As Akashi predicted, her gaming platform sparked a frenzy among the aliens.
Within just a few hours, the servers were completely full. A batch of Angeloids and Bulins had to be transferred from the capital to expand capacity.
Aliens from the Milky Way, the Large Magellanic Cloud, the Andromeda Galaxy, the Triangulum Galaxy, and countless other distant regions all gathered in the game worlds Akashi had built.
If there were any cosmic records, this would undoubtedly go down as the largest online game in history.
At the same time, the merchant's mastery of microtransactions left Setsuna, Nyaruko, and the others utterly dumbfounded.
"Oh, a card game? And a national war mode? I get it, I get it—this must be based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, right?"
Nyaruko and Kuuko eagerly clicked on one of the top-rated games.
Two minutes later—
"Why was I one-shotted?!"
"Why does that general have three-digit HP?! What the heck is this nonsense?!"
The two stared in disbelief as they were effortlessly crushed by a pay-to-win player.
"That Zhaoyun on the other side is six-constellation and has a Level 5 refined exclusive weapon, the Qinggang Sword. It's perfectly normal that your default Xusheng can't beat him, nya~"
"How about rolling for a maxed-out Zhaoyun, then buying some enhancement shards to power up your weapon? You can win easily, nya~"
Akashi didn't even blink.
"???"
"Nani?!"
"Six-constellation exclusive Zhaoyun? And a weapon refinement system?! How many gacha systems did you stitch together?!"
Nyaruko and Kuuko were speechless.
"Hmm..."
Setsuna, curious, decided to check out Hearts of Iron.
He had always liked this grand strategy game—back on Earth, you could play as any World War II nation and rewrite history.
With enough player ingenuity, you could do incredible things—like crushing the island nation in 1938, or having the USSR and Germany form an evil axis to split the world.
However, the moment he loaded into Akashi's modded version, he realized it was nothing like the one he used to play.
"Why can I only pick weak nations like Luxembourg, Tannu Tuva, and the Congo?"
"The Soviet Union and Germany are paid DLC nations, nya~ Very cheap~"
The game supported full interstellar multiplayer.
Aliens from different galaxies each took control of a nation, waging wars and enjoying the thrill of grand strategy gameplay.
"Why is that shampoo-headed guy attacking me with Leopard 2A6 tanks?! It's 1932!!"
"Hmm... Commander, he's a heavy spender. He's recharged enough money to build a destroyer, nya. Just let him have this one~"
"..."
Setsuna tried to stay calm.
"Then explain why there's a space carrier in the Western Front?! Isn't that something from Stellaris?!"
In Akashi's Hearts of Iron (Merchant Edition), free players were still researching Panzer IVs and T-34s, while paying players commanded modern main battle tanks and aircraft carriers.
Whales had even deployed orbital space carriers to bombard the planet, wiping out the poor WWII-era troops below.
"Hmm... that's a Black Gold VIP. His recharge total equals the cost of a real space carrier, nya~"
"Ah???"
Setsuna had to admit—the universe was indeed vast, and there was no shortage of rich, bored aliens.
He clicked through several other games, only to find each one perfectly embedded with gacha and PVP systems.
"Commander, want to recharge? I can give you a discount, nya!"
Akashi leapt into Setsuna's arms, tilting her head up to ask.
"You're even trying to milk me?!"
Bonk—
Setsuna couldn't help but laugh as he tapped her head.
"Nya!"
"Wait, wait, I misspoke, nya! Commander, I can give you a GM account instead, nya!!"
"Just... when you fight those whales, please go easy on them, okay? Don't scare them into quitting, nya—"
The repair cat wagged her head smugly.
"..."
"No wonder your games never passed review in the capital..."
"There's no way Yat Sen would ever approve little lolis or shipgirls playing this kind of stuff."
Formidable rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache coming on.
But then again, she thought, it was just fleecing aliens in this universe—perfectly legal and moral by their standards—so whatever worked was fine.
"Still, is this kind of pay-to-win PVP mode really that fun...?"
"Of course it is!" Akashi replied with utter seriousness.
"I mean, come on—flying your spaceship and bullying pre-space-age natives, isn't that super satisfying?"
