Lilith remained silent; only those at her level would understand such thoughts.

Otherwise, to others, it would just be another interpretation of Versailles.

After all, standing at the top of the pyramid and wielding supreme power is something that most people dream of their entire lives.

"Alright, just let me know once you've arranged the rest of the schedule." Zhao Chen smiled at Lilith.

This means he's going to be busy again.

But all of this is for the sake of the Xiaolong Interstellar Empire.

Everyone else was busy, working to expand and strengthen the Xiaolong Interstellar Empire. How could the Xiaolong Emperor, at a time like this, hold them back?

Next.

The top brass of the Xiaolong Interstellar Empire held an emergency meeting.

Lilith, the secretary, urgently contacted various parties.

Soon, something that was originally scheduled to be implemented three months later was brought forward by three months.

However, this was done in secret.

Because Zhao Chen and others still need to complete this task.

Dragon Galaxy - Chang'an City

Inside the antique-style room, you can hear beautiful ancient music playing in the background.

There is no table in this room, only antique-style chairs leaning against the wall.

There are two seats in each of the three directions, and a table-like setting in the middle with drinks and desserts on it.

In the center of the room is an incense burner, from which wisps of white smoke rise slowly, filling the air with a calming fragrance.

All six chairs were already occupied.

Zhao Chen sat in the main seat, and Lilith was to his right.

Four people sat upright on either side of him.

The two people on the left are Li Yaqi, the Minister of Commerce of the Empire, and the succubus Bessie, the Deputy Minister.

The two people on the right are Hua Ya Lanlan and Hua Ya Nini from the Bai Lan Interstellar Trading Group.

The White Orchid Interstellar Trade Group was originally an interstellar trade group within the Flower Fairy Federation tribe.

The Fairy Federation tribe is an interstellar race that primarily engages in interstellar trade, and is therefore also known as the interstellar trader race.

Originally, the Bailan Interstellar Trade Group was a gradually declining entity within the Fairy Federation tribes, but it revived after making contact with the Xiaolong Interstellar Empire and receiving support from the Xiaolong Emperor.

The Bailan Interstellar Trading Group gradually grew in size.

In a very short time, he had become the most powerful interstellar trader in the Fairy Federation tribe.

Furthermore, the Bailan Interstellar Trade Group now holds over 60% of the market share in the known universe, which is still increasing within the Fairy Federation tribes.

Therefore, within the Fairy Flower Federation tribe, there is a tacit acceptance of the current cooperation between the White Orchid Interstellar Trade Group and the Dragon Owl Interstellar Empire.

There's no way to change it if you don't accept it by default.

Because the Bailan Interstellar Trade Group is now too large for them to control.

The two Flower Fairy Misses could even have the White Orchid Interstellar Trade Group establish another Flower Fairy Federation tribe.

Therefore, the Fairy Federation tribe has chosen to accept the current situation.

They might even proactively cooperate with the Dragon Star Empire to seek greater benefits.

As a result, the cosmic trade territory of the White Orchid Interstellar Trade Group and the Fairy Federation Tribe has now expanded to a rather astonishing extent.

It should be noted that, within the Bailan Interstellar Trade Group, although on the surface Huaya Lanlan and Huaya Nini are the managers.

However, the major shareholder behind the Bailan Interstellar Trading Group is the Xiaolong Interstellar Empire!

That's why these two are here now.

Because the upcoming development plan of the Xiaolong Interstellar Empire will require their assistance.

Since this was a simple meeting rather than a formal conference, a more casual setting was chosen.

"Because our Xiaolong Interstellar Empire currently has a large gap in resources and funds."

Everyone present knows that the oath to fight against the civilization that devours civilizations is a matter of course.

Recently, our Xiaolong Interstellar Empire has developed its second mass-produced near-T7 level interstellar warship.

However, large-scale manufacturing requires a lot of resources and funds.

If you want to open source in a short time, the best way is through interstellar trade!

Currently, our Dragon Star Empire has a sufficient number of good products.

Whether it's basic food, civilian goods, or military supplies.

Our Xiaolong Interstellar Empire can basically meet all kinds of needs.

Therefore, what we need to do is establish a sales channel.

Lilith then began to explain, glancing at the two flower fairies from the White Orchid Interstellar Trading Group on one side.

"Before this, our Xiaolong Interstellar Empire's interstellar trade with other cosmic civilizations was basically conducted independently, with at most some channels being shared."

