Abandnda Sector.
This was a Sector completely dominated by the Glolo Star Nation, with no other nations involved. It was five times larger than the current Rusty Star Nation and far richer in resources—holding 8.4 times the resource reserves of the Rusty Star Nation.
A High-tier star nation was, naturally, more than just its territory.
In other regions beyond the star nations, the Glolo Star Nation controlled vast private assets and star systems through numerous Corporations.
Back on Earth, there was a saying: "Small nations have no diplomacy, weak nations have no diplomacy."
The same held true for a nation like the Rusty Star Nation. Although it had cultivated some trading partners through the White Dragon class, Luna never counted on them in a time of real war; it was strictly business, not a life-and-death bond.
Small and weak nations typically conducted diplomacy by becoming Client States.
Only powerful High-tier star nations possessed true diplomatic capabilities, enabling them to expand their influence abroad and seize control over more civilizational resources rather than just internal ones.
Currently.
A ship was navigating the trade route leading to the Abandnda Sector.
The Luna avatar handled very few affairs; she was far more relaxed than the Luna serving as the CEO of the Supernova Technology Corporation in the Rusty Star Nation.
Her daily routine aboard the ship consisted of drinking wine, engaging in various physical sports, or playing games.
"It feels like I've escaped that original state; I was suffocating."
Because she was a clone of the original CEO Luna, she also shared all of CEO Luna's past experiences.
She, too, had been exhausted by it all.
This current state of being was undeniably sublime for her.
"Mistress, look! The Abandnda Sector! It's beautiful!"
A few dozen maidservants accompanied Luna aboard the ship.
One maid stood by the viewport, gazing out. Her eyes reflected a magnificent blue nebula—the Abandnda Nebula, which the Sector was named after. It was a very young nebula; most of its internal stars were only one or two billion years old.
Luna stood beside her, also looking out.
"The cosmos truly has many beautiful sights; they're quite breathtaking."
"How old are you?"
The maid replied, "3,782 years old."
"Quite young."
"I suppose you've spent your entire life within a Star City. A journey spanning several hundred light-years is indeed something most people never get to experience."
The poor of the star nations were truly impoverished.
Nearing 4,000 years of age and still having not amassed enough wealth to leave her home Star City.
Perhaps she had left for brief local trips, but only within her star system.
One couldn't see such cosmic wonders from within a single star system.
The situation was much the same in the Federation.
Federation citizens were extremely wealthy, but they lacked long-lived biological spans; the average person generally couldn't experience true long-distance travel.
"Yes! I've always stayed within Manisi 2 Star City. Thank you, mistress, for allowing me to experience such a long journey."
The maid looked like a young girl, despite being nearly 4,000 years old. In this era, even for the poor, maintaining eternal youth was quite simple. Her face was flushed; she was clearly excited.
Luna had little resistance to such youthful enthusiasm, much like an elder who is exceptionally indulgent toward a child.
"How many times have I told you? Don't call me mistress. Calling me 'Miss' is fine."
"Of course, mis—Miss!"
Luna felt somewhat helpless. This maid had likely spent 2,000 to 3,000 years in service; changing her manner of speech wouldn't be easy. She and the other maids aboard the ship belonged to a professional maid agency. These maids weren't sold but rather leased out.
Luna didn't have the habit of keeping permanent maids, and there were agencies specifically for this.
The difference between purchasing and leasing was that leased maids typically handled only professional duties and avoided personal matters.
For example, these maids were actually physically modified—they were smooth and doll-like, a design choice to prevent certain situations from occurring.
After all, clients generally didn't want the maids they leased to be involved in that kind of business.
Of course, given the vastness of the star nations, every kind of company existed.
This reminded Luna that the Rusty Star Nation had numerous legal restrictions on employment, which resulted in the near-absence of such maid agencies.
These maids actually hailed from a different star nation.
Furthermore, these maids weren't born; the vast majority were artificial. But once artificial humans were granted the same rights as natural-born ones, the distinction became irrelevant.
These artificial humans possessed genetic profiles as complete as any natural person; there was no difference.
Luna didn't mind.
"Get ready. We are about to enter the Glolo Star Nation."
The nebula occupied only 60% of the total volume of the Abandnda Sector. Currently, they were less than three years away from the Glolo Star Nation itself.
That is, roughly 1.7 light-years.
Their speed now exceeded 200,000 kilometers per second because they were traveling along a designated route, aided by Acceleration Rings.
Theoretically, with enough rings, one could approach light speed, but the resource cost would be staggering.
Along this entire route, the Glolo Star Nation had only installed about 100 low-power Acceleration Rings, each adding perhaps 1,000 kilometers per second.
