Simon's trip to Ukraine this time was mainly to further plan the Vejia private army. For a while, Simon had hesitated between recruiting retired soldiers or building the force from scratch. Finally, after much deliberation, he made his decision.
Recruiting retired soldiers was certainly fast and convenient, saving a lot of time, energy, and resources. However, these individuals could never have the absolute loyalty Simon required. There was also the risk of potential infiltrators during recruitment.
Since he intended to create a Westeros System that operated independently of any national government, the private army protecting this system had to be personally cultivated by them. This way, they could ensure the soldiers were not only physically qualified but also shaped in loyalty and values.
Ultimately, the Vejia private army would become a group of true "Westerosians"—people who wouldn't belong to any country or ethnicity, but instead would be completely loyal to the Westeros System.
Just like Simon's infiltration plans in Africa, this was a massive undertaking that required time and patience.
However, whether it took ten or twenty years, once a true private army was built, the interests of the Westeros System and the Westeros family would be secured to the greatest extent possible.
In modern society, the number of troops no longer dictates the outcome of a war.
Modern warfare now relies more on the underlying strength of a nation.
With the growth of the Westeros System, it might only take a decade for it to have the foundational strength to rival most countries on this planet. The resources available to the private army, backed by this economic system, would be enough to deter any adversary.
For example, the three nuclear warheads buried in the Gobi Desert of Western Australia.
Simon's decision to build the private army from scratch was influenced by this very fact. Every weapon requires someone to operate it. If the day came when it was absolutely necessary to deploy such a weapon, Simon couldn't personally detonate a nuclear bomb.
Clearly, the current private army, while willing to go to war for handsome financial rewards, did not necessarily possess the loyalty to press the button and detonate a nuclear bomb for Simon.
After arriving in Ukraine, Simon met up with the team brought from the U.S. by Celia Miller and stayed in the city of Rivne for three days, marking the beginning of this symbolic endeavor. Next, a joint advisory team composed of personnel from both the U.S. and Ukraine would draft a comprehensive framework for the Vejia private army, from training to maintenance and even post-retirement arrangements.
Rivne, Southern Villa.
April 27th.
After a day's work, Simon returned to his residence. After dinner, he continued discussing another matter with A-Girl and Celia in the villa's first-floor living room.
The topic was the recruitment of former Soviet scientists.
This wasn't exactly new. The UFMS school already boasted an impressive faculty recruited by Simon.
But this time, it was a different story.
Simon was now aiming to recruit experts in fields like nuclear energy, aerospace, and genetic engineering, providing them with funding and platforms to continue their research.
The unspeakable goal was that Simon needed a legitimate reason to enter these sensitive industries and gain access to the most cutting-edge technologies of the time.
On the surface, of course, there needed to be a proper justification.
"If you've paid attention, you should have noticed that many of the great inventions over the past hundred years that have completely changed the course of human civilization are closely related to warfare. The end of the U.S.-Soviet rivalry has ushered in a long period of peace, which is good for the world. However, in my view, this has been a disaster for technological advancement. Without the urgency of confrontation, vital research in fields like nuclear energy and space exploration—research that could propel humanity to the next stage of civilization—has significantly slowed down. If this trend continues, society's best resources will be applied only to civilian sectors for a long time. Sure, ordinary people will benefit, but from the perspective of human development as a whole, it's a form of indulgent complacency. I have so much wealth now that it's hard to imagine spending it all, so I need to find a purpose. Continuing research in these critical areas for the future of human civilization is my choice."
A-Girl listened attentively, her bright eyes showing a blind faith in whatever her boss said.
Celia Miller, though more rational, was moved by Simon's words but still said, "But, Boss, you must understand that these areas are highly sensitive."
Simon responded, "Of course I understand. I'm not suggesting we secretly research these things like terrorists. Everything will be done out in the open. I plan to establish a space exploration technology company, and I'm thinking of calling it SpaceX. What do you think?"
Without waiting for a reply, Simon continued, "This company's research will focus on launch rockets, space shuttles, controlled nuclear fusion, and space reactors—everything related to space exploration. And we'll have a goal: human settlement on Mars, with manned missions to Mars within twenty years. I know these projects are extremely expensive, but just considering the annual profits of the entire Westeros System, we're already generating net profits in the hundreds of billions of dollars each year. I believe in another decade, this number will increase tenfold. That means I'll never run out of money, and spending a few hundred billion dollars a year on research won't be a problem."
Celia couldn't help but swallow lightly after hearing this.
Having previously worked in the Department of Defense, she was well aware of the budgets allocated to sensitive areas during the U.S.-Soviet rivalry.
Take aerospace, for example. NASA's annual budget in recent years had been in the range of billions of dollars. However, as a government agency, NASA's budget had to cover too many areas: space observation, space station maintenance, operations of numerous affiliated institutions across North America, and so on. The actual amount used for research was less than one-third, if even that.
Of course, NASA had access to various technological resources.
But if Simon were to embark on this endeavor, he could draw on just as many resources. And on top of that, his personal investment would be ten times NASA's annual budget. It was hard to imagine how far such a plan could go if fully realized.
