CHAPTER 578: MIRACLES AND OTHER DISASTERS

Excuse him, but what was that talk about trust supposed to mean when this was clearly an attack on his sensibilities?

After holding the auction, was he supposed to expect the capital to still be standing?

Or should they already plan an orderly evacuation to other planets?

Killian Nox forced himself to breathe like a reasonable man. It wasn’t working.

Kyle, that little shit, had been right when he said it would depend on who you asked.

Master Mechanics? They would probably ascend to some higher plane of existence out of pure joy after seeing something like this.

The Mylors? They could retire immediately and live in luxury for the rest of their lives.

The mecha pilots? They would laugh while crying, holding onto their digital wallets in despair, and still somehow manage to buy them. At least they would get parts, although they probably wouldn’t fit with any other components they owned.

And that was the problem.

So instead of auctioning off individual components, Luca had decided to auction core systems.

Core. Fucking. Systems.

Oh, and weapons.

Yay.

The good news? Technically, these were the lowest durability and CF values available.

The bad news? Those "low" values were still far above the Empire’s industry standards.

Killian drummed his fingers on the table, staring at the group of bright-eyed culprits. They were looking at him like he might explode, which was fair.

In fairness, they really had tried to tone it down. But when "toning it down" still looked like a weapons-grade miracle, what else could he do but start calculating the realm of possibility?

In reality, nothing was ever truly impossible. If the Imperial Crown Prince could smile on occasion, then surely these kinds of items shouldn’t be that far-fetched.

The more notable thing was the quantity.

"I’m with you on releasing maybe one to three S-grade components. That’s actually common enough."

"When families need capital, they’ll release a few notable pieces they’ve been hoarding for generations."

"It’s just that maybe we can avoid using S-grade materials that haven’t been seen since the days of our greatest ancestors?" Killian tapped the list of items with one finger, then narrowed his eyes. "Where exactly did the rest of these even come from?"

"We’re not entirely sure, big brother. But after purifying the trash cubes, we collected all those materials," Ollie replied, eyes as innocent as a baby goat. Beside him, Luca’s equally innocent expression betrayed the fact that they were both guilty.

"Maybe we should ask Master Quinn which ones we should actually auction?"

"Yeah, I suggest you do that... and maybe wait for Ollie’s parents to weigh in before deciding what goes up for sale," Killian said with his eyes closed, pinching the bridge of his nose like it was the only thing keeping him alive.

"This time, we have the chance to prepare. I’ll try to arrange for the Imperial Guards to set up a clearance system."

Deep breaths. In. Out. Stay calm.

Since it had already come to this, and since these were apparently rejects, he might as well ask the real question. "The parts that passed... have they been built into mechas?"

The puppy eyes surrounding him instantly transformed into sparkling orbs of excitement. Killian immediately regretted asking.

Because of course they had.

As a functioning human being who understood the value of progress, he was happy for them.

As the man who would have to explain the existence of these things to the public and the Imperial Family, he wanted the ground to swallow him whole.

Naturally, the ground refused. He could probably walk into a burning building and still not meet his end.

"Okay, then. About how many were made? Ten? Twenty? Just so I can mentally prepare the announcements." Killian already knew he was going to have to come up with a story that didn’t make House Kyros look like it was preparing for a coup.

Instead of answering, the cadets—mainly Luca and Ollie—looked at each other like confused woodland creatures.

"What’s wrong? Are they still in production? Then give me an estimate of the target number."

From across the table, the golden-eyed heir raised his hand like a schoolboy asking for permission.

Killian stared. "Do I look like a teacher? What is it?"

"Um, well, Big Brother Killian... we have a bit over one hundred base mecha models for now. We’ve slowed down to incorporate pilot feedback," Luca said, still holding his hand up.

"...?"

"Sorry, come again? How many?" Killian asked carefully, making sure he hadn’t misheard.

"One hundred...?" Luca repeated, tilting his head in mild confusion.

And that was how Killian Nox, Chief-of-Staff of the Empire of Solaris, on this fine celebratory day, managed to faint so thoroughly that he was only responsive the next day.

__

But while everyone’s resident elder brother lay collapsed, the innocent and worried gremlins huddled together like they were planning a rescue mission.

"Brother, maybe we should prepare calming tea?" Luca suggested, guilt in his eyes at the sight of Killian sprawled out.

"But brother, I think we should just prepare a revive pill," Ollie countered, clearly planning ahead for long-term damage.

"Why, brother? Is it really that bad???" asked Luca, who looked like he didn’t think it’d be this bad.

"I’m not exactly sure," Ollie admitted, "but do you think he’ll be surprised once he sees the Elders?"

"Oh yeah. You’re right, brother. Maybe it’ll be such an unusual sight!"

After all, how often would anyone see the dead rise into farming bones? And more importantly, how often would people see those walking bones regain their flesh? Probably never.

However, a certain few—like Ollie—needed a ventilator, and not because of the physical revival of the Elders’ forms. No, it was because he had just witnessed another miracle.

His good brother, Luca—the nicest person alive—had spent four million CP in one go... without fainting.

Now that was the true miracle.

Oh, and by the way, there was also the small matter of how Ollie, at such a tender age, had somehow managed to meet actual deities—deities who went on to show them what production and farming could truly look like.