Alabasta Kingdom, royal palace council chamber.
Baccarat's smile did not fade in the slightest after Cobra rejected her.
Only after gently brushing aside her wine-red hair draped over her shoulders did she speak unhurriedly:
"King Cobra, I don't think you need to refuse so quickly.
Don't you want to hear what terms the Umbrella Corporation is offering?"
At that, a trace of confusion flashed through Cobra's eyes. He asked curiously:
"Oh!? Then tell me, what price is the Umbrella Corporation prepared to pay for the mineral mining rights?"
"Besides the usual monetary compensation, our company can also provide the Alabasta Kingdom with rainmaking machines and support for environmental transformation technology."
"Rainmaking machines?"
The instant he heard those words, an expression of disgust instinctively appeared on Cobra's face.
"Miss Baccarat, are you referring to the kind of machines that use Dance Powder to create artificial rainfall?"
In response, Baccarat merely curled her lips into a meaningful smile.
"Hehe! King Cobra, you are mistaken!
The Umbrella Corporation would never use Dance Powder for rainfall—that criminal method prohibited by the World Government!
The Umbrella Corporation's technological capabilities in meteorology have already far surpassed this era...
Our rainmaking machines can use the inexhaustible seawater, desalinate it, and then use precision meteorological instruments to form rain clouds over designated areas, enabling precise rainfall with absolutely no side effects.
According to my investigation, as a desert kingdom, Alabasta receives very little rainfall each year. Local droughts occur frequently, and this year, not a single drop of rain has fallen in any city other than the capital, Alubarna.
I believe the Alabasta Kingdom must be in desperate need of rain to resolve its immediate crisis, no?
If you are willing to cooperate with the Umbrella Corporation, I can make the decision to provide the Alabasta Kingdom with