304: Chapter 304 The Tug-of-War on Price Negotiations

Aelia's hand still held the Jade Slip, her fingertips stiff.

Chen Wuwang didn't look at her. His gaze fell on the shoulder armor of Mecha No. 001, his right hand still resting on the edge of the console. His knuckles tapped three times—once, twice, a pause, then once more, as if waiting for some signal.

The only sound in the workshop was the low-frequency hum of the guide rails, like the wheezing of an old furnace before boiling water.

“One million one hundred and fifty thousand,” he finally spoke, his voice neither cold nor warm. “We can talk.”

Aelia's eyes lit up, but just as she was about to speak, he raised his hand to press down the conversation.

“But there are three conditions.”

She pursed her lips, her wings retracting slightly, her entire body tensing up.

“First, recording the process is fine, but you are only allowed to film the external assembly.” Chen Wuwang turned around, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye scanning every muscle twitch on her face.

“From the splicing of the armor plates to the coupling of the drive shafts, you can record that part as you please.

But the core control System, the energy synchronization array, the AI learning module—anything involving code, algorithms, or psionic coupling logic—don't even touch it.”

“That’s too strict!” Aelia blurted out. “I can't even record the basic parameters?”

“No.” He shook his head. “Do you think I'm afraid of you stealing technology? I'm not. What I'm afraid of is you going back and using these fragments to piece together a faulty model, blowing up your own production lines, and then turning around and blaming me for selling defective products.”

She was stunned for a moment, then sneered, “You really think of yourself as a savior, don't you?”

“I'm not,” he said indifferently. “But I have to be worthy of those technicians who died in furnace explosions. They aren't data; they are people.”

The air suddenly felt a bit heavier.

Aelia looked down at the Jade Slip, her fingernails making a faint scratching sound on the surface.

“Second,” Chen Wuwang continued, “you can send two people in to record, but they must be under my nose. They cannot carry any encrypted storage devices. All footage will be uploaded to my terminal in real-time, and I have the right to interrupt the filming at any moment.”

“You want to monitor me?”

“I want to ensure the rules are followed.” He stared at her. “What you want is a white paper; what I want is a safety baseline. If you cross the line, I cut the power.”

She grit her teeth. “And the third condition?”

“The third is the simplest.” He took half a step forward, the three claw marks on the right side of his face exceptionally clear under the lights. “If you break one, you pay for one. At the full price.”

“This is a precaution for gentlemen, not for villains.”

“I know.” He smiled. “That's why I'm not counting on you being a gentleman at all.”

Aelia snapped her head up, her gaze as sharp as a blade.

The two locked eyes for several seconds, neither backing down.

After a long while, she slowly loosened her grip on the Jade Slip and took a deep breath. “Head of the Chen Family, this price is already the absolute limit of what I can accept.”

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was like a stone dropped into water.

Chen Wuwang didn't respond immediately.

He turned and walked to the console, his fingers continuing to tap the casing, one after another, in a steady rhythm.

His Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flickered slightly, as if retrieving some data.

Five seconds passed.

He suddenly stopped his movements and turned back to look at her. “Fine.”

Aelia's pupils constricted.

“We’ll close the deal at this price.”

She almost thought she had misheard. “You... you agree?”

“If I don't agree, can you even leave?” he retorted, his tone carrying a hint of mockery. “You've already said it's your 'limit.' If I push any further, we'd just be falling out.

I don't like fighting with allies, especially one who can help me open up the interstellar market.”

The corner of her mouth twitched. “So you're yielding for the sake of my resources?”

“Half is for profit, half is for timing.” He leaned against the edge of the console, hands tucked into his pockets. “If I don't sell now, I'll have to sell eventually. The only difference is who I sell to. At least you dare to come to my door with actual Spirit Stones, which is better than those who sneak around scavenging wreckage.”

Aelia was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Are you so sure I can produce this many Spirit Stones?”

“If you couldn't, you wouldn't have offered this price.” He smiled slightly. “Although the Angel Race Merchant Fleet is being marginalized, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Three hundred units, thirty-four point five million Spirit Stones—it's a big order for you, but not enough to empty your Family coffers.”

Her expression changed slightly. “You investigated me?”

