This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 325 - 176 [Genetic Warrior], The Collector is a Treasure Trove_2

Chapter 325: Chapter 176 [Genetic Warrior], The Collector is a Treasure Trove_2

And for repairs, it wouldn’t take as much, Li Ming estimated, seven, eight million should do the job.

Whether it’s repairs or upgrades, both would turn the [Philos Armor] into an A-level Controlled Object.

The difference would be that repairs would restore the Controlled Object to its original state, whereas an upgrade would represent a complete transformation, and wouldn’t necessarily retain the original appearance.

The Antimatter Reassembly Device was a bottomless pit, but, the person filling that pit wasn’t him, but the Collector.

He also didn’t want to finish the repairs too soon; he still wanted to pull some strings with this Collector.

"I will enter the work state as soon as possible, but I still need quite a few tools," Li Ming responded, listing a long checklist—since it was all free.

"Okay, I will send them over as soon as possible," Cassis nodded and cautioned, "In the meantime, I hope you will not leave this place at will."

"By the way, could you send me some Mother Ore as well?" Li Ming asked again.

Mother Ore? No problem," Cassis replied almost without hesitation.

Li Ming’s heart gave a little jump at this extravagance and he ventured, "Does the Collector have a lot accumulated in this area?"

"What did you say? Mother Ore?" Cassis showed some hesitation, but this mechanic had high authority, and the Collector’s orders were to "accommodate his requests as much as possible."

"The wealth of the Collector is unmatched in the entire Land of Stars. Those raiders, slave traders, they have nothing compared to our Collector," said Cassis, expressing high admiration, before finally answering Li Ming’s question, "The Mother Ore you mentioned, there are thousands."

A glint of wolfish hunger flashed in Li Ming’s eyes, quickly concealed.

What a treasure trove indeed to possess thousands of Mother Ore—worthy of the Collector!

Ya Ro watched Li Ming, recognizing the expression on his face.

"This is my contact information; you can tell me if you have any needs." Cassis left those words behind, departed, and also left behind a squad of soldiers to await orders—that could also be said to be a surveillance measure.

Ya Ro pulled Li Ming aside to a secluded spot and sighed, "I told you, the Collector is no good; he’s treating you like a workhorse slave."

"Isn’t it nice? No one to disturb, protected by an A-level life form, where else would I get such treatment?"

Ya Ro was dumbfounded, not understanding how Li Ming could see it that way.

He said helplessly, "That’s true, but if he makes you work day and night without stopping, you won’t even have time to activate your gene seed, and if you don’t do a good job, you’re also in danger of losing your life."

"One has to give something to get something," Li Ming seemed not to care.

Ya Ro stared at him, then suddenly said, "Do you have some other plan in mind?"

"Hmm?" Li Ming looked Ya Ro up and down.

"You do indeed have one," Ya Ro knew Li Ming well enough, "Big brother, I’m calling you big brother, can you at least give me a heads up so I can be mentally prepared?"

Li Ming chuckled softly but didn’t respond.

It looked as though he was indeed being exploited by the Collector, but in reality, he didn’t need to work non-stop day and night to repair anything; this seemingly restrictive environment was actually quite safe for him.

Besides, it’s normal for some wear and tear to occur during repairs, and it’s certainly normal to ask for a bit more metal material, isn’t it? Like with that Antimatter Reassembly Device, how could he dare fix it without a lot of trial and error?

Let’s repair slowly, Li Ming thought, he wouldn’t consider it done until he had thoroughly plundered the Collector’s treasure trove.

"Thousands of Mother Ore, and other stuff too—this is what accumulation looks like," Li Ming felt deeply moved inside.

Cassis acted quickly, delivering the first batch of tools and five Mother Ore the next day.

"Galaxy Molten Fire Instrument, you guys really have something like this," Li Ming was slightly surprised, looking at the house-sized precision instrument before him.

Only advanced civilizations had the capability to produce such a device, with an extremely high cost of production, and the key to it was the "quantum active fire technology," which could even process A-level materials.

