Chapter 326 Recruiting
The Daimyo looked at the TV station president, feeling exhausted at what had happened. He weakly said, "Help me contact him… just tell him that I'm ready to negotiate."
"Yes, My lord." The TV station president just nodded and proceeded to do what Daniel wanted him to do. He felt a little bit of sympathy for the Daimyo as he was one of the people who had a family to protect.
—
After a series of events, the Daimyo arrived at the Grand Privilege Hotel, the venue for the Syndicate Union Japan branch.
Guided by a hotel employee, he proceeded toward the Executive Meeting Room where the negotiations would take place. As he walked, a crowd of reporters, despite the communication cutoff by Daniel, continued their work, hoping to carry this sensational news back to their homelands.
Who could have anticipated that Daniel Emberweave, the Founder of Astral Tech Corporation and the mastermind behind numerous ingenious inventions such as micro construction drones and advanced prosthetic limbs, also possessed a strategic weapon like the orbital cannon!
This revelation was a game-changer! Even the Qing Empire, the country with the most influence in modern society, or the British, the old overlords, would have to pay attention to him if they knew about Daniel's ownership of such a weapon.
The news was more explosive than the Daimyo's abdication announcement, prompting reporters to crowd the hotel lobby.
—
Entering the meeting room, the Daimyo encountered a mix of strangers and familiar faces, including the large man he had rescued from the sea and turned him into his personal mad warrior. The Takaki Clan Leader and the Kuroki Gang leader were also present, indicating deals made with Daniel.
"You treacherous snake!" The Daimyo spat at the Takaki Clan patriarch but was blocked by a gloved hand of a man in a Hannya mask, who wiped away the saliva with a tissue.
"Please be more civilized, Daimyo," the Hannya masked man said in a cold tone.
The Daimyo restrained his outburst, and the Takaki clan patriarch remained composed. He understood the Daimyo's frustration and acknowledged that the Daimyo had been a good ally in business, particularly in the tourist sector.
If not for Daniel's existence and his expanding influence on the Hojo Shogun, the Takaki clan patriarch wouldn't have received orders from the Hojo to test Daniel, leading to his current downfall.
"Hannya-Sensei, please don't be too harsh on him. He had a lot on his plate, and we both did it for survival," the Takaki clan patriarch said in a somber tone. From the Daimyo's perspective, he was indeed a traitor, despite not directly harming the Daimyo during the events. The act of colluding with Daniel marked him as a traitor for life.
After Daniel's arrival, the confidential meeting commenced. Since it was not open to reporters, they were not granted permission to broadcast it. What they could expect was the announcement of the finalized meeting content, excluding any sensitive information.
Inside the meeting room, the Daimyo felt tense and uncomfortable negotiating from the position of one who had lost the war. He sensed that everyone in the room viewed him as an enemy, ready to take advantage of his defeated status, and he considered himself the one with the lowest status in the room.
Daniel, having arrived a few minutes earlier and finished formal greetings, began to address the Daimyo.
"Mr. Kuroda, I believe you have already read the document my people sent to you before your arrival?" Daniel referred to the Daimyo by his last name, not using his title.
"Yes, I've read it," the Daimyo shortly replied.
"Do you have anything to add?" Daniel asked in a business-friendly tone, devoid of any trace of superiority or threats.
"No..." Kuroda answered as if he had lost everything—the war and the island. This island was the ancestral land, and now it all belonged to this foreigner. He felt he had no honor left to live or to face his ancestors anymore.
Observing the situation, Daniel was unsure how to proceed. He looked to the Takaki Clan patriarch for suggestions, but the patriarch's shrug indicated he was equally uncertain about how to approach the matter.
Daniel sighed, then perused the information document about the Daimyo. He discovered that this Daimyo possessed a talent for management, particularly in the tourism industry.
In just five years after Japan tested its open border policy on this island, the Daimyo transformed it from a fishing village into a prosperous tourist destination while still preserving the fishing businesses of the locals.
