Inside the drawing room, as Geno laid out his entire purpose, the old patriarch sitting opposite him kept his expression unchanged, simply listening quietly until Geno finished speaking.
"Therefore, I hope the Timefield family can support our research. In return, we are willing to share the results of our research with the Timefield family."
The Ether-inhibiting bracelet developed by Twiggy completely blew the current anti-Corruption equipment out of the water. It was not only more lightweight and had a longer duration, but it also possessed greater adjustability to cope with different Ether Corruption environments.
Of course, the premise of all this was that Twiggy could actually produce it and achieve mass production. And the old patriarch naturally understood this logic as well.
"Heh, young man, having drive is a good thing, but how am I supposed to believe you can actualize the technology you speak of? If this thing were so easy to make, the market wouldn't be completely dominated by TOPS' protective gear."
Just as the old patriarch said, the protective equipment currently on the market was basically developed by Sanmen Military Industry within the TOPS consortium and mass-produced for civilian use. Even this behemoth had never claimed to be able to liberate all of humanity and grant them Hollow freedom.
How could juniors like Geno and his companions guarantee the stable success of this technology? Even if he personally favored them, as the head of the Timefield family, he had to consider the family's interests.
"Naturally, I didn't come empty-handed. I brought a prototype with me; you can take a look."
As he spoke, Geno took out his spare bracelet. This was prepared for him by Twiggy to be used just in case, and now it was perfectly suited to gain the trust of the Timefield family.
Seeing Geno bring out a finished product, the old patriarch was momentarily stunned. He originally thought what Geno was talking about was merely an empty shell—the equivalent of a newly created computer folder—but he hadn't expected them to already have a working prototype. Subsequently, he frowned, picked up the bracelet, and began to examine it.
As an academic family, the Timefields had held an extremely high understanding of Ether science for generations. And the old patriarch of this generation could be considered an expert among experts in Ether science. The anti-Ether Corruption potions currently circulating widely on the market were his handiwork.
However, with just one glance, his eyes could no longer tear themselves away.
"This can actually absorb Ether from within the human body?"
The moment he held the bracelet in his hand, the old patriarch realized the core technology inside it. By extracting the Ether energy that corrupted the human body, it achieved the effect of increasing a person's activity time within a Hollow. A simple and crude, yet extremely effective strategy.
It seemed very simple, but in reality, it was anything but. Just figuring out how to safely extract Ether energy from the human body was enough to stump a vast swathe of top-tier talents in academia. Let alone fully storing this energy and releasing it at a measured pace.
"This technology indeed holds value worth investing in."
Putting the bracelet down, the old patriarch no longer displayed the slight contempt he had earlier.
Safely extracting Ether energy from the human body—a difficult problem that had plagued many in academia—had actually been solved right here by an unknown junior. The shock this brought to the old patriarch was no less than a magnitude-ten earthquake.
After all, if this technology were truly that easy to create, his family's anti-Ether Corruption potions wouldn't have brought in such massive profits.
"Thank you for the praise, Old Patriarch. Then regarding our cooperation..."
Seeing that the old patriarch showed signs of relenting, Geno hastily pressed the issue. However, this only proved that Geno's grasp on negotiations was still rather immature.
The old patriarch, still maintaining that unruffled demeanor, said to Geno, "Hmm, although this technology still appears raw, its future development potential can already be foreseen. However..."
The old patriarch narrowed his eyes, looking at Geno's youthful and somewhat handsome face. "However, whether it can truly be developed requires further validation."
What did that mean? Geno was bewildered on the spot. Was the old patriarch saying he didn't think this technology could actually be realized?
Seeing that Geno still didn't understand, the old patriarch smiled and explained, "Does my young friend know what kind of waves this technology would cause if it appeared on the New Eridu market?"
Geno shook his head. He only knew that this would be a monumental blessing, the hope for all of humanity to conquer the Hollows. After all, with this, everyone would be able to enter the Hollows, and humanity's greatest predicament would thereby be resolved.
"Once this technology hits the market, the resulting economic issues will turn the entirety of New Eridu upside down. Once the Ether bracelets are popularized, equipment functioning as Ether protection will become obsolete. When that time comes, TOPS will absolutely not just sit by and watch the Ether bracelets cannibalize their market."
"At the same time, the Defense Force and the government will not stand idly by. The importance of this technology is unquestionable, but if it fell into the hands of outlaws, it would also cause chaos for the city's stability."
"It could be said that the impact of this item would be no less than the advent of firearms back in the day. When that time comes, whether it's the New Eridu government, the Defense Force, or TOPS, none of them will sit back and ignore it."
Hearing this, Geno furrowed his brows. He and Twiggy had only thought about benefiting all of humanity, completely neglecting to consider the subsequent ramifications.
"Hehehe, which is why I say you are still young; you don't understand certain matters well enough yet."
The old patriarch chuckled and took a sip of his tea. Although Geno's foresight was lacking, the item he brought genuinely made the old man appreciate this young man even more. After all, talent was the most precious wealth in this world.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but compare Geno with his own granddaughter. Although Alice could be considered quite intelligent, she still fell somewhat short compared to the young man in front of him.
(Even now, the old patriarch believed this bracelet was developed under Geno's lead, unaware that the true creator was Twiggy.)
Therefore, his mindset shifted from initially wanting to support a junior like Geno, to figuring out how to keep him within the Timefield family. After all, although this technology would push its owner into the teeth of the storm, the benefits it brought were also very real.
This might just be an opportunity for the Timefields. However, what could be used to tie Geno down? With Radiant Porcelain?
No. If it weren't for TOPS being so arrogant and not even giving Geno a chance to bring out this prototype, he probably wouldn't have had the turn to pick up this bargain. If TOPS knew about this technology, they would simply use far more underhanded methods to tie him down; relying solely on Radiant Porcelain was completely insufficient.
Suddenly, he recalled the matter Damian had discussed with Geno earlier. If... he meant if, Geno could tie the knot with his granddaughter, then would that...
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