The Alliance Exchange was an extremely large commercial website with hundreds of sections. It was mainly open to the Alliance's civil service system. Not only did it have individual transactions, but the military would also put retired old models of warships up for auction on the website. These transactions were mainly carried out with Alliance contribution points.
Among the many sections, the busiest was the warship section. After all, the sea of stars was everyone's dream. Even if they could not afford to buy a spaceship at the moment, it was still good to have a look.
Xia Fan briefly looked up the rules. He was now a junior investigator of the Special Task Force, so he could own private spaceships below the Destroyer class. As for cruisers and battleships, which were larger in size and more powerful in combat, Xia Fan was not yet qualified to register them.
As such, Xia Fan turned his attention to the frigate class trading section. Usually, a frigate cost between 500,000 to 1,000,000 points, which Xia Fan could afford.
Of course, the most expensive thing about a warship was not the purchase cost, but the maintenance, repairs, modifications, fuel, and so on. It was definitely not cheaper than buying a ship.
Back in Britania, Xia Fan had been a bounty hunter for a period of time. He still had 6,320,000 Alliance dollars in his account at the Nebula Development Bank, which was considered a small asset. It was more than enough to pay for the maintenance of a frigate.
There were two reasons why Xia Fan wanted a frigate. One was that Xia Fan had learned from his grandfather machinist, so he had a good foundation in mechanical engineering. These skills would greatly reduce the cost of maintaining a warship, and Xia Fan could do most of the work himself.
The second reason was the need for exploration. After getting the investigator badge, Xia Fan would have a pass to enter and leave the entire Alliance. No matter what, Xia Fan still hoped to find the Skywing Token that Tian Yi had left behind and find his family.
The investigation to find the Skywing Token definitely could not be known by the Agency, so Xia Fan would have to act alone and secretly. Having his own warship would undoubtedly be a great help in finding the Skywing Token.
Xia Fan had long since learned from machinists and read a lot, so he had a deeper understanding of the various models of frigates in the Alliance. He knew the performance, advantages, and disadvantages of each model, so he first screened out the most common hundreds of models, hoping to find a special ship.
His eyes suddenly lit up, and Xia Fan could not help but mutter to himself, "Tyran-class!"
After enlarging the photo, Zhang Tie confirmed that it was indeed a Tyran-class frigate, an elite frigate produced by the royal shipyard of the Sacred Alliance.
Although wars broke out between the three alliances from time to time, their commercial relationships were very close. Therefore, it was not strange for people to buy battleships produced by Sacred Alliance in Star Cloud Alliance.
The Royal Shipyard had always been famous for its high standards. With the name of the Royal Family, how could they not use high-grade alloys and top-notch technology to build ships?
The Tyrant class was built with this idea in mind. The most ridiculous thing about this frigate was that it needed a mechanical core to start up.
After all, the mechanical core was a treasure passed down from ancient times. Ordinary people could not buy it, and current technology could not replicate it. That was why there were very few Tyran-class frigates built. The few ships left on the market were not only old, but also unusable.
After all, putting an expensive mechanical core inside a frigate was a waste in itself. Therefore, the Tyrant class was known as one of the most failed products in the history of the Royal Shipyard.
The failure in sales did not mean that the quality was also a failure. The Tyrant class used a large amount of S-grade tritanium alloy. It even used the rare Kro alloy for its key parts. Its radar, fire control, and weapons were all the best in the Royal Shipyard.
To put it simply, the Tyrant class was a rare, high-class, and expensive frigate.
An old ship without a mechanical core was sold for 850,000 points, which was enough to buy a brand new top-notch frigate.
Through the holographic 3D image, Xia Fan carefully examined the ship. Although the ship looked old, its various structures and cabins were still in good condition.
After all, a large amount of expensive high-grade metals had been used to build the Tyrant class. Even if it was stored for a long time, it would not spoil. However, after buying it, Xia Fan would have to clean it up himself.
Through Cang Yue's famous instant messaging software, Yunxin, Xia Fan chatted with the seller. It turned out that the seller was a company under the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of the Alliance. The ship had been smuggled into the territory of the Alliance, but before it could be sold, it was seized by the Anti-Smuggling Bureau.
