Chapter 418

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Chapter 418: Cosmic (5)

Turning high-income earners into beggars.

In fact, this was quite a humane measure.

‘If we’re not going to eliminate them from the pool of equity holders by making them beggars, the only other option is to actually kill them.’

And surely, being a beggar was better than dying.

In any case, monopolizing planetary equity was absolutely necessary.

Not only was negotiation authority with Earth essential for constructing a planetary ship, but if opposition arose during future global decision-making, it would be a major hassle.

“Let’s build the grand assembly hall right now. We still have some time before the board meeting, don’t we?”

—Understood.

Kubu blinked and reopened the construction menu.

Flash!

[Grand Assembly Hall]

| Gathers the planet’s key figures to hold meetings. Planetary equity holders and candidates can be forcibly summoned.

*Base construction cost: 3 billion Karma

—The construction cost of 3 billion Karma will be paid in the name of the Family Head.

Then, a rectangular holographic window appeared in front of Yeongwoo.

“Oh… You want me to sign this?”

—Yes, Family Head.

It seemed that because this was such a massive expenditure, the Family Head’s signature was required.

“Can I sign however I want?”

—Of course.

Kubu blinked twice, as if waiting.

At this, Yeongwoo looked at the sword in his hand—Bastard.

Then—

Whoosh!

He swung Bastard at an incredible speed, slashing diagonally through the holographic window.

Szzzzt!

—……!

—Huh?

“…Whoa. What just happened?”

Kubu, Jiseon, and Junggu all reacted in shock.

None of them had been able to see Yeongwoo’s movement just now.

But the man himself didn’t care about their astonishment at all.

‘I… I did it!’

At that moment, all that mattered to him was that he had used his sword tip to sign—just like a true chairman would.

Sizzle!

Since Bastard radiated dark crimson energy, Yeongwoo’s ‘signature’ glowed a fiery red, as if burned into the air with molten metal.

“…Is this good enough?”

The novice Family Head, Yeongwoo07, stared at his signature, uncertain.

Kubu retrieved the holographic window, rolling his eyes.

—Yes, it has been approved.

Then, just like before, the sky turned an eerie shade of blue.

Flash!

—Where would you like to construct the grand assembly hall?

A map of Seoul appeared, along with a highly detailed visual representation of the hall’s immense size.

“It’s way bigger than I expected.”

On the map, the grand assembly hall was depicted as a massive domed structure, roughly the size of a World Cup stadium.

That explained why there were no recommended construction sites—it was too large to fit just anywhere.

‘In that case… wouldn’t it be best to overlay it onto an existing stadium site?’

Yeongwoo considered this for a moment before changing his mind.

“Kubu—no, Administrator. Can the grand assembly hall be used to invite other families as well?”

The default tooltip stated that only the planet’s key figures could be summoned, but he wondered if the facility could be upgraded for more functionality.

And, as expected—

—The grand assembly hall can indeed be enhanced through expansions. And among the available upgrades…

Kubu’s eyes flicked upward.

—There is an option to summon or call members of other families within the Family’s sphere of influence.

‘Within the Family’s sphere of influence…’

For some reason, that phrase was quite appealing.

“So in theory, I could one day seat all the other Family Heads in the grand assembly hall, right?”

—Theoretically, yes.

“Then let’s build the grand assembly hall in Gwangjin District. There’s plenty of open space there.”

At this, Jiseon spoke up.

—What? Are you planning to make Gwangjin the center of Seoul?

She was questioning why such a crucial diplomatic facility would be built in that area.

But Yeongwoo’s answer completely shattered her expectations.

“Nope. I’m putting all the undesirable facilities in Gwangjin.”

—…Huh?

“If violence is possible inside the grand assembly hall, that means others can fight back, right?”

—Well, yeah.

“Then imagine a bunch of alien family leaders gathering there and beating each other up. How dangerous do you think that would be?”

—…What the hell?

“Diplomacy is all about demonstrating the power gap effectively to convince others, isn’t it?”

—……

Jiseon’s mouth hung open inside her helmet.

Meanwhile, Yeongwoo stomped his right foot, clad in his Vesedel Armor, against the ground.

