Diluted Kot

Regarding the construction of a planetary-scale gravity ring, the Collectors used a segmented construction method. That was to say, they first divided a massive gravity ring into many sections, built them separately, and then connected those sections into a complete ring once construction was finished.

The ring under construction had a diameter twice that of Javi, the Dali homeworld. Even with segmented construction, it would still take considerable time. In theory, finishing it within a month was simply impossible.

Fortunately, before entering the Dali home star system, the Collectors had stockpiled a substantial number of ring segments. They had originally been intended for the construction of an entirely new type of megastructure organism, but because of the Dali, they had been repurposed to build an FTL engine for Javi.

Since the segments were already complete, a great deal of construction time was saved.

Things were calm on the Collectors' side, but turmoil was brewing within the Dali. It was all because everyone wanted to survive.

The Kot Chamber of Commerce was a capitalist consortium, and capital hated risk the most. On one side was FTL technology that might possibly be reverse-engineered; on the other was guaranteed FTL technology.

That alone would not have meant much, but FTL was directly tied to survival. Taking risks meant possibly dying, while not taking risks meant a one hundred percent chance of living.

Presented with such a choice, what would the other merchants of the Kot Chamber of Commerce choose?

The answer was obvious: survival, of course. What was freedom compared to life? Capitalists were an extremely pragmatic group. In the world of capital, life was more important than freedom. Without life, there was nothing left. But freedom? That was something money could buy.

The choice made by the Kot Chamber of Commerce's leader