Chapter 208: Is This Burning a Hole in My Pocket?
He didn't have many thoughts about establishing a large force since his initial motivation for bringing people into the Void was to gain Void energy himself while granting blessings to others.
However, after founding the Void Church, he realized that being a god of the Void wasn't as straightforward as he had thought.
These members weren't like those on Earth who would pray continuously for comfort without expecting any response from a deity.
The members of the Void Church were all voracious consumers, and without proper management, any one of them could potentially disrupt the world, easily claiming dominion over less advanced planets.
Yet, most who had tasted the advanced technology of Xandar wouldn't have much desire to rule over primitive worlds.
It wasn't that it was impossible, but rather that such actions would lack purpose.
The universe wasn't entirely filled with humanoid appearances like those on Xandar; many species looked quite bizarre, some even resembling insects.
Setting aside the aesthetic disparities, the wealth of civilizations that hadn't connected with the stars was worthless in the grand scheme of the universe.
While Harvey wouldn't say he was fabulously wealthy on Earth, he had a good amount of money. Still, he'd have to start from scratch in the universe.
The same applied to Tony; although he was a billionaire on Earth, he had to rethink how to make money in space.
As for raiding and pillaging, there was no need for that.
The universe was full of women of all kinds, even customized robotic beauties.
And the means to get close to these women was simple: money.
With the power of the Void Church's members, there were countless ways to generate income.
"That's a good plan, but we might not need to rely entirely on hiring outsiders," Harvey suggested after considering Sonia's future plans. "We can also employ other members of the Void Church."
"I thought of that too," Sonia replied. "However, right now, the power of the Void Church hasn't been fully established."
"And we don't have anything unique to attract members yet. So, the original plan is to formally set everything up in about ten years."
Sonia activated a projection to showcase the long-term plans.
"The Void Church may not have unique resources, but it does offer incentives. As long as we provide competitive compensation, people will willingly work for us."
"Some members of the Void Church are capable enough to take on bounty tasks, and while those tasks will eventually come to an end, the few that do will likely find themselves idle."
"Most members should rely on their superior physical prowess to take on various jobs outside. Since they can work for others, they can certainly work for the Void Church."
"This will also encourage them to think creatively about acquiring or developing technologies that aid in production."
"As long as the results of their cultivation meet our expectations, it doesn't matter how they achieve it."
Harvey nodded. "Your plan could help establish a self-sustaining cycle for the Void Island."
"However, I think we'll need to get Tony involved for this to work."
"Because implementing your plan will require a significant amount of money."
Sonia paused to calculate the necessary funds, then spoke up.
"How much revenue does the Void Island generate in a year?"
Upon hearing that they needed Tony for funds, Harvey asked.
"After expanding, and with Tony's gravity device selling well, we're looking at about 12.8 billion a year," Sonia replied. "Last year's New Year donations brought in 1.8 billion."
"So, last year's total revenue was 14.6 billion."
Sonia quickly produced a report showing the various incomes.
"That seems like a considerable sum," Harvey remarked, noting the annual income was close to 15 billion.
"But this is revenue; it doesn't account for expenses."
"Last year, we purchased 24 small islands at an average of 310 million each, totaling 7.44 billion."
"Establishing connections and setting fixed shipping routes costs about 4 million per island annually, adding up to 1 billion."
"To expand our operations, we also need to develop the islands and purchase various equipment. We developed three islands last year, each averaging 1 billion."
"The members living on the Void Island consume a huge amount of food daily, so we hired an additional 60 chefs. We now have 100 chefs on the island."
"Their wages can be supplemented by other members of the Void Church, but the food prices here are only slightly above cost."
"So, the cost of food per year comes to about 1 billion."
"That adds up to 7.9 billion in expenses."
Sonia meticulously calculated the figures for Harvey.
"This leaves a net profit of 6.7 billion for last year."
"Plus this year's revenue for the first half, which is around 6 billion."
"Thus, the liquid assets for the Void Island amount to 12.7 billion."
"However, we have 22 undeveloped islands. If we want to cultivate them fully and invest in initial facilities, we can estimate it will cost about 200 million per island."
"That totals 4.4 billion in expenses."
"Considering the initial stages, many members will lack cultivation experience, which may lead to losses."
"Therefore, we will need initial subsidies to motivate them."
"This leaves us with only 8.3 billion in liquid assets."
"This amount isn't enough to establish a fully functioning internal cycle."
As Sonia wrapped up her calculations, Harvey was taken aback by how costly it was to establish a power base.
"However, once the Void Church has established its foundational cycle..."
"Then these initial investments will not only be recouped but will also yield numerous benefits."
Seeing Harvey remain silent, Sonia worried she might have dampened his spirits and quickly added, "I understand. We can wait for Tony to arrive and earn more funds before implementing the internal cycle."
Harvey waved his hand dismissively, temporarily shelving the plan for large-scale cultivation.