Chapter Three: The First Reservation—One Billion Credits

When the crystal touched Zhou's finger, a blueprint appeared on his band: a palm-sized device capable of neutralizing the electrostatic charge of lunar dust, then separating oxygen, helium-3, and rare metals from it. Zhou stopped breathing for a moment. Lunar dust was the enemy of every machine on the Moon. Sharp, charged, and invasive, it cost surface industries tens of billions each year. If this device could be produced, his eighty-six-million debt was nothing. The whole Yunjing Group would not be worth one of its screws. “Miguang, can we build it?” “The purification room can manufacture a basic purifier. Cost: ten Moonglow points or equivalent energy.” “Who owns the patent?”