235 Planning
— Morning - Atlanteus base - Command Center —
Within the meeting room of the command center at the Atlanteus Base, numerous decision-makers and high-ranking members of Daniel's forces were seated at a long table. Among them were Penthesilea, the Director of Atlanteus Base; Odysseus, the newly appointed advisor; Maria, the head of the information gathering division; and Vlad, the head of the special assault division.
The room was abuzz with activity as those present watched the breaking news from the previous night. Many reports and data, hastily collected by Maria, were spread across the table. Penthesilea and, in particular, Odysseus delved into reading and analyzing the information.
In a moment, the meeting room's door swung open, and Daniel entered, accompanied by Envy, who was elegantly attired. Envy took her place beside Daniel, who occupied a prominent seat, patiently waiting for the official meeting to commence.
Earlier, in the pre-dawn hours, Daniel had hastily arranged a meeting with Penthesilea. He had requested her to convene this early morning gathering and promptly digest the information Maria had managed to collect in a short span of time. Due to limitations in both personnel and resources for establishing a global spy network, Maria had relied solely on her hacking skills to gather information.
Now, after everyone had taken the time to review and absorb the gathered intelligence, Daniel summoned them together to discuss the way forward. At this juncture, the Hightower was at its most vulnerable, presenting a significant opportunity to either overthrow the Hightower or, at the very least, diminish its influence substantially.
"Before we begin, let me introduce you to Ms. Envy," Daniel began, gesturing toward her. "She was once one of the three Grand Councilors of the Hightower, effectively one of its rulers, until the other two Grand Councilors conspired against her and betrayed her. Envy possesses extensive knowledge about the inner workings of the Hightower."
"Ms. Envy," Odysseus began, his words carefully chosen, "We find ourselves in turbulent times where loyalties are being questioned. Hypothetically, if a path emerged that could bring change to the Hightower and its governing structure, a path that might have once been unthinkable, would you consider it? Would you be open to change, even if it meant challenging the very institution you once served?"
Envy smiled knowingly upon hearing Odysseus' question. It was a subtle way of asking whether she was willing to betray the Hightower and the extent to which she'd go. Given her previous connections with Daniel and the witches in his circle, as well as her reluctance to provide substantial assistance, Odysseus's suspicion was understandable.
"Well... If you're asking whether I'm willing to betray the Hightower, then yes, I am," Envy replied directly. "But if you're inquiring whether I'd be willing to completely annihilate the Hightower, then no, I'm not. The consequences of the Hightower's absence would yield more drawbacks than benefits, so I wouldn't go that far."
"Why not? We're aware that many of our problems stem from the Hightower. Why not consider their destruction?" Odysseus pressed.
"Odysseus, don't be a dick. I understand that many Hightower mages are psychoest, but Ms. Envy is a good person. Those from her faction who work with us at our base are easy to get along with," Penthesilea interjected, coming to Envy's defense.
"Being easy to get along with doesn't guarantee they won't try to stab us in the back. So far, there haven't been any problems, but who can guarantee that there isn't a spy for the Path of Knowledge Faction among them, waiting for their orders to undermine us? If you don't believe me, then take a 23:20
look at this," Odysseus replied with reason, maintaining his confident smile as he placed a stack of Faction among them, waiting for their orders to undermine us? If you don't believe me, then take a look at this," Odysseus replied with reason, maintaining his confident smile as he placed a stack of papers in front of Penthesilea.
Penthesilea grew increasingly annoyed with Odysseus's behavior but refrained from commenting. She picked up the stack of papers he had placed before her and began reading.
The papers contained concise information about a person Envy had hand-picked to come here to learn about Atlantean Artifact creation, with the hope of drawing more people from the Path of Knowledge Faction to her cause.
Odysseus had made it easy for Penthesilea to review the papers and locate the relevant information. The data indicated that the individual mentioned in the papers had been granted a vacation, which he had used to roam and explore Sector Alpha City numerous times.
What raised suspicions was that every time he took leave, he didn't return to his home or travel overseas. Even more peculiar was the fact that each time he left the base, he would spend part of his time shadowing Sloth, who was currently the director of the Astral Tech R&D department.
Furthermore, there was an instance when this person had chosen to take a sick leave, yet the hospital he was admitted to happened to be across the street from the Astral Tech HQ. This seemed odd since he could have stayed at the more advanced medical center within the base, which was both closer to his base residence and offered better care.
Penthesilea had seen this data before but had dismissed it as mere coincidence, not paying it much mind due to her heavy workload. Eventually, she had forgotten about it.
"This..." Penthesilea was left speechless by what Odysseus had presented.
