Actually, this was a compromise that Su Mo had been considering for a long time. Renting the Star Destroyer to the Federation in the name of a third party would give it a license, equivalent to a permit. He wouldn't have to grind for contributions himself, and it would solve the Federation's crisis while also reaping a considerable profit.

"It doesn't matter. As long as we're willing to grind for contributions, we'll get enough sooner or later. The Federation has no shortage of manpower."

Arlais said, sounding slightly excited.

Su Mo secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"What model Star Destroyer can you rent, and what is its performance?"

Arlais immediately asked.

Su Mo quickly explained, "It's the Star Destroyer Phantom Flower. The performance is absolutely top-notch, definitely better than that of the Imperial Army."

"Isn't that from the general store? Are you on such good terms with that old man?"

Arlais was also very surprised.

"Uh, we have a slight connection."

Su Mo replied with a slight embarrassment.

"That's impressive. That old man never listens to reason and doesn't greet anyone. No one who has tried to get close to him has succeeded."

"That's right, that old man is really hard to talk to. To be honest, if I could, I really wouldn't want to rent his ship."

Su Mo nodded in agreement.

"It doesn't matter. As long as we can rent a Star Destroyer, no matter how high the price, we'll pay it. We just need to get through this critical period and buy ourselves some time. Then our entire plan will be revitalized, and the Federation will have its own Star Destroyer fleet."

Arlais's eyes suddenly sparkled.

"Uh, that's what I was thinking too."

Su Mo didn't plan on renting it for a long time; this was a perfect match. He had been wondering how to come up with a reason to say he couldn't rent it for a long time.

"By the way, what are the rental conditions?"

Arlais raised his head and asked Su Mo.

"50 billion star coins a year, and two kinds of rare ore: Krulls super-alloy ore and Gamma-Kro ore."

Su Mo said a little guiltily, wondering if he was being a bit too greedy.

Arlais frowned, seemingly lost in thought.

Seeing this, Su Mo's heart pounded. Was his price too high? Or had he been found out?

The two kinds of ore he wanted just happened to be in the Federation's storage. Su Mo knew because he had brought them back from the Valley Star, and the reserves were very scarce.

"That, Mr. President, how about..."

Su Mo was about to say that he would try to negotiate and lower the price a bit.

But at that moment, Arlais replied, "This price is a little lower than I expected. I thought that old man would at least try to gouge us at this juncture. In fact, no matter how much he asked for, we would have had to swallow it."

Hearing this, Su Mo felt the urge to slap himself. He really wasn't ruthless enough.

He didn't have the potential to be a profiteer, mainly because he was renting to his own country, and he felt a little uneasy. If he were renting to someone else, he would definitely squeeze them dry.

"Hehe, actually, he did start out with a very high price, but I bargained with him for a long time."

Su Mo's smile was also a little forced.

"I knew it, thank you for your hard work. You've done another great service this time, and the Federation won't forget your contribution."

Arlais reached out and patted Su Mo on the shoulder, speaking from the heart.

"It's what I should do, but, Mr. President, renting this ship also requires..."

Su Mo was now going all out, putting on a full performance to avoid accidents and being seen through.

Before Su Mo could finish, Arlais replied with a smile, "You don't need to say it; I understand. Renting something always requires a deposit, let alone a top-notch Star Destroyer. I've actually seen the Phantom Flower with my own eyes. It's not an ordinary Star Destroyer, worth at least one trillion star coins, maybe even more."

Su Mo's heart skipped a beat. He was starting to wonder if he was really the old man's long-lost grandson.

He had gotten it for a low price, half owing, half buying? It was unbelievably easy.

"Uh, yes, the deposit is indeed a bit of a headache?"

Su Mo coughed and replied, wondering how to lower the deposit amount. They couldn't really let the Federation cough up one trillion star coins; the Federation didn't have that much money.

"Wait here."

Arlais immediately stood up and walked to the bookshelf behind him, opening a special secret compartment.

He took out a very special black box from it.

Su Mo looked puzzled, not quite understanding what Arlais was going to do. Could the box contain one trillion star coins?

Arlais handed the black box to Su Mo and said in a deep voice, "Take this back to the old man and tell him this is the deposit."

"What is this? Can I open it and take a look?"

Su Mo asked curiously.

"Don't open this box. It contains a fragment of a Negative God. There will be danger if you open it."

Arlais warned solemnly.

Hearing Arlais's words, Su Mo's eyes widened, and the Pseudo-Creator Devourer hidden within him instantly stirred.

If Arlais hadn't been in the room, it probably would have already burst out.

"This..."

Su Mo instantly felt like he had taken a hot potato.

"Don't be surprised. Although this Negative God fragment is dangerous, it's extremely valuable. As far as I know, Star Ring City has been spending a lot of money to acquire these fragments. Of course, we won't sell it to Star Ring City because that would be too foolish. Anything that Star Ring City spares no effort to acquire is truly a good thing and our future way out. Although we don't know what it's for now, we will eventually crack everything."

Arlais said to Su Mo in a deep voice.

"Uh, what you said makes sense, Mr. President. I'll accept it. I'll go and take care of it and bring it to you tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll definitely get it done and live up to your expectations."

Su Mo braced himself and put away the Negative God fragment, promising solemnly.

But he was regretting it a bit. Why did he bring up the deposit? Wasn't he just giving himself a hot potato?

"I believe in you. The future of the Federation depends on you."

Arlais replied confidently, his worries swept away.

......

A moment later, Su Mo walked out of the office.

Finally, it was settled. The Federation's crisis should be resolved, and he had also gotten the license, so he didn't have to grind for contributions anymore. According to Arlais, he would rent it for at most two or three years, and when the Federation's own Star Destroyer came out, they would return the ship.

In addition, he had also obtained two of the materials for manufacturing the mecha, leaving only two more. He was one step closer to success.

However, Su Mo's head ached even more when he thought about the manufacturing cost of the V-generation mecha. Where was he going to get one trillion?

Just as Su Mo walked to the corner of the corridor.

*Zzzzzz!*

Suddenly, the lights overhead flickered on and off.

All the hidden cameras were also paralyzed.