"There’s no need to be surprised at the Collector’s resources; these are what you need to repair quickly," Cassis had brought several other broken items, "Evaluate the materials each will need and I’ll have them delivered to you."

Li Ming carefully examined them and then called out a large amount of materials needed.

"That’ll be all, come get them in ten days."

Cassis was recording when she looked up at Li Ming, with an inscrutable expression. The material requirements for fixing these items had been assessed by several mechanics before they came, averaging out the estimates.

The Collector had instructed her to allow this person to mark up the price by 20%.

And the amount of materials the other party quoted had just been marked up by 15%. Coincidence? Or did he really need that much?

Cassis speculated in her heart; she had never seen the Collector take such an interest in a mechanic.

Seeing the odd expression on Cassis’s face, Li Ming certainly wouldn’t be foolish enough to think the Collector would really let him set his own price. He must have made an estimation before coming.

Fixing these three items, he could moreover make a profit of nearly a million metal energy.

It felt good, getting metal energy from thin air without doing anything.

As he was leaving, Li Ming stopped Cassis again, "Does the Collector have ’Evolution Theory’?"

...

"Evolution Theory?" The Collector was surprised, put down the musical sphere he was holding, and turned to Cassis, "What does he want with Evolution Theory?"

"He said he wanted to study it, to see if he could create new gene sequences." Cassis looked puzzled, "Isn’t he a mechanic?"

The Collector pondered, "How long did he say it would take to repair those three items?"

"Half a month." Cassis responded quickly.

"Does he just want the Evolution Theory?" The Collector asked again.

"Yes."

"Pick out two B-level gene sequence Evolution Theories for him and send them over." The Collector gestured with his hand and Cassis nodded before quickly departing.

"Master, last time it only took ten days." Huo Tan whispered.

"Being forced to work, one naturally is reluctant," smiled the Collector, "It’s only five extra days, no need to be too concerned. He’s different from the other trash; he deserves special treatment."

Huo Tan nodded, "Should we find out his exact identity?"

The Collector shook his head, "No rush. Take it slow. His real identity must be complicated and could involve serious trouble. Finding out may not be a good thing."

"Should we assign more people to watch him?"

"No need. After all, he’s just a B-level life form; he won’t stir up any major trouble." His tone was calm, but it hid deep confidence.

...

Meanwhile, on another large Floating Island, this place was completely different from Trading Island; numerous spaceships and warships were brazenly docked in disarray on the Floating Island.

Fires blazed everywhere, with desiccated bodies hanging upside down on metal masts, along with the nude bodies of unknown species. This was the Star Hunters’ main base.

Inside the central fortress ruin, atop a throne cut from a giant skull.

Sandro, the Star Hunter Leader and a Star Hunter, sat there, his muscular build like a small mountain, his muscles hard as iron blocks.

Raiders with ferocious appearances and diverse expressions stood in two rows, their gloomy looks intensified by the cacophony of music that filled the air.

"Boss, that guy has been granted a Floating Island by the Collector; he’s now one of his people." A one-eyed fish-man couldn’t help saying, "That damned red-skinned devil is just antagonizing us."

His words stirred an echo, "That’s right, the entire Land of Stars is laughing at us. We are powerless against the man who killed Atom, who’s now openly staying there."

"Shut up." Sandro spoke indifferently, surveying the crowd, "The crisis with the United Fleet is imminent. Do you want in-fighting at this time?"

"It’s not about in-fighting." The one-eyed fish-man blew a bubble, his teeth bared menacingly, "Boss, the Collector is sure that you wouldn’t dare do anything at this point."

"Still, if we kill that guy, would the Collector really go to war with you?"

"Are you thinking about invading the Collector’s territory?" Sandro’s gaze fell heavily, like a mountain crashing down.

"I..." The one-eyed fish-man shivered, naturally not daring to face an A-level life form, "Isn’t the Red River Starfall coming? The Collector loves those quirky things and never misses them. "

"That mechanic will surely participate, and we can take our chance to strike at him."

Sandro pondered for a moment, "He is not weak."

"Just a mechanic." The fish-man was full of confidence, pointing to three figures, "The four of us together will surely leave no chance of failure."