"Bombing their most powerful armored divisions from orbit, then taking over their entire nation and world while their leaders watch in shock... doesn't that sound great?"
"!"
"You've got a point—"
Formidable suddenly realized she and the others used to do that kind of thing themselves.
And yes, it was quite satisfying.
But Akashi had simply turned it into a game, letting alien whales pay for that same thrill.
—Except their victims were the poor free-to-play players.
"We also make sure to take care of the free players, nya. For example, we'll regularly send them some equipment shards, so they can bully weaker natives too, nya."
"Once in a while, if they get lucky and draw a rare item, they can even fight a few rounds with the regular whales. That way, they won't quit the game from constant defeat. Mhm, that's the philosophy of game management, nya."
Akashi revealed her merchant nature, giving everyone a lecture on her business philosophy.
"..."
Setsuna never expected that Akashi, who usually handled fleet maintenance and engineering, was also a genius in business.
That must be the natural talent of a repair cat.
"You really are a little genius."
He rubbed Akashi's ears.
"Thank you for the compliment, Commander, nya~"
...
Although Akashi's modded games seemed a bit immoral in Setsuna and the shipgirls' eyes, there was no denying that—with the Starsea Empire's technological backing—the quality of her games completely crushed anything else on the market.
As a result, alien players still flocked to them in droves, flooding into all sorts of game worlds.
They spent in the entertainment complex, they spent in the games, and alien whales brought shiploads of rare materials to the Moon to exchange for currency.
"Recharge!! Fill it up!!! As much as I can!!!"
The server's transaction numbers skyrocketed to such an absurd level that the Cosmic Union began to suspect the Starsea Empire of engaging in some kind of cosmic fraud.
"Commander, in just the first week, the total revenue from the Starsea Entertainment Complex—when converted to materials—has already surpassed the monthly output of all other vassal universes combined, nya."
A week later, Akashi reported the good news to Setsuna with an excited look.
Since Cosmic Union currency held little value to the Starsea Empire, Angeloids exchanged it for ores, alloys, and other resources, then shipped them back to the Starbase.
In pure production value, even though the Starsea Empire only occupied a single galaxy, it had already far exceeded the productivity of other vassal universes.
After all, when the entire cosmos' worth of aliens was funneling in money, the profits naturally outstripped anything a single universe could generate through normal development.
"Hmm, does that mean we're now ranked first among the 25 vassal universes? Should I hand out a ten-roll ticket to celebrate, nya?"
"...Where do you even get these weird ideas..."
Setsuna was baffled.
Looking over things, it seemed that the Starsea Entertainment Complex's operations had finally stabilized.
The aliens here were well-behaved, and with the Cosmic Union watching, they barely needed any military presence at all.
The rest of the management could be handed over to the Sophons, who would steadily expand the complex until it covered an entire planet, turning it into a true entertainment world.
After some time, they could open branches in other galaxies, giving distant aliens a new kind of entertainment shock.
"Hmm..."
"Once I've gathered the people I need, I can finally head home, huh?"
With Earth's affairs handled by Belfast, Setsuna glanced over at Nyaruko, Kuuko, and Cthune, who were still playing co-op games together.
"What about the other Outer Gods and Great Old Ones?"
"Ah—"
Nyaruko suddenly remembered something, tossing her controller aside as her ahoge stood straight up.
"Commander, I told them that as long as they turned into cute girls, they could play for free at the Starsea Entertainment Complex and even visit the Starsea Empire!"
"They all wanted to come see for themselves~ Ah, and a lot of them said after seeing your picture that you looked pretty handsome~"
As she spoke, Nyaruko squirmed closer to him.
Ding—
The ahoge on her head sparked like lightning.
"My Evil God Radar is picking something up! They're almost here, Commander!"
"A large wave of Cthulhu girls is approaching—!"
"?"
Setsuna blinked.
"Hmm?"
"How... how exactly am I supposed to punctuate that?"
"???"
...
Far away from the Solar System, deep in outer space.
Within a massive star cluster shrouded in green and blue nebulae, stars flickered with an unnatural emerald glow. The faint interstellar dust floating through the vast void wrapped the entire cluster in a misty veil.
Even the most advanced spacecraft, upon entering this region, would find their sensors and computers going haywire, leading them to lose all sense of direction.
