Age of Cosmic Exploration

Chapter 232: Negotiation

The space merchants’ reply made both Ren Tao and Xiao Niao smirk. Even Yao Yuan realized that the merchants must have cheated during their previous conversation. There must be something valuable in the list mankind had provided that was given a low value. This latest response was probably the only honest thing the space merchants had said.

However, this knowledge calmed Yao Yuan. Profit is profit, no matter whether it was for primitive or advanced civilizations, in space or on Earth, profit was a yardstick that was clear and universal.

Trade between two parties was possible only because there was profit involved. Now that the space merchants had shown interest in some of the minerals available on the Hope [1], the next course of action would be to find out what it was, to identify the leverage so to speak.

Yao Yuan turned to Ren Tao and Xiao Niao and asked, "Fine, but now you two should tell me from where did you see all of this? How did you find out that the space merchants are trying to swindle a deal out of us?"

This time it was Xiao Niao’s turn to not respond. He stared directly at Ren Tao and snickered. Ren Tao shrugged, scratched his chin, and said, "It’s fairly simple. Look at the value they’ve given to our list and you’ll see it."

Yao Yuan initiated his Thinker power and analyzed the space merchants’ value list. He had troubles spotting any anomalies in it, so he asked, "Just what did the two of you see? My Thinker ability is not as good as yours, so I can’t see it… What is it? Just tell me."

Ren Tao gave a helpless expression that said "I’m too lazy," but he still walked to Yao Yuan’s side and explained, "Look at the values closely. The values are suspiciously proportional to the amount of the items we have in stock. For example, we have the highest amount of iron ingots in storage, so it was valued at the lowest. Conversely, our store is platinum is the least and the value was the highest.

"It is the same with the radioactive minerals. Other than the few exceptions, the radioactive ores we mined from the new planet are highly out of proportion to the value offered. For example, these associated minerals. I remember clearly that we’re only left with about 200 kilograms after distillation to clear away the impurities. However, when compared to its main minerals, the value is suspiciously low. This raised a red flag in my mind. How come every other mineral was valued according to the amount we have but these few were not?"

Ren Tao shrugged before continuing, "Next would be the DNA prints. The value given was simply too high, way higher than our expectations. Even though every planet and civilization has their own range of unique life form DNAs, the value is still too high. There is only one reason why the value is so high, and that is to cover up the fact that they pulled the price drastically low for other incredibly important items on the list. Giving these common DNA prints high values would balance out the bitter taste in our mouths from the low price of the minerals earlier."

Realization dawned for Yao Yuan. His Thinker power had kicked in halfway through Ren Tao’s explanation. He said immediately, "Of course, you’re right! It is really true that all businessmen are liars… But thankfully, at least they still have no idea that we’ve seen through their ploy and that they have unwittingly let out the fact that we’re in possession of some extremely valuable minerals. Now that leverage is our side, we’re definitely going to squeeze this bunch of wily merchants dry."

However, Yao Yuan still needed to be political in his words. After all, this was not a group of human merchants but a merchant conglomerate with technology slighter greater than mankind’s. There was no point in getting into a hostile confrontation because of a few words.

"Tell them that we’re really lacking in resources so the trade has to be canceled. Thank them for their offer."

Yao Yuan’s heart started palpitating after he said those words. However, he had faith in Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, and his own assessment. Currently, mankind was like people groping in the dark. They needed information and technology, so Yao Yuan had to risk it.

The response came quickly from the spacecraft. "We are always willing to help new space civilizations. We are willing to trade a piece of 5th revolution technology for all the resources you have. Remember that the space merchant conglomerate will buy and sell anything."

The risk paid off. There was cheering in the meeting room. At the very least, humanity would gain access to a new 5th revolution technology, perhaps the warp drive technology. After all, this new technology could be the catalyst mankind needed to kick start another technological renaissance. It was entirely possible that mankind could officially enter the 5th revolution in the next decade with the help of the one 5th revolution technology.

However, there were still many things that mankind needed, and the biggest issue was that Yao Yuan had no idea how much value the Hope was actually sitting on. Therefore, they couldn’t just come out and agree with the proffered trade. After all, bargaining was a part of trade. Of course, this didn’t require Yao Yuan’s input anymore. The Hope was home to a society of experts, and there were plenty that were familiar with business and business logic. This was their wheelhouse.

In actuality, this group of people got the shortest end of the stick when they joined the Hope. They were not familiar with scientific knowledge or handy with their hands. Their business minds were practically useless on the Hope, so the best they could do with their talent was open a hawker stall… It was truly a waste of their talent.

However, they finally found the chance to prove their worth. The top 10 businessmen and women according to their resumes on the Hope were summoned to the meeting room. They were tasked with handling the trade with the space merchants.

Initially, Yao Yuan and the gang still stayed in the room to be part of the conversation; however, after a while, they realized that they were the outsiders. Business slangs were flying all over the room, and they had no idea how to add to the conversations. They resigned to standing still and listening. However, as time passed, some of them started yawning.

Spotting this situation, Yao Yuan separated the business people into groups and had guards watching over them in rotation so that people could go and get the rest they needed.

While Yao Yuan was resting, Guang Zhen took his place. However, he had a hard time sleeping; the smallest motion would shake him awake. Thankfully, nothing disastrous had happened. The negotiations had entered its third day.

Currently, it was the group of human experts that held the upper hand. The initial offer of one piece of 5th revolution technology was changed to one piece of 5th revolution technology and some space information. Furthermore, according to the negotiators, this was just the beginning. With how the negotiation was going, it was entirely possible that mankind would be able to get everything they wanted from the space merchants.

Was the radioactive mineral the Hope had really that important to the space merchants?

The answer the experts gave to this question was curious. They felt that it was not that the minerals were valuable but the merchants were too naïve. Simply put, the merchants appeared to have no experience in business speech and practically no knowledge about trade. They were like hawkers, barely qualified to be called merchants. That was why they kept losing their ground in the negotiations.

This answer befuddled many people’s minds. Only Ren Tao gave a shocked expression, but the change in his expression was so quick that no one noticed it.

In the end, the negotiations lasted for seven days. The final trade was three pieces of 5th revolution technologies and all the information the merchants had on the cosmos. The space merchants finally seemed to have realized that something had gone wrong. They started rejecting mankind’s requests for negotiation. In fact, they started to become more agitated than mankind. They didn’t state that they wish to end the trade, but the spacecraft kept going back and forth to and from their main ship, obviously in deep discussion about something.

On the eighth day, the space merchants finally came to a decision. They invited mankind’s leader to their main ship to cement the trade negotiation, and at the same time, they would send out a representative unit of less than ten people onto the Hope to do the same. The result of these two face-to-face negotiations would dictate the trade’s success or loss.

After a long discussion, Yao Yuan was taken out of the unit going to the merchants’ main ship. Ying would be leading the unit which consisted of Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, 20 Black Star Troopers, and half of the business experts.

"This negotiation is extremely important. Ren Tao and Xiao Niao, this is mankind’s first official contact with another space civilization. Whether it will end with happiness or tears all depends on you…"

Thus, the invitation was accepted…

Translator's Thoughts

Lonelytree Lonelytree

[1] No idea where this sudden leap in plot comes from. The author didn’t mention anything about the space merchants eyeing the minerals on the Hope before this. But for the sake of plot, let’s just assume that did happen.