101. Four Hundred Tons
Rangga had already returned to his island.
Near the storage area, he stood in front of the resource delivery system. He had entered five kilograms of Vanadium as the amount to be sent to Earth.
Rangga looked at the amount for a moment.
“Alright, I’ll send it.”
He pressed SEND.
DELIVERY SUCCESSFUL.
At almost the same time, on several other islands, the seven other Garuda Pioneers who had joined the expedition did the same.
“Send.”
“Send.”
“Just send it.”
“The Vanadium’s in.”
One delivery after another was confirmed.
Garuda Nation — Earth
In the area in front of the Garuda presidential office, the previously calm atmosphere suddenly changed. A point of light appeared, then another, and another.
BRAM!
A resource container appeared in the receiving area.
BRAM!
Another container appeared.
BRAM!
More shipments followed, and the workers who had been waiting immediately sprang into action.
“Vanadium!”
“Move it now!”
“Don’t stack it carelessly!”
General Suryo, standing in front of the presidential building, watched the arrival of the resources.
A single shipment was already valuable. But this time, it wasn’t just one Pioneer. Eight shipments had arrived almost simultaneously.
After all the deliveries were completed, the total amount of Vanadium received reached approximately 400 tons.
General Suryo immediately made a decision.
“Send everything to Cirebon.”
One of the officers immediately recorded the order.
“Yes, General. The Cirebon warehouse?”
“Yes.”
Suryo looked at the rows of Vanadium containers.
“Our new facility there is ready. The cooperation with Green Jaguar and Golden Lion is already underway as well.”
He pointed toward the transport vehicles.
“Don’t let these materials pile up here.”
“Yes, General!”
Activity immediately filled the receiving area. Forklifts moved around, transport trucks began arriving, and workers lifted and transferred the Vanadium containers one by one onto the vehicles.
The vehicle engines started almost simultaneously.
BRRMMM—
The first convoy began leaving the complex, followed by the vehicles behind it.
Dozens of heavy trucks carrying containers filled with Vanadium recently sent from the Pioneer world moved in a long convoy, with escort vehicles positioned at the front, rear, and several points among the rows of trucks.
The convoy was under heavy security.
For the Garuda Nation, four hundred tons of Vanadium was not merely an ordinary resource shipment. It was one of the most valuable resources they had received since the Pioneers had been sent to that world.
The convoy passed along the main roads toward Cirebon. Truck after truck continued onward. Meanwhile, in Cirebon, a new facility had been bustling with activity since morning.
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The industrial complex was one of the results of cooperation between the Garuda Nation, Green Jaguar, and Golden Lion. Inside, researchers from all three countries were already waiting for their first shipment of raw materials.
A researcher stood in front of a monitoring screen.
“How much longer?”
The officer beside him checked the report.
“The convoy is approaching the facility.”
The researcher nodded.
“Make sure the entire receiving route is ready.”
Not long afterward, the sound of vehicles could be heard outside.
The first truck entered the facility, followed by the second. Then the third, then the fourth. The line of vehicles continued entering until the receiving area was almost filled with containers.
The workers immediately sprang into action.
“Unload it!”
“This one goes to the processing area!”
“Make sure the container numbers match!”
Forklifts began lifting the containers one by one. The Vanadium was then moved to the initial processing area.
The researchers watched from behind the glass. The raw material would not be used immediately.
The Vanadium had to go through several stages of purification and processing first, separating impurities and obtaining material with the level of purity required for energy-storage technology.
The facility’s machines began powering up, filling the room with a low hum. The raw material entered the processing line.
One of the researchers watched the screen displaying the production parameters.
“Begin the purification stage.”
The operator pressed several buttons, and the machines began working. The processed material was then sent to the next stage.
On another side of the facility, researchers began preparing the Vanadium battery production system.
“If the purity level remains stable, we can start production.”
“What’s the initial capacity?”
“Still limited. But with four hundred tons of raw material, we can run the facility for quite some time.”