Thus, from the first ring to the last, the total acceleration was at most 100,000 kilometers per second.
At either end of the acceleration path, there were about twenty Deceleration Rings, serving to alert travelers to slow down for inspections.
After two more years of travel, Luna saw the first Deceleration Ring.
The entire ring pulsed with a deep red light.
Luna could clearly feel their velocity dropping.
Then they entered a slow-approach phase, decelerating until they were under 10,000 kilometers per second. At this speed, the ship could come to a full stop within 1 million kilometers.
At the end of the route, Luna saw a massive, circular checkpoint.
The diameter of the checkpoint was roughly 300,000 kilometers.
Several cities sat along its rim, though they weren't as massive as true Star Cities, appearing to house perhaps only tens of millions of people.
The interior of the checkpoint was shaped like a gear; each small tooth in the gear gap served as a separate Starport. These Starports were divided into two distinct zones: upper and lower.
Upon entering the checkpoint's network zone, Luna received a notification.
The blue-coded section was a restricted, non-docking zone.
The white-coded section was the authorized docking area.
Her ship had to proceed to the blue zone, where it would undergo inspection by customs officials; only after passing would she be granted access to the white zone.
The entire checkpoint was indeed a massive, semi-enclosed ring, with the blue zone situated closer to her approach.
[ Welcome to the High-tier Star Nation of Glolo. Please follow the guidance to proceed to the designated zone for inspection. ]
Receiving this notification meant they had officially entered the Glolo Star Nation.
The maids aboard the ship found the experience fascinating.
It was something they had never witnessed before.
Luna, in truth, felt much the same.
The place was even more prosperous than she had imagined.
Her ship wasn't alone on this route; several others were within a range of 1,000 AU. At the checkpoint itself, the traffic was even heavier. She saw a constant flow of vessels, likely numbering over ten thousand—roughly the total ship count of an entire star system.
Luna followed the guidance to the designated area, and the ship came to a stable halt.
She was directed to an individual platform. There were over twenty such platforms here. The peak throughput of ships in this specific area was likely in the four-digit range, no more.
"Please disembark."
A voice called out from outside the ship.
Luna and her entourage of maids descended, met by a Warbeast soldier.
"Follow me."
They were led to a corner of the terrace, then took an elevator down into the platform's interior.
The space was vast, though it seemed sparsely populated. Luna saw only a few people walking about. She was taken to a room where she waited for over an hour before finally meeting a staff member.
The official approached and asked, "Where do you hail from?"
Luna answered truthfully, "The Northern United Star Nation."
Her ship carried the necessary certification from that nation.
By now, an inspection team was likely aboard her vessel, examining its weaponry and cargo.
"What is the purpose of your visit to the Glolo Star Nation?"
"Trade."
"What cargo are you carrying?"
"Samples of Qic Metallurgy. This is the HCC-28 version, which offers superior performance compared to the major JCC-41 line, while reducing production costs by 6%."
As she spoke, a look of pride crossed Luna's face. Her expression was perfectly measured; for a wealthy merchant, their company's products were their primary capital.
"Qic Metallurgy. I've heard of it; it's a specialty of your country."
"Specifically, it's from Hadiya!"
The Northern United Star Nation comprised several smaller nations, and Hadiya was one of them.
Every star nation has its own pride. While outsiders might see a United star nation as a single entity, the citizens within it will tirelessly explain to anyone who listens that they hail from one specific nation, and the "Northern United" is merely a collective.
This level of acting, combined with a forged identity, was sufficient to deceive the authorities.
The interrogation concluded swiftly. Her ship had been inspected several times, and a detailed manifest of the cargo had been sent to the official's personal interface.
"Mhm, everything is in order."
"Good luck with your business."
"Thank you."
After offering her thanks, Luna returned to the ship at a leisurely pace. She noticed several docking clamps holding the vessel in place, preventing it from maneuvering. As she stepped back on board, the clamps disengaged.
The ship powered up.
Its movement was sluggish, only a few hundred kilometers per second. She needed to reach the white-coded Starport to refuel.
She would only top up one-tenth of her reserves, as energy here was typically overpriced.
Currently, 1 Federation Energy Credit can produce 270 GWh of power, or roughly 2.7 trillion kilowatt-hours.
Assuming a ship weighs 100 million tons, the amount of electricity required to propel it to a velocity of 100,000 km/s is staggering—at least 14 sextillion kilowatt-hours, or about 5.15 million Energy Credits worth of power.
However, a typical ship weighs far more than that.
