Legacy of the Void Fleet-Chapter 359: Ch- The grand competition

The Red Empress, catching his expression, immediately understood what he was thinking. She rolled her head slightly. "You wouldn’t be giving me that look had you actually gone through the files in your main office," she said, irritation clear in her voice. "The information was there, marked as important, no less. But why would you bother with that, when you’d rather admire the beautifully crafted view beyond your window—your own creation?"

At that, Kallus’s face turned red. He recalled the stack of files in red covers sitting on his desk—ones he had ignored, thinking he would go through them after a tea session. And now, here he was.

"Alright, alright... let’s forget that. Continue with what you were saying," he said quickly, knowing better than to let this continue any further—or who knew how much more she would drag him for it.

The Red Empress merely smirked, letting out a soft "hmph," before continuing.

"The third point is the investment structure. Instead of giving large amounts of liquid funding or handing over production lines outright, we should lease them at no cost for a fixed period, similar to how labs are provided. A timeframe of two to five years would work well.

This approach keeps pressure on the companies to perform. It creates urgency and discourages complacency. Since the production lines aren’t permanent, companies are pushed to build their own independent capacity. By the end of the term, they either return the leased setup or choose to pay for continued use, but they won’t be able to rely on temporary support forever.

As for liquid investment, I think we should avoid it—not entirely, but keep it limited."

Hearing this, Kallus nodded with interest, watching her closely, eager for her to continue. The Red Empress gave a small nod as well and calmly built on the idea.

"Instead, we provide standard schematics based on each company’s field of interest, or the category they competed in and ranked within. For example, in mech department, we could offer a baseline/standard design.

Even that ’standard’ version would still be far superior to what our competitors have. As for those competitors, both you and I know they are manufacturers spread throughout the galaxy. Dealing with them shouldn’t be a problem for us anyway," she said with quiet confidence.

The Red Empress spoke with certainty, trusting fully in the technological capabilities developed, manufactured, and innovated by the Imperial Research and Development Department.

Hearing how confident she was, Kallus couldn’t help but smirk, knowing full well the reason behind it. He didn’t comment or interrupt, choosing instead to let her continue. The Red Empress appreciated that restraint, though she didn’t show it outwardly, and after a brief pause, she went on.

"However, since our focus is the Azura Imperium, where most operate at high-grade tier-two technology, we can reserve something more advanced as a reward later. What exactly we offer should be discussed in more detail."

She gave a slight shake of her head, signaling that point was still open. Kallus nodded in agreement. The nature of those rewards would need careful planning.

Seeing his agreement, she went on.

"Whatever we decide can be distributed to all fifty companies as a baseline. Then we scale upward—slightly more advanced versions for the top ten, then the top five, top three, and finally the highest-ranked company."

She leaned back slightly, thinking ahead.

"As for additional support, we could provide access to materials and ease certain regulatory controls as well."

Not stopping there, she continued, her tone more relaxed now.

"And to take it a step further—to ensure they can adapt, and even innovate within the given timeframe after the competition—we’ll need to guide them toward meeting the Imperium’s needs and producing something suitable for the final showcase, which we will also have to facilitate."

She paused briefly before continuing with same tone. "For that, we can provide technical support for a limited duration, ranging from a few months to a maximum of a year and a half, to the top fifty. The allocation of this support will need further discussion, particularly in what ratio it should be distributed.

There must be clear distinction here—enough to keep our future participants motivated, pushing them to work harder on both their proposals and their creations. The higher they rank, the greater the benefits they receive."

She stopped and looked at Kallus. He had a thoughtful expression before nodding. "Agreed. The higher the rank, the greater the benefits—that’s the key principle. Like you said, it’s also a strong form of motivation for participants to push themselves further for better rewards and support."

Hearing that, and having already anticipated his response—it was only logical—she continued. "The issue is time. All of this, at best, would take one to two months just to set in motion.

Then, considering everything—the success of the diplomatic visit, opening the Imperium’s markets, and organising the grand competition from start to finish—it would take at least a month, given the scale and involvement of multiple industries."

She continued steadily. "After that, from reward distribution to actual establishment, and developing something that meets the Imperium’s standards, we’re looking at a minimum of five to six months, if not more. Add to that the configuration of production lines, material procurement, and production time itself, and it could extend to a year and a half."

Her expression hardened slightly. "That’s too long. The Azura Imperium’s need for weapons support is an immediate matter. They won’t wait that long, and delays like this could cost us the opportunity to establish ourselves in their military-industrial markets."

Kallus frowned. He understood the concern. Even with capable winners and standard schematics to build from, adapting and refining complex machinery was never simple. It required time, precision, and careful thought—especially if the goal was to make a lasting impact rather than a short-term solution.

Noticing his reaction which was just as expected, the Red Empress continued. "So, what I propose is this: we conduct the competition within a virtual environment, running on accelerated time. The winners would then be granted access to the Universal Domain for one month, with time flowing at ten times the external rate."

She leaned forward slightly. "This would allow them to innovate, adapt, and expand upon the standard schematics within a compressed timeframe—and produce something truly worthy of presentation."

"That addresses our concern regarding a complete, ready-made product. As for production lines and material resources, we could provide a stable supply channel—but only as a one-time measure. After that, it would be up to each firm’s own decisions and management."

She paused briefly. "It would come at a cost, of course, but that’s still better than delays, no?"

With a slight surge of resolve, she continued. "It’s not as though we can pave an entirely smooth path for them anyway. There will always be challenges. But by taking this approach, we achieve our primary goals while gaining additional advantages."

She spoke steadily, building her point. "For one, it would positively influence their development—especially in strengthening their research and development capabilities through the technical support we provide. It would help them establish solid internal R&D structures, leading to sustained innovation."

She added, almost as an afterthought, though clearly intentional: "And to maintain motivation until they reach true independence, those who achieve significant breakthroughs or notable accomplishments can be further rewarded—whether through additional investment or access to more resources."

Her gaze settled on him. "This approach is far more attractive and worthwhile for us, with minimal drawbacks. What do you say?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"What do I say?" Kallus raised his eyebrows at her helplessly. "You already have a clear plan, and your ideas are all sound and realistic. They place no burden on us, nor are they unachievable. I suppose it’s more than acceptable. Refine the plan a bit more, consult with the involved ministries, and then place it on my table. Once I approve, you can begin the preparations!"

He stood up from his comfortable chair and looked down at the grand city below, which, for now, resembled an immortal ghost city more than anything else. Deep in thought regarding resources like alloys, he added, "I suppose it’s time we open the market and let private players enter.

"Though we will continue to control the important and higher-tier alloys, we can let go of the lower-grade resources, can’t we? Our mining department is already operating throughout every star system within the Sol Region. I think it’s unnecessary for them to expand any further just to mine lower-grade resources that we no longer strictly need.

"Furthermore, with sufficient resources now flowing from the three White Holes, it’s time we stop using synthesized hyper-matter made from lower-grade alloys. While that process was effective, it resulted in a massive waste of raw materials that we could now funnel elsewhere for profit. So, I’m thinking, why not do this?" He shrugged.

The Red Empress was surprised by this move, but she nodded; it was the only logical move remaining.