As soon as I stepped in between the pillars, I felt an electric shock cascade all over my body. That was just one of the shocks I experienced as the interior of the pillars was very different from what you could see outside. If you looked at it from outside what you would see was a meter tall polished black stone, surrounded by ornately crafted bronze pillars. But when you stepped through them, you find yourself in what I can only call a command room, with numerous floating screens and a captains chair. It was very sci fi.
[Advance spiritual Intelligence connected to the city of eternal night/ the night city of Ethernalia Leonis. Calibrate Kingdom building system to incorporate the functionalities of the spiritual being.]
{Yes/No}
[Choice affirmed! System sync and link up in process. 3%.....24%...61%... 70%...98%...99%....100% Link up complete. All operational facilities of the kingdom building system, is now under the control of the spirit being Nefisat.]
As soon as the link up or sync finished, the entire room rumbled and shook. It's futuristic office look, suddenly changed into a more normal, and cozy atmosphere. It was a study, with bookcases, a fire place, a desk made of polished blackwood, a big leather armchair and a couple of floating screens. It was really nice, and I think I preferred this to the old version.
[Owwwww! That sync was totally unexpected and painful. Say master? Do you think you can maybe give me a warning next time, so I don't get so shocked and take out the entire power for the city!]
"I'm sorry, I really didn't know this was going to happen."
[I'm not mad, this stuff is awesome! I was just surprised.]
"Well that's good. All right then, I need a report. If the kingdom building system now falls under your control. You should be able to give me explanations about it specs, functions and abilities."
[Indeed I can. But there's nothing much to talk about. The kingdom building system does the same thing I do, in fact it's the same thing. Only difference being that I'm conscious, and it's connected to the trans Universal market terminal, and it receives missions from other cities and countries to improve trade, and connections.]
"Wait! Slow down. Are you telling me that this system, in conjunction with the trans Universal market terminal would allow us to trade and keep in contact with other cities across the known universe. Without ever having to go through the guards or leaving the prison?"
[Yeah! That's what I'm saying.]
That was a lot to take in. During my time as a human, I've heard of this trans Universal market terminal. But it was so rare and expensive, that only major cities and capitals of individual races had one. Even the seven major noble families did not have one. On Shearath alone, there shouldn't be more than twelve of it. That alone shows of the influence and power that Shearath has as a planet. In some cases there would only be one such terminal on a planet. And due to it's rarity, information about it and it capabilities are a closely guarded secret of every race and planet in the known universe.
[The trans Universal market terminal is a secure trading and teleportation hub, that can enable cities or kingdoms to grow, and do business away from the prying eyes of competitors and enemies. In a manner of speaking, it's a legal black market. But that it's not the only thing it's good for, while it takes care of trade, it also shows the current power and advantages a force using the terminal it has. Not all information are exposed, only the current economical benefits that force can provide, whether in raw materials, agriculture, or the weapons industry. Using all of that, a ranking system is made; and this ranking system has four grades. With the type of pillar surrounding the terminal denoting your grade.
From lowest to highest, those grades are the bronze, silver, gold and platinum grade. And each grade has at least a thousand entrants, but usually there are more. Which roughly brings the number of cities or planets using the trans Universal market terminal for trade to four thousand and above give or take a thousand and a few hundreds.]
"while that sound's great, I don't see a reason why I would care about a ranking. All we really need is to trade with other cities. Giving a shit about a rank that does nothing for me or my people is just a waste of time."
[That's where you're wrong master. The bronze grade forces can only trade with bronze grade forces. Which means you won't be getting access to higher grade materials and resources from more powerful and established forces. Bronze grade forces who first start using the terminal and are quite capable of trading with the big dogs, get a three month probationary period, until they're bumped up to a better rank, based on what they're selling, and what they're buying. Basically it's a sum of how deep their pockets and warehouses are.
There are things in existence that might turn out important for us, but we'll need to be a higher grade to access them. We have to give a shit about the rankings if we really want to grow. And as a restriction to encourage competition, a force is only allowed to sell or buy to a force of a higher grade once every four months.
And if you don't make a trade every month, you're ranking drops by 10 places, two months 20,and three months 40. The number of ranks dropped will be doubled after each subsequent month until you start trading again, or are completely bumped off the ranking list. Shortly after that the terminal will get deactivated for a minimum of five years, and a maximum of 100 years, until a new ruler or master activates it's functions.]
That was an in depth and extensive knowledge about the trans Universal market terminal. It offered a lot of benefits, but there was no free meal in this world. I'm sure whatever force runs the terminal would be taking a cut out of every transaction made. Without a doubt, those guys had to be the most powerful force in the known universe or at least the richest, and they would have access to the economical statistics of any major force. And if they so wish; it wouldn't be too much of a trouble for them to end civilizations with that knowledge.
