DOTM: Chapter 438/439

Chapter 438: Water Delivery
If Ethan's hearing had not been enhanced, he definitely would not have immediately understood why the first list of transactions proposed by Senator Kevin Smith was not precious metals like gold or diamonds, nor rare element minerals that could be used to make weapons, but the most ordinary water.

His hearing had been enhanced. While it was not at the level of Clark Kent, who could hear Lois calling his name from anywhere on Earth, whispered conversations within close proximity could not escape him.

That staff advisor's mind worked very quickly, and the Senator was also quick-witted, immediately realizing that this transaction could bring him immense prestige.

Gold, diamonds, and rare elements could not garner him fame from the general public, but water could.

People could live without gold or diamonds, and they might never come into contact with those rare elements in their lifetime, but water was a resource everyone had to use every day.

More importantly, global water resources were becoming increasingly scarce, especially in the southwestern United States, where a very noticeable water shortage had already begun to appear.

As a U.S. Senator, of course, he had to understand the current state of the entire country. Even for a politician notorious for just shouting slogans and not getting things done, you still had to know what kind of slogans to shout to gain more supporters, right?

Knowing the other party's intentions, and even knowing more than the other party, Ethan deeply admired Senator Smith's choice.

This world was roughly around the year 2007. The trend of water scarcity in North America had just begun, but according to multiple data analyses, if there were no special changes, this situation would worsen, though no one could say how many years it would last.

But Ethan knew that in the next ten years, the water shortage in the southwestern United States not only would not ease but would reach a more severe level, and gradually spread to the central regions. In California, the state most severely affected by water scarcity, some cities would even see "water theft"—not stealing money or cars, but stealing water.

In the famous city of Los Angeles, because there was not enough water to irrigate the lawns, more and more lawns in front of wealthy homes withered and died, forcing them to replace them with artificial grass or use green paint to meet community requirements.

The lack of water resources forced the California government to spend countless dollars and try various methods, but the results were very limited. If, at that time, one person could guarantee the supply of fresh water to several states in the Southwest and even the Central region, how much fame would that person gain?

By then, it would not be impossible for Kevin Smith, carrying immense prestige, to move directly into the White House.

Of course, the situation in California had not deteriorated to that extent yet. It was just beginning to show signs. After a few more years, following several years of drought, the southwestern states would enter a difficult situation.

But Kevin Smith could not wait until then to buy large quantities of fresh water from Ethan. He needed time to stockpile, and he also needed to conduct various tests. Could the water from space be used by Earthlings? Would it carry unknown viruses or other dangers? All of this would take time to verify.

By the time everything was tested and confirmed, several years would have passed.

Kevin Smith was not Ethan and did not know how bad the situation in California would become in the future. Even if it was not that bad, the increasing scarcity of water resources was a major trend, as the population was growing, and the reserves of several famous freshwater rivers and lakes in North America were showing a downward trend.

This trend was not just limited to North America, it was global.

However, for civilizations with space travel technology, water resources were the least rare resource.

Because the universe has no shortage of water.

Earthlings once thought that water was the rarest thing in the universe because they did not see it on other planets.

Later, people discovered that water was not absent in the universe, it was just difficult to find liquid water. Although later, the existence of liquid water was also discovered.

It can be said that water is the most abundant substance in the universe, but it usually exists in solid and gaseous states. Liquid water is rarely seen because the conditions for its formation are quite demanding.

Scientists also suspect that the water on Earth originally came from a large meteorite, and after crashing into Earth, these water resources turned into liquid in Earth's unique environment.

"In short, I just need to collect meteorites with a large amount of water?"

Ethan thought for a moment. To ensure that the water resources carried on these meteorites were delivered intact, he would have to store them in a low-temperature environment.

This was not much of a problem. The only trouble was that the other party's demand was quite large, and he had not truly entered space yet, making collecting meteorites more troublesome.

He could not just scoop up a few reefs from the Ocean World, freeze them with water, and bring them over, could he? That would be too unreliable.

So he could only fly into space to collect them. Currently, the only world capable of freely traveling to space and collecting was the Marvel Universe.