A mass of 100 million tons is merely a 1,000-meter cube of water. Modern ship materials have densities exceeding 100g/mm³, sometimes reaching 1,000g/mm³—hundreds or thousands of times the density of water.
High-end ships are calculated at 1 billion tons, while massive vessels reaching 10 billion tons are commonplace.
The energy consumed by a ship for a single acceleration phase can reach several hundred million Energy Credits.
And that is just the base cost.
In this era, service fees are inevitable—usually around 10%. On foreign turf, that service fee often jumps to 20%.
Take Luna's void-class ship: it was a large-scale vessel. Despite utilizing evasion-capable materials, its weight exceeded 2 billion tons. This meant the cost to propel this ship was 100 million Energy Credits. Refueling here would cost approximately 120 million.
Hardly a bargain.
...
"Where are we heading next, Mistress?"
One of the maids asked Luna.
Once inside the Abandnda Sector, the nebula's outer beauty was no longer visible. The surrounding space looked as mundane and ordinary as any other Sector.
Luna found herself lacking entertainment, though she had downloaded several Glolo Star Nation games at the checkpoint. A few of them were quite engaging.
Games are a medium that almost never goes out of style.
Within human Civilization, the output value of gaming companies is terrifying, occupying a market worth over a hundred octillion credits.
Such a massive "Red Ocean," combined with a low barrier to entry, made it a zone of brutal competition. Every year, millions of gaming companies sprout up across human Civilization, and millions more shut down.
The peak number of gaming companies in human history reached 1.4 trillion; currently, there are 881.3 billion.
Don't be fooled by a hundred-octillion market shared by only 881.3 billion companies. On average, it seems each firm could net over a hundred million in profit.
The catch is that gaming possesses a phenomenal "siphon effect." Theoretically, in every niche market, a mere handful of giants might monopolize over 90% of the total revenue.
After all, most players join because those around them are playing. Single-player offline games occasionally sell well, but they can never match the sheer scale of online titles.
A massive offline hit might sell 10 trillion copies—perhaps 100 trillion for a top-tier classic?
But online games often reach the tens-of-quadrillions tier. Since they aren't one-time purchases, they can continuously extract wealth from players and advertising.
The Federation's largest gaming corporation has a market value exceeding 400 quadrillion.
And as for where Luna was headed:
"A gaming company."
"The largest Corporation in the Glolo Star Nation is a gaming firm called Fenton."
"Fenton Games is a quadrillion-level company. Although they haven't hit the tens-of-quadrillions tier yet, it's only because they haven't produced a cross-national phenomenon; they've only exploded in popularity within their own borders, so the broader market remains skeptical."
"But their profit margins are incredibly impressive."
Gaming companies often trade in Creativity.
Their profit margins frequently exceed 50%.
While the Supernova Technology Corporation's margins are higher, that is an outlier. Due to the population size and the resource theory of imagination, the human Civilization as a whole is quite competitive.
Most companies see profit margins below 30%.
Fenton Games, however, has established a gaming monopoly within the Glolo Star Nation. Their profit margin exceeds 80%: enough to make even Luna a bit envious.
Games in this era differ significantly from those of the Earth period.
Gaming today is truly a "Second World" industry—the game is the world!
A successful gaming company can "abduct" people from reality. By keeping the populace within a virtual world for the vast majority of their time, the company can directly seize the markets and assets of the physical world.
The Federation has its Star Cities.
Housing prices and consumption levels within a physical Star City are kept at an absolute minimum, while the prices and consumption within the virtual world are ten times higher. Everyone lives within the Simulation.
Consequently, these gaming firms are also known as "Virtual Real Estate Corporations."
Fenton Games excelled at both.
"What are we doing there?"
"They certainly don't need our metals."
The gaming giant and their metallurgy business seemed to have absolutely no connection.
Luna smiled but remained silent.
She saw no need to explain her true objective to these maids.
The maids also knew they shouldn't pry further. Ordinarily, when facing other clients, they would never behave this way; it was only because Luna projected such an overwhelming sense of affinity that they felt a natural urge to cross that boundary.
They didn't know why.
But Luna knew.
Even though this was the New Federation, when the New Federation was established, the biological bodies used by the Olive Branch Civilization for the transition were based on Luna's lineage.
Strictly speaking, all humans currently active across human Civilization are descendants of Luna.
Though many of these genes have been modified beyond recognition over time.
Luna had always viewed all of humanity as her own offspring.
An ancestor facing her descendants naturally feels a sense of profound harmony.
...
The ship continued its transit for another forty years.
Finally, a distant Star City came into view.
This Star City was unique, resembling a colossal palace. However, it eschewed any ancient architectural styles in favor of a sleek, modern aesthetic: a palace structured like a soaring skyscraper.
