Grune swallowed hard and cautiously asked, "How expensive is it exactly? Can I afford it?"
Liu An laughed heartily, "You don't need to worry. Your little project is insignificant compared to the real computational power needed. You don't have to buy the whole thing. As for how much it's going to cost..."
Liu An mentioned a figure, and Grune almost had a heart attack on the spot.
The reason was simple: the number matched the maximum liquidity the Augustus family had ever possessed, which was now transformed into three hundred sets of instruments in the Academy of Sciences.
"Earl, you know that just to start this venture, I've exhausted the family's assets. How could I possibly come up with this money? Earl, if this succeeds, it could suppress your adversaries. Could you sponsor this?"
Grune's sharp instincts immediately identified the crux of the problem.
To him, it was a huge sum, but to Liu An, it was merely a drop in the ocean.
