How much do you know about the insectoids?
Flying Snow, an Eternal grade frost dagger, forged by the swordsmith master Cleveland.
October Flying Snow, an Eternal grade frost dagger, forged by Cleveland's father, an ordinary swordsmith master Jakub.
Other than that, there was no difference between the two daggers. Be it the craftsmanship or the materials used, they were all the same.
According to historical records, after Cleveland inherited the craftsmanship of this frost dagger from his father, he left his hometown and set up his own shop in the capital. With Flying Snow's unique ice attribute and excellent performance, he won the title of swordsmith master.
But his father, Jakub, was not so lucky. This swordsmith master, who lived in a remote region, had invented Flying Snow without anyone knowing about it. He even had a falling out with his son, causing him to die in a fit of rage.
The world only knew that Cleveland was a master swordsmith, but no one knew that he had a nameless father who had invented the peerless Flying Snow dagger.
It was only on the night before his death that Cleveland revealed this secret to the lawyer in charge of recording his will. The lawyer did not publicize this matter but wrote it down in his memoirs.
How could a lawyer's memoir be as popular as a fantasy novel, so this matter was gradually forgotten.
The true inventor of Flying Snow, Jakub, created ten daggers in total, all named after the twelve months of each year. January Flying Snow, February Flying Snow, and so on.
In terms of technical content, January Flying Snow and June Flying Snow were all experimental creations. It was only with July Flying Snow that the unique craftsmanship began to mature, and each subsequent dagger produced a massive breakthrough.
According to Jakub's plan, he should have created twelve Flying Snow daggers in total. Alas, not long after October Flying Snow was created, Cleveland had a falling out with him and went to the capital to develop his business.
Jakub fell ill as a result, and several months later, he passed away from mental and physical exhaustion.
The greatest difference between Yakub's Flying Snow and Cleveland's Flying Snow daggers was in the hilt. Each of Cleveland's daggers was engraved with his illustrious name, while Yakub's were simply marked with one, two, three, four, five, six.
The Flying Snow dagger Xia Fei saw just now had a cross on its hilt, but Cleveland's name was not there. This showed that this frost dagger was not Flying Snow but the unknown October Flying Snow! This was Jakub's final masterpiece!
Phantom let out a long sigh. "I never thought that there would be such a twisted and bizarre story. I wonder why the dagger made by Cleveland became the infamous Cursed Blade? The craftsmanship and raw materials used are exactly the same as his father's. Logically speaking, there shouldn't be such a big difference. "
Xia Fei shook his head. "Though I don't know anything about forging swords, I've understood something from the medicinal techniques you taught me."
"What logic?"
"The tiniest difference can lead to a world of difference. I clearly remember that those recipes of yours not only require strict control over the purity of the medicinal ingredients, but even the timing of blending, the angle and speed at which the medicinal liquid is poured in, and the speed at which the mixer rotates, all have strict requirements. Unless there's not even the slightest bit of error, it'll definitely lead to failure," Xia Fei said.
Phantom heartily laughed. "Well said. Alchemy and forging swords are both products that use raw materials to create completely different products. Perhaps it really is as you say, that the requirements for forging swords are just as complicated as alchemy, and Cleveland didn't grasp all the techniques, which is why his Flying Snow became the so-called Cursed Blade."
Xia Fei replied, "That's just a possibility. In any case, this October Flying Snow isn't a Cursed Blade forged by Cleveland."
…
After figuring out the ins and outs of October Flying Snow, Xia Fei took a stroll around the trade center and found a suitable scabbard for this dagger.
After all, October Flying Snow was abnormally cold. Carrying it around would not only make Xia Fei's entire body cold, but the low temperature would also make it difficult for him to conceal himself.
Naturally, this would not be so troublesome if he kept it in his spatial ring, but Xia Fei was more used to putting it in his combat boots or in his sleeves when he was on the move.
The gentle Thunder Crocodile Skin scabbard was of moderate thickness and excellent toughness. It felt soft in his hand, like holding the skin of a small goat.
The scabbard and dagger were one, and Xia Fei's use of a small piece of Purple Heart of Spirit in exchange for the scabbard delighted the seller for quite some time. Xia Fei suddenly realized that Hearts of Spirit were even more useful than star coins. No matter what he exchanged it for, it was very easy for him to succeed. Moreover, star coins were not very meaningful to the upper echelons of the Alliance.
After taking a stroll around the second floor, Xia Fei did not find anything suitable, so he decided to go to the third floor to take a look.
The third floor was where the premium goods were freely traded, and one needed to have an item that could be considered premium in order to enter.
There was already a checkpoint before entering the premium goods zone, and the vast majority of people who did not have what they needed would be stopped outside. Only one percent of the population had the right to enter.
Only one in ten thousand people could enter the premium goods zone, and the high grade of the item required to be traded was unimaginably high. However, there were no requirements on the grade of the pass that the participants had, which suited Xia Fei very much.
