056. 7th Cycle Starts

August 2993, New Oslo

++ Noblesse System rewards host for dealing with threat to the realm. Countdown to Reward suspension ended. Pausing for future updates, Host! ++

Huu nodded. Yes, he had, in fact, dealt with the threats to his realm. To his people.

Why had it taken this long to come through, he wondered. Was there something on Alessandro or Takashi's end that held it up? Were they planning more attacks until recently?

But really, now that the threat had been dealt with, the real concern was how to deal with future shocks. One never knew when something as stupid as this would arise again.

Seriously, what the hell was the entire point of building your nation up if you were going to throw it all away on some war? War was basically setting your economy on fire... and using it to slap someone else in the face.

Were you stupid?

Fucking Takashi, fucking Alessandro.

In any case, Huu checked the current loss making projects. Newly created as of this cycle. They would not amount to much in saving him from this cycle… but they would serve as mitigation in the future.

Voidy as always poking in and out of his body. Actually, it had stopped growing after reaching the length of his arm. He wondered why that was. These days it stuck around inside of his head, two violently red eyes popping out of his forehead the only visible sign of it.

"What do you think, Voidy? Do we have enough loss making potential going on?"

Miming the action of slapping him upside the head, Voidy's tentacles retreated back into his body.

"I'll take that as a no."

Anyway, where was he, right, checking loss making projects.

Serving like dikes and revetment to prevent flooding. More and more mitigation, always trying to make losses.

He had been fooled, had become complacent and thought losses would be natural, would continue to flow if he made a few big moves.

Foolish, he had been too foolish!

This cycle was lost. But he could set the groundwork for future cycles.

The Noosphere project, connecting each world with a network connection, that would itself be connected to other worlds through jumpships that carried the data back and forth. He was going to reach saturation of Rasalhague Worlds in the next year. Which meant he needed to expand elsewhere soon… or those communication ships were going to count as assets.

An at-cost delivery system. Private shipments were free, businesses paid cost prices. The postal service, as always, was a good way to lose money! Ship your little packages, ship your big packages, ship all your packages! Eggers Shipping would handle it all!

The Wotan Mining System subsidiary he had created. Using the Ryan Ice Cartel's system had been the hope. It had not worked out for loads over 5 million tons, and they spent billions on licensing out the method from the Hydro company in the Free Worlds League. Jumping asteroids into refineries, spending all that money for big hunks of silicates and water.

The orbital colony construction, big hulking tubes that existed to… well, cost him wages. Lots of people in orbit to lose money eyes in safety pay.

The Sheridan orbital tank. Can drive anywhere, but can also jump everywhere like a waddling dropship. Yet so light it was nigh useless. Who would even want one? Drop them from orbit and watch them get swatted out of the sky!

The Emperor Crab Super-Heavy Land-Air-Mech. Named after the creature from the Pirates of the Caribbean. The little crab things that annoyed the dead guy. Likewise, built on the idea of the King Crab, the Emperor Crab was a machine that resembled a dart with two clawed hands (what was a super-heavy battle claw? Hell, what was a battle claw?). A circular mining blade from Wotan Mining Systems connected to a passenger bay for boarding parties. Heh, he remembered that prototype briefing!

Healthcare, education, housing, all of it provided to the Rasalhague people. This included interest free loans for business purposes. Paying the people to serve as militia with a stipend. Free transportation and infrastructure, everything he could to spend on his people as part of the Noblesse System.

All of these were there to cost him money.

Yet, he couldn't help but feel worried.

Would it be enough?

What was he missing?

Ah yes, the ambassador… and… and… ah.

The biggest loss maker of all, expansion! Colonisation! He remembered his history, remembered how the colonies were all left to go independent because they were too expensive for pretty much everyone. Couldn't he do this in the exact same way!? Spreading coreward to colonise planets… to spend all his money on… no.

Bad idea. Was it not one big project turning bad that cost him everything this cycle?

He needed to focus on many smaller projects.

One world then?

Yes… start small.

Remember Huu, big projects can lose big money. But once a single variable changes, everything will come crashing down!

And trade deals, a connection of some kind. Import more than he exported. In other words, he was aiming to make as much in the way of losses that he possibly could. Never trust a big project again, it would do nothing but screw him over.

The System had taught him well!

++ Bup Bop Beep ++

Here we go. Huu thought to himself, bracing himself for the inevitable… failure. Oh, how he had made profits, all the profits.

++ Cycle has ended Host. How are you? It has been such a long time Host! ++

Yes yes, System. We do this every time.

++ Running calculations. Beep. Boop. Massive Profits Detected. Buup Bup. Host had made massive massive profits. Beep. ++

Huu glared at the imagined system. Sitting in private, he had tried to make sure that none could see his… sheer irritation at how things were turning out.

Damn System, dragging it out to torture him!

++ Host has completed objective of Interstellar Hospitality! Humans and other flesh creatures live enjoyably in Host's life systems. Cramped into tubes and exploded over worlds filled with other meat sacks. How… fleshy. Reward, host will receive 1 technological breakthrough! ++

Huu considered the reward. Technological change was good and all, but the question was where. Was it something good like Cradle improvements that wouldn't impact matters much. Or would it be jumpships and cost him profits? Dammit, System, even your rewards are traps!

++ Activating random chance field Host! Buuuip Biiiiup Bep. Activation successful. Host will experience technological breakthrough in the HD-389202 system. ++

Wut? What is HD-389202, and why should he care, exactly? In fact, why should he even bother? Why would anyone want to go to a random selection of letters and names? Gee, System, that's really useful. Technological breakthroughs that he had to get to? Right, just leave it as is, and he would be safe!

