"But that still falls short," Adam murmured, his head bowed. "Should we perhaps withdraw the money you earned in Nikrosia to make up the difference, Mr. Smith?""Absolutely not!" Evan's face darkened instantly. That money was his hard-earned wealth, truly belonging to him. The system's money, while unlimited, was meant to be spent and, in a sense, didn't genuinely belong to him.To spend his own money felt like carving flesh from his very being."Oh," Adam immediately cowered, his chubby hands fidgeting uncertainly."Ahem," Evan cleared his throat, his expression softening slightly as he continued, "The third matter is this: I need you to locate someone—a foreigner with blonde hair and blue eyes."This person was the foreign youth who possessed The Multiverse Mall App. Evan wanted to know when this young man would return to Aleria, intending to detonate the water droplet upon his arrival."Certainly, I'll begin the search immediately," Adam replied.After Evan had finished relaying th
They were all too familiar with Kimberly Foster's personality - haughty, self-assured, intolerant of the slightest imperfection, always exuding an air of female authority, as unpredictable as a woman going through menopause.She immediately picked up the phone and called the building's head of security: "Since when did our Academy become a haven for lunatics? Remove those two at once!"The security chief trembled, "But they're important figures from Lumina City."Kimberly Foster retorted coldly, "Does being a Lumina City bigwig give them the right to cause havoc here? If they don't shut their mouths, throw them out!""Very well," the security chief reluctantly agreed.However, Dominic Taylor and Samuel Walker didn't give the security chief a chance to expel them. While he was on the phone, they slipped into the elevator, inquired about Kimberly Foster's location from other occupants, and headed directly to the sixth floor.Exiting the elevator, they rushed to the research lab, barging
Evan glanced at Kimberly Foster, his expression unchanged. He replied coolly, "Outrageous or not, unfounded or not, the fact remains that I do understand science a bit better than you. Soon enough, you'll be the ones asking me for information."His unwavering stance made Kimberly Foster bristle like an enraged cat. Trembling with fury, she pointed at Evan, her voice laced with venom:"You impertinent child! How dare you spout such nonsense in my academy? You understand science better than us? We'll be asking you for information? Perhaps you'd like to take over as the director of the Elysia Academy of Sciences? Lead Elysia to become a global superpower?"The assembled professors and graduate students regarded Evan as though he were deranged.Though President Foster was known for her difficult temperament, she had made outstanding contributions to aerospace and had won the Elysia Technology Innovation Award three times consecutively.As for themselves, they were all graduates of prestig
"Ha! Those Swedes really know how to stir things up. Publicly insulting Elysia like that – not exactly proper, but oh so satisfying!" Edward chuckled, taking a sip of coffee as he closed the headline about yesterday's viral video mocking Elysia."Speaking of Elysia, I wonder if those fools have made any progress in their research. If not, we'll have the upper hand in this trade war. No matter how high we raise the tariffs, they'll have no choice but to buy from us!"Energized, Edward's fingers danced across the keyboard, bringing up Elysia's renowned official science and technology forum – the Elysia Research Network. This platform was the first to showcase any new scientific achievements from Elysia, attracting attention not only domestically but also from researchers worldwide.Edward casually clicked on a section, and a bold, oversized headline immediately caught his eye: "Elysia Develops Cutting-Edge Space-Based Brain-Computer Interface Technology, Poised to Set Global Aerospace S
Donald's brow furrowed. "What does this have to do with our response to Elysia's high-tech innovations? And what's the meaning of your three fingers? You only mentioned two aspects earlier!"Jonathan, still holding up his three fingers, lifted his chin proudly and explained, "Mr. President, allow me to elaborate. If Elysia has indeed developed so many advanced technologies, we may have lost on the first front, but we're not necessarily defeated on the second!"He lowered one of his three fingers."Are you suggesting we abandon the first aspect and focus heavily on Elysia's agricultural exports?" Donald's expression softened slightly as he inquired."Precisely. Since we can't match Elysia's overnight scientific breakthroughs, we must play to our strengths and concede the technology export battle.""We'll target Elysia's agricultural exports, raising tariffs again to leave them with no recourse. After all, we are their largest market for agricultural products."Jonathan lowered his seco
Thanks to the diplomatic maneuvering of Dominic Taylor, Samuel Walker, Kimberly Foster, and other influential figures, Elysia's customs proceedings progressed without incident.However, the Alerian customs officials were struck dumb with astonishment, their faces a picture of utter bewilderment.They were utterly perplexed. Had the Elysians taken leave of their senses? President Donald had signed a $60 billion tax increase just two days prior, yet here were the Elysians, feverishly dispatching goods to Aleria as if they had money to burn!Despite their confusion, they diligently carried out their duties, levying the mandatory taxes. Without exception, all exported goods were subject to a 35% tariff.As these products flooded Alerian shopping centers, they were priced to reflect the added tariffs.This development elicited head-shaking from Alerian retail staff. Previously, Elysian goods had been coveted for their affordability, inspiring frenzied purchasing among Alerian consumers. No
"What do we do now??" Donald roared at Louis, Jonathan, and other Alerian officials, watching citizens' jubilant expressions on the news."Mr. President, remain calm. We can still salvage this!" Jonathan, stroking his bald pate, smiled. "Sir, I have a plan that could turn Elysia's actions into a loss, effectively gifting money to our citizens at their expense!""Fine, tell me your plan," Donald growled, clearly still fuming.Jonathan, sweating nervously, respectfully replied, "It's simple - we raise tariffs again! Mr. President could sign another executive order to further increase import duties."Vice President Louis instantly grasped the idea:"You mean, we impose even higher tariffs on Elysia?""Elysia is already operating at a loss. Another tariff hike would exacerbate their losses. The longer this continues, the more severe their financial damage. Meanwhile, Aleria reaps substantial profits from these heightened duties!""Precisely! The Vice President is truly astute!" exclaimed
At this moment, Donald and Louis were utterly thunderstruck, their faces blanching to a ghostly pallor.They were certainly aware of Nikrosia's recent financial tsunami. Its devastation was akin to the aftermath of a hundred atomic bombs. To think that such catastrophic damage was orchestrated by a single, enigmatic Elysian youth!This young man had single-handedly challenged the might of Nikrosia and the entire Southeast Asian region. His power was truly terrifying, bordering on the divine or demonic!Despite their shock, they didn't share Jonathan's pessimism about Aleria's chances of victory.After all, Aleria's strength far surpassed that of Nikrosia and its smaller Southeast Asian neighbors. They merely concluded that if Elysia had this youth's assistance, the trade war might become more protracted and arduous.But ultimately, they believed, victory would still dawn upon them.Five minutes later, Jonathan's assistant rushed in, visibly panicked: "The force behind Elysia in this t