Chapter 293

Secretary-General Lin was on the east side of Central Star, an area filled with military equipment—bulk products supplied to the army, sold in batches without high-end mechs, so there were fewer people there, and buyers came mainly from nations or military units.

Notably, these weren't outdated models; they had calculated in advance that the sale price was near cost, and if a team had a star player ranked high in the Resource War, they also had some discount quotas under their name—not a huge amount, but the discount was quite good.

Central Star’s opening was also an opportunity for weaker nations to quickly close the gap, and having a star player could shorten that process.

Secretary-General Lin had booked ahead, and as soon as they arrived, staff members came out to greet them.

The staff members were clearly prepared and well-experienced, and showed no surprise at Secretary-General Lin or the well-trained, armed soldiers behind him.

They simply treated them like any other customers, warmly welcoming them: "Hello, please follow me. This way to the exhibition hall, where you can also try them out. Of course, you can also take another look at the items you pre-ordered before confirming your purchase."

"Once you confirm, we'll deliver them as fast as possible."

Secretary-General Lin nodded without saying much and simply followed them to the exhibition hall.

Still smiling, the staff member said, "This way, please. We'll go to the mech area first."

The exhibition hall was enormous, nearly impossible to see the end, with a mech placed at intervals on both sides.

"These are standard models, not the custom-made rare types designed for star players, but they're great value for the price and are suitable for military use. This is the one you looked at before—tough material, a defense-type mech."

The staff member pulled up a holographic screen in front of the mech: "Here's a detailed list of the materials."

"It's worth mentioning that this type also has King Bug Crystal mixed into the outer layer, though not a large amount. It's been adjusted thousands of times to achieve the best effect while keeping the price affordable, giving soldiers better protection."

Secretary-General Lin scanned the screen, scrolling quickly. This information hadn't been available online. He noted the details while asking, "Can King Bug Crystal be added later?"

The staff member's expression didn't change; others had made the same request before. "Of course. There are steps in the manual. If you trust us, we can take care of it for free."

"If you need, we can also provide a purchasing channel for King Bug Crystal, guaranteeing authenticity. The price is slightly lower than official channels outside, but not much lower. It's higher than black market prices. If you don't want the hassle, you can directly buy products with a higher content of King Bug Crystal—actually, that could be more cost-effective in the end."

King Bug Crystal was a valuable hard currency, used in mech manufacturing and also as a luxury gem for accessories like brooches or rings.

The Star Alliance only offered discounts on necessities, not King Bug Crystal, to prevent people from bulk buying from the Alliance to resell for profit.

Secretary-General Lin declined. "No need. We can provide it ourselves."

They walked through the exhibition hall, checking different types of mechs. Secretary-General Lin checked the materials and prices of each mech. After walking a long way, they circled back.

"Same type as before."

"Alright. Same quantity as before? If everything's confirmed, we can deliver it this afternoon. If you have a star player on the team, you can provide their info now and get a discount on a set number of mechs."

Secretary-General Lin frowned. The star player rankings haven't come out yet, so no discount could be applied right now. But that wasn't a problem—they could still make purchases after the competition.

He mentally tallied the revenue share from the Resource War. It was a substantial sum, but still far from enough to arm a country, or even just the legion they'd brought.

Secretary-General Lin looked up. "What if we want to sell crystals?"

The staff member faltered, then regained composure, his smile faltering for a moment. After a few seconds, he straightened up and said, "We'll definitely give you a price you'll like."

Luckily, before they left this time, Princess Sylvia had specifically brought far more King Bug Crystals than the young prince needed. Secretary-General Lin silently thanked the dependable Princess Sylvia.

After setting aside what the young prince might need for emergencies, the rest could be converted into funds.

And, if things went smoothly, another sum would be coming in today.

Secretary-General Lin adjusted his glasses. "Now, take us to see the mothership."

...

Ye Mo and the others went straight to places with lots of food and entertainment.

Lakeley came along too.

On the road, they mostly saw support staff from various countries, with occasional uniformed team members. Even Lakeley didn't recognize most of them. Most people at the base were competition support staff. The odds of running into someone you knew by name weren't low, but they weren't high either.

Moreover, these people came with their own national allegiances. Even if they saw familiar faces, they mutually left each other alone. Even famous players got only a glance.

So Ye Mo and the others had a good time without worry.

But why was Ye Mo the one paying for everything?

Lakeley watched Ye Mo, who after finishing a game took out his optical brain to pay, and fell into deep thought.

Baide glanced at a shop next to them, but before he could speak,

Ye Mo asked him proactively, "Want that? I'll go buy it if you do."

