"Ah!? This..." Sephiroth scratched his head, looking at Judge beside him. A troubled expression involuntarily appeared on his face.
Although the mechs produced by the Umbrella Corporation had drawbacks – they were expensive to manufacture and somewhat powerless against experts who could use Armament Haki for internal destruction.
But the advantages outweighed the disadvantages; they were still a very powerful war tool when facing mid-to-low-tier combatants! Therefore, this technology could absolutely not be revealed to other forces.
"Mr. Judge, honestly speaking... your condition is really asking for too much! As a scientist, you should understand the groundbreaking nature of this technology. Its use is far more than just for war; it also has extremely high value in civilian applications..."
"..."
Hearing these words, Judge fell into a long period of silence. Indeed! The Umbrella Corporation's robotics technology was highly intelligent. If these robots were used for labor production, they could replace most human work...
Of course, that depended on the Umbrella Corporation lowering the cost of manufacturing the robots! Even the lowest-spec robot required a manufacturing cost of thirty million Berries. That high price meant that an ordinary person would have to work diligently and save money for half a lifetime to buy one...
"Certainly! Given that Mr. Judge is a valued partner of our Company, if you are willing to agree to one condition of mine, I can allow the Company to sell you the robots at almost their cost price. As the person in charge of this negotiation..."
"You should know, originally our Company didn't plan to sell robots externally... It's precisely because you are a future partner of the Company that I am making this decision."
Hearing this, Judge couldn't help but say in surprise, "Can you make decisions on such matters?"
"Of course! I am a high-ranking executive of the Umbrella Corporation! Furthermore, I also serve as a security consultant, possessing extremely high authority within the Company."
Judge's expression changed several times. He subconsciously turned his head to look at Baccarat, the secretary-general of the Umbrella Corporation, who was standing behind Sephiroth.
As if understanding what was on Judge's mind, Baccarat smiled slightly and explained, "As a high-ranking executive of the Company, Sephiroth also serves as a security consultant, so he has the authority to freely deploy the Company's combat units and decide on weapon sales..."
He is the big Boss of the entire Company, his word is law, he does whatever he wants, no one dares to question him!... Baccarat secretly added in her heart.
After receiving a positive answer, Judge began to weigh things in his mind. Although he didn't directly obtain the technology, he could directly purchase the finished robots. If he could disassemble and study those robots to reverse-engineer their program, wouldn't that be equivalent to obtaining the technology indirectly?
He immediately nodded. "Alright! Mr. Sephiroth, you can state any conditions you have. As long as it's within my power, I will agree..."
Sephiroth pointed a finger toward Reiju, who was wearing a pink battle suit not far away. He said in a half-joking tone, "Oh!? If I said... I wanted her, would you give her to me too?"
Judge didn't get angry. He grinned. "Yes, as long as we sign the documents and complete the transaction, Reiju will belong to you from now on!"
Judge had no reason to refuse Sephiroth's sudden condition. In his eyes, his children were merely tools for him to unify North Blue! As for kinship... what use was that?
Judge only needed cold-blooded warriors who would absolutely obey his commands, not boring and weak sons! From beginning to end, Judge only cared about himself and his dream of dominating North Blue. Everything else was irrelevant. Now, by giving his daughter Reiju, whose lineage factor modification wasn't yet completely finished, as a bargaining chip to Sephiroth, Judge could gain the power to rule North Blue... Why wouldn't he do it? Moreover, Judge had just noticed that Sephiroth was clearly very interested in his daughter... She was a beauty, after all.
If she served Sephiroth well and gave birth to a child or two, wouldn't their Germa Kingdom be able to gain a Four Emperors-level powerful external aid through this connection? Only a fool would refuse such a good thing! Hmm! After the negotiation ends later, I must order Reiju to absolutely try her best to win Sephiroth's favor... Judge thought silently in his heart.
Compared to the calm demeanor of the two men throughout, Reiju, as the person involved, was completely stunned. Her eyes were blank, and her mind filled with question marks. Who could tell her what was going on?
