To buy out every item tied to streaming would cost around twenty million. Far too much this early, even for him, if he wanted enough room left to maneuver. But there was another path. Narrower, yes, though still open.
He could cut the cost down to a little over five million if he banned every other brand and backed only Hyperion. Then he could gather ownership of the streaming equipment under one hand and choke the rest of the market before anyone else understood what was happening.
"Gabby, I'm buying something. Hide my status window from the viewers," Hermes said.
"Yes, Master. Right away," Gabby replied.
[Purchased] [Hyperion Worlds Collide Series Global Streaming Interference]
[500,000CC]
[Details: Uses non-Hyperion products as footholds and siphons the infinite bandwidth of the Cosmic Chronographic System through their internal streaming apparatus, then channels that signal into Hyperion products to drastically improve streaming quality. This product is used across Hyperion world colonies. It can enforce total censorship over any Hyperion product registered under it. It is operable with any Hyperion Seraphic AI species.]
[Purchased x 1000] [Hyperion Mobile AI - One Planet] [10,000 CC]
[Purchased x 1000] [Hyperion Mobile AI - Star System] [30,000 CC]
[Purchased x 1000] [Hyperion Mobile AI - One Constellation] [100,000 CC]
[Purchased x 1000] [Hyperion Mobile AI - Five Constellation] [200,000 CC]
With the ultra-fast thoughts of his species driving him on, Hermes moved like wind through the purchase menus. In barely ten seconds, he was done. Then his attention returned to Akira.
She was a very beautiful cat, and even the feline strain within him stirred at the sight of her, old breeding instincts whispering of offspring and legacy.
Hermes recognized the impulse for what it was and, instead of lunging at it like some uncivilized fool, turned his thoughts to the better use of such beauty.
Akira had presence. Charm. The kind of grace that drew the eye and held it. She was a born star, and Hermes knew beauty like that was worth far more preserved than spent.
"Your payment qualifies you for another kind of contract. Something that could help you earn Cosmic Coins. Are you interested?" Hermes asked.
Akira's eyes lit at once. Even while she had been reduced to gathering moss and small insects just to survive, her gaze kept returning to the system's shop again and again, dreaming of fancy clothes, fine armor, rare genetics, and even the chance to ascend into the next Nyan god, since the system claimed such things were possible through the items it offered.
Even so, she looked at Hermes with caution. The devil, she thought, was being generous, which meant there had to be teeth hidden somewhere.
"Is there a catch? In our culture, devils tempt princesses and make armies from their wombs. Is that what will happen?" Akira asked, one foot already set to bolt.
At once, Gabby shifted the camera angles and muted Hermes's voice from the stream.
Hermes looked at Akira with something near amusement.
"That is a primitive belief. No such thing will happen. I can let your people watch you. You have technology on Nyan Prime, do you not?"
Akira's eyes brightened all over again. Now this sounded real. More than real. It sounded like an opportunity too great to ignore.
"You mean I can communicate with them?" she asked, still struggling to believe it.
"Correct. Give me a minute to prepare the tools. Have a seat over there," Hermes said, pointing toward one of the stone benches.
Gabby knew the signal the moment Hermes asked a customer to sit.
At once, she used her Build-a-Planet add-on and raised a wall around the floating platform, a clean black barrier that climbed a hundred meters into the air around the one hectare space.
Privacy had value. So did spectacle. Hermes made sure of both.
Soft light from the Hyperion Beacons and Lights Resource Package settled over the enclosed space, casting a calm, expensive glow that eased the nerves without making the place feel soft.
Hermes's food had standards as well. Fifty percent. Sixty five. Eighty.
Mike had received the eighty percent grade stock. The best of it, the true one hundred percent quality, remained sealed inside the glass pillar warehouse for premium customers alone, and Akira was one of the few who qualified for it.
"Please wait for a moment," Hermes said. He did not wait for her reply before stepping inside the glass pillar.
The place was warm in a way that invited trust. Safe, almost. Akira felt it at once, and that only made her more wary. Her class, SS-Rank Truth Seeker, came with a passive gift called Cosmic Intuition. It warned her when death drew near, when the next breath might be her last.
What she felt here was not that. This was a different kind of danger, stranger and softer. A danger that whispered she might one day end up as this great creature's woman.
"Nyan. At least I'd be the cat who bred a new nation," she murmured under her breath, still clutching at the old tales of devil lords from the myths of her people.
Then Hermes drew out a platter of steaming meat, fresh bread, and a chilled bottle of Devil's Qi Green Tea, and set them before her. Akira stared.
She was starving. The last thing she had eaten was a mutated seven eyed rat, and even now its foul taste seemed to cling to the back of her mouth. She hesitated, and Hermes nudged the platter a little closer.
"On the house. I insist."
There was something in his voice that calmed rather than pressed. After a moment, Akira gave a small nod.
Part of her thought the Devil must think highly of her. So she ate, careful at first, all grace and royal restraint, until the first bite of meat touched her tongue. Then the fur along her arms stood on end. It was that good. Devil's Annoyingly Juicy Roast had earned its name.
Hermes waited until she had finished.
"That really hit the spot, nyan," Akira said.
Without thinking, she let herself relax. She put her legs up on the stone table and began grooming herself, only to catch sight of the Devil watching and remember where she was.
"I, I'm sorry, nyan. I didn't mean to disrespect you, nyan. How do I say sorry, nyan?" she asked, plainly thrown off.
