The City Dream and the Capitalist’s Return

The lab was quiet again — at least on the surface. NEAR units stood idle, watching. Waiting. Each one powered, synced, and capable of transforming blueprints into physical reality.

Raen stood at the conference window, gazing out at the growing skyline. His arms were folded, his mind racing through expansion possibilities. He didn't turn when Saelyn entered.

"Saelyn," he said calmly, "What's the status on the village property?"

She hesitated.

"Well… we hit a snag," she admitted. "The Org showed interest in that same area. They're planning to set up their own research base — probably surveillance too. If we try to build there, it's going to raise red flags."

Raen's jaw tightened slightly. "So we drop it."

"For now, yes," she replied. "But I've been thinking… Arkbound isn't just a lab anymore. It's bigger than that. If we're scaling this — bots, energy, neural systems — we'll need our own zone. Not just a village. A city."

Raen finally turned, one brow raised.

"A city?"

She nodded confidently. "An Arkbound city. Designed and built by NEAR units. Self-sustaining. Private. No outside interference. A place for future tech, and a new kind of life."

Raen let that thought sit in the air.

"…Then start planning it," he said. "Silently. Not a word leaves this room."

Later that afternoon, the black security gate buzzed. A heavy armored vehicle rolled to a stop outside the Arkbound compound.

Barron Vrax stepped out — flanked by two silent guards and dressed in luxury linen far too casual for a man worth billions. He scanned the HQ like a man looking to buy the whole block.

Inside, Nyra met him at the reception.

"Barron," she greeted, smiling as if she hadn't seen the man send twenty encrypted messages in the last hour. "Back already?"

"I'm a simple man," he said with a grin. "I like results. And your bots just built me a full structure in two days. I want twenty more."

Nyra chuckled softly, leading him toward the viewing platform overlooking the lab floor — where ten NEAR bots stood silently.

"You want twenty?" she asked. "Of these?"

"Yes," Barron said. "Same model, same specs. Name your price."

She turned to him, serious now.

"You're asking for more than just metal and wires, Barron. These bots — they're priceless. They're the backbone of future infrastructure. And you've already seen what they can do."

Barron's grin faltered just slightly.

"So what's the cost?"

"You make a quote," Nyra said coolly. "Then I'll decide if you're worth selling to."

He blinked. "You want me to quote you?"

"These aren't consumer-grade," she said. "You're not buying units. You're buying power. And we don't just hand over power to anyone."

Barron narrowed his eyes. "And the training?"

Nyra smiled wider. "Training's simple. All they need is a blueprint and location. But teaching you how to interface with them — that's proprietary. And that'll cost you another 100 million lux."

Barron let out a low whistle.

"100 million… just to learn?"

"We're flooded with interest," she said. "You want to scale construction? Think carefully. We're building more than buildings now. We're building the new world. And you just saw the prototype."

She stepped back, letting her words settle.