When Nie Chang heard Lin Yi's guess that "there might be equipment capable of producing Source Energy Crystals," it felt as though a heavy hammer had struck his heart. He was utterly shaken.
Of course, the authorities had obtained one—and not just one.
He still clearly remembered how overjoyed the leadership had been when they first discovered the device, which contained the ["Source Sea" Type I Crystal Maker]. It could draw free-floating Source Energy from the surrounding environment, compress it, and solidify it into standard Source Energy Crystals.
However, the reality that followed quickly doused their excitement.
The "Source Sea" Type I's actual efficiency was appallingly low. Running nonstop, twenty-four hours a day, and accounting for the energy it needed to operate, it could produce only one Level 1 Source Energy Crystal—the lowest grade—per day.
Their initial excitement had quickly cooled, replaced by deep disappointment.
For a time, they had thought the machine might simply be designed for "slow and steady" production, requiring a vast number of units to achieve any significant output.
Alternatively, perhaps the "Source Sea" Type I was simply too low-grade, and later models, such as the Type II or Type III, would bring a dramatic increase in production.
Only now, after hearing Lin Yi explain the truth—that Blue Star was desperately poor in Source Energy—did Nie Chang feel as if a sudden revelation had cleared his mind.
So the machine wasn't useless; it was a case of a clever cook having no rice to cook!
This Crystal Maker was no low-efficiency assembly-line machine. Under normal Source Energy conditions, it might be a highly productive "money printer."
Its output was so low purely because there was barely any "rice" to cook in this godforsaken place called Blue Star.
Once he understood that, Nie Chang broke out in