Orbiting one of the stars was a barren, desolate planet. Its surface showed no trace of civilization or technological constructs.
Only rows of towering, distorted, temple-like megastructures stood across the land.
Strange, indescribable creatures roamed the planet.
Some dwelled in the deep seas, their bodies covered in gray-green scales, resembling fishlike Deep Ones. Others flew through the sky like swollen, bat-shaped abominations.
Here, the Cthulhu kin devoted themselves to serving their ancient gods.
The larger beings—those occupying positions of leadership—were Outer Gods, entities comparable to Nyarlathotep herself.
Just gazing upon them for even a moment was enough to drive even the strongest minds in the universe to SAN-check failure—mental collapse.
Thus, no other alien race from the Cosmic Union dared to venture near this place without cause.
But unlike their terrifying, indescribable appearances, these Outer Gods had no real interest in frightening aliens or destroying worlds.
They were having a casual, cheerful discussion.
"Oh—Nyaruko said the one who summoned her on Earth was a human?"
"Seriously? I thought it was some weird cultist! If they saw her true form, wouldn't they drop dead from fright?!"
"Hmm... I heard there's a new place in the Solar System—the Starsea Entertainment Complex? Supposedly ten times more amazing than Earth's R'lyeh Paradise?"
"People who've been there say it's going to be the number one amusement park in the universe!"
One of the indescribable Outer Gods waved her tentacles.
"Oh? I read the news too. R'lyeh's visitors are all being stolen away. The CEO of Cthulhu Corp is apparently losing her mind over it..."
"But it's too expensive!!! How are we supposed to afford that?!"
As they scrolled through the holographic news feeds, the ancient gods all sighed in unison.
The Dream Hotel sounded wonderful, but since it was positioned as the most luxurious resort in the cosmos, the prices were astronomical.
Those who could afford to stay there were either from resource-rich planets—literally made of ore—or the sons and daughters of vast interstellar trade conglomerates.
The rest of the entertainment complex wasn't cheap either. Sure, it sounded fun, but for most, it was far beyond reach.
"Hmm..."
"Forget it. I'll just work another 1,500 years, save up some money, and then book a luxury suite for half a year to enjoy myself."
Another Outer God floating mid-air spoke up.
"The Starsea Entertainment Complex is already ranked among the top ten must-visit destinations in the Milky Way. I have to go at least once."
"I'll add 1,300 years of overtime."
"I'll apply to work at Cthulhu Corp. If I'm lucky, I'll save enough in 600 years."
As they chatted, something suddenly caught their attention.
"Hmm?"
They had just received a message from Nyaruko.
"Nyaruko says she knows the owner of the Starsea Entertainment Complex?! They're from the Starsea Empire?"
"What?! You've been playing there for two weeks and didn't spend a single credit?! The Commander even gave you a complete Kamen Rider collection and a game console?!"
"What?! You can even tour the Starsea Empire?! And it's tens of thousands of times bigger than the Starsea Entertainment Complex??!!"
The fellow Outer Gods were stunned.
Looking at the photos and short videos Nyaruko sent back, the ancient gods were filled with envy.
"The Commander said that as long as you're a cute girl like me, you can come play at the Starsea Entertainment Complex for free~"
"All food and lodging included, plus a free tour of the Starsea Empire. Anyone interested?"
Nyaruko faithfully relayed Setsuna's words.
"!!!"
"Ahhh!!!"
The Outer Gods and Great Old Ones went wild, releasing energy waves so powerful they caused a massive energy tide across the surrounding star field.
"There's actually such a deal?!"
"Quick, tell me—what kind of appearance does the Commander like?!"
"Tall or short? Dark or fair? Maybe a 146 cm blonde, flat-chested, tsundere, fox-eared nine-tailed loli?!"
"We can do humans, and if they're not human, that's fine too!!!"
...
On the Moon.
At the top floor of the Starsea Entertainment Complex's Dream Hotel, inside a luxurious suite.
The interior was beyond imagination—every piece of furniture and art was a priceless treasure collected from across countless universes.
Through the holographic dome above, one could gaze directly upon the starry sky, and from the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, the golden brilliance of the entire entertainment city stretched out below.