It was immense.
It felt as though it could house 500 million souls.
Its exterior served as a landmark within the Sector, featuring a shimmering facade that took the form of a perfect blossom, complete with petals and a central stamen.
It wasn't merely a vague resemblance; according to Luna's data, it was designed specifically after a certain flower, known as the Steel Bloom.
This was the headquarters of Fenton Games.
[ Welcome to Fenton Games. Please follow the guidance to proceed to the Starport for docking. ]
The notification arrived the moment the ship linked with the local network. Modern human Civilization utilized only about a dozen types of network protocols, and major Corporations were generally compatible with all of them.
The Starport for this massive corporate hub was located at the base, resembling the calyx of the flower.
Once docked, service Androids immediately stepped forward to assist.
These Androids had distinct mechanical structures, differing from the more lifelike models used for the maids. Androids were categorized into several types: worker bots, artificial citizens, and "plastics."
The citizens were indistinguishable from ordinary people, while the plastics—also called customized humans—could have their height, appearance, and organ sizes tailored.
Among Luna's maids, one was a plastic; she possessed a pair of dragon horns and a tail.
This was the most common type of plastic: modifying the original human frame by integrating elements from alien species.
Within the human race, this customization was known as "Beast-kin" tailoring, which could also produce dwarves, spirits, halflings, giants, and other specialized races.
In short, it was all-encompassing; if it could be imagined, it could be engineered. If artificial humans were possible, creating artificial beasts was even simpler.
[ Honored guest, 28743 is at your service. ]
[ How may I assist you? ]
The Android automatically adopted the appearance of the visitor's species: appearing human for humans, or multi-eyed for the Multi-eyed.
Luna spoke to the Android, "Could we meet with your employer?"
"I have a major business proposal for him."
[ Does the guest have an appointment? ]
"I do not."
[ My apologies, guest. In that case, you will likely have to wait a considerable amount of time. According to my records, Mr. Hua'a's schedule is fully booked for the foreseeable future. ]
"Could you notify your supervisor? Perhaps I could speak with them instead?"
[ Of course. ]
...
Luna sat in a reception room, accompanied by only a single maid.
She waited for over three hours before a supervisor from Fenton Games finally arrived.
The official was also human, which made the encounter feel far more familiar. However, dealing with humans was also troublesome; they were notorious for being cunning—a reputation the race held among all species in this era.
"I am Bumi. And you are, Miss...?"
Bumi looked at the individual before him, who carried an extraordinary air of authority.
He had received countless visitors—tens of thousands, perhaps. Most possessed a certain grace, each with their own unique aura, but what he felt from Luna was a sense of overwhelming pressure.
It was rare for him, in his own domain, to feel pressured by a stranger he was meeting for the very first time.
This left him feeling somewhat apprehensive.
It also made him adopt an exceptionally modest attitude.
Luna looked at him and stood up to shake his hand.
"You may call me Yanen. I come from Hadiya, a small nation."
"I have a business proposal your company simply cannot refuse. This is my deposit."
Luna placed a flashcard on the coffee table.
Bumi picked it up and scanned its contents; his gaze turned incredibly grave.
A flashcard.
A savings card issued by the Atonfat Bank of the Twenty-Eight Nations Covenant.
In this era, most transactions were digital; actual Energy Credits were rarely used, as the majority remained under the control of official entities like the Federation and star nations—after all, Energy Credits were energy.
The Twenty-Eight Nations Covenant used these flashcards to acquire energy from the surrounding star nations.
Of course, it wasn't by force; it worked like any conventional bank—deposits were made, and the bank used that capital for national development and investment, reaping massive profits.
This had made Atonfat Bank the top-ranked super-corporation among the star nations, with a market value exceeding 6 quintillion—a figure equal to the combined market cap of the bottom twenty tens-of-quadrillions companies.
This valuation was impressive even by the standards of human Civilization, ranking 17th among all companies globally.
Bumi saw that the balance on the flashcard was 10 trillion Energy Credits.
This was a staggering figure.
Ordinarily, even a 100-trillion-market-cap corporation wouldn't be able to produce that much liquid capital on short notice.
"This is merely the deposit?" He asked, his voice uncertain.
"Of course." Luna's answer was firm.
"If the collaboration proceeds smoothly, the remaining 90 trillion can be settled later."
Bumi drew a sharp breath upon hearing this. A 100-trillion-credit partnership. Fenton Games didn't earn much more than that in an entire century.
"What exactly does the collaboration entail?" Bumi asked cautiously, suppressing his internal shock.
Luna shook her head.
"That is something I must discuss privately with your employer."