"well let's have a look at the kingdom building system and terminal."
[You got it boss]
FORCE: ETHERNALIA LEONIS
AFFLIATION: THE COR NOBLE FAMILY
LORD: KAEL COR
GRADE: BRONZE GRADE CITY(UNDER CONSTRUTION)
POPULATION: 233,087
MILITARY: 117,000 (66,000 IN TRAINING)
FACILITIES: POLICE STATION/ SCHOOL/ FARMS/ LAB/ PALACE
NATURAL RESOURCES: N/A
GUARDIAN: WORLD TREE NASIR/ THE OBELISK OF THE 70
Compared to the other systems I have, the information was not that much. In essence it was just a short summary of everything we had, and how many we were. Though the obvious lack of resources was annoying, it meant any plans of trading for now will have to be put off. I have an idea to deal with that, but in other for it to work I had to get rid of Adein and the guards, permanently.
[Master before I can bring up the terminal, you would have to register the city and every other affiliation you have.]
"That will expose us Nefisat. Are you sure about that?"
[I can't really give an input about this master. It's your decision in the end. But if there's something everything that's happened has taught me; it's that even if you try to hide away, trouble still comes looking for you master. They won't let you hide, and besides you're no longer weak. And you said it's time to stop playing nice, so I believe it's a risk worth taking.]
She was right though, there was no need to hide if trouble was so adamant about not leaving me alone. I won't go looking for trouble, but it won't be wise to hide away all the time. This was not the right choice, but it was not the wrong choice either. In this situation, it was just the best choice to make, giving the circumstances.
The registration didn't take much time and soon enough a new screen was floating in front of me. It looked more like a search engine or a home page for a social media app. I could see the Cor family crest where a profile picture would be, and the whole page had a dull copper theme to denote the bronze grade.
Scrolling down showed me numerous cities, and planets, all advertising what they had to sell, or leaving inquiries for the materials they wanted to buy. As someone who had lived on earth during the invasion of the social media platforms, this was actually quite easy for me to navigate, and get a hang off. After that it was time to see what my profile looked like.
FORCE: ETHERNALIA LEONIS
TYPE: CITY
RACIAL ORIENTATION: VAMPIRES/OTHER RACES
LEADER: KAEL COR
ALLIES: THE COR FAMILY
MONEY: 0 (VISIBLE ONLY TO USER)
SALES: 0
BUYS: 0
RESOURCES: N/A
ASSETS AQUIRED: 0
ASSETS LOST: 0
BATTLES WON: 0
BATTLES LOST: 0
PARTNERS: 0 BRONZE/0 SILVER/0 GOLD/0 PLATINUM
This looked more than just a simple trading platform. It was more like a stomping ground for political and economical espionage and back stabbing. Asha would love this that's for sure. But there are things I still don't understand. I heard Nefisat's voice speak up, even before I could ask.
[The assets are what our city owns, both on world and off world. It can be anything from a mine, to a mountain, or even another city. As long as it can be counted as a resource and can make any force money, it can also be contested for.
Other forces could and would challenge you for a chance to occupy the resources. Some might choose to negotiate a trade, battering one of their assets in exchange for yours, or paying money for it. The battles are virtual and have different forms. It's too much of a hassle to transport armies to new locations, so the terminal, using the same tech and magic that runs its teleportation array, will create a spiritual domain where a battle between the two forces can take place.
Should the challenger win, he gets what he's fighting for, should the defender win, he gets to pick his trophy from among the challenger's assets.
After a fight, a representative from either the company that runs the terminal, or from the challenger himself, will come and assume control of the asset. Refusal to comply will result in having that force destroyed by the company behind the terminal.
But just as it's possible to make enemies, it's also possible to make allies, or in this case partners from all of the different grades. More often than not, the partnership is arranged like a pyramid, with one platinum power being on top and the other forces being it's subordinates for benefits. And finally the money is the standard Lux credits used and widely accepted all over the known universe. The company also acts like a bank, so selling resources to them will get you money, and they buy at 5% above the market price, so selling to them is quite lucrative. Of course you can get a better deal from other forces, however their rates are fixed, and a sure way to make money.]
Well that explains everything. My horizons have just been broadened, and a new avenue to help my people grow and truly be free has shown up. But like everything I've received, I still have to fight for it. Some would say I was incredibly lucky, when you consider everything I've gained, and they may be right. After all, I have a freaking planet with the ability to create universes where magic exist looking out for me. But I'll beg to differ, I know how many times I almost died for such a twisted sense of luck. But unfortunately I don't think this is the end.