Aside from the large quantity of construction machinery, the second expenditure was a direct outlay of 3,200 Amoeba Points to acquire a complete "Strong Logic Robotics Automatic Maintenance" system!
This was the so-called "purchase 100 robots, get a full database free" promotion. Those hundred robots were just a small part of the deal, serving as the equivalent of thousands of high-end repair personnel who required no rest nor entertainment—the real prize was the knowledge that came with them, nearly a ruinous expense!
Over 3,000 Amoeba Points—the mere thought of spending such a sum made Zhang Yuan’s heart bleed!
Meanwhile, the engineers were over the moon, each beginning to study the robots with obvious satisfaction in regards to the trade.
The maintenance capabilities of these advanced robots substantially surpassed those developed by humans on their own, effectively alleviating the population shortage issue that humans faced!
The crux of the matter was that humans had directly purchased the research rights for this class of robot programming, allowing them to study, replicate, and improve upon it, which is why this technology was so exorbitantly priced.
Seeing the researchers brimming with fervor, Zhang Yuan suppressed the pain in his heart, reassuring himself, "...With this database, we can replicate these kinds of robots, and although our initial attempts may not match the originals, we can certainly make improvements!"
"What’s more important is... we can use this knowledge to find the path to strong artificial intelligence."
"Not bad at all—we’re definitely not at a loss!"
As for the third item, they acquired some nano-robot industrial systems. Nano-robots had countless applications in a Fourth-level Civilization, whether for smelting minerals or synthesizing materials, all of which could make use of nano-robots.
Especially with high-end complex nanomaterials, traditional large-scale smelting was no longer possible.
They had to rely on numerous nano-robots, which "grew" like cells, to achieve manipulation at a molecular level.
Humans had been researching this challenging technology for one or two thousand years and found they were only just starting, with much knowledge still lacking, so seizing the opportunity to buy it cheap was not a bad decision.
All these technologies were released by the trade market, with substantial credibility. The potential for fraud was theoretically minimal, and the prices weren’t too steep—at least much cheaper than the robotic databases.
The final portion consisted of acquisitions from various third-level civilizations—purchasing numerous obsolete spaceships and inexpensive weapons.
Among the many civilizations present in this marketplace, there were third and Level 4 Civilizations. Hearing that a Level 4 Civilization was buying up discarded weapons and equipment, the third-level ones flocked to sell in large numbers, even beginning to bargain on the spot.
In the end, a transaction was completed with a third-level civilization that possessed two snail-like eyes.
In truth, these items were incredibly cheap because many third-level civilizations would leave after this big sell-off. Before their departure, it was good enough to dispose of some redundant junk at low prices.
And so, capital flowed out like water, and before they knew it, the savings accumulated over many years were completely spent.
Many scientists still lamented the scarcity of Amoeba Points in their hands, as they hadn’t acquired all the items they desired...
"Alright, enough, don’t be so greedy; these items will keep us busy for a good while."
Zhang Yuan shook his head, not quite agreeing. The most valuable unique technology that humanity possessed was his concoction of "Extra Perception." This was an Intelligence technology that many Level 4 Civilizations did not possess.
But selling this knowledge was risky—without a strong trade market to regulate transactions in the future, who knew what safety incidents might occur?
Thus, humanity only sold a small portion, which was just the research on Extra Colors, not on Magnetic Field Perception... The very best products would definitely not be sold off carelessly.
Humans, though craving Amoeba Points, dared not openly hawk their most precious advancements.
"Greetings to the New Human Civilization, how are you... The mechanical equipment you selected has been fully loaded, and our transport ships will follow yours to deliver to the designated locations," said the marketplace’s artificial intelligence.
"Thank you very much." Although the other party was just an artificial intelligence, the diplomats were still very polite and greeted it warmly.
Following this, Zhang Yuan waved to the scientists still observing the robots, to draw their attention.
"All right, mission accomplished, let’s head home!"
"Speed it up, there are still important matters to attend to!"
The supplies purchased this time were enormous, filling up five large transport ships.
These trade outpost ships followed behind the human ships, moving at a leisurely pace.
There were also seven third-level civilization transport ships trailing behind, loaded with various outdated weapons and a variety of old spaceships.
As long as these items were functional, that was what mattered. As to their performance, well, they were at least products of a third-level civilization; they couldn’t be that bad... Anyway, as long as they worked.
Zhang Yuan glanced out at the stars and then at his companions in their seats. The immense Dyson Sphere loomed nearby with various transport ships busily flying around, suddenly evoking an indescribable sense of weight and urgency.
The only thought in his mind was that a storm was about to brew here. Better hurry back, back to his own mother ship...
As time passed day by day, when people saw that familiar planet and the six mother ships nearby, they couldn’t help but cheer uncontrollably.
Zhang Yuan too clenched his fist tightly.
The pressure of this mission was indeed immense, but the end result was satisfactory, amounting to a triumphant return.
Don’t just look at the purchase of these items; that had consumed the vast majority of humanity’s resources, but it surely would take the New Human Civilization another step forward!
"Hard work everyone!" Some reception personnel approached with smiles, and the Captain was there to welcome these returning diplomats.
Engineers were busy unloading cargo from the ships at the rear.
Seeing a couple of aliens from a third-level civilization following behind, along with a large quantity of ammunition on the ships, they were all taken aback.
"What’s happening? Why did we buy so much of this..." Captain Feng swallowed hard, asking with slight surprise, almost blurting out the words "junk."
"The plan has changed!"
Zhang Yuan quietly said, "Hurry up and unload! Then have everyone check if there’s any spyware, any security risks. If there are, make them pay up while the trading market is still open!"
Even though Captain Feng was puzzled, she instructed the logistics department to carry out the task.
For a third-level civilization, a transaction worth two hundred AmiBa Points was considered a major deal, especially when selling weapons to a Level 4 Civilization. It sounded quite astounding, yet the aliens were more than happy, showing great eagerness and a friendly attitude.
On the other hand, Mr. Yang, the Foreign Minister, announced the achievements of this mission during a work conference.
However, in front of reporters, he temporarily concealed the news released by the Amoeba Civilization, guessing that reading the entire statement would take an hour or two.
"Is there any other news? What exactly is going on with the Amoeba Civilization... and why did we purchase such a huge quantity of low-quality weaponry?" Captain Feng privately inquired of Zhang Yuan, feeling a sense of foreboding and taking an extraordinary interest in the information.
"There is news, of course... but it’s not good."
Zhang Yuan didn’t beat around the bush and recounted the information he had heard, then spread his hands: "We can’t afford high-quality weapons, so we have to settle for the low-quality ones. Antimatter is even sold out; we couldn’t buy it even if we wanted to!"
"...Governor?" The lady felt a chill at heart, trembling slightly.
The idea that a Level 5 Civilization with a not-so-good reputation had become the Governor of the Milky Way was like sensing a storm on the horizon.