Boom!

“And don’t forget that there’s a massive self-destruct bomb buried beneath this place.”

—…Why?

“If we build the grand assembly hall on top of the bomb, it’ll make it that much easier to threaten the Family Heads.”

—You lunatic.

“I’m just glad you’re finally realizing that.”

At Yeongwoo’s words, he turned toward Kubu.

Taking the hint, Kubu began constructing the grand assembly hall.

Swoosh.

He closed his eyes for a moment, and then, opposite the ceremonial hall, blazing blue beams of light rained down from the sky.

Rumble!

Due to its sheer size, numerous beams pierced through the heavens as the grand assembly hall took shape.

“Excellent.”

Watching as the grand assembly hall—looking more like a colossal coliseum—rapidly formed, Yeongwoo turned his attention to the Three Hammers, who were still waiting nearby.

“Kobu.”

—Yes, sir?

“This ceremonial hall—will it remain even after you three leave?”

—Since you’ve fully paid for it… yes.

“Then can I continue using it however I like?”

—In what way, exactly…?

“For example, renting it out to someone else.”

—Ah.

Realizing what he meant, Kobu turned toward the ceremonial hall.

Then, cautiously, he spoke.

—Some of the furnishings have been damaged, but for a small additional fee, they can be fully restored.

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In other words, he could run the ceremonial hall as a business if he wanted to.

—However.

“What’s the catch?”

—The Dogo Corporation’s emblem is permanently engraved throughout the ceremonial hall. That cannot be removed.

“Oh, is that all?”

Yeongwoo scratched his cheek.

That didn’t seem like much of a drawback.

“Well, as long as I inform the renters beforehand, it shouldn’t be a big issue. I can just lower the rental fee a little.”

At that, Jeonggu looked surprised and asked,

"Are you saying you’re going to turn this wedding hall into a business?"

"Yes. Can we really survive just by robbing people? We need some kind of side business."

Besides, they had just acquired a magnificent wedding hall, complete with an execution platform.

Yeongwoo figured that somewhere in this universe, there had to be couples who would want a wedding hall like this.

"Then, if I want to commercialize the wedding hall, should I contact Kobu?"

— Yes. If you need us, just press this to summon us.

Swish.

Kobu handed over a small pentagonal metal piece.

「Hammer Caller」 - General Tool

【Not a prison, but a tool for order.】

"Thank you."

As Yeongwoo took the summoner, Kobu extended his right hand for a handshake.

— We’ll be taking our leave now.

"You've worked hard."

Clank!

As Yeongwoo shook hands with Kobu, a bright light flickered from the direction of the grand hall.

「Level 4 Major Facility: Grand Assembly Hall has been completed.」

"It’s time to undertake a national... no, planetary-scale project."

— May the blessings of the Order be upon you and this planet, Lord.

Kobu stepped away from Yeongwoo.

Then, he looked toward the ship docked in the open field, pressed the small device in his hand, and—

Click.

In an instant, the silhouettes of Kobu, Tobu, and Chobu became transparent and teleported right in front of the ship.

— The guests are truly all gone now.

Jiseon muttered as she watched the hammers dash into the ship like they were running for their lives.

Yeongwoo simply shrugged.

"New guests will be arriving soon."

* * *

Grand Assembly Hall, Metal Seoul, Dogo Special City.

According to the facility description, the Grand Assembly Hall had the power to forcibly summon planetary stakeholders and candidates.

"Forced summoning, huh?"

Yeongwoo was curious about how exactly it worked.

The hall wasn’t too far from the wedding venue, so Yeongwoo and the Renaissance crew were already standing in front of its grand entrance.

— Only the Lord can open the Grand Assembly Hall's door.

"But other people can enter if I open it, right?"

Yeongwoo turned to look at the two attendants behind him.

Kubu blinked.

— Yes. If you open the door, your companions may enter as well.

Then, Kubu turned his gaze toward the towering entrance, at least 50 meters high.

— The entrance of a Level 4 Grand Assembly Hall is nearly indestructible. According to the manual, it can also serve as an emergency shelter.