“Who does business without doing their homework?” He spread his hands. “How your mother died, why you were exiled, how many batches of medical pods you've sent to the poverty-stricken planets these past few years... as long as one is willing to check, this news isn't hard to find.”

Aelia's face turned cold. “So you're using these as chips to force me into submission?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I'm saying this to let you understand—I'm not taking advantage of you. I'm making a deal with you where both sides can survive. You take the technology back to stabilize your position in the Family, and I use the Spirit Stones to continue upgrading the production lines. It's a win-win.”

She stared at him for a long time, then suddenly gave a light laugh. “You know? You're different from other Cultivators.

When they talk business, they talk about sentiment, pull connections, and beat around the bush.

But you, you just flip the table, lay all your cards out, and force people to gamble with you.”

“Gamble?” He scoffed. “This isn't a gamble. It's a calculation. Costs, risks, return on investment, market supply and demand—I've calculated every item at least seven times. For every price you mentioned, I knew exactly how much longer you could hold out.”

“Then why did you hesitate for so long just now?”

“I was waiting for the System to finish the final round of stress simulations.”

He pointed to his head. “The data from the new production line running continuously for twelve hours just came out. The pass rate is 99.87%, just a hair short of the target.

If it were lower than 99.5, I would have had to postpone this order.”

Aelia was stunned. “You even wait for data confirmation before closing a deal?”

“Otherwise?” he countered. “Use the lives of my clansmen for trial and error?”

She opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing.

After a few more seconds, she raised her hand and held out the Jade Slip. “Then let's sign now—”

“No signing,” he interrupted.

“Again?” Her voice suddenly rose.

“Letters of intent are useless.” He looked directly at her. “What you need to trust is my strength, not a few pieces of stone with words carved on them. If you're worried about me backing out, then don't buy. Once the Spirit Stones arrive, you take the goods immediately. The one who would back out is you, not me.”

“But what if you can't deliver the goods?”

“Look over there.” He raised his hand and pointed toward the end of the assembly line. “Sixteen mechas awaiting inspection. Ten of them can be started within thirty minutes. If you want to verify them, you can do it right now. No furnace explosions, no misfires, no malfunctions. They're right there; they won't fly away.”

Aelia followed his finger.

No. 001 stood quietly in the inspection area, its armor gleaming with a cold light, and the spiritual runes at its joints flowing faintly, like a crouching beast.

She suddenly felt her throat go dry.

It wasn't because of the price, nor because of the harsh conditions, but because she clearly realized—

The person before her no longer needed to rely on contracts to maintain his credit.

His credit was written right there on that never-stopping production line.

“Fine.” She finally relented and pulled back the Jade Slip, her voice dropping a few notches. “I accept the terms. External recording allowed, on-site witnessing of delivery, payment per unit, one million one hundred and fifty thousand.”

Chen Wuwang nodded. “Agreed.”

“But I also have one request.”

“Speak.”

“For the first batch of thirty units, I want to see them start up, walk, and complete basic tactical maneuvers with my own eyes.”

“No problem.”

“And, I want to record the entire process.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Purpose of the footage?”

“Only for internal evaluation,” she said solemnly. “No external distribution, no commercial use, no use as promotional material. I swear it in the name of the leader of the Angel Race Merchant Fleet.”

Chen Wuwang stared at her for three seconds, then suddenly smiled. “Fine. As long as you don't film places you shouldn't.”

Aelia smiled too, a genuine smile this time. “Deal.”

The tense atmosphere between the two finally cracked open.

She turned to leave but then stopped. “Tomorrow at noon, I will bring the Spirit Stones and the recording team.”

“I'll be here,” he said.

She nodded and stepped toward the workshop exit. Her wings folded softly behind her, her steps steady, and she didn't look back.

Only after her figure disappeared behind the metal door did Chen Wuwang slowly exhale.

He raised his hand, and a string of imperceptible data streams flashed across his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye.

Then, he murmured to himself:

“Price tug-of-war ended. Deal reached.”

His fingers tapped three more times, the rhythm exactly the same as before.

In the workshop, the guide rails were still running.

The eyes of Mecha No. 001 suddenly lit up with a faint blue light.