The representative immediately realized his mistake and spoke apologetically.
"My apologies, Mr. Lucas. That question was inappropriate."
"Please pretend I never said it."
Lucas paused for a moment before replying.
"I can tell you this right now."
"In the near future, my company will begin licensing the technologies used to build New Los Angeles."
"What?!"
Lucas's words immediately shocked many people present.
Anyone with basic knowledge understood just how enormous the profits from rebuilding a city could be—especially a high-tech futuristic city like New Los Angeles.
Everyone had already watched videos of the city.
Every piece of technology used there was far beyond the capabilities of modern cities.
Some architectural experts had even released estimates:
If humanity progressed at its normal technological pace, it would take at least 120 years to reach that level.
And yet Lucas was saying he would license the technology soon?
Was he giving up the profits?
Anyone familiar with capitalism knew that monopoly was the most profitable strategy.
Many people simply couldn't understand why Lucas would do such a thing.
---
"I believe I've said this before," Lucas continued calmly.
"My goal has never been to make enormous profits."
"My ultimate objective is to advance humanity as a whole."
"So I won't behave like corporations that rely on technological monopolies to control the world."
Lucas wasn't saying this just to reassure them.
He truly had no intention of creating that kind of monopoly.
In many films and stories, there were massive corporations capable of influencing the technological development of the entire planet.
Examples included:
Umbrella Corporation from Resident Evil
Weyland-Yutani from Alien
Cyberdyne Systems from Terminator (the creators of Skynet)
Tyrell Corporation from Blade Runner
In their respective worlds, these corporations possessed the power to manipulate governments with ease.
With Lucas's current strength—and the research capabilities of Phastos—he could easily build a company that powerful.
At that point, with a single command from Lucas, the governments of Earth could be forced to follow his will.
Even establishing a global super-empire would not be difficult.
But Lucas had no interest in that.
First, he truly had no desire to rule humanity.
After all, humanity had an incredible talent for destroying itself.
Just look at what humanity had already created:
Voyager 1 and 2
Deep-space broadcasts revealing Earth's location
Nuclear weapons
Dangerous elements from the periodic table
Biological viruses stored in global laboratories
Humanity already possessed countless experiments and projects capable of destroying itself many times over.
Lucas only needed to ensure that his family and loved ones could survive.
Unlike the villains in movies, Lucas had no tragic childhood or dead lover driving him toward domination.
His family life was happy.
His power was immense.
And his real enemies were the powerful beings scattered across the cosmos and other dimensions.
Improving human technology was simply his way of ensuring that humanity wouldn't be hopelessly outclassed by those civilizations.
As for humanity conquering the universe with its own technology?
Lucas believed that even a thousand years might not be enough.
Besides, there seemed to be an unspoken pattern—perhaps even a kind of curse.
Most of those "super corporations" in fiction ultimately became nothing more than stepping stones for the protagonists.
Or fireworks that exploded brilliantly right before the story ended.
---
The representatives of the five major powers exchanged glances.
Ironically, they were the ones most eager after hearing Lucas's announcement.
The representative who had spoken earlier asked again,
"Mr. Lucas, when exactly will your company begin licensing these technologies?"
As politicians at the top of the global pyramid, they understood perfectly how vague phrases like 'in the near future' could be manipulated.
"It won't be long," Lucas replied.
"The exact timeline will be announced by the company."
Another representative asked,
"Would it be possible to know how much funding we should prepare?"
"Or whether barter trade might also be acceptable?"
Lucas answered calmly.
"The company's president will negotiate those details personally."
"But the transaction will most likely involve a mix of cash and resource exchange."
Lucas wasn't speaking casually.
At that moment, Saiyan Corporation already had nearly 600 billion dollars in liquid capital.
Some of it came from prepayments for building New Los Angeles.
Another portion came from contracts with the Los Angeles and California governments.
Those funds had already been transferred into the company's accounts.
In fact, the clients had paid so eagerly that it almost seemed like they were afraid the company might change its mind.
If they had been able to pay the entire amount immediately, they probably would have.
Because of this, what the company needed now were resources that money couldn't buy.
And those resources were usually controlled by national governments.
This was why Lucas preferred barter-style exchanges.
Phastos had suggested this strategy long ago, and Lucas had been preparing for it ever since.
---
"That's completely acceptable!"
All five representatives agreed immediately.
They understood exactly what kind of resources Lucas was referring to.
But none of them were worried.
After all, if Lucas truly wanted to dominate Earth or destroy the world, he wouldn't need those resources.
He could accomplish that on his own.
Instead, the smarter move was to obtain Lucas's technology as quickly as possible.
Improving their nation's technological level first would allow them to gain an advantage in the coming era of global transformation.
That was also why, instead of sending ordinary representatives, the leaders themselves had personally entered the virtual meeting.
And now it was clear—they had made the right decision.
They had secured the initiative.
Lucas silently nodded when he saw their excitement.
---
As for why he hadn't invited representatives from smaller countries, the reason was simple.
Those nations generally lacked:
stable infrastructure
advanced research capabilities
complete industrial production chains
strong administrative efficiency
If smaller countries suddenly obtained such advanced technologies, unstable forces within those nations might try to seize them.
One should never underestimate such instability.
Just look at the political chaos in parts of the Middle East.
Lucas didn't want careless decisions to spark internal conflicts in smaller regions, eventually igniting widespread crises.
Instead, the five major powers could first adapt to the technology, reduce technological barriers, and develop more specialized versions.
Only after that would it make sense to gradually expand access to other countries.
And honestly, once humanity eventually stepped into the wider universe, the current geopolitical structure of Earth would inevitably change.
After all—
Among civilizations capable of leaving their home planet and entering space,
how many still maintained dozens or even hundreds of separate governments on their homeworld?
..
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