With the presence of “Spacefarers,” similar tasks had become more convenient.
Of course, there was a safety issue. The combat capability of “Spacefarers” was quite weak, and encountering space pirates would still pose a significant danger.
However, the journey from Rage Owl Star to Heijian Star wasn’t situated along a bustling shipping lane and lacked attractive targets. Pirates were reluctant to waste their time in such an area, which made this particular issue less troubling.
In the future, if the number of “Spacefarers” increased, say, to over twenty, then the number of personnel they could transport at one time could reach tens of thousands, barely sufficient for deploying troops between stars.
But hoping to produce over twenty vessels purely by leveraging Black Boxes was a bit unrealistic.
Currently, using only Black Boxes, it was estimated that a “Spacefarer” could only be produced every four months.
The main issue was that these things were quite large, and there was no Black Box big enough to produce an entire one at once. In reality, it was about assembling various components module by module.
Still, just like all Black Box products, the assembly difficulty of these parts was very low and could be handled by an ordinary technician.
The production speed of these individual parts from the Black Boxes was quite limited; moreover, assembly also took time.
This resulted in a four-month period to assemble a “Spacefarer.”
Gu Hang estimated that if they later acquired technology for real starships, even those that ignored prerequisite technologies and could directly produce finished products from Black Boxes, the production cycle would probably still be measured in years.
Creating them was definitely still necessary.
Even if one took four months to produce a single Spacefarer, using it purely for tax payment would still bring in 1.8 million Tax Currency; three a year meant more than five million, enough to cover Rage Owl Star’s annual Imperial Tax.
The key point was that this was essentially free money.
Of course, Gu Hang hadn’t worried about Imperial Tax for a long time. With the Alliance’s current situation, they could easily afford it.
…
Gu Hang had 10,000 points of Grace left, and after some thought, he resisted the temptation of the 10,000 tier.
Mainly because the 1,000 tier hadn’t been fully exploited yet.
Though its cost-effectiveness had diminished.
At present, the chances for the 1,000 tier had already fallen to a 67.5% probability of yielding nothing, 10% for basic level, 20% for advanced level, and 2.5% for elite level.
Even if the odds didn’t drop further, a ten-pull would on average yield only three pieces of technology, which were likely to be advanced or basic level, and there was no guarantee an elite level would be drawn.
By comparison, technology drawn from the 10,000 tier was more likely to be good but unusable.
It was better to draw from the current prize pool first.
So, he went for another ten-pull.
His luck could be considered quite good this time, as he only got three pieces of technology, but one was elite level, and the other two were all advanced level, with no basic level items drawn.
The two advanced levels were [Gravity Weapons] and [Sentinel Mecha]; the elite level was [Star Realm Protective Field].
Getting [Gravity Weapons] left Gu Hang somewhat frustrated.
This was a special class of personal weapons. Priest Rizzo’s scepter belonged to this category, which essentially meant anything fitted with this device would become heavier.
There were too few uses for it, and it was even possible to purchase it.
Making it oneself was ideal, but spending a precious technology slot on it might have a greater impact if used for something else.
[Sentinel Mecha] was similarly disappointing.
In Heijian Star, Gu Hang had witnessed the abilities of the Sentinel Mecha… which were just mediocre.
During a plain field battle, it was far less effective than the Lion Tank priced in the same range. The latter was bigger, had a thicker gun barrel, and was more durable and reliable in a pitched battle.
On the other hand, the Sentinel Mecha was costly, lacked firepower, and had inadequate armor.
Perhaps it just wasn’t being used correctly.
For instance, during boarding operations or counter-boarding scenarios inside a starship, Sentinel Mechas were much more valuable than Lion Tanks—the latter couldn’t move inside a starship and just had to stay put in storage as they were too big.
In some infiltration operations, in complex terrains like mountains or swamps where a tank might not be able to go, Sentinel Mechas could move unhindered just like people.