Suddenly, he realized that this seemed to be Kevin Smith's subtle test of Ethan's technological capabilities.

Fortunately, he agreed readily. If he had hesitated, the other party would definitely have noticed something was wrong. These politicians were truly complicated. It was easy to be led astray if you were not careful.

"For the first delivery, we only need one meteorite, preferably one near Earth. We want to conduct some tests."

Kevin Smith knew that it was best not to use these alien things casually. Who knew what they might carry? Although he had not studied related subjects, he had at least seen many Hollywood movies.

Ethan nodded. The first test would take quite some time. By the time the other party purchased a large amount of fresh water from him, he estimated that he should have already broken out of the Ocean World and be heading toward the universe. At that time, he would definitely have his own spaceship, and preparing a few extra would not delay anything. He could collect some meteorites nearby before landing when he came to this world.

Seeing that Ethan readily agreed to his requests, Kevin Smith was also quick to agree to Ethan's demands. For the few things he could not agree to, he promised to try his best to get them for Ethan.

Thus, Ethan obtained an official identity. Superficially, it was still the identity he and Tony had privately registered, but now it had become official.

His actual identity was, of course, that of an interstellar merchant. They had the right to free trade on Earth, but they needed to report their arrival and departure each time.

Although that was the rule, Kevin Smith guaranteed that in the future, this would just be a formality. Ethan could simply have his subordinates notify them or even just make a phone call when he came.

Actually, Ethan had no objection to this. It was normal to say hello when visiting someone else's home. It was understandable that humans were unhappy with Optimus Prime, who just showed up whenever he wanted, and not only came himself but also kept calling his friends.

Finally, Ethan would open a company on Earth. The company's address was tentatively set in Los Angeles. The company would nominally be a shell trading company, but in reality, it would be the office for Ethan and his people on Earth, equivalent to an unofficial embassy.

In the future, when Kevin Smith or other official personnel needed to find Ethan, they could go to this place. Even if he was not there, they could leave a message to be conveyed when Ethan next visited, or use some more advanced communication method to transmit it directly to Ethan.

This was also a plan Senator Smith was making for his future. If his staff advisor's analysis was correct, the southwestern states would become his base of operations in the future. Even if he could not successfully move into that white mansion, he could ensure his position remained unshakable for the next ten years.

Ethan and Smith reached an agreement and became allies. Their subsequent conversation was filled with laughter. Although it was impossible to tell from his expression whether Senator Smith was genuinely happy, Ethan could roughly judge whether a person was lying based on their spiritual fluctuations.

Clearly, Senator Smith's spiritual fluctuations at this time were much livelier than the still-water-like fluctuations from before.

Tony Stark, who had been standing by the side, was lost in thought. He had always disliked this kind of insincere polite socializing, thinking it had no practical use.

But looking at Optimus Prime not far away, still arguing with the Secretary of Defense, and then looking at Ethan, who was chatting happily with Senator Kevin Smith, this clear contrast made him realize that sometimes, this kind of thing was somewhat useful.

Of course, he could not do this kind of thing himself. He felt it was best to leave all these matters to his own father. After all, he was better at this sort of thing than he was.

With Howard handling these kinds of troubles, Stark Industries would face much less political pressure in the future.

"What's the plan next?"

"Go back to Los Angeles to rest and wait for your news? Maybe I can look for a suitable place to open a company?"

Ethan did not need to worry about this at all. Smith would be even more concerned than Ethan. Perhaps soon, a complete company would be handed over to Ethan.

It was foreseeable that once Ethan's company was established, there would be a great many people who wanted to meet with him.

Kevin Smith was immensely grateful that he had taken on this mission and met Ethan in advance. Otherwise, he could not guarantee that what he had thought of, others would not also think of. Perhaps being half a step slower would result in a completely different outcome.

"I need to return to Washington D.C. to report. The things we have agreed upon should be fine."

Kevin Smith bid a simple farewell to Ethan and then took a helicopter to a nearby airport, where he would switch to a private jet to Washington D.C.

