[Earth Orbit - The Mesosphere]
The shadow of the Black Monolith covered the entire Eastern Seaboard. It was a rectangle of pure void, ten miles high, hovering silently above the Atlantic Ocean. Below it, the Poseidon Fleet looked like toys. The Railgun Destroyers, which had annihilated the Council, were aiming their weapons at the visitor.
[Neo-Atlantis - The Palace Balcony]
Alex stood on the balcony, adjusting his tie. The Aegis Quantum Pendant glowed softly against his chest, holding the soul of Elena. "Dawn," Alex asked. "Can we shoot it down?"
"Negative," Dawn replied, her voice glitching with static. "Target analysis failed. Their shields are shifting out of phase with our reality. If we fire the railguns, the slugs will simply pass through them."
"Then we negotiate," Alex said. "Open a channel."
[The Connection]
A beam of violet light shot down from the Monolith, striking the balcony. It didn't hurt. It projected a hologram. Standing before Alex was a creature that looked like a 10-foot tall humanoid made of polished obsidian. It wore flowing robes of digital light. Its face was a smooth screen displaying a single, unblinking eye.
[Designation: Auditor 741.] [Affiliation: Intergalactic Banking Guild (IBG).] [Status: Impatient.]
"Greetings, indigenous lifeform," The Auditor's voice bypassed Alex's ears and vibrated directly in his skull. "I am here to collect on the lease for Planet Earth-C137. The previous tenant, 'The Council,' has defaulted."
"I terminated the previous tenant," Alex said calmly, stepping forward. "I am the new owner of this planet."
"Correction," The Auditor's eye narrowed. "You are the occupant. The owner is the Banking Guild. And you are trespassing."
[The Flex That Failed]
Alex smiled. This was a business meeting. He knew how to handle these. "Everything has a price," Alex said. "How much is the debt?"
"The outstanding balance, including 500 years of interest and late fees, is 10,000 Galactic Credits (GC)."
Alex scoffed. "10,000? That's it?" He opened his System Interface. "I'll pay it right now. In fact, I'll pay double if you leave my airspace immediately."
Alex tapped his account. "Transfer $100 Trillion USD to Auditor 741."
BZZZT.
The Auditor stared at him. Then, a sound echoed from the hologram. It was laughter. Mechanical, cold laughter.
"You offer me... paper?" The Auditor sneered. "Hyper-inflated planetary fiat currency? This is worthless. I cannot buy a single hyper-drive coil with 'Dollars.' I cannot buy a nutrient paste with 'Euros.'"
The Auditor waved his hand. [System Alert: Transaction Rejected.] [Reason: Currency Not Recognized by Galactic Standard.]
"Your GDP is trash," The Auditor declared. "You have 24 hours to pay the debt in Galactic Credits. If you cannot pay, the planet will be liquidated. We will strip the atmosphere and sell the water to the Mining Guilds."
[The Reality Check]
Alex froze. For the first time since Chapter 1, his money didn't work . He had infinite dollars. But in the eyes of the universe, he was broke.+1
"System Update Required," The God-Tycoon System chimed. [Updating to Tier 2...] [Loading Galactic Economy Module...]
[Update Complete.] [User: Alex.] [Earth Balance: Infinite.] [Galactic Balance: 0 GC.]
"Wait," Alex called out as the hologram began to fade. "How do I get Credits?"
The Auditor paused. It looked at Alex with pity. "Sell something of value, primitive. Labor. Resources. Or your own skin. I don't care. Just pay me."
The beam vanished. The 24-hour countdown appeared in the sky, visible to every human on Earth.
[23:59:59]
Alex looked at Luna. "Well," Alex straightened his jacket, though his hands were trembling slightly. "It seems we are poor again."