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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 427: Sole Candidate (9)
—What the fuck?
Hearing Earth’s first words, Jiseon’s eyes widened in shock.
—Wait… Can Earth even talk like that?
The sight before her was nothing like what she had imagined.
Ever since learning that this planet had a consciousness, she had conjured countless scenarios in her mind. But this? This was nowhere in the realm of her expectations.
“Well… there’s no rule saying it can’t, I suppose.”
Of course, Yeongwoo was just as surprised by Earth’s demeanor.
The only thing he knew about Earth was that it was a low-tier planet on the outskirts of the universe, and low-tier planets typically didn’t try to break free from their orbits.
Because of that, Yeongwoo and the rest of the Renaissance family had assumed Earth would be timid by nature.
Never in their wildest dreams had they expected it to be so brash—a being that would immediately start cursing the moment communication was established.
“What happens now?
—What do you mean? We have to meet with it.”
But where should he look?
To see Earth, should he gaze into the void above or glance down at the ground below?
As Yeongwoo’s gaze drifted ambiguously, he suddenly realized that the number of board members had noticeably dwindled.
“…Huh?”
And sure enough.
Swish… swish…!
The board members who had filled the venue were now tilting their heads toward the void, transforming into streaks of light and vanishing one by one.
∴ Hey, wait! The board members are clocking out!
Song Jungho shouted in alarm, his voice urgent. Yeongwoo, caught off guard by the unexpected “early departure,” quickly protested.
“Wait! Board members? You’re just leaving like this? No tips or advice before you go?”
At that moment, one of the seven board members who had accompanied the chairman—a figure presumed to be Korean—turned to look at Yeongwoo.
“……!”
Startled by the sudden eye contact, Yeongwoo hesitated.
The board member smiled faintly.
‘Who… who is this elder?’
A distant ancestor?
Or perhaps one of the great historical figures?
Whoever they were, they clearly weren’t an ordinary human.
Yeongwoo slightly bowed his head out of reflex, and in that instant, the board member’s body was engulfed in white light.
Swish!
“Ah…”
As the board member’s presence disappeared, Yeongwoo quickly lifted his head.
But the old man was already gone—vanished without a trace.
—…He left.
Jiseon muttered while staring blankly at the spot where the old man had stood.
In the meantime, the remaining board members rapidly followed suit, making their way out.
They had effectively granted Yeongwoo the right to meet with Earth and then made a swift exit.
Swish, swish!
Thousands of board members transformed into beams of light, streaking across the venue and disappearing.
The hall flashed with chaotic brilliance for several minutes.
Then, about two minutes later.
Swish!
The last of the board members departed, leaving the venue completely empty.
“Wow, those ghostly bastards. They really just up and left, huh?”
It felt surreal.
But the board members hadn’t left without leaving something behind.
∴ Huh? What’s that?
Song Jungho spotted something where the spectral figures had once stood.
“Where?”
Yeongwoo followed his uncle’s gaze and spotted a single document envelope lying on the floor.
“Huh.”
There was no way such an ordinary envelope would have been present at this grand cosmic ceremony.
Clearly, this was a parting gift from the board members.
—What is that? Hurry up and pick it up.
Jiseon urged Yeongwoo to retrieve the document.
Without hesitation, he strode forward.
“It really is just an envelope. Made of paper, too.”
In a world where the petrification phenomenon had swept over everything, seeing a non-essential item like this in pristine condition was a rare sight.
Tap.
When Yeongwoo picked up the envelope, even Jeonggu began inching closer out of curiosity.
“That’s a pretty big envelope.”
As Jeonggu pointed out, the envelope was significantly larger than a standard contract-sized one.
“It’s definitely something the board members left behind.”
Yeongwoo observed the envelope closely and noticed a seal affixed to the flap.
“……?”
When he touched the seal with his finger, it sparkled momentarily before vanishing without a trace.
Swish!
The flap of the envelope slowly unfolded on its own, and a single sheet of pure white paper slipped out.
“Paper? Is it some kind of manual?”
Jeonggu asked, eyes wide with curiosity.
Jiseon, on the other hand, offered a different opinion.
—If it were just an instruction manual, they would’ve transmitted it through the system. There’d be no need to wrap it like this.
However, neither of them was right.
Rustle.
The moment Yeongwoo picked up the sheet, large system text appeared in the air.
Flash!
「Planetary Shares Are Being Distributed!」
“What?”
It was the day when the planetary shareholders would receive their allocated shares based on their tax contributions.
That day was today—this very moment.
‘The board members gave us a massive gift.’
As Yeongwoo’s eyes widened in astonishment, the system displayed another message.
「A 'paper' has been delivered to all shareholders.」
「Future planetary shareholders, please check your number.」
“Number?”
—What number are they talking about?
Jiseon asked, her voice brimming with excitement.
The system promptly provided the answer.
「The number on your paper represents your planetary share percentage.」
“Holy…”
—What?!
∴ Wait, so what’s our number?
Jungho asked the decisive question.
The answer was already in Yeongwoo’s hands.
“Let’s see.”
Had the strategy of driving out the other shareholder candidates left them with a monopoly?
Rustle.
Yeongwoo fully pulled the paper from the envelope, revealing a large, bold number written at the center.
The number was:
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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[100]
“Gah…!”
—…One hundred?
∴ Wait, does that mean we own 100% of the shares?!
Jeonggu, Jiseon, and Jungho’s jaws dropped simultaneously.
But Yeongwoo simply looked around at his family, as if this outcome was only natural.