++ System acknowledges Host's praise. System understands Host is limited by meat capacity and is not underwhelmed by lacking volume. Host must retrieve reward within 6 months Host, or System will become creative. ++

Huu was getting the impression that the System wasn't quite… something human or human made. Or, the alternate possibility was that the System was human made but didn't really consider humans as something worth caring about. Which then raised the question of why it was here, with him.

Huu was under no illusions about his capabilities, of his inherent skills. Why he of all people had the System couldn't be explained with just his previous life's experience.

Something to think about then… after the profits were tallied.

++ Host has failed to make losses! Profits over 9 trillion Host! Host has earned 9.47282 billion into Host's personal accounts. That's a lot Host. So much that System conversion rules must be changed, Host is failing too hard! ++

Huu felt great irritation. Money wasn't the problem. As part of the whole Noble thing, he could spend his money on himself if it was part of the whole Noble thing. Which, really, meant being presentable. He didn't really go outside enough for it to be a problem when it came to private spending. Indeed, when it came to private spending… he… uh.

Wow.

2 million Kroner on… micro-transactions?

Ummmm… no wonder he was number 1 on the pvp charts. Um. Yes. He might need some self-control now that he thought about it.

Anyway, that wasn't important! What was important was that he had lost to the System!

Dammit all.

Bloody System rubbing salt in his wounds.

++ Host has failed to make a loss! Rules breach detected! Host must pay penalty. To talk to 10 other unknown fleshies in a social setting. Host has a time limit of 3 months! ++

++ Optional Objective Completed! Host now known as Warrior Merchant King. System wonders why this is, Host has only fought in 1 war. System queries fleshy susceptibility to indoctrination. Reward! Host may sell merchandise relating to Host's businesses! Profits will count as losses! ++

++ New Cycle starting Host! Buddi Boop. Cycle Length 2 Years. New Rules activate! Optional Objectives checked every 6 months! Starting funds, 19 billion. ++

++ New Objective: A real Tycoon manages the health of their employees! Host's fellow fleshies are suffering preventable illnesses and diseases! Develop healthcare further to solve future and current meat problems, like employees dying of tiny microscopic organisms having babies inside their hosts. ++

++ New Optional Objective: Host's poor fashion sense of brown braces on floral t-shirts has not gone unnoticed! Develop Egger's Fashion further to prevent such fashion disasters ever happening again! ++

Huu frowned. What was wrong with brown braces on floral shirts? They were what they were, seriously. The System for not being a fleshy had some definitive views of fashion, huh.

++ Old Rule: Failure to achieve a loss or comply with rules will result in Host creating and running a social group unrelated to family or companies. ++

++ Old Rule: Assets owned in conjunction with different companies will count as assets based on a % of Host's ownership of the assets. ++

++ Old Rule: All structures and materials worth over 1 million C-Bills will be counted as assets. 10% of asset valuation is counted as profits during System Calculation. ++

++ Old Rule: All assets must be used, assets cannot be left to do nothing. Assets cannot be sold.++

++ New Rule: Failure to abide by rules or make a loss will result in Host recording an educational lecture for public consumption! ++

++ New Rule: Only areas immediately in-use for educational purposes can be ignored in profit calculations. ++

Okay. So… his premonition had been correct. Huu sighed.

His educational Jumpships hadn't been included in the profit margins, at least the ones that hadn't been requisitioned yet. And now… was it only the rooms that counted as educational now?

++ Correct Host! Host's mental acuity has been proven again! ++

So… a majority of the Jumpship's internals were now costing him in profits.

Adding to profits that were 4 trillion high and counting.

He had to lose 9 trillion, that will balloon even bigger as the shipyards kept being laid down, as he built more cradles... as he. Ugh. All that in 2 years.

Fuuuuucking System!

Huu wasn't taking this as calmly as he thought he would.

Right.

2 entire years for him to get this all sorted.

Fucking ridiculous.

++ Blep Bloop.++

Ah right, the Noblesse System, which, coincidentally, emerged right when the Tycoon system finished. Not suspicious at all.

++ Host has completed the emergency objective! Host has defeated the enemy and established Host's superiority! Reward, Host will automatically look stylish regardless of the circumstance! ++

…

So… brown suspenders on floral shirts with blue capri pants was now okay?

Okay!

++ New Objectives! Host must complete in order! Nobles must look beyond their realms! Maintaining good relations is just as important as exploding your enemies! Host, must form positive diplomatic ties with groups beyond Rasalhague! Reward, Host will receive double the benefits of exercise! ++

Ooooh, that sounded pretty great.

++ New Objective! Host must demonstrate Host's nobility to the masses. Attend 1 public event a week for 6 months and positively interact with 10 people each time Host! Reward, Host will receive ability to leave a conversation politely in public events! ++

…

Both Systems, or rather one System with two hats, was trying to set him up, wasn't it? Both of these… related rewards and objectives.

Ha!

He had known this was coming and had his plans hidden away in the back of his head!

He wasn't the same person as he had been, System. He had thought this through and prepared himself thoroughly. Bring it System, he was ready to handle it!

First, to properly begin talks with the Magistracy of Canopus, Ambassador for trade and other stuff.

Second, he had a wedding rehearsal to get to. That counted as a social event… and he wouldn't meet anyone there that could create profits for him… because he knew all of them already!

All had been prepared ahead of time!

Objectives completed in days!

Checkmate System!