With Aron's words, the meeting started and Nova immediately materialized in front of them. She sat in her chair as she took the position of secretary, but also the restructuring project manager.{Let's start by listing the companies and what they've been doing before I explain the reconstruction plan. That way it'll make sense.{First is GAIA Technologies, which introduced Gaia OS, Pangea, BugZapper, and a hit game to the world. It was also the first company Aron built and later incorporated a law firm, which still acts as the company's legal department.{Next is Connect, LLC, which has been providing internet, electricity, water, sewage services, and transportation throughout Eden.{Then there's Hephaestus Heavy Industries, which is responsible for the production of all physical products that all the companies need. {And last, but not least, is Helios Energy, which has been awarded the contract to extract and refine the crude oil deposits in Eden and Esparia.{In order to manage the
Silence was the only response Aron received from the other two people in the room as they contemplated his idea and attempted to come to terms with it.It was their first time facing such a morally gray decision. And although many people who'd reached the lofty heights of the three people in the meeting room had done so after many despicable deeds, neither Sarah nor Felix had ever had to make a choice like the one before them. They had been given their high and mighty positions simply because of their friendship with Aron and his trust in them; they were the only two that had stayed by his side besides his family when everyone else had abandoned him during the Rottem Morgan debacle, after all.Thus, they had never been faced with such difficult decisions before. They were completely unlike Aron, who'd had to deal with the death of all the people that had died in the Eden-Esparia war. That said, he had only managed to overcome that without any significant guilt thanks to the system doi
"Who is he?" Rina's father asked."You know him, father," she said. She didn't need to mention Aron's name, as she was sure her father would know who she was talking about."You know that isn't how our family does things, right?" Her father was slightly displeased about her course of action going against their traditions."I know," she replied. She wasn't even planning on trying to explain, since, like Aron, she hated lying when there was no reason to.There was silence from the other side of the phone once again. Rina's father hadn't expected her to be so bold, but realized that she was serious about her relationship."I feel safe around him, and he's someone who was on my side even when I was in a difficult time," she continued after a while. Aron was very important to her."But…." As the family head was about to say something about Aron's low class upbringing, he remembered that he had no right to lecture her daughter after having allowed her brother to marry her off to a scumbag l
At the Mar-A-Lago golf course, a controversial figure known for his blond hair and very orange skin was golfing in his signature white shirt and white shorts, uncaring about all the turmoil he had caused when he'd announced the controversial idea of banning Muslims from entering the United States.It wasn't the first controversy he had created, and it would be far, far from the last.Just as he was about to hit the golf ball, his pocket started vibrating. He halted his swing and answered his phone, since anyone who could call him on this particular phone was someone who warranted an immediate answer."Hello," he greeted after he looked at who the caller was. The name made him smile."Hello, how's our next president doing?" came a voice from the other side of the call."George, what caused you to call me in the middle of the afternoon? You know I should be working hard on my campaign," replied the man. He was knowingly lyin
Satisfied with Trump's reaction, George continued the summary."We won't start with high-profile endorsements, but they'll go up in value along with the increase in your poll numbers. Your first endorsement will come from Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee."When Trump heard that name, he knew that they weren't messing around at all. And that was just the first in a long line of endorsements to come."She'll officially endorse you at a rally in Iowa, which should be, I think, on January 19th. That's about three weeks from now, and a few days after the sixth republican primary debate," he continued."In February, which should be the month you start overtaking Ted Cruz in the polls, the New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie, will start endorsing you after your wins—""Isn't he a candidate? And quite critical of me, as well," Trump interrupted. He wasn't sure if he had misheard something or not
Trump was a bit confused and surprised at the target mentioned by Aubrey. He had never thought of Eden or Esparia being the new targets. The only thing he knew about them was that they were some backwards shitholes that didn't even have golf courses!.The silence continued for quite a while as the two Morgans in the room left Trump to digest the information in silence."Why them?" he asked after the long silence."Because they have a massive amount of untapped resources, so we stand to benefit the most from those. Plus, they're absolutely weak and the investment won't be that high," Aubrey answered. He absolutely wouldn't tell Trump his actual reason for choosing the tiny island nations. "Are you opposed?" he asked when he saw the look on Trump's face."No, I don't really care. I don't care about the reason or how we do things. As long as I can make America great again, I'll support your agenda with all my power when I win the election," he proclaimed, then laughed. "Besides, they don
