Not long after Chris sat down in the main conference room, other people arrived one after another. Several familiar colleagues nodded to him, and he responded politely.
A few minutes later, a man wearing sunglasses walked in.
"Did you have fun last night, Jacob?"
"Yeah. I went to a newly opened nightclub on Saturn and took too many hallucinogens."
In this era, the vast majority of drugs are classified as "psychedelics". The reason is simple, Empire has mastered the technology to eliminate addiction and side effects by Potions or changing the chemical composition. People can enjoy the pleasure without worrying about physical damage.
Of course, some drugs are still dangerous and have strict classifications.
For example, a First Tier drug may be just an ordinary stimulant for First Tier Arcanist, but it is a deadly poison for Zero Tier apprentices. In the same way, the same is true for Second Tier and Third Tier drugs.
In addition, there are some extremely dangerous substances that can cause harm no matter how high the user's rank is. These substances are classified as contraband and are strictly controlled.
"Everyone is here," a sharp and harsh voice sounded.
A creature only a few feet tall walked into the room and struggled to climb onto the main chair.
This is a Goblin.
In today's Empire, this is no longer a strange sight.
Since the Goblin family integrated into the Empire society, many Goblins have prospered in major companies and become executives or professional managers by virtue of their shrewd business acumen.
The Goblin manager in front of him is wearing a well-tailored custom suit.
This symbolizes the split within the Goblin family: one group is the "reformist" like him, who actively embraces human culture, wears human clothes, and even learns from Arcane; the other is the "old school" who still clings to greedy and rude traditions and refuses to change.
Although racial discrimination still exists, Empire law strictly prohibits refusing to hire Goblin or other intelligent beings solely because of race.
"Today we are discussing project No. 24," Manager Goblin said with a serious tone.
"We discovered a new type of mineral on the X-789 planet - Gadanium Alloy. This metal is extremely hard and heat-resistant, and is the top material for manufacturing spacecraft armor."
"This is good news, but what is the problem?" Chris asked. He knew that if it was just pure mining, the manager would not call so many people for a meeting.
"The problem lies in the indigenous creatures on that planet. There are giant monsters similar to Kaiju living there. They are very aggressive to the territory and have rough skin and thick flesh. Ordinary mining equipment cannot resist their attacks at all."
"Can't we hire mercenaries?" someone suggested.
"Of course it would be possible if it was an ordinary planet," the manager said with a frown, "But it is a high-gravity planet with a harsh environment. And there are a huge number of monsters. If we want to hire a mercenary group capable of destroying them, the cost will be Astronomy, which will make the entire project unprofitable."
The conference room fell into silence. Everyone was thinking hard, trying to find a low-cost solution.
Chris tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and the scene he saw on the train in the morning flashed in his mind.
"Why not use them?" Chris suddenly said.
Everyone's eyes were instantly focused on him.
"What do you mean?" the manager asked, his eyes Blink shining brightly.
"Since those monsters are living creatures, they have weaknesses. We can develop a pheromone similar to One-Horned Curly Beast, or some kind of biological agent that can soothe or even control them."
Chris The more he talked, the clearer his idea became. "If we can control them, not only will the safety problem be solved, but we can even enslave them and let these giant beasts mine ore for us. In this way, we will even save heavy excavation equipment."
Manager Goblin was stunned for a moment, and then an expression of ecstasy appeared on his face - that was Goblin's unique greed and excitement when he saw gold.
"Genius! Absolutely genius idea! As long as you invest a small amount of research and development funds, you can save huge security and equipment costs!"
He pounded the table excitedly. "Chris, I will report your proposal to the board of directors. If the plan is feasible, a small part of the project profit will be used as your bonus."
"In addition, in view of the value of this idea, I will now reward you 500 Imperial Points with the authority of the manager!"
Hearing "500 points", everyone present took a breath and looked at Chris with envy, even Envy.
In the Empire, points are more valuable than currency.
It is a special reward mechanism established by the Empire to encourage innovation. Any citizen who proposes valuable ideas, theories or inventions can receive corresponding points after being evaluated by Skynet.
These points can be used to redeem many things that cannot be bought with money - such as high-level Potions, special magic items, and even titles.
This is exactly why science fiction novelists and fantasy writers have a very high status in the Empire. The wild imaginations in their books often bring inspiration to Arcanist and scientists, thereby promoting Empire's scientific and technological progress.
Chris suppressed his inner excitement and nodded with a smile.
With these 500 points, plus the bonus from that project, he was close to purchasing the bottle of Dragon Potion that could change his destiny.
Just when Chris was immersed in the beautiful vision of the future, he, everyone present, and every citizen of the Empire simultaneously received a push notification from Skynet:
[Announcement: Arcane Library has completed a major upgrade.]
Seeing this news, everyone's breathing stopped for a moment.
The older generation of citizens all remember that the last time they received a similar announcement, Empire had undergone earth-shaking changes.
That is the sign that Arcane Archon leads Empire into a new era.
At this moment, everyone, whether civilians or dignitaries, logged in to Skynet to find out.
And for those at the top of the pyramid, this message has only one meaning:
The supreme Arcane Archon--Ian is back.
Moreover, he is stronger than ever.