He is very good at talking!
And he picked the people to invite well, these four all sound like they know what they're talking about when they discuss manufacturing and business.
"I assume you're going to be cagey with whatever lost technology is powering this little slew of inventions..."
"You assume correctly."
"Well, I can't really make a large outlay of investment just based on this - I only have your word that you did this in two days, sirs. But if I can inspect the-"
"No," Nick interrupts cheerfully.
"-No? It's a reasonable request."
"None the less, no. That is a very high-trust course, and I have only met you this morning as well, madam."
"Hmph."
"If you give me a specification - nothing huge like a whole computer - that I have no reason to have made up beforehand, I can provide it. Free of charge, even. Will that not serve as proof?"
"I suppose it might." But she doesn't look happy, and she withdraws from the conversation.
The other three seem tentatively interested though. They don't want to give him money as an investment quite yet, but they start to work out deals to buy up stuff Nick and Valanda produce, and deals for loans, and deals for sending tools and experts over.
Nick doesn't mention scrap at all, though one of the guys does own a junkyard.