Published at 29th of April 2026 7:11 am

Chapter 4082 Changing Human Future

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Mother Alicia didn't like where this was going. She felt that the elves had already compromised too much for war ever since the Panamans had returned to the true world. They had partaken in the True World War against the forces that sought to destroy the Panama Continent.

"You won't have to wage a war of aggression if we go this route," Rui remarked, reading her mind. "The elves can expand into the cosmos normally. And the elves are powerful enough for no private entity to have the courage to pick a fight with them. You'll be fine, and you'll be able to avoid any and all combat."

He turned towards the Shepherd. "Isn't that right?"

The Shepherd smiled. "Yes, Your Majesty. It is very unlikely for any force in the world to pick a fight with the elves since they control most of the world's food supply and are one of the seven strongest forces in the world. Note: just because I said that we should privatize the market, it doesn't mean that there's no room for governmental action. Governments and the Gaian Alliance can still expand on their own initiative. It should also allow private actors to play so that you can drive more capital and production capacity towards expansion."

Rui nodded, falling into thought. He was definitely warming up to the idea the more he thought about it. Of course, he understood that it was not wise to make up his mind based on the decision of one person. However, she had convinced him of the merits of privatizing interstellar expansion more broadly. The only thing that was left was to determine the extent to which the guard rails would keep the entire system in check and harness it for the good of Gaia. His ultimate goal was the protection of Gaia. The preservation of Gaian Civilization and, ideally, its prosperity were the highest goals in his mind. If he had to deal with some loss of control and if he had to deal with some of the woes that came with privatizing such land, he didn't mind.

"I would also recommend establishing rules for colonization and other such things," the Shepherd added. "The reality is that many people will set out with the ambition to create new star empires that they themselves will rule. Gaia is almost entirely occupied, and there isn't really any room for any more organic expansion. Thus, when the time for space expansion comes, this pent-up desire to explore the unknown and carve out land for oneself will undoubtedly explode into the cosmos. If left unregulated, it could lead to a great disaster."

Rui heaved a deep breath, turning towards his secretary. "Prepare a royal command for the creation of a committee that brings together all relevant experts from across the world, including to create a series of proposals for a system of privatized expansion, with varying levels of regulation and state intervention, and have them presented to me. I will choose one from them that I deem fit."

"Yes, Your Majesty," his secretary faithfully replied. He turned towards the Shepherd with a pointed gaze. "I will have you take over the committee and lead it, got it? Your proposal must appeal not just to me, but also to the delegates of human civilization."

"Understood, Your Majesty," the Shepherd bowed her head lightly. "I shall endeavor to create a series of proposals that the leaders of human civilization will find amenable."

Of course, she understood that even if he said it needed to appeal to everybody, it ultimately needed to appeal to him. If he liked it enough, he could veto everybody else as much as he liked. The Chancellor of Gaia had great power once elected, and although he could be impeached by the council of constituents comprising every member state, that would never happen simply because of how much power and leverage he had over them.

Everyone in the room understood a critical truth. The Emperor of Water had already made up his mind. Most likely, no matter what the other nations of the world said, the final plan for Gaian Expansion into the cosmos would involve some measure of privatization. That was simply the reality that they would have to deal with.

Neither Director Brenner nor Director Selvin was particularly fond of this revelation, but there was nothing that they could do about it. The Emperor of Water possessed absolute authority and power. And if his extraordinary ambition of ten thousand stars in ten years couldn't be fulfilled by them, then he would take any alternative he could get his hands on. Rui turned towards them with a pointed gaze. "Continue gathering information on Garg. As well as the astralites and the mechanical entities in Procyon. We must capture Garg and understand its reproduction. That is the goal of the operation."

"Understood, Your Majesty, we will keep that in mind."

"Create a timeline for the operation of capture, as well as a list of needed resources, and a "Yes, Your Majesty. Our central command is already working on that."

Soon enough, the intelligence briefing came to an end. Every single person in the meeting had learned more. About their target, about the Milky Way Galaxy, and about the future of human civilization. The meeting had undoubtedly altered the latter. People walking into the meeting had envisioned one future for human civilization, and had walked out with another image in mind.

Regardless, human civilization chugged along. The Gaian Alliance was still young and immature, its system still being implemented in accordance with the plan. Meanwhile, the forces of Panamic Civilization in other star systems continued to supply data to human civilization, much of it being declassified that very day. The information regarding humanity, ten thousand stars in ten years, the Orion Star Strand, and the distant but incoming threats, naturally, was not released.

Human civilization had entered an important transition phase in how it thought of itself and how capital would flow across the economy, but not a single person was truly prepared for what was about to come.

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