Chapter 703: Chapter 396: The Visit from the Mechanical God Cult_2
Jindi Star belongs to the Mingyang Sect the Sect of Mechanics.
Among the numerous branches within the intricate hierarchy of the Sect of Mechanics, the reputation of the Mingyang Sect is not outstanding, but it is not a particularly small sect either. They exert the highest influence within the entire Eastern Cosmos Domain.
Within the Tianma Star Sector, all the technical professional certificates bear a small, golden-yellow sun and flame emblem, which is the symbol of the Mingyang Sect.
In theory, the Flying Wing Star Shipyard should have no relation to the Sect of Mechanics, but how could such a technology-intensive industry be free from influence?
Even within the shipyard, there is a Dominant Bishop. Although they do not preach and only serve as technical experts and advisors, their appearance, always donning a Red Robe and carrying the Sect of Mechanics’ insignia along with scriptures, and their heavily modified body make them seem inhuman yet ‘sacred.’
At least by the standards of the Sect of Mechanics, they are considered very sacred.
…
Below them, there are not as many Engine Prophets, but Mechanical Priests are a dime a dozen.
In the past, the Alliance’s ‘small-time actions’, even when they rolled out the Warhound-class Titan on the battlefields of Korolya, were not deemed too severe. Although the Foundry World does not sell Titans often, they do sell a few; as for the production technology of the Titans, it is regarded as an ‘open secret’—they don’t explicitly forbid the leakage of technology, but in practice, hardly anyone outside the Sect of Mechanics seems to have the capability to produce Titans.
The scale of the Titans produced by the Alliance was still not large, and the Warhound made few appearances, but even so, it had already attracted the attention of interested parties. However, these attentions had not yet had any direct impact on Gu Hang.
But the kind of attention that came without any action would not last long.
They were watching because they were planning to make a move.
Now, with the starship construction capabilities demonstrated on Rage Owl Star, where Gu Hang had directly started a shipyard, this drew even more attention.
Starship manufacturing, unlike Titan construction, is not monopolized by the Foundry World. However, just in terms of technical content and industrial scale, starship manufacturing is a more advanced and complex industry than the construction of Warhound Titans.
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The ability to build starships is no small matter.
What’s more, the starship manufacturing technology on Rage Owl Star seems to have many unique features, which could even provide some guidance to established shipyards like Flying Wing Star. This could not be ignored.
After the Alliance took over the shipyard, they caught five sneaky individuals within two days, poking around and inspecting the Alliance’s shipyard retrofit when unobserved.
To be honest, at the moment, the Alliance does not have strong control over the Flying Wing Star Shipyard. Even so, if they could catch those few, the number of those not caught could well be a hundred or a thousand times greater.
After some time passed, Gu Hang received a visit from an expected guest.
The Dominant Bishop of the Mechanical God Cult’s Mingyang Sect and the foundry advisor of the Flying Wing Star Shipyard, Wang Zhaoran.
What was expected to come eventually did.
Even, Wang Zhaoran’s arrival was much milder than what Gu Hang had initially anticipated.
Without any questioning or further aggressive behavior, while carrying out his duties at the shipyard, Wang Zhaoran courteously submitted a meeting request to Gu Hang, the head of the star sector.
The reason for the meeting was also spelled out clearly—it was about the new technology at the Flying Wing Star Shipyard.
The overt nature of his intentions made it difficult for Gu Hang to find grounds for refusal.
It’s not that he couldn’t refuse, but on what basis?
The visitor was the foundry advisor, the Dominant Bishop of the Sect of Mechanics.
Seeing new technology and inquiring about its origins was completely justified, wasn’t it?
On the contrary, if Gu Hang chose to refuse, it would seem like he had something to hide.
Even though he did feel somewhat guilty.
However, for such an anticipated event, Gu Hang had his contingency plans prepared.
After the meeting time was set, Gu Hang also called in his most important technical expert, Ms. Wu Jiarong.
Taking over the Flying Wing Star Shipyard was a big deal for the alliance, and there was no room for error in technical matters. Ms. Wu Jiarong, along with the technical team she had personally trained, had come here to handle the shipyard affairs.
Having her face Wang Zhaoran was just perfect.
At the start of the meeting, Gu Hang was also present. But soon, he found another excuse to leave, allowing Wu Jiarong and Wang Zhaoran, both with technical backgrounds, to chat on their own.
Of course, Gu Hang had the full capability to monitor the content of the conversation. He also had complete trust in Ms. Wu—she wouldn’t speak carelessly.
This was also something Gu Hang had thought through before, about how to handle the source of technologies like the Black Box that he couldn’t explain: push it all onto Wu Jiarong.
No matter what, just say it was Wu Jiarong who researched them. She just knows these things and has brought these technological capabilities to Rage Owl Star, aiding in the development of the alliance.
As for how Wu Jiarong herself learned these technologies, that came from the enlightenment of the Deity of all Machines, revelations received during prayers, on top of some knowledge she already possessed, which she integrated and comprehended thoroughly.
This sounded far-fetched, but it wasn’t entirely implausible.
And indeed, Wu Jiarong followed these prepared statements and managed to satisfy Wang Zhaoran.
The two of them didn’t actually talk about the issue for long. Later on, most of their conversation involved technical exchanges.
In this respect, Wu Jiarong wouldn’t have any problems. For so many years, she had immersed herself in a sea of countless Black Boxes, gained extensive research insights, and her level of knowledge had surged. Now, while saying she had the knowledge and technical level of a Dominant Bishop might be a stretch, since she had not fully integrated many technologies, just theories, just academic discussions, she wouldn’t have any problems.
After so many years of research, some of the technical ideas and concepts she proposed were highly innovative and enlightening to Wang Zhaoran.
Even in the voice of the mechanical-feeling Dominant Bishop, there was clear excitement.
After a long chat, Wang Zhaoran was somewhat reluctant when the meeting finally came to an end.
He took the opportunity to invite Wu Jiarong to the shipyard for an in-depth discussion the following day.
Wu Jiarong readily accepted.
Then, he expressed his wish to visit Rage Owl Star, especially to see Wu Jiarong’s research center.
Wu Jiarong agreed without hesitation.
What was there to refuse?
In the past, she might have felt uneasy, but now, all the Black Boxes were hidden within the Storm God Kingdom. As long as Gu Hang didn’t wish it, who could traverse the subspace into his territory and uncover his secrets?
If one wanted to see, then just see openly and honestly.
Even if the Dominant Bishop were to propose some kind of exchange program in the future, Gu Hang was ready to agree outright.
No fear.
After sending Wang Zhaoran away, Wu Jiarong said to Gu Hang, “He definitely still has doubts.”
“Let him doubt. Whatever we do, we can’t eliminate those doubts anyway, can we?”
“Indeed.”
“Then let’s be open about it. These matters are troublesome, even dangerous. But having reached this point, can we stop using them just because of the risks? That’s even less possible.”
Wu Jiarong nodded and said to Gu Hang, “Now, Governor, you are not what you used to be. If it were in the past, just because of a suspicion, the Sect of Mechanics might have sent a retrieval fleet to Rage Owl Star to turn our territory upside down. But now, your position makes even the independent Sect of Mechanics tread cautiously. Without clear evidence, they won’t overtly act too excessively. As for underhanded tactics, we are not afraid.”
After a thought, she added, “I look forward to the alliance becoming even stronger in the future. Then, even if we openly use the Black Box, people will not dare to interfere.”