AHumanMadeMOFO
patreon
Chapter 154: Exchange of Interests
🕑 Added 2025-01-12 13:06:57 +0000 UTCAn hour later, Josh finished his conversation with Partridge.
The conversation didn't take long, because Josh quickly realized that Partridge had only recently regained his emotions and wasn't very good at expressing himself. As a result, their conversation was brief and direct, which of course saved time.
By the time the conversation was over, Josh's system inventory was missing a few Beast Transformation Serums. What he received in return, however, was only a small number of Prozium serums—no Gun Kata training methods or Prozium formula.
It wasn't that Partridge didn't want to trade those items. The truth was that both the Gun Kata Training Method and the Prozium Formula were top-level secrets of the Tetragrammaton Council.
The Gun Kata method was a little easier to deal with because Partridge, as a member of the Cleric Order, was already well versed in it. However, the complete training manual involved a vast amount of knowledge, far more than a few sheets of paper could cover. Without any preparation, Partridge couldn't recount it all and needed some time to gather the information.
As for the Prozium serum, he was even more limited. This emotion-suppressing drug was the foundation of the Tetragrammaton Council's rule, and its formula, production process, and sources of raw materials were beyond the reach of ordinary individuals—even clerics.
The Prozium serums Partridge offered for trade were part of his secret stash, saved after he regained his emotions and stopped using them. There were only 26 doses—enough for 13 days if taken twice a day.
Josh had no intention of using the serums directly. Instead, he intended to give them to Yuri for testing to determine if they had any harmful side effects beyond suppressing emotions.
Josh valued these serums highly, even more than the weapon kata training.
On the surface, the serum seemed like an inhumane way to suppress emotions. But looking at it another way, what if it could be used during training, studying, or other tasks requiring extreme concentration where emotions might be a distraction?
The answer was clear.
While it might not lead to absolute rationality, the serum could help someone maintain a prolonged state of intense concentration.
As Josh suspected, when he contacted Yuri to discuss the Prozium serum, Yuri immediately recognized its importance and agreed to test the small supply. Josh was able to successfully trade the doses.
With all of these transactions completed, Josh finally ended his trading session with satisfaction.
Although the Equilibrium world wasn't as valuable as the Red Alert universe, the weapon kata and Prozium serums made the trip worthwhile.
It was far better than the third dimension, where the main character was still a clueless child and nothing could be figured out.
Thinking about it, Josh couldn't help but sigh. Kids really were a handful.
"Boss, several calls have already come in from the President's office," Vito reported as soon as he saw Josh come out of the study.
"Oh? Did they come to a conclusion?" Josh asked.
He was fully aware of Eisenhower’s late-night arrival in Vienna. However, this was not a matter in which he could be directly involved.
From the U.S. perspective, Josh's connection to Austria seemed superficial at best.
Americans knew only that Josh was using U.S. influence and his own capital to control parts of the Austrian economy.
The deeper truths—such as his absorption of Hydra, his creation of Ouroboros, and his de facto control of Austria—were well-kept secrets.
If these facts were revealed, it was difficult to predict how the U.S. would react.
Similarly, dealings with the Soviets were conducted strictly through Austrian officials or in the name of Ouroboros. Josh had never revealed his deeper ties to Austria, let alone engaged in direct negotiations.
Thus, when it came to Austria's possession of next-generation weapons, Josh could only act as a bystander-or, at most, a ""middleman"" who appeared to be on America's side.
"The negotiations are not going well. The Americans are pretty greedy," Vito said, shaking his head before explaining the current situation.
The U.S. had made their position clear; they wanted Austria to hand over all the advanced weapons technologies used in the recent war against the Federal Republic—especially those related to stealth fighters and helicopters.
But they didn't want to pay much for it.
Their reasoning was simple; during and after World War II, "Big Brother" America had supported "Little Brother" Austria in its struggles against Britain, France, and the Soviets. Now that Austria had developed such remarkable technology in secret, shouldn't it share it with its older sibling?
Of course, this was just Eisenhower's negotiating tactic—start with high demands and lower expectations later. He wasn't delusional enough to believe that Austria would give everything away for free. Pushing Austria into the Soviet camp would be a disaster for the U.S.
Austria, for its part, played along and presented a list of demands; control over the territories it occupied in the Balkans, especially the coastal regions, and more support for its navy, among other things.
Naturally, the U.S. wouldn't agree to this too readily, and many details remained to be worked out.
Meanwhile, Austria was also prepared to negotiate with the Soviets. Although the Americans had approached them first, it was only a matter of time before the Soviets did the same.
Josh, however, had never intended to keep these technologies entirely to himself.
It was unrealistic to think that a handful of next-generation weapons could challenge the dominance of superpowers like the United States and the Soviet Union.
The sheer disparity in total national strength was undeniable.
If it came to war, Austria might score a few initial victories, as the Red Skull had once done. But in time, the sheer manpower and resources of these two giants would overwhelm Austria.
From the beginning, Josh's goal with these weapons was not to fight a war, but to use them as bargaining chips in negotiations with the U.S. and the Soviets.
The war with the Federal Republic was merely a live demonstration of military technology, a brutal but practical strategy.
This conflict was always destined to produce only one loser: the Federal Republic.
