Myriad Heavens: Rise of the Rune God-Chapter 125: Technology Boom

ONE WEEK AFTER LAUNCH - STARR HQ, EXECUTIVE CONFERENCE ROOM

David Martinez, CFO of Starr Technologies, stood at the head of the conference table. His normally calm demeanor was barely containing excitement.

"I need everyone to understand what just happened," he said, pulling up financial data on the holographic display. "In one week—one week—we’ve become the wealthiest company in human history."

The numbers appeared:

Starr AR BCI Earbuds: 847 million units sold Starr VR Headsets: 312 million units sold Aether OS AI Subscriptions: 1.9 billion active subscribers

"The AR earbuds sold out in 72 hours," David continued. "We had to triple manufacturing capacity and still couldn’t keep up with demand. The VR headsets sold out in 96 hours. And the AI subscriptions—" He shook his head in disbelief. "Nearly 2 billion people paying 10 credits per month. That’s 19 billion credits in monthly recurring revenue. Just from subscriptions."

Victoria Gallagher, VP of Engineering, was reviewing the data on her tablet. "The AR earbud revenue alone is staggering. We priced them at 200 credits per unit. That’s..." She calculated. "169 billion credits in one week."

"And the VR headsets at 800 credits each," Lisa Hammond added. "Another 250 billion."

David nodded. "Combined hardware sales, software subscriptions, and our existing revenue streams—cryptocurrency mining, stock trading, licensing fees—we’re generating approximately 500 billion credits per month."

Silence around the table.

Thomas Kim, VP of Marketing, let out a low whistle. "That makes us worth more than the next ten tech companies combined."

"It makes us worth more than some regions in the federation," James Park, the legal counsel, said quietly. "We need to be very careful about how we handle this level of wealth and influence. Governments notice when private entities become this powerful."

Cassia, sitting at the head of the table, nodded. "James is right. We need legal frameworks in place. International cooperation agreements. We can’t appear to be a threat to governmental authority."

"The Federation has already reached out," James said. "Three times in the past week. They want meetings about ’strategic partnerships’ and ’technological cooperation.’ Which is diplomatic language for ’we want some control over what you’re doing.’"

"Rene is handling those negotiations," Cassia said. "On Orion’s behalf. He’s authorized her to discuss cooperation but maintain our independence."

"Speaking of cooperation," Thomas said, "we’re getting licensing requests from every major corporation on Earth. They want access to the room-temperature superconductor. The thermoelectric materials. The laser systems. Everyone wants our technology."

"What are we offering?" Victoria asked.

"Rene has established a licensing structure," Cassia explained. "The superconductor technology licenses at 15% royalty on any products manufactured using it. The thermoelectric materials at 12%. The laser ignition systems at 10%. All licenses are non-exclusive but require regular audits to ensure proper use."

"And people are paying these rates?"

"Without hesitation," Thomas said. "Samsung licensed the superconductor technology yesterday for implementation in their next generation of electronics. The licensing fee was 50 billion credits upfront plus royalties. Intel licensed the thermoelectric materials. TSMC licensed both. Every major manufacturer is lining up."

David pulled up another chart. "Our current total valuation, based on revenue, assets, and intellectual property, is estimated at 15 trillion credits."

The room went quiet again.

"Trillion," Rachel Brennan, Head of HR, repeated. "With a T."

"We’re not just the richest company," David said. "We’re in a category by ourselves. No one else is even close."

STARR LABS - RESEARCH WING

Dr. Sofia Martinez walked through the materials laboratory with Dr. Amara Okafor. The facility was buzzing with activity. Every workstation occupied. Every piece of equipment in use.

"I’ve never seen the lab like this," Sofia said. "Everyone’s working at triple speed."

"It’s the AR BCIs," Amara replied. She was wearing hers—the sleek earbuds that now seemed ubiquitous among researchers worldwide. "Look around. Everyone’s using them."

Sofia observed. A technician assembling a complex electromagnetic coil. Holographic instructions floated in his vision, guiding each movement. Zero errors. Perfect precision. Another researcher running simulations—she wasn’t typing, just thinking commands. Data appearing instantly.

"Productivity has increased by 400%," Sofia said. "Tasks that took weeks now take days. The reactor components we’re fabricating are ahead of schedule by a month."

They reached the fusion reactor assembly floor. The reactor was taking shape—a massive eight-meter toroid of superconducting magnets, thermoelectric blankets, and laser ignition arrays.

"It’s beautiful," Amara said quietly. "I’ve worked on fusion for thirty years. I never thought I’d see a functional reactor in my lifetime."

"How long until completion?"

"Originally six months. With the replicator coming online, maybe three months now. Once we can print components instead of fabricating them traditionally, everything accelerates."

Sofia nodded. The replicator was the game-changer. Atomic-level 3D printing. Raw materials in, finished products out. No traditional manufacturing delays.

"Has the first replicator been tested?" Sofia asked.

"Testing starts tomorrow. If it works as designed, we’ll have five operational units within a month."

GLOBAL NEWS NETWORK - TECHNOLOGY SEGMENT

Marcus Webb sat across from Dr. Sully Sue in the GNN studios. His show had exploded in popularity after the Starr launch coverage. Now he had 15 million subscribers.

"Dr. Sully, you were part of the demonstration at the Starr launch," Marcus said. "Two weeks later, what’s changed in your field?"

Sarah smiled. "Everything. Literally everything. The transistor architecture we designed that night? TSMC has already begun manufacturing it. We’re seeing 280% performance improvements in real-world testing. But that’s just the beginning."