These have also brought considerable benefits to our Xiaolong Interstellar Empire.

However, this is not the best way to maximize benefits.

Because among the known civilizations in the universe, there are still many untapped interstellar markets.

"Furthermore, if we could establish a trade network, wouldn't that speed up our interstellar trade channels?" Secretary Lilith paused here, looking at Li Yaqi, the Minister of Commerce of the Empire.

In this regard, the project was mainly handled by Minister Li Yaqi, while Secretary Lilith mainly played a facilitating role.

Minister Li Yaqi continued, "Secretary Lilith was right."

One of the most important factors for us in business is efficiency.

For example, some people can earn ten crystal coins in one minute, while others can earn one hundred crystal coins in one minute.

It's obvious that the latter is the fastest way to make money.

Now we want to establish a trade zone.

What is a trade circle?

It's very simple.

The goal is to bring in as many interstellar civilizations or interstellar forces as possible to form a trade alliance. Within this alliance, any goods that fall within the terms and conditions can be traded directly.

We should establish another central network.

It is currently tentatively set in a star system within the Xiaolong Interstellar Empire universe.

There, a central hub for a space trade network was established, equipped with cosmic stargates that could reach most interstellar universes.

Furthermore, free trade can be conducted there, and various goods can be displayed and contracts signed.

Meanwhile, our Xiaolong Interstellar Empire and several other interstellar civilizations with strong military capabilities, such as the Holy Elf Empire, are also examples.

They can all assume the responsibility of overseeing these interstellar trades.

A space trade committee could be established to adjudicate any disputes that may arise.

Those who break contracts or rules will pay the price.

At best, they would have to pay a penalty for breach of contract and be expelled from the trade alliance.

In severe cases, several military powers within the Trade Federation will dispatch interstellar legion fleets to launch military campaigns against the stubborn interstellar civilizations, making them pay the price.

In this way, everyone can establish an efficient interstellar trade environment under a set of rules and regulations.

Prior to this, there were several challenges to interstellar trade.

It's all about trust. We establish rules so that everyone can trust each other.

Furthermore, there is the issue of space travel. Some interstellar civilizations may have had military conflicts in history, making direct space travel impossible.

Or perhaps there is no direct access to the cosmic stargate network.

All of these can be handled by the cosmic stargate network established by our Xiaolong Interstellar Empire.

This way, everyone can conduct inter-space transportation more efficiently.

Hearing what Minister Li Yaqi said...

Both Hanaya Lanlan and Hanaya Nini nodded in agreement.

Hua Ya Lanlan said, "Because we are the leaders of this trade alliance, we have control over all the interstellar trade channels, giving us more advantages than others."

Furthermore, we ourselves possess enough goods to entice these interstellar civilizations to join us.

The most numerous of these are naturally the JF-17 series interstellar warships.

If we could offer the purchase rights to a compelling interstellar warship, such as a T6-class interstellar warship.

I believe that the vast majority of interstellar civilizations would not refuse to join this alliance.

Zhao Chen nodded.

The sale of the Xiaolong series interstellar warships has always been a sweet-coated bullet in Zhao Chen's hands.

Few people can resist this temptation.

Even the Holy Elf Empire seemed a bit odd in the face of Zhao Chen's near-T7 Golden Scarab-class heavy interstellar dreadnought.

If one isn't enough, then two will do.

Everyone's body is very honest.

Let's get back to the main topic.

At this moment, Hua Ya Lanlan's eyes lit up as she said, "On the surface, it seems that we have only built a platform and obtained some trade channel networks."

But in reality, there is still a lot of room for us to profit from this.

Take interplanetary transport, for example.

It's important to know that the top five largest interstellar transport teams in the known universe are all under our control.

Because the most advanced interstellar transport ships currently available are all from the JF-17 series.

The T6 Starsea Whale-class super-heavy interstellar transport ship needs no introduction. Further down the line are the T5 Star Kun-class super-heavy interstellar transport ship, the T4 Whale-class heavy interstellar transport ship, and the T3 Great White Whale-class heavy interstellar transport ship.

Having such a complete range of interstellar transport ships means that we have no problem with long-distance transport, short-distance transport, or special cargo transport.

In addition, there is the increasingly sophisticated Xiaolong-system cosmic stargate system.

Then we will soon have a cosmic stargate network covering the entire interstellar universe!

As Hua Ya Nini described these things, her eyes shone brightly.

