Chapter 254 A Spy Struggle-01
A day later, Cyrus faced trial in the Hightower, providing some relief to the tension in Europe. However, the trial's outcome mirrored Envy's prediction: Cyrus was temporarily relieved of his Grand Councilor position and authority but not permanently removed.
In response, the European mage societies decided to temporarily withhold mana until further notice, further fueling Cyrus's frustration.
"These damn vampires and snooty nobles! Can't they see that this is a bloody accident?" Cyrus roared in his former office, which he now had to evacuate until he could prove himself to the Hightower en masse.
With no authority derived from his position, a significant portion of the Path of Knowledge Faction, dissatisfied with Cyrus's methods, began to disavow him as their leader. They ignored him, skipping meetings, and only 75% of the faction members continued to lend their ear to Cyrus.
However, even among those remaining, half were drawn to Cyrus for personal gain rather than genuine loyalty. This left Cyrus with no choice but to expedite his grand plans.
—
As the launch date for the rocket draws near, an increasing number of people flock to Sector Alpha City. Due to Daniel's lack of time to revise immigration and foreign passport policies, the old regulations from the time when Sector Alpha City was part of the Tessia Kingdom remain in effect. This has resulted in lax management, insufficient precautions, and a plethora of loopholes.
As of now, the commission board on the Syndicate Union Official site is ablaze with activity. Particularly intrigued by the situation is a black man enjoying his vacation at a five-star hotel near the golden beach area in Sector Alpha City.
Accompanied by girls drawn to his wealth, which he flaunts generously after completing his commission from the Syndicate Union, he goes by the moniker Viper – a mercenary and low-ranking mage expelled from the Hightower Magic Academy, now holding a prominent position as one of the top mage hunters in the Syndicate Union.
Not far away, his partner, a grumpy mute Caucasian with blue eyes and blond hair, relaxes amidst a group of girls playing ball in the pool. Despite his outwardly surly expression, occasional blush, and faint smirk reveal his enjoyment of the moment.
This mute Caucasian is known as Silencer, Viper's partner, and together, they form the Syndicate Union's top earners for commissions.
"Holy shit Man, those Hightower people are insanely wealthy! The bounty for the Astral Tech Metal Scarab blueprint has exceeded 100 million Origold! Origold, not US dollars! And that's just the guaranteed price! The world has gone crazy, man!" Viper exclaims in excitement, unconcerned, since the girls around them are also from the Syndicate Union and maintain professionalism by not discussing things they heard outside of their work hours.
At this juncture, the mute Caucasian, unable to resist his curiosity, emerges from the pool and peers at the tablet in Viper's hand. Nodding in understanding, he acknowledges that the guaranteed price is indeed remarkable.
The guaranteed price is a system devised by the Syndicate Union to secure the income of those undertaking commissions, especially for items so rare that they don't appear in the market – such as certain magical materials or secrets from lost magic families.
This system ensures that mages do not attempt to deceive the Union by offering a nonexistent item as the commission target or canceling the commission upon procuring the item, as the payment is made upfront.
Given that it is the guaranteed price, it implies that the reward will escalate even further once the item is obtained and enters the auction house, subsequently increasing the commission reward.
"Alright, let's see how many greedy idiots are taking on this job," Viper uttered with an amused smile, revealing a row of white teeth to the girls surrounding them as they attempted to prepare some cold cocktails for the unconventional duo.
After a brief moment of anticipation, the tablet displayed the updated number of individuals interested in the commission. The count had skyrocketed, exceeding an astonishing 100,000.
"Oh boy, this is... sick! Mark! Look at the number of idiots!" Viper called out to his friend, showing him the tablet and pointing at the overwhelming interest that had surpassed 100,000. He continued, "At this rate, I'd be richer if I were to open a funeral business rather than working as a mercenary." Viper exclaimed with excitement.
Viper and Silencer, one of the top-earning mercenary teams under the Syndicate Union, were privy to many secrets of the Curtained World. Among the information personally verified by Viper, he was well aware of the formidable forces commanded by Daniel.
