Chapter 77
The interstellar side quickly sent specific news.
They stated that fifty million was no problem. At the latest, they would gather the funds by tomorrow and donate them in the form of gifts under the A Bite of Hua Nation video that Xia Anran had just released.
Xia Anran didn’t know the conversion rate between interstellar currency and Activation Coins, but it probably wasn’t low. After all, this system was a stingy, penny-pinching slave driver.
[Wow, wow, wow! The money is really starting to roll in!]
The system shrieked with excitement. Xia Anran opened her admin panel and saw that her wallet had already jumped from thirty thousand to over two hundred thousand, and it was still continuously increasing.
She immediately placed a call to the top leader. The leaders were still in an all-night meeting discussing deployment. When her call came in, the top leader immediately made a gesture, and the discussion paused.
He answered the phone and said kindly, “Little Xia, why are you still up so late? Is something the matter?”
“Chief, the system just recommended a psychic power detector with a range that can cover the whole globe, but it requires fifty million Activation Coins. I just contacted the United Star System, and they’ve already agreed to provide assistance.”
She briefly recounted what had just happened.
The top leader was stunned for a moment, then quickly asked, “Then how much funding does the other side need to provide?” He was also aware that the system’s exchange rate was ridiculous. They had been streaming for so long and had only earned a few hundred thousand. How much money would the other side have to send to reach fifty million?
“I’m not too sure about that either,” she said. “I thought about it for a long time, and there really was no other way. The most important thing now is to find enough psychic power users, so I took matters into my own hands and contacted the interstellar side.”
“You did very well. It is we who should be thanking you,” he said with a smile. “I understand. As soon as the money is gathered, you can directly buy the detector. Now, go and get some rest. Don’t worry about it.”
After hanging up, the other leaders quickly asked what the call was about. The news from her side was now of the utmost importance; any small change could affect their decisions.
The top leader relayed her words, and the leaders’ faces lit up with joy.
“Excellent! This really solves our urgent problem.”
“Yes, Little Xia is truly our lucky star.”
“Now my heart can finally rest a little. With more psychics, we’ll have a fighting chance.”
The second-in-command shared the same concern as the top leader and asked how much funding the other side would need to provide. “With the capabilities of a single nation, it shouldn’t be too difficult,” he said, seeing the top leader shake his head. “We’ll thank them properly after our troubles here are over.”
The top leader said leisurely, “That’s all we can do.”
“If only the system could accept Earth’s currency, then we could help out a bit,” the second-in-command said with a sigh.
One could only say that the leaders’ worries were not unfounded. The two hundred thousand plus Activation Coins that Xia Anran had just received was all the funds the main planets of the United Star System could temporarily mobilize. The system’s exchange rate for interstellar currency was even higher than the rate for gifts, almost at the level of daylight robbery.
The moment Ye Yuxing had reported the matter, the Consul General had decisively sent a letter to the Ministry of Finance, mobilizing all available funds to be immediately transferred to Xia Anran. The remaining amount would be discussed among the consuls of the various planets on how to quickly raise it.
“This is not a small sum,” the consul of the Second Planet, who happened to be on the capital planet for a report and had joined in on the fund mobilization, said.
The Consul General rubbed his temples. “It’s difficult, but it must be done. I’ve been thinking lately that perhaps Host Anran’s appearance is to give us a chance.”
“A chance to change the past.”
“So many years have passed, and we still long for Earth. If there is a chance to change the past and let Earth survive, no matter how much money, how many resources we have to pay, it will be worth it.”
The consul of the Second Planet also nodded solemnly. “The remaining portion will be raised by the various planets to the best of their ability. It just might take some time. I don’t know if the Earth side can hold on.”
“Because of Host Anran’s appearance, the Yaxun invasion of Earth has begun ahead of schedule,” the Consul General sighed. “No matter what, this time we must provide Earth with all the assistance we can. We must change history!”
…
While the Hua nation was in an all-night meeting, so was the United Star System. All the planets of the United Star System were instantly mobilized to raise funds. Such a large movement was quickly noticed by the Interstellar Empire and the Beastman race.
“What is the United Star System up to in the middle of the night?” Phileas asked, draping a robe over himself and yawning. He had just been woken up and was still sleepy.
