Warhammer: Rebuilding the Golden Age Starting with Farming

Chapter 119 Andy's Industrial Muscle

Captain Harker's expression froze.

He suspected that the strange man in the yellow robe had lost his mind.

"Taking away the young master??"

Hack picked at his ear, his voice rising eight octaves: "Two thousand three hundred tons?!"

"Brother, do you even know what refined gold is?"

Hark stared, spitting as he spoke: "In the Empire's official markets, fine gold is sold by the gram!"

"Fifty grams of refined gold can be exchanged for a box of standard explosive bullets."

"Two thousand three hundred tons? Even if you sold my Bull and then sold me and my entire crew to the Eldar to be raised as lolis, it still wouldn't be a fraction of that amount!"

Huck thought this guy named Andy was a complete madman, an absolute madman.

Adamantite is the cornerstone of the Empire's war machine, the core material of the Terminator power armor, and the liner of the Imperial-class battleship's macro cannons.

Even in the Mechanicus's forging world, the annual production of adamantite is strictly rationed.

They're asking for 2,300 tons right off the bat?

Why don't you just go and tear down the gates of the Holy Terra Palace?

Andy stared blankly at the excited Huck.

He certainly knew that precious gold was valuable, but he really needed that much.

Without enough refined gold, the main keel of the new ship will not be strong enough.

If a ship cannot withstand the tearing force of a subspace storm, then the ship built will just be a large iron coffin.

"How much do you have?"

Andy settled for second best.

"Don't tell me you came empty-handed too; the ballast in the hulls of traveling merchants' ships is usually good stuff."

Huck took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

"I only have twenty tons."

Hack held up two fingers, looking pained.

"This is the wealth I accumulated over six months of digging in that dead world. I originally planned to transport it back to the Forging World in the Hazy Starfield to buy myself a Light Spear main cannon."

"Twenty tons, that's the most I can do."

Andy nodded.

Twenty tons, although it's a long way from the target of two thousand three hundred tons, we'll take whatever we can get.

We'll talk about the rest later.

"I'll take the twenty tons," Andy said. "Do you know where the remaining amount is?"

"Are there any veins rich in adamantite on this planet, or in the nearby star system, or... remnants of it?"

Harker looked at Andy with an expression as if he were an idiot: "The planet we're standing on, Zais, is a giant graveyard."

"If there's any place with refined gold, it's only in the hands of that monster to the south."

Hack pointed south, his tone tinged with apprehension.

"Odin Fortress is essentially a crashed 'Overlord'-class battlecruiser."

"Although it's crawling on the ground now, it hasn't been disassembled much over the years, and the main keel is intact."

"The dragon bone of the overlord level likely contains more than two thousand tons of refined gold."

"If you're so capable, go and steal it."

"But I advise you not to go and die. The light spears up there are pretty powerful; one shot could blow up your lousy base."

Andy's electronic eye flashed.

Odin Fortress, that name again —

"Okay, this information is very valuable."

Andy already knew what the other person was saying, so there was no need to continue dwelling on this topic.

"Now, let's talk about the deal."

"I want all of your twenty tons of refined gold, and those 'Tears of the Void'."

"In exchange, I can provide you with a full range of ship repair and refurbishment services, and sell you 500 CBS-12 high-explosive crossbows, as well as 10,000 shape memory alloy arrows."

"You'll be able to see a sample of this high-end exoskeleton when you come next time."

Huck ignored what Andy said next, instead looking at him suspiciously: "Renovate? Are you serious?"

Hack looked around at the desolate salt flats and the distant city filled with the atmosphere of wasteland.

"Right here? Do you have the equipment? Do you have the manpower?"

"My ship is a cruiser-class vessel, using parts that are thousands of years old. Most mechanics can't even understand the blueprints."

"Besides, I'm in a hurry and don't want to stay in this godforsaken place for months."

In Haq's mind, repairing a boat is an extremely tedious, time-consuming, and religiously ritualistic process.

In the Imperial shipyards, repairing an armor plate requires three steps:

First, pray for three days to soothe the wounded soul of the machine.

Second, apply oil, burn incense, and sing hymns.

Thirdly, a group of mechanics went up with welding torches and started sizzling.

This whole process takes at least a month to complete.

"It won't take several months."

Andy turned around and walked toward the freight elevator not far away.

"Come with me."

"Let me show you what real industrial efficiency is."

Ten minutes later.

Horisonburg, the underground core industrial area.

When Huck stood in the brightly lit, giant workshop, his heart, which had seen countless grand scenes, still couldn't help but skip a beat.

There are no candles, no incense, and no oppressive religious atmosphere here.

There were only bright industrial lights and the rhythmic roar of machines running.

In front of him, dozens of automated production lines were running at full speed.

