Haddon City was now a memory fading in the rearview mirror of a faster-than-light engine. Aryan sat in the captain's chair of 'The Debt Collector,' which he had renamed 'The Sovereign.' The ship was no longer a cold, industrial harvester. He had spent $100 Quadrillion just to remodel the interior into a sprawling penthouse that made his Azure Horizon villa look like a cheap motel.
Marble floors that were actually compressed stardust, water fountains that flowed with liquid diamonds, and a ceiling that showed a real-time feed of the galaxy—not as a map, but as a territory.
"Sir, we are approaching the 'Hub'," Mark's voice came through the comms. Mark was now wearing a uniform made of self-repairing nanites. He looked less like a bodyguard and more like a General of a Private Army.
"Status on the Syndicate's stock?" Aryan asked, swirling a glass of 200-year-old scotch he had materialized from the 'Creator's Shop.'
"Crashing, Sir. Ever since you vaporized their 10,000 ships, the rumors have hit the Galactic Exchange. Their credit rating has dropped from AAA to Junk status in less than four hours. They're desperate."
Aryan smiled. It was the same smile he had when he bought the Haddon National Bank. The scale had changed, but the game was exactly the same. People are greedy, whether they have two arms or six.
[Ding!]
[Mission: Hostile Takeover.]
[Objective: Acquire 51% of the 'Interstellar Trade Syndicate.']
[Current Market Cap: 800 Quintillion Credits.]
[Note: You currently have 15.05 Quintillion. You need a massive cashback trigger to win.]
"System," Aryan whispered. "If I want to crash their value further, I need to do something loud. Something that proves their 'Debt-Shields' are a joke."
[The Hub - Central Galaxy]
The 'Hub' was a massive artificial ring world surrounding a dying star. It was the heart of all trade in the sector. Thousands of ships from a hundred different civilizations were docked here. In the center of the ring stood the Syndicate Tower—a spike of obsidian that pierced the clouds of the artificial atmosphere.
Inside the Grand Boardroom, twelve Directors—beings of all shapes and sizes—were screaming at each other.
"We lost a fleet! Ten thousand Harvesters! Gone!" a lizard-like Director hissed. "The primitive from Sector 7G has more liquidity than our entire regional branch!"
"Quiet!" the Chairman, a being made of pure blue gas, bellowed. "We will simply raise the 'Existence Tax' on Earth. We will drain him dry until—"
The massive doors of the boardroom didn't just open; they disintegrated.
Aryan walked in, his muddy sneakers—which he had kept as a reminder—clacking against the floor of the most powerful room in the galaxy. He looked like a ghost in a room full of monsters. Behind him, Mark and ten 'Ghost Sentinels' stood like statues of death.
"I heard there was a meeting," Aryan said, pulling a chair to the head of the table. "I hope I'm not late. I had to stop and buy a couple of moons on the way here. For the view."
The Chairman's gas turned a dark, angry purple. "You! The Primitive! You dare enter the High Council? Guards! Liquidate him!"
The Syndicate's elite guards, armed with 'Reality-Eraser' rifles, raised their weapons.
Aryan didn't even look at them. "System, how much to buy the 'Contracts' of every guard in this building?"
[Ding!]
[Transaction Authorized: $500 Quadrillion.]
[Status: Every guard in the building is now your private employee.]
The guards suddenly lowered their weapons and bowed toward Aryan. The Directors gasped.
"Money talks, doesn't it?" Aryan smirked.
"Now, let's talk business. Your company is dying. Your ships are scrap. Your reputation is trash. I'm here to offer you a way out. I want to buy 51% of the Syndicate. Right now. In cash."
"Never!" the lizard Director screamed. "We are the Syndicate! We are ancient! You are just a—"
"I'm the guy with the checkbook," Aryan interrupted. "System, I want to buy the 'Dying Star' that powers this entire Ring World. And I want to 'Recharge' it using my Quintillion-dollar energy package."
[Ding!]
[Warning: Recharging a Star is a Universal-Class Event.]
[Cost: $10 Quintillion.]
"Do it," Aryan commanded. "And set the Cashback multiplier to 'Interstellar Maximum'."
[Ding!]
[Transaction Authorized: $10,000,000,000,000,000,000.00]
[The Hub's Star is now your Property.]
[Ding!]
[Spend: $10 Quintillion]
[Calculating 100x Cashback (Sovereign Bonus)...]
[Congratulations! $1 Sextillion (1,000 Quintillion) Credited to Host's Account!]
Outside the window, the dying star suddenly flared with new life, turning from a dull red to a brilliant, powerful gold. The entire Ring World shook with power. Every screen in the galaxy displayed a single message: RE-POWERED BY THE ARYAN GROUP.
Aryan looked at his phone. $1 Sextillion. He had finally reached the 'Z' level of wealth. He had more money than there were atoms in a human body.
He looked at the Directors, who were now trembling in their seats. "The star that powers your life? I own it. The air you're breathing right now? I just bought the filtration system. Now... about that 51% stake. Do you want to sell, or should I just turn off the lights?"
The Chairman's gas turned a submissive, pale white. "The shares... they are yours. Please... just keep the star burning."
Aryan stood up, tossing his empty tea mug to the Chairman. "Good choice. Mark, fire the Directors. All of them. I'm replacing them with AI. It's cheaper."
As Aryan walked out of the room, now the most powerful man in the galaxy, the 'Oracle' interface flashed a black, oily notification that made his blood run cold.
[Twist: The 'System' was not created for you. It was a 'Bait' to find a host wealthy enough to fuel a 'Primal God's' rebirth. The Sextillion-dollar transaction has just completed the ritual.]
[Warning: Something is waking up inside your heart.]
Aryan stopped in the hallway, clutching his chest. His eyes, for a split second, turned from human brown to a terrifying, ancient gold.
"System?" Aryan gasped. "What's... what's happening?"
[Ding!]
[System Error: User 'Aryan' is no longer the Host. You are now the 'Vessel'.]
Author's Note
🌟💐❣️ Author's Note:❣️💐🌟
> Aryan just bought a STAR and reached $1 Sextillion! 🚀 But wait... is the System actually a trap? What is waking up inside Aryan?
🌟💐 Join the Empire:💐🌟
> * Add to Library: The 'God-Vessel' Arc starts in Chapter 20! Don't miss the biggest twist of the story!
> * Power Stones: Give your stones to help Aryan fight back against the System's true creator! 💎