The researcher smiled faintly.
“If this succeeds, we’ll finally have an energy-storage system with a much higher capacity than anything we’ve had before.”
Behind the glass, the production line continued operating.
Vanadium that had been in the Pioneer world only moments ago was now becoming the raw material for a new energy technology. And for the first time, the facility had truly begun production.
Garuda Presidential Palace
In the main meeting room of the presidential palace, three large screens displayed the industrial facility in Cirebon.
The machines inside the building continued working. Workers moved materials around, while technicians and researchers monitored the production lines that had begun operating.
President Prabu watched the footage in silence. Across the table, the President of Green Jaguar smiled faintly.
“After all this time,” he said, “our biggest problem is no longer the technology.”
President Prabu turned toward him.
“It’s the raw materials.”
The President of Green Jaguar nodded.
“For years, we’ve developed and tested Vanadium battery technology. The system has gone through various trials. We know the technology works.”
He looked at the screen.
“What we didn’t have was enough Vanadium.”
General Suryo leaned back.
“And now we have four hundred tons.”
“Four hundred tons to start with,” the President of Green Jaguar replied.
The President of Golden Lion chuckled softly.
“If the Garuda Pioneers keep sending this much, I don’t think the word ‘scarcity’ will be associated with Vanadium for much longer.”
Several people in the room smiled before President Prabu looked back at the screen.
“Is the facility ready?”
The President of Golden Lion nodded.
“The main production facility is already operational. Our team has also begun adjusting production capacity according to the supply Garuda can provide.”
“How long until we can produce products ready for sale?”
The President of Green Jaguar answered without hesitation.
“If you mean the technology we’ve already developed, we don’t need to start from scratch. We only need to adjust production capacity and make sure the material sent from the Pioneer world meets our processing standards.”
General Suryo nodded.
“So the problem now is simply capacity.”
“And supply,” the President of Golden Lion added.
President Prabu was silent for a moment before asking,
“What if we open it to the global market now?”
The President of Green Jaguar immediately shook his head.
“Don’t release it in large quantities right away.”
“Why?”
“Because the moment this product enters the market, demand will skyrocket... We recommend that the initial production be used for the domestic needs of the three countries first.”
“For what exactly?”
“Electricity-storage infrastructure, industrial facilities, energy grids, data centers, and strategic needs.”
The President of Green Jaguar continued,
“Once we have enough stock and production capacity has stabilized, then we can start selling it overseas.”
President Prabu nodded slowly.
“And when that happens...”
He looked at the two presidents across from him.
“...Garuda will become one of the most important suppliers of raw materials in the world.”
General Suryo smiled faintly.
“Until now, we’ve been known as the nation that has Pioneers.”
He paused for a moment.
“For the first time, we’ll be known for what our Pioneers can provide to the world.”
The President of Green Jaguar nodded.
“And that’s only one resource.”
The sentence caused the room to fall silent again. They all understood what he meant.
Vanadium was only the beginning.
If Garuda could discover other resources needed by the human world, the nation’s position would change far more dramatically than simply gaining access to new technology.
President Prabu finally stood.
“Then it’s settled.”
He looked at each representative from the three nations.
“Green Jaguar will handle the technology and production standards.”
The President of Green Jaguar nodded.
“Golden Lion will ensure the facilities and production capacity.”
The President of Golden Lion replied,
“Agreed.”
Prabu continued,
“And Garuda will ensure the supply of raw materials.”
General Suryo nodded.
“The Pioneers will continue sending Vanadium.”
President Prabu looked back at the screen. There, a production line was beginning to produce the first batteries from the material sent by the Pioneers.
“Once production is stable, we’ll open the market.”
He smiled faintly.
“Let the world wonder where we got so much of it.”
No one objected. Because for the first time since the Pioneers appeared, the Garuda Nation was no longer merely receiving benefits from that new world.
They were beginning to possess something the old world needed.