Chapter 340: Real Agenda

While old man Edmund was thinking about the costs and benefits, the negotiation continued.

President Jonah Crump really needed this technology. Of course, he knew there was a tangled web of interests surrounding the energy market, and he could not simply introduce something like this to the market.

But what about the military?

If the US military could gain access to this kind of portable and powerful energy source, it would be extremely beneficial to the country. By using it for military purposes, they would avoid directly disrupting the interests of the energy market while giving the country access to a technology that could provide a giant leap forward in military capabilities.

Jonah Crump tried his best to control his expression so as not to show his excitement or eagerness.

And he did a good job, as he was a professional politician.

But to Wei Chen and Dream Butterfly, the two cultivators, Jonah could not hide his wildly beating heart, which was pounding with excitement.

With just a little spiritual qi, reading the emotional state of a simple mortal was not difficult.

"That is... certainly interesting, but I imagine developing such a system would not be simple. If it requires a specialized artifact or materials from the other side, I assume the production process would be quite complicated."

Jonah said calmly as he sipped coffee, maintaining a composed expression as though he were merely discussing another interesting piece of technology over a coffee.

"It would certainly be something worth studying, but our country already has a well-established energy infrastructure. Introducing a completely new energy source would require careful consideration, especially regarding its compatibility with our existing systems."

He deliberately avoided asking how much the technology would cost or whether they could purchase it.

Instead, he leaned back slightly and continued.

"Of course, if the technology is as efficient as you claim, there could be some.... potential applications for us to utilize."

His tone remained casual, as he didn’t specify the area that they might be able to utilize it, as if mentioning the passing of a weather.

The President had carefully chosen every word. He did not want Wei Chen to realize just how valuable this technology was to him and to the United States.

After all, the moment the other side realized how desperately they wanted spirit stone technology, it would blatantly undermine the value of the card in his hand, and the balance of the negotiation would shift toward Wei Chen’s side.

Wei Chen, however, could clearly sense the excitement coming from the President. The President’s heart was beating noticeably faster than before.

Dream Butterfly noticed it as well.

She glanced at her husband and smiled knowingly for a brief moment before looking back at the President as if nothing had happened.

Wei Chen could barely suppress the urge to roll his eyes.

’This old fox is pretty good at hiding his expression, huh? Unfortunately, it seems like his body is more honest.’

Wei Chen paused.

’Wait... why does that sentence sound strangely kinky?’

A shiver ran down his spine as the thought occurred to him, and the hairs on his arms stood up in disgust.

Jonah continued speaking.

"We would be interested in learning more about the technology. For example, what materials are required to construct such an artifact? How difficult is it to produce? And how much maintenance does it require?"

He asked the questions casually, as though he were simply gathering information before making a decision.

Wei Chen gave him a knowing smile, his expression filled with a mixture of teasing and smugness.

"It’s okay, Mr. President. Since this technology might be incompatible with your infrastructure, we wouldn’t dare offer it to you. Is there anything else you would like to discuss?"

Wei Chen flashed him a fake smile.

Lian Cheng watched Wei Chen’s antics and could not help but chuckle.

’This guy is really a menace.’

He clearly knew that the President was very interested in the technology, yet Wei Chen spoke as though this technology were something inferior and hardly worth mentioning.

Mo Xingyao, as the person handling the trade negotiations, could not show that she was enjoying Wei Chen’s prank. She tried her best to maintain a poker face, even clenching her fist and digging her nails into her palm to keep herself from laughing.

As for Dream Butterfly, she simply smiled lightly. Her smile could be interpreted as both polite and genuinely amused by the conversation. It was easy for her to make her smile appear harmless and non-offensive to others.

Of course, much of the credit went to her goddess-like features, which made it difficult for others not to feel good simply by looking at her.

Old man Edmund glared at the President before shaking his head, signaling that the President should stop playing games. The other side seemed to be able to discern his deep interest and desperation for the technology.

Seeing the glare from his main supporter, the President could not help but let out a long sigh before deciding to come clean.

"Ahem... My apologies. If my earlier statement came across as though we were not interested, then... we would like to acquire this technology. Please name your price."

Hearing this, Wei Chen tilted his head in confusion.

Why had the President suddenly lowered his stance? Was it because of a simple glare from the owner of the political wallet? Or was there something else at play that the President was trying to get his hands on?

"We appreciate your sincerity, Mr. President. What we want isn’t anything grand. We simply want your help in setting up an electricity grid in our world," Wei Chen said.

"Huh? An electricity grid? Don’t you have technology that can imitate electricity? Why?" the President asked.

He needed to know.

From the reports, he understood that the other side had its own technology, and it seemed to be more advanced than theirs in certain areas, especially when it came to travel and transportation.

"Yes, Mr. President, we do have technology that can imitate the electricity of this side. However, all of it is based on spiritual qi, which means ordinary mortals cannot use it. We would need to conduct further research to make it possible for them to use it."

"Even so, even if we came up with some method to allow mortals to use spiritual qi-related technology, such technology would still be very expensive and far beyond what ordinary mortals could afford."

"What I need is something simple and cheap that the mortals in our world can easily use, just like electricity and all the amenities powered by it," Wei Chen explained.

This was Wei Chen’s true agenda.

He wanted media and all the conveniences that came with electricity to spread throughout the mortal world, giving ordinary people in his world greater access to information and making news more accessible.

The widespread availability of media could be useful in many ways.

It could be used to spread news and deter crooked people from doing things they might otherwise get away with, knowing that they could end up becoming a public punching bag for everyone to curse and condemn.

It could also be used to warn people about various calamities, such as beast tides or strange anomalies.

For example, an ominous comet might fall from the sky, causing a certain area to become a deadly zone. Or someone might discover a previously unknown secret realm and, unfortunately, the idiot who discovered it could unknowingly unseal a demon trapped inside.

Then they would suddenly have an angry demon running loose.

All of this was ultimately meant to reduce the death rate among the masses.

"That’s..." The president paused, this request was very easy for them. But to make sure, he glanced at Edmund and the latter nodded.

With this signal, the President agreed.

"Don’t worry, Young Master Wei. We will send experts and technicians to the other side to set up an electricity grid as you requested."

With the agreement reached, the negotiation continued for about half an hour before both sides got what they wanted.

Mo Xingyao also smiled widely as she had gained a great deal from this negotiation, thanks to Wei Chen, her husband, who had occasionally sent her information through telepathic messages. This allowed her to avoid being taken advantage of by these people.

The two groups shook hands before going to have lunch.

...

At the lounge, Wei Chen noticed Edmund Rothenberg walking toward him. The old man approached with a smile, a wine glass in his hand.

"Mr. Rothenberg, how may I help you?" Wei Chen stopped eating and turned toward Edmund.

The old man looked around the lounge. Many people were watching them, wondering what Edmund Rothenberg was going to discuss with the otherworlder.

"Young Master Wei," he began. "Can we move somewhere more private than this? I have something I would like to ask for your favor."

Edmund said it without trying to hide his intentions.