Ch 142
The next few hours passed with Matt seemingly just sitting and waiting alone in Rudan’s quarters, while in reality, he was busy passing updates through his puppet. The fact that he was now essentially in control of the fate of an entire planet hadn’t fully registered with him yet. Instead, Matt was focused on how he could ensure that even after he returned to Earth, Scattered Stars could maintain control of the said world. This was the main topic of discussion between him, Greg, and Emily, although the others occasionally contributed their thoughts. Once Matt felt he had a solid plan for how to proceed, he called for Rudan. When it was just the two of them, he began asking questions.
“So, how is all of this going to play out?” he inquired, his voice steady yet filled with anticipation.
“With my head on a platter, half this world destroyed, and billions dead,” Rudan replied, glaring at Matt with a mix of resentment and resignation. “If it weren’t for the fact that my daughters’ only chance to survive is for me to play along, I would kill you myself at this point.”
“Is that why you still plan to refuse to go full-on rebellion and actually let me try to take over this world for real?” Matt probed further, sensing the tension.
“Yes, because even if you succeeded, then what? This planet isn’t anything special, and even if it were, that would only make it even less likely that you could get away with anything. In fact, if I were you, I would be more worried about whether Radoznaormr or Tempormr will get here first. After all, both have a reason to want to punish you,” Rudan warned, his voice carrying the weight of impending doom.
"So, what happens if they arrive at the same time?" asked Matt, curiosity tinged with a hint of apprehension.
"We pray they don't fight," replied Rudan angrily, as if the very thought irked him. He paused, realization dawning on his face, and continued more slowly, "If they do, well, they might keep their distance. To not kill us all simply out of fear of the penalty period."
"See, there's nothing to lose," Matt insisted, a spark of determination in his eyes. "Trust me and get the planet into full rebellion mode. Spread the word that I am the reason for the penalty period, and that I have a plan to truly change the status quo. I believe that if done right, the next few months could see everything change."
"Months?" Rudan scoffed, skepticism evident in his voice. "You might have one month before one of them gets here, and even that is debatable, assuming they aren't already on their way."
"How will they arrive?" Matt inquired, his mind racing with images of what space travel might entail under the system's rules.
"Those two will likely just come under their own power," Rudan explained, with a hint of grudging admiration. "They don't need to rely on portals to cross light-years in moments. You're just lucky that even they can only travel so far in one movement, and we are likely hundreds of light-years away from them right now."
"So, physics truly means nothing now," Matt mused, his voice filled with incredulity.
"Everything means something," Rudan replied, his tone softening slightly. "And just because most of us don't know how they achieve it, folding space isn't inconceivable."
"Folding space?" questioned Matt, frowning as he tried to wrap his head around the concept. "How can something that is intangible be folded?"
"Did none of your world's scientists or writers ever discuss what would be necessary to explore the universe?" Rudan asked, gazing at Matt with a look of pity. "I would have thought that any species capable of thought would gaze at the sky and yearn to know what lies beyond."
"We did that," Matt replied, "We even landed people on our moon and sent probes to study other planets in our solar system. But, as far as I know, that's as far as it went. The rest was just nonsense people concocted to make the impossible seem possible. It didn't really matter to me because it didn't affect my life."
"Why is it always those who only care about themselves who end up at the top?" Rudan asked rhetorically, shaking his head in disbelief.
"I never said I only care about myself," Matt responded. "But since I have no plans to go to space, and everything they're learning won't affect me, why should I care?"
"It seems you don't understand when a question isn't meant to be answered," Rudan commented with a hint of frustration. "Now, it appears I have much to discuss with you while we wait to see how things will play out."
"No," Matt countered firmly, "You have a world to recruit. I'm not joking when I say I expect this world to fully join Scattered Stars. Think of it as fully selling the ruse if you must, but I expect you to get it done."
Rudan looked beyond irritated as he stared at Matt. Eventually, he just sighed, and after Matt gave him the position of recruiter for his organization, Rudan left. Thus, Matt found himself alone over the next several days as more and more notifications came in, including one for having over half of the world's population as members of his guild. During this time, he was able to add over two dozen more recruiters and even had two more vice leader slots open if he wished to use them. Instead, he focused on allowing most of those slots to be filled by individuals Rudan brought to him upon request, and a few slots were reserved for members isolated but connected to his core group, like Tyler and his brother.
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The massive increase in members also brought in renown points, which allowed Emily to significantly improve the controls they had in place. After advanced controls were unlocked, it wasn't until they reached 2000 renown that new controls called specialty controls began to appear. Still, even after having over half of the world and reaching over two billion members, Scattered Stars only managed to accumulate 3000 renown, and the entire exchange system was starting to have issues. Even after adding a few features meant to automate most of it, there were simply too few merit points for it to function properly. With this issue in mind, Matt called Rudan for a meeting.
"I don’t know what to tell you; most organizations don’t operate their exchanges in a manner where even basic goods can be traded for this very reason," explained Rudan. "Merit points are difficult to acquire and even harder to maintain because if the member currently holding them dies, they simply vanish."
