307: Money is not an issue

The bronze sword spaceship, carrying Professor Anderson, slowly entered the outer docking lane of Pierpoint.

As the spaceship passed through the final security checkpoint, Anderson and his assistant, David, were left speechless by the sight before them.

A colossal structure, grand beyond imagination, stood in space, its sheer scale momentarily robbing Anderson of his ability to think clearly.

This skyscraper-shaped building was at least a hundred kilometers in size, its surface shimmering with countless lights, like a monument suspended in the starry sky.

Dozens of lanes, composed of dense points of light, resembled glowing ribbons connecting various spaceport entrances on the building.

Large cargo ships, small passenger vessels, and patrol craft flowed ceaselessly along the lanes, forming a bustling and spectacular tableau of space traffic.

"Wh-what is this?" David stammered, his eyes wide.

"This is the Pierpoint Spaceport Management Center," a soft female voice came through the spaceship's communication system. "bronze sword, welcome home."

Anderson, still in shock, murmured, "Home? This... this is the company headquarters! I always thought Pierpoint was just a codename..."

Johnson smiled and said, "Many people have the same reaction on their first visit. Pierpoint is not just the company headquarters; it's home to thousands of employees. It has complete residential areas, commercial districts, research and development centers, and even parks and entertainment facilities."

"I never imagined that the company headquarters, which has been at the top of urban legends for over thirty years, would be located in deep space..." Anderson couldn't help but shake his head, trying to confirm he wasn't dreaming.

David pointed out the window, "What are those glowing strips? They look like highways."

"Those are guidance lanes," Johnson explained, "They use superconductivity and gravity field control to ensure spaceships enter and exit the spaceport safely and orderly."

As the bronze sword slowly entered spaceport entrance number 16, Anderson saw that the interior of the spaceport was even more astonishing.

Hundreds of berths were neatly arranged, with various auxiliary robotic arms and service vehicles busily at work, making the entire spaceport resemble a precisely operating clock.

After the spaceship docked, Johnson led the two through a fast track to complete their onboarding procedures.

The company's efficiency was surprising; all procedures, including identity verification, permission settings, and welfare registration, were completed in less than half an hour.

"Your residences have been assigned," Johnson handed an ID card to the two. "They are in the senior employee housing area of the Research and Development Department, each of you gets a two-hundred-square-meter large flat. Living essentials and basic facilities are all fully equipped."

David excitedly asked, "Two hundred square meters? Our old dorm in Skyreach City was only twenty square meters!"

Johnson nodded, "The company has always provided generous treatment for researchers. A dedicated person will take you to your residences shortly and introduce you to all the benefits."

"There are quite a few rules you need to remember, but not too many. Just remember one principle: don't ask about things beyond your rank, and don't do things outside your authority."

"Also, keep this card safe, especially when you are outside Pierpoint. Although the company is not a country, this thing is equivalent to a passport when you are in danger, understand?"

Just as the two nodded, a sleek silver hovercar silently pulled up in front of them.

The window rolled down, revealing Xia Er's excited face.

"Dr. Anderson! Welcome to Pierpoint!" Xia Er jumped out of the car and enthusiastically shook Anderson's hand. "I'm Xia Er; we've already met via video."

Anderson was a little overwhelmed, "Mr. Xia Er, you came to pick us up personally? This is too much..."

"Don't be modest!" Xia Er laughed heartily. "David, right? Don't worry about living arrangements; I'll have my assistant handle them for you. Dr. Anderson, shall we go see the lab now? I can't wait to start our research!"

David quickly nodded, "Thank you, Mr. Xia Er. I'll take care of the professor's luggage and residence matters."

"Alright, I'll leave it to you then."

Anderson, urged by Xia Er, got into the hovercar.

The hovercar silently lifted off and quickly drove along a dedicated channel towards the Technology Research and Development Department.

In the car, Xia Er excitedly introduced, "The new laboratory for our project has already started construction. It covers an area of fifty-three square kilometers and is equipped with the most advanced scientific research equipment."

"With the efficiency of the Construction Materials Logistics Department, it will be done within half a month."

Anderson asked in surprise, "Fifty-three square kilometers? This is just a laboratory? And in just half a month?"

Xia Er laughed, "This is just the standard size for a large laboratory."

"You haven't seen the sight when those projects overseen by the Amber King started construction; I can only describe it as awe-inspiring!"