Noticing Celia's reaction, Simon knew that his excuse was convincing.
Unlike in China, where Simon had lived before, in the West, sensitive areas like nuclear energy and aerospace were indeed subject to regulation, but with enough capital, participation wasn't difficult. In fact, many companies in these sensitive industries in the West were theoretically private corporations with public shareholders, rarely state-owned.
Take Elon Musk's SpaceX, for example. The main obstacle to the company's growth had been funding, and rarely had Congress or other government bodies stepped in to say, "You can't do this."
Simon's grand speech about benefiting all of humanity was mostly a facade. He had no intention of pouring all his resources into this.
His primary goal in establishing SpaceX was, of course, rockets.
At a critical moment, rockets could be modified and used as missiles. This layer of intention, however, was something Simon would only share with a few trusted people.
Compared to space colonization, Simon was genuinely more interested in genetic engineering.
As a modern individual, even though he now stood at the top of the human pyramid, Simon remained rational and didn't pursue the mythical dream of immortality like ancient emperors. However, he firmly believed that with continued investment in modern science, humans could eventually live decades longer.
Simon recalled an important theory.
One of the key factors limiting the development of human technology was the relatively short human lifespan. Many people spend a third of their lives learning and growing, while their productive working years only account for another third. The final third is often spent in decline, achieving little.
Imagine if Einstein had lived to 100 instead of dying at 76. Those extra 24 years could have brought unimaginable advancements to science. What if all the great minds pushing the boundaries of human knowledge had those extra years?
Celia would stay in Ukraine for a while longer.
Simon had no intention of convincing his subordinates; he was merely announcing his decision, just like when he had outlined the new operational plan for the Vejia private army. Simon tasked Celia with setting up a specialized headhunting team during her time in Ukraine, tasked with searching for experts in the relevant fields across the former Soviet republics.
As they were chatting, a light knock came from the open door of the living room.
Yekaterina Noskova appeared with a tray, holding a steaming pot of coffee. When she saw all three of them looking at her, she shrank her neck slightly but still said, "Simon, ladies, I thought you might like some fresh coffee."
Since the main topics had been discussed, Simon was ready to call it a day. Smiling, he waved to the girl, who visibly relaxed and entered the room.
Seeing this, Celia and A-Girl tactfully stood up and left.
Yekaterina poured Simon a fresh cup of coffee, and when the other two women had left and she was given the nod, she brought the cup over to Simon and nestled obediently beside him.
Simon, with a coffee cup in one hand and his arm around the girl's slender waist, caught a faint pleasant scent and asked with a smile, "You smell nice. What is it?"
"Lavender," she replied.
"Hmm," Simon acknowledged, then asked, "You've been acting very cautiously these past few days. Did you do something wrong?"
Yekaterina quickly shook her head in denial, "No." Then, after a pause, she added nervously, "Simon, I didn't mean to argue with Lyudmila. I'll apologize
to her in class next time."
Simon hadn't expected it to be about this.
Lyudmila Besonoskova—Eve's sister.
When Simon had visited Ukraine last time, he had happened to meet this little minx and casually arranged for her to take classes with Yekaterina and two other girls. The girl had great potential and was slated to start modeling next year.
This was a minor issue.
However, it seemed Yekaterina and the other two girls were excluding Lyudmila, likely assuming she was yet another one of Simon's lovers. And, of course, when women compete for attention, it's hard to maintain harmony, making conflict inevitable.
There was always someone keeping an eye on the women around Simon, and they would periodically report on various matters.
On the plane to Ukraine, Simon had glanced at the recent updates on the three girls and found that they frequently argued with Lyudmila. If not for supervision, things might have escalated into physical altercations. To Simon, it was just like kittens playing, nothing to worry about. He had mentioned the matter to Yekaterina in passing, but hadn't expected her to take it to heart.
Smiling slightly, Simon raised his arm, cupping the girl's delicate chin and giving it a playful squeeze. "Arguing is fine, just don't scratch each other's faces. If you fight, I won't interfere. Of course, if you get beaten up, don't come crying to me."
Yekaterina, her chin gently held, shrank back slightly but nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Still, she couldn't help feeling uneasy.
In truth, her recent caution wasn't entirely due to the argument with Lyudmila.
It was because Simon hadn't touched any of the three girls for days.
He hadn't even asked them to share his bed.
This had given Yekaterina and the other two girls a growing sense of dread. They knew all too well the fate of the girls who had been dismissed from the Southern Villa. If Simon suddenly lost interest in them, it wasn't just their own future at stake; their families might face consequences similar to what had happened to the other three families at the start of the year.
Having enjoyed such a privileged, princess-like life, even though she knew people gossiped about them, the envy was palpable. After all, how many men in the world could shower their girls with plane-loads of gifts? Moreover, the villa's other female guards had been noticeably more eager around Simon after learning about Eve's situation.
Yekaterina couldn't help but wonder if Simon's recent lack of interest in them was because his attention had shifted to the villa's equally attractive female guards.
