"A crystallization of a devil's death?" After hearing Norman's words, Nick immediately looked at Luke beside him, his single eye full of thought: This thing can be sold?
"That's normal. There aren't many normal materials produced there. Most of them are these things," Luke said calmly. Given Mephisto's penny-pinching stinginess, the only materials he'd be willing to lavish on during his initial investment were those pitiful devils and demons. These weren't worth much in the Hell dimension anyway.
In the chaotic place of the Hell Dimension, there are conflicts every day in the territories of several neighboring lords. These posthumous crystals or debris have accumulated for billions of years, and it is impossible to pick them all up like garbage.
This is a waste utilization for Mephisto.
Of course, the above information was all given to him by the Ancient One, who had visited the Hell dimension and had some familiarity with it. This, to some extent, curbed Mephisto's unscrupulous behavior of selling at exorbitant prices, much to his dissatisfaction. But despite his dissatisfaction, business still had to be done. After all, such business between demons had rarely taken place in history. The idea of processing his own garbage and selling it for profit had never occurred to Mephisto before. After all, who would want something with excessive dimensional radiation power from the Hell dimension?
"Is it okay?" Nick was still a little nervous. He hadn't seen anything like this on the list. So where did it come from?
"What's the problem? After processing, it's just a soul crystal. The relevant technology has been tested on those vampires. Please believe in the dimensional material safety standards formulated by Heberon. Anything that does not meet the standards or exceeds the standards is a defective or failed product. It will not be circulated on this planet." Luke comforted Nick.
"What's its function?" Nick shook his head, calming down a little bit, and asked aloud while looking at the necklace in the black jewelry box held by Norman not far away.
"It can amplify the wearer's mental strength, tending towards the power of verbal bewitchment. When someone wears this necklace, their words will more easily gain the recognition and trust of others, gradually becoming less wary and willing to answer any questions. With it, you can control a person's emotions and thoughts, subtly influencing them to follow your guidance and settings." Norman introduced with a smile, "The more adept a person is at using language, the more likely they will maximize the effectiveness of this necklace! I think it's perfect for the agents under your command."
"It's really good." Nick nodded. This kind of auxiliary equipment is exactly what SHIELD needs right now. Norman found a good entry point.
"Not only that, its color quality has reached purple. In addition to its ability to bewitch with language, it also has another power of contract. You can consume the energy stored inside it to make a contract with a certain creature. When needed, you can summon it to assist you." Norman added.
"A summoning item?" Nick instantly thought of the demons he had seen in the square. But he quickly shook his head. If someone wanted to summon a demon from within the Earth, they would probably need to obtain permission from the Ancient One. Otherwise, a demon might not even be able to enter the barrier.
"You could say so," Norman said, a hint of regret on his face. "We haven't fully mastered Heberon's technology yet. Otherwise, this equipment would be even more effective and of higher quality! But time is running out, so this is all we can do for now."
"It's pretty good. Two extraordinary equipment! Osborne Industries has done a great job this time." Nick praised Osborne's products.
"Two pieces? No, no, no, this is not the limit of what we can offer." Even with Norman's cunningness, he couldn't help but put on a smug smile on his face. He handed the necklace to the researcher beside him and shook his head to correct Nick.
"Anything else?" Nick was really surprised this time.
Osborn clapped his hands, and the researcher who had been waiting for a long time handed over a pure white jewelry box, which was the opposite color of the jewelry box that previously contained the evil spirit necklace.
"Next is the masterpiece of Osborn Industries." Norman carefully took the box and opened it under Nick's expectant eyes, revealing the silver bracelet inside.
"Holy Light Bracelet. If our technology and craftsmanship could be further advanced, the bracelet could be transformed into a ring or earrings. But there's no way around it. Our current technology and proficiency in using Heybollen instruments only allow us to make it this large. This is the limit of what we can currently achieve. Apart from Heybollen, no one can do better than us," Norman said complacently. He's not Stark. For him, business comes first. As long as Heybollen survives, he can claim that Osborn is the company with the most advanced technology in extraordinary equipment. He has that kind of confidence!
"Holy Light Bracelet? It sounds like it has some kind of opposing connection with the previous evil spirit necklace?" Nick's mind immediately thought of the power that Luke had shown him in the conference room in Heberon. When Luke introduced it to him at that time, he seemed to have said that this power was called Holy Light?
"In fact, their core materials are of the same origin." Norman said softly.
"The devil's soul crystal?" Nick raised his eyebrows.
"Yes, the soul crystal of a devil! It's the soul crystal of a powerful devil! The quality of the material directly determines the grade of the equipment. It was supposed to be an upgraded version of the Evil Spirit Necklace, but after being converted by the energy opposition conversion technology, it became what it is now. If the power represented by the Evil Spirit Necklace is negative, then the power it represents is positive!" Norman confirmed Nick's inquiry.
"Are you sure it's the Holy Light? Can it heal people's injuries? Eliminate fatigue, restore life, and enhance people's extraordinary powers?" Nick thought of the trick Luke showed him at the beginning, and asked repeatedly.
"It seems you've seen this kind of energy before. Yes, it's just as you said, just as you imagined. It can do everything you said." Norman was startled, but looking at Luke standing beside Nick, a flash of understanding flashed in his eyes. Clearly, Nick had seen this technology from Luke before. This made him feel a little embarrassed, but the embarrassment was instantly wiped away. Now, Heibo Lun and Luke were no longer in their pursuit or comparison. At least until they fully understood the technology Heibo Lun had given them, mastered the production process of extraordinary equipment and instruments, and even connected with the source of Heibo Lun's material supply, Heibo Lun was not in their competition or confrontation.