Angeloids stood ready around the clock to serve the guests, fulfilling any request within moments.
Of course, a suite of such caliber wasn't something one could simply buy with money—it wasn't even open to the public.
Setsuna reclined on the sofa, planning his next move through a holographic interface.
Akashi sat nearby, counting today's profits.
"Hundred thousand... million... ten million... hundred million... billion... ten billion...!"
The rapidly climbing numbers made the repair cat beam with delight. She had never earned this much in her life.
Nyaruko, Kuuko, and Cthune were still lost in their gaming world, wielding the gacha weapons Ming Meow had given them to crush alien players.
Everything was peaceful and calm—just another day of life at the entertainment complex.
Boom—
Suddenly, the distant starlight dimmed.
It was as though a rolling storm of dark clouds was sweeping toward them from the depths of space.
"Hmm?"
Lucoa and Tohru, who were reading nearby, raised their heads in confusion, gazing at the sky.
The bustling sounds of the city gradually shifted into strange, rhythmic pulses—distorted beats carrying an eerie, indescribable meaning.
The darkness grew closer with the expanding tide of black mist.
A dark fog covered more than half the sky, spreading from the farthest reaches of the cosmos to the Solar System.
Sometimes the clouds coalesced into horrifying organic forms—slick black tentacles dripping with viscous fluid, gaping maws, or twisted limbs intertwined together.
Other times, they transformed into a single enormous crimson eye, gazing coldly upon the beings below.
On an astronomical scale, its size was beyond comprehension.
At the edge of the mist, countless writhing, twisted creatures crawled and floated in the void, marching alongside their ancient gods.
The scale and power of the scene were so immense that even Lucoa opened her eyes, putting away her playful demeanor as she stared solemnly into the distance.
"Ah?!"
Visitors throughout the entertainment complex froze in terror, staring up at the sky in horror.
"???"
"Ah, they're here."
Nyaruko's ahoge twitched like a radar antenna, pointing in a direction.
Leaping onto the balcony, she waved enthusiastically toward the indescribable black cloud in the distance.
"Over here!!"
"Hey! Didn't I tell you all to transform into girls before coming?! You'll scare everyone and ruin the complex's business!"
She shouted upward in protest.
"Can you even afford to compensate the Commander's losses?!"
Whoosh—
The moment she finished speaking, the mass of dark fog in the sky flared with blinding light.
The mist began to descend, swirling and condensing upon the ground.
One after another, silhouettes took form—transforming into girls who landed gracefully before them.
There was a long-haired black-haired maiden in a kimono, a petite loli shorter than the shipgirls, and several other adorably cute young girls.
Standing at the front was a tall girl with black hair tied into a high ponytail and striking red eyes.
Her figure was curvaceous, her slightly daring outfit accentuating her alluring silhouette. She wore black high boots and leather gloves.
Two slightly curved goat-like horns adorned her head, a clear mark of her divine identity.
Her beauty was both dazzling and overwhelming, every movement carrying a bewitching, irresistible charm.
"Ah, sorry—traveling in my true form was just faster."
The girl apologized with an embarrassed smile as she adjusted her clothes.
Despite the heavy, oppressive aura around her, her voice was gentle and pleasant.
"Greetings, I am Shub-Niggurath, the Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young."
"And this beside me is Atko-chan—hmm, you must be the Commander Nyaruko spoke of? A pleasure to meet you."
"Would you like me to introduce the others?"
"..."
Setsuna glanced over them.
He recognized Shub-Niggurath—like Nyaruko, one of the Three Pillars—and beside her was Atko, the Great Old One Atlach-Nacha.
He could also identify a few of the smaller girls as Yith-chan, Ghatanothua, and others.
As for the rest, he had no clue who was who.
In the Nyaruko universe, any being capable of taking human form was at least Fourth Sequence or above—every one of them a heavy hitter.
"Hmm..."
Setsuna's eyes drifted over Shub-Niggurath's graceful figure, then over the group of Outer God girls behind her.
Their combined presence was enough to rival an entire fleet of carrier-class shipgirls.
A large wave of Cthulhu girls was approaching?
In every sense of the phrase, it couldn't have been more accurate.
—
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