Chapter 47: Blue Moon Dollar
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Colonel Chu and his team were invited by Zhao Yu to board a cruiser loaded with star destroyer cannons.
“Mr. Zhao Yu, can you make the s.p.a.ceship invisible when you fly it?” Colonel Chu asked nervously.
He added, “We’re worried that the early exposure of extraterrestrial civilizations will lead to social instability and riots. Ordinary people aren’t mentally prepared to face alien civilizations yet…”
“Yes, 1 can the s.p.a.ceship invisible.”
Zhao Yu nodded. The main purpose of coming to Earth ws to earn technology points and obtain resources from Earth. He wanted to keep a low profile to ensure that there wasn’t any trouble while he was here.
He glanced at the crowd, many of whom were looking around with curiosity.
Zhao Yu smiled faintly and said, “There are quite a few scholars here, right?”
…..
“Yes…” Colonel Chu nodded somewhat awkwardly. “They don’t have any ulterior motives, 1 can a.s.sure you that. They are just very fascinated with alien technology…”
“It’s alright. Let them move freely. It will take a few more minutes to reach Great Xia. Let’s talk in the meantime,” Zhao Yu suggested.
“Great!” Colonel Chu was eager for this. He quickly sent the group of experts to visit the s.p.a.ceship.
After the crowd left, Zhao Yu said, “Before we discuss business, 1 have two requests…”
“Please speak,” Colonel Chu responded humbly. As long as the requests weren’t too excessive, he had the authority to agree.
“First, the Moon is our base, so you people having satellites taking pictures is kind of impolite…”
“No problem. After we return, we can bring down all the satellites on the Moon,” Colonel Chu quickly agreed.
This request wasn’t demanding at all. Normally, it wouldn’t be surprising for a lower civilization like theirs to have surveillance devices knocked down by a higher civilization, especially since Zhao Yu himself brought it up.
Zhao Yu nodded and continued, “Second, the Blue Moon was pushed into orbit around Earth by us, and its ownership belongs to us!”
“Blue Moon…” Colonel Chu hesitated. Blue Moon was very close to Earth. It would be easy for them to establish a base there, which would be beneficial for their development into s.p.a.ce.
After a moment, Colonel Chu seemed to understand something and replied, “Alright, the ownership of the Blue Moon belongs to your side!”
In his view, although Blue Moon was closer to Earth, as Zhao Yu had said, the other party had the ability to push it into Earth’s...o...b..t and even into Earth itself.
“Good, since you have no objections to these two minor requests, let’s now discuss the matter of a trading port!” Zhao Yu said, and Colonel Chu was the first to respond.
“Mr. Zhao, if 1 may ask, what is the purpose of your trade with us?” Colonel Chu inquired.
“We need some resources that are available on Earth but not on the Moon,” Zhao Yu answered.
Hearing this made Colonel Chu very happy. The aliens could have resorted to plundering, but they chose the civilized way of trade.
Indeed, extraterrestrial civilizations were truly civilized, as expected!
Colonel Chu praised and had some admiration for the extraterrestrial behind Zhao Yu.
Through this event, he had even higher expectations for Earth’s integration into the cosmic community.
If they could establish contact with more powerful extraterrestrial civilizations, perhaps they could really buy some technology from them.
Of course, that was a matter for the future. Colonel Chu didn’t think much about it and continued, “Mr. Zhao, what products do you plan to trade?”
“For now, we intend to export three items: ‘holographic touch watches,’ ‘magnetic levitation cars,’ and ‘intelligent robots’,” Zhao Yu explained.
Colonel Chu was delighted. The manufacturing of these three products involved a wide range of scientific fields, and understanding the technology behind them would greatly enhance the technological level of the Great Xia.
The only problem now was to convince Mr. Zhao to establish a factory on Earth. Well, he didn’t really need to convince Zhao Yu to do this. Little did Colonel Chu know that it was also Mr. Zhao’s intention.
After pondering for two seconds, Colonel Chu spoke, “Mr. Zhao, may 1 inquire about how you are going to put a price on your product?”
“I have noticed that the internal currency on Earth is in disarray, and it seems inappropriate to tie my products to any particular nation’s currency,” Mr. Zhao replied casually.
“We are already discussing the proposal for merging currencies and establishing a unified currency…”
“No need for such trouble!”