Ethan, along with Tony, Mikaela, and Sam, went to say goodbye to Optimus Prime, who was still discussing various cooperation details of the military alliance with the Secretary of Defense.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 439: Empty Shell

Ethan did not really care what kind of cooperation agreement the Autobots and the US military would eventually reach, but Optimus Prime was very enthusiastic and offered to have his Autobots drive Ethan and his group back.

Currently, they were in the middle of nowhere, and North America, especially the West, was vast and sparsely populated with large desert areas. Walking back on two legs would not be an easy task.

However, Ethan politely declined his offer and also told Optimus Prime not to worry about Sam, as he would take Sam back with him anyway. It was a simple task, and he did not mind helping out.

Optimus Prime naturally did not object and happily bid farewell to Ethan. The Autobots now had more important matters to handle, which was to reach an alliance agreement with humans.

Sam had not voiced his opinion until this moment, when he finally asked Ethan, "How are we going to get back?"

"You know I use magic," Ethan turned his head to look at Sam, who was still a young high school student. "You should know that mages are very good at teleportation spells, right?"

Sam immediately understood that Ethan was planning to teleport directly back to Los Angeles. He was very curious about this ability that only existed in fantasy.

"What kind of teleportation is it? Do we just 'whoosh' and we're back in Los Angeles, or do we travel through some strange space for a while and then return to this world?"

"Hmm, a combination of both."

Ethan gently waved his hand, and a blue circle of light appeared before the group. Standing there, they could clearly see the hotel room on the other side of the portal.

"Oh, oh, oh!"

Sam found it incredible, but he still asked if there was anything they needed to be aware of.

"No, just walk straight through."

Tony did not have the patience to entertain a child. As soon as the portal opened, he walked straight through.

Seeing Tony pass through the portal without any issues, Sam and Mikaela followed suit, and Ethan was the last to step through, at which point the portal closed.

Back in the hotel in downtown Los Angeles, getting home was no longer difficult for Sam and Mikaela, especially since they could ask the hotel to call a taxi.

Sam and Mikaela could have left directly, but neither young person seemed to want to go.

Seeing this, Tony finally got up helplessly and announced he was returning to his room.

Sam and Mikaela exchanged glances. Mikaela had originally planned to wait until Sam left to ask Ethan about her job.

She had been by Ethan's side, listening to him discuss various matters with the Senator, even touching upon company affairs. She wondered if Ethan was planning to arrange for her to work at this company? She did not have any complaints about it. Putting aside the salary and benefits for now, being able to directly converse with a US Senator was something not everyone could do.

Moreover, according to Ethan's intention, this company would be established in Los Angeles, so if she worked there, she would not even have to move too far from home.

The downside was that she would not be able to experience magical space adventures, which was a great pity for a young person who had not even graduated high school yet.

She just wanted to confirm how Ethan planned to arrange things for her, but she did not expect Sam to continuously delay leaving, which made her hesitant to ask.

The moment she opened her mouth, Sam would know that Ethan had given her a job, and she did not know how to explain the situation.

How should she put it? Should she say that she recommended herself to Ethan, and this powerful alien (or deity) immediately agreed and gave her an assistant job?

She felt Sam probably would not believe her.

It was because she did not know what to say that they were stuck in this awkward situation.

After hesitating for a while, Sam finally organized his thoughts and asked the question he had wanted to ask for a long time.

"I wanted to ask, is the company you're planning to open in Los Angeles hiring?"

Ethan was also wondering what Sam was waiting for by not leaving. He did not expect that Sam was also looking for a job. Had the employment situation in the US become so bad?

"Didn't you not even graduate high school yet? Are you in such a hurry to find a job?"

He remembered that Sam not only went to college but also got into an Ivy League school. Although he did not know which one specifically, any Ivy League school was prestigious and difficult for the average person to get into. Poor people also could not get in, with tuition starting at forty thousand a year.

Unfortunately, after graduation, the halo of being a graduate of a prestigious school was completely useless. He ended up getting a job in a company's mailroom through his girlfriend's boss's connections, starting from the very bottom.

From this perspective, Sam was quite far-sighted. If he could secure a job position early, he would not have to worry about finding work after graduating from college.

"Uh, because I think your company will definitely need someone familiar with the 'inside story,' and I think I'm suitable."

