164 Death’s Raptor...
Most of the people who played 'The Renaissance of Urophael' came from within the Spatial Ark Star World but also the citizens who lived across the Septum Aecors of Terra Kingdom.
Starlight Entertainment Division took over the management of the game developed by Esmond in his free time with Carter.
This was done to help people in the future who would travel over to Stovi.
Similarly, the Starlight Entertainment Division developers worked on a cultivation-based game to please the masses because Esmond knew people would eventually go visit these worlds.
Everyone who ever got a chance to play the virtual games understood the economic value and even pleaded with the Ark Bank.
Known across the Septum Aecors of Terra Kingdom as the official bank of the Spatial Ark Star World, players and business owners within the game hoped for the currency to be converted into real-world money.
Ark Bank, after discussing it with Eddie, announced the ability to users who quickly started converting their coin into real-world currency to give themselves a greater foot forward in life.
But whereas the citizens of the Spatial Ark Star World and the Terra Kingdom lived in a booming market and economy, America and the rest of the world started to see the early effects of the banks and financial institutions failing.
Wall Street tried to make up the money they were deep in debt with by draining the pockets of the simple people in the world without much to give in the first place.
Crista Hoffman, a new employee of the Primal Management Group, and someone who'd interacted with Esmond before, found herself in a tough position when her parents' home mortgage repayments rose by 100 percent.
She thought about getting a second job, but her 'new friends' Malcom Fletcher and his associates, stopped her from taking on another job.
Originally Crista refused to help them since she came across the job during a time when her career should have been blossoming.
Her previous position with the New Jersey State Government wasn't paying enough for the work she was required to complete daily.
So, she had high hopes for her role at the Primal Management Group, but she became more afraid of the F.B.I and their threats to her family.
Her younger brother was convicted falsely by some friends who committed the crime, but because their fathers were influential people, they were able to save themselves.
Crista never stopped fighting to free her brother even after the fathers of her younger brother's friends gave her a simple position within the local government.
They knew she wouldn't rise in power nor would she free her brother, so they never minded her any attention.
Malcom and his F.B.I Agents understood corruption played a part in Crista's brother being jailed but they wanted to use this as a chess piece to gain insider information pertaining to Primal Management Group.
Crista wasn't the only person to feel like they were forced into helping the government when they didn't want to go against their new employer.
Especially after their new employer offer them deals to switch banks to the Astrum Bank, a newly establish firm within America with ties to the Aeternus Curatio Group.
Primal Management Group also was made to look like it had some connection to the Astrum Bank, so their employees were given better deals and interest rates once they joined up.
The Astrum Bank already had a frightening level of financial power and wealth that the market crash would gain it more wealth than one could ever imagine.
Eddie expected the Astrum Bank to become the number one financial institute within America by the end of September.
Even now, they had the power to become one of the strongest banks in the country, but they were considered small since they didn't have a large number of branch offices.
Once they started gaining average customers all around America, they would eventually gain a good reputation when their customers survived the worst economic crash the world ever saw.
Crista and many others who started working for Esmond's companies all found themselves joining the Astrum Bank to discover their new bank offered them better options such as a 'Financial Manager'.
A Virtual Profile Intelligence would work as a 'simple' program with traders to help them increase the wealth of their customers person accounts while also the banks personal funds.
None of the traders that were hired could understand how a program could predict the right movement of stocks, their valuation and movement, even believing it was illegal, but nobody complained since they earnt a large amount of money.
While others on Wall Street weren't aware of the deals offered by the bank to provide their customers with an opportunity to gain a stake in the Stock Market, those who'd joined with the Astrum Bank couldn't help but thank their good lucky fortune.
The option of a 'Financial Manager' was only offered to those within a certain wealth group, and Eddie saw no need to make billionaires even richer, so it was only offered to anyone that aren't less than 100 thousand dollars a year.
Esmond wasn't yet made aware of the success the Astrum Bank had across the world beyond Africa.
When Iceland, British, and Greenland citizens learnt their banks merged together into a multinational financial institute rebranded as the Astrum Bank, many were furious and looking to move to another bank but remained after meeting with newly trained bank managers and staff.
