SSS-Tier Extraction: From Outcast to Overgod!-Chapter 108: An Unwanted Suitor

The days leading up to the god Games were a whirlwind of focused, intense preparation. The "Odyssey" was given a complete overhaul, with Emma and Zara working side-by-side to fine-tune every system.

The Training Matrix in Outpost #7 was running twenty-four hours a day, with Ryan’s chosen champions pushing themselves to their absolute limits against holographic monsters and complex strategic puzzles.

The entire Sector was buzzing with a nervous, excited energy.

It was during this busy time that a new, unexpected, and deeply annoying problem arrived.

A single, magnificent ship appeared at the edge of Sector Gamma’s space. It was not a warship, but it was incredibly imposing. It was a vessel of the Technocratic Imperium, sleek and silver, designed with a cold, arrogant perfection.

It broadcasted a formal diplomatic request for an audience with Sector Lord Stone. Its passenger was a man of great importance: Lord Valerius.

Ryan had heard of Lord Valerius. He was one of the most powerful and ambitious Sector Lords in the Technocratic Hegemony, their rival power bloc.

He was known for his brilliance, and an ego so large it could probably be seen from space. Ryan couldn’t imagine what such a man would want with him, especially now, right before the Games.

But denying a formal diplomatic request from a Lord of his stature would be a major political insult.

With a heavy sigh, Ryan agreed to meet him.

Lord Valerius was exactly as advertised. He strode into the command center of the god Spire as if he owned the place. He was tall and handsome in a cold, severe sort of way, with perfectly styled blond hair and eyes the color of ice chips.

He wore a uniform of shimmering silver. He looked at the simple, practical design of Ryan’s command center with a faint, condescending smirk, as if it were a child’s messy playroom.

"Lord Stone," Valerius said, his voice smooth and cultured, but with an undercurrent of arrogance that made Ryan’s teeth itch. "I have heard... stories about you.

The new ’god Shaper’ who has cobbled together a small but surprisingly resilient little alliance out here in the galactic wilderness."

"Lord Valerius," Ryan replied, his voice a calm, even wall against the other man’s condescension. "Welcome to my ’wilderness.’ To what do we owe the honor?"

Valerius waved a dismissive hand. "Let us not waste time with pleasantries. I am a man of efficiency. I have come because of a rumor.

A rumor that your little sector is home to a researcher of singular, once-in-a-generation genius." He didn’t even bother to use Zara’s name, referring to her as if she were a rare mineral deposit he had heard about. "They say she has an unparalleled affinity for Precursor technology."

At that moment, Zara herself walked into the command center, holding a datapad with the latest diagnostic reports from the "Odyssey." She stopped short when she saw the arrogant, silver-clad man standing there.

Valerius’s icy eyes landed on her, and his condescending smirk was replaced by a look of genuine, predatory interest. He looked her up and down, not like a person, but like a prize he was appraising.

"Ah," he said, his voice dripping with false charm. "And this must be the specimen in question. Zara Khan, I presume? Your reputation precedes you. It is a tragedy that such a brilliant mind is wasted in such a primitive backwater."

Zara’s eyes narrowed, her expression turning to one of pure, unadulterated disgust. "My mind is precisely where it belongs, thank you," she said, her voice sharp as broken glass.

Ryan felt a surge of protective anger. He stepped forward slightly, placing himself between Zara and the predatory Lord. "You still haven’t answered my question, Valerius. Why are you here?"

Valerius finally turned his attention back to Ryan, his expression one of a man making a generous offer to a simple-minded child. "I am here with a proposal, Stone.

A grand opportunity for you and your fledgling sector. My Technocratic Imperium is at the absolute peak of technological advancement. Our resources are limitless. Our research facilities are a hundred years ahead of anything you could possibly build here."

He steepled his fingers, a smug look on his face. "Here is my offer. I will provide your entire Sector with our latest generation of shield technology, advanced energy weapons, and a steady supply of refined resources for the next five years. It is a gift that would instantly elevate your sector’s power and security."

Ryan stared at him, waiting for the catch. He knew it was coming.

"And in exchange for this... generosity," Valerius continued, his gaze flicking back to Zara, "all I ask is that the brilliant Zara Khan joins my personal research enclave at the heart of the Imperium.

She will be given access to resources beyond her wildest dreams. She will have everything she could ever desire." He then added, with a sickeningly smooth smile, "And, of course, she will also have the honor of becoming my official consort."

The silence in the room was so thick you could have cut it with a knife.

Zara looked like she was going to be physically ill. The idea of being some arrogant lord’s prized pet, his brilliant but subservient trophy wife, was a violation of everything she was.

She looked at Valerius with an expression of such pure, cold fury that even he seemed taken aback for a moment.

Ryan just stared at him. He couldn’t believe the sheer, unmitigated arrogance of the man. He thought he could just walk in here and try to buy one of Ryan’s people, one of his friends, one of the brilliant women he... cared for, as if she were a piece of high-end lab equipment.

Ryan began to laugh. It started as a low chuckle, then grew into a full, genuine laugh. It was not a happy sound. It was the laugh of a man who had just heard the most ridiculous, insulting thing in his entire life.

Lord Valerius’s smug expression faltered, replaced by a confused and angry frown. "Do you find my generous offer amusing, Stone?"

Ryan’s laughter subsided, and he looked at Valerius with eyes that were now as cold and hard as a winter storm. "Generous?" he said, his voice dangerously quiet.

"You walk into my home. You insult my people. And you try to buy one of my companions like she’s a prize horse at a market. And you call that generous?"

He took a step forward, and the very air in the room seemed to crackle with his power. "Let me make this very simple for you, so even a man of your... ’efficiency’... can understand."

He leaned in, his voice a low, menacing growl. "My people are not for sale. They are not property. They are not pieces to be traded on your political chessboard. Zara Khan is a citizen of this Sector and a champion of the Bastion Alliance. She is not going anywhere. Especially not with you."

He straightened up. "Your offer is refused. Now, I suggest you get back on your shiny, overpriced ship and leave my sector. Immediately."

Lord Valerius was stunned into silence. No one had ever spoken to him like that before. He was a Lord of the Technocratic Imperium. He was used to getting what he wanted. His handsome face turned an ugly shade of red. The mask of civility fell away, revealing the petulant, spoiled tyrant beneath.

"You will regret this, you backwater savage," he hissed, his voice trembling with fury. "You have made a powerful enemy today. I will enjoy watching your pathetic little team get crushed in the Games. I will demonstrate to you, and to the entire god verse, the folly of sentiment."

He turned on his heel and stormed out of the command center without another word, his silver uniform seeming a little less shiny than before.

After he was gone, the room was quiet for a moment.

Zara let out a shaky breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She looked at Ryan, her expression a complex mixture of relief, gratitude, and something much, much deeper.

He hadn’t hesitated. He hadn’t even considered the offer. He had defended her, not just as a valuable asset, but as a person. As his person.

"Thank you, Ryan," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Don’t mention it," he said, his voice returning to its normal calm, though his eyes were still hard. "Nobody tries to buy my friends. It’s just bad manners."

The incident had an unintended effect. The arrogant lord’s disgusting offer had not driven a wedge between them. It had forged their bond into something stronger.

Zara’s respect for Ryan, already immense, now solidified into a deep, unwavering loyalty. He was not just a leader she admired; he was a man she would follow to the ends of the universe.

And her feelings of "competitive possessiveness" were slowly but surely transforming into a simple, powerful affection. She was his, not because he owned her, but because she had chosen to be. And he, in turn, had chosen to be her protector.