Summer, C.E. 59.
Nine years and three months old, Nangong Wentian crouched in the corner of the back kitchen, staring at the Star Core's screen. He had been in that exact position for three full days.
Xiao Guang walked in carrying a rice bowl. Seeing Wentian still in the same pose, he couldn't help but sigh. "Wentian, time to eat."
"Leave it."
"You haven't eaten properly in three days." Xiao Guang placed the bowl on a nearby wooden crate and leaned in to look at the screen. "What are you even looking at?"
Rows of numbers and charts filled the screen—market price trend graphs for various metal materials in Orb. Aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, specialty steels, copper alloys… the price curve for each was climbing, some having nearly doubled.
"Looking at prices," Nangong Wentian replied without turning his head.
"What's so interesting about prices?"
Nangong Wentian didn't answer, continuing to stare at the curves. His eyes were bloodshot, but his spirit was strangely exhilarated. Over these three days, he had combed through Orb's metal material import data, local production figures, and market prices from the past five years. The conclusion he was reaching was becoming increasingly clear.
The opportunity had arrived.
"Xiao Guang," he suddenly asked, "do you know what the bowls and basins we use at the orphanage are made of?"
Xiao Guang thought for a moment. "Plastic?"
"And?"
"Iron? Aluminum?"
Nangong Wentian pointed at the large iron pot in the corner. "That pot is cast iron. Dozens of kilograms heavy, can barely move it. If we switched it to an aluminum alloy, it'd be half the weight."
Xiao Guang scratched his head. "Then why not switch?"
"Because aluminum alloy is expensive." Nangong Wentian pulled up another chart. "Look, this is the price of industrial-grade aluminum alloy. Three times more expensive than cast iron. The orphanage can't afford it."
Xiao Guang leaned in to look. Although he couldn't understand the numbers, he could read Wentian's expression—it was the look of someone who had discovered something.
"What do you want to do?" he asked.
Nangong Wentian was silent for a moment, then said, "Help me look something up."
"Look up what?"
"Morgenroete's material procurement list."
Xiao Guang was taken aback. "Morgenroete? That place that builds planes and cannons?"
"Mhm. Their procurement list is public; they have to report it to the parliament every year. Go to the library for me and see if you can find last year's report."
Without another word, Xiao Guang put down the bowl and ran out.
Nangong Wentian continued staring at the screen, but his mind was retrieving knowledge from another world.
The titanium alloy/ceramic composite armor of the UC Era. The protective material of the RX-78-2, with 1.8 times the strength of ordinary titanium alloy but 20% lighter. That formula, he remembered it clearly—a titanium matrix, with a 3% addition of ceramic particles, undergoing special heat treatment to form a micron-level composite structure.
But that formula relied on Minovsky Particle-assisted smelting. In this world, Minovsky Particles did not yet exist.
It needed simplification.
Change the composite structure to a pure alloy. Change the particle assistance to conventional heat treatment. Replace the ceramic particles with…
Replace them with what?
He closed his eyes and began searching through his memories.
The materials database of the SEED World. Aluminum alloy series: 2014, 2024, 6061, 7075... Titanium alloy series: Ti-6Al-4V, Ti-5Al-2.5Sn... Special steel series: various grades, various properties.
But those are all standard materials, with their performance limits clearly defined. To break through, a different path must be taken.
Trace elements.
He suddenly recalled a formula from the UC Era—adding trace amounts of vanadium and chromium to titanium alloy could significantly enhance its strength. That formula didn't require Minovsky Particles; it only needed precise control over the addition ratio and heat treatment process.
If this formula could be simplified to a level achievable in the SEED World...
He began modeling in the "Star Core."
First, he set the goal: a material with performance close to military-grade titanium alloy but costing only half as much as civilian aluminum alloy.
Then he input the parameters: the base material chosen was Ti-6Al-4V, the most common titanium alloy in the SEED World, with mature technology and moderate cost. Trace elements selected were vanadium and chromium, with addition ratios optimized step by step from 0.1% to 1%. The heat treatment process referenced UC Era experience, setting temperature, time, and cooling rate.
First simulation: failure. Strength improved, but toughness decreased.
Second: failure. Toughness improved, but strength was insufficient.
Third, fourth, fifth...