From this point of view, Sam was indeed suitable. Ethan was not very interested in this suggestion originally, but he suddenly thought of something and felt that hiring Sam was not a bad idea.

He was planning to poach Dylan Gould and have this successful person with rich social experience help him handle the business in this world, but Dylan was not particularly loyal, and facing a threat to his life, who knew what he might do?

He was going to be busy everywhere and could not constantly monitor this world.

Also, it was not convenient to record a fixed time and then arrive at very close time points each time he came over. In that case, this world would not develop, which would contradict his initial intention of cultivating it into a logistics base.

He did not need the kind of logistics world that could just supply some simple materials when necessary. He could find any world for that kind of simple material replenishment.

He hoped to establish comprehensive logistical support, including spaceship maintenance, repair, and even modification. If circumstances allowed, it would be best to build his own base, a place where he could safely hide and recover if he were ever beaten half to death.

Ethan had considered building a large space station or a moon base, and perhaps he could also cooperate with the Transformers, absorbing the Autobots' technical knowledge in the process.

He could even propose helping the Transformers build a new home if necessary. Perhaps the Dyson Sphere that Tony was so keen on could be tested by the Transformers first.

Even though the technology he currently possessed had various flaws, the Transformers' advantage of being able to survive in space meant that many troubles could be avoided during the construction of such artificial celestial bodies. Facilities like those maintaining gravity, atmosphere, and temperature would have higher tolerance for error.

It was precisely because of this long-term plan that he needed a reliable person to act as his representative.

Dylan Gould's ability was sufficient, but his character was questionable. Ethan would not be surprised at all if this guy was bought off by politicians like Smith.

Sam's ability was average, but his character was acceptable. Perhaps he could have Sam monitor Dylan.

Grinning, Ethan suddenly felt like he had gotten himself tied up. He had not initially intended to have too much involvement with the male protagonist of the first three movies, so he had not deliberately approached him or become good friends with him.

Now, with the vast difference in their status and position, trying to get close and become friends would seem problematic.

Fortunately, all his ideas were still in the planning stage, and the arrangement for this world was a temporary whim. Success was great, but failure would not result in any loss. In this situation, he could handle things as he pleased.

He readily agreed to Sam's request, allowing him to work at his company during his vacation. If he performed well and still wanted to join the company after graduating from college, Ethan would welcome his addition.

Sam did not think too much about it. He was just happy that he had found a job. He was not considering adding a backup plan for himself after college graduation. He just thought it was cool to work for a company started by an alien.

As for what exactly he would do and whether he could do it, he had not thought about that yet.

Mikaela, however, had thought about it. She was very worried that she would not be able to meet Ethan's requirements. After all, she had a low education and no work experience. She only knew a lot about cars, and besides that, she did not even know what an assistant was supposed to do.

However, today did not seem like a good time to ask. It was not until the next day when she and Sam saw Ethan again that she finally learned what an assistant did.

The so-called assistant was actually just a runner, someone who did whatever Ethan asked them to do, and without any dissatisfaction.

Originally, given Ethan's current status in this world, there should not have been that many things for Mikaela to do, but ever since Kevin Smith submitted his report with lightning speed, the person in the White House took Ethan's identity and proposal very seriously. In less than half a day, Ethan's company was delivered into Ethan's hands.

He did not have to do anything, and he already owned an office building in Los Angeles.

Accompanied by another fat Senator named Anderson, Ethan carefully toured his base in this world.

This office building was some distance from the city center, but not so remote that there was no one around. During the day, the area was quite bustling and lively, but it was a bit quieter at night, unlike the city center which was a city that never slept.

Ethan also noticed that there were several other buildings around this one. He estimated that these buildings had also been acquired by the government and would likely be used for protection and surveillance of himself.

"Mr. Ethan, how do you like it here?"

"Very good!"

He then politely declined the various experienced staff sent by the other party, but immediately realized that after refusing these people, his shell company was truly just a shell. Apart from himself as the boss, he only had Mikaela as an assistant, Sam as a temporary worker, and Tony as a free agent.

This was too awkward. Ethan immediately went and grabbed Dylan, having this social elite help him set up the basic framework.

(To be continued.)