Shadows of the Deep Space
Chapter 230 Primitive Capital (Part 1)

Chapter 230: Chapter 230 Primitive Capital (Part 1)

A short while later, Moter, the senior student, drove a multi-functional repair vehicle, carrying Su Ming and Lin Chuyu towards the mecha garage.

"Senior, my Third Generation Machine might not be easy to repair,"

Su Ming said with some concern.

"Don’t worry, my skills are among the top at the Imperial Court Academy; no Third Generation Mecha is a problem for me,"

Moter assured confidently.

"Right, and how long would you need to repair a Third Generation Mecha, senior?"

Su Ming inquired.

"Ten days! It’ll be fixed in ten days,"

Moter guaranteed, thumping his chest.

"That’s great,"

Su Ming nodded in response.

...

Not long afterward, Su Ming arrived at his own mecha garage with Lin Chuyu and senior Moter. As the gate lifted, the battered mecha came immediately into view of the trio.

"What’s this?"

Lin Chuyu expressed her surprise, having guessed Su Ming might have purchased a used mecha but never imagining it to be in such disrepair.

Looking at the mecha before him, Moter’s previously easy and confident expression stiffened.

Su Ming politely addressed Moter,

"Please take a look, senior."

"Alright!"

Moter replied gravely, and then began a thorough exterior inspection of the mecha.

Su Ming and Lin Chuyu quietly stood by and watched.

Time steadily passed, and before long, five hours had slipped into late night.

Moter had not only used a computer to assess the status of the mecha but also opened up various maintenance ports to check the internal components, displaying true professionalism.

When all inspections were complete and Moter had put the mecha back together, he approached Su Ming with a somewhat awkward demeanor.

"All checks are done."

"Can it be repaired?"

Su Ming looked earnestly at Moter. If even he couldn’t fix it, that would really be troublesome.

"You’re lucky. Excluding the teachers from the maintenance department, no more than three people in the whole academy could repair this mecha. I’m one of them. However, it can’t be done in ten days; three months is the quickest."

By the end, Moter’s face was visibly heated—it turned out one really shouldn’t boast too confidently.

"Three months is fine. How much will the repair cost?"

Su Ming inquired.

"Twelve billion Federation currency!"

Moter stated the price solemnly.

"Why is it so expensive?"

Lin Chuyu was immediately startled by the price, knowing that even a brand-new Third Generation Green Wing Mecha was priced at just eight billion.

Su Ming was not too surprised by Moter’s quote as Teacher Jiang Yu had given him a heads-up. But upon hearing the actual figure, he felt tremendous pressure; this was no small sum.

Moter patiently explained,

"This mecha isn’t a standard model; it’s exceptionally expensive by itself. Plus, although the main core components aren’t damaged, many parts are broken, especially the circuits. And the mecha has been neglected for so long, causing many other issues. So, the price I’m offering is already very low—after all, we’re from the same club, and I wouldn’t rip you off."

"Senior Moter, actually, I’ve inquired around, and I know the price you’re quoting is very reasonable. But it’s still too costly for me. Could it be cheaper?"

Su Ming negotiated with furrowed brows.

Hearing that Su Ming had already inquired elsewhere, Moter appeared to struggle with the request, his expression shifting before finally saying,

"Junior Su Ming, you’ve just joined our club, and as a senior, I should look after you somewhat. Besides, I did boast earlier about handling it in ten days, which was an overstatement. How about this: ten billion Federation currency, and not a penny less."

"Okay, thank you, senior. But I’ll need some time to raise the money."

Su Ming responded politely.

"No problem, consider today’s check free of charge. Whether you decide to repair it and when is entirely up to you,"

Moter understood that it was a significant amount of money.

"Okay!"

"I’ll be going then. If you have any further matters, you can message me privately in the group."

"Take care, senior,"

Su Ming bid farewell respectfully.

Once Moter had departed, Su Ming turned to look at the dilapidated mecha before him, sinking into deep thought.

Seeing how grim Su Ming’s expression was, Lin Chuyu tried to console him.

"Su Ming, don’t be too anxious. Money is something you can figure out over time; it’s not something you obtain in an instant."

"Right,"

Su Ming responded evenly.

At that moment, Lin Chuyu’s phone vibrated with a message.

Glancing at it, she saw that the referral fee had come through and immediately transferred it to Su Ming, then said,

"Su Ming, the one hundred million Federation currency referral fee has arrived. I’ve transferred it to you."

Su Ming, seeing the money Lin Chuyu had sent, then told her,

"Chuyu, I won’t return that ten thousand I borrowed from you. Let’s split the referral fee fifty-fifty."

"No need. Keep it for yourself; you’re in need of money right now."

"Is that really okay?"

Su Ming asked hesitantly.

"There’s nothing wrong with it. Friends should help each other out. If it really bothers you, just pay back the ten thousand,"

Lin Chuyu reassured with a smile.

"Alright,"

Su Ming didn’t argue further and promptly transferred the ten thousand.

"It’s getting late, Su Ming. You should head back and rest. Don’t stress too much."

"Okay, let’s walk together!"

"Right!"

Lin Chuyu replied with a smile.

...

--------------------------------------------

Three days later, inside the library,

Su Ming closed the book he was holding, his expression grim.

For the past few days, he had rushed to the library to cram economic knowledge as soon as his classes ended, also scouring the internet for all sorts of information.

Eventually, he came to a very certain conclusion.

In this era, it was easy to make a little money, but nearly hopeless to make a lot. The various classes within the Federation had become solidified.

All the ways to make money were largely controlled by the capital holders of these classes.

If you wanted a share, you would have to compete with them, and competition required initial capital.

The accumulation of such initial capital was the hardest part; a regular person aiming to leap classes and earn substantial money would need the accumulation of generations.

Of course, not every avenue was blocked; there was still one path to take, which was to seek opportunities abroad, but this too required some capital.

Thinking of this, Su Ming’s head throbbed; it was true that even heroes struggled with the lack of funds.

This accumulation of initial capital was something he could not quickly obtain.

"Sigh! It looks like I really have to go back home,"

Su Ming sighed slightly; he had thought about borrowing from banks, but after calculations, asking his family seemed the safest.

He then picked up the book, returned it to its shelf, and left the library.

...

At night,

A floating taxi came to a stop in front of the Su Family’s villa.