"So, are you saying that I should be worried about the points being hoarded?" asked Matt, feeling foolish for missing something so obvious.
"Yes, as many will see this as an opportunity to gain them and hold onto them when they rejoin Godfrey Enterprises after this farce ends. It is actually how I convinced most of those B rank and higher to agree to join your organization," Rudan elaborated, nodding thoughtfully.
"Got it," replied Matt, with a hint of anger creeping into his voice. "Then I suppose I should find a way to counter this before the last of the liquid points leaves the market. Tell me, how would they react to a heavy-handed approach that aims to make them spend the points?"
"That isn’t how merit points work; there is no method I know of to deal with—" Rudan began to say.
"Once you have three points, you can no longer sell anything unless you also buy, unless you have earned points from the system. Then, your total earned is your cap. It falls under the special controls we've unlocked, and there's even an option to seize points from those holding more than that," Matt interrupted.
"That's interesting, as I have never heard of such a control before," Rudan admitted, surprised. "I have reviewed the ones Godfrey Enterprises had access to multiple times."
"You said it yourself; they don’t operate their exchange the way we do, and who knows what conditions are needed to unlock it. Heck, who is to say that it doesn’t contradict a different one they unlocked and was locked long before you were even born," Matt stated with a smile.
"I see you've been discussing things with someone, and I take it that you've already activated these controls," commented Rudas, frowning thoughtfully. "So, tell me, is that all?"
"No," replied Matt confidently. "There is one more advanced control that I am surprised you aren't aware of."
"Point seizure upon leaving an organization," stated Rudas with a hint of realization. "Really, such a control isn't normally worth activating, as you have no option but to join the one that you live under. Now, I see just how it can be of use to you, and I have to say that I was a fool for not thinking of it earlier. This means that as long as you don't die, our points will remain within Scattered Stars’ market no matter what we do."
"Exactly, and if that isn't enough to get them to start buying and selling, then I think you know what our next move will be," replied Matt with a sly smile.
"I see, now it is really a question of whether you actually activated said control and if the others even exist."
"Does it matter?" asked Matt. "I mean, feel free to test it with your own points as I am sure that you already expect to lose them when you die when everything plays out."
"Oh, no, I have already transferred most of them to my daughters, and they intend to use them to buy their lives when this ends. Even if it is only two points per daughter, that is still a very valuable amount to an organization the size of Godfrey Enterprises, where there isn't even one point per 1,000 members. Though that is still better than the roughly one point per 100,000 members you are currently dealing with."
"If each point changes hands 100 times a day, then it will be nearly the same. If I am honest, we are using the exchange system as a way to transfer goods from one place to another. It’s why we only offer one point for something and expect everyone to keep what they are offering roughly equal in value."
"It also means that there is nothing that someone of my level would find useful."
"Rudan, what could we possibly offer that someone of your stature would desire?" Matt challenged with a hint of skepticism. "For that matter, has there ever truly been anything that Godfrey Enterprises would want from working with me, besides my home world?"
"What do you know about what happens after you return to your world, having spent this time in the wider universe?" Rudan countered, his tone probing.
"Not much, aside from the fact that it will mark the beginning of another pointless struggle, as I'm certain various fools will attempt to seize control," Matt replied, frustration evident in his voice.
"It will transform into a dungeon world, much like this one. However, it will be an infinite dungeon for ten years, after which it will mostly solidify," Rudan explained, his words heavy with implication.
"And what does that mean?" Matt inquired, his curiosity piqued despite himself.
"It means that even S-rank individuals can level up there, provided they can break through the barriers designed to keep all natives out," Rudan stated, a hint of warning in his voice.
Matt frowned as he came to the realization that it was highly likely many S-ranked entities were eyeing the potential that Earth represented to them. However, he could only envision a nightmare scenario if any of them actually managed to reach Earth, as he understood the dire consequences that would follow.
“They need someone like me to open a path for them,” Matt muttered under his breath. “Is that what all of you want from me?”
“Yes,” replied Rudan emphatically. “It takes someone of significant talent to open a path, and your best opportunities will arise when you rank up and revert to having set skills again.”
“What do you mean about having set skills again?” Matt inquired, his curiosity piqued.
“Right, the system would explain much more when you reach B rank and have to decide which skills to crystallize into actual ones,” Rudan elaborated. “You see, the initial aspects of your path provide system-generated skills to help you learn what is possible. Many never move past this phase because the D and C ranks are the most challenging. Even if you know what is possible, manifesting the skills you used to have is far more difficult than merely using a predefined skill. Yet, it is also a period when those destined for greatness excel beyond expectations as they discover new skills. Truly, the harshest thing I have done to you is rob you of much of the time you should have had to grow by allowing you to defeat a foe you shouldn’t have ever been able to.”
Matt just frowned as he pondered what this new information meant, realizing that the broadcast he had planned for after the current meeting would need adjustments. Still, there were several unanswered questions, and Matt focused intently on getting Rudan to share more on the subject.
