CHAPTER 30: THE GLOBAL AUDIT

  [LOCATION: THE OASIS - OFFICE]

  [TIME SINCE RE-ENTRY: 1 WEEK]

  [PROFIT MARGIN: INFINITE]

  The Oasis had changed. It was no longer a cold, basalt tower; it was a living, breathing mountain. Vines made of copper-wire climbed the walls, and the air tasted like rain. I sat at my desk, which was now carved from a single piece of mana-conducting ironwood. I didn't have a pen anymore; I had a stylus that wrote directly into the Core’s memory.

  "I didn't authorize a vacation, Lilo," I said without looking up.

  Lilo walked in. He didn't use the crutch anymore, but his limp was permanent. His white hair was tied back in a warrior’s knot. He looked like an ancient king who had lost his kingdom but kept his pride.

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  "I wasn't taking a vacation, Gray," Lilo said. "I was checking the 'Resolute'. The sailors have finished the engine repairs. They want to know if they can go home."

  "I didn't say they could leave. I said they could 'Transition to Off-Site Employment.' If they want to fly that ship, they fly it for me. They are now the 'Oasis Merchant Marine.' They’ll be our primary trade-link to the coast."

  "And Admiral Vane?"

  "I didn't fire him. I promoted him to 'Fleet Logistics Manager.' He’s very good with numbers. Almost as good as I was before I realized that numbers are just a way of counting power."

  Lilo sat down in the chair across from me. He didn't look at the ledgers. He looked at the black box.

  "We're a long way from the Sun-Walkers, Gray. We're a long way from the Guild. Do you ever think about them? About the fact that they’re probably still looking for us?"

  "I didn't spend my time thinking about the past, Lilo. I spent it preparing for their arrival. They’ll come. They’ll see the jungle, they’ll see the ship, and they’ll see the mountain. And they’ll try to take it."

  "And what will we do?"

  "I didn't say 'we' would do anything. I said I would offer them a contract. They can join the Oasis, or they can become part of the harvest. It’s a very simple binary choice."

  I stood up and walked to the observation window. The jungle was glowing below us—a sea of emerald light. My drones were already scouting the second temple node. My golems were already building the first trade-road.

  "I didn't make the world this way," I said, my reflection in the glass looking back at me. I didn't see a clerk. I didn't see a monster. I saw a man who had finally found the correct balance.

  "But I’m the one who’s going to fix it."