Magic? My Iron Torrent will sweep it all away!

Chapter 661 Transaction Methods

Han Niba was well aware that civilizations could cooperate, but they could not base their cooperation on fantasy.

The Kona civilization needs the Great Xia to save its life, but that doesn't mean it will hand over all its technology without any limits, allowing others to benefit from it.

Moreover, the other party possesses advanced artificial intelligence.

Its trading logic will only become more rational and precise.

However, Qian Zhenhua's contributions to Daxia were too great; he was a national treasure and the future of Daxia. He was too embarrassed to interrupt such a great figure and could only let him speak.

He looked down and began flipping through the Blue Star's technology catalog, a thick volume.

The main directory also contains various subcategories, which gave him a headache just as much.

If he were a top student, he wouldn't have chosen the path of joining the army!

He closed the file and said to Qian Zhenhua:

"Academician Qian, what can we offer in exchange for their technology?"

"I've looked through a few pages of our technology catalog. Which ones do you think the Kona civilization lacks, and which are the most valuable?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Zhenhua acted almost without hesitation.

"First, the technology for extracting rare substances and energy blocks from the corpses of demons."

"This technology comes from the large-scale research on demon corpses in Great Xia, and it is also related to the Terra magic system and the Blue Star industrial system."

Kona has fought the demons for two hundred years, but may not necessarily follow this path.

"Secondly, antimatter technology," Qian Zhenhua said, continuing:

"The fact that Kona Technology's catalog does not include antimatter projects indicates that they have either not made any breakthroughs or have not yet developed mature applications."

Based on the current information, the former is more likely.

Han Niba's eyes brightened slightly.

Antimatter is the most valuable asset that Great Xia can truly offer.

"Third, Terra's special materials system, and a batch of composite materials we have developed based on Terra resources, such as Zhengjin, a room-temperature superconductor."

Qian Zhenhua paused, then said:

"As for magic and runes, we haven't fully understood them ourselves, so we can't sell them to others like we do with technology. We can only trade finished products."

"For example, rune modules, spell scrolls, life fruits, holy water, enchanted equipment, etc."

"These things don't belong to the technology system, so their value to Kona's artificial intelligence may not be very high. Of course, their scarcity is destined to be high, but they just can't be sold in a systematic way."

"After all, we can't possibly sell a piece of fruit for an exorbitant price, can we?"

"But it still has research value. For example, our Zheng Jin was developed in this way."

Han Niba asked in confusion:

"So, the items from Terran civilization are only valuable individually, but the overall return is very low compared to the value of our technology system as a whole?"

Qian Zhenhua nodded.

"That's right!"

"Of course, we also have some less important technologies, such as the technology used to locate wormholes, and..."

Han Niba wasn't interested in these trivial details; he just needed a general understanding. So he put down the document and interrupted, saying:

"What's our basic unit of transaction? Have we reached a conclusion on how to price technology?"

Qian Zhenhua pushed up his glasses:

"We came up with three plans."

"First, use gold as the basic unit of exchange."

Han Niba frowned: "Gold?"

This answer was somewhat unexpected.

"Is gold valuable within our civilization and also usable throughout the universe?"

"Of course," Qian Zhenhua replied confidently.

"Gold mainly comes from supernova explosions and neutron star mergers; it's not an ordinary mineral that any planet can produce on its own."

"On a cosmic scale, it is itself a rare metal."

He continued to explain:

"In addition, gold's stable physical and chemical properties make it widely used in the electronics industry, precision instruments, aerospace equipment, and energy systems."

Even if more advanced materials exist, gold still has a cost-performance advantage.

"I wouldn't dare say it's an advanced civilization, but for civilizations below level two, it's very difficult for gold to be completely eliminated."

Han Niba seemed to be deep in thought.

Before Earth, many countries had substantial gold reserves.

Especially after the apocalypse, countries went on a buying spree, so the Great Xia's reserves were naturally substantial.

Although the financial attributes of gold have been reduced at present, its industrial attributes still exist.

If the Kona civilization also needs gold, then it could once again become a bargaining chip in inter-civilizational trade.

Qian Zhenhua said:

"The industrial system of the Kona civilization was so vast and comprehensive that its demand for gold must have been considerable."

"The gold we hold is being used far less efficiently than what the other side is using, and there is a high probability that it will be sold at a premium."

Han Niba asked, "The second option?"

"Units of computing power," Qian Zhenhua said.

"Computing power is indispensable for technological civilization."

"Especially since the Kona civilization is now being sustained by strong artificial intelligence, computing power is more significant to it than to ordinary civilizations."

He finished speaking and sighed:

"But in this respect, we are at a disadvantage."

"Kona developed mature nuclear fusion earlier than us, so energy is not a major concern."

"Moreover, their quantum computing technology is more advanced than ours. The total amount of calculations we can do in a year is probably less than what they can do in a single day."

That's a harsh truth, but it's the reality.

Qian Zhenhua continued:

"Of course, if we can sell our technology to them, we can in turn obtain their massive computing power to help us develop models of materials, weapons, and artificial intelligence."

"Overall, there are advantages and disadvantages, so computing power can be an alternative, but it is not suitable as the primary settlement unit."

Han Niba nodded: "What's the third one?"

Qian Zhenhua's eyes brightened slightly.

"Task-based value exchange".

Han Niba frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Simply put, it's an employment task," Qian Zhenhua explained.

"Kona makes the request, and we assess the costs."

"For example, eliminating a certain number of demons, destroying a certain wormhole, assisting in the defense of a certain area, or completing a certain long-range strike."

"Upon completion of the mission, Kona will pay the reward of technological information or industrial resources."

Han Niba's eyes finally showed a noticeable change.

He understood. It was like hiring mercenaries: the client sets the requirements and compensation, and the contractor is responsible for completing the task.

Qian Zhenhua lowered his voice:

"This is very advantageous for us."

"Because now, only our Great Xia can save the Kona civilization."

"What they lack is not gold, nor computing power, but external forces that can immediately change the course of the battle."

"We are the ones with the monopoly!"