She had clearly remained silent the entire time, just quietly being a bystander watching the show, so how did the matter suddenly involve her...? Reiju turned her head to look at her father, Judge. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something. But... Because she had undergone Judge's lineage factor modification, she couldn't resist Judge's orders and could only be manipulated by him, obeying his every command. Thinking about how she had lived under the dominance of her father Judge since childhood, Reiju couldn't help but sigh silently in her heart.
She didn't argue with Judge in front of everyone. Instead, she lowered her head, silent, her eyes empty and listless as she stared at the ground.
Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji, the three brothers, showed no reaction when they heard Judge use their older sister as a bargaining chip. Their eyes were indifferent, their faces blank. Reiju might as well have been a stranger, for all they cared. They adopted the attitude of not caring about things that didn't concern them.
As expected! My Boss has set his sights on another young and pretty girl!
Baccarat stroked the silver ring on her left ring finger with her right hand. Fortunately, I have this ring... A pure gold inlay on the inside kept her eternally young and beautiful. To say she wasn't jealous that Sephiroth was coveting another beautiful woman in front of her was impossible. She had once harbored some different little thoughts. For example, hiding one or two of her hairs in Sephiroth's clothes or something... But... Sephiroth had harshly taught her a lesson, making her completely understand...
Exclusive possession was purely wishful thinking! Therefore, Baccarat later adjusted her position and no longer entertained other little thoughts. After all, the hard life she lived as a Pirate before was a world away from her current life with great power in her hands and a high position. She should be content! If there was anything regrettable or unsatisfactory, it was perhaps that Sephiroth had always refused to agree to her getting pregnant and having a baby or something...
Seeing that Judge had agreed to his condition, Sephiroth couldn't help but smile, a cruel twist of his lips.
"Oh! Since Mr. Judge is so straightforward, I won't be coy either! Once the specific details of the cooperation are settled, the Umbrella Corporation will officially sell experimental and mass-produced mechs to Germa. I hope we have a pleasant cooperation in the future..." In fact, if Judge had haggled a bit more, Sephiroth would have even agreed to sell the Umbrella Corporation's mechs at cost price...
Mechanical products, especially high-precision ones, must undergo regular maintenance and part replacement after leaving the factory to maintain their performance. Therefore, while the manufacturing cost of a mech might seem like four billion, one billion, or even two hundred million, the subsequent after-sales service, repair, and maintenance costs are actually not a small expense... The Umbrella Corporation could make a hefty profit just from after-sales service!
Even if Judge could handle maintenance and upkeep using Germa's technology, certain special alloys were only produced by the Umbrella Corporation. He would still have to pay the Company, and obey. As for Judge, thinking he could imitate and manufacture the mechs by purchasing them... Sephiroth could only shake his head. Judge was thinking too much! Moon technology was roughly five hundred years ahead of the current world's technology. If Judge could crack and manufacture the most important, highly intelligent program within the mechs, he would be a miracle.
Then, Vegapunk could only carry Judge's shoes! After all, no matter how much of a genius Vegapunk was, he only replicated various ancient technologies with the help of various materials and the power of the Brain-Brain Fruit. How could Judge, by himself, surpass the technological crystallization of a civilization that had existed for hundreds of years!? Furthermore, although Germa seemingly purchased those robots for their use, in reality... The Umbrella Corporation would leave a backdoor in the program of every robot as a countermeasure.
Therefore, no matter how many robots Germa bought, they were just working for the Umbrella Corporation!
"Since the intention to cooperate has been set... Then, let's go to the castle to discuss the other details!" Judge suggested.
Hearing this, Sephiroth immediately smiled and nodded, following Judge unhurriedly to the distant castle. They arrived at a reception room and began to negotiate the specifics of cooperation between the Umbrella Corporation and the Germa Kingdom.
In fact, the reason Sephiroth wanted Reiju was because she was a finished product of lineage factor modification. She possessed a special resistance to poison and the superpower to absorb and release toxins, making her of high research value. Although her ability wasn't as powerful as Magellan's Poison-Poison Fruit, it was still very strong! Both gained incredible power, so why couldn't Devil Fruit users swim while lineage factor modifiers could?
Sephiroth felt that by studying Reiju, he might be able to reverse-analyze the reason and find a way to overcome the effects of seawater and Sea Stone. Of course, Sephiroth also didn't deny that he was coveting Reiju's body...