"The 10 trillion is merely to ensure he makes time to see me."
"Is it not enough?"
Bumi spoke hurriedly. "Of course it's enough!"
With that much money, one could walk tall even in the Federation; such a person was a VIP anywhere.
A single star system might not even be able to produce that much liquid capital—after all, with a few billion or tens of billions of people, its GDP might only reach a few dozen trillion Energy Credits.
"I will wait, then."
Luna's economy of words only heightened the pressure on Bumi, who hurried to notify his employer.
Shortly after, a corpulent Gargleblast waddled down.
This Gargleblast was so fat he resembled a ball. Theoretically, such a physical condition should not occur in this era; the only explanation was that he preferred it that way. His distinctive appearance allowed Luna to recognize him instantly.
This was the president, sole founder, and CEO of Fenton Games: Hua'a.
"It's been a long time since anyone used 10 trillion as an opening bid. Your generosity is quite remarkable."
"I hear you hail from Hadiya, which belongs to the Northern United Star Nation. And the Northern United, if I recall, aligned itself with the Rusty Star Nation several centuries ago."
His opening words were loaded with subtext. According to the intel, Hua'a was an exceptionally shrewd man with highly enhanced intelligence. Seeing him once was better than hearing about him a hundred times.
Luna instantly realized they were cut from the same cloth. Of course, there were differences.
"Correct. I am indeed from the Rusty Star Nation."
"You must be aware that the Glolo Star Nation has dispatched a fleet to invade us."
Luna cut straight to the point. With such an intelligent person, circling around was counterproductive.
"That is a matter between star nations. Why have you come to me?" Hua'a was playing dumb.
"I've heard that Fenton Games doesn't actually belong to the Glolo Star Nation."
This was the primary reason Luna had sought him out.
Fenton Games was an outsider established within Glolo. Hua'a himself was stateless; originally a drifter, he had founded a space pirate group, eventually laundered his identity, and started a small gaming company.
To everyone's surprise, his talent in this field was immense, and the business slowly expanded. Consequently, the Glolo Star Nation had integrated him, making Fenton Games a Glolo corporation.
"That is ancient history."
"Fenton Games is now fully integrated into the Glolo Star Nation. Over 95% of our staff are Glolo citizens."
"Aren't you afraid I'll report your presence?"
"After all, I have a very clear understanding of where my interests lie."
Hua'a was implying that even a 100-trillion-credit bid wasn't enough for him to risk taking on such a massive burden. Luna wasn't surprised; she had more chips to play.
"The Lican Sector lacks major gaming companies. I don't need you to do much, only to destabilize Glolo's internal situation for the time being. I believe you're capable of it."
Fenton Games was currently confined to the Glolo Star Nation. They needed to make their first step toward expansion.
But it wouldn't be easy. Games occupied a significant portion of modern people's time; no star nation would willingly surrender that time to a foreign power. If war broke out, a game could influence vast numbers of people.
The population of the Lican Sector wasn't much smaller than that of the Glolo Star Nation; if Fenton Games could expand there, its scale would double.
"Wouldn't that just make us a more prominent target?"
By then, Fenton Games would have expanded its reach, and the Glolo Star Nation would undoubtedly realize they were the hidden hands behind the scenes.
"That will require your own maneuverings. As a weaponized corporation, I trust you understand how to operate better than I do," Luna remarked to Hua'a.
His deep, resonant laughter filled the room.
"You aren't afraid of us?"
If Fenton Games itself were the weapon, it would be lethal. Once their expansion was complete, the Rusty Star Nation could potentially have its intelligence compromised, allowing Fenton Games to dismantle it from within.
"That is not for you to worry about. We know how the subsequent stages will play out."
"Agreed. 100 trillion. We will transfer the funds to you gradually as each phase of the plan is executed."
There was always the possibility that Fenton Games might go back on its word.
For the Supernova Technology Corporation's profit levels, 100 trillion was a massive sum, but it was a gamble they could afford to lose. This was merely one of Luna's strategies, not her only lifeline.
"Interesting!"
Hua'a had never dealt with the Supernova Technology Corporation before; after all, their business sectors were completely unrelated. Seeing them once was indeed better than hearing about them a hundred times.
They truly lived up to their reputation as the corporation that even the Glolo Star Nation coveted.
"I need an additional 20 trillion. If you agree, then we have a deal."
"Bargaining even at a time like this. Greedy Hua'a, your reputation precedes you."
"I can make that decision, but it depends on your sincerity."
There were no contracts. This was not a society where a written covenant carried much weight.
The two reached a verbal agreement right then and there.
Luna departed the headquarters shortly after.