Damon's Ascension-Chapter 138: The Great Reshuffle Of Humanity 8

Damon brought up a new interface on the holographic screen, the glowing title pulsing across every translator node embedded in the chamber.

[Galactic Economics – Trade, Currency, and Public/Private Sector Integration]

After showing this, he spoke in a plain manner. "Let’s get the basics out of the way. Galactic trade does not run on gold, oil, or fiat currency, it runs on Essence Coins. And Essence Coins are backed not by faith, but by substance."

He tapped the projection and a floating image appeared, one that was small, crystalline, diamond-shaped.

"This is the heart of the system. A Worldly Essence Crystal contains unconfigured essence that the Universe Will alone can convert into strength, skills, or stat points. Because of that, it’s the most sought-after resource in the galaxy." Damon explained stately.

The image expanded to show lines of conversion data.

"One unit of Worldly Essence equals one Essence Coin. That Coin is the primary currency of the IUAS and is accepted across the entire galaxy, across all member species."

Damon paused. "And just like cryptocurrency, it’s capped. Right now, total galactic circulation is fifty trillion, not a single one more. You want more Essence Coins? Someone, somewhere, has to go dig for Chaos Essence in the Chaos Realm and give it up to the Universe Will."

Some of the economic ministers and advisors shifted, already recalculating GDP models in their heads.

"So understand the equation like this. One unit of Chaos Essence equals one unit of Worldly Essence that equals one Essence Coin."

"But what does that mean for us?" Damon asked rhetorically, then answered immediately.

"It means Earth has to start thinking in Essence terms, because fiat money has no galactic value. And if we want a seat at the table, we need to stop trading paper and start dealing in crystals."

He flicked his fingers again and a new screen showed the Essence Valuation of Earth’s Solar System.

Mercury – 300,000 EC

Venus – 500,000 EC

Earth – 3.5 billion EC

Mars – 100,000 EC

Jupiter – 8.5 million EC

Saturn – 4.3 million EC

Uranus – 9.8 million EC

Neptune – 22 million EC

"The values are based on harvestable materials, terraforming potential, and lifespan. Earth itself is one of the highest valued inner planets in the galaxy, and not because of its land or tech, but because of all of you."

Damon let that hang for a second.

"Ability Users. Explorers. A new species that just gained access to the greatest power source in the cosmos. That’s why they’re all watching us."

A low murmur followed.

President Liang glanced at the valuation. "And these numbers are fixed?"

"No, they’re fluid. The more we extract, grow, and circulate Worldly or Chaos Essence, the more our planetary value rises. If our output drops, our valuation drops." Damon said.

He turned to the next section, keeping the pace tight.

"Now, about trade."

He split the screen into [Public Sector] and [Private Sector] columns.

"The public sector involves state-controlled excavation of items from instances, material refinement from resource planets we own, production of goods and services that are unique to us and Essence Coin stockpiling. The private sector is everything else, and that’s where things get interesting."

He let the private column scroll.

1. Excavation

2.Ability Hires

3. Livestreaming

4. Essence Exchanges

5. Chaos Essence Sales

6. Chaos Item Sales

7. General Goods

8. Mercenary Work

9. Bounty Hunting

10. Adventure Documentation

11. Species Discovery

12. Space Transport

13. Planetary Harvesting

14. Genetic Enhancement

15. Arts Sampling

And more...

"This is what the average human will be competing in. Livestreaming hunts, auctioning Chaos Realm loot, running Essence Coin markets, managing transport guilds, registering their own exploration companies. Every civilian can participate in the Essence economy, assuming they enter legally and follow the trade rules of the IUAS." Damon stated as he gestured to the screen.

President Rourke raised a hand. "What does ’legally’ mean here?"

Damon answered directly. "It means registering with the Embassy, paying your quota tax to the Human Treasury, and reporting your gains above the personal limit. Otherwise, you’re a rogue trader, and if caught, you’re exiled from the Essence Market and barred from galactic transport licenses."

"Wait, there’s tax?" someone muttered.

Damon’s eyes didn’t waver. "Ten percent planetary tax on all galactic earnings. Flat and non-negotiable."

