Chapter Ninety-Nine: Astonishing Technology

On the dais, the presenter spoke with unabashed enthusiasm:

“This auction item was personally transported here from the Iron Capital by our beautiful Director-General Yua.

“It is the latest research achievement from the Iron Capital’s Transcendent Office and Industrial Office, and it carries tremendous significance.”

When he finished, the presenter gave Yua in the crowd a slight bow.

Yua smiled and nodded.

Ye Chen secretly studied her for a moment. So this was a product from your own offices. No wonder you told me not to buy it. Spending your own money on your own goods—what a complete sucker.

The host deliberately cleared his throat, savoring the suspense, and said, “Next, I’ll demonstrate how to use this product.”

The chubby presenter lowered the microphone, walked to the box, turned his back to the audience, slipped the two straps over his shoulders, and prepared to haul the box off the platform.

But he had grown accustomed to a life of comfort and ease, so he overestimated himself and underestimated the box’s weight. He nearly toppled backward.

“Hahaha!”

“Presenter, you need to lose some weight.”

“...”

Laughter and jeers rippled through the crowd.

The presenter flushed with embarrassment, wiped at the nonexistent sweat on his forehead, and carefully hefted the box again.

He leaned slightly forward to keep his balance.

Yua, standing nearby, frowned. It seemed that for an ordinary person, this weight was still rather demanding.

The presenter reached behind the box, fumbled around the bottom, and found a square button. With a light press, an astonishing scene unfolded.

Under the disbelieving gazes of everyone present, the top, bottom, and all four sides of the box opened automatically.

Sets upon sets of metallic limb components were lifted out by the mechanical arms hidden inside, then fitted one by one onto the presenter’s head, chest, and limbs.

In less than five seconds, the fat man on stage had transformed into a steel warrior.

The silver alloy reflected a cold gleam beneath the lights.

What was most astonishing of all was that the armor seemed custom-made for the presenter’s stout frame, fitting him perfectly.

Overall, the suit did not appear heavy and cumbersome. It leaned instead toward portability and convenience.

A wave of gasps erupted from outside the venue. Even Ye Chen, off to the side, stared wide-eyed, his mouth hanging open.

This was far too advanced.

The equipment completely reshaped his understanding of armor.

Just imagine if this were used to outfit the patrol office, or even the defense office—how much stronger would they become?

Yua was very satisfied with everyone’s reaction. This was one of the key purposes of her trip to the Energy Capital.

She could guarantee that no matter who bought this portable steel armor, tomorrow’s conversation in the other three capitals would revolve around it.

This live advertisement had been executed flawlessly.

She believed the armor’s appearance would become an important bargaining chip for the Iron Capital in its upcoming trade dealings with the other capitals.

The presenter took a lap around the venue in the steel armor, and only then, under everyone’s dazzled gazes, did he press the retraction button.

Another burst of dizzying automatic motion followed. The host suddenly felt his back sink under a weight, and all the components were drawn back into the box.

He nearly lost his balance again, but this time no one laughed.

Those who recognized its value were breathing noticeably faster, holding their breath as they waited for the presenter to continue.

“Ladies and gentlemen, as you just saw, the greatest advantage of this armor is that anyone can wear it.

“Whether you are fat, thin, tall, or short, it fits. And it is extremely easy to carry.

“Not only does the armor enhance your strength, it also truly improves your defensive capabilities.

“So it would not be an exaggeration to call it a milestone in the field of armor.

“Here, let us once again offer our sincere thanks to Director-General Yua of the Iron Capital.”

Thunderous applause broke out. Yua’s lips curved slightly, and she turned gracefully to give a small bow to everyone present.

Not far away, Wen Yu stood lost in thought.

“The auction begins now...”

For its flagship item, the Iron Capital had not set a fixed price. Instead, it chose to let the market decide through live bidding.

Everyone present was a shrewd merchant. How could they fail to understand what that meant?

There was only one sample. Whichever capital bought it first would gain priority in studying it.

Sometimes, the value created by an information gap could not be measured.

Listening to the bids climbing higher and higher, Ye Chen asked in a low voice, “Is the Iron Capital really this advanced? I honestly never thought a box this small could unfold into a suit of armor.”

Yua gave a light, amused laugh. “And what’s so surprising about that? It’s nothing more than putting a metal shell on you. That’s only the most basic technology.”

Ye Chen immediately understood. In the Iron Capital, there must be even better models than this portable suit.

No wonder she had said the goods sold to the other capitals might not be the best at all, and could even be products on the verge of being phased out.

Yet Yua let out a sigh beside him and said slowly, “The Iron Capital is a city with enormous energy-core consumption, and our extraction technology is far inferior to that of the Energy Capital.

“No matter how much we increase our investment in research, no matter how much we improve extraction efficiency, we still cannot achieve true self-sufficiency.

“Nearly half of our energy cores still have to be purchased from the Energy Capital.

“That extraction needle of yours in the Energy Capital is practically a cheat for energy collection.

“On top of that, my raw materials still depend on the Ore Capital and the Elemental Capital.”

Ye Chen nodded to show he understood.

Before this, Jin Yinhui had already explained the basics to him, and Yua’s words only confirmed it.

No capital could survive and develop independently on this continent.

Each capital had its own strengths and weaknesses, balancing and restraining one another.

Yua went on, “By rights, the Iron Capital’s technology should be far above yours, but for this one field, we have always been unable to catch up.

“Still, technology is also the only thing the Iron Capital can truly hold up as its banner.

“It is something no other city on this continent can hope to match, let alone overtake.

“So every year at the continent-wide trade exposition, the Iron Capital brings several new research achievements and exchanges products for resources.”

While the two of them were speaking, the price of the portable steel armor soared to a terrifying level, and in the end it went to the Defense Office of the Energy Capital.

No one found the result surprising.

As for the wealthy collectors who enjoyed novelty for its own sake, none of them dared openly challenge the Defense Office.

To them, it was nothing more than an intriguing new toy they would get to play with later.

Ye Chen asked, “You’re selling something this advanced to the Energy Capital. Aren’t you afraid they’ll imitate it?

“What if they figure it out—wouldn’t they stop buying from you?”

Yua replied with confidence, “Not at all. The core technology inside is something the Energy Capital simply cannot understand right now.

“Unless your Research Office and Industrial Office devote themselves to studying it for several decades, there’s no chance.

“But you have to remember: you are not the only ones who improve. The Iron Capital will improve too, and our pace will only be faster than yours. Understand?

“And there’s another key point. Just look at what the Energy Capital’s Research Office is studying. They aren’t even following our path.”

As she said this, the pride in Yua’s voice gave way to a trace of disgust.