The killing of a Master Mage-level Enforcer and the recent eradication of the Willow Clan were still fresh in the memory of every mage family in the Tessia Kingdom. Even the Lucratius Clan Vampires refrained from retaliation and could only endure their losses.
Following the incident, rumors circulated that the strength of the Lucratius Clan had significantly diminished. They adopted a low profile, refraining from competing with other vampire clans. (Author Note: Lucratius Clan, the Vampire Clan hired by the Willow family as mercenaries in the first volume, met their demise in the conflict with Daniel.)
Within the Tessia Kingdom, it could be asserted that, apart from the foolish royal family, who had already lost their qualification as mages due to Lucian's inability to unseal the magic Daniel had placed on him, there was no formidable force daring to challenge Daniel.
The current royal family, weakened and unable to let go of their resentment, clung to the position of Councilor for self-protection, despite the significant challenges they faced. Their feeble state amused those associated with the Syndicate Union the most, as many of them revel in seeing established orders crumble.
"Hm? What's this?" Viper exclaimed as he observed the newest open commission on his tablet. "This is very interesting. Should I join in on the fun?" he mused, sharing the contents with his buddy for scrutiny.
—
Four days before the scheduled launch, Peter Hail, codenamed Black Shadow, one of the top spies from the Confederacy Intelligence Agency (CIA), arrived in Sector Alpha City. His mission was to infiltrate the new space center and steal the blueprints and technological know-how of Astral Tech.
The mission was directly ordered by the Confederacy Congress, highlighting its critical nature for the Confederacy's technological advancement.
It's crucial to understand that despite holding most of the territory in North America, the Confederacy's technological progress, productivity, and innovation were hindered by the longstanding practice of slavery.
If not for periodic interference from mages and supernatural beings in the Curtained World, Arizona might not be the border between them and the USA. In an alternate scenario, Texas might have already become a part of the USA.
After Cyrus was put on trial and had all his authority stripped away, Golden Scale took over the oversight of the Path of Knowledge Faction, which primarily concentrated their base in the Confederacy.
Unable to resort to tactics involving mages and supernatural beings from the Curtained World, the Confederacy found themselves in a challenging position. They teetered on the edge of being pushed back by the more technologically advanced army of non-mage people from the USA.
Complicating matters, Cyrus deliberately withheld information about Daniel and restricted access even for those with low authority. This included low-ranking mages not based in the Tessia Kingdom who remained unaware of Daniel's strength and power.
The Confederacy Congress, comprised of normal people, lacked knowledge about Daniel being a mage, and their attempts to contact Cyrus, their leader, were futile. These factors led the Confederacy to make a foolish decision.
Faced with this critical situation, the Confederacy Congress resolved to take a risky action by sending a spy into Sector Alpha City, acknowledging it as a 'do or die' scenario for them.
Black Shadow operated with meticulous caution in Sector Alpha City. His first move was to establish a groundwork of information by purchasing intelligence from local sources, including information brokers and connections within the local gangs.
Personally confirming the facts he doubted from the acquired information, Black Shadow found himself surprised by the consistent response when mentioning Daniel or Astral Tech. Most of the influential gangs showed a remarkable level of respect and fear when it came to Daniel, surpassing even the current Don of Sector Alpha City, Don Ardito Veneziale.
The reverence Daniel received from the local underworld surpassed the power dynamics established by the existing criminal hierarchy.
"What the hell is this? A businessman and a genius inventor receiving more respect than the current Don?" Black Shadow uttered in disbelief after double-checking the information in his hand.
At this moment, Black Shadow knew that something was fishy. If Daniel were just a businessman and a genius inventor, he shouldn't command this level of respect. While respect might be plausible, the fear he sensed from the local gangs he interacted with was impossible to attribute to a typical businessman and inventor.
Now, Black Shadow suspected that some of the higher-ups must have deliberately withheld information... but who? He didn't know; he could only investigate further to uncover the truth.
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