After ensuring the success of the 'Financial Manager' to each customer, they would rush to accept the free service when they learnt that a portion of their bank account wealth could gain them upwards of tens thousands in a couple months.
Most people thought it was a con, but they allowed the banks to take 5 dollars only to find themselves with dividends the following week that shocked them blind and breathless.
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When James became aware of the 'Financial Manager' program, he got in direct contact with Eddie to help him gain access to the service as well since he was a customer of the bank as well.
Eddie in the end decided to take care of James finances while taking care of Esmond's, much to the shock of the Primal Management CEO who tried to figure out how his wealth jumped up by several million within hours and days.
Julia, Layla's mother also got the same treatment and so did May's family, even though their portfolio already made them billionaires.
The girls also had their own bank accounts but now that they were part of the Space, Eddie already gave them a decent amount of cash and offered them plenty of room to play around.
Largely they spent the money on furthering their personal businesses but other than that, it went towards investment within Africa and charities Eddie created around the world.
May wanted to showcase African culture into her fashion designs and decided to follow Esmond's suggestion to help create a new fashion capital on the African continent.
Carter set up a fashion, health, and beauty care branch in the Necthea Institute to support May's endeavours with some great results so far.
So far May's business was restricted to the Space and the Septum Aecors of Terra Kingdom, but her staff chosen from the Space to start laying the foundations across Africa had already started producing some great results.
Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Eritrea found themselves experiencing the first wave of culture, fashion, and beauty revolution.
European and Western nations weren't heavily focused on the healthcare and beauty of darker skin tones, so May's company found themselves at the forefront of the market whenever certain products made their way onto the market through popup stores.
All of this was data collection for May to understand her business operations across the continent.
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'Huh… seems like I've grown…' Esmond smiled as he noticed a height growth of several inches.
Originally 6'1, Esmond underwent several height growths whenever his body changed.
The Golden Sentry Serum transformed his height to around 6'5 while also enhancing his genetic code, but after the Extremis Liquid Nanotech mutated into Primordial Cell Nanotech, Esmond grew another two inches in height but also found his body went through a quirky transformation.
It also affected the Spatial Ark Star World since he was the System Host connected to its core.
The Xrian Organism Cells found themselves on mutual grounds with the Primordial Cell Nanotech circulating within Esmond's body, until it gave the Xrian Cells their own individuality among the collective connection.
All the Xrian used this time to understand the Spatial Ark Star World because of their desire to know everything about the world, even if it was life and death.
Esmond's Soul Bond with Igdra helped ease the strain on his mind when all sorts of information came rushing into his mind due to the fulfil the brash desire of the Xrians.
Thankfully the organs also enhanced like the brain which previously could have been considered as a supercomputer but after the Primordial Cell Nanotech evolved the brain, it changed into a quantum computer.
The processing speed at which information ran through Esmond's mind left the Primordial Patrician Human wondering how it was possible to gain such clarity within one's mind and soul.
Igdra also appeared before Esmond during this time and checked on his wellbeing, only to find that his three pillars, mind, body, and spirit all aligned to such a state that Igdra worried it might make Esmond's mind colder.
Emotion was considered a burden for most powerful people who wished to gain power beyond a mortal state.
It was one of the reasons people considered Gods to be cruel beings because of their inability to understand their emotions.
However, Igdra's worries were for nought once Esmond opened his eyes and smiled lovingly at Igdra.
"My love, I'm not one to easily give up my emotions for a small gain in power." Esmond understood emotion contained raw power and energy which can be helpful in more ways than one.
Not wanting to let go of this pool of raw power that could turn the tide of wars in an instant, Esmond focused on his loved ones and their relationship to keep his emotions in check.
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Afterwards Igdra finally explained the changes that took place within the Spatial Ark Star World once the Extremis Liquid Nanotech entered the Space and later on when it became the Primordial Cell Nanotech.
Both liquid substances found themselves creating a resource pool within the Spatial Ark Star World, which infested itself in the World Tree and in turn Igdraasilla.
She found it possible to adapted with technology to a greater extent and understand the basic underlying function of programs and operational systems.
Igdra decided to help advance the projects of her children such as the Arch Primordial Elves, Fairies, Sylphs and Dryads who either worked within the Virtual Labs or around the Space.
