Chapter 7

Marvin Rock’s vintage black Audi had rarely been driven over the past year, save for a handful of times by the household staff. Marvin turned the ignition and let the engine warm up for a moment. He wiped down the bodywork and windows. Since early on, Marvin had never instructed a servant or anyone else to clean his car; even if mechanical issues arose, he preferred to repair them himself.

The roar of a heavy motorcycle engine vibrated forcefully through the driveway. *VROOM!* Harven Rockwell looked remarkably sharp in his biker attire—a black jacket matched with sleek leather boots. Flipping up his helmet visor, he greeted his older brother before leaving for campus: “Hang in there, Brother!” A warm smile crinkled the corners of his eyes.

“You’ve only got three months left of your studies, Harven. Study hard, then come help your brother run this small Rock family enterprise!”

“Will do, Brother. I’m off!” Harven’s voice sounded slightly muffled behind his helmet. He revved the engine and sped away.

After bidding his parents farewell, Marvin stepped into his Audi and drove straight toward the Rock Electra power plant.

Across Chemisland, there were four power plants in total: one state-owned and three privately operated. The private trio consisted of Rock Electra, One Tesla owned by the Harvard family, and Oxy Electra owned by the Wilmer family.

All these power plants supplied electricity to the Chemisland Electric Company (CEC), which subsequently distributed the power across all cities and regions, servicing urban centers, residential quarters, and commercial sectors alike.

Under government regulations, Rock Electra was permitted to supply merely five percent of the total electrical grid demand for Chemisland—strictly restricted to the capital city of Gloriston, and even then, covering no more than a third of the city’s consumption.

There was never any question as to who supplied the largest portion of electricity: Harvard Corp, naturally, dominated the landscape by fulfilling fifty-five percent of the entire nation’s energy grid. A absolute monopoly.

Specifically within the capital city of Gloriston, Harvard Corp held a two-thirds allocation. In other words, Harvard Corp took seven parts of the market, while Rock Electra was restricted to just three. This regulation had been enforced for decades, and no one had ever dared to challenge it.

Before long, Marvin arrived at Rock Electra. White plumes of steam soared into the sky. As he moved deeper into the plant grounds, the deafening thrum of heavy industrial machinery echoed through the air.

Starting today, Marvin officially assumed the role of Acting President Director, taking over the reins from his father. He addressed the operations manager: “Mr. Lester, the government has cleared our authorization, so halt operations starting today for the next ten days. We will no longer be needing coal from Harvard Corp; we are transitioning to MR-25!”

Lester was overcome with joy, a broad smile spreading across his face. “Understood, Mr. Rock! I will personally oversee the project crews over the next ten days!”

Because the structural properties of coal differed fundamentally from those of MR-25, adjustments to the machinery were necessary. While the core mechanisms remained consistent with traditional steam-turbine power generation, the thermal reaction process itself required minor recalibrations.

Marvin swept his gaze across the vacant lot adjacent to the power plant, an expanse twice the size of a standard soccer stadium. “Right there, we will construct the manufacturing plant for MR-25 alongside the most advanced laboratory Chemisland has ever seen.”

It was no minor undertaking; the project valuation ran into tens of billions of dollars. It was scheduled for completion within a swift two months, contracted to top-tier overseas engineering firms.

Lester, currently in his late forties, possessed decades of engineering expertise. He offered high praise for MR-25. “I am genuinely amazed by this new fuel, sir. It easily outperforms nuclear energy.” Lester was visibly awestruck.

Refusing to dwell on compliments, Marvin maintained his characteristic humility. “It is nothing extraordinary compared to the discoveries of other scientists, Mr. Lester. MR-25 is merely a single drop in the ocean. Nothing more.” Marvin had no desire to appear arrogant before anyone, especially in the presence of someone far more seasoned in operational matters like Mr. Lester.

Lester reiterated his admiration, acknowledging the sheer brilliance behind MR-25. You see, the raw chemical element known as Glorisium existed exclusively in Gloriston City and could not be found anywhere else on earth. At present, the sole known deposit of Glorisium lay beneath a vast tract of land owned directly by the Rock family.

Years ago, deep within his family's forested acreage near the power plant, Marvin had chanced upon a strange, greenish stone. When he set fire to it, the flame burned continuously for twenty-four hours without extinguishing. Remarkably, once the flame went out, the physical structure of the stone showed negligible degradation. That marked the genesis of Glorisium's discovery.

Uniquely, Glorisium existed solely beneath the expansive soil of the Rock family estate, buried deep within the earth's crust in abundant reserves totaling billions of tons. The Rock family had promptly secured legal title over the territory, ensuring that no outside party—not even the government—could infringe upon their mineral rights.

Prominent scientists in Chemisland went so far as to assert that Glorisium was far more valuable than gold and infinitely more vital than uranium. The technical reasons were vast, but fundamentally: the rarer the resource and the harder it was to extract elsewhere, the higher its intrinsic market value soared.

Lester looked on in fascination. “Even if a local citizen in Gloriston managed to dig up Glorisium beneath their own foundation, they would only be able to burn it like ordinary coal.”

That was because raw Glorisium required a complex, multi-stage chemical synthesis—reacting with specific compound agents—before it could stabilize into MR-25. To this day, Marvin was the sole individual who possessed the proprietary formula and processing method for synthesizing MR-25.

Marvin gazed across the vast plain. In his mind, what stretched before him was not dirt, but pure gold and capital.

Anyone versed in mathematics and resource engineering could calculate that the subterranean wealth beneath the Rock family’s land eclipsed the total net worth of the Harvard family many times over!

People used to assume Glorisium was inferior to standard coal. Conversely, once refined into MR-25, even uranium paled by comparison.

That was precisely why international energy syndicates were so eager to secure rights to MR-25. Given the choice, any corporation would readily select MR-25 over the conventional coal they currently relied upon.

“Mr. Lester, thank you. Over the past year, you’ve served as my father’s most trusted ally. You’ve safeguarded this vast enterprise, and I assure you that your career at Rock Electra is fully secure.”

Lester had served the Rock family for over twenty years, playing a pivotal role in the company's growth. Though he had repeatedly received lucrative offers from major conglomerates, he had declined them all to remain loyal to Rock Electra.

His loyalty stemmed not just from job satisfaction, but from Glorisium itself. Lester understood that Glorisium was no ordinary mineral; without proper guardianship, it could easily be weaponized or exploited. He remained unreservedly devoted to the Rock family.

After spending over an hour inspecting the power station, the plant construction site, and the upcoming mining quadrant, Marvin prepped to leave. Stepping back into his car, he dialed a number: “Has the Gloriest Blossom arrived at Miss Gennifer Winston’s residence? Excellent, thank you!”