"No offense taken. Have a look. This is all optional. I can still exchange it for supplies, and even information, if this is not to your liking," Hermes said, handing the contract over to her.
[Game: Rock, Paper, Scissors]
[Participants: Minimum of 2. Maximum of 2.]
[Party A: Randomizer]
[Party B: Goddess Nyan of Cuteness & Love]
[If Party A, Randomizer, wins, Party B, Goddess Nyan of Cuteness & Love, will be employed by Party A, Randomizer.]
[If Party B, Goddess Nyan of Cuteness and Love, wins against Party A, Randomizer, the round will be void.]
[Term of Employment: Until Party A, Randomizer, gives his consent of his own free will, without being manipulated or cajoled by any system reward, system bug, item, skill, or any other form of unfair control against his will.]
[Resources Provided to Employees Under Party A, Randomizer:]
[Monthly Pay: Performance based. The base calculation will be determined by total stream activity, audience engagement, and all revenue generated through the streaming career under Party A, Randomizer. The method of calculation will remain undisclosed.]
[Viewer Donations: Party B, Goddess Nyan of Cuteness and Love, is eligible to receive viewer donations as determined at the discretion of Party A, Randomizer.]
[Insurance: Life security, health checkups, and three Devil's Elite Healings per month. This term may be further improved at the discretion of Party A, Randomizer.]
[Housing: Company-provided housing. One small private room within the floating platform shall be assigned to Party B for the duration of employment. This term may be further improved at the discretion of Party A, Randomizer.]
[Supplies: Company-catered food + 50 liters per month of specialized power drinks chosen by Party B from approved company stock. This term may be further improved at the discretion of Party A, Randomizer.]
[Streaming Schedule: Except for mandatory company events and reasonable business obligations, Party B may stream at her own discretion.]
[Company Property: The streaming apparatus, current streaming setup, and all attached company tools remain the property of Party A, Randomizer, during the term of employment.]
[Loot Distribution: Any item obtained through any form of exploration, whether combative or adventurous in nature, may not be used until it has been surrendered for inspection. Party A, Randomizer, will quarantine, examine, and assess all such items free of charge. Once the assessment is complete, Party B, Goddess Nyan of Cuteness and Love, may receive fifty percent of the total value of her harvest, either as monetary compensation or as a share of the item collection gathered during the exploration.]
[Life Guarantee: Party A, Randomizer, guarantees that he will not take the life of Party B, Goddess Nyan of Cuteness & Love, unless Party B, Goddess Nyan of Cuteness & Love, places Party A, Randomizer, in a precarious situation.]
[Party B, Goddess Nyan of Cuteness & Love, is not allowed to do the following during the term of employment:]
[A. Enter marriage, mating contract, breeding pact, or equivalent binding union that may interfere with her duties, brand image, or contractual availability, without informing and receiving written consent from Party A, Randomizer.]
[B. Tamper with, modify, replace, damage, or add attachments to the current streaming setup unless Party A, Randomizer, has given prior permission.]
[C. Divulge confidential matters within this contract, including revenue terms, private company operations, technical setup details, and internal business arrangements. This does not prohibit Party B from publicly promoting her streaming career under Party A, Randomizer.]
[D. Make plot against, false statements, malicious slander, or deliberate public remarks intended to damage the name, persona, or business of Party A, Randomizer.]
[E. Party A, Randomizer, may view the status window of Party B, Goddess Nyan of Cuteness and Love, at any time and at his own discretion. Party B, Goddess Nyan of Cuteness and Love, may not disclose her status window to anyone other than herself and Party A, Randomizer.]
[F. Refuse to attend mandatory company events without valid cause.]
[G. Removal, modification, add, or create
[Mandatory Company Events: Party A, Randomizer, must provide a three day notice before such events are carried out.]
[Breach of Contract: If Party B, Goddess Nyan of Cuteness and Love, breaches this contract, Party A, Randomizer, may claim full ownership of her entire existence, with her original consciousness erased and remade to suit Party A, Randomizer's will.]
Akira almost burst out laughing. It was a blatant slave contract. Even so, it came with a wide safety net, and the power promised under the premium terms was nothing to sneer at.
In truth, she knew in her heart that being a slave to a god was far better than breaking herself against barren land, and she was certain this survival game was nothing but another dry and merciless waste waiting to kill her.
More than that, there were holes in the contract, and every one of them favored her. First, she could still send money to her people. Second, nothing in it forbade her from sharing his food or the supplies the company provided. That changed everything.
The other answer was simpler, and her instincts would not leave it be. This devil had feline blood in him. Not enough to rule him, perhaps, but not so little as to lie dead. He loomed there huge as a tower. Did that make him some strange breed of Nyan god? She did not know, but the thought made him seem a shade more trustworthy.
Akira, also known as the Goddess Nyan of Cuteness and Love, stopped daydreaming and finally gave voice to what he truly wanted deep in his heart.
"Devil, nyan, I am an empress. I want to gather my people. Will I still be allowed to do so?" Akira asked.
"Yes, you may. Even so, you will still need to attend certain events and stream for coin. After this, you may go to your people if you wish. But understand this. I will not offer contracts to your people, even if they beg for one. Such arrangements require a certain standards," Hermes said.
Hermes didn't pick Mike Jordy because, at the end of the day, a nation's ruler can amass people and kingdoms in this apocalypse.
Surely, people across the cosmos would prefer such protagonist-like kingdom builders that would propel their very race to win than a solo player.
Still, he would simply keep an eye as fate had many ups and downs.