The only reason he hadn't already clashed with the group was his keen instincts, which whispered no signs of danger. As a result, he didn't suspect these people had come to harm him. Still, when his mother and the others emerged, he instinctively took a step forward, unwilling to gamble with their lives on a mere hunch. "I was informed someone wished to converse with me," he said, his tone measured. "I must admit, I hadn't anticipated such a response. Perhaps we should return another time?" His words were phrased as a question, but the underlying message was clear: he was more than capable of fighting his way out if necessary.
Just as the tension seemed to escalate, a woman in a sleek grey and black two-piece suit entered the room, her presence commanding attention. Not a flicker of spiritual energy emanated from her, rendering her an enigma. She locked eyes with Maximilian, her gaze piercing, as if waiting for him to make a move. When he remained still, she turned her attention to the soldiers, her hand rising and then falling in a deliberate gesture. In response, the soldiers lowered their guns, their postures relaxing ever so slightly, like puppets on strings. The woman's authority was palpable, her presence a calming balm in the midst of the standoff.
It was then that Maximilian put two and two together. This was just a dick-measuring contest. She wanted to show off the discipline or control or whatever else she thought she had over her soldiers. Maximilian was unimpressed, but he didn't need to look behind him to know that it had impressed his followers. He considered doing the same to them for a short moment, but it wasn't worth it. That, and he wasn't sure he could regulate any of his powers to not hurt everyone in the room. Even his Dao fields had changed in small ways since yesterday. He could keep his mother safe and his soldiers, probably, but the others? It wasn't worth the risk. Besides, he already had the proof of his power. He was the strongest. "Are you done? Or perhaps I should leave and let you reassemble your people for a second take?"
A blood vessel on the woman's head looked ready to burst as she waved her soldiers off. "Enough." She commanded and gestured for Maximilian to follow.
Maximilian shook his head in bemusement and then followed. He glanced back and was pleased to see that the others had formed up around his mother. He would have to look into paying them for that. Though he wasn't sure if hazard pay would qualify. When they exited the building, they found themselves in an old-world city. Not just any city either; from what he could tell, they were in New York. At least a portion of it anyway. He wasn't sure how, but the government had not only gotten cars working. The situation was so strange that it made him stumble a step. He could tell that things weren't perfect here. There were soldiers walking up and down the street. Some of whom were cultivators, though they were the extreme minority and were all weaker than himself by a wide margin. He hadn't gotten over the initial shock when he was hit by a second. They had power. His eyes scanned the buildings and found that the majority had lights. It was a far cry from how New York would normally look, but it might as well be a utopia now.
No sooner did he have the realization than he got another thought. One that made him want to turn around and go back to Nubia. He had the Dao of electricity, or at least one related to it. Why couldn't he power electronics? Not just power them, but could he power batteries? Generators? If he could, then he could not just make a city; he could make a beacon. A powerhouse. He was pulled out of his thoughts seconds later as the mystery woman cleared her throat.
"As you can see, we have managed to restore power through the use of solar panels." She stated and brought his attention to what he now realized was a solar farm. "We are always in search of more, so if you or your people are interested in a trade."
Maximilian shook his head. He would have to keep an eye out for those, though he wouldn't trade them until he was certain they didn't need them. He felt less like a survivor in a post-apocalypse and more like a tourist as the woman continued talking. She explained all the "amazing" things they had accomplished and were going to accomplish until they were led into a large building. When the woman left, part of him felt relieved while another part wanted to hear more. Which he figured was the sign of a good tour guide. Once she left, they were led into a waiting room where they were offered refreshments and then left on their own. He wasn't a fan of being forced to wait, but in this case, he didn't mind. "Assuming they only want to deal with me or me and my mother, I want the rest of you to go around and search for electronics. Nothing already on, of course. If you can find generators, those would be great, but otherwise anything else you can take. Don't cause any conflicts over the items."
"You think you can power them? Or get them to work with spiritual energy?" his mother asked. "If you could figure out how to do it, it could be powerful. Have you decided what kind of relationship you want with the government?"
Maximilian shook his head. "In truth, I don't have an issue with them, but history isn't exactly kind in situations like this. It feels like that story about the poisonous bugs." He began, and when he saw the clueless looks on their faces, he decided to elaborate. "It's an East Asian myth about developing poison. You put a bunch of poisonous creatures into a jar. They kill each other until only one is left. That one absorbs the poisons of all the others, thus making it dangerous." The more he described it, the more he hesitated. Couldn't you describe cultivation as a whole like that? I mean, they were all given superpowers and then dropped on a planet to battle until there was one leader. The thought sent a chill down his spine. The comparison wasn't perfect. After all, the Network hadn't made them fight. Technically, they could all just agree to follow one person or even one group. That would deal with everything without bloodshed, but when in human history had anyone managed that? When you add in that they are all walking energy batteries, it seems even less likely.
