Chapter 1187: Summit meeting
"The Reborn company has already shown signs of reaching the top 3, something that only the Conglomerates are able to do! This scares you, the Upper Echelons, as Reborn was able to do this while they were in the Lower Echelons. What more could they do in the future, you fear."
Eldea’s words struck these elites straight in their hearts. But of course, they were never going to admit that.
"Swordmistress Eldea, I apologize for the rudeness but you are a Heavenly Knight. The matters of the business world should not be any of your concern!" said one of the Patriarchs.
"That’s right! This kind of decision could only be made by us, the Upper Echelons. And the majority states that we must stop the Feast at this instant."
"Here! Here!" the others agreed.
It was at this point that the imposing double doors were finally opened, and Michael strutted in with Sir Oliver right next to him.
As soon as they saw him, the Upper Echelon elites all furrowed their brows. Why would a kid interrupt their very important meeting?
Meanwhile, Eldea’s eyebrows lightened as soon as she saw Michael.
"Ah," she said with a smile. "It’s good that you said that this matter should be discussed by you guys. I definitely agree that only those who have participated in the Feast should be able to decide its fate. Michael, come in!"
Eldea’s words made the elites frown. They’d heard that name before. But where?
"Everyone, let us welcome the leader of the Reborn company, Michael!"
The golden-haired boy walked inside the room. It was ornately designed, with a large circular table made out of marble where all the Upper Echelon leaders sat side by side.
There wasn’t even a seat reserved for the Reborn company, meaning that they truly weren’t expecting him to come here at all.
He walked until he came across an empty spot on the table that was occupied by a standing guard.
Michael walked unbothered, making the guard subconsciously make way for him.
It was only once Michael found his place in the table did the guard realize what he’d done!
The Patriarchs, Matriarchs, and leaders of the Upper Echelons were all tongue-tied as they watched Michael take command of the space with absolute ease and certainty.
His attitude was simply not something that a teen should have!
"This... this kid is the leader of Reborn?"
"How young! That cannot be!"
"Surely this is a mistake. A ploy by the Reborn company to hide their true leader."
They all whispered amongst each other, expressing their doubt and displeasure after finding out that the person responsible for all of their unfortunate luck was a teenaged boy. They simply couldn’t believe that they were outsmarted by someone who was still wet behind the ears.
Meanwhile, Michael looked around the room and took stock of the people inside. Most, he knew.
Gourdon and Mr. Wadeby sat near his right, and they were giving him a knowing nod. They were even a little bit apologetic, as they had been trying to stop the others from doing this kind of ploy to stop the Feast. Unfortunately, they were unable to stop it.
The best they could do was stall while Eldea informed Michael. Now, they were thankful that Michael was here to make his case.
Unfortunately, faced with the majority of the Upper Echelons against him, the odds were stacked against them.
Gourdon stood up. "We all know that the Reborn company has achieved the top 9 spot in the rankings. That is undeniable."
Some raised their hands in protest, but Gourdon Zentmeister used his authoritative voice to stop them.
"Don’t deny it. Even if the Reborn company were to stop their sales today, they’d still be in the same spot. Or at the very worst, lose one spot and be in the 10th spot.
So, you can’t deny that they do not belong here in this room today. Arguably, since they would be the one most affected by the stoppage of the Feast in the final day, they should have more sway in the votes!"
Mr. Wadeby immediately stood up and agreed vehemently. Him, and a few of their allies in the Upper Echelons immediately supported Gourdon’s words.
Seeing this, the anti-Reborn factions in the Upper Echelon (formerly from the anti-automobile faction), were troubled.
They all shot a look with one another. One of them immediately used his Aubility Power secretly to create a privatized conversation amongst their group.
"What do we do? How do we illegitimize Gourdon’s claim?"
"We should talk about the young boy himself! There’s no way that he’s truly the leader of Reborn."
"I agree. We need to get this boy out of the room!"
But it was at this point that one of them cleared his throat.
The cabal of conspirators all looked at the one who spoke.
"We need to instead legitimize it!"
His words caused the group to suddenly stop and think. And after a few seconds, their eyes lit up with a great fire.
"That is a wonderful idea!"
"By legitimizing this boy as the leader of Reborn, anything he does will be reflected on their company! This means that as long as we prove that this boy is not fit to be in the Upper Echelons, then the Reborn company would have no say in this meeting!"
As soon as those words were said, they all nodded at each other and returned their attention back onto the meeting.
Gourdon and Wadeby had finished their case, pleading for the Reborn company to be able to have a spot at the table.
And surprisingly, it seemed to have worked. Many of them began to nod. Even those who were openly against the Reborn company were now agreeing with Gourdon’s words.
"I did hear that the leader of the Reborn company is someone named Michael."
"We spent a good few months investigating the Reborn company in the Kings region. And indeed, it seems that their leader is a youth with golden hair."
"And with Gourdon and Wadeby attesting to this, we can now definitively conclude that this boy is the leader of Reborn!"
A few people in the room showed a secretive smile.