Admitting to himself, Daniel acknowledged that he desired the Daimyo's expertise in tourism management. He had plans to elevate his own city in this area, he had shit tons of resources in the vault at Atlanteus base, along with advanced technology capable of transforming a backward country into a regional military powerhouse.
What Daniel lacked were human resources—competent and experienced individuals like Goro Kurodo were hard to come by.
"Mr. Kuroda, I've heard that your actions against me weren't of your own choosing. You were ordered by your superiors to test me out. I also understand the implications of your influence encroaching on the authority of the Hojo Shogun in the Japanese mainland, leading to your downfall.
In the end, we find ourselves in conflict due to different interests, not a personal grudge," Daniel said, attempting to convey a diplomatic tone.
"Heh! Not a personal grudge?" Kuroda snorted, then continued, "What about the lives of those Onmyoji who perished at your hands? They were my elite forces! They had families. Do you think they harbor no grudge against you?" Kuroda challenged.
Upon hearing this, instead of feeling guilty, Daniel let out a smirk. "Oh, please, don't try to guilt-trip me, Mr. Kuroda. It won't work. Weren't they here to hunt me down? To kill me? Or maybe try to catch me and plunder all the knowledge about those artifacts from me with some of your magic or ritual.
Since they were trying to kill me, they needed to be ready to bear the consequences of such actions. What I did was just defend myself with lethal force. Did you expect me to lie down and wait for them to come kill me?"
Daniel retorted back with a hint of sarcasm. "Besides," he continued.
"what would happen to your people if I just chose to run or sever your Onmyoji connection with those Oni and let those Oni run rampant in the city? What would happen then? I'm fully aware that with such a great number of Oni, your Onmyoji can't control all of them.
The moment they realize they can't fight me and it's impossible to win, they should surrender. But no, they pushed their luck, summoning more and more monsters, hoping to overwhelm me. Didn't you see the record? What would happen if I just quit and ran away, leaving your Onmyoji's lives intact?
What would happen to all those Oni they had summoned? Are your Onmyoji powerful enough to forcefully banish all of them? Have you ever thought of this scenario?" Daniel asked in return.
Kuroda fell silent, knowing in his heart that what Daniel said was true. If Daniel hadn't stopped all those Oni or simply left after the Oni number that his Onmyoji summoned exceeded the threshold they could control, he might be dealing with a whole new mess, potentially more severe than losing his land and authority. He could lose his life, along with his family and all of his people, leaving the island to be ruled by Oni.
Seeing this, Daniel knew that his guess was spot on, so he quickly struck while the iron was hot.
"Mr. Kuroda, you might think that you have lost everything—
your land, your wealth, and your honor. I won't be so arrogant as to say that I understand your pain or that I have experienced the same thing as you, and you can stop mulling over it because I've been through all of that shit myself... No, I won't do that," Daniel began to persuade Kuroda.
"I just want to remind you that you still have your life. Honor is something you can rebuild if you still have your life. If you choose to end yourself in your traditional honorable way, you'll lose that opportunity, and your family will also lose you. Your wife will lose her husband, and maybe someone you don't like might become your wife's new husband and your children's new father," Daniel said with a sly smirk.
This made Kuroda glare deadly at Daniel, as if wanting to tear him to pieces. Heracles made a sympathetic face at Kuroda, who had listened to such a dark alternate reality.
"Damn... the dude is a natural jerk. How in the world did you come to like this guy?" Gluttony whispered to Pride, who was listening with a stunned expression.
Bam!
"Enough!" Kuroda, anger erupting, smashed the table to stop Daniel from spewing any more nonsense. "What are you trying to say, Magitek?" Kuroda asked in a threatening tone.
[What do you mean? Someone I don't like? Is it you? You dipshit!? Are you eyeing my wives?] Kuroda thought to himself. If it's not because he's not a skilled warrior and knows that he would be immediately put down like the mad dog he is, Kuroda might try to exchange his life for this jerk's life!
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