No wonder the ship's structure was still in good condition after so long. It seemed that the ship had never sailed much. The most precious mechanical core had been confiscated by the Anti-Smuggling Bureau, leaving only an empty ship in the warehouse.
The price was not negotiable when it came to business with the government. However, when the seller learned that Xia Fan was an investigator from the Special Task Force, they agreed to ship the ship for free.
.....
Two days later, at noon, the shipping company sent a message. The Tyrant class that Xia Fan had ordered had arrived and asked what to do with it.
"There's no need to send it to the camp. Just drop it at the public airport."
"Yes, yes, I'll go get it right away."
"Please."
After putting down the communication terminal, Xia Fan excitedly pulled Fu You to a hover car in the camp and headed to the public airport.
Although Fu You looked like he was still sleepy, he followed Xia Fan with interest when he heard that he had bought a frigate.
"If you want to buy one, you should buy a bigger one. What's so fun about a frigate? If you had told me earlier, I would have gotten you an old ship from my house," Fu You said casually.
"Come on, you make it sound like you have the guts to go home." Xia Fan teased Fu You.
Fu You's father said that he would break Fu You's legs if he dared to go home because Fu You always stayed at the blue boiling point.
Fu You shook his head. "Oh, it's not like what you think. I've already graduated. I can go home if I want to. No one can stop me."
Xia Fan ignored him. With Fu You's talent, he could have graduated in a few months, but he had been stuck at the blue boiling point for seven years. Even if his father did not pursue the matter, he would not be able to explain it to his family. From Fu You's tone, he seemed to be afraid of his father and grandfather.
After going through the handover procedures at the shipping company, the Tyrant class was sent to a maintenance warehouse according to Xia Fan's request.
When Xia Fan and Fu You arrived at the warehouse, they saw a fat mechanic waiting for them with his legs crossed. The mechanic was wearing a blue uniform full of oil stains, and his hands were dirty.
"Hello, I'm from the ship maintenance company." The person handed Xia Fan a business card after seeing him. "Your ship can't take it anymore. The engine nozzle needs to be recoated. Although the shell can still be used, the internal mechanical structure and circuits are a mess. It'll be very troublesome to clean up. It'll take at least 1,500 man-hours, and 80% of the parts have to be replaced."
Xia Fan was stunned. He had seen the ship with a 3D image. It was not as bad as this guy said.
However, Xia Fan soon understood. The maintenance company made a living by repairing ships. The more serious the problem was, the more they could charge.
Unfortunately, the maintenance company did not expect that Xia Fan did not intend to look for them. Instead, he wanted to do it himself.
"Do it yourself? Stop joking. This is an imported frigate. Can you do it? "
"You don't have to worry about that."
Hmph!
The Machinist raised his oily, fat head and said to Xia Fan in a neutral tone, "Alright then, but don't say I didn't warn you. When you can't handle it yourself and come back to me, the price won't be the same as today!"
The fat mechanic walked away, ready to see Xia Fan make a fool of himself.
Fo You walked around the Tyrant, reached out his hand, and knocked on the dark gold outer armor. He tilted his head and said, "Look at what you bought. This is clearly an old ship that no one wants. It looks like a big, stupid triangle. How ugly."
Fo You did not know much about warships, but he accurately described the characteristics of the Tyrant.
That's right. The first impression that this frigate gave off was that it was clumsy. It had a rare triangular structure, sharp lines, and sharp edges. If one were to describe those frigates that had a smooth appearance as a delicate sword, the Tyrant class would be a clumsy hammer.
The Royal Shipyard liked the gold color that represented the royal family, so the Tyrant was also dark gold in color. It was more luxurious.
The combination of the luxurious gold and the stupid appearance made Fo You feel that the ship was ugly no matter how he looked at it.
As the saying went, the layman watched the show, while the expert knew the ropes. Xia Fan did not care about the appearance and color. He paid more attention to the welds of the deck, the layout of the cables, and the material of the mechanical structure.
The quality of the ship was amazing!
The S-grade tritanium alloy was used by the giant space carriers of the Ministry of Aviation. Not only was the skeleton of the Kro alloy expensive, but it was also very difficult to process. Only a few of the top shipyards in Cangyue had the technical ability to apply the extremely hard Kro alloy to the hull of a ship.