"Can it be mass-produced?" Nick's heart was instantly drawn. He'd always wanted this kind of all-around equipment: healing, defense, and attack. The Soul Ring was one, but the full version had extremely high requirements. The castrated version, while manageable, had various drawbacks. Only equipment crafted from energy like Holy Light, which offered no high barrier to entry and wasn't overly burdensome to the user, was Nick's favorite. But Luke wouldn't sell it. He hadn't expected to receive such a big surprise today at Osborn's.
Norman paused, a look of helpless embarrassment on his face. "I'm afraid it'll be difficult to mass-produce it in a short period of time. The craftsmanship required is extremely high! There's nothing wrong with Heybollen's equipment, but our employees' proficiency in using it is still a bit lacking. They only received a short period of training at Heybollen. And the technicians Heybollen assigned to them have overly demanding craftsmanship requirements."
"Strict craftsmanship is a must. Although most of the materials have been processed and filtered in Heberon first to eliminate certain risks, this does not mean that the equipment made with them can be used safely. Any mistake in any link may cause defects in the equipment, as well as minor or serious side effects, or hidden dangers. If any problem occurs, it may not be Nick and I who come to talk to you, Mr. Osborn, but a group of wizards with powerful powers who come to talk to you. Maybe they will ask you, if you want to travel, which dimension do you want to go to?" Luke spread his hands and said with a smile on his face.
"Okay, okay, then can Heberon send some more people over? At least Osborn Industries has made some achievements first." Norman raised his hands in surrender, but then made another request to Luke.
"Heibolun is also very short on manpower right now. We also have our own research and production going on internally. The people assigned to you are already squeezed out from various laboratories. The most frequent complaint I've received lately is about the labor shortages in various laboratories." Luke said he was powerless to help. He was speaking the truth.
Out of respect, the lab leaders at Heybolun didn't dare complain about his instructions. But they could frantically file reports about their limited staffing. Each report implicitly told him: Boss, stop hiring! If you hire more, there won't be enough people left. Who will help you then?
Plans are plans, but since the heads of various laboratories are unprecedentedly unanimous, Luke has to take their emotions and opinions into consideration to some extent.
Each of the invited giants brought with them a group of skilled researchers from Heybolun. While the number of individuals or two might not seem like much, the total number of personnel transferred was considerable! This was especially true given that Heybolun had always been short of staff since its development.
"Can't we transfer some people from other places? Those who haven't produced any results can't always occupy the manpower, right?" Norman suggested.
"I'm afraid this is difficult. We agreed on it at the beginning, and the deadline hasn't arrived yet..." Nick looked helplessly at Luke who was silent again, and could only take over Norman's words, but he looked embarrassed when he spoke.
"Since Heybollen can't spare any manpower, and other companies can't flexibly transfer personnel here, can we try another approach?" After his two proposals were rejected in a row, Norman finally revealed his true intentions and stated his real proposal: "We can send people to Heybollen to work for a period of time. During this period, all expenses will be covered by Osborne Industries. We can even provide Heybollen with generous training funds based on the number of people. This will not only solve Heybollen's staffing shortage, but also temporarily address our lack of researchers familiar with the instrument. How do you think?"
Nick didn't reply this time, instead waiting for Luke's response. Luke, standing beside him, pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded under Norman's gaze. He wasn't worried about Heybollen's technology being surpassed or copied. If he were, he wouldn't have licensed it to giants like Osborne, and he wouldn't have even generously loaned them the necessary equipment.
Others didn't understand his purpose, but Luke knew exactly what he wanted. It wasn't about Hyperion's monopoly, but rather a multi-faceted technological explosion. Anyone who used or even improved his technology was contributing to his power. The experience and knowledge of the researchers who were parasitic on the source of technological concepts belonged to him. So now that he had gained momentum and a certain degree of self-preservation, Luke no longer cared whether Hyperion's technology was exclusive. Maintaining its leading edge was enough. He needed to cast a wide net, sowing the seeds of his own technology. He wanted to rope more intelligent individuals into his chariot.
"I can agree to this proposal." Luke said to Norman, then turned his gaze to Nick beside him. "I think Mr. Osborne's proposal is very good, so I have decided to include this proposal in all companies that have accepted the invitation. Let's send out a notice first and see how many people are willing to respond."
Nick nodded slowly upon hearing this. After all, SHIELD wouldn't be at a disadvantage in this matter, so as long as Luke had no objections, he certainly had none either. After other companies selected personnel to be trained in various laboratories at Heberon, they might be able to produce results quickly upon their return. This would be a good thing for SHIELD and humanity.
Norman Osborn felt his face stiffen. He hadn't expected Luke to spread his proposal to the point where others would also participate. This made him feel bad, like he had painstakingly set up a scheme, only to end up making things easier for others. Although, in terms of purpose, he had achieved what he wanted.
"Besides the Holy Light Bracelet, can the other two pieces of equipment be mass-produced?" Nick asked the key question.
"As long as we can guarantee the supply of materials, it's fine," Norman replied. "But even if we have enough materials, we won't be able to mass-produce large quantities in the early stages due to limitations in equipment and factories. If large-scale equipment is required, it will take time to calibrate the equipment and gain proficiency while ensuring a sufficient number of skilled workers."
"Then arrange for my people to conduct the experiments first. I need to take the relevant test data with me." Nick indicated that he understood and began to move forward with the next step. He still had a number of important matters that needed his personal attention, so he planned to make a quick decision here.