The high command of the Interstellar Empire had also urgently assembled. Director Hukeni pushed up his glasses. “Your Majesty, in the past hour, the United Star System has raised the funds of nine sub-planets, including the national bank and aid from some entrepreneurs. All this money has been transferred to the United Star System’s main planet.”
“Hmm?”
Phileas’s sleepiness instantly vanished. The United Star System’s style had always been slow and steady. When had they ever been in such a rush, as if their asses were on fire?
“Why are they suddenly raising so much money? What are they trying to do?” he asked, his mind racing as he propped his chin on his hand.
The interstellar era had been in a rare state of peace recently. The three parties were getting along well, especially the Beastman race and the United Star System, who were as thick as thieves. Where would the United Star System need such a large sum of money? And in such a hurry?
“This is bad!” Phileas shot up. “It must be related to Host Anran!”
For the United Star System to be in such a rush, it must be a major event that could shake the entire interstellar era. And recently, the only such major event was her livestream.
“What does Host Anran need money for? Could it be that something has happened to Earth?” Director Hukeni also said thoughtfully. They didn’t know that she could exchange their donations and gifts for items in the system, or rather, they didn’t know about the system’s existence at all. So, to be able to guess this far was already quite clever of him.
Phileas nodded like a chick pecking at rice. “It must be related to Host Anran! How could they not tell us if she’s in trouble? Are they trying to hog all the credit? Damn it!”
“Exactly! So detestable!”
“We must let Host Anran know that our Interstellar Empire is also her loyal friend!”
“Your Majesty, we must also provide support to Host Anran!”
Everyone was in agreement, all ready to roll up their sleeves and send her money.
“Alright, alright,” Phileas said with a wave of his hand. “First, contact the Beastman race. We have to go and demand an explanation together!”
And so, Jeqi, who had been sleeping soundly, was also woken up by a communication from him.
“Incoming communication, incoming communication! Your most hated, black-hearted, shameless thing is calling!”
Jeqi, woken up by the specially set ringtone, was more resentful than a ghost. “Do you know what time it is? Don’t you people of the Interstellar Empire sleep?” his sinister voice came through. “You’d better have a reason for this call that’s as big as the interstellar era exploding tomorrow. Otherwise, you’d better sleep with one eye open tonight.”
“Good brother, to be honest, if you don’t answer this call today, the interstellar era might really explode tomorrow,” Phileas said with a smile, having rich experience in calming down bristling little cats.
“If you have something to say, say it quickly!”
“The United Star System has raised all the liquid funds of nine planets overnight. Their national treasury is probably empty by now.”
“What the hell does that have to do with me! It’s not like they stole my family’s money!”
“Oh, and what if that money was sent to Host Anran?”
“What the hell does that have to do with me!… Wait, what did you say?”
Jeqi caught the keyword and shot up from his bed. “What are they sending money to Host Anran for? Are they trying to bribe her? To actually use something as vulgar as money to insult her! Ahhh, insidious and cunning humans!”
Phileas: “…”
“Could it be that Host Anran or Earth has run into some trouble and needs financial support?”
Jeqi’s cursing came to an abrupt halt. “What? Host Anran is in trouble?”
Phileas quickly added, “A guess, just a guess. But our three parties are now partners. For the United Star System to have such a large amount of funds flowing to Host Anran unilaterally, we certainly can’t just sit by and watch, can we?”
Jeqi agreed. “That’s a human thing to say.”
“…” I’ll endure this big idiot.
Phileas continued to persuade, “Then shouldn’t we go and demand an explanation from the United Star System now?”
“Of course, we have to,” Jeqi said, climbing out of bed. “You wait, I’ll go to the United Star System and ask them clearly right now.”
Phileas quickly stopped him. “We can just make a communication call together. What’s the rush?”
Jeqi ran a hand through his messy hair. “Alright. Wait a minute, I’ll go get my sister.”
“Don’t! Absolutely don’t!” Phileas quickly reined him in. “It’s so late. Don’t wake your sister up. Let’s just ask them friendly first.”
Jeqi thought for a moment. If he woke Ruoya up and it turned out to be nothing serious, not only his hair but probably his limbs would be flying around the palace.
