area51novel Page 143
Page 143
"Yes, yes, yes! I'll contact them right away!" Oberon frantically activated the communication equipment. Just as he was about to connect to Zhou Qing's channel, a holographic projection suddenly appeared in the center of the royal court.
Zhou Qing's figure slowly appeared, a half-smile on his face: "Looks like I've arrived just in time?"
Mesophile immediately withdrew her finger, resuming her dignified posture: "Your Excellency Warlord, this is our first meeting, and Mesophile, the Hand of Shadows, greets you."
He was willing to give Zhou Qing, a person who could change the status quo of the Necromancer Dynasty and even give it a soul, his utmost respect.
Oberon was also relieved and quickly bowed: "Commander! We were just about to contact you..."
"No need for explanation." Zhou Qing waved his hand. "I've been keeping an eye on things here. Your Excellency Messofite, welcome to the Misty Starfield."
"I think you've come here to ask me for a soul, right? As for the price of the soul, I think Oberon has already given you the price. The price he gave is the price I'm offering."
As a tech mogul, how could Zhou Qing not know that Auberon had secretly increased its price by 0.001%?
However, since the other party was willing to do this, there was no need for him to disappoint them. Therefore, Zhou Qing decisively added the money to the amount to help Oberon out of his predicament.
"Please do not misunderstand the price he offered; it was actually the price that should have been offered."
To prevent this honest fellow from being disliked by the other space necromancer dynasties, Zhou Qing offered another explanation for him.
Upon hearing Zhou Qing's words, Shadow Hand Mesophite...
He agreed on the spot.
"I understand your meaning perfectly well. Thank you."
Zhou Qing's willingness to say such things for his good-for-nothing friend's descendant was naturally a favor, and he wanted to accept it.
The two looked at each other and smiled. It could only be said that fools are lucky, precisely because he was a bit dim-witted.
Therefore, Zhou Qing was willing to help him out.
"Alright, his matter is almost resolved now, let's get down to business."
After rescuing the foolish Necromancer Emperor Oberon from the predicament, Zhou Qing steered the conversation back to the topic of souls.
Both the War Moon and the Singularity Core require a large amount of resources, so doing business with the Necromancer Dynasty is a must for Zhou Qing.
When the other party heard that Zhou Qing intended to discuss matters of the soul, they immediately nodded readily.
"Your Excellency is right. Now let's discuss the matter of the soul, for the matter of the soul is the real issue for the Infinite Empire."
“I have reviewed the price you offered in detail, and it is very fair. The Infinite Empire can afford it, but I wonder if you can provide the enormous number of souls required by the Infinite Empire.”
Messofite knew very well that the resources Zhou Qing wanted were definitely not for creating souls. If those resources could create souls, there was no reason why the space necromancers wouldn't have been able to research them.
The one who can truly create souls is actually the top scientist and war commander of the human empire standing before him!
God knows why the Human Empire would appoint a top scientist as a Warmaster, but that has nothing to do with the Infinite Empire. What the Infinite Empire is really concerned about is whether humanity can provide enough souls.
The accumulated power of the former galactic overlord is beyond the imagination of others, not to mention that the space necromancers can drift through the galaxy at speeds exceeding infinite times the speed of light.
They can gather resources not just from the small Milky Way, but from countless galaxies throughout the universe.
"Quantity?"
"Don't worry about the quantity. I know how vast your Infinite Empire is, so we can still provide souls. However, there is a condition: the number of finished souls is actually limited, since these things are really troublesome to manufacture."
“Soul seeds are simpler. I can guarantee that I can supply a sufficient number of soul seeds. If there are too many complete souls, then we will have to wait in line to get them.”
Zhou Qing knew what the other party meant, and he directly told the other party about the soul abilities he could currently achieve.
The Soul Seed doesn't require Zhou Qing's personal intervention; the Psionic Legion can handle it. However, a complete soul is a different story. It requires an intelligent AI, and the Empire's current processing capabilities simply cannot mass-produce it.
There is only one place where intelligent AI can be mass-produced, and that is the 28 planets inside the 108 worlds of the Misty Starfield, the final capital of the 28 planets, the United Capital!
Only this capital planet, where Zhou Qing is personally overseeing the project, can produce intelligent AI, therefore the number of finished souls is limited.
Upon hearing this, Messofite did not show any discomfort; instead, she smiled.
"That's enough. As long as the Soul Seeds can supply the entire Infinite Empire, that's sufficient. As for the finished souls, that's no problem, of course. You and I both know that these things are extremely precious."
"As nobles, we naturally need something that can show our status. We can accept that finished souls are more expensive, and their rarity can also show our true noble status."
Mesophile expressed his understanding and even supported what Zhou Qing said. After all, once he learned that his race could obtain enough soul seeds, the weight on his heart had been lifted.
Since the survival and continuation of the race are no longer in question, the long-standing traditions of the Necromancers in space naturally come to the fore.
Nobles need something to signify their status, and over the past few centuries, a finished soul has undoubtedly been the best thing to do to demonstrate that status.
"I wonder if you can customize a soul? I'm not saying a complete soul is not possible, but I'm asking if you can customize something special."
“As you know, I am a nobleman and one of the top rulers of the Infinite Empire. Therefore, I feel that there should be a soul that matches my status. What do you think? Price is not an issue.”
Having resolved the issues of life and death, one should now pursue enjoyment. As one of the top rulers of the Infinite Empire, Messofite felt she should be unique.