It felt as if she had planted a seed that was about to grow into a terrifying, towering tree.

Zhao Chen nodded at this moment, not forgetting to say some good news: "Speaking of which, our research department has recently received some good news."

In order to meet our plan to quickly deploy the cosmic stargate network.

They developed a simple, permanent stargate that can be assembled quickly.

Although the stargate is small and can only handle a limited volume of shipping, it is well-suited for interstellar travel with only small to medium-sized trade volumes.

After all, not all interstellar universes necessarily require the construction of medium to large-scale interstellar portals.

This simple stargate is just as good in terms of quality and efficiency.

The most important thing is that the construction time is very short. It adopts an assembly method, which allows us to produce 90% of the parts in our factory first, and then transport them to the destination for assembly.

The entire project can be completed in three months!

Most importantly, this design structure also leaves room for future upgrades and renovations. If needed in the future, it can be upgraded and renovated on this basis!

And the cost of such a permanent, simple space gate is only five hundred trillion star coins!

I was thrilled to hear this good news.

Everyone present, except for Lilith, was very happy.

Lilith shrugged helplessly and said, "If you calculate it this way, then our investment in the cosmic stargate will be another huge financial investment."

This is great, since the previous open source code hasn't been released yet, and now there's another expense.

However, this is a necessary step. These things must be built, no matter how difficult it is.

Hearing Lilith's words, everyone understood just how terrifying the costs behind this were.

But this is crucial for the development of the Dragon Star Empire and the plans of that trade alliance.

"How much is needed in this regard?" Zhao Chen asked.

Lilith thought for a moment and replied, "If we want to build a complete cosmic stargate network, we will most likely need to invest 50 trillion star coins in it."

Fifty thousand trillion star coins?

Zhao Chen covered his forehead; the expenses were really huge.

They're all in the tens of thousands of terabytes, and the calculations are in the tens of thousands of terabytes here.

Before that, Zhao Chen considered trillions of star coins to be a huge number.

"The demand for the previous batch of T7 Gold Saint Angel-class light star cruisers has not yet been met."

"Now another batch has appeared." Zhao Chen helplessly covered his head.

"Does that mean we'll have a huge deficit?" Hua Ya Nini asked instinctively.

Lilith said helplessly, "It's hard to describe this as 'very big'."

It is very large.

We estimate that we now have a shortfall of nearly 300,000 trillion Starcoins.

"And you should know that our Xiaolong Interstellar Empire's current annual revenue is less than 100,000 trillion star coins. This means the shortfall is equivalent to more than three years' worth of revenue for our Xiaolong Interstellar Empire!"

Upon hearing this number, Zhao Chen's heart sank.

The pressure is immense.

“Actually, I think that this expense doesn’t necessarily have to be borne by the Dragon Star Empire itself,” Hua Ya Nini said.

Upon hearing this, a thought was activated in Zhao Chen's mind.

Hua Ya Nini said, "In fact, most people in power in an interstellar civilization would not want a cosmic gate that is not under their control to exist in their universe."

Of course, some weaker interstellar civilizations would likely choose to remain silent due to the overwhelming strength of the Dragon Star Empire.

But what if we let them choose for themselves?

All eyes were now on Hua Ya Nini.

Hua Ya Nini continued, "We can propose three types of plans for building cosmic stargates."

The first option is for us to be fully responsible for construction, operation, and so on.

The second option is to accept a joint venture with others to build it, such as building a cosmic stargate, assuming that both parties contribute 50%.

We can accept that the other party also appoints some managers within this stargate, so that they can also know the daily operation of this cosmic stargate.

The third option is for the other party to be fully responsible for the costs.

If this is the case, we will be responsible for construction and will send the necessary personnel to teach its use during the first three years. After three years, the cosmic stargate will be completely handed over to the other party for control.

Considering the third option, even the cheapest simple permanent space gate would cost five trillion star coins, which is estimated to be unaffordable for some small and medium-sized interstellar civilizations.

It can be compensated by the number of years of mining in certain resource-producing areas in the local area.

"And the construction cost of the stargates for the latter two—isn't that something we can decide?"

The last sentence directly reveals Huaya Nini's ulterior motives as an interstellar trader.

But that's not wrong either.

Currently, the construction cost of such a simple cosmic stargate is five trillion star coins, although the profit margin for such a large-scale device cannot be too high.

But raising it two or three times, to ten quadrillion or twenty quadrillion Star Coins, isn't that excessive?

