Internal corporate friction had zero bearing on the plans for Gym construction.
The licenses were open to whichever branch stepped up to pay the asking price. Company infighting was an internal affair, and Julian had no reason to intervene or play favorites. His relationship with the Interastral Peace Corporation was rooted strictly in mutually beneficial business transactions; there was no reason to hand concessions to the Investment Department out of sentiment.
Besides, the Investment Department held an equity stake in Julian's firm, meaning that even if the Traditional Projects Department secured a regional contract, Topaz's branch would still draw dividends from the resulting revenue, even if it lagged behind the direct profits of running a Gym.
The envoys from the other galactic factions looked entirely unbothered by the corporate bickering. Accustomed to such workplace spats, they ignored the pair entirely, mingling and trading quiet pleasantries with familiar colleagues across the room.
Given Robin's warm friendship with Julian and her position as Sunday's sister, she served as the natural plenipotentiary for the Family of Penacony. With delegates gathered from so many sovereign worlds, Robin took the opportunity to exchange greetings with delegates from several neighboring sectors.
Cai Xing cleared his throat twice, stepping up to the lectern to draw the murmuring hall to attention.
"Honored delegates, allow me to present the operational framework for the regional Gyms, the economic returns they offer your respective sectors, and the licensing terms required for construction."
Looking across the room, Cai Xing took in representatives from over a dozen sovereign civilizations, effectively encompassing the civilized core of the cosmos. Worlds absent from the table were either engulfed in active battlefields, overrun by lawless renegades, or struggling on isolated worlds without deep-space travel capabilities.
Commanding this level of diplomatic pull was something the Xianzhou Alliance itself rarely achieved. Cai Xing, who had once spent his days processing routine flight permits for the Sky-Faring Commission, felt a quiet, profound awe. He had never imagined that the gaming studio his superiors assigned him to assist would grow into a galactic powerhouse, drawing interstellar delegates from every corner of the cosmos to hand over their funds.
Shaking off his nostalgia, Cai Xing launched into the operational overview of the Gym system, focusing directly on the tangible benefits for the host territories.
The core advantage was simple: an unprecedented, sustained tide of visitors.
Beyond the monthly stipends provided to registered professional Trainers, the sheer passion of the community was enough to flood local venues. Backed by real-world financial incentives, the economic impact was staggering.
Even if a local government did nothing more than maintain the surrounding public roads, the spontaneous commercial ecosystem formed by visiting Trainers would generate massive local tax windfalls. Those who actively developed tourism infrastructure and local hospitality sectors stood to reap astronomical profits.
As for the licensing fees required by the studio, they were practically negligible compared to the returns. Julian was no exploitative monopoly boss; he had already amassed wealth far beyond his personal needs, leaving him with zero desire to squeeze host worlds dry. His priority was building an open, mutually beneficial ecosystem to spread Pokémon across the stars as swiftly as possible.
"One additional note," Cai Xing added, glancing down at a late revision Julian had forwarded earlier that morning. "In lieu of standard currency or regional policy concessions, host factions may also fulfill their terms by providing rare artifacts imbued with the authority of the Aeons."
Julian had recognized that if anyone held stores of ancient divine relics, it was these major galactic governments. While the private collectors across the cosmos held a vast sum in total, hunting down loose scraps on the open market was slow, tedious work.
"Please note that relics tethered to the Path of Preservation and the Path of Abundance are largely excluded from this exchange program, as our internal needs for those specific lineages are already met."
Qlipoth had hammered out cosmic walls across countless Amber Eras, leaving divine amber fragments scattered across nearly every civilized world. As for Abundance, despite the Xianzhou's dedication to the Hunt, their long history meant the Alliance archives were already overflowing with curios of that lineage, removing any need to trade outside their borders.
Topaz frowned, leaning forward with an inquisitive look. "May we ask what Julian intends to do with these materials?"
As the second-largest corporate shareholder alongside the Xianzhou, finding herself out of the loop on a major development within the firm caught her completely off guard.
Even setting aside amber relics, the IPC held vast vaults of ancient cosmic artifacts. Yet parting with such strategic items required knowing their purpose; no government willingly handed over divine materials without understanding their use.
Cai Xing shook his head with an apologetic smile.
"I cannot offer a definitive breakdown of the operational goals. The clause was added directly by my superior during our morning briefing."
"However, Mr. Julian is currently conducting biological research at the Herta Space Station alongside Madam Ruan Mei. He mentioned that should their current phase of experiments succeed, an official disclosure will be published across our network channels."
Though Cai Xing gave no specific operational details, every diplomat in the room grasped the unspoken truth in an instant.
What else could a partnership with Ruan Mei mean?
Julian was preparing to bring Pokémon into the living, breathing physical world!
The conference hall broke into a storm of hushed, excited debate.
Some were floored by Julian's audacity, stunned that anyone would expend vast fortunes and divine relics just to bring digital creatures into reality. Others marveled at his personal connections, managing to secure the direct collaboration of a reclusive mind from the Genius Society—an achievement sovereign governments spent centuries attempting in vain.
Meanwhile, seasoned trade delegates immediately began calculating the unprecedented commercial empire that would arise the moment living Pokémon walked the stars.
Robin sat in stunned silence, her heart leaping in her chest.
Among everyone gathered in the hall, she was perhaps the only one whose devotion to Pokémon went far beyond commerce or casual leisure. Even Topaz viewed the project primarily as an entertainment investment.
Hearing that Julian was actively working to breathe real life into the companions filled Robin with an overwhelming, bright warmth. Wild as the rumors sounded, she silently prayed with all her heart that his work with Ruan Mei would bear fruit.
Cai Xing stood quietly at the lectern, allowing the room to process the news. Before long, the delegates collected themselves, turning their attention back to the table.
One by one, the envoys put their signatures to the agreements, each electing to settle a portion of their licensing fees using divine materials from their private reserves.
They also insisted on adding a mutual priority clause: should living Pokémon be successfully cultivated, their respective worlds would be granted first priority for localized ecological releases.
Anticipating the request, Cai Xing checked his comms with Julian, receiving immediate approval.
The planetary systems invited today were stable, peaceful civilizations—the exact environments Julian wanted for introducing gentle companion creatures, provided sufficient numbers could be cultivated.
As for the specific number of Gyms allotted to each sector, Cai Xing allowed the delegates to propose their own regional quotas, using the Luofu's baseline ratio of eight facilities per flagship world as the standard metric.
Stepping out of the conference hall, Robin immediately dialed Sunday.
"Brother, we need to expedite the development of the Pokémon Dreamscape!"
Robin quickly relayed the details of the Gym network and the upcoming professional league circuits.
Listening to her breakdown, Sunday grasped the strategic value at once. If the dedicated Pokémon Dreamscape could be completed ahead of schedule, combining Penacony's dream-weaving capabilities with the immense foot traffic generated by the regional Gyms would yield economic returns that could easily match the combined revenue of six standard Dreamscape moments.
That was a conservative estimate based on optimal visitor flow. Under the right conditions, a single Pokémon hub could outshine all Twelve Moments combined.
With the Charmony Festival on the horizon, opening the venue in time would draw countless pilgrims to Penacony, offering more weary travelers a sanctuary to escape the bitter hardships of reality.
"I understand, Robin," Sunday's measured, gentle voice replied through the receiver. "I will reassign our dreamweavers immediately. We will ensure the Pokémon Dreamscape opens its doors before the Charmony Festival begins."
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