Zhou Qing, who had always prioritized practicality, was completely bewildered after hearing what the other person said, with several question marks appearing above his head.
It took him quite a while to come to his senses and figure out what the other person was referring to.
"Are you referring to luxury goods that can showcase your status, are more expensive, and have more functions?"
"I'm not saying this is pointless, but since I've provided you with something, it should naturally be the best. There's no need to add any fancy gadgets..."
To be fair, the Human Federation is too generous; when they do business with others, the items they sell are always top-quality.
Basically, all the necessary functions are present, and it can be said that the most perfect form of a product has already been presented to them.
Chapter 226 Luxury Goods and Aristocratic Style Are Truly Wonderful Things
"Don't worry about the use of these fancy features."
You just need to tell me if you can customize it for me. As for the resources?
Resources are no problem. Just name your price and I'll give you the resources; consider it making friends!
He certainly knew the difference between luxury goods and ordinary goods, and naturally also knew the difference between decorative items and practical items.
But this still didn't stop him from saying those words to Zhou Qing.
It is necessary to display his noble status; otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste for him to become the top ruler of the Space Necromancer Dynasty?
Zhou Qing looked at the mechanical body of the space necromancer in front of him and finally said one sentence.
"If you want it, I can certainly get it for you, and I can even customize a body for you that is better than your current one."
Then I'll create a soul that's a perfect match for this body, guaranteed to be flawless. I can provide whatever luxury you desire. Is that acceptable?
Although he didn't quite understand why this space necromancer would make such a request, Zhou Qing didn't refuse because money was being offered to him.
"Okay! I'll take this one. Please have a body custom-made for me. Just tell me what materials you need, but make sure to use the absolute best!"
After hearing Zhou Qing's words, Sofitel became excited and shouted out loud.
As a scientist of Zhou Qing's caliber, he certainly knew what it meant.
Even in the Infinite Empire, no scientist can compare to him.
Although the art of the human empire is abstract, it has nothing to do with Zhou Qing. This is how top scientists and their weak civilization are.
Furthermore, with the added advantage of his ability to create souls, Zhou Qing was now practically on par with the Silent King for the Infinite Empire.
Don't be fooled by the fact that the Infinite Empire can possess souls and perpetuate its race; its population won't actually increase...
The newly created robot doesn't mean it will have a soul. In the end, it will still have to come to Zhou Qing.
Zhou Qing's identity already determined that his status as a space necromancer was absolutely high, comparable to that of the Silent King.
For such a being to personally create a body for him and personally assign him a soul—is this not a symbol of status?
"Make sure you create the best body for me, I'm entrusting everything to you!"
"If you need anything, any materials you require, or even anything you need me to do, just let me know, and I'll take care of it for you."
In her excitement, Messofitel repeatedly made such assurances.
After all, if we only provide resources, how can we demonstrate the importance of Zhou Qing's actions? Naturally, we need to do something else as well.
Messofite didn't care at all about what Zhou Qing asked her to do. In fact, the more things Zhou Qing asked her to do, the more valuable her soul was.
Don't be fooled by the fact that doing this might come at a great cost to the Infinite Empire. So what? Now that the survival of their race has been secured, the greater the price they pay, the more it demonstrates their noble status.
He felt he was willing to pay any price, as long as it was reasonable, but the premise was that it had to be reasonable.
Zhou Qing looked helplessly at one of the members of the Space Necromancer Triad Council in front of him. Sometimes he really wondered if the other person had something wrong with his brain.
Scientists from the Utopian society's Federation of Humans truly struggle to comprehend the astonishing thought processes of these nobles in this universe.
What's the point of flaunting one's status?
Is it necessary to pursue something so illusory and unattainable?
Shouldn't the things they're pursuing be readily available to ordinary federal citizens?
Shouldn't a normal interstellar civilization be able to do this, so that even the most ordinary people can use the same things that the top leaders can use?
Even after spending so much time in the Warhammer universe, he still had some misunderstandings about the values of these civilizations. However, despite his misunderstandings, he respected these customs.
After all, he's the one who benefits.
"If there's anything I need you to do, then there really is." Since the other party is already acting like they're at my mercy, it would be a waste not to offer some suggestions now.
Zhou Qing wouldn't hold back; since the other party had practically offered themselves up for slaughter, they were definitely going to take advantage of it.
"Please just tell me, and I'll do anything I can to help you!"
"It's not convenient to talk here. If it's convenient, please return to your warship and then sail into the 108th world of the Misty Starfield. We will have a fleet to pick you up."
"With your technology, I think you should have already detected these 28 worlds and that huge shipyard out of these 108 worlds, right?"
Zhou Qing had no intention of hiding anything from the other party. Since the other party had already said so, he wanted to try to see if he could get some qualified energy cores from the space necromancers.
He had seen it before; that guy Tarasin had a World Engine single-seater, which was about the size of the War Moon.
Although Zhou Qing could confidently assert that Taracin's World Engine vehicle and the War Moon he was building were worlds apart, the difference in size was undeniable.
This suggests that the other party also likely has sufficient energy to operate.
While it's not possible to directly create a qualified War Moon, building several World Engines like those on Tara and winning through sheer numbers would still be a good option.
“Understood, I will return to my warship and come to the location you indicated.” Messofite readily agreed.
Given the technology of the space necromancers, they are certainly capable of conducting detection.
The conversation between the two ended there, and Zhou Qing's projection disappeared from Messofit's sight.