Daniel tapped and swiped his wrist console for a bit, then the main screen changed.
"There's a reason why I only allowed my assistance to suppress half of them, and why I let the local authorities with my weapons work on their own... which means." The screen changed again, displaying a list of places still marked in red, now reduced to fewer than 130.
This reduction was the result of Nexus Prime using drones to eliminate half of the dissenters first. Then, when mages caused trouble in areas where local authorities had purchased weapons from Astral Corp, the number decreased further. The remaining red areas were either locations where mages were only performing rituals or where local authorities lacked the weapons to deal with the mages.
The holo projector on the ceiling then displayed another scene: the interior of the Clockwork Enclosure, where various magical and mythological creatures roamed the land, thriving under the supervision of elves and worker drones.
"Please check the console on your seat," Daniel instructed. The consoles in front of each attendee displayed a list.
The list detailed rewards that could be redeemed with contribution points, including rare materials and the right to purchase rare magical items such as ores or magical creature hides. The list even included extremely rare items like the already extinct phoenix blood and unicorn horn powder obtained from whetting their horns.
It's common knowledge that unicorn horns are very rare and priceless magical materials used in various rituals and experiments. Unicorn horns grow at a rate of 1 centimeter every 10 years.
While reasonable, this rate is insufficient to meet the consumption demands of the magical community. Currently, the Hightower reserves have just over ten unicorns, making unicorn horn powder a very scarce commodity, let alone the already extinct phoenix blood.
Previously, if it became known that a mage family possessed phoenix blood, it would lead to a bloodbath, no less than a civil war, to obtain such a precious material. But now, these precious materials were on the list, available for anyone to redeem.
"What... What is this? Is it just me, or am I seeing three drops of phoenix blood on the redeeming list?"
"Someone slap me... Am I dreaming?"
Slap!
"F*ck! You slapped too hard!"
The voices of awe, surprise, and disbelief filled the conference hall. Everyone found it hard to believe, yet they hoped it was real and not a scam by Daniel. Even if only half of the list was true, it was far better than what the Hightower offered.
After Daniel exited the conference hall, people quickly began to move. Some left to find a secluded corner to make a call, while others, more bold or powerful, made calls on the spot, unconcerned about others overhearing their plans.
Some cautious individuals used soundproofing barrier magic before making a call. These were people with influence and connections, such as powerful families like the Beaumonts, Kims, or Stenmarks, who could handle the rebels themselves. Others didn't dare compete for the red areas near these family territories.
Meanwhile, families with less power or lone mages negotiated with each other on how to divide the opportunities presented by the red areas. To these mages, the rebels, the red area were like cakes that need to be divided, ready to be claimed by those in the conference hall.
—
In Korea, the hunt for the rebels began with bloodshed as many were mercilessly pursued. The Kim family warriors launched a full assault, wearing soft armor and wielding blades forged from Atlantean steel. Their armor and masked appearance clearly signaled their serious intent.
Within hours, the rebels were hunted down to the last. Agonized screams and the flash of blades claimed the rebels' lives, making examples of them.
In the US, mages from the Ragnar family hunted down rebel mages in the cityscape, with the power of rune stones and magic illuminating the dark.
The rebels near the Stenmark family territories were hardened veterans from the American Civil War. They were difficult to suppress, but since the Stenmark family had numerous warriors and convenient magic tools like rune stones, they managed to subdue the rebels within hours.
On the other side of the world, a group of mages ran for their lives, pursued by a single mage in a black suit. Adorned with a vintage cloak, he moved with grace. Despite being outnumbered, it was clear the pursuer was far more powerful.
"Can you just stop and not make this harder on yourself? The longer you run, the angrier I get, and when I'm angry enough, you can kiss your painless death goodbye," the pursuer warned. Yet, the fugitives continued to flee, ignoring the threat.
"Fine... have it your way..." he said in irritation, swiping his wand to launch fire chains that bound the escapees. The wand deteriorated, breaking into pieces of dried wood.
"You made me use my wand... that's hard to replace, you know?" he remarked, walking toward the rebels with a bloodthirsty smile.
Thus, screams of agony echoed through the area. Fortunately, they were in an abandoned building, with no ordinary people around. Otherwise, things might have become more complicated.
Many places around the globe experienced similar incidents, where rebels were swiftly suppressed by mages eager for contribution points. They cleverly divided the opportunities, with those who had forces in the area quickly claiming points, while others could only negotiate and offer their services to families with power, as the items on the list were irresistible.
As a result, the rebels were quickly subdued in just one night.