The atmosphere in Old Town City was electric. Gigantic holographic projectors painted the night sky with the FaceTalk logo—a stylized bridge connecting two worlds. I stood atop the nearly finished SIGLAV Tower, looking down at the crowd. Thousands of people, from local farmers in Joonam to scientists who had traveled from Diamond City, held their mobile devices in anticipation.
"UIA, are we green across the board?" I asked, my voice calm despite the weight of the moment.
UIA: All global server farms are synchronized, Master. The backup systems in the neighboring kingdoms are active. The experts we hired from across the nations have confirmed a 99.9% stability rating. We are ready for the worldwide launch.
"Do it," I commanded. "Trigger the launch."
The Global Surge
At exactly midnight, the "Download" button went live on every major network across the planet. I watched the real-time data map on my Banio laptop. It started as a few sparks in Galena, but within seconds, the map was a roaring fire of activity.
Minute 1: 10 million downloads.
Minute 5: 50 million accounts created.
Minute 10: The gift packs—premium features and limited digital badges—were being claimed at a rate of 100,000 per second.
Because we had hired top-tier experts from different nations to manage the traffic, there were no crashes. The transition was smooth sailing. People were sending their first "Faces"—high-definition video messages—to relatives thousands of miles away. For the first time, distance didn't matter.
In the streets of Old Town City, the local villagers cheered. They weren't just watching a tech launch; they were watching their home become the center of the world. Uncle Calsius and my mother, Lina Venan, stood among the crowd, looking up at the tower with pride.
"Sadd did it," Mom whispered, her eyes wet with tears. "He really did it."
Beside her, Doah and Tersa were already monitoring the feedback loops on their tablets, their faces glowing with the thrill of success.
"Master," the UIA chimed, "the initial ad revenue and premium pack sales are already flowing in. FaceTalk is officially the most successful launch in the history of communication technology."
I looked out toward the dark horizon, where the silent Monsters' Den met the lights of my growing empire. We had cleared the debt, built the banks, and now we owned the global conversation.
"This is just the beginning," I said to the wind. "Jami Town is next."
The launch was a hit that shook the world to its core. Nothing like this had ever happened before on a launch day. Because the promotion and advertising were on point, and the quality of the app was flawless, the surge was unprecedented.
I watched everything from the shadows of the SIGLAV Tower. I didn't show my face to the public. Instead, I let Leo and the SIGLAV Bank CEO take the stage. They handled the presentation with perfection, addressing the massive crowds and the global media.
"Tonight," Leo's voice boomed through the speakers across Old Town City, "we don't just launch an app. We launch a new way for humanity to breathe together."
As the numbers rolled in, the financial world went into a frenzy. The market value of FaceTalk skyrocketed instantly. In just hours of trading and public valuation, the company was worth 59 billion Star Cash.
While the world was screaming for more, I sat in our old living room with Doah, Tersa, and Sadd. My sisters and I, who had mutually accepted ourselves as siblings, finally felt the weight of our success.
"Sadd, look at the screen!" Doah shouted, pointing at the live stock ticker. "59 billion! We could buy a whole kingdom!"
"We aren't buying a kingdom, Doah," I said with a calm smile. "We are building one. Right here in the Monsters' Den."
Tersa leaned her head on my shoulder. "Grandfather Jami and Grandmother Celestara would be so proud to see what you've done for their land."
I nodded, looking at the small sample of Neuro-Energy glowing in its lead-lined box in the corner. I had cleared the path for our family. My mother, Lina Venan, was safe, and the people of our village were finally seeing a future where they weren't just survivors, but leaders.
"The CEO called," Tersa added, giggling. "He says his phone hasn't stopped ringing for three hours. Everyone from the capital to the desert wants a piece of SIGLAV."
"Let them wait," I said. "We have two months of vacation left. Tomorrow, we start the foundation for Jami Town."
The morning after the launch, the world felt different. The digital landscape had shifted overnight, and the name FaceTalk was on every tongue.
"Sadd, look at the global rankings," Leo said, his voice brimming with excitement as he barged into the private office. "FaceTalk has already entered the Global Top 100 social platform companies. Not only that, we've broken into the list of the 3,000 largest global companies in less than twenty-four hours!"
I nodded, keeping my eyes on the data streams. "It's a good start, Leo. But the bigger the tree, the more wind it catches."
I was right. By mid-morning, Old Town City was no longer just a village—it was a hunting ground for suit-wearing vultures. The local airstrip was packed with private jets as an influx of large corporations and prominent figures descended upon us.
"Chairman, the lobby is full," the SIGLAV Bank CEO reported, looking slightly overwhelmed. "We have representatives from the Diamond City Trade Union, the Kingdom of Oria's sovereign wealth fund, and several tech giants from the west. Some are offering billions to acquire shares, and three of them have already made formal 'buy-out' offers to take FaceTalk off our hands entirely."
I didn't even look at the offer sheets. "Turn them all down. Every single one."
"All of them?" the CEO asked, startled. "Some of these offers are five times our current valuation."
"I didn't build this to sell it," I said firmly. "FaceTalk is the nervous system of our future empire. We don't need their money; we have the SIGLAV Bank and our own reserves. Tell them the door is closed for partnerships."
The Slow Descent
"Wow, that's great news," Doah said, walking in with Tersa. They had been watching the crowds from the window. "You really showed them that the 'FaceTalk aren't for sale."
I leaned back in my chair, exhaling slowly. The high-speed growth was exhilarating, but I could feel the pressure building.
"Everything is progressing fast," I admitted, looking at the calendar. "Slowly, it's time to resume school. I've decided to slow things down a bit for the next few weeks. I want the foundation of Jami Town to settle correctly, and I want the researchers to work without being rushed by market hype."
"Good," Tersa whispered. "You've worked enough for ten lifetimes this month, Sadd. Let's just be students for a little while longer."