Chapter 902
Chapter 902 - 888: Time of Harvest
1,450 words
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8 min read
The Luka people are a powerful ethnic group in the multi-universe, at least compared to Earth civilization, which has just stepped into the star-zone. Among most civilizations’ "ranking," the Luka are far superior to humans.
From Lu Ping’an’s interactions these past days, it could be seen that their development of the "origin" had reached a point where they had established a system of their own. Those simple yet effective supernatural weapons, the strengthening potions that grant abnormal abilities and traits upon ingestion—these are all products of civilization.
Not to mention their abilities to "imprison deities" and "domesticate rules"... Those small and medium-sized spaceships, although they cannot achieve the Divine Boat’s interstellar travel and are often limited to "lanes" with small ships, have limited carrying capacity and low risk resistance. However, for the development of civilization, they are an important supplement.
"This technology is definitely something Earth wants..."
It was at that moment that Lu Ping’an met the current "opportunity": an entire ethnic branch attempting to become independent... and predictably, this was a new flourishing clan that would continue to expand.
They had families, technology, resources, and even their own multi-universe "connections"... This might be the embryonic form of a future kingdom.
"...Interested in giving Earth a try? Even if it’s not our homeland, we actually have some relatively independent primitive worlds under our command. For example, the Green Planet I previously conquered in battle is a resource-rich, substantial, low-contamination, low-danger quality Resource World."
Lu Ping’an had self-awareness. Despite appearing as a downtrodden Royal Family, as an individual and a small team, he still did not have the credentials to recruit them.
Casola was indeed down on his luck for now and might even be hunted by his own people if the event was exposed, but the foundational power in his hands was still considerable. He could find some remote Luka planets and use his Royal Family status to harness the world’s power.
Let alone military power, the ability for star-zone species to freely traverse otherworldly domains is because they possess armed forces well above the baseline.
The new Luka people still had the Luka’s weaponry and the technology of those metal-cased beings (Hammer-men). Before the series of transformations from gems to metal bodies, they retained the old Luka people’s abilities and characteristics, meaning they could easily wear a layer of Luka shell outside, while simultaneously using old-world technology.
Don’t look at their current predicament, having fought the Energy-devouring Evil Sunflower too fiercely... Ninety-nine out of a hundred beings in the multi-universe can’t defeat the Energy-devouring Evil Sunflower. Anyone who encounters such a disaster will suffer terribly, and Lu Ping’an’s group was no exception.
If a sea of Energy-devouring Evil Sunflowers truly appeared on Earth, Earth might survive the ordeal, but it would suffer greatly, and its Tech Tree might even need to change direction.
"...Can you elaborate?"
Casola didn’t refuse. On one hand, he owed a heavy debt of gratitude (the Luka people have higher moral standards, which in the jungle-world, require strength to back them), and on the other hand, the newborn ethnic group had indeed lost its direction and was in need of allies and intelligence support.
Lu Ping’an stroked his chin; this deal seemed pretty promising.
For Earth and the Eastern Country, which are open to expansion, a Luka branch could bring so much, while they might only need a vast space for development, which Earth had plenty of at the moment—empty spaces were abundant.
Offend the Luka’s main species? First, this branch hasn’t been declared rebellious (they’ll worry about it if it happens), and even if they were discovered, given the speed at which their species handles issues, it would be hundreds of years before any action was taken... God knows how far Earth will have developed in a few hundred years.
The worldview of long-lived and short-lived species is different. Casola was already considering the invisible threats he might bring to his new friend a thousand years from now, yet it didn’t occur to him that this "friend" may no longer exist by then.
"I can’t promise anything since I must communicate with our officials. But based on my understanding of them, they’ll be ecstatic and will give me a significant personal reward. And even if they refuse... I can still provide some private assistance to you."
For an ethnic group with higher moral standards, Lu Ping’an was frank about the potential gains and downsides.
Many worlds in the future would welcome Casola’s people, but aside from Earth’s current favor—
"Our Earth is now most famous for the ’Country of Ten Thousand Gods’", which boasts surplus combat power at the high level and a professional system that’s very suitable for nurturing strongmen. I haven’t even been a superman for a year, and yet someone of my strength is nothing in our country..."
Both statements were true, but when put together, they became somewhat misleading.
Ping’an was indeed nothing significant at present, but his rate of growth was definitely abnormal. It’s just that this statement made the professional system seem too powerful.
Having said this much was enough, the rest was for them to decide.
Next, after discussing official business, Lu Ping’an talked about some personal collaborations...such as recruiting a group of people to join his small team.
On one hand, some of the new Luka people’s shells were originally the property of Rebirth Commerce, and on the other hand, since they had no plans to develop in human society, they could send some people to act as intelligence gatherers, conversationalists... as long as the communication continued, humans could buy technology from them.
"I don’t need warriors", as it is clear that among your new clansmen, craftsmen, miners, and technicians make up the majority, and what I actually lack the most here is craftsmen."
"Apart from basic treatment, we can also offer the advancement resources and opportunities needed by ’craftsmen’ within our professional system."
"Among your ethnic group, those metal beings who have already completed their transformation can probably no longer follow the path of evolution they used to. Why not try ours? Our professional system is famous for not being picky about newcomers and having a very high ceiling."
Lu Ping’an remained very direct, as it was a win-win negotiation where each had their own needs to fulfill, and honesty and directness were more suitable for long-term cooperation.
His team now included biologists, botanists, and even a "chef", with the Magic Alchemist’s level ever-improving. However, the most important export product for logistics was still only Fang Wen the craftsman... It just so happened that her crafting skills were highly specialized, mostly concentrated in machinery creation, while her level in basic craftsmanship and material processing was very ordinary.
The Luka people were quite good in this regard, and if a few could be recruited as resident craftsmen, it would also steadily improve the logistics team’s output.
Ping’an’s consideration wasn’t simply about mass-producing weapons and providing new products, but more about the "revenue and expenditure balance" in team operations.
A mature hunting group should be able to achieve revenue and expenditure balance without taking on tasks, simply by converting the daily harvest and resource points into goods.
Currently in the team, only "Magic Potion" and "Demon Wolf" could be produced regularly. Although both were very useful, the former’s production was always limited (due to the limited number of magic plants and Magic Alchemists), and the latter’s food costs were becoming increasingly expensive. Occasionally, a few sales might not even cover the cost.
Making a quick buck wasn’t very meaningful; earning money to support the family with a monthly allowance was the primary task of recruiting craftsmen.
"...The biggest advantage we have here is actually ’contracts’..."
Lu Ping’an made no secret of his covetousness for the Luka people’s technology, and a contract that could offer a fair trade opportunity might just be one of the most valuable chips at the moment.
Casola didn’t respond immediately to Lu Ping’an; he needed to consider... But given their current social structure, internal deliberation was unnecessary.
Three days later, they agreed and sent ten craftsmen to reside in the courtyard.
On the other hand, they formally requested that Lu Ping’an act as a mediator, helping them to seek shelter from the East Country Government under the guise of "secret fugitives".
By now, Lu Ping’an’s nearly cost-free plan had succeeded at least halfway.
— End of Chapter 902 —