[The Pantheon - The War Room]
The alien ship was gone, but the threat remained. Alex sat in his chair, staring at the massive holographic map of the galaxy Dawn had projected. Thousands of stars. Millions of planets. And Earth was just a tiny, blinking red dot on the edge of the map.
"Status," Alex asked.
"Galactic Net Connection: Established," Dawn reported. "We are now live on the interstellar network."
"Show me our profile."
A screen popped up. It was humiliating.
[Planet: Earth (C-137)] [Civilization Rank: Class-0 (Primitive).] [Primary Export: Mud, Water, Carbon.] [Credit Rating: D- (High Risk).] [Note: Inhabitants are aggressive monkeys with nuclear firecrackers.]
Alex frowned. "Aggressive monkeys? Who wrote this?"
"The Galactic Wiki," Dawn replied. "It is an open-source database edited by nearby civilizations. The neighboring star systems view us as... trash."
[The Chat Room]
"Open the local sector chat," Alex ordered. "Let's see what the neighbors are saying."
A stream of text appeared on the screen, translated instantly by the System.
[User: Xylar_The_Conqueror (Sector 4)]: "Did you see the Debt Collector visit C-137? I bet they got liquidated. LOL." [User: Merchant_Grok]: "I heard they pay in 'Paper.' Can you imagine? I wouldn't trade a dead rat for that planet." [User: Princess_Aura]: "Ew. Primitives are so gross. We should just glass the planet and build a hyperspace bypass."
Alex's eye twitched. He was the Master of Earth. He owned nations. He had infinite wealth. And here, he was getting roasted by Merchant_Grok.
"I don't like being poor," Alex muttered. "Dawn, open the System Store. Category: Identity & Status."
[The Upgrade]
The store menu expanded.
Item: Galactic ID (Basic). Cost: 1,000 TP.
Effect: Allows basic trading. Name color: Gray.
Item: Merchant License. Cost: 10,000 TP.
Effect: Lower taxes on trade. Name color: Green.
Item: Noble Title (Baron). Cost: 50,000 TP.
Effect: Access to VIP lounges. Name color: Blue.
Alex scrolled past them all. He wanted the top shelf. "Where is the 'I own the place' option?"
He found it at the bottom.
Item: The Imperial Black Card (Universal VIP).
Cost: 500,000 Tycoon Points.
Effect: Grants "Sovereign Guest" status in all 12 Galaxies. 0% Transaction Fees. Priority Access to Black Markets.
Aura: Your username glows Legendary Gold.
"How many points do we have?" Alex asked.
"Current TP Balance: 650,000," Dawn replied. (Accumulated from the Volume 1 finale events ).+1
"Buy it," Alex said instantly.
[Transaction Complete.] [Expenditure: 500,000 TP.] [Item Equipped: The Imperial Black Card.]
[The Flex]
Alex looked back at the chat room. The aliens were still mocking Earth.
[User: Xylar_The_Conqueror]: "I bet the monkeys don't even have a warp drive."
Alex typed a message. [User: Alex_Of_Earth]: "We don't need warp drives. We buy them."
ENTER.
The message appeared in the chat. But it didn't look like normal text. It exploded onto the screen in Radiant Gold Letters that shook the interface of every user in the sector. A massive dragon hologram roared in the background of his text box.
[SYSTEM ALERT: A 'SOVEREIGN VIP' HAS ENTERED THE CHAT.] [ALL USERS MUST KNEEL.]
The chat froze. The insults stopped instantly.
[User: Merchant_Grok]: "Gold text? That's... a Black Card? Who is this guy?" [User: Xylar_The_Conqueror]: "Apologies, Your Excellency! I didn't know C-137 had a Sovereign!" [User: Princess_Aura]: "Greetings, My Lord! Are you single?"
Alex leaned back in his chair, watching the panic unfold. The same aliens who wanted to "glass" his planet were now sending friend requests.
"Status updated," Dawn noted. "Earth's Credit Rating has been manually adjusted to AAA+ by the algorithm."
"Money is a universal language, Dawn," Alex smirked. "Now, let's go shopping. I need a fleet that matches my new ID."
[System Notification] [Galactic Market: VIP Section Unlocked.] [You may now purchase Planetary Defense Systems.]