"No wonder we haven't heard any news from them recently."
After listening to He Kui recount his earlier conversation with East Asia, Mother He breathed a sigh of relief. Her gaze then turned to He Kui, filled with pride.
After all, East Asia had actually tried to poach her son. Regardless of what it signified, it was enough to make Mother He happy for a long time.
"According to what they said, communications should be restored once the situation stabilizes completely."
"Mm."
Mother He nodded with satisfaction and then continued.
"But the Atlantic Federation is actually trying to force East Asia into the fray."
"Probably because they can't avoid it."
On Earth, the biggest threat to the Atlantic Federation is East Asia.
Although they are all part of the Earth Alliance, it's clear that the Atlantic Federation is deeply wary of East Asia.
Taking action against East Asia might be a difficult choice for the Atlantic Federation.
If they act, they might force East Asia to intervene.
But if they don't act, an unweakened East Asia sitting in their rear would make them even more apprehensive.
Since they're already dragging the whole world into this, bringing East Asia into the mix would also allow them to test and weaken East Asia's still undisclosed strength.
And just as they suspected, East Asia's strength has begun to surface a bit.
Who knows what the Atlantic Federation is thinking now.
The current calm on Earth is likely largely due to the Atlantic Federation waiting for East Asia to make its stance clear.
A larger-scale war is likely to break out before their Genesis is fully completed.
This is not good news for ordinary people, but for Blue Cosmos, which stands behind the Atlantic Federation, it's a positive development.
"Will this cooperation be successful?"
Mother He nodded nervously and asked.
If the weapons her son created were ultimately aimed at East Asia, it would be unbearable for everyone.
"It should work out."
He Kui thought about Patrick's side.
Patrick is still rational. He definitely knows who can be fought and who cannot.
At this point, it's impossible for PLANT to engage in a conflict with East Asia, and East Asia doesn't seem to have any aggressive intentions either.
The foundation for negotiations between the two sides already exists.
"Let's wait a bit longer."
As He Kui spoke, his gaze fell on the hydroponic pods in front of him.
The technology for hydroponic pods is gradually maturing, and the next step is Genesis.
But given the current situation, Genesis certainly cannot be directly aimed at Earth. It's unclear what changes a cooperation with East Asia would bring to the world.
After recording the data from the hydroponic pods, He Kui returned to Orb.
Due to the food crisis, Cagalli had already left the military island and returned to the capital.
As a nation primarily formed by volcanic islands in the Solomon Islands, while the volcanoes ensure fertile land, the amount of arable land is relatively limited. Only the northern plains are suitable for cultivation, and the tropical rainforest climate brings challenges like excessive rainfall and soil erosion.
Although greenhouse transformations had been made earlier and a containment net was set up before the locusts arrived, Orb's food supply is still insufficient to meet the needs of its own population.
The food self-sufficiency rate was only 43%, while the dependency rate on food imports had reached 57%. As a heavy industrial nation, they had long balanced food supply and demand through international trade. However, this disadvantage had now become fully apparent.
To maintain domestic food supplies, Orb had to spend more foreign exchange on purchasing food, naturally widening the trade deficit and increasing economic pressure. Moreover, as a basic necessity, any rise in food prices would inevitably trigger a chain reaction, leading to a certain level of inflation.
When people might go hungry, all high technology and industrial capabilities become meaningless.
It could be said that what PLANT was currently experiencing, Orb was also going through, albeit not as severely. However, if left unaddressed, it would still be problematic.
In light of the above, recent meetings in Orb, both large and small, had not ceased. Cagalli, currently serving as Uzumi's secretary, had been attending these meetings alongside her father.
Today, after barely stabilizing the geopolitical risks over the past half month, Uzumi convened the second meeting on addressing the food crisis.
The five major clans, including the Dawn Organization and the Food Agency, gathered together, creating a lively atmosphere.
"Director Erica, how is the development of our Space Hydroponic Pod technology progressing?" Uzumi's expression was stern, his commanding gaze slowly turning toward Erica, who stood in the center, ready to answer.
"Yes, although it is still not capable of large-scale supply, if we begin large-scale cultivation on Amenomihashira, we can currently increase the self-sufficiency rate by 10%."
"Only 10%?" A clan member who also served as an official in the Food Agency expressed dissatisfaction.
"Yes, considering the area of Amenomihashira and the current cost and manufacturing difficulties of the technology, 10% is the best we can achieve."
Facing the questioning, Erica remained calm and composed.
"Damn it, if Heliopolis were still here..." someone couldn't help but say upon hearing Erica's words.
"We should demand compensation from PLANT for our losses!"
Originally, they had planned to raise this issue in subsequent negotiations with ZAFT to secure some compensation and assistance.
After all, with PLANT's frequent construction of Colony Satellites, their help would undoubtedly speed up the process.
"Hmph, they probably have their own problems to deal with."
"After all, they don't have the same research capabilities as we do," one person sneered.
The others did not refute this, though Erica frowned slightly.
This statement carried a hint of arrogance.
However, for those who had first developed the Gundam, they indeed had the right to be proud.
In their view, whether it was Freedom Justice or Raider Forbidden, they were all derived from their Gundam.
They were the originators of the Gundam, and in Hydroponic Pod technology, they were undoubtedly unparalleled.
However, they clearly had not considered He Kui's capabilities.
Listening to the discussion, Cagalli subtly glanced at Xiao Liu behind her, a trace of helplessness showing.
Just as He Kui shook his head slightly at Cagalli, the group in front continued speaking.
"Can we sell this technology to PLANT?"
The head of the Food Administration glanced at the familiar face of Kio, the head of the Ji family and also the foreign minister of Orb.
In fact, what this person said was quite reasonable. After all, in their view, PLANT certainly did not possess their current Hydroponic Pod technology, so PLANT's situation could only be worse than theirs.
Selling now would undoubtedly allow them to wait for the highest price and make a hefty profit.
"It would be great if we could get Heliopolis back," others chimed in.
Upon hearing this, He Kui couldn't help but find it rather amusing.
(End of Chapter)