Tanner fell silent again, seemingly processing this revelation. "You said you're a mage yourself... Does that mean your advanced technology is... a result of your magic research?" he inquired, realizing why Astral Tech's technology seemed so far ahead of its time.
"You're half right, Mr. Tanner. In fact, if you were to learn about our work at Astral Tech, you'd find it's more scientific than you might think," Daniel said, a hint of enticement in his voice.
Daniel gave Tanner time to think, waiting patiently until he nodded. "There's a saying that sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. You've convinced me, Mr. Emberweave. I want to understand this approach to technological advancement."
"Welcome to Astral Tech, Mr. Tanner," Daniel said as the video conference ended. He turned to Maria. "Treat him like anyone from the Veneziale Gang. Put him on probation and assess his loyalty before granting access to the Atlanteus base. He will work in the new lab alongside Sloth.
Let her be his mentor."
"Err... I don't think Ms. Sloth will appreciate this assignment. She'll probably just throw some textbooks and case studies at him, then go back to sleep," Maria said with a wry smile.
"That's okay. She's lazy, but she fulfills her basic responsibilities. This will be a surprise for her; she's been pampered enough," Daniel said, smiling like an older brother who had prepared an unwelcome surprise for his younger sister.
He recalled when Sloth first joined Astral Tech. For reasons unknown, she was constantly coddled by the researchers. Even today, she's living a relaxed lifestyle, spending most of her time sleeping and very little time working. Yet, even with minimal effort, her work was often better than that of many hardworking researchers.
Perhaps it was due to Sloth's power or blessing, which seemed to trigger maternal and paternal instincts in those around her.
"Is there anything else to add, Mr. Worseley?" Daniel asked.
"Yes, my lord. I believe I may have some recollection of the relic or object responsible for those flesh mounds Lord Stenmark found in the secret tunnel. However, I'm not entirely certain. I need time to research and confirm whether it's what I think it is," Albert replied.
"Will a month suffice?" Daniel inquired.
"More than enough, my lord. Thank you," Albert bowed to Daniel.
"If that's all, then, Mr. Worseley, I need you to focus on two areas. First, counterintelligence against the Qing Empire, especially here in Sector Alpha City. I don't want any Qing spies taking a stroll on my island without our knowledge. Second, keep track of Leviathan's whereabouts. I don't want any surprises from him, especially on this island," Daniel instructed.
Turning to Cao Cao, he said, "Mr. Cao, you may continue with the CERBERUS Program."
"Yes, my lord," Cao Cao responded with a bow and a cupped fist salute.
"The meeting is adjourned," Daniel announced, rising from his seat. "Excuse me, I have a lot of catching up to do."
He left the meeting room with Maria and headed to his office. There, he would plan about his mage organization that would replace Hightower in North America, Japan, and Southeast Asia.
"Go on, what do you want to know?" replied Daniel.
"As a mage, how powerful are you?" Aryan asked cautiously.
"That's the neat part... I don't know," Daniel answered.
"Are you serious?"
"Well..." Daniel said, making himself comfortable in his seat. "As far as I know, it's not like I'm part of the Hightower or there's some kind of mage world cup or competition. Maybe there is, but as I said, I'm not part of the Hightower, nor am I high enough in their hierarchy to know.
I'm just a mage with the Hightower ID and powerful enough to stop any idiot from the Hightower or any mage family from repeatedly messing with me like some kind of idiotic young master in a Wuxia/Xianxia novel, where I beat up the young one and the old one comes out of seclusion to take revenge." Daniel explained, half-jokingly, then continued.
"As far as I'm concerned, this is good enough. I can live with it, until recently... that is."
"What do you mean, until recently?" Aryan asked, confused.
"Well, you might know from Mr. Montgomery that I have... a lot of problems with the ruling party, the Hightower, when I first debuted as a mage. One thing led to another, and it turns out I had beat the crap out of one of the three ruling parties of the Hightower until the entire faction of that ruling party didn't want to mess with me.
I reduced a lot of the Hightower's prestige and influence in Southeast Asia and North America. They couldn't even maintain order because their power to enforce their laws and agenda came into question, so they chose to solidify their influence in Europe," Daniel explained.
"So... Now it's like a state without a head, and various factions vie for control. And without the sole controller, chaos ensues," Aryan concluded.
"That's right. And we need to fix it," Daniel confirmed.
"By becoming the ruling party ourselves?" Aryan asked, and Daniel nodded with a smile.
"Ugh..." Aryan groaned, touching his forehead as if feeling a headache. "This... this is a lot to take in, Mr. Emberweave."
Daniel chuckled. "You don't need to, Mr. Sharma, because your job is to just help me take care of Astral Technology Corporation's normal business. All the things that don't relate to magic or represent themselves as normal technology will be under your care. As for Sector Alpha City management, I've found someone to take care of it for you," said Daniel.
The one Daniel spoke of was none other than Goro Kuroda, the guy who managed Naha State and turned it into a great tourist spot with modern facilities equal to those in first-world countries like the US. Sector Alpha City would be in safe hands under Goro Kuroda's management. Right now, he was learning about the local and various powers in the city, its advantages, and disadvantages at city hall.
"That's... reassuring... Thank you for your understanding. I don't think I could continue with both being CEO of the most prestigious tech company on Earth and mayor of the first modern-day Corporate State," Aryan said.
"You're welcome," Daniel replied.