An hour later, he finally found a balance: Ti-6Al-4V base, with 0.3% vanadium and 0.2% chromium added, undergoing solution treatment at 950 degrees and aging treatment at 550 degrees. Simulation results showed strength increased by about 30% compared to standard Ti-6Al-4V, with costs rising by less than 10%.
"Done," he sighed in relief, leaning against the wall.
But this was theory. From theory to practice, there was still a long way to go.
Suitable raw materials needed to be found. Smelting equipment needed to be built. Temperature and addition ratios needed precise control. Performance needed testing.
And, money was needed.
He glanced at the small notebook beside the "Star Core," which recorded all his savings—235,000 Orb. That was all the money he had saved over the years: earned from helping Tanaka with work, running errands for the nun, and selling formulas last time.
235,000 sounded like a lot, but it wasn't even enough for a fraction of a complete smelting equipment set.
He had to build it himself.
He began modeling again. This time, it wasn't an alloy formula but smelting equipment.
A high-temperature furnace was needed. Ordinary electric furnaces wouldn't work; the temperature wasn't high enough. A vacuum environment was required to prevent metal oxidation. Precise temperature control was necessary, with an error margin not exceeding plus or minus five degrees. A stirring device was needed to evenly distribute the trace elements.
He listed these requirements one by one, then searched his mind for usable items.
The heating element for the high-temperature furnace could use silicon carbide rods, which could be scavenged from the secondhand market. A vacuum environment could be created with an old vacuum pump, likely available at a scrapyard. The temperature control system could use thermocouples and a PID controller; he could solder those electronic components himself. The stirring device was the simplest—just a motor and a stirring rod.
Adding everything up, the cost would be roughly...
He calculated it: about 150,000.
The remaining 80,000 could be used to buy raw materials.
"Wentian!" Xiao Guang's voice came from outside, followed by the sound of his footsteps rushing into the back kitchen. "Found it! Found it!"
Xiao Guang was holding a large stack of documents, which he placed on the floor, panting heavily. It was a thick pile of photocopied papers, some still bearing the library's stamp.
"Morgenroete's procurement report from last year," Xiao Guang pointed at the stack of documents. "I made a copy."
Nangong Wentian's eyes lit up, and he immediately began flipping through it.
The report was detailed, listing all the major materials and equipment Morgenroete had procured over the past year. He turned page after page, his eyes quickly scanning the entries.
Titanium alloy plates, Ti-6Al-4V, procurement volume 120 tons, supplier was a company from the Atlantic Federation.
Aluminum alloy profiles, 7075-T6, procurement volume 80 tons, supplier was a local Orb enterprise.
Special ceramics, alumina-based, procurement volume 15 tons, supplier was the East Asian Republic.
...
His gaze stopped on one page.
It was a small entry, listed under the "Experimental Materials" section:
Vanadium powder, purity 99.5%, procurement volume 50 kg, supplier unknown.
Chromium powder, purity 99.5%, procurement volume 50 kg, supplier unknown.
His heartbeat quickened slightly.
Was Morgenroete also researching similar alloys? Were they also trying to add trace elements?
But what excited him even more was that these two procurements indicated that such materials were available for purchase. Although the "supplier [was] unknown," as long as they existed, they could be found.
"Xiao Guang," he pointed at those two lines. "Help me remember these two."
Xiao Guang leaned over to look and nodded. "Got it. Vanadium and chromium, right?"
"Right."
Nangong Wentian closed the report, leaned against the wall, and looked up at the ceiling.
The call of the alloy.
From today onward, he knew what he had to do.
Step one: save up enough money. Step two: set up smelting equipment. Step three: find the raw materials. Step four: produce a sample. Step five: find a buyer.
One step at a time.
He had plenty of time.
Outside the window, the summer sunlight filtered through the leaves into the back kitchen, falling on the pile of old equipment and documents. Xiao Guang was beside him, flipping through the stack of reports, muttering something under his breath as he memorized it. Nangong Wentian closed his eyes, beginning to plan the next steps in his mind.
"Wentian," Xiao Guang suddenly asked, "why are we doing this?"
Nangong Wentian opened his eyes and looked at him.
"For the future," he said. "To save more people."
Xiao Guang was taken aback for a moment, then grinned. "Count me in."
Nangong Wentian smiled too.
"Alright."