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Tanner fell silent again, seemingly processing this revelation. "You said you're a mage yourself... Does that mean your advanced technology is... a result of your magic research?" he inquired, realizing why Astral Tech's technology seemed so far ahead of its time.

"You're half right, Mr. Tanner. In fact, if you were to learn about our work at Astral Tech, you'd find it's more scientific than you might think," Daniel said, a hint of enticement in his voice.

Daniel gave Tanner time to think, waiting patiently until he nodded. "There's a saying that sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. You've convinced me, Mr. Emberweave. I want to understand this approach to technological advancement."

"Welcome to Astral Tech, Mr. Tanner," Daniel said as the video conference ended. He turned to Maria. "Treat him like anyone from the Veneziale Gang. Put him on probation and assess his loyalty before granting access to the Atlanteus base. He will work in the new lab alongside Sloth.

Let her be his mentor."

"Err... I don't think Ms. Sloth will appreciate this assignment. She'll probably just throw some textbooks and case studies at him, then go back to sleep," Maria said with a wry smile.

"That's okay. She's lazy, but she fulfills her basic responsibilities. This will be a surprise for her; she's been pampered enough," Daniel said, smiling like an older brother who had prepared an unwelcome surprise for his younger sister.

He recalled when Sloth first joined Astral Tech. For reasons unknown, she was constantly coddled by the researchers. Even today, she's living a relaxed lifestyle, spending most of her time sleeping and very little time working. Yet, even with minimal effort, her work was often better than that of many hardworking researchers.

Perhaps it was due to Sloth's power or blessing, which seemed to trigger maternal and paternal instincts in those around her.

"Is there anything else to add, Mr. Worseley?" Daniel asked.

"Yes, my lord. I believe I may have some recollection of the relic or object responsible for those flesh mounds Lord Stenmark found in the secret tunnel. However, I'm not entirely certain. I need time to research and confirm whether it's what I think it is," Albert replied.

"Will a month suffice?" Daniel inquired.

"More than enough, my lord. Thank you," Albert bowed to Daniel.

"If that's all, then, Mr. Worseley, I need you to focus on two areas. First, counterintelligence against the Qing Empire, especially here in Sector Alpha City. I don't want any Qing spies taking a stroll on my island without our knowledge. Second, keep track of Leviathan's whereabouts. I don't want any surprises from him, especially on this island," Daniel instructed.

Turning to Cao Cao, he said, "Mr. Cao, you may continue with the CERBERUS Program."

"Yes, my lord," Cao Cao responded with a bow and a cupped fist salute.

"The meeting is adjourned," Daniel announced, rising from his seat. "Excuse me, I have a lot of catching up to do."

He left the meeting room with Maria and headed to his office. There, he would plan about his mage organization that would replace Hightower in North America, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

— Daniel's Office —

In the office, Daniel sat mulling over everything he had faced in the past month. It had been such a long time since he had been away from his homeland. He had many things to do and catch up on. When he was in Japan and America, he had nearly completely forgotten about his CEO, Aryan Sharma.

How's that guy doing right now? After becoming a mage himself, Daniel still hadn't spoken to him. He knew from Montgomery that Aryan had become a mage, a naturally awakened one. He had heard from Envy and Montgomery that naturally awakened mages were considered prodigies.

Now he wondered at what level of prodigy Aryan would be.

"Maria, please call Mr. Sharma to meet me here." Daniel pushed the intercom button and instructed Maria.

"Yes, Mr. Emberweave," Maria replied.

After a few minutes of waiting, Aryan Sharma arrived, entering the room with his signature suave and confident smile, not forgetting to give a flirtatious signal to Maria, which she completely ignored.

[This dude hasn't changed at all, huh?] Daniel thought to himself.

"How are you doing these days, Mr. Sharma?" Daniel asked.

"Well, I'm good, very good, Mr. Emberweave. I've had the opportunity to learn a lot of things, especially things that ordinary people don't know about—magic, the Curtained World, ghosts, vampires, werewolves. These things made me lose sleep for several days," Aryan said, chuckling.