She explained to Esmond that the Virtual World didn't seem so foreign anymore and understood plants, creatures and other items could be noted down to code that could enter the simulation program.
The Renaissance of Urophael became a perfect place for Igdra to try out her new skills and forgot to inform the developers over at Starlight Entertainment Division that went crazy trying to figure out how the game world's nature suddenly blossomed to a greater extent than ever before.
Eventually the developers were notified that the changes came from the head boss and were sent an email pertaining to all the new development, but this only made her more brazen.
Carter caught onto her and sent her virtual consciousness to study inside the A.I World until Igdra understood her new powers and the limit of their intervention in the overall world.
Sitting beside Esmond, Igdra moped about the situation but understood it was done for the best, otherwise she might be prone to causing a massive problem out of the blue.
Esmond and Igdra ended up flying around the Space, especially since Igdra's body form strengthen by several fold, making her capable of creating a Powered Armour Suit of her own.
Flying beside her, Esmond summoned his own suit that appeared from within his body, as a nano liquid material rushed outside of his pores.
After a while of flying around the Space, Igdra left as some work came up that required her attention, leaving Esmond spare time to head over to a production warehouse facility where a completed Power Cell Star Engine and Energy Sphere awaited him.
Carter also happened beside at the warehouse once Esmond landed and withdrew the helmet of the Powered Armour Suit back into his body.
"… I want to say it looks amazing… but its fucking creepy, Esy." Carter's body shook as if he felt a cold shiver crawl up his spine after witnessing the Powered Armour Suit retract into Esmond.
"Shudda up you annoying prick!
Let me absorb this crap here in peace."
Esmond ignored Carter and stepped up to the two freshly produced objects and planted his hand on either item before the Primordial Cell Nanotech started absorbing them into the Powered Armour Suit.
It wasn't long before Esmond realised how the Power Cell Star Engine and Energy Sphere merged together to fuel the operational systems of the suit.
Even though Solis automatically became connected to the Powered Armour Suit because he was the Host of the Spatial Ark Star World.
Esmond knew the Stellar Cores created by Solis created plenty of new young stars within the greater Star System of the Spatial Ark Star World that all generated plenty of energy, yet none of them grew to the extent to become a star similar to Solis.
Largely the Stellar Cores were currently used within the power stations across the Mainland, Thazur and Gebrion to provide energy to the facilities across the Space
Because Solis energy was largely reserved for Esmond to consume, the Stellar Cores became the new source of power to supply the people of the Spatial Ark Star World and Septum Aecors of Terra Kingdom.
The management systems of the Space decided to increase the number of power stations now that Esmond wanted a designated energy network of his own to connect with the Energy Sphere.
Even though the Chariot System went into effect and allowed for the movement of large sums of energy in an instant, the Energy Sphere converted everything for the Power Cell Star Engine to utilise without any problems.
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"Are you done?" Carter asked as readied to send the two of them towards another part of the Mainland.
"Yeah… I absorbed the two items…
So, tell me, are they ready to fly now?" Esmond asked as he hoped to hear his personal ship was ready to fly and join up with the fleet heading into the Tartarus Zone.
The PSS Necthea was an improved and upgraded Starship of the pre-existing SSV Normandy which found itself becoming an asset of both the Phantom Security Services and Necthea Institute.
However, the Rath Ark Class Starship, the most advance ship developed within the Space, easily outclassed the two ships currently fielded beside the Bloodied Princess.
Esmond asked to increase the production of the Rath Ark Class Starships so he could field more versions of the ships in the future, especially within the detrimental Tartarus Zone.
For now, though, 4 Rath Ark Class Starships would join up with the Grand Army ships of the gifted Clone Army and a half a dozen Galaxy Class Star Ships.
With an overall length of 1000 metres by an overall width of 740 metres and a height of around 200 or so metres, the Galaxy Class Starships easily became the baseline vessel of their current legion in use.
"Everything is ready to go.
Just waiting on you to give your ship a name before its maiden voyage." Carter asked but regretted his actions soon after when he heard Esmond's name for the ship.
One look at the dark tones of the ship, Esmond pronounced it the "Death's Raptor…"
