Miracle Card Shop: All My Cards Can Be Actualize

The discussion continued, but Daniel wasn't paying much attention since it didn't directly concern him. No one seemed inclined to include him in the conversation either, as Sector Alpha City wasn't yet recognized as a country.

While Daniel was contemplating whether to play a mobile gacha game to pass the time, he heard his name mentioned by a representative from a country under the influence of the Qing Empire.

"Regarding the technological aspect of improving the food shortage situation in those poor countries, I believe the most technologically advanced corporation on Earth should have a solution," the representative from the country under the Qing Empire influence said, looking directly at Daniel.

Suddenly, everyone in the venue turned their attention to Daniel, making him the center of focus.

Caught off guard as he had been about to open his game, Daniel turned to Gua Jia, who sat beside him, and discreetly received a note summarizing the recent discussion.

Quickly glancing at the note and using his mindscape to slow down time, Daniel understood that they were discussing how to effectively help people in impoverished countries improve their hunger situation.

Simply sending food aid through the UN wasn't effective due to the low food production capacity of those countries and the corruption of local authorities who often intercepted supplies meant for the needy.

UN personnel were usually powerless against these local authorities, as they were unarmed and couldn't risk antagonizing officials who could make their lives difficult.

Furthermore, the UN couldn't directly interfere with these local authorities because it was an internal issue those countries needed to resolve themselves. The most the UN could do was issue warnings.

Daniel absorbed all of the information Gua Jia had summarized for him and nodded in understanding. He thought for a moment before a smile spread across his face. This was a perfect opportunity for him to establish himself as an A.I. expert, potentially unlocking the 'Rise of the Machines' set in the 'Shop'.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we at Astral Corporation certainly have a solution for this problem of yours," Daniel began with a confident smile as he stood up. "Have you ever heard of the term A.I.?" Daniel paused, allowing the audience to process his words.

The people in the hall murmured and whispered amongst themselves for a moment before one of the representatives spoke up, "Artificial Intelligence? Yes, we are aware of that term, but what does it have to do with the solution we're discussing?"

Daniel looked at the man with a smile. "It has everything to do with the solution we're discussing," Daniel paused for dramatic effect and continued.

"You may already know about my Micro Construction Bots, the metal scarabs that we have. They are controlled by A.I. to build all of the structures in Sector Alpha City. The question is...

What would happen if I created a farm that's controlled by A.I.? It would monitor all of the plants, soil conditions, humidity, and even security."

"You mean... an AI-controlled farm?" Choi Ha-Eun, the current UN Secretary-General, gave a doubtful smile. "I'm sorry, but that's not practical in terms of budget. A fully automated AI-controlled farm is nice in theory, but I bet it would be very difficult to implement due to its exorbitantly high maintenance costs," she said.

Hearing this, Daniel smiled. "That might not be the case," he said, then turned toward John Malcomes, the representative of the United States. Since President John Malcomes had already left for his duties in the US, the representative sitting in his seat was the permanent member of the UN instead of the leader of the state.

"Mr. US Representative, what is the average cost of maintaining a large-scale farm of 1,000 acres in the US per year?" asked Daniel.

The US representative thought about it for a minute, confirming the data and making some corrections with his secretary sitting beside him, before answering, "About 1.6 to 4 million US dollars per year. The cost varies depending on the crops you plant and many other factors, but that's the average for a 1,000-acre farm in the US."

"Since this is humanitarian aid, we, Astral Corporation, are ready to cut the price to a quarter of that. We guarantee at least three times the crop yield that the farm would produce with the same amount of land," said Daniel, holding up five fingers for emphasis.

"With this, the food problem will be solved in the target countries. As long as you hire us to solve the problem, we are ready to deliver on our promise," Daniel said before sitting down, ending his pitch.

Hearing this, the people in the venue began murmuring and talking amongst themselves. The previously silent hall became abuzz with discussion and whispers about the possibilities.

It's important to note that many countries represented here were struggling with food problems themselves, and they didn't have good solutions since their infrastructure wasn't as advanced as first-world countries. Some even faced issues with local warlords vying for power, and others dealt with extremists and terrorists.

"I have a question," Choi Ha-Eun, the current UN Secretary-General, raised her hand. "What does 'security' entail? Your AI is managing it, can you elaborate?"

"As you know, corrupt local authorities who intercept food supplies for personal gain, as well as thieves, remain a problem in these target countries. The UN can't do much about it because it's an internal matter for those countries. But we at Astral Corporation see it differently.

The food produced on these farms, until it's consumed or delivered to the needy, is still our corporate private property. And we have our ways of protecting our property," Daniel explained.

"A non-lethal stun gun charge fired by a robotic security unit would solve the problem. If someone tries to steal these supplies, stunning the culprit and letting the local authorities handle their own people is still within the bounds of self-defense, isn't it?" Daniel concluded.

"Yes, that might solve the problem and it's allowable. But you must know that corrupt local authorities may use heavy weapons like rifles and even anti-tank missiles to destroy your security. Your security robots might not be effective," the representative from a war-torn country with multiple warring factions spoke up.

"Oh? Does this mean we are allowed to use lethal force to protect our property?" Daniel tested the waters by asking the representative.

This question stumped the representative and many in the UN. Of course, lethal force wasn't something typically permitted. However, it could vary depending on negotiations with the local country.

"I'm kidding. I know lethal force is the last resort, but... I'll tell you this, unless they bombard the robotic security unit with a warhead that generates at least 4,500 degrees Celsius, they won't even have a hope of destroying it," Daniel revealed.

Hearing this information, the people in the venue were stunned. A warhead generating 4,500 degrees Celsius? There were no known conventional weapons that could produce that much heat.

Of course, there were a few things that could generate such heat: particle accelerators used in research labs, plasma torches, high-powered lasers, and nuclear bombs. But those were impractical to use for stealing food. Who in their right mind would use a nuclear weapon to blast droids just to get some food?

Also, particle accelerators weren't weapons; the heat they generated was within a controlled lab environment. And if they had laser weaponry, they wouldn't have the hunger problem in the first place!

At this point, they were contemplating whether or not they should allow these robots into their country. They knew that even if they threw an army at these robots, it would be impossible for them to win if Astral Corporation had malicious intent.

But the one most alarmed by this revelation was none other than Grand Chancellor Yan. He knew about Daniel's identity as a mage, but he also knew such claims were absurd, even for a mage, especially one who disguised magic as science-based technology.

The mana shield of a mage was strong, there was no denying that. It could even withstand a direct shot from an anti-material rifle. However, the shield consumed the mage's mana. What Daniel described was the armor plating used to construct the robots. If it could withstand such attacks as claimed, then making an enemy of Daniel was something the Qing Empire should never do.

At first, he had just wanted to embarrass Daniel a little, so that when they asked him to solve the territory dispute, it would seem like Daniel didn't have the capacity to do so in a short time. But with this revelation, he didn't think it would take Daniel long to resolve the issue.

While Grand Chancellor Yan was reeling from the revelation, a representative from a Middle Eastern country raised his hand.

"If that's the case, we're ready to hire you to fix our problem at the quoted price. When can we sign the contract?" The representative of the Sultanate of Aqaba asked with interest.

The Sultanate of Aqaba is a war-torn country, rich in oil, but embroiled in a civil war with several warlords vying for power. The Sultan was a powerless man who only wanted the best for his people. Daniel felt sympathy for this country since the man was sincere, but the UN had never offered them any assistance.