"Tonight, I'll explain to everyone what that green ribbon of light in the sky was yesterday. Don't go thinking some Aeon manifested; it has absolutely nothing to do with the Aeons."
Caelus pointed at the large screen, microphone in one hand, gesturing as he spoke.
"That happened because everyone's consciousness was too concentrated, leading to a powerful mental resonance. Therefore, that spectacle was created by all of you!"
Caelus kept a straight face.
"What are you laughing at? I'm criticizing you right now!"
But even so, those being criticized straightened their backs.
Heh heh.
"Are you kidding me? It's just a broken rock. Watch me push it back!"
"Nightingale!!!"
Caelus even played the recording of Lancelot's battle cry.
Someone couldn't help but let out a snicker first, and like a lit fuse, suppressed laughter immediately rippled through the crowd.
"Hahaha!"
Lancelot lowered his head.
The situation had been urgent back then, his blood was pumping—how could he have cared about his image?
Having it broadcast in public now was practically a public execution for him.
"Is it funny? Huh? Disobeying orders, acting on your own, almost turning into cosmic dust as a group—and you have the nerve to laugh!"
Caelus rolled his eyes.
"However, on one note, I submitted this photo to the Interstellar Internet and won an award. Our company's name is officially out there now."
The Miracle of Axis
"The prize money of five hundred thousand credits for the photography has already been deposited into the company account."
The audience went silent for a split second, followed by even louder laughter and cheers.
"Whoa—!"
"Five hundred thousand!"
"We're on the news!"
"Impressive? Impressive my foot!" Caelus slammed the table. "All of these funds will be used to upgrade your mechs! Don't embarrass me!"
Watching the employees instantly shift from laughter to jubilant cheering, Caelus slammed the table again in annoyance.
"Quiet! Quiet! We have the prize money, but the matter of your disobedience isn't over yet! Merits are merits, and faults are faults—they're two separate things! Lancelot!"
"Present!" Lancelot jolted, subconsciously straightening his back, though his face still held lingering embarrassment.
"As the leader of the disobedience and for poor management, I'm docking three months of your bonuses! Any objections?"
"None! Boss!" Lancelot answered decisively.
"If you want power, if you want better equipment, fine! Follow the rules properly, work hard, improve yourselves, and the company will naturally issue them to you! Don't always think about playing the hero. Every one of your lives is very important to the company; you're all precious... er, labor! It hurts me to lose even one... of my credits!"
He forced the second half of the sentence back on track, but the eyes of the people below grew even more fervent as they listened.
"Yes! Boss/Emperor!" The shout was earth-shattering.
————
The second batch of equipment ordered from Screwllum arrived in succession. This time, in addition to industrial equipment, it included a batch of basic agricultural machinery and ecological transformation units.
With a wave of his hand, Caelus designated a large plot of land next to the industrial zone and established the 'Cosmic Junk Company First Ecological Agriculture Experimental Base,' with Rogal Dorn as the person in charge.
"Emperor, I... I only know how to command combat and engineering operations." Rogal Dorn stood before the desolate land, looking at the row of brand-new seeders and soil improvement equipment behind him. Even his usually steady face showed a look of difficulty. "Agriculture... I know nothing about it."
"If you don't know, then learn." Caelus patted his shoulder; the force of it made even the sturdy Rogal Dorn wobble. "I'm making you the person in charge not to have you personally farm the land, but to have you apply the methods of managing an engineering team to managing farmland! When to sow, when to water, when to fertilize, when to harvest—isn't it the same logic as an engineering schedule? Just manage the land as a project and view the seeds as parts, right?"
He handed Rogal Dorn a data terminal. "Inside is a preliminary planting plan generated by Prometheus based on Terra's soil and climate conditions, along with the operation manuals for those machines. Take your people, start with this experimental field, and figure out a path for me."
Rogal Dorn looked at the data terminal in his hand, then at Caelus's 'I believe in you' expression. After a moment of silence, he nodded heavily. "Yes!"
"Don't think farming is boring. We can't always rely on synthesizers for food."
Caelus explained to him patiently.
"You also need to tell them exactly what I told you. Remember, don't foster worship; treat everyone as equals."
"Understood!"
Caelus turned around. March 7th was holding some documents, grinning.
"Oh my~ I feel like what we're doing is very, very, very meaningful."
"Of course. Being down-to-earth and being able to see what you're doing naturally gives a sense of accomplishment."
Caelus wagged his finger.
"This star system is currently nicknamed the Galactic Junkyard, but one day in the future, it will become prosperous. Do you remember Penacony, where I took you before? That place used to be a frontier prison for the Interstellar Peace Corporation."
"Really?"
"But the prosperity there ultimately relies on Memory Bubble matter. We're building from scratch here, for real. Our star system might not be any worse than Penacony in the Astral Galaxy System in the future."
"You've already started using 'our' star system~"
"Of course. This is where we live. One day, not just this dwarf galaxy, but we'll build the entire galaxy while staying down-to-earth... That's my current ideal." Caelus stood with hands on hips, looking at the distant lights gradually flickering on and the roaring factories. A serious light, completely different from his joking tone, shimmered in his eyes.
"You're not pretending anymore? I thought you were still acting like a black-hearted boss."
"I've been acting for too long; it's a bit tiring. I'll still have to maintain the persona later, though."
"Our starting point is lower, and our resources are limited. To reach that level of prosperity, we need more than just time and equipment," Dan Heng said, walking up behind Caelus.
"I know." Caelus looked back at him and grinned. "We also need a group of capable workhorses like you and a brilliant boss like me."
This place was no longer a deathly silent junkyard. The air no longer smelled only of rusted metal and decay, but was mixed with the fragrance of soil, the unique scent of machine oil, and even the aroma of food wafting from the distant cafeteria. All of it seemed rough and simple, yet it was filled with the breath of the living.
"Speaking of which," Dan Heng's voice broke the momentary silence, "as our business scope expands to fifty planets, management issues will become very complex. The indigenous people of different planets have huge differences in culture, customs, and technical levels. Relying solely on the Omikron and the existing management framework will soon lead to problems."
He was right. It was like trying to use the rules of a small workshop to run a multinational corporation. Caelus could rely on personal charisma and extraordinary means to keep Terra in check, but when the operation spread across fifty worlds, this personalized management style would inevitably fail.
"Exactly. So... next, I'm going to have them all learn new knowledge. The semi-mandatory kind. I'll entice them with results, and once they've joined, they must learn to the end."