Paying particular attention to the grade of the pass was too pedantic, and bringing out the real thing was the right way to go. After all, the people who came here were not here to compare who had a higher grade but to trade.
There were clearly fewer people on the third floor. Instead, the receptionists kept coming and going, bringing drinks and snacks to the guests. The atmosphere was very much like that of an elegant banquet.
Surprisingly, the moment Xia Fei walked up, he saw the silver-haired General Tai of the military sitting by the window. Beside him were the other two members of the triumvirate, Layton and Williams.
"They're also here to participate in the trade fair?" Xia Fei was startled.
This was when Williams saw Xia Fei and waved at him. He then turned to Tai and Layton and said, "I saw him, and I suddenly had an idea."
Tai frowned. "Williams, you're not thinking of adding Xia Fei to the mix, are you? It's only been a few days since he became an A-list supplier. "
Williams smiled but did not say anything. Xia Fei walked over and greeted the three generals, wanting to take a stroll around the venue.
Williams said, "What's the rush? It's not that easy to make a deal in the premium goods zone. Actually, doing business in a place like this is secondary; it's more convenient for people to interact with each other. Take a seat. It just so happens that I want to know more about Quantum Holdings' recent operations."
"I'll listen to you. Having a chance to sit with the three highest-ranking military officers of the Alliance is more than I could ask for," Xia Fei said with a smile.
Layton, who had always been strict, did not like Xia Fei's glib words, but Tai and Williams did not mind.
Williams asked Xia Fei what he wanted to drink, and Xia Fei asked for a cup of tea.
"Your company's first batch of goods has arrived. The military's quality control department has confirmed that this batch of goods has a hundred percent pass rate. I hope that you'll be like this in the future. No matter when, the military's goods must be of good quality and quantity," Tai said.
Xia Fei hurriedly said, "That's only natural. The military is Quantum Holdings' biggest customer, and we have the label of an A-list supplier above our heads, so we ought to do our best. Besides, what's the difference between offending the military and committing suicide? I don't have the guts to do so. "
"I heard that you have a radar system that can carry out ultra-long-distance communications that can repel any source of interference?" Tai asked.
Xia Fei smiled and waved his hand. "General Tai, I won't hide it from you. The radar blueprints have already been completed, but to turn a design into an industrial product requires a long period of experimentation and constant revision of the blueprints.
"At present, the research and development work is stuck on the practicality aspect, and the production cost and difficulty remain high. I'm afraid that we won't be able to mass-produce it in the short term. Moreover, the Black Bat radar isn't as incredible as you make it out to be. I reckon that ultra-long-distance communications and the majority of interference sources can be blocked, but there's no way that it can block all interference."
"That's already very good!" Williams excitedly said. "Ultra-long-distance communications have always been a problem for the military. At present, the military mainly relies on dedicated military circuits and the interplanetary internet as dual means of communication, but conventional communications signals aren't stable, and once you leave the signal zone, it'll make communication between fleets abnormally difficult.
"Such a backward communications system greatly restricts the Alliance fleets' progress. We can't just set up a fixed signal relay array whenever and wherever we want, right? Not only is the cost high, but the construction time is also long, which will greatly slow down the progress of the military!"
Xia Fei shrugged and helplessly said, "I really want to help all of you, but this new type of radar isn't something that can be done overnight. With Quantum Holdings' capabilities, it'll be very difficult to increase the speed of research and development."
Admiral Layton was a straightforward person, and he hurriedly said, "What's so difficult about that? The military has plenty of researchers who have nothing better to do. Take out your blueprints and develop them together with the military. I refuse to believe that the military has 113 top-tier research institutes and thousands of tier-2 research institutes. I refuse to believe that such a powerful force can't handle a mere radar system."
Xia Fei, Tai, and Williams all laughed, but Xia Fei's laughter was very soft. He did not dare to act rashly in front of the triumvirate.
Layton was somewhat anxious. "What are you all laughing about? Does the military not have the ability to do so? "
Williams shook his head. "This new type of radar was personally developed by Xia Fei, after all, and it's already close to being mass-produced. If the military interferes at this time, who will the results belong to?"
"A corporation's research and development capabilities are the foundation of its survival. How can you just steal the results of others' research? The Alliance has always advocated for private ownership and free trade. Though we're the military, we can't just take advantage of our power to bully others."
Layton appeared somewhat vexed, heavily slapping his thigh.
Xia Fei said, "Admiral Layton, I know that you're wholeheartedly thinking for the sake of the military and have no selfish motives. Xia Fei appreciates your kind intentions, but this design is extremely complicated, and it also involves the creative ideas of a friend, so it's really inconvenient to make it public. I'll do my best to speed up the research and development, so you can rest assured."
Xia Fei's words were very polite. He did not refute Layton's words, but he also very cleverly avoided the topic of making the blueprints public.
Williams secretly shot Tai a look, and Tai furrowed his brows in thought for a few moments before reluctantly nodding his head.
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