Mr. Zhao smiled faintly and said, “We can create a currency called Blue Moon Dollar. It will be tied to natural resources on Earth…”
Colonel Chu’s heart skipped a beat. When it came to the issue of currency issuance, he needed permission from higher authorities to make any sort of agreement with the aliens.
After all, whoever had control of that power would benefit from it.
“Are you concerned that we will flood the market with currency and exploit your resources for free?” Mr. Zhao proactively voiced Colonel Chu’s concerns.
“I am worried that your currency will depreciate…” Colonel Chu’s response was subtle, using the example of Zimbabwean dollars.
That was the only currency that had experienced hyperinflation.
“So, tying Blue Moon dollar to the resources of Earth and our technological products would work!” Mr. Zhao chuckled. “We can buy your resources with Blue Moon Dollar, and you can buy our products with Blue Moon Dollar. That way, there won’t be any issues…”
“Buying products with Blue Moon Dollars…” Colonel Chu fell into deep thought once again.
The other party’s products could be continuously manufactured, but the resources on Earth were limited.
Perhaps in the short term, three to five hundred years, Earth’s resources would be inexhaustible, but what about the future?
If the extraterrestrials didn’t leave and the trade continued, thousands of years later, their descendants would probably have to dig up Colonel Chu’s ancestral tomb.
But on second thought, three to five hundred years later, the Great Xia would likely have already expanded into the universe. By then, they could completely develop other planets.
Trade was definitely necessary, and the only thing to figure out was how to use the trade to enhance the technological level of the Great Xia.
After careful consideration, Colonel Chu spoke, “Once these three products are released, similar industries on Earth will be bankrupt. Tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of people will face unemployment…”
“If you are willing to establish a factory on Earth, 1 can represent Earth…”
“A factory?!” Mr. Zhao feigned surprise and pretended to contemplate.
Seeing that the other party did not outright refuse, Colonel Chu immediately seized the opportunity.
“After all, your production base is far away on the moon, and transportation costs should be high…”
“If you establish a factory on Earth, transportation costs would be almost zero…”
“In addition, 1 can take charge. We will bear all the initial costs of establishing the factory…”
Mr. Zhao did not expect that, following Uncle Da’s advice to indulge in desires, he would actually obtain even better conditions than he had imagined.
The other party was even willing to bear the costs of building the factory.
“Transferring the production line to Earth is beyond my authority. Please wait a moment while 1 consult!” Mr. Zhao did not rush to accept, but in line with his image, he turned and entered another room.
Through the window, Colonel Chu saw the s.p.a.ceship rapidly ascending and reaching outer s.p.a.ce in an instant.
“What’s going on?” one of the experts asked, looking confused and perplexed as they observed the situation.
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Colonel Chu quickly provided an explanation, “Don’t worry, everything is fine. Mr. Zhao needed to contact the Moon. We are currently experiencing electromagnetic disturbances here on Earth.”
After waiting for what seemed like half an hour, Mr. Zhao finally emerged from the room. Colonel Chu hurriedly approached him with an expectant look on his face and asked, “Mr. Zhao, how did it go?”
A smile appeared on Mr. Zhao’s face as he replied, “We can build the factory!”
“That’s great news!” Colonel Chu couldn’t contain his excitement and clenched his fist. He quickly reached out to shake hands with Mr. Zhao and expressed his grat.i.tude.
To Colonel Chu, the fact that the extraterrestrial being agreed to establish a factory on Earth meant that Mr. Zhao, as a former citizen of Great Xia, must have contributed significantly to this outcome.
This made Mr. Zhao feel a bit embarra.s.sed. He did, in fact, have a casual conversation with Uncle Da about setting up a branch on Blue Moon.
Subsequently, both parties discussed various details. They addressed issues such as maintaining a reasonable exchange ratio between Blue Moon currency and Blue Star resources and products. It was important to avoid situations where they would buy a few items while selling thousands of tons of resources, as that would be unfavorable.
In addition, they agreed on the exchange rate of Blue Moon dollar for Earth’s resources and the prices for purchasing three specific goods, reaching a mutually satisfying range.
Finally, as the s.p.a.ceship began its invisible descent towards the ground, the negotiation came to a formal close, marking the end of the trade talks..