President Cruz scoffed. "So you are the IRS now?"

"No, I’m the firewall between you and asset forfeiture by species who’ve been doing this for a thousand years. Without structure, they’ll swallow us whole." Damon said dryly.

He moved on before they could debate.

"Earth’s economic growth will now be tied to Essence Coin flow. You want infrastructure? It costs EC. You want military gear from other races? EC. You want to buy terraforming rights for Mars? You guessed it, Essence Coins."

A second chart showed projected economic trends if nations began Essence-linked trade now versus two years from now.

The first curve showed exponential rise. The second, a flatline.

"So here’s the reality, you can either start now, take the friction, and establish Earth as a trade entity in the galactic web. Or you can stall, keep arguing... and be locked out of every economic lane that matters." Damon said slowly.

President Eloise nodded once. "Who controls the Human Treasury?"

"I do, but temporarily, at least until a full economic board is formed by this assembly. One seat per recognized sovereign state that joins the treaty. That board will help manage galactic taxes, investment pools, and allocation of Essence Coin reserves." Damon answered.

"And if we don’t join?" Prime Minister Lily asked.

"You can still trade among yourselves... but the moment you touch Essence-linked resources, you’ll be locked out of every galactic portal and Essence exchange. Your economy becomes a closed system in a digital universe. A digital North Korea." Damon glanced at her lightly.

The silence that followed was cold while the North Korean leader threw his hands up as if to say ’why did I get shot for no reason?!’, prompting some chuckles from his competitors.

Damon didn’t gloat, he just nodded toward the treaty projection.

"The agreements are being sent to your national accounts now, review them, edit them and submit revisions. We’ll vote once the economic section is complete."

He gave a final glance around.

"And next... we’ll discuss how Awakening, Essence Coin farming, and Chaos Mining fit into all of this."

Then, he tapped the air once.

[Next Topic: Awakening Agents and the Economy of Power.]

He looked out across the chamber. "Let me start by clearing a common misconception."

A new panel opened, showing three distinct streams of resource flow: Worldly Essence (AR Instances), Chaos Essence (Chaos Realm), and Essence Coins (Currency).

"They are not always interchangeable." Damon said simply.

"Worldly Essence, the kind most of you have gained in localized Essence instances, does not convert into Essence Coins as that is strictly an internal strengthening resource. It levels you, grows your stats, unlocks your potential."

He pointed at the second stream. "Chaos Essence is something different. It’s the raw fuel of the cosmos, harvested from the Chaos Realm directly. Its dangerous, its expensive, and its rare. But most importantly..."

He paused. "...it’s the only material that the Universe Will will accept in exchange for Worldly Essence Crystals, which are then converted into Essence Coins."

A wave of understanding passed through the room as some leaders straightened while others whispered furiously to their aides.

President Liang raised a hand. "So what you’re saying is, no matter how much Worldly Essence we generate in AR instances, it doesn’t help our financial standing in the galaxy?"

Damon nodded. "Correct, Worldly Essence fuels individual growth. Chaos Essence fuels the economy and the Universe Will’s growth. They’re completely separated by design."

He changed the chart. A new logo appeared—The Draco Conglomerate—accompanied by thousands of interlinked sigils from hundreds of species.

"Here’s the problem." Damon continued.

"Under ancient IUAS regulation during their founding, the race known as the Dragons hold the exclusive right to convert Chaos Essence into Worldly Essence Crystals by presenting it to the Universe Will personally, meaning—by extension—they control the minting of Essence Coins."

Chancellor Holtz narrowed his eyes. "Why them?"

"Because at the time, they were the strongest in the galaxy with second place not even close to them. That was the era before awakening agents and abilities, so the natural advantages of the dragon race surpassed all other species." Damon said simply.

Whoever has the strongest fist decides the rules." President Rourke muttered aloud.

Damon nodded. "They also struck a deal with the Universe Will itself. In exchange for acting as permanent stewards of interspecies essence circulation, they became the official vendor of Chaos Essence exchange. You want Essence Coins? You sell your Chaos Essence to them and no one else."