When Vladimir finished speaking, everyone in the room had a more detailed understanding of the situation in Crimea."Why's he leading an investigation in the field when he's obviously ministerial material?" Putin asked the head of the FSB.Alexander Bortnikov, the director of the FSB, was in the meeting room with the other ministers of the Russian government in order to debrief Vladimir after his mission. However, he'd never thought he would be put on the spot by being asked a question like that, nor had he expected Vladimir would turn out to be such an effective field agent compared to his previous record."He's still under investigation. There was a mess about an FSB agent being kidnapped from their home, and," he gestured toward Vladimir, "that agent is him. He maintains that he doesn't remember anything between the time he was kidnapped and when he woke up in the hospital.""What's your finding in that investigation? I recall that incident happened quite a few months ago, so you s
As Aron and his friends continued their decision-making process, the people whose lives they were deciding were busily trudging along in their day-to-day lives. All they had were their aspirations, dreams, and the hope of a better (or vengeful) future. That was what forced them to keep moving forward despite their difficult lives.....Robert Watson, a British immigrant to America, was one of the people on the list in Aron and his friends' hands. Currently, he was in a conference room with his lawyer. On the opposite side of the table from them was a woman wearing almost comically thick makeup. She was dressed in a leopard-print top that clashed with a wide, hot pink belt, a tight purple skirt that only came halfway down her thighs, flesh-colored stockings, and bright red stiletto heels with a four inch shiny chrome spike. She had bubblegum pink hair styled to the nines cascading over her shoulders, and on the table in front of her was an enormous bag covered in the Lo
“Seraphina,” Aron began, his voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of authority, “I’m not your enemy—unless you choose to make me one. I understand your anger, your frustration. You’ve lost control of a situation you believed was firmly under your command. But this predicament wasn’t my doing—you’re here because your leader chose to sacrifice you. What I’m offering you isn’t a chain—it’s an opportunity.”Her sharp eyes narrowed, the intensity of her gaze unwavering, but she held her silence. Aron leaned forward, his own gaze unrelenting as it met hers.“You can continue resisting, pushing the boundaries of the mana oath, and enduring needless pain. Or…” He paused, letting the words linger like a challenge. “You can choose to turn this situation into one that serves us both. Your strength, your insight—these are not things I wish to suppress. Quite the opposite. I want them refined, amplified, and put to meaningful use.”He motioned toward the table, where Nova was still doing fina
[Colosseum]Aron and Seraphina stood motionless, maintaining the same distance as at the start of their faceoff. Neither had moved, even during the spectacular fireworks show that followed Aron’s acceptance of her surrender. The only exception was Aron briefly waving to the citizens of his empire watching the broadcast, many of whom were overcome with emotion, crying in celebration of their historic victory. This event marked the first-ever interstellar combat they had participated in, and despite their lack of experience, they emerged as the sole victors.As cheers of triumph reverberated among his people and the disbelief of others lingered, the broadcast concluded. The moment Aron secured his final victory, the Arena itself was officially handed over to him as part of his reward, along with control of the AI referee. Without hesitation, the AI complied with her new owner’s first command: to end the broadcast. Aron had more pressing matters to attend to—a private conversation with a
[Meeting Room]Inside the Zelvora mental network, an oppressive silence hung over the gathered representatives around the meeting table. The events of the day had left them all stunned, their minds racing with the implications of what had transpired. These were not just any representatives—they were the ones who had signed off on the agreements, the architects of their civilizations’ participation in this contest.Now, they were confronted with the brutal outcome of their decisions.Many representatives sat deep in thought, their faces betraying various degrees of fear, frustration, and resignation. Those who hailed from civilizations steeped in selfish political traditions knew all too well the grim truth: scapegoats would be needed. Someone would have to bear the brunt of the blame for the humiliation, anger, and setbacks their civilizations had suffered.For many of them, the path forward seemed bleak. In the best-case scenario, they might lose their positions, exiled from the corr