The villa was practically a kingdom of women. Including the three girls, there were eleven women living here. Every one of them would willingly do whatever Simon asked.
On top of that, Yekaterina had another source of anxiety lately.
Her father, learning of Simon's visit, had called her several times to ask for a favor.
She really didn't want to help.
Yekaterina knew that her father had a good reputation, known for working tirelessly to manage the fertilizer factory and raise funds to help local farms in Rivne recover production.
However, the father-daughter relationship had always been cold.
Maxim Noskov was a classic male chauvinist who inherently looked down on women, believing they should stay at home and be housewives 24/7. His only redeeming quality was that he wasn't physically abusive, though verbal reprimands had been countless.
Especially when Yekaterina had been chosen to serve as one of the villa maids—something she initially didn't want. After all, she was only 14 last year and had no desire to be anyone's servant.
It was Maxim who had made the decision.
And the reason, much to Yekaterina's resentment, was the high salary offered here. The money could allow the family to continue supporting her older brother through university. There were four children in the Noskov family—one son and three daughters. Her father had always only cared about their older brother, grooming him as the family successor, and was thus extremely invested in his education.
As for the three sisters, their education didn't matter as much—literacy was enough.
Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the family had been relatively well-off, and the sisters had lived decent lives and could attend school. After the collapse, with the subsequent economic crisis, all three sisters dropped out because their father insisted on focusing all resources on the older brother's graduate studies at Kyiv University.
This time, the issue was a problem with the agricultural loan her father had secured at the beginning of the year.
It involved the purchase of farming machinery.
The order had been placed.
But the factory director had taken the money and fled with his family—rumor had it that they'd smuggled themselves into Germany. The sum involved was a staggering 2.6 billion hryvnias, and because the tractors hadn't arrived in time, the spring planting season was also affected.
In truth, Yekaterina felt a bit of schadenfreude towards her father regarding this issue.
She wanted him to experience some bad luck.
And she had no desire to help.
Yekaterina was smart enough to know that, in Simon's presence, she had no real say. Given that Simon hadn't called them to his bed recently, she was even more reluctant to appear as a nuisance.
What if she were kicked out of the villa?
Turning from a princess back into Cinderella?
Yekaterina thought she'd rather die.
Simon gently stroked the obedient girl in his arms, slowly finishing his coffee while mentally reviewing the past few days. Finally, he patted her slim waist and said, "If there's nothing else, go to bed. I'm going to rest."
Yekaterina hesitated for a moment, then mustered the courage to nuzzle against him, whispering, "Simon, can I sleep in your room tonight? Um, with Natalia and the others too?"
Simon had been practicing abstinence recently.
To avoid any accidents, he'd been sleeping alone.
The young girl's clumsy attempt at seduction wasn't going to change his mind. He simply smiled, shook his head, and teasingly pinched her chin again, saying, "Not tonight. Go to bed. And if you're bored in Rivne, you three can go wherever you like, just as long as you don't sneak off to find boyfriends behind my back."
Yekaterina cupped Simon's wrist with both hands, hopeful. "Then, Simon, when you leave tomorrow, can you take us with you?"
"I've got business to attend to," Simon shook his head and added, "But here's an idea. You three can go to London. I'll be there in a few days, and I'll take you to watch a movie shoot. A horror film."
"Okay," Yekaterina eagerly nodded, finally receiving a positive response from Simon. She still didn't want to leave just yet, though, and continued to cling to him. "Simon, I learned a new dance recently. Can I show it to you?"
Simon wasn't particularly tired. The little minx was persistent, so he agreed. "Sure."
Yekaterina jumped up immediately. "I'll go get the music ready. It needs music." She glanced around, then grabbed Simon's hand. "Not here, though. We need to go upstairs, to our practice room."
Smiling, Simon stood up and followed her upstairs.
The other two girls quickly appeared as well. It turned out all three had been practicing the dance together. It wasn't ballet, which they usually rehearsed to maintain their figures, but a lively Ukrainian folk dance. They weren't dressed in traditional costumes, though; instead, they wore white T-shirts and red-and-black plaid skirts—sexy and playful.
Youth was their greatest asset.
Before they began, they even prepared vodka for Simon, as if planning to get him drunk.
Of course, Simon didn't get drunk.
He also knew all about Maxim Noskov's situation. Just as he was aware of the girls' petty quarrels, Simon was well-informed about Maxim's misfortune with the swindled farm machinery deal. The sum involved—2.6 billion hryvnias—was roughly $800,000, given Ukraine's ongoing currency depreciation.
It was a large sum of money.
Simon had already instructed the Westeros family's intelligence team to track down the runaway factory director and his family. Once found, the underground forces Simon had spread across Eastern Europe in the past six months would either bring them back or eliminate them.
Even though the money had come from a Dutch loan, Noskov was still considered one of their own. The Westeros System was not to be taken advantage of so easily.
If someone dared to do it, they'd have to be ready to face the consequences.
However, Simon didn't bother to inform Maxim Noskov of this small matter.
_________________________
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