant as to treat it as a consumable, it's unbelievable!"
"Wait, wait! You mean this stuff is material for making weapons?" Old Li frowned, looking at the small bottle of dust.
"Isn't that too little?"
"It's not a matter of quantity. This crystal structure is very easy to process. Even if you just make a spear and then attach a small piece to the tip, it will have a very strong armor-piercing capability. You can think of us as primitive people who obtained fragments of a super civilization's warship. Even if we don't know how to use it, simply tying a stick to it would be a divine weapon for us!"
In the spacious conference room of the Parlin Kingdom, the man who arrived "late" frowned and said:
Why are there only the two of you?
"Because we are all you need." The old man sitting at the head of the table handed him a document.
"Find a way to procure mech parts for the Remt battlefield in the near future. Also, establish a dedicated department..."
"Wait a minute, hasn't this proposal already been studied? Not to mention the parts we produce ourselves, the annual combat losses on our border with Pegasus alone are enough, aren't they?"
The other person who had been summoned spoke, but the old man shook his head without saying a word, simply handing the two of them a document with the highest level of confidentiality...
Regarding the Parin-modified main battle weapon development path, those who think what I wrote is outrageous can look up our own history of developing tanks and aircraft, or rather, most backward countries that rely on imports/captures of weapons start in this way when they want to forge their own path.
Back then, we were a Stitched Monster, buying technology from all over the world, before we finally had the qualifications to develop our own designs.
Conversely, developed countries export weapons to less developed countries in order to bring them into their own arena.
Take airplanes as an example. I sell you fighter jets and related technologies. If your air force develops based on this technology, then you have to follow the path I have taken. If you can't figure out my aerodynamic design, you can only follow me and will never surpass me.
This is also why the comprador mentality is criticized. The idea that it's better to buy than to make, and better to rent than to buy, may be a means to rapidly increase strength in the short term, but the problem is that once path dependence is formed, one will always live in the shadow of others.
For content like this, I generally refer to real history, so it's not that I'm writing something outrageous, but rather that for developing countries, there's simply no way out if it's not outrageous.
Just like that line from Yu-Gi-Oh!!, if you go first with five cards and then go second with zero cards, you'll have to resort to some underhanded tactics if you want to come out on top.