The giant robotic arm moves nimbly, cutting, polishing, and assembling rough metal ingots into precision parts.

There were no priests chanting prayers, no machine operators frantically kowtowing; only the cold, efficient, and chilling assembly line work.

"What the hell is this?!"

Hack pointed to a CNC machine tool that was running at high speed.

The blade was so fast it was almost invisible, and metal shavings flew like a fountain.

"Precision machining center".

Andy casually mentioned it.

"The processing precision can reach micrometers, and the current daily output is 598 standard components."

"Those non-standard parts that broke off on your ship, just bring the wreckage over for a scan, and I can customize a new one for you in ten minutes."

Huck swallowed hard.

As a seasoned captain who traded goods every day, he knew all too well what this meant.

This means that these people don't need to scavenge for parts on the black market, nor do they need to be beholden to the Mechanicus.

They can handle the manufacturing themselves!

"Look at that one too." Andy pointed to a row of drones being assembled in the corner: "Heavy-duty engineering drones, equipped with anti-gravity engines and multi-functional welding arms."

"To repair your ship, you don't need thousands of workers climbing up and down. Just release these guys and input the mission."

"It will probably only take about twenty hours to completely renovate your wrecked ship from head to toe."

Andy turned his head and looked at Huck, who was already somewhat dazed.

"Now, do you think I'm qualified to repair your ship?"

Hack took a deep breath, and his eyes changed completely.

Previously, when he looked at Andy, he thought he was just a local warlord who got lucky and picked up some relic technology.

But now, he realizes he was wrong.

This is not a warlord at all.

Rather, it is a monster with a complete industrial system and mastery of some lost technology.

In this universe where technology is extremely scarce and production capacity is extremely low, this level of productivity is the hardest currency, even harder than adamant gold!

"Deal." Hark made the decision without any hesitation. "Twenty tons of adamantite, plus a cabinet full of Void Tears, all yours."

"In addition to ship repair, crossbows, and advanced exoskeletons, I have one more condition."

Hack stared at Andy's electronic eyes.

"I want priority purchasing rights here."

"From now on, no matter what great things you create, as long as you're willing to sell, I, Hack, will be the first to buy them!"

Andy smiled.

That was the real reason he brought Hack to visit.

Showcasing their industrial strength, isn't it all ultimately about opening up sales channels?

Although the deep space industry has strong production capacity, it also needs a stable external funding channel.

Harker, a wandering merchant, could legally travel between the Empire's territory and unknown star systems. His cargo holds were filled with rare and exotic treasures plundered from hundreds of different planets. For Andy, they were undoubtedly the perfect trading partners.

Moreover, by showcasing its industrial strength, if the effect is ideal, it can also plant an unshakable concept in Hacker's mind.

That is, deep space industry is irreplaceable.

In a universe where refurbishing a ship can take months or even years and is extremely expensive, Andy's readily available and efficient repair services are undoubtedly highly sought after.

Once Huck has tasted this sweetness, experienced the exhilaration of repairing a boat without having to worry about the mechanics' mood or wait for months, he'll never want to go back.

At that point, Harker will no longer be just a passing buyer, but will become one of Deep Space Industries' loyal customers.

Once there is a corresponding demand, in order to enjoy this repair service first, Haq will repeatedly come to Zais to find Andy. In this back and forth, the sales channels will naturally be opened up.

"no problem."

Six hours after the deal was completed.

The saline-alkali land north of Horisonburg.

The area around the once lifeless "Bull" is now bustling with activity.

Hundreds of engineering drones of various sizes swarmed around the massive cruiser like a swarm of busy bees.

The dazzling welding arcs rose and fell, illuminating the dark wasteland.

Andy kept his word.

He mobilized all the engineering resources at the base to carry out a comprehensive and violent capsizing of the merchant ronin's ship.

new".

The damaged armor plates were cut off and replaced with high-strength alloy plates pulled out from the reconfiguration unit.

The leaking pipe was sealed off, and the burnt circuit board was replaced.

Even the iconic bull horn has been re-polished, becoming even sharper and more menacing.

Huck stood below, looking up at the scene, forgetting to light his cigar.

"This speed—this efficiency—"

He muttered to himself.

"Even in the largest naval dock in the Misty Starfield, you have to wait three months to repair a frigate."

"These guys—they finished patching the outer shell in just six hours?"

too crazy.

This is nothing short of a blatant insult to the Mechanicus's elaborate rituals.

But he likes it!

I fucking love it!

"Captain! Captain!"

The first mate ran down the spaceship's elevator, looking excited.

"The power system readings have returned to normal!"

"They even helped us calibrate the engine nozzle angle—the thrust is now 45% higher than before!"

"Great! Excellent!"

Huck laughed loudly, slapping his thigh forcefully: "This trip was definitely worthwhile!"