"So what compensation are you expecting?" Liu Hai inquired again.
"Absolute command authority over the fleet, plus a five percent share of exploration profits," Li Yali answered without hesitation.
"Five percent." Liu Hai tapped his fingers on the table, locking eyes with her. "Do you realize what that five percent entails? Even the military offers no more than a one percent resource share and three percent equity in any discovered Life Planets."
Li Yali met his gaze. "I believe I'm worth it."
Li Yingji chuckled wryly as he sipped his tea, while Li Ping studied the woman curiously, wondering where she got the audacity to demand such a share—one that could amount to tens or even hundreds of billions in value.
If the Starsea Fleet successfully reached the Extraterritorial Star Region, mining just one Star System's resources would yield trillions in Credit Points—assuming they stripped it bare.
A five percent cut would mean paying out anywhere from tens to hundreds of billions, effectively funding the creation of her own fleet in exchange for a limited term of service. No one would willingly agree to that.
The purpose of recruitment was to have her fight for his cause, not to provide her the means to build her own power. This was the fundamental difference between private corporations and military factions—the latter encouraged private fleets to expand federal territory, while the former prioritized profit.
"Minimum service of fifty years, with no breach of contract. Otherwise, I reserve the right to reclaim all funds. I'll give you three percent." Liu Hai wasn't overly concerned about the exact percentage—his goal wasn't mining. Once a base was established, a decade or two of development would yield at least a full-fledged military corps.
Li Yali's expression shifted in surprise. She hadn't expected him to actually agree to her exorbitant demand, even if it was reduced to three percent. That was still higher than the military's offer—a price she couldn't refuse, nor could most command-track graduates from the academy.
"I accept. Also, in recent private simulations, I defeated the second-ranked command student from the Second Military Academy in a full-spectrum battle." To prevent Liu Hai from regretting his generosity, she immediately agreed and justified her high demand.
"Hm? How skilled is the Second Military Academy's second-best?" Liu Hai turned to Li Yingji, who had been quietly drinking tea.
"Cough—this year's runner-up is roughly equivalent to a top-twenty student in our academy. If Li Yali has indeed improved this much, then Chairman Liu, your offer isn't a loss." What else could he say? He had to praise her and indirectly justify the terms, lest rumors spread that the academy's training standards were slipping.
Liu Hai gave Li Ping a look, signaling her to verify the claim later. For now, he led Li Yali away to finalize the contract.
The remaining commander candidates were far more conventional—requests for absolute or conditional emergency command authority were reasonable, and their salary demands were only five to ten times the standard rate.
After discussions with Li Yingji, Liu Hai slightly reduced the compensation for a few applicants, though not by much, and standardized their service terms at a minimum of fifty years.
In the end, a total of three commanders signed the contracts, but their rankings were all among the bottom 500 of their class, placing them quite far behind.
As a result, these three commanders could only serve as Li Yali's assistants for now, taking turns commanding the fleet during peacetime, while Li Yali would hold absolute authority during wartime.
After interviewing the commanders, the next step was selecting captains for the eighteen warships. This position attracted a much larger pool of applicants, totaling over a hundred people.
The interviews started at 8 a.m., took a one-hour break at noon, and concluded at 6 p.m.
After two and a half straight days of interviews, they finally finished selecting candidates for these key positions. Liu Hai also gained a preliminary understanding of these employees, ensuring he wouldn't be left scrambling when it came time to assign responsibilities.
Liu Hai didn't participate in the recruitment of staff like adjutants and first officers, leaving that to Li Ping to handle. Instead, he went on a trip to Konor Star with Igor.
In fact, hiring for ordinary positions wrapped up quickly—within just three days.
However, filling the key roles took over half a month, with repeated rounds of screening before Liu Hai made the final decisions.
Truthfully, Liu Hai wanted to hire everyone, as his rapid expansion would create an enormous demand for talent. But current conditions didn't allow it—each new hire tied up a significant amount of cash.
Under strong objections from Igor and Li Ping, Liu Hai had to stick to the pre-planned numbers and recruit accordingly.
Once recruitment was complete, Liu Hai dumped the responsibility on Li Yali. Since she was being paid such a high salary, who else would take charge of training the fleet's crew?
Thus, Li Yali—who hadn't even received her first paycheck yet—took command of the fleet. A fleet that was, for now, just an empty shell without any ships.
Training began at a prearranged facility, with expenses covered by Li Ping and equipment meeting military standards—all to ensure realism.
If not for the lack of available warships for rent, Liu Hai would have even considered leasing a few real ones for training purposes.
Meanwhile, recruitment for other departments also began. Apart from department heads, Liu Hai didn't intervene, only insisting that cost was no issue—talent was the priority, and hires had to be capable of building a functional department framework.
Li Ping, armed with the scientific theories Liu Hai had provided, placed special emphasis on the R&D department. She even spent heavily to poach key personnel from several companies, nearly sparking legal disputes in the process.
Two months later, with the recruitment plan completed, Liu Hai prepared to return to Garbage Star. The Pyramid Core was his lifeline—something he had to oversee personally.
Under Li Ping's arrangements, the newly hired personnel and expanded workforce of the Star Sea Group underwent training, while Igor headed to the Thunder God Shipyard to await the delivery of the warships.
Liu Hai piloted the private spacecraft Star Sea alone back to Garbage Star. As the familiar scenery came into view, it felt as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Outside Garbage Star, two fighter squadrons patrolled in orbit, while the underground base had already begun dismantling excess manufacturing facilities.
The warship handover will be completed in about five months, and there's no way to take the various factories in the Garbage Star's Underground Base with them. The Star Sea Group also wouldn't be able to utilize them, so Liu Hai had no choice but to recycle them into resources to supply upgrades for the Pyramid Core.
"Intelligent Nexus, display the data."
Seated in the command chair, Liu Hai ordered the Intelligent Nexus to open the current data of the Pyramid Core.
"Upgrade resources are already sufficient, but now isn't the right time for upgrades. It would be best to wait until we find a suitable star system before upgrading and constructing further. Otherwise, if the volume becomes too large and the transport ships can't carry it, what then?"
Liu Hai reviewed the resource reserves—metal materials had reached 200 million cubic meters. This was accumulated gradually after halting garbage recycling and selling Fighter Jets and other military equipment.
Returning to the Control Room of the Pyramid Core, he began preparatory work.