Chapter 182: Chapter 182: Stella’s Little Wish Granted
Just as the emotional reunion of Zestia’s parents concluded, Neo received news of the arrival of two more people.
"Send them in."
Soon, a little girl and an old man entered the room.
The little girl had radiant silver hair.
They were little Stella and Old Man Dorok.
Old man Dorok walked hesitantly. Beside him, little Stella clutched his calloused hand, her bright silver hair bouncing lightly with each step.
Unlike her grandfather, Stella was not intimidated by the glowing cosmic lines or the heavy aura of the Zenith Imperial guards standing by the walls.
Her large, bright eyes entirely focused on the man in black armor.
"Big brother Neo! I have finally met you," Stella cheered innocently.
Dorok frantically tried to pull her back, his face turning pale with absolute terror.
"Hush, child! He is the Emperor now. You cannot address him so casually."
Neo smiled after seeing them.
Seeing Dorok and Stella instantly brought back the vivid memories of the old man’s cramped, dusty workshop. Before the intense cosmic wars and the planetary conquests, Neo had spent countless peaceful afternoons sitting on a battered metal crate, playing GoGo with old Dorok.
Those quiet moments had kept him grounded.
"There is no need for such formalities between us, old friend," Neo said, walking down the crystal steps.
He stopped in front of them and gently patted Stella on her head.
Dorok still bowed.
"Your Majesty. We did not know what to expect when your guards arrived. When the Federation banned Sovereign Corporation from the central sectors, the authorities also raided our workshop. We thought the Sovereign Corporation was entirely finished. And we lost absolutely everything."
"Old Dorok, the Federation only broke the physical shell of our business. But they could never erase the foundation we built together. I called you here today to inform you that the Sovereign Corporation is very much alive."
Dorok looked up in total confusion, his wrinkled brow furrowing.
"Alive? But how? We have no assets left. We have no factories."
"You have me. The Sovereign Corporation has now been integrated directly into the Zenith Empire. It is now the supreme corporate entity that will manage the global distribution of the Awakening Potions."
Neo raised his hand, and a glowing blue holographic screen materialized in the empty air.
It displayed the official corporate registry of the new global empire.
"When we first formed our partnership in that dusty workshop, we agreed that you and Stella would hold a 5% share. And a contract made with me is absolute and eternal. Your 5% share is still entirely intact, Dorok. You’re not broke anymore."
Dorok stared at the floating digital numbers in absolute disbelief.
Wouldn’t 5 percent of an Imperial Company be a staggering wealth?
It was a level of wealth that vastly surpassed even the richest former Federation Councilmen.
It was an unfathomable amount of power and credits.
"Neo, this is far too much. We are just simple crafters. We only made minor gadgets and sometimes played games."
"No. You are the partners who stood by me when I had nothing but a plan. Now that I hold the entire world in my hands, you will share in its glory. Welcome back to the board of directors, Dorok."
Neo turned his hand over, and a soft golden light illuminated the obsidian throne room. Two ornate glass vials materialized in his palm, glowing with golden liquid..
"As board members of the Sovereign Corporation, you will need the strength to match your new status. These are Beyonder Awakening potions."
"Uh."
Dorok stared at the glowing vials, his calloused hands trembling. The allure of the golden liquid was intoxicating, but the old man hesitated.
"Your Majesty, I am just a fragile old man, and Stella is still so young. Is it truly safe for us to consume the power of the cosmos?"
"The energy within these vials has been perfectly synthesized. It will not destroy your bodies. It will adapt to your very souls and elevate your existence."
Stella was already itching to drink it. But she still looked up at her grandfather for permission.
"If you say it is safe, Neo, then I trust you with our lives," Dorok said finally..
How could he miss this once in a lifetime chance?
He gently took one vial and handed the other to Stella. On Neo’s silent nod, the grandfather and granddaughter unstoppered the glass and drank the golden liquid.
Instantly, a rich cosmic vitality radiated from the old man.
Dorok dropped the empty vial as his spine cracked and straightened. The deep wrinkles on his face smoothed out, and his frail muscles swelled with newfound vitality.
Beside him, Stella let out a joyful laugh as her feet naturally lifted off the crystal floor.
Her silver hair glowed like a miniature star, radiating pure, untainted cosmic energy.
[Synthesis Successful.]
[Subject Dorok: Awakened.]
[Species: Human.]
[Subject Stella: Awakened.]
[Species: Human.]
Dorok looked down at his own hands in absolute shock, flexing fingers that no longer ached with age.
Stella floated happily in a slow circle around her grandfather.
"Look, Grandpa! I can fly!"
Neo smiled, satisfied with the perfect results.
"Welcome to the world of Beyonders. Your path just begins now, old Dorok."
Standing a few steps away, Zestia’s parents watched the miraculous transformation in awe.
The boundaries of human limitation had just been shattered right in front of them.
"To forcefully awaken a mortal into a Beyonder was always deemed an absolute impossibility.... To my Knowledge many galactic organisations poured millions of credits into genetic research over the centuries, but they never even came close to this. He just rewrote the very laws of reality."
"That is true, dear."
Her mother nodded, looking at Neo with worship.
"And to freely bestow such a priceless, mythical treasure upon a simple craftsman
and a little girl. His generosity is astounding. Any other ruler would hoard such divine power for their military elites."
Zestia smiled beside them, whispering:
"That’s because he is a true Emperor. He does not just conquer the world. He remembers those who stood by him in the dark, and he elevates them to the cosmos."
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