Chapter 203 A New Challenge (IV)
A row of towering buildings lined the Hudson River, glistening in the sunlight. Among the dozens of skyscrapers, one stood out with a different atmosphere.
Two men in sharp business suits entered a building with red star signage. One was a man with emerald-green eyes, and the other a beautiful face with a masculine touch. As they entered the lobby, a row of staff greeted them with warm smiles.
"Welcome, Mr. Justin Law."
Today marked Klaus' first visit to Morning Star headquarters since he took over the New York's number one guild. Of course, he came with Justin, the man officially listed on paper as guild master.
"Ah, yeah, thank you," Justin replied.
Justin appeared nervous. His eyes couldn't help but wander as he faced the staff. He was entranced by the grandeur of this building. The place where he used to work was a small five-story building. Compared to the Morning Star Headquarters, it was like night and day.
"Mr. Justin, my name is Margaret. I was the head of staff when Mr. Vincent was still leading this guild. Myself and the staff are ready to support you, starting from now and onwards."
"Ah, yes. Thank you," Justin replied, rubbing the back of his head.
Seeing the guild master act awkwardly in front of his subordinates, Klaus promptly elbowed him. He gave Justin a signal to change his demeanor. Then, Justin cleared his throat.
"Alright, good, Margaret," Justin said, his tone sounding firm. "I'd like to meet with the internal team."
Margaret nodded.
Klaus and Justin began their first day with a meeting. They sat in a spacious conference room with key team members who would help manage the guild. They gathered around a conference table, and Justin squinted his eyes as old employees elaborated on their ideas and thoughts about the direction Morning Star should take. Throughout the meeting, he simply nodded and said, "Yes."
On the other hand, Klaus was quite active in the discussion. He often asked questions about the contract system and profit sharing. From this meeting, Klaus learned that the system Morning Star had with Rays of Hope was entirely different. He wouldn't be surprised if Justin had trouble grasping the main point of this discussion.
After the team meeting, Justin and Klaus toured the entire Morning Star building.
Guided by Margaret, Justin couldn't help but drop his jaw. The Morning Star headquarters had truly comprehensive facilities. It had a weapon warehouse, a training hall, a research laboratory, a mess hall, and even an art studio. Justin once asked Margaret why they had an art studio, and she replied, "Mr. Vincent loved art."
Morning Star had all these facilities to support its members. This was because Morning Star was both a guild and a company at the same time. Besides raiding dungeons, it also sold weapons and rented out its members' services for military needs. You could say Morning Star was a private military corporation.
When the sun was directly overhead, Justin gathered with all the Morning Star members in the training hall. He stood in front of them with an enthusiastic spirit, talking about the vision and mission he had for the guild. Justin described ambitious plans for the growth and development of Morning Star, as well as his commitment to supporting each member in realizing their full potential.
Of course, it was Klaus who scripted the speech.
Finally, Margaret escorted Klaus and Justin to the guild master's office.
"I'll leave you here, Mr. Justin. I'll take my leave."
"Alright," Justin replied.
After the head of staff closed the door, Justin quickly slumped onto the leather sofa to rest. He lay down, finally able to relax after a day of walking around.
Klaus drew close to the polished brown desk at the end of the room. His hand touched the surface as he circled it. A glass nameplate on top read "Guild Master Justin Law." Then, he took a seat in the chair.
"So, this is where Vincent used to sit," he murmured.
For a year, he had gone through many struggles. He had been busy developing Mors Industries and building Rays of Hope's power from scratch, and his efforts had paid off handsomely. And now, he had successfully acquired a big guild. Of course, it was all made possible thanks to Director Logan.
Klaus had promised that his guild was willing to be called upon by the government at any time if needed, and in return, Director Logan would grant ownership rights to Rays of Hope. Also, the Awakener Association was the natural enemy of the Five Pillars. It was better to hand it over to someone else than let one of them absorb Morning Star.