"Isn’t that a monopoly?" Prime Minister Lily snapped.

Damon nodded. "Absolutely, but it’s a legally sanctioned one, and it benefits them more than you can imagine."

He pulled up another screen. It showed the exchange rate:

1 unit of Chaos Essence = 1 Worldly Essence Crystal = 1 Essence Coin.

However, if sold to the Dragons through the official system:

1 unit Chaos Essence = 1.5 Coins.

"They pay above market because they don’t just want the coins, they want the favor from the Universe Will and the Worldly Essence Crystals." Damon said flatly.

He flicked the screen again and a vast wall of data scrolled by, showing massive quantities of acquired Worldly Essence Crystals, all linked under one symbol.

"And by presenting these massive reserves to the Universe Will, they receive increased favor, influence, and especially the precious Worldly Essence Crystal which can be freely absorbed. That’s how their king—Alexander—currently the strongest known being in the universe, has over 150 points in every stat."

Several leaders went still in shock.

"That’s not a mistake you;re hearing, that’s - at least - Level 750. He is the literal embodiment of what happens when a species controls the source of power, the currency, and the favor of the system itself." Damon continued.

President Rourke looked up slowly. "And we... have to sell to them?"

"No, you don’t have to. But if you don’t, you won’t get the necessary Essence Coins a species needs to fund operations on a large scale, and without those, you can’t fund awakenings, pay galactic tolls, or trade beyond Earth’s borders." Damon said sharply.

He let that land because this point was something he himself was working towards breaking, but the Primordial Lake was the first order of business for now.

President Cruz shook his head. "So we’re screwed."

"No, we’re late to the party." Damon said.

Another chart appeared, this one tracking humanity’s Chaos Essence mining projections against other races, and the disparity was shocking. The dragons, of course, were off the chart and so were the other top races, but humanity was in the second tier.

"We’ve only just begun. Don’t forget, our first Essence instances are tutorials. The Chaos Realm has not been tapped yet, but when we go there—and we will—we must treat every ounce of Chaos Essence like national treasure, because it is."

He pulled up a schematic showing Earth’s projected Awakening Quota System.

"Which brings us to the final link in the chain, Awakening Agents."

The screen displayed a long capsule filled with shimmering greenish-blue liquid.

"There’s only one way to unlock the full potential of your soul and achieve an ability unique to you, the Awakening Agent. The shocking part is that it’s made from Chaos Essence. A tiny amount yes, but non-replicable."

Damon glanced at the group. "You want ability users? You need Chaos Essence that can meet your racial quota and surpass it. Then after that, you need to buy the expensive and limited awakening agents, which means you need Essence Coins. Which means..."

He let the crowd finish the logic themselves.

The other first hundred in the crowd like Damon himself who were brought up to Ambrose’s ship suddenly understood how precious their free awakening opportunity was, and how valuable ability users were even moreso.

More than the presidents and world leaders, these ability users were suddenly grateful, because if Damon dint block them from making contracts back then, they truly might have sold themselves off for pennies without understanding their own value!

Damon continued. "We either enter the Chaos Realm and mine, or we buy Chaos Essence from other species using Essence Coins. Either way, the economy is now linked directly to our power structure."

Liang Xuejun folded his hands. "How are we supposed to compete if others are centuries ahead?"

Damon turned to him directly. "By being aggressive, by being efficient, and by being united."

He turned back to the room. "I’ve already established the first pseudo-mining expedition. My vanguard team has mapped initial Chaos Nodes, and the Planetary Embassy will set up licensing offices for private ventures within the year."

"The taxes from those expeditions will fund Awakening Agent production, which will then be distributed based on need, potential, and national contribution to the Human Race’s economy."

President Greaves frowned. "So no fixed quotas?"

"Fixed quotas create corruption, performance earns power now." Damon said pointedly.

The lights dimmed slightly, and a new message appeared on the screen:

[Next Subtopic: Resource Nationalization, Trade Licensing, and Galactic Tariffs.]

Damon gave a simple nod. "Let’s keep going."