When the enemy attacked a certain mountain position and could only deploy infantry, and then encountered Sentinel Mechas on arrival, the situation became quite desperate.
We can’t use it as the main force for a decisive battle, but in certain special environments, it can play a role that tanks cannot.
Although Gu Hang didn’t really like it, he would still choose to produce some.
It’s like the “Gravity Weapon”: already drawn, what can you do about it?
Just make it.
Moreover, one advantage that Sentry Mechas have over Gravity Weapons is that they have a guaranteed market.
In the cultural state of Heijian Star, so-called Mechas are quite popular. Gu Hang can sell as many as he produces to those Knights.
As for the Elite Technology “Star Realm Protective Field” that was drawn, it’s a truly usable but must-have capacity to reserve.
In the future production of Starships, no matter the size, this is a necessary prerequisite technology for protecting the ships as they travel through the Star Realm Tunnel.
Let’s just save it for now.
…
After completing the technology draw, Gu Hang made a trip to Weixing City.
On one hand, he inspected the condition of the most important industrial core of the alliance and, on the other hand, he went to the research institute to materialize the six technologies just acquired, comprising twelve Black Boxes, and handed them all over to Wu Jiarong.
Wu Jiarong had grown numb to Mr. Gu delivering her a few Black Boxes every now and again.
She simply couldn’t keep up with the research.
She used to think she was swimming in a sea of happiness; a few Black Boxes would be a lifetime blessing for any scholar of the Sect of Mechanics in their entire scientific career.
However, she never imagined that one day she would be incredibly distressed by having too many Black Boxes.
She was nearly drowned by them!
But, it’s a happy kind of trouble.
Troubling as it may be, the main thing is that it’s still happiness.
She said to Mr. Gu, “Based on our current progress, I estimate that in another year, I could surpass the level of the Prophet of Engines and reach the level of Dominant Bishop.”
“So soon?” Gu Hang was somewhat surprised.
A Dominant Bishop, in the Sect of Mechanics, counted as part of the upper echelon.
Further up, one could obtain the title of ‘Sage.’ Although only a Principal Sage, many leaders of the Sect of Mechanics’ Foundry Worlds were at this level.
In response to Gu Hang’s question, Wu Jiarong answered, “There are too many Black Boxes. I gain new insights almost every day; it’s impossible not to advance quickly…”
Gu Hang asked with a smile, “Do you want to go back then? Perhaps, after an assessment and a few research results are published, you could make a big name for yourself in one of the Foundry Worlds of the Sect of Mechanics, and then… you might really become a Dominant Bishop.”
Wu Jiarong shook her head.
She was very self-aware.
She knew that showing any desire to leave was very dangerous. Even a single Black Box would be a huge secret here, let alone so many.
Moreover, even if Mr. Gu had a way to seal and cleanse memories, letting her leave with peace of mind, she wouldn’t want to go.
Reflecting on the past, she lamented, “Those years with the Sect of Mechanics were truly uninspiring. The endless scheming, the struggle for power and profit, I could have tolerated all of that without a clean research environment. But the scarcity of resources was really intolerable. Every bit of knowledge, opportunity, and research finding became capital in the struggle.
Here, I’ve had the most comfortable and happiest two years; I really don’t want to go back to the past.”
Gu Hang said with a smile, “That’s good.”
“Don’t worry. I have no thoughts of leaving. What does a Dominant Bishop count for anyway? Perhaps, in the future, I might also have the chance to reach the level of a Principal Sage, or even a Great Sage?”
“I’m very much looking forward to that day,” Gu Hang said sincerely.
If we could really cultivate a Sage on our home planet, it would be quite an invincible feat.
Not to mention their scientific capabilities, at the level of Sage, who isn’t a top-notch combat force?
————
Found a bug, the Chainsaw Sword was already drawn, so change the repetition to Gravity Weapon, which shouldn’t affect the plot