254. Auctioning a Planet
Generally speaking, in the Layered Abyss, people aren't overly concerned with the legitimacy of cosmic territories.
The emergence of Narrative-level civilizations partially ended the dark era of the Age of Gods, when civilizations rampantly invaded and plundered one another.
Anyone in business knows that when a new blue-ocean market appears and lacks regulatory oversight, everyone competes savagely for territory. Not until operations stabilize and the hype subsides do they recognize the need for organized order.
In the Age of Gods, Narrative-level civilizations were just beginning. Not only had the extra-abyss battlefield not fallen, but it was also extracting resources and populations from within the Abyss. Under those circumstances, no one was anxious about the Destroyer's invasion; instead, they fought over what limited cosmic territory was left.
For the Layered Abyss, Narrative-level civilizations emerged too late, giving rise to the Layered Abyss Interstellar Alliance spearheaded by three Narratives. Such an alliance can hardly be considered complete, but it's good enough to maintain the current order.
In matters involving planetary sovereignty, the interstellar alliance serves reasonably well as a mediator.
Unfortunately, none of this concerns the Crystal Tower civilization, which has not joined the interstellar alliance. Yet what Li Aozi wants is a planet with sovereignty recognized by the interstellar community.
In this world, those who stand alone, forsaking mainstream currents, aren't necessarily wrong, but they're bound to suffer or lose their way.
Since he's decided to buy the planet, it's simpler to go straight for membership in the interstellar alliance.
Li Aozi hopes to use White Candle Star as a springboard, sending players into the cosmic universe by his own means. Only then can he maximize his gains.
One might say White Candle Star's geographical position is reasonably favorable. It isn't in the Crystal Tower's core region, and the Crystal Tower civilization isn't foolish. They wouldn't relinquish a truly vital planetary territory.
Buying a planet requires no special qualifications—just money, recognition by the Crystal Tower, and a promise to sign a 3,000-year peace treaty. None of that's really an issue. Li Aozi is on good terms with Dean Nastisha and often relies on her student status to negotiate.
The real headache is getting recognition from the interstellar alliance.
The formal name of the interstellar alliance is the "Layered Abyss Interstellar Comprehensive Alliance Organization," essentially an NGO. Under its charter, five conditions must be met to admit a member state:
(1) The applicant must be a civilization, at least on the level of interstellar navigation, able to depart its own star system independently.
At minimum, this civilization must have uncontested sovereignty and a clear lineage of succession.
(2) Love peace; no need to elaborate here. Li Aozi believes he's beyond a pacifist, more like a dedicated peacemaker.
(3) Accept the obligations of the "Charter";
This primarily concerns one's stance on [Society]: no researching knowledge related to [Society], no harboring [Society] citizens, no possession of self-aware [Society] constructs, no military cooperation aiding [Society] invasions of other civilizations, and one must report any encounter with [Society] immediately.
(4) Be able to fulfill these obligations;
(5) Be willing to fulfill these obligations.
(6) Pay membership fees on time.
(7) Station permanent directors and representatives at the interstellar alliance headquarters for real-time reporting of anomalies and [Society] attacks.
In addition, miscellaneous proofs and audits are essential. Li Aozi must prove his planet isn't linked to [Society], or at least has no research into [Society].
This is quite troublesome. Interstellar alliance officials have come seven times, urging Li Aozi to spend a fortune cleaning up all remnants of the [Mechanical Society].
Luckily, he already sold off the Son core, made a profit, and cleared away suspicions.
In theory, because Li Aozi once defeated Mashgegang, his identity should be unimpeachable as a child of Star Abyss—he's never been to the deeper Abyss, and his race is a branch of the "Temple of Annihilation," specifically the Elai Spirit Tribe, so it should be easy.
But reality isn't so optimistic—White Candle Star wasn't visited only by the [Mechanical Society].
Counting Yavanna, three separate visits from councilors of the [Secret Society] have taken place. Li Aozi was forced to seek out abandoned secret bases and council remains from millennia ago and remove them.
That took him a long time.
Besides, he's paid no small sum to network with Narrative-level civilizations, interacting with various influential figures.
Yet when Li Aozi opened the auction site and saw the approval indicators all green and the info complete, he nodded in satisfaction.
It's all been worth it.
A few minutes remained until the auction began. Sitting in his office, Li Aozi tapped the desk lightly and glanced at the auction listing.
The organization in charge is the Planetary Resources Office of the Crystal Tower civilization. They're not only auctioning off White Candle Star but also several hundred other planets that are either partly colonized or still have just a primitive biosphere.
Scanning the entries, Li Aozi noted that the Planetary Resources Office didn't really advertise. The invited buyers were a handful of academic authorities or renowned major workshop owners—comparable to chaebols or industrialists on Azure Star, essentially targeting their own people.
"Chito Fujido Pharmaceuticals, Phantom Magic Light Rail, Stone-Carved Weaponry...they're either advanced-tech syndicates or heavy-industry trusts. All these workshop owners graduated from top schools on the Crystal Tower homeworld. Essentially, this auction is for internal disposal—clearly, they're wary of outsiders."
He looked at the info for several planets. Many contained no more than protozoa-level diversity, but some had decent progress, featuring green vegetation and carbon-based beasts. A few had even reached something akin to medieval civilization—some tech-based, some magic-based.
In dealing with these worlds that haven't even left their home planet, often still short of the industrial age, the Crystal Tower civilization shows no humanitarian concern.
Although these peoples have their own languages, social structures, arts, and recorded histories, on the cosmic scale they're basically "ancient apes." Their only added value is a note in the summary: "Contains natives with sufficient intelligence for labor conversion," thus fetching a few extra ten-thousand Anjin.
If they haven't attained even feudal monarchy, just tribal chieftaincy, that might raise the price by only a few thousand Anjin. Even so, plenty of buyer comments complain that it's overpriced.
A few ten-thousand Anjin in the cosmic context is just the wage a Zeta-tier mercenary might make in a week. It buys you millions of carbon-based life forms with their own language, culture, and a history of forging plate armor and matchlock guns.
Sadly, that's how the universe works.
Li Aozi noticed several planets whose native talents seemed good—even better than Azure Star's Neo-Humans, and they had some magical aptitude.
Regrettably, he didn't have enough money to buy other planets.
He turned his gaze to today's target: White Candle Star, listed as the final item for sale.
The estimated price was around eighty million Anjin. In truth, it's plain to see that a planet reverted to the atomic age is hardly worth that. It's a blatant money grab.
Earlier, Merton Star, home to five billion people and currently hosting a space race with around five to six thousand nuclear warheads, sold for only twenty million, including magical fortress facilities.
White Candle Star doesn't appear much better than Merton Star, limited to Zeta-tier, yet priced at four times that rate.
"That price is a bit dangerous…"
Li Aozi narrowed his eyes:
"Looks like the Crystal Tower wants to squeeze out one last profit."