Anderson was also very curious upon hearing this: "Mr. Xia Er, have you met the Amber King?"

"I'm not that important yet." Xia Er sighed and self-mockingly said, "Perhaps I'll have a chance to meet him when I get promoted to the P40 level."

"I have to say, I really envy those big shots, Ten Stonehearts. To be able to meet the Amber King at any time is truly fortunate."

Seeing Anderson's somewhat puzzled look, Xia Er didn't explain much, just smiled and said a few words.

"You're wondering why I revere the Amber King so much, right? Actually, as long as you're a company employee, whether it's a week or a month, you'll feel pretty much the same as I do."

"Especially the company's senior executives and those fierce individuals in the Luofu Fleet, their respect for the Amber King can almost be described as faith-level."

"Don't rush to understand; you'll soon find out."

At this moment, Anderson, of course, didn't know that, putting aside other things, the company's high subsidies and various benefits, which covered almost all aspects of an employee's life, were enough to make a large number of employees willingly become the company's 'devoted followers.'

The hovercar quickly arrived at the Technology Research and Development Department.

After passing through several security doors, they arrived at a high-level conference room.

Xia Er immediately brought up a holographic projection, displaying the preliminary research plan.

"Look," Xia Er pointed to the project list, "This is the basic equipment list. See if there's anything else you need to add."

"One thousand brainwave scanners, five hundred sets of 32K resolution interactive holographic systems, three of the latest quantum supercomputers..."

Anderson looked at the list, his eyes widening, "I've seen these devices in academic journals; each one costs over a hundred million credit points!"

"This... this!"

"Money is not an issue." Xia Er waved his hand dismissively. "For the company, anything that can be manufactured is only worth the cost of its materials. Moreover, the company has given us unlimited resource access for this project."

"All kinds of basic consumables are supplied in hundred-ton quantities, and even rare elemental crystals are allocated by the kilogram!"

Anderson's hands began to tremble, "Elemental crystals? Is that the material announced last month that achieved energy solidification? The one that costs millions of credit points per gram? Supplied by the kilogram?"

"Exactly!" Xia Er nodded excitedly. "That's the Amber King's latest achievement, and our Technology Research and Development Department has completed the Supporting facilities equipment."

"Currently, it can achieve almost lossless energy conversion and ultra-high power input and output. Thanks to this technology, many large devices that we previously designed for fun now have practical value."

"However, that's not our main goal. What we need is the energy conversion capability of the elemental crystal."

Xia Er brought up the detailed experimental plan: "Phase one, we need to refine the memory extraction device, miniaturize and stabilize it, achieving 99% or even infinitely close to 100% accuracy. Phase two, complete consciousness digitization and storage technology."

"Phase three, attempt to utilize the elemental crystal to achieve the materialization of memory itself."

"I have a very strong premonition that if we can reach this step, we might be able to touch upon the essence of consciousness and even the mysteries of the soul!"

Anderson looked at the detailed research plan, his eyes welling up.

He remembered how, in Skyreach City, he had to go to great lengths to secure even a small amount of research funding, with outdated equipment, material shortages, and even having to use substitutes for experiments.

And now, the conditions provided by the company far exceeded his wildest imagination.

"Mr. Xia Er..." Anderson's voice choked, "I... I don't know what to say. Such research conditions are beyond my wildest dreams..."

Xia Er patted his shoulder understandingly, "I understand how you feel. When I first received this level of research support, I had the same reaction."

Anderson nodded, composing himself.

However, he suddenly thought of the turmoil in Skyreach City that had been caused by him, and he felt a little uneasy.

He was somewhat unsure if everything he had and was about to have was real.

After some thought, he asked Xia Er, "By the way, Mr. Xia Er. Regarding my previous research, many people said it was the forbidden fruit of the devil, that I made a deal with the devil. Will this..."

Xia Er paused, then chuckled twice and patted Anderson's shoulder.

"Although many people curse us as company dogs, I've always scorned such people. If their brains were truly big enough to allow them to make correct judgments, their names would have appeared in the company's database long ago."

"Those foolish guys will never know what we can bring to this world, and I never expected that bunch of idiots to understand the company."

"Mr. Anderson, you just need to trust the Technology Research and Development Department, trust the company, and trust the Amber King."

"Let's burn our wisdom and complete our research. As for other things, we don't need to worry about them."

Anderson wiped the corner of his eyes and said firmly, "I will give my all and never betray the company's trust and support."