To say Aron was surprised would be the understatement of the gigaannum. The announcement had obliterated every scenario he had meticulously crafted in his mind. In all his time spent in simulations, preparing for countless contingencies, not once had he considered the possibility of the Xor’Vaks surrendering—least of all without a fight.Their pride in their strength was legendary, surpassing even the vaunted arrogance of the Valthorins. For a race that reveled in their dominance, surrendering, especially on such a grand stage, was unthinkable. This sudden reversal of expectations hit him with such force that he could practically feel the metaphorical veins in his temple throbbing from the sheer shock of it all.The audience’s collective astonishment mirrored his own, but none felt it as acutely as Aron, whose carefully laid strategies now seemed almost laughably over-prepared in the face of this unanticipated twist.The largest part of Aron's shock wasn’t just the surrender itself bu
The minutes passed quickly for the viewers, their eyes glued to Aron as he sat unmoving in the same meditative position for over fifteen minutes. Speculation ran rampant on both sides, fueled by curiosity and tension.For those in the Empire, the consensus was that Aron was in VR, likely meeting with family or key figures. Many debated who he might be speaking with, guessing that he was either calming worried loved ones or strategizing for the next fight.On the other hand, viewers from the Astral Conclave harbored a mix of anxiety and intrigue. They questioned whether Aron was recuperating in preparation for the upcoming battle, enhancing his focus and mental clarity, or if his recovery from the previous fight was incomplete and he was still in the process of healing.But their speculations ceased to matter as Aron opened his eyes with five minutes remaining in the waiting period. Calm and deliberate, he removed the glasses from his head, placing them back into their container. His n
The moment the fight was officially declared over, Nova acted without hesitation. She immediately dispatched the collector ship, equipped with a medipod, to retrieve the Trinarian fighter's body. Simultaneously, she ensured Aron could rearm himself with a fresh set of nanomachines. For the first time, this process was being done openly, marking a significant shift.Previously, nanomachines had been classified technology, their existence kept strictly under wraps. However, that secrecy had been unintentionally broken when Nova used them to cover Aron’s exposed body during a critical moment, prioritizing his dignity over confidentiality. As a result, while the technology remained shrouded in mystery, its existence was now officially acknowledged, albeit without disclosing any further details.Aron retrieved a small canister from the ship and opened it, revealing a liquid-like substance inside. Pouring it onto his hand, the substance behaved unnaturally, defying gravity as it began to sp
"Him alive is better than dead, right? I can use his live brain data to study how they use their spatial abilities—it might even help accelerate my plans if things go as intended," Aron said as he stood over the fainting Trinarian fighter.{True, having him alive presents opportunities. But dead men cause no problems, while the living carry infinite potential for chaos—especially one like him. If our spatial lockdown isn’t enough to fully contain his abilities, he could use them long enough to cause catastrophic damage, even if it means enduring the backlash,} Nova replied, her tone laced with caution. She wanted to ensure Aron was fully aware of the risks he was inviting by sparing the fighter's life.Usually, Nova would have been in favor of keeping him alive—it meant more data for her to process, analyze, and extrapolate from. But spatial ability users were in a league of their own when it came to danger. Even a dead one would yield enough data to at least satisfy her curiosity for
“Nova,” Aron called out in his mind the moment his eyes snapped open, rapidly collecting information and orienting himself, realizing he had finally left the enigmatic place the system had sent him.“Nova,” he called again, this time aloud, his voice carrying a commanding weight as it echoed faintly in the arena. Receiving no response to his first call, his sharp gaze shifted to his surroundings. It didn’t take long for him to notice his current state—nearly naked, save for the swarm of nanomachines that had begun assembling around him.{The system had ejected me, sir,} Nova’s voice finally came through, calm but slightly delayed as the nanomachines completed their task. They prioritized covering his lower body, forming a sleek pair of trousers, as there weren’t enough surviving nanomachines to reconstruct full armor. His chiseled upper body remained exposed, glistening under the lights of the Colosseum, much to the awe and unease of the spectators.Nova’s pragmatic choice left Aron l
Following Nova's orders and the AI referee's approval, the mana stone carriers swiftly began moving toward the Colosseum. As the first ship arrived and entered, it wasted no time, promptly unloading its entire cargo of mana stones before departing to make way for the next carrier to do the same. The process was conducted with remarkable efficiency, ensuring a steady flow of mana stones into the Colosseum without any unnecessary delays.The process continued as over fifty ships unloaded their cargo of mana stones, an act many from the Conclave viewed as both excessive and wasteful. With each successive ship, the pain of the Conclave's viewers grew, particularly when the fifth ship alone had already matched the quantity of mana stones used during the Colosseum's initial construction. Yet, they didn’t stop there; instead, they went on to unload ten times that amount, as if mana stones were an endless resource, leaving the Conclave citizens bewildered and horrified by such apparent extra