Building Interstellar Empire With Universal Synthesis

After getting the permit, when the trio walked out of the mayor’s office, Leon glanced at Neo with keen interest.

​"Tell me one thing, Neo. Do you and Zestia really not have any kind of relationship besides being friends?" he asked suddenly.

​Neo kept walking. He thought it over and replied, "She is a good friend I believe."

​Leon’s grin widened. "Then it is good. After all, everything begins as good friends. Once you two know each other well, eventually you will become something more."

​"What do you mean by that?" Neo asked, raising an eyebrow, while Rose wondered who this Zestia girl was.

​Leon’s expression turned solemn when they reached their vehicles.

​He placed a hand on Neo’s shoulder, saying, "She has been through a lot, Neo. She needs someone’s support. And I believe you are that person."

​With that, he hopped into his own car, leaving Neo speechless.

​"Anyway, you are invited to visit the Aizenberg house any time you want," Leon called out with a wave. "I will personally become your guide."

As the golden, luxurious Aero car roared to life and shot into the sky, silence settled over the roadside.

Neo stared at the empty space for a moment, Leon’s solemn words about Zestia still echoing in his mind.

Beside him, Rose pursed her lips as she asked,

​"So, who exactly is this Zestia? And how did you manage to get the backing of the Aizenberg family?"

​Neo turned toward his own Aero car and opened the doors, "She is just someone I helped out previously. We have a mutual understanding, that is all."

​Rose followed him into the vehicle, clearly not entirely satisfied with the elusive answer, but she knew better than to push her Chairman any further.

Right now, they had a top-tier arms permit and the entire global market waiting for them.

--

The following week passed in a blur of unprecedented economic expansion. With the top-tier arms permit secured, Sovereign Corporation did not just enter the military market, it completely conquered it.

Automated assembly lines inside the company’s hidden manufacturing sectors ran at maximum capacity 24 hours a day, flawlessly mass-producing the D-grade prototypes under Rose’s strict supervision.

​Within a mere seven days, the landscape of Chronopolis and the neighboring sectors changed dramatically.

​

​In the bustling commercial districts and mercenary hubs, the rapid influx of Sovereign Corporation’s new tech was the only topic of conversation.

​At a local mercenary tavern on the outskirts of Chronopolis, a group of veteran wasteland explorers gathered around a table, inspecting a freshly purchased gray metallic cube.

​"I’m telling you, the old mech suits are obsolete. Yesterday, my squad got ambushed by a pack of high-tier mutated beasts. Before the rookies could even panic, they slapped these Nano-tech Power Suits onto their chests. Boom! Instant D-tier equivalent armor deployment. We didn’t lose a single man." a scarred veteran said.

​"And you don’t need cosmic force to run them?" his companion asked, staring at the cube in awe.

​"Haha, no. That’s the beauty of it. The internal power cells handle everything. It’s a total game-changer for guys like us."

​Meanwhile, in ordinary households across the city, the civilian market was experiencing its own change. While the military bought the weapons, average citizens were flocking to purchase the utility variations of the technology.

​"Did you see the new automated home defense modules Sovereign Corporation just released?" a resident asked her neighbor outside a high-rise apartment complex.

"They use the same telekinetic baseline as those fancy flying swords. My husband bought one for our perimeter security. You don’t need a drop of magic to operate it, just a simple mental link device."

​"Yes. It’s incredible," the neighbor agreed. "First the Aqua Core Flask, and now this. It feels like the entire city is changing overnight because of one company."

​Back in the quiet luxury of the executive suite, Rose presented the final weekly financial audit to Neo.

When the holographic display flickered to life in the center of the spacious room, Neo stared at the final number, completely frozen.

​The automated mass-production lines had driven manufacturing costs down to a fraction of their original estimate, while the dual demand from the Federation military and the general public had created an absolute gold rush.

​The net profit for the week sat at a staggering, mind-blowing 2 trillion dollars.

​Even for a man with Neo’s vast ambitions and cosmic capabilities, seeing that specific figure printed on a corporate balance sheet was entirely surreal.

In the span of a single week, Sovereign Corporation had accumulated enough wealth to rival other old companies.

​"Two trillion..." Neo murmured.

​"It is entirely accurate, Chairman. The Federation military orders alone accounted for half of that volume. We have officially locked down the market in Chronopolis, and the neighboring cities are begging for higher supply allocations," Rose said with profound pride and a touch of exhaustion from managing the explosive growth.

​Neo slowly recovered his composure. Inwardly, a cunning plan formed in his mind.

​’That means I can begin expanding my army for the Zenith Empire. But where should I recruit the soldiers from? I don’t want the Federation to get wind of it.’

​"Did you say something, Mr. Chairman?" Rose asked, almost as if she had heard his inner thoughts.

​"Not really. I was wondering where I could get a map of our galaxy."

​Rose raised her eyebrows, her hands pausing around her seatbelt. She didn’t understand what he would do with a galactic map.

​"Why do you need a galactic map suddenly? Are you planning to expand the business there already? If so, that is too far-fetched," she replied.

​Neo took his seat in the driving row, looking out at the horizon. "I know, Rose. But I need it for something else. Tell me, where can I get one?"

​Rose sighed. "It is difficult. But I will manage it for you."

​"Thank you. I wouldn’t know what to do without you, Rose," Neo added with a smile.

​"Flatterer!" she said with a smile, her red lips curving into an elegant arc.

With it, the plan to recruitment began.