"What do you mean?"

"Since the Simulator became available, semiconductor research has exploded. Teams across the globe are designing new architectures, new materials, new manufacturing processes. Things that would’ve taken decades are happening in weeks. We’re seeing breakthroughs announced daily."

"Give me examples."

"Yesterday, a team in Singapore designed a new chip cooling system using the Simulator. It reduces thermal output by 85%. Three days ago, researchers in Germany developed a new lithography technique that works at 0.5 nanometers—half the size of current state-of-the-art. And this morning, a graduate student in Brazil discovered a new semiconductor material that operates at higher frequencies than silicon."

Marcus leaned forward. "A graduate student?"

"That’s what’s remarkable. The Simulator democratizes research. You don’t need a billion-dollar lab anymore. You need a computer and creativity. Brilliant people who were locked out of research due to funding constraints can now contribute."

"Is this happening in other fields too?"

"Every field. Medicine, aerospace, materials science, energy—everywhere the Simulator is being used, breakthroughs are accelerating."

Marcus pulled up a list on his display. "I’ve been tracking announcements. In the past two weeks: A team in Japan developed a new cancer treatment that targets tumor cells with 94% accuracy. Researchers in India designed a rocket engine that’s 40% more efficient than current models. A collaboration between MIT and Cambridge achieved a preliminary optical computing breakthrough. Material scientists in Sweden created a new alloy that’s stronger than titanium but lighter than aluminum."

"And that’s just what’s been announced publicly," Sarah added. "There are probably hundreds more breakthroughs in development right now."

"Some people are calling this the Technology Boom," Marcus said. "Do you think that’s accurate?"

"Boom doesn’t capture it. This is a technological revolution. Maybe the fastest period of advancement in human history. And it’s being driven by one company’s tools."

FOUR WEEKS AFTER LAUNCH - FEDERATION HEADQUARTERS

General Patricia Vance sat across from a holographic projection of Rene. The AI appeared as a professional woman in her thirties—composed, articulate, slightly formal.

"General Vance," Rene said. "Thank you for meeting with me regarding the Federation’s cooperation proposal."

"I appreciate you taking the time, Miss—" Patricia paused. "What should I call you?"

"Rene is fine. I’m an artificial intelligence, but I prefer to conduct business professionally."

"Fair enough. Rene, the Federation is interested in several areas of cooperation with Starr Technologies. Military applications of your VR systems. Strategic deployment of fusion reactors. Access to your manufacturing capabilities for defense purposes."

"I understand. Mr. Starr has authorized me to negotiate on his behalf. What specifically is the Federation proposing?"

Patricia pulled up documents. "First, VR training systems for military personnel. Your technology allows perfect simulation of combat scenarios. We could train soldiers more effectively and safely." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Agreed. We’re willing to provide modified VR systems for military training. Custom scenarios can be developed to Federation specifications. Pricing would be 50 million credits per installation, with each installation supporting up to 1,000 simultaneous users."

Patricia blinked. "That’s expensive."

"It’s fair. Each installation requires dedicated computing hardware, custom software development, and ongoing support. The technology is unprecedented."

"What about fusion reactors? We need power for military bases, naval vessels, strategic installations."

"Also agreed. Starr Energy—our new division—can provide fusion reactors in various sizes. A standard 3,000 megawatt reactor costs 50 billion credits including installation and training. Smaller mobile reactors for naval vessels are available at 20 billion credits each. All reactors come with 25-year warranties and fuel supply contracts."

"And manufacturing support? If we need equipment produced quickly—"

"Limited availability. Our replicators are operating at capacity for commercial needs. We can allocate 5% of manufacturing capacity for Federation contracts at premium rates. Emergency military needs would receive priority."

Patricia studied the AI carefully. "You’re negotiating hard. Most companies would be more accommodating to government requests."

"Most companies aren’t in Starr Technologies’ position," Rene said calmly. "We’re not dependent on government contracts. We’re not seeking favorable regulations. We provide valuable technology at fair market rates. If the Federation doesn’t wish to purchase, other buyers are available."

"We operate globally. The Federation is welcome to purchase our products, but we won’t provide special treatment based on political relationships. Technology should be available to all equally."

Patricia felt frustration rising but kept her voice level. "The Federation could classify your technologies as strategic assets. Mandate cooperation."

"You could try," Rene acknowledged. "But consider the consequences. Starr Technologies operates in 147 regions. We employ millions of people globally through our supply chains. Our technologies are already integrated into billions of devices worldwide. Any attempt to nationalize or control us would create international incidents, economic disruption, and likely fail due to our decentralized operations. And mind you we are about to solve the world energy crises, almost infinite energy and you really think it’s a good idea to threaten us?"

She was right. Patricia knew it. You couldn’t control something this large and distributed.

"We’re not enemies," Patricia said carefully. "We’re trying to work together."

"And we’re willing to work with you," Rene said. "On fair terms. Purchase our products. Use them to strengthen the Federation. But don’t expect special treatment or exclusive access. That’s not how we operate."

"I’ll need to discuss this with my superiors."

"Of course. The offer remains open. Contact me when you’re ready to proceed."

The hologram disappeared.

Patricia sat back, processing the conversation. Starr Technologies wasn’t just a company anymore. They were a power unto themselves. Wealthy beyond measure. Technologically superior. And completely unwilling to be controlled.

This was going to be complicated.