However, his decision to acquire Morning Star came sooner than initially planned. It was because Alexa was about to leave Mors Industries. Klaus needed to strengthen his influence quickly to easily control the situation, including preventing Alexa from joining Edward.
This woman was a valuable asset, after all.
Suddenly, Justin got up from his long sofa. "Klaus, I want to know more about our plans for Morning Star."
Klaus raised an eyebrow. "Why are you interested?"
Justin frowned. "I know you make all the decisions, but I'm still a guild master. At the very least, give me an idea. What do you plan for the future of this guild?"
Narrowing his eyes, Klaus took a deep breath before speaking, revealing his thoughts and vision. "Justin, first and foremost, I want us to maintain the guild's current mechanism. The foundation Vincent laid for Morning Star is very strong; changing it would disrupt everything. However, there's one thing I'm eager to try."
"What is it?" Justin asked, curious.
Klaus grinned. "Since this guild has a much better lab than mine, I want to create the 'Superhuman Project.'"
Naturally, Justin furrowed his brow. "Superhuman? What's it?"
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Suddenly, the phone rang.
Klaus and Justin quickly got up and switched seats.
As Justin answered the call, the receptionist's voice from the other end informed him that there was a guest who wanted to meet him. Justin furrowed his brow in surprise. It was his first day, and no one was supposed to know about his arrival at Morning Star. Justin politely asked the receptionist who the guest was, and she replied that the guest was the guild master of the Divine Ursine Alliance.
"What? Jacob Blake?"
Hearing that name, Klaus squinted his eyes. He never arranged a meeting with him. His expression became more cautious as he tried to understand Jacob's sudden visit's reason. Justin glanced at Klaus through his eyes, asking what he should do, and Klaus nodded in response.
"Alright, tell him to come in," Justin said.
Justin asked Klaus, but Klaus just shook his head.
Five minutes later, the office door opened, and Jacob Blake entered the room. A wide smile spread across his face when he saw Klaus sitting on the guest sofa, while Justin was at the desk.
"Hello, my friend Klaus!" Jacob greeted cheerfully, spreading his arms wide.
Playing along, Klaus put on a smile. He got up and hugged Jacob. "It's been a while."
Since Klaus revealed his plans to nominate Richard as the governor of New York, he hadn't heard much from Jacob. However, their cooperation still continued. The Divine Ursine Alliance provided raw materials for Mors Industries, and Mors Industries supplied weapons for the Divine Ursine Alliance.
Jacob patted Klaus on the back as he hugged him. Then, he looked at Klaus with an expression of delight. "I have heard many surprising things from you lately." He gave Klaus an enigmatic look that was hard to interpret. "Damn, who would've thought you could take over Morning Star? I hope you can join the Five Pillars."
Naturally, Klaus furrowed his brow. He knew the meaning behind that last sentence. Even though he had acquired Morning Star, he still wasn't part of the Five Pillars. Klaus guessed that Jacob was intentionally telling him this.
"I hope so," Klaus replied with a smile.
After finishing with Klaus, Jacob turned his gaze to Justin. He then approached him. "Oh, is this the former idol turned guild master? Damn, he's too pretty for a job like this, it's a shame. But you really have exceptional talent for Klaus to choose you as a guild master despite your various shortcomings."
Raising an eyebrow, Justin wasn't sure what Jacob meant by his words. He glanced at Klaus, wondering what was really going on. Klaus simply nodded, indicating that Justin should agree with whatever Jacob said.
"Thank you, Jacob," Justin said with a smile. "We greatly appreciate your support."
Klaus added, "Of course, but what brings you here suddenly, Jacob?"
Jacob shrugged casually. "I just wanted to talk and get to know the new Morning Star leader." He sat in a chair before Justin or Klaus could offer. "Besides, there's something important I want to convey to you. I think you'll both like it."
The man in black sunglasses grinned, indicating he had a hidden intention.
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