Baide stroked his chin, not being polite. "Yes."

Before he even finished speaking,

Ye Mo had already walked over and soon returned with a bag.

Jacob took the bag from him. "It seems lively up ahead."

They moved forward. This time Ye Mo stopped. He glanced at a person, then looked toward the direction that person had come from, his gaze fixed. Lakeley followed his line of sight—this was a casino. Even though Ye Mo probably wouldn't listen, he still said, "You can't go in there. The adults will scold you."

Then Lakeley looked at Baide, hoping Baide would immediately drag Ye Mo away. Baide, under Lakeley's hopeful gaze, spoke up. "Want to go? Take me with you."

Ye Mo shook his head. "I can manage by myself."

Then he rushed off. Arnold only had time to glance at Baide before immediately following. "Wait, Cyril! Let's go somewhere else! Or let's check if there's an age limit here first."

Baide watched Cyril and Arnold disappear one after the other and sighed, "Cyril has reached his rebellious age. I wonder if Norton will get a beating when I tell him."

Jacob stood to the side holding a bag—most of their purchases had already been sent back to the Grath base. "You definitely would."

Baide ignored that remark. "Arnold is so slow. Why hasn't he dragged Cyril out yet?"

A few minutes later, Ye Mo and Arnold came out carrying several cups of drinks.

Baide received a colorful drink.

Ye Mo's eyes sparkled. "Look, isn't this cup pretty? It's glass. We can reuse it after."

He added seriously, "Don't throw away the cup after drinking—give it to me."

Under his eager gaze, Baide nodded, thinking to himself, Good thing I didn't tattle on Norton and Sylvia beforehand—that would have been awkward. "Alright, little dummy."

Before Ye Mo could respond, Arnold was already dissatisfied. "Cyril isn't dumb. He's smart! Perfect scores in academics."

Baide responded perfunctorily and walked slowly forward.

Ye Mo pushed Baide's back, urging them on. "Let's go quickly. Hurry through this area, or we'll be late getting home."

Baide turned to look at Ye Mo, "Take your time, we can play a little longer today. Norton is out on business and will be back a little later."

Though he said this, he still quickened his pace when Ye Mo urged him on.

Ye Mo paused, "Father is out?"

Arnold, standing next to him, nodded too, "Yeah, he's probably heading out any minute now."

Ye Mo lowered his hand, "Then let's tell Adelaide we'll be back later."

...

Secretary-General Lin quickly returned to the Grance Base.

He went straight to the study and stopped in front of Norton, "Your Majesty, the prices are confirmed and match the earlier calculations. The quantities are also confirmed. Most will arrive this afternoon; the rest need a few adjustments and will arrive no later than the day after tomorrow."

"The blockade is still in effect. Based on the timeline, it probably hasn't been resolved yet. The Star Alliance Chairman is currently at the Star Alliance Center and has set up a meeting for you."

Norton stood up, "Let's go."

Deenlie followed him.

Secretary-General Lin bowed, waiting for Norton to pass before then fell into step behind him. The guard at the door opened it for Norton.

They proceeded all the way to the base gate, where the hovercar fleet was already waiting.

Adelaide and the others were already waiting at the gate, bowing respectfully.

Adelaide handed Norton's cloak and sword to the accompanying guards.

Secretary-General Lin opened the car door for Norton.

Adelaide stood still, watching until the hovercar fleet was out of sight, then turned and walked back into the base. As he walked, he said to the man beside him, "The young prince and the other princes won't be eating here tonight, so make a smaller dinner. Additionally, a bunch of equipment will be coming in this afternoon; make the necessary preparations."

"Yes, we are ready to receive it."

Adelaide glanced one more time in the direction Norton had left, hoping that His Majesty's trip would go smoothly, and that the young prince would have a good time.

The hovercar fleet with the Grance logo headed straight to the Star Alliance Center.

On the other side, Ye Mo glanced at the sky, looked puzzled for a moment, then shrugged it off and lowered his head, focusing on eating his ice cream. He gave an honest review, "The ice cream here is pretty much the same as in Grance—both are tasty."

Arnold quickly added, "That's why you can't eat too much. If you don't have room for dinner, big brother will get on your case."

Before Ye Mo could respond, Baide interjected, "It's fine, we're not going home for dinner tonight anyway."

Jacob tried to mediate, "Cyril doesn't eat much; he knows his limits."

Lakeley, eating electronic ice cream, felt that their argument was pointless. Wouldn't it be easier to just eat in the full-dive world? He made a mental note to message Cyril about it.