"Well, I wanted to ask, how do you sell the 'Energy Wallet' that accommodates the energy currency?" Bai Zhongqi asked casually.
The so-called Energy Wallet was actually the core storage technology of Bupinga, and a standard Energy Wallet from Bupinga was a battery slightly smaller than a cubic meter space. Its energy storage performance exceeded all of Iridium Star's current batteries, far surpassing the concentrated batteries that Bai Zhongqi was using on a large scale on Earth.
"Ah, customer, regarding the Energy Wallet, you need to complete a transaction on our Trade Star before you are eligible to purchase one, and the quantity available for purchase by non-members is limited. A standard Energy Wallet can hold up to 10,000 Pulun at most, with a selling price of one Pulun,"
Bai Zhongqi cursed the merchants in his heart. Even as a tool for currency transactions, the Bupinga people were still making money off the Energy Wallets. The selling price of one Pulun was indeed very expensive, and for actual civilization-level trades, perhaps hundreds, even thousands of standard Energy Wallets would not suffice.
As expected, He Qiu continued, "For our customers, carrying a large amount of Pulun can be very cumbersome, so here in Bupinga, we provide complete, efficient, and secure financial services. By opening an account at one of Bupinga's major commercial banks, you can transfer a large amount of Pulun to your business partners with just the flick of a finger."
This information didn't surprise Bai Zhongqi at all. Where there were large-scale commercial activities, such financial services naturally existed. Considering that Pulun was essentially an energy source usable anywhere, these Bupinga merchants made sure that a large amount of Pulun never left this commercial planet, thus facilitating their customers' transactions. At the same time, Pulun in the banks could be directly utilized or lent out—tactics identical to those of financial institutions on Earth.
He Qiu was slightly anxious at this point; the guest before him did not seem easy to serve. The Primate Clan were, in principle, relatively straightforward to deal with. They tended to state their needs directly, filled with desires and meticulous in their calculations. It was precisely because of these traits that the Primate Clan had established quite a few commercial planets.
However, Bai Zhongqi had not directly expressed any trading desires, and He Qiu glanced at the two females sitting next to him, considering whether he should employ the 'wife strategy' to seal the potential deal.
Just then, a stream of text flickered across the smart device attached to He Qiu's eye. Recognizing the unique color of the text, He Qiu's spirits lifted. This was a direct order from the Trade Services Federation. As an agent of the Ion Consortium, which managed Trade Star, all brokers were subject to direct assignments from the Federation.
Excited, He Qiu knew that the Federation's information provided him a clear path, and the message was very useful with a high likelihood of success.
"Customer, we don't mean to pry intentionally, but we have inadvertently learned that the spaceship you are on seems to have just experienced a supernova explosion in the Chrysanthemum Hunting Galaxy,"
Bai Zhongqi immediately grew alert, thinking he had underestimated these merchants. It was difficult to conceal the movements of his spaceship—he had traveled here on the Sacred Falcon, which he had no intention of hiding. However, the fact that the other party knew where he had come from was indeed questionable.
So it seemed, the people of Bupinga had grasped the whereabouts of his ship from several astronomical units away, judging his possible point of origin based on the trajectory of the Warp Bubble. Iridium Star had similar capabilities; they could deploy a variety of strategic detectors throughout a galaxy, each with distinct functions. They could detect faint energy fluctuations in space, the motion of Warp Bubbles, as well as various more traditional astronomical observation instruments.
In any case, the fact that Bupinga's people had discovered Bai Zhongqi's arrival from the Chrysanthemum Hunting Galaxy made him particularly cautious.
Seeing the wariness of the man before him, and even sensing the pressure from the wheat-skinned, curvaceous woman beside him, He Qiu immediately explained, "It really isn't our intention to spy. Bupinga Star maintains strict surveillance of the surrounding environment. As you know, we possess huge wealth here, making us a prime target for some ill-intentioned forces. Hence, we take the security of our planet and our guests very seriously. We have no intent to intrude upon a guest's privacy, nor will we divulge it to other civilizations without proper reason."
Bai Zhongqi narrowed his eyes and asked, "But if the conditions are right, you would sell it, wouldn't you?"
He Qiu waved his hands repeatedly and said, "No, no, we Bupingans conduct business with principles."
He quickly added, "The thing is, Bupinga Star had not anticipated the sudden supernova explosion of the Chrysanthemum Hunting Star. This is a rare phenomenon, and because Chrysanthemum Hunting Star is so close to Bupinga, it has sparked interest in our scientific research institutions. The supernova explosion continues, and we can see the light from Chrysanthemum Hunting Star here. Some exploration ships have already been dispatched, but due to the distance, it's impossible to collect any first-hand or close-range data."
Bai Zhongqi said, "So, what you want is my information?"
Seeing Bai Zhongqi's guard slightly lowered, He Qiu thought there was hope and eagerly said, "The customer must be on an interstellar exploration. You concluded your journey in the Chrysanthemum Hunting Galaxy, and then encountered the rare supernova explosion. Moreover, your civilization possesses exceptional strength, enabling you to escape such a dangerous situation. Just for that, you deserve our admiration. Bupinga doesn't want the customer's private information, our science department only wishes to have some parameters collected by your spaceship, and if there are any visual records, that would be all the better."
Bai Zhongqi understood the intentions of the Bupingans. His face remained calm as he looked at He Qiu, who would probably be sweating if he had sweat glands, and said, "This information has come at a great cost to us. What terms is Bupinga prepared to offer to exchange for it?"
A look of joy crossed He Qiu's face as the man before him, who had shown no sign of emotional fluctuation until now, actually started to negotiate. He Qiu felt communication suddenly become smooth and easy, and he was eager to roll up his sleeves and haggle properly with the other party.
"Customer, trust me, the Trade Services Federation can offer terms that will definitely satisfy you in exchange for the information you have. Of course, the Trade Services Federation is not a charity, and we will not accept unreasonable prices."
Bai Zhongqi nodded without speaking. The data on the Chrysanthemum Hunting Galaxy's supernova explosion had been automatically recorded by the Sacred Falcon, and it was something he could take or leave. If he could sell it for a good price, that would be fine too, as it would at least serve as his startup funds for activities on Bupinga Star.