…
The headquarters of the United Star System had also been busy until now. The Consul General looked at the amount of funds urgently raised by the various planets, a faint throbbing in his temples. “It’s still not enough.”
The consuls of the few remaining planets had also rushed over overnight. “The rest may take some time to process. This is all we can mobilize for now.”
“There are still some funds that can’t be withdrawn on short notice. It will take a few days.”
The consul of the Second Planet was in charge of the integration. He did a rough calculation and said, “Rest assured, Consul General. Our funds are sufficient. It just needs a little time.”
“What we lack most now is time,” the Consul General said in a deep voice. “Every minute earlier we can send it, the more certain we can be of helping Earth get through this crisis.”
While the leaders were busy in the conference room, a staff member suddenly rushed in. “Consul General, there’s an incoming communication from the emperors of the Interstellar Empire and the Beastman race. They say they need to contact you urgently.”
The consul of the Second Planet raised an eyebrow. “They know already?”
“Perhaps someone is here to send us money,” the Consul General said with a sudden smile after a moment’s thought.
Sure enough, the moment the communication connected, the hot-tempered Jeqi let out a barrage of questions, demanding to know why they were privately sending money to Host Anran.
The Consul General patiently listened to him ramble on. Phileas then came out to smooth things over. “Your Excellency, the Consul General, we have no ill intentions. It’s just that we have already signed an agreement. We should have the right to know about the situation with Host Anran and Earth.”
The Consul General nodded and said kindly, “I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to hide it. It’s just that things happened so suddenly. We were originally planning to contact you both tomorrow to explain the situation and ask for help.”
It wasn’t that the United Star System hadn’t considered letting the Interstellar Empire and the Beastman race raise funds together. But after discussion, the leaders had unanimously agreed to try and fund it themselves. Although the sum wasn’t small, it wasn’t enough to shake the foundations of the United Star System. It was just that it was a bit difficult to raise so much liquid capital in such a short time.
The Consul General’s opinion was that since Earth was their mother planet, they were naturally obligated to help. As for the Interstellar Empire and the Beastman race, it was better to involve them as little as possible. The Beastman race was fine, but the Interstellar Empire was too scheming, and he was afraid of getting entangled in unnecessary trouble. But since they had come to them on their own initiative, they could only accept the money. And they had already raised most of it; they only needed them to make up a small portion.
After the Consul General briefly explained the situation on Earth, Jeqi nearly jumped up. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?! The Beastman race will pay for it!”
The Beastman race was the richest nation in the entire interstellar era. Their planets were rich in resources, and they were rolling in money. They were the oil tycoons of the star system. They had nothing but money. This sum wasn’t small, but it wasn’t a big problem for them to come up with it.
Jeqi wasn’t very sharp when it came to other political matters, but he was a natural at calculations. In just a few seconds, he had already figured out where to get the money. If it really came down to it, his own little treasury was barely enough.
And Phileas was also shocked when he heard the amount. No wonder the United Star System had to raise funds overnight with such a big commotion. Even their Interstellar Empire probably couldn’t come up with so much spare cash in such a short time.
Hearing Jeqi’s tycoon-like declaration, the Consul General smiled. “Thank you very much, Your Majesty Jeqi. We have already raised most of it. We only need the help of you two for about a third of the remainder.”
“A third? Who are you looking down on?!” Jeqi frowned with disgust. “Why should you United Star System get the big share? We Beastman race can fund it all!”
“…” He had never seen someone so eager to throw money away.
Jeqi said with certainty, “Our ancestors are also on Earth! For them, we must also pay this money!”
Phileas seized the opportunity. “How about this? We three parties each pay a third?” He absolutely could not let all the credit fall to the United Star System.
After some grumbling, Jeqi reluctantly agreed to this proposal.
The Consul General and the various consuls looked at each other, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and could only agree to the proposal.
Before long, the Interstellar Empire and the Beastman race had transferred the money. Jeqi had even attached a private account with nearly half the amount Earth needed, with a note saying that if Host Anran needed it, she could withdraw from it at any time.
The United Star System was completely shocked by the Beastman race’s wealth.
…
The next day, Xia Anran woke up early with a heavy heart. She took out her phone and looked at her current admin panel funds. Seeing the string of zeros, she shot up like a carp.
How much?! It’s all gathered!