"You’ve been studying a lot, I see."

Yeongwoo hadn’t forgotten.

This administrator was being paid a weekly salary of 150 million Karma.

"Still, I can open it with mythic-class gear, right?"

— As of now... yes. But once the city's level rises, that will no longer be possible.

"What? Not even mythic-class weapons will work?"

That was shocking.

If he flipped this logic around, it meant that on certain high-tier planets, entire cities might be filled with buildings immune to even mythic-class destruction.

"Then how do you destroy those buildings?"

— …By repeatedly bombarding them with the main cannons of large warships…

"Oh, so that’s why ships are necessary."

Yeongwoo nodded in understanding.

Kubu, however, hadn’t exactly agreed with that statement.

"Anyway, how do I open the door? Do I just say ‘Open’ like some kind of magic spell?"

Yeongwoo half-joked as he spoke, but—

Rumble!

The massive metal doors began to slide open.

“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”

— The Lord holds absolute authority within the family. Thus, all facilities owned by the family obey the Lord’s command.

"That’s amazing. But this planet isn’t my property yet, right?"

As Yeongwoo stepped past the threshold of the Grand Assembly Hall, Kubu, Jiseon, and Jeonggu followed suit.

“…My god.”

Jeonggu gaped in awe.

The ceiling had to be at least a few hundred meters high.

—Even if I turned into a dragon, my head wouldn’t hit the ceiling.

Even Jiseon let out a whistle at the overwhelming scale of the hall.

—Damn, money really does wonders. They hold meetings in a place like this?

The Grand Assembly Hall’s structure was also quite unique.

It was designed like a colosseum, with countless spectator seats encircling the outer perimeter.

Meanwhile, the center of the hall was an enormous open space—

Almost as if it were built to host battles between gigantic beings.

"Looks like meetings happen over there."

Yeongwoo pointed to a massive round stone table at the very center of the hall.

The table was roughly 10 meters in diameter and stood alone in the vast open space.

— Yes, that is where planetary stakeholders can be summoned.

Hearing Kubu’s words, Yeongwoo wasted no time and headed straight for the table.

Clank. Clank.

Now that he looked closely, the floor and walls of the Grand Assembly Hall were made of dark gray stone.

The atmosphere felt rather desolate.

Meanwhile, the ceiling was covered with a semi-transparent material of unknown composition.

"What’s that? Glass?"

Yeongwoo furrowed his brows as he stared up at the cloudy, blurred sky.

Kubu blinked once.

Flash!

In an instant, the ceiling became perfectly clear, as if it had vanished.

— It is a retractable ceiling. It’s not actually open right now—there’s just a very thin protective barrier in place.

"Can it be fully opened?"

— If the Lord wishes, yes.

However, Kubu added that doing so would expose the hall’s interior to the outside climate.

"That 3 billion was well spent. In certain situations, we could even dock a warship up there, couldn’t we?"

— That is correct.

"Good. But for now, keep it closed. We’ll be welcoming guests soon."

At Yeongwoo’s command, the Grand Assembly Hall’s ceiling was instantly replaced with gray stone.

"Now it feels like we’re in a dungeon…"

Jeonggu, an actual dungeon explorer, shivered slightly.

Yeongwoo grinned.

"I want our guests to feel exactly that way."

Then, he placed his hand on the massive round table.

"Alright, let’s summon this planet’s key figures."

— The summoning can be initiated immediately. However…

"What's the issue?"

— Since it is a forced summoning, the moment you issue the command, the targets will be pulled in instantly. Some may not be prepared.

"Oh."

In other words, someone might be in the middle of eating, or worse—using the bathroom—when they were dragged in.

"Well, that’s life. Disasters always strike when you least expect them."

With that, Yeongwoo tapped the table with his index finger.

"Summon them. Even if they’re in the bathroom—!"

— As you command.

Kubu blinked deeply.

Then—

Zap! Zap! Zap!

Three flashes of light appeared over the table.

The key figures had been summoned.

And for some reason—

—What the hell is that?"

Jiseon rubbed her eyes in disbelief.

One of the summoned individuals was completely naked.

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