With the debut of the Gravity Source weapon, the atmosphere in the venue became electric. Pioneers swarmed in to inquire about weapon prices and delivery times, overwhelming the Star Sea Group's sales team.
Next, Liu Hai showcased a variety of advanced armaments, including the High-Efficiency Space Warp Engine, High-Speed Warp Drive, Space Stabilizer, and Energy Weapons.
The appearance of the High-Efficiency Warp Engine and Space Stabilizer, in particular, caused an even greater sensation than the Gravity Source's debut. Orders and partnership applications quickly piled up on the desks of the relevant personnel.
Unfortunately, these devices didn't represent a significant technological leap over the Federation's existing military equipment. While they could provide some combat advantage against the Katon Fleet, the gap wasn't large enough to create a generational difference.
However, since Star Sea Group was willing to mass-produce and sell these devices, it was clear they had even more advanced products in reserve—precisely what had captured everyone's attention.
The Space Stabilizer, another escape artifact, made veteran Pioneers especially envious. What could be more satisfying than warping directly into an enemy's face, giving them a thorough beating, and then escaping unscathed?
With the Space Stabilizer, small fleets could come and go as they pleased. Even when facing large-scale encirclements, they could still pull off a daring "Death Warp."
Surprisingly, orders for auxiliary equipment came in one after another, while sales of primary combat weapons—such as turrets—remained sluggish. Even Energy Weapons saw only a slow uptick in demand.
Puzzled, Liu Hai contacted the Advisory Department for an explanation.
"Boss, there are two main reasons. First, Energy Weapons pose a significant challenge to the power output of conventional warships. Current Reaction Furnaces can't sustain prolonged use of Energy Weapons, especially since their firepower isn't much greater than Laser Weapons or Particle Weapons."
"Second, in terms of cost-effectiveness, unless there's a complete overhaul of the warship system, simply swapping out weapon components can't compete with the optimized, near-perfect weapons produced by Federation armament manufacturers."
After hearing the analysis, Liu Hai realized he had been too idealistic. The Energy Weapons he offered lacked sufficient Energy Density, with only marginally better range and power compared to equivalent weapons.
Moreover, their prices were significantly higher. As pure Energy Weapons, many of their components adhered to fifth-tier civilization standards, making them difficult to manufacture—hence the unavoidable cost.
Additionally, the pricing set by Liu Hai's Commerce Department had taken competitors into consideration. While seizing market share was acceptable, outright market destruction would be excessive.
If he went that route, Liu Hai might rake in massive resources, but he'd also alienate every Federation armament supplier. It wouldn't be surprising if they eventually sent him a "Dirt Rocket" as a gesture of goodwill.
It was better not to expect too much integrity from armament suppliers. What Liu Hai needed now was stable development space and ample resources.
His entanglement with the Katon Civilization was already headache-inducing—there was no need to set fires in his own backyard. Besides, many device components could actually be outsourced. Profit could be shared, and so could the burdens.
In the meeting room on the other side of the venue, Liu Hai's holographic projection addressed dozens of representatives from federal armament companies: "The Star Sea Group doesn't believe monopolizing the market is a wise move. Enormous profits come with tremendous risks, especially when we're on the front lines of war."
"We've invited you all here today because we plan to outsource production of certain armament components. If your production technology meets our standards, you may even manufacture complete armaments directly. However, regarding costs—I expect satisfactory terms from each of you."
The representatives' faces lit up with relief. Before arriving, many had doubted Star Sea Group could disrupt the market with just one product. But after witnessing their advanced armaments (excluding ship hulls), they'd begun fearing the negative impact on their own companies' performance.
Now with Liu Hai's outsourcing promise, they saw an opportunity to learn and surpass rather than being relegated to second or third-tier armament suppliers.
Star Sea's technical documentation for outsourced components already surpassed many companies' current R&D progress. While most firms held back their most advanced weapons, energy weapons had rendered many conventional systems obsolete.
High energy consumption wasn't the issue—interstellar civilizations lacked not energy, but high-power instantaneous output technology.
Though still immature (currently inferior to existing laser systems), Star Sea's miniaturized energy weapons for battleship main guns had the potential to revolutionize warfare.
Representatives eagerly inquired about outsourcing terms and collaborative production opportunities, offering substantial profit shares. Some cash-strapped companies even proposed trading proprietary technologies as payment.
Even the representative from Quickcast—a company famous for small spacecraft and modified transport ships—considered bidding for component contracts. The projection's demonstration of "one-use corvette" strike tactics (painfully expensive for budget-conscious Pioneers) inspired ideas for cheaper alternatives.
Perhaps this "warp-in-your-face" delivery tactic could become standard Pioneer equipment if affordable versions existed. Volume production would guarantee profits.
Quickcast's rep realized their niche advantage—while their armaments ranked low, nobody surpassed them in small craft and transport modifications.
Action followed thought. The Quickcast representative urgently contacted technical staff, sending preliminary concepts back to headquarters for rapid refinement. Perfection was essential before presenting collaboration proposals to Star Sea Group.
Every businessperson knew: hesitation meant obsolescence, while swift action laid foundations for success.
In a small conference room, various deals and collaborations were being finalized at lightning speed with the full support of their respective companies. One contract after another was successfully signed, and batches of technical documents were sent from Star Sea Group to various Armament companies.
Meanwhile, Liu Hai, lying in the Seed Ship's ecological garden, watched the rapidly growing list of contracts, his grin stretching from ear to ear.
He was absolutely thrilled!
A single technical showcase, a single reveal of their capabilities, had pulled dozens of Armament manufacturers—big and small—onto his war chariot. With these contracts in place, the various Armament companies would provide all kinds of support, especially in terms of research personnel. Liu Hai had hit the jackpot—after all, it was just technology hovering between Tier 4 and Tier 5.
Gaining millions of high-tech talents, along with vast amounts of resources and logistical aid, was anything but a loss.
This was far better than going it alone, struggling through setbacks and hardships from the start!
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