The Most Powerful Brain in the Interstellar Space

Chapter 764 Pay the bill
Mech manufacturing is an extremely expensive business, a fact universally acknowledged throughout interstellar space.

As a major player in the interstellar materials industry, he is probably the one who knows better than anyone how many orders private custom mech pilots, manufacturers, and major military factories need to place with him each month.

Manufacturing mechs isn't as simple as just having materials; otherwise, wouldn't anyone in the world be able to build a mech just by following the blueprints?
Every year, hundreds of millions of apprentice mech pilots graduate from schools in the interstellar world, but only a fraction of them actually pursue a career in mech manufacturing. Most, due to insufficient aptitude or talent, end up working as mech pilot assistants for a period after leaving school. And of those, fewer than eleven are capable of independently constructing mechs.

This shows just how difficult it is to train an independent mech pilot.

Vitaly had previously heard his younger brother talk about his friend's remarkable achievements. Judging from her background, she was indeed an extraordinary young talent, and her outstanding performance in the unified entrance exam perfectly showcased her exceptional abilities. However, he hadn't expected that someone who had only taught herself mecha manufacturing could reach such a level—

Assemble an A-class mech yourself. The words sound so casual, yet they carry immense weight; this is something that only graduates from certain universities can accomplish.

If she can say that she assembled an A-class mecha herself, can we assume that she has already independently built a mecha before? A B-class, a C-class, or a D-class one?

Even the worst one is astonishing.

None of the friends his younger brother makes are simple-minded. So, is that guy able to get into their family by playing dumb? Vitaly thought with a strange feeling.

Jiang Hui had no idea what the stern-faced adult was thinking about her younger brother. She was only puzzled by the meaningful look on his face after she had just said those words. Had she said something wrong?

Seeing the child who seemed to have questions but remained calm and silent, Vitaly didn't continue with his mischievous jokes. He smiled kindly and said, "It's nothing. I just think it's no wonder that kid El often tells us in our communications that his classmates are all very remarkable." Indeed, they are remarkable.

Jiang Hui: So there's this part too. Before she could reply, she saw the other person call out something to the door, and then someone pushed the door open and came in.

These two were different from the staff who had brought them tea and refreshments earlier. They were dressed in well-tailored, expensive business attire, and their overall demeanor was more like that of a business elite sitting in an office.

They didn't look around when they came in. They bowed respectfully to Vitaly Hillman, who was sitting casually, and then took the product catalog he handed them.
No, that's hers. She finally finished sketching it. If we take it away now, won't we have to redraw it later? Jiang Hui subconsciously raised her hand.

Vitaly pressed down on the child's slightly tense hand: "It's alright, have them prepare it first. You don't need to wait, just take it away. See if you need anything else. You don't need the list; if it's not on the list, we can find it for you. The inventory at headquarters is quite plentiful." He then said to the two men in a deep voice: "Go prepare it, and also prepare two sets of the new products launched this quarter and send them over together. Just put it on my monthly budget."

The two responded and quickly left the private room.

Jiang Hui was startled. The other party was about to refuse when the elder gently but firmly interrupted him: "Don't refuse yet. They're just some samples. As your older brother, it's not right for me to charge you. Consider it a small gift for our first meeting. It's obvious that El has caused you a lot of trouble. He's become much more sensible these past few years. We haven't even thanked you yet."

What kind of kind person would treat priceless raw materials and high-precision parts as "samples"? She had just selected thousands of items, and bought more than one of many. The other party was so generous in giving her so many things, but she couldn't accept it so readily.

However, this woman truly lived up to her reputation as the Hillman family's designated next second-in-command. Presumably because she was visiting her brother's friends, she suppressed her imposing manner and spoke to them with a remarkably gentle attitude, but her inherent domineering and unyielding nature remained unchanged. In short, they used a combination of persuasion and pressure to get her to accept these gifts.

Jiang Hui wasn't rich; she genuinely didn't want to owe her friend's family so many favors, and these things were clearly unnecessary—she had a sufficient budget to buy them. However, the other party almost called his grandfather, Mr. Frank, on the spot to prove it was the old man's instruction, and calling would likely yield the same answer—they had already made up their minds. Jiang Hui didn't want to cause trouble for the elders, so she could only sincerely thank them repeatedly and accept the gifts for the time being.

How many "life coaching lessons" would she have to give Hillman to pay back the money she spent on materials for most of an A-class mecha? Or should she wait until they're closer and then customize an A-class mecha for him?
On another note, that annoying guy actually revealed that she went to the recycling center to salvage secondhand parts to modify her mecha.

She was thus given a good talking-to by Mr. Vitaly. After he explained that her actions were risky and without guarantee, and that mechs are extremely delicate and "precious," it is very dangerous to rashly use non-compliant and unsafe materials to build mechs. Moreover, recklessly modifying second-hand parts without experience could easily lead to personal injury if not handled properly, and there is even a risk of energy outburst.

Jiang Hui knew that the other party meant well. However, she had never followed the path of a traditional mecha pilot. Compared to conventional and reasonable construction, she preferred flexible modification.

While building mechs using secondhand parts without sufficient skill is certainly unreliable, it also gave Jiang Hui more inspiration and creative space. She even tried to assemble her first homemade mech, WALL-E, using countless discarded parts, and it saved her life.

So even with more money in hand, she'll likely continue her modification journey. With a larger budget, she'll still spend where necessary, especially on the most important and detailed parts, buying the best without hesitation. But she'll also save where she can, as she won't be building just this one mecha in the future; there will be many other places where money is needed.

Even though she didn't know if she would eventually join the army and follow in her parents' footsteps, Jiang Hui was certain she wouldn't give up on this path easily. After all, she had already come this far, why not go even further? She would always see different scenery and leave some different traces, even though she herself couldn't quite explain what she wanted to leave behind.
In this way, a life spanning several hundred years is not too fleeting.