Observing this, Odysseus pressed on with his argument. "In summary, Penthesilea, you are too trusting. If being a dick will make us safer, I am more than willing to embrace such a role," he stated, addressing Penthesilea before turning his attention to Envy.
"No offense, Ms. Envy. I merely wish to gauge the extent of how nasty we can play when dealing with the Hightower."
"None taken." Envy responded with a smile, though her mind was in turmoil.
[Odysseus?! Penthesilea?! Weren't these the names of heroes from the Era of the Gods? They're just names, right? Not the actual Odysseus and Penthesilea from the Trojan War! Are they? Wait... Vlad, whom I believed had perished during the war between the Vatican and Wallachia, is here as well, as if what I witnessed during the war was a falsehood. Could this mean that Daniel knows a resurrection spell? The true resurrection spell capable of bringing back a soul from the clutches of death deities like Hades? How powerful is he?]
Envy silently pondered these thoughts.
"So anything goes as long as the Hightower wasn't annihilated. Am I understanding correctly?" Odysseus's question pulled Envy from her inner turmoil. She quickly regained her composure and nodded, confirming Odysseus' understanding.
"Ms. Envy, could you please explain what exactly transpired in the Hightower to cause such a commotion?" Odysseus inquired, indicating the screen where the news coverage displayed the towering blue light pillar that pierced the earth and extended into the sky, unveiling the presence of the Hightower.
Envy nodded and began recounting the events leading up to the incident reported in the news. She provided the meeting attendees with a comprehensive account of the occurrences within the Hightower. This included the ambush by the two Grand Councilors, her butler's betrayal, the mysterious ritual initially intended to manipulate her but ultimately expelling her soul from her body and replacing it with something else, as well as the spell she had secretly employed to incite the chaos.
Envy also elaborated on the complexities within the Hightower, its governing rules, the mages' unwavering adherence to contracts, the power dynamics, and the internal strife within the organization. She explained how the balance had been disrupted, especially with the Golden Scale faction, traditionally acting as an impartial judge and referee, now siding with the Path of Knowledge Faction, which had been in constant opposition to the Magic Harmony faction.
"So, essentially, it's as if a soccer game's referee decided that the game wasn't good enough and joined in to play themselves. That's why the balance among the factions crumbled so easily," Odysseus remarked, drawing nods of agreement from those in the meeting room, who appreciated the apt comparison.
"But honestly, Ms. Envy, you've done an excellent job. Your actions have showcased the detrimental consequences of a referee joining the game, and it's made that referee realize that the side they've sided with is in dire straits and could bring down the entire match. It might even put the viewers at risk," Odysseus praised Envy with a clever smile.
"Speak in plain language, Odysseus. What are you trying to say?" Penthesilea interjected, displaying annoyance. In the meeting room, she wasn't the only one struggling to keep up with Odysseus's rapid thought process. Even the leader of the Atlantean Vanguard, Vlad, and Maria appeared to be having difficulty following.
"Allow me to explain," Daniel offered, taking over from Odysseus to prevent an argument and expedite the process of reaching a consensus on how to handle the current situation. He didn't want the situation to change or for the Hightower to devise a way to defend themselves.
"What Odysseus is referring to is the breach of secrecy. Exposing the existence of magic to the public is a capital offense, no exceptions. However, Golden Scale seems to be backing Cyrus and his plan to restore the world's mana by opening the gates of hell, as they deemed it the most feasible plan that could be realized within one mage's lifetime, which is about 300 years.
The complication arises from the fact that Cyrus made a mistake during the ritual, and he illegally harnessed the natural mana source beneath the Hightower headquarters to power his spell. These infractions against the Hightower would typically warrant Cyrus's immediate execution. But Cyrus is crucial to the success of this plan, and Golden Scale can't afford to kill him before it's achieved. So..." Daniel paused to gather his thoughts before continuing.
"My lord means that Golden Scale faces a choice: either preserve Hightower's authority by executing Cyrus, thereby destroying the only plan that can restore mages to their former glory, or spare Cyrus, which would jeopardize the Hightower's authority, credibility, and its very foundation. By sparing Cyrus, the Hightower won't be able to maintain its rule smoothly; there will be dissent and division among the mages," Penthesilea clarified, demonstrating her understanding.
"Oh, you're rather clever, Penthesilea. I thought you were all brawn and no brains," Odysseus teased, provoking further irritation from Penthesilea.
"It appears you've forgotten that I was once the queen of the Amazons. Politics is something I'm well-acquainted with," Penthesilea retorted.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Odysseus brushed off Penthesilea's remark.
Witnessing this exchange, Daniel let out a tired sigh. Odysseus was undoubtedly a brilliant strategist, but it seemed he held a grudge against Penthesilea ever since their initial encounter when Odysseus was punched in the face in Daniel's office restroom on his first day of work.
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