In this way, as long as someone agrees to the third option, the Dragon Star Empire can use the profits earned from it for other purposes.

As expected of the Flower Fairy, an interstellar merchant race.

There are so many ways to make money.

Hua Ya Lanlan then spoke up, saying, "Speaking of the current funding gap of the Xiaolong Interstellar Empire..."

You will establish a trade alliance in the future.

"Then I wonder if you have considered issuing imperial bonds?"

Imperial bonds?

When Zhao Chen heard this word, it sounded both familiar and unfamiliar.

Because this thing exists within some interstellar factions.

However, most of them are in interstellar forces that are developing steadily and tending towards peace.

After all, such things need a peaceful environment to be conceived and born.

"I know that Imperial Bonds don't seem to be suitable for the current situation of the Dragon Star Empire."

However, for some investors, the greater the risk, the greater the potential reward.

We can directly release Imperial Bonds with profit margins three, five, or even ten times greater than those on the market.

This means that the JF-17 interstellar empire will need to spend some money on this in the future.

However, it can also bring considerable benefits in a short period of time.

As for the current situation...

If, in the enacted duel that followed, the Dragon Star Empire was defeated...

Please allow me to make this assumption: in that case, these bonds would naturally become invalid.

If the Dragon Star Empire defeats the Devouring Civilization, then according to the oath-sworn duel, the Devouring Civilization's universe will belong to you.

The ability to devour a civilization's native universe holds immense value.

With these, you will be fully able to repay these imperial bonds.

Investors, naturally, will also see these signs, and some will undoubtedly take the risk, choosing to invest in the future of the Dragon Star Empire at this time!

Hearing this statement...

While Zhao Chen was still thinking, Lilith, who was next to him, clapped her hands and praised, "This idea is good."

Moreover, it can also absorb wealth from the people.

Over the years, the people of the Xiaolong Interstellar Empire have accumulated considerable wealth.

Because many lord factions no longer have military expenditures, they have a lot of extra wealth.

As for the issuance of imperial bonds, we can also offer some minor terms.

For example, within the Dragon Star Empire, those who purchase the most Imperial bonds have a chance to attend the annual New Year's Eve banquet.

etc......"

Hearing this...

A phrase involuntarily popped into Zhao Chen's mind: "This is exactly what 'reasonable charging' means."

For these things, families and lords with spare cash would naturally be willing to make this investment.

Even if it all comes down to nothing, at least they can be powerful for a while now.

"So... how much can we raise?" Zhao Chen asked.

If it really cannot meet the needs of the Dragon Star Empire, then there is no need to go to such lengths.

Lilith looked thoughtful.

This requires calculating the wealth reserves held by the middle and upper classes in the private sector.

This time, before Lilith could speak...

Minister Li Yaqi of the Ministry of Commerce spoke first: "This is not only an investment from our Xiaolong Interstellar Empire, but also from other interstellar civilizations."

During this time, while I was conducting trade with other interstellar civilizations, I was also gathering intelligence from various sources.

I believe that if we implement this imperial bond, we can at least collect 300 trillion in funds and resources.

Of course, this is conditional on the fact that we must show those people the potential and investment value of our Dragon Star Empire.

In other words, we want to show them the growing military strength of our Dragon Star Empire and our determination to win the duel to devour civilizations in the future.

In this way, those talents will be willing to invest in our Dragon Star Empire.

Zhao Chen and Lilith both nodded.

To put it simply, imperial bonds are your investment in a country.

You will only invest in a country if it truly possesses significant strength and potential.

In this regard, the advantage of the Xiaolong Interstellar Empire lies in its rapid pace of introducing new interstellar warships.

"If that's the case, then we need to speed up our mission to build a second near-T7 class interstellar warship."

"If we can lead hundreds or even thousands of near-T7 Gold Saint Angel-class light interstellar cruisers to tour various interstellar civilizations, we will be able to demonstrate our military strength!" Zhao Chen said.

Lilith nodded.

Minister Li Yaqi then said, "However, the most urgent task is to finalize the framework of the space trade alliance led by our Xiaolong Interstellar Empire."

Zhao Chen looked at Li Yaqi and Hua Yalanlan: "This matter was previously handled by the two of you."

Now I'll listen to both of you.

All you need to do now is tell me how I need to cooperate with you.

We must establish the framework for this cosmic trade alliance as quickly as possible!

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