“From now on, this planet is ours.”
The moment he declared this, the white paper in his hand began to glow and dissolved into the air.
Shhhhhhh!
Then, an unexpected message appeared.
「Prestige Threshold Increased.」
‘Wait, no way.’
「+0.3 for Planetary Share Monopoly」
In other words, his current Prestige Level’s achievement threshold had just increased by 30.
And in reality, Yeongwoo’s Prestige status had indeed changed.
Piiing!
[Prestige Level: 38]
|50/100
*Required karma per achievement point: 250 million
‘What the hell? It’s already halfway there?’
At his current level, it would take a whopping 750 million karma to gain 30 Prestige points through karma alone.
In other words, by monopolizing the planetary equity, he had essentially earned 750 million karma without lifting a finger.
He was practically saving millions just by breathing.
‘This is insane. So this is how growth works in space.’
It was also a testament to how difficult it was to monopolize planetary equity.
‘Shouldn’t Earth be rushing out barefoot to welcome me at this point?’
As Yeongwoo mused to himself and gazed down at the ground, the space behind him suddenly split open, and Kubu opened his eyes.
— Master.
“Oh, is there some kind of change again?”
Yeongwoo squared his shoulders and looked at Kubu, somewhat expecting the answer that came next.
— Since you have monopolized the planetary equity, Renaissance has gained several decision-making authorities.
Authority acquisition through planetary equity monopoly.
It was clearly no trivial matter.
“Decision-making authority? What kind?”
— First, you can designate the planetary capital.
“Ah, the planetary capital. Right.”
In truth, the capital had already been predetermined.
And even if they gave other cities the opportunity, who in their right mind would want their city to be the capital of a planet of marauders?
The higher the planet’s infamy, the more likely the capital would become a target of attack.
‘That’s why I’ve been shaping Metal Seoul into such a militarized city.’
Yeongwoo took a deep breath and turned back to Kubu.
“What’s next?”
— You now have the authority for Blank Commands.
“Blank Command?”
The term was unfamiliar.
— Yes. It is the authority to use physical force against residents in specific areas if the region is needed for planetary development.
“What do you mean? Explain it more simply.”
Kubu rolled his eyes once before clarifying.
— You can now place a timer over any area, and when the time runs out, the region will be obliterated.
“…What?”
In other words, it was forced eviction rights.
“Hey, I said I’d be a marauder, not a mass murderer.”
Now that he had acquired full planetary equity, Yeongwoo had no reason to torment the native inhabitants further.
The real pressing issues were the possible visits from neighboring planetary families and the militarization of Earth.
— And the final authority you currently hold…
“What is it?”
— You have gained Earth Negotiation Rights.
“Didn’t the directors already grant me that?”
At Yeongwoo’s words, Kubu blinked twice.
— Since we now hold 100% of the planetary equity, you are the sole eligible negotiator. Therefore, Earth can no longer refuse negotiation requests.
“Ah.”
He had heard about this in passing before.
Apparently, to negotiate with Earth, one needed Earth’s consent.
But now that he held 100% equity, the entire framework had shifted — Earth could now only negotiate with Jeong Yeongwoo07.
And even more significantly.
“They can’t refuse?”
Yeongwoo muttered in disbelief, and Kubu blinked once more.
— Correct. Your negotiation requests must be accepted.
“So when they said Earth’s golden days were over, this is what they meant.”
Finally grasping the full picture, Yeongwoo nodded in understanding.
“Then, can I request a negotiation right now? A negotiation they can’t refuse, I mean.”
By now, dusk had already fallen, and the area outside the ceremonial hall was growing dark.
“If possible, I’d like to negotiate with Earth before I pay the taxes.”
Barring any sudden interruptions, another dungeon was likely to open tonight.
So, Yeongwoo wanted to wrap up all his business before nightfall.
— Negotiation commencement is possible immediately.
“Oh, really?”
— Since the planet holds no veto power, the passage will open as soon as you request it.
“Wait, so the negotiation doesn’t take place somewhere I designate?”
Then what could he do?
“Well, let’s go see Earth’s face. Start the negotiation. Right now.”
At Yeongwoo’s command, Jiseon, who had been listening, was startled and opened her mouth.
— What? You’re going right now? Are you even prepared for this?
“Shouldn’t Earth be the one preparing, not me?”
With a smirk, Yeongwoo placed his hand on Bastard, the sword at his waist, prompting Kubu to roll his eyes once more.
— Master.
“Yes?”
— It is customary not to carry weapons when meeting with a planet.
“Oh, is that so?”
— Yes.
“Then from now on, it isn’t.”
— ……?
“On a planet where robbery and assault are the main industries, does it make sense to leave my weapons behind?”
With that, Yeongwoo fully armed himself before stepping into the elevator.
Click.
‘Oh, it even has buttons.’
Inside the elevator were only two buttons: Enter and Exit.
Yeongwoo pressed the Enter button, and just as Kubu had mentioned, a prompt appeared asking him to disarm.
「For a smooth negotiation, please refrain from bringing weapons. Thank you.」
However, Yeongwoo ignored the message and pressed the Enter button again.
Beep.
The elevator seemed ready to operate, but the same message popped up once more.
「For a smooth negotiation, please refrain from bringing weapons. Thank you.」
“…….”
With a resigned sigh, Yeongwoo reluctantly pulled Bastard from his waist.
Chwaaaat!
Then, using the tip of Bastard, he pressed the Enter button once again.
Beep.
Finally.
Clunk!
The elevator shuddered once before it began descending below the surface.
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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