"But aside from losing a few nights of sleep after learning about these things, there's been nothing bad at all. In fact, I feel more powerful and in control. Knowing things that most of the earth's population doesn't know makes me feel empowered," Aryan continued.

Hearing Aryan's words, Daniel sighed. "Don't let it go to your head, Mr. Sharma. There are many things in this world that could humble you easily. Even some people who don't use magic but have enough preparation and the right tools can easily take you out."

"Being a mage doesn't make you bulletproof; it only makes you harder to kill by normal means. The moment your mana reserve can't maintain your mana shield, a bullet to the head can kill you," Daniel warned.

"Thanks for the warning, Mr. Emberweave. I know... I'll try not to be too arrogant," Aryan replied.

In fact, Aryan already knew about these things from Montgomery. It had been a very eye-opening experience for him. The Hightower, the Vatican, vampires, werewolves—everything from myth and folklore was real!

And to top it all off, he knew that his boss, Daniel Emberweave, was a very powerful mage who could use ancient magic with a flick of his finger and had even given his mentor Montgomery a PTSD experience.

"As long as you know your limits, that's fine," Daniel nodded.

"May I ask you something, Mr. Emberweave?" Aryan began.

"Go on, what do you want to know?" replied Daniel.

"As a mage, how powerful are you?" Aryan asked cautiously.

"That's the neat part... I don't know," Daniel answered.

"Are you serious?"

"Well..." Daniel said, making himself comfortable in his seat. "As far as I know, it's not like I'm part of the Hightower or there's some kind of mage world cup or competition. Maybe there is, but as I said, I'm not part of the Hightower, nor am I high enough in their hierarchy to know.

I'm just a mage with the Hightower ID and powerful enough to stop any idiot from the Hightower or any mage family from repeatedly messing with me like some kind of idiotic young master in a Wuxia/Xianxia novel, where I beat up the young one and the old one comes out of seclusion to take revenge." Daniel explained, half-jokingly, then continued.

"As far as I'm concerned, this is good enough. I can live with it, until recently... that is."

"What do you mean, until recently?" Aryan asked, confused.

"Well, you might know from Mr. Montgomery that I have... a lot of problems with the ruling party, the Hightower, when I first debuted as a mage. One thing led to another, and it turns out I had beat the crap out of one of the three ruling parties of the Hightower until the entire faction of that ruling party didn't want to mess with me.

I reduced a lot of the Hightower's prestige and influence in Southeast Asia and North America. They couldn't even maintain order because their power to enforce their laws and agenda came into question, so they chose to solidify their influence in Europe," Daniel explained.

"So... Now it's like a state without a head, and various factions vie for control. And without the sole controller, chaos ensues," Aryan concluded.

"That's right. And we need to fix it," Daniel confirmed. freeweɓnovel.cøm

"By becoming the ruling party ourselves?" Aryan asked, and Daniel nodded with a smile.

"Ugh..." Aryan groaned, touching his forehead as if feeling a headache. "This... this is a lot to take in, Mr. Emberweave."

Daniel chuckled. "You don't need to, Mr. Sharma, because your job is to just help me take care of Astral Technology Corporation's normal business. All the things that don't relate to magic or represent themselves as normal technology will be under your care. As for Sector Alpha City management, I've found someone to take care of it for you," said Daniel.

The one Daniel spoke of was none other than Goro Kuroda, the guy who managed Naha State and turned it into a great tourist spot with modern facilities equal to those in first-world countries like the US. Sector Alpha City would be in safe hands under Goro Kuroda's management. Right now, he was learning about the local and various powers in the city, its advantages, and disadvantages at city hall.

"That's... reassuring... Thank you for your understanding. I don't think I could continue with both being CEO of the most prestigious tech company on Earth and mayor of the first modern-day Corporate State," Aryan said.

"You're welcome," Daniel replied.