Chapter 108: Intelligence (Bonus for Alliance Master Dongyou Lingyu) (Third Update)

Lin Fang calmly said to Su Ming.

“One meat dish, one vegetable dish, plus rice and soup, this set meal is 10 federal currency!”

“So cheap!”

Su Ming nodded in response.

“The first thing I want to say is, definitely do not eat in the commercial street. A set meal like this would cost five thousand federal currency in the commercial street!”

Lin Fang said very seriously.

Su Ming was also very surprised to hear Lin Fang’s words.

“So expensive? Why is there such a big price difference?”

“Firstly, consumption in Starlight City is extremely expensive; there’s no place in the entire Federation more expensive than here. Additionally, Royal Court Academy subsidizes meals, and the vegetables at Royal Court Academy are specially supplied, cultivated by the Royal Court Academy’s own planting department, so they aren’t calculated at market price! However, the food is also limited; each person can consume this type of set meal a maximum of three times a day. If you want a late-night snack, you can only go out to eat.”

Lin Fang explained methodically.

“I see.”

Su Ming nodded slightly in response.

“Alright, let’s quickly finish lunch, and then I’ll take you to visit other public facilities of the school.”

“Okay!”

Su Ming then lowered his head and began to eat.

Soon, the two finished lunch, and Su Ming followed Lin Fang out of the cafeteria.

The two walked along the wide road. At this moment, Lin Fang raised his hand and pointed to a cube-shaped building standing in front, introducing it.

“This is the external library of the school. The books collected inside are also very comprehensive. When you have time, you must spend time there, learning about the universe, Kirami, the Mechanical Clan, the Zerg, and other knowledge. It can greatly improve your cognitive level, and it will be very helpful for your grade exams.”

“Grade exam?”

“Yes, Royal Court Academy has a five-year system, but it’s not that you can advance after completing one year of study. There’s a grade exam at the end of the semester! And the most important thing to pay attention to for the grade exam is the first year. First-year students have three opportunities for make-up exams. If you fail all three times, then I’m sorry, you’ll most likely be expelled.”

“Then do students above the second year not need to pay attention?”

“As long as you can advance to the second year, even if you can’t get into the third year, you’re already an elite.”

“I see.”

Su Ming responded calmly.

Lin Fang continued to walk with Su Ming, and soon they arrived at a relatively high hillside.

He raised his hand and pointed to an area in the distance, where mechas were flying at high speed from the ground, soaring into the vast sky.

“That area is the academy’s public training ground. Inside, you can rent First Generation Mecha and Second Generation Mecha for live training at a cheap rent. When you have time, you can practice combat skills more.”

“That’s pretty good.”

Su Ming replied with satisfaction.

“Of course, if you have the means, you don’t need to rent; you can buy a mecha yourself.”

Lin Fang added with a somewhat dejected expression.

Hearing this, Su Ming asked with a slight surprise.

“Can we buy mechas and bring them into the school?”

“Yes, and Royal Court Academy encourages students to own their own mechas. Look to your right, do you see those rows of hangars next to the training base? Most of them are for external rental.”

“Hmm.”

“Also, unless you have a particularly reliable external channel, I personally recommend purchasing within the school. Our school has many internal channels where you can buy mechas, such as the school’s official website exclusive mall, as well as different mecha manufacturing clubs and some private mecha customization masters.”

“I understand.”

“And, I want to emphasize again, owning a private mecha is a very important matter for us mecha department students!”

Lin Fang reminded Su Ming very seriously.

“Can you elaborate?”

“Because only by owning a private mecha can you accept missions in the school’s mission hall to earn money, join clubs to participate in activities, and better complete the school’s teaching tasks! Of course, buying a private mecha isn’t that easy, after all, good mechas are super expensive.”

“Can you tell me about the current mecha market?”

Su Ming rationally asked Lin Fang.

“Mecha prices are not fixed; they fluctuate based on performance. I’ll give you a general idea of the current market: the price of a First Generation Mecha is normally between 1 million and 10 million, a Second Generation Mecha is 10 million to 100 million, a Third Generation Mecha is 100 million to 1 billion, and Four-Generation Mecha and above are even more expensive, with particularly drastic fluctuations! It’s simply outrageous.”

“Uh…”

Su Ming’s brows also furrowed when he heard the prices Lin Fang mentioned.

He had originally thought he was relatively wealthy, but he didn’t expect that his money was nowhere near enough.

“But even if it’s expensive, you must find a way to own a private mecha. This is very important. Because it concerns your choice when you graduate and enlist in the military!”

“I don’t understand that. Aren’t we all directly conscripted by the Federal Government after graduation? Is it possible to choose independently?”

“It is direct conscription, but if you have enough capital and can bring your own mecha into the army, you can freely choose different legions, and the treatment after entering the legion will also be different! To put it bluntly, if you have a Four-Generation Mecha, they can’t possibly give you a sergeant rank when you enter the legion, can they?”

“That’s impossible. Those who pilot Four-Generation Mecha in the legion are absolutely ace pilots or main forces, and their military ranks are very high, at least at the colonel level.”

Su Ming replied with great certainty.

“So, not only do you need to acquire your own private mecha, but you also need to get the best possible mecha. And the better the mecha, the more expensive the Packages facilities needed. You’ll need to rent large hangars and hire skilled classmates from the Mechanical Maintenance Department. All of this requires a huge amount of money.”

“No wonder you need to work part-time, Senior.”

“Alas, the reason I work part-time is because my private Second Generation Mecha was destroyed.”

Lin Fang said dejectedly.

“I see.”

Su Ming was also slightly surprised to hear Lin Fang’s words.

“Alas, there’s no way around it; mechas are simply too expensive. No matter how hard I work part-time, it’s very difficult to save enough money for a Second Generation Mecha.”

“That’s not your problem; the price of mechas is indeed a bit too high.”

“Actually, the reason mechas are so expensive is partly due to the complex craftsmanship, but the most important reason is the raw materials!”

“Raw materials?”

Su Ming suddenly became interested; no one had discussed this with him before.

“Yes, manufacturing mechas requires many raw materials, among which four types of ore are the most important.”

Lin Fang said very responsibly.

“Which four?”

“The first type is refined iron. The so-called refined iron has nothing to do with ordinary iron; it’s a kind of associated ore of iron ore, and its output is very small! Ordinary iron is everywhere in the universe, but often a large iron mine doesn’t yield much refined iron. This refined iron is the main material for manufacturing First Generation Mecha and Second Generation Mecha.”

“Hmm.”