Besides the activated Originium that almost sent him and Theresa flying, Xing Chen was more concerned about why a foreigner knew so much about his research progress on Originium.
Even if Terra was destroyed, what did it have to do with his country?
But those covetous enemies around them were a real threat.
"It's just an activated Originium, Kazdel has plenty. If you want it, I can find someone to bring it over for you anytime."
"No, it's not about activated Originium."
"Then I get it. You're thinking they also have people who can enter Terra? I can help with that too. I'm currently researching the continuity of civilization, and with a slight modification, it can also be used to retrieve information from the Internalized Universe."
Xing Chen was a bit conflicted about whether he should tell Theresa his thoughts.
Although Babel, which she founded, was mainly active in Kazdel, it was essentially a borderless organization.
Xing Chen, however, was different. He wanted his civilization to be the undisputed pinnacle, just like it had been for the past few millennia.
Xing Chen didn't agree with sayings like "Every man for himself, or heaven and earth will destroy him," but he absolutely supported "country first" with both hands and feet.
Would she think he was too selfish?
Xing Chen thought it over and over but couldn't make a decision. In the end, he could only let Theresa go to sleep and rest first, while he tried to find an opportune moment.
Of course, that opportunity came very quickly... Early the next morning, Xing Chen called Theresa outside.
He didn't want to interact with various circles yet, so he left early and hid in the city. Even if those big shots had connections everywhere, they couldn't easily find him, right?
Although Xing Chen was unfamiliar with the place, arriving in a new city meant he should explore it thoroughly.
So what would be good to buy?
Oh, right, wasn't Theresa a tailor? Buying her some things for making clothes would be nice, wouldn't it?
He randomly picked a supermarket and walked in. Theresa was already accustomed to the prosperity of human society, so Xing Chen pulled her straight to the clothing store.
"Your clothes... do they have no soul?" Theresa weaved through the clothes racks but didn't buy a single item in the end.
"Clothes with souls... Kazdel clothes?"
"I know a Whiplash Devil. You'd definitely get along with her," Theresa glanced at Xing Chen's fifteen-dollar-for-two-with-free-shipping clothes and wondered if she should help him get a new outfit.
"There's no other way, we have too many people. If we made them one by one, many people wouldn't have clothes to wear. Besides, these clothes also contain the sweat and toil of the textile workers, how can they not be considered to have a soul?"
"That's true. Then why are clothes made in the same way so expensive in that cabinet over there?"
"They're foreign brands. Think about it, isn't equipment originally from Victoria more expensive in Kazdel than what you make yourselves?"
"Not necessarily. We use our own witchcraft devices more often, they're more convenient."
"Just tell me if they're expensive or not."
Theresa finally agreed, stating it was a fact, "But that equipment is produced in Victoria factories. Your clothes look like they're sewn by yourselves—maybe with a little more care."
The two then visited several more stores, but Theresa didn't buy any clothes. As for sewing tools, there was even less to mention; they'd have to check online later.
Seeing Xing Chen only accompany her, Theresa asked if he wanted to buy anything.
Xing Chen truly didn't want anything. He had stocked up on a large amount of daily necessities during sales. Even if it were the end of the world, he could last for a while in his rented room.
"Do you really not want anything?" Theresa suddenly leaned close to Xing Chen, almost pressing her face against his.
Looking into the Demon Lord's eyes, Xing Chen felt like his inner thoughts had been seen through by Theresa.
Well, it wasn't impossible to have no desires at all. For example, the latest graphics cards—even if not for gaming, they could be used for research.
They were just too expensive, and he couldn't afford them.
"Come on, come on, don't be so hard on yourself," Theresa pulled Xing Chen out. "I've saved a little money from my jobs. If your money isn't enough, I'll help you out."
Since Theresa said so, Xing Chen couldn't refuse and could only take her to the computer market.
Xing Chen had been scammed a few times at the computer market, so he didn't have much affection for it and only looked around.
The prices of the 40-series graphics cards hadn't dropped much, and the 50-series were nowhere to be seen. He didn't know if it was because no one was selling them or for some other reason.
Theresa was also very surprised when she saw the prices of those graphics cards.
It was normal for electronic products to have a premium, but if the premium was too high, something was clearly wrong.
Of course, there were also cheap graphics cards, but Xing Chen couldn't tell if they were Castrated version or the Holy Maiden of the Goblin Cave.
Anyway, if you asked the boss, they were either brand new full-blooded versions or second-hand ones used by girls. Without buying them back and testing, he wouldn't know the actual situation.
Then, after testing, they would find all sorts of excuses and simply wouldn't give you a refund. In short, dealing with old hands was time-consuming, laborious, and mentally exhausting. It was better to buy from an official online store.
The two walked around in silence for a while and quickly came out.
"Xing Chen, why are those electronic units so expensive?"
"Because we can't make them, we can only import them, and that's why the price goes up," Xing Chen explained. "The problem is, even if we're willing to pay more, we can't get enough high-performance computing chips."
"Eh, aren't they making money?"
"They certainly want to make money, but they don't want us to get the equipment, because these chips would accelerate our scientific research progress."
Theresa was a bit confused. She had previously traded valuable Sarkaz witchcraft for Columbia's backward farming technology. Although it was a big loss, she at least got what she needed.
"Because we are not the same nation as them. They consider us their enemies, believing that we should work for them and always be trampled underfoot."
Theresa agreed with this, after all, she was one of the Six Heroes who participated in the war aimed at exterminating the Sarkaz.
At this point, Xing Chen suddenly laughed, "This technology is even in the hands of people who share the same blood as us, yet we can only pay more for equipment with worse performance."
"Haven't you thought about negotiating with them?"
"We have, many times, but did negotiating help? That's why I'm so insistent on keeping the technology in our own hands."
"So what you were thinking last night was how to monopolize Originium technology?"
"Exactly. If they master this technology, instead of using it to advance our entire race, they are more likely to turn it into bombs and drop them on our heads. Therefore, I don't want to see other countries get Originium."
"But you are also advocating for the establishment of a community of shared destiny. I thought you would be more in favor of Babel's ideals..."
So that's what she was thinking, Xing Chen muttered to himself. Would she think his country was using all its national power to advance her grand dream?
"Theresa, I think you should understand a principle: many things in this world are not binary opposites. Building a community and prioritizing national interests are not in conflict."
"Technology has no borders, but the people who master technology have nationalities."
"So, are you still willing to assist me?"