"Wait for a few days. I'll show you a magic trick!" Xia Fan said confidently to Fo You.
Although he did not plan to hire a repair company, tools and equipment were essential.
Large equipment could be rented from the logistics department of the airport, and the rent was calculated by the day. Xia Fan bought the small equipment directly. It was not expensive anyway, and the set of tools would come with the ship in the future.
Xia Fan had no other skills, but he was fast!
Once the repair work began, he was like a phantom. A moment ago, he was checking the interface at the bottom of the warship, and in the blink of an eye, he was in the engine room, trying to start the fusion reactor.
Fo You found a table and a chair, and while making tea, he watched Xia Fan work.
Fo You did not like the ship, but he liked watching Xia Fan work.
After all, he was a speed type superpower user. When he worked, it was like fast-forward in a movie. The rhythm was really exciting. After dismantling the fire-control radar and checking it, Xia Fan found that the internal structure was in good condition. In a few minutes, the huge fire-control radar was reinstalled.
Fo You was used to being lazy. If he could talk, he would never use his hands. After watching for a while, he felt that it was actually boring. It was so annoying to dismantle it, and he even got himself dirty.
The next day, Fo You did not come. Xia Fan worked alone in the warehouse from early morning until late at night, and then went back to the dormitory to rest.
Xia Fan was actually tired, but this was his own ship after all. After it was repaired, he could travel freely in the sea of stars. At the thought of this, Xia Fan was full of energy.
Since it was an imported warship, some parts could not be found locally, so he had to order them online and mail them over.
When ordering the parts, Xia Fan ordered a few more sets of fragile parts such as air filter plugs and power nozzles, and put them in the warehouse for backup.
It took Xia Fan an entire week to completely repair the Tyrant.
During this period, he wasted some time waiting for the parts to be mailed. Otherwise, it would have been faster.
"Isn't it just a small broken ship? What's there to look at? We have plenty of them at home." Once again, Xia Fan dragged Fo You to the public airport, and he muttered impatiently in the car.
Outside the warehouse, Xia Fan opened the automatic door. The sound of a motor came from the automatic door, and it slowly opened.
Seeing that Xia Fan had repaired the Tyrant, Fo You's eyes widened.
Just a week ago, this was an old ship covered in dust and oil. The landing cabin door was forced open by the Anti-Smuggling Bureau, and it was thrown crookedly on the ground.
Now, the Tyrant was shining with a golden light. When he touched it, the surface of the ship was like a mirror, and not even the tiniest speck of dust could be found.
"You did this alone!?" A shocked voice came from outside the warehouse.
It was the chubby mechanic who spoke. He had waited for a week, and when he felt that it was about time, he was ready to laugh at Xia Fan and take over the business.
Before he came, he had already thought about it. Since Xia Fan was so stubborn, he would at least charge him three times the price and make a fortune from this overconfident young man. Anyway, the people of the Special Task Force were rich, so it would be a waste not to take advantage of them.
In the end, he saw an almost brand-new frigate docked in the warehouse.
This efficiency was terrifying. Even if he brought 20 skilled mechanics with him and squatted in the warehouse for a week, they would never be able to complete such a heavy repair work.
Amazing!
How did this young man do it?
"Do you want to go in and have a look?" Xia Fan stretched out his hand and made an inviting gesture.
"Well, then I'll reluctantly go in and have a look," Fo You nodded and said shamelessly.
The chubby mechanic also tiptoed onto the ship. Once inside the cabin, the mechanic was even more impressed. Cleanliness was only on the surface. Xia Fan opened the cable box, which contained tens of thousands of thick and thin cables, and all of them had been rearranged by Xia Fan. There was no mess at all, and it was so neat that it was pleasing to the eye.
If the people from the maintenance company had done it, they would never have done this. At most, they would have messily rolled the cables into a ball and stuffed them into the box. This was all done while Xia Fan was waiting for the spare parts.
The captain's seat was replaced with a cowhide jacket and a high-elasticity sponge cushion. Fo You sat on it and nodded. "Well, it's not bad. It's quite comfortable."
"By the way, what are you going to name this ship?"
Xia Fan smiled and said, "I've already thought about this. Come out and have a look."
There were stickers on both sides of the warship. Xia Fan pulled hard and tore the stickers off.
* Pfft *
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