The meeting that had initially been postponed for just one day ended up being delayed by an additional four days at the request of the representatives. They needed more time to inform their governments, allow them to fully digest the implications of the technology, and formulate a new approach before presenting their decisions.
Though five days might have seemed excessive at first, the time passed in what felt like the blink of an eye. When they reconvened in the same meeting room, the atmosphere had shifted. Gone were the strategies and agendas of the original meeting, replaced now by entirely new plans shaped by the earth-shattering potential of what they had witnessed.
“Our government is inquiring about the possibility of purchasing the technology,” Carvath said as soon as the floor was opened. “They’re ready to hear your terms in exchange for it.”
Over the course of nearly five days of rigorous analysis, the top fifteen civilizations formed a covert pact to collaborate in investigating the newly discovered technology. Each civilization contributed its unique expertise, aiming to uncover every detail, assessing potential hidden risks, exploring the possibility of reverse engineering, and identifying vulnerabilities that might allow unauthorized access or hacking. Their findings revealed both alarming challenges and profound insights.
They determined that the technology wasn’t capable of directly manipulating users, and while it did allow for passive observation, that surveillance was limited strictly to events within the virtual world. In terms of reverse engineering, the device itself was essentially just a gateway to the simulation, meaning even if they replicated it, they wouldn’t gain access to the simulation’s core systems.
Even that replication wasn’t a simple matter. A handful of components were built using what could only be described as black box technology, systems they could see but couldn’t fully understand, let alone recreate. The rest was potentially replicable, but would take some time, given how removed it was from their current tech trees. Furthermore, without the proper authentication protocols, even a perfect replica would be useless without access to the Empire’s virtual servers.
All of this led to a single conclusion: they needed to buy the technology. And they needed to do it before the Empire realized just how valuable it truly was, before they expanded into their territories and began to see the true value it had.
“The same goes for us,” the Valthorin representative said, quickly following the Zelvora representative’s declaration.
One by one, the other delegates echoed their intent to purchase the tech. There was no secrecy now, this was a public statement of interest. Negotiations behind closed doors could come later. For now, what mattered was making their eagerness known before the opportunity slipped through their fingers.
A faint smile crossed Masimbi’s face, calculated, brief, and gone in a blink. “Unfortunately,” he began, his tone composed and firm, “the Empire isn’t planning on selling the technology. It’s something we consider essential to our identity and development.”
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle across the room. The reaction was immediate: a wave of disappointment, frustration, and suspicion rippled through the gathered representatives. Their expressions varied wildly, some sharp and rigid, others subtle or inscrutable, each reflecting their species’ own way of showing discontent.
“But,” Masimbi continued, watching as the tension drew every eye back to him, “we are open to expanding the simulation to your territories, under mutual terms, so both sides can benefit from it.”
That single word, benefit, seemed to snap the thread of composure.
“Benefit how?” one representative snapped.
“Isn’t this just a way for you to exploit us? You show us this miracle of a technology and now tell us we can’t own it? That we’re only allowed to use it under your control?”
“You expect us to welcome a surveillance system into our nations without any oversight? To build your network for you under the guise of cooperation?”
“Do you think this tech is so valuable that we’d surrender our sovereignty just to touch it?”
The room descended into heated accusations and angry retorts, the careful diplomacy that had once shaped the meetings now shattered. Representatives, who had just days ago formed pacts of cooperation in private, were now unified again, this time in vocal resistance.
“I’m pretty sure I said both sides would benefit if you allow us to expand it,” Masimbi said, his voice calm but firm, even as a chill crawled up his spine under the weight of the pressure exuding from the furious representatives.
He didn’t wait for them to regain control of the floor; he pressed on immediately.
“To sustain the VR network, we require towers, communication relays, essentially. Each star system would need a minimum of four for redundancy. Then there’s the matter of the VR headgear. I have no doubt everyone here has already dismantled one by now. Aside from a few key components, which I acknowledge are beyond your current production capabilities, the rest of the parts are within your reach, possibly even improvable with your own technologies.
“We will provide the components you can’t produce, and you’ll handle the rest, whether by manufacturing them yourselves or opening the door for your corporations to step in. Either way, that’s a substantial revenue stream for you.
“But more importantly,” he continued, leaning forward slightly, “you will benefit directly through revenue sharing, earning END.”
That got their attention.
“Each individual accessing the VR must pay a yearly subscription fee. The funds from this go toward maintaining the infrastructure, rewarding contributors, and covering operational costs. A percentage of the total subscription revenue generated within your territories will be allocated to your governments, paid out in END.
“Additionally,” Masimbi added, “you’ll receive a share of the taxes from all trade conducted within the VR sectors of your territory.”
He paused then, letting the offer hang in the air.
He could already see the shift in their eyes, the sharp pivot from outrage to calculation. The promise of END alone was enough to stir their greed. After all, they could use END to buy mana stones, something each of them needed as many as possible, and that was something none of them could afford to pass up.
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