"It is an interesting theory," Ashanti began. "There is nothing we can do about it either way." Before she could continue, the door opened, two guards entered, followed by a man in military fatigues. He glanced at everyone in the room before his gaze stopped on Maximilian.
"You are the leader, correct? Follow me. You may bring one other person with you. The rest are free to explore the settlement at their leisure. We have arranged additional tour guides should they need or want them." He said.
Maximilian nodded and gestured for his mother to follow. He held his arms behind his back and settled into a comfortable pace with his mother on his right and the soldier on his left. He tried to converse with the man, but he would have none of it. Maximilian wasn't sure if that was because he didn't like him or just a lack of social grace. Not that it mattered. He led them into yet another room; only this one was already occupied. There were two people: one man and one woman. Both were in suits, and both had tablets in front of them. When Maximilian and company entered, they stood up and offered their hands.
"Hello. Please allow us to apologize for the moving around. We weren't expecting you to get back to us so soon. That is our mistake. My name is Mike Leavy, and I am a part of the Cultivator Liaison department. Without going into too many unnecessary details, it's my job to act as the go-between for the government and the special needs of cultivators." Maximilian smiled and took the offered hand. He shifted his focus to the woman who hadn't said anything. Instead, she just stared at Maximilian until her companion nudged her.
"Uh, right, my name is Sarah Madano. My job is to interface with other settlements as we attempt to reestablish order. We had heard about the work you've done, and we were rather impressed."
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Maximilian smiled until they finished. He then pointed to himself and then to his mother. "I am Maximilian Croft, though you know that already. This is my mother—"
"Ashanti Croft." She interrupted.
"Right." He pulled out the chair for his mother and then took his seat. "I am impressed with what you've all managed to do. I hadn't considered solar panels. Do you all have the internet here as well?" He glanced at the tablets as he finished.
"Not quite. We have a closed system that we can access, but it's not quite as reliable. We are working to update our information about the tutorial and the experiences of the various cultivators. Would you be willing to offer your account?"
Maximilian started from the beginning. He had gone over the story enough times by now that it was almost muscle memory. Despite the pair having some interesting questions. They wanted to know more about the makeup of his tutorial group since it was one of the few that was mixed species. That and his group had representatives from all the species of Earth. Something that was also fairly rare. He also had information that he desperately needed. Based on the information they had gathered, they estimated that 10% of Earth's population became cultivators. With the majority being around eighteen years of age. Which meant that around eight hundred and twenty million people became cultivators. They estimated that this total was then divided into 4,100 groups, but that was more of a loose estimate than a number they would hang their hats on. None of that was what stunned Maximilian. His initial hunch was right. The Network had no interest in everyone left behind. The shuffling of the planet resulted in mass chaos. Governments fell by the minute as beasts surged, and toxic environments appeared from nowhere. Some places, like the White House, just disappeared entirely.
They hadn't even begun to count the dead, and they didn't believe they would ever have an accurate count. Which only raised Maximilian's anxiety. His father was tough, but this was the end of the world. He held his mother's hand as she cried. The sound was horrible. He couldn't put into words how much he never wanted to hear it again. It was at this point that they agreed to take a break. Mostly so that his mother could have some privacy. Once the pair had left the room, she broke down. He let her cry into his shoulder as he tried to find words that would fix the situation, but there were none. He couldn't promise her anything. Not that his promises would solve her pain. Instead, he just stood there. He wasn't sure how long it took her to compose herself, and he didn't care. The government officials hadn't returned, and if they had, then he would deal with it. Though he doubted they would dare interrupt them.
"Do you want to head back? I can escort you to Nubia so you—" She held up a hand to stop him.
"No. I will be fine. We need to stay focused on the task. We should have a few more minutes before they come back. I don't think they are watching us right now, but I wouldn't put it past them."
Maximilian wanted to interrupt her to make her sit down and focus on her grief, but he knew he couldn't. His mother dealt with her problems by working through them. No matter what they were. It was why she and his father worked together so well. They were both stubborn and driven. The pair went over a few goals for the settlement and negotiations, but Maximilian's heart wasn't in it. He had forced it down, but the more they talked, the more his mind wandered to his father. He wanted to search for him, but he had no idea how. New Earth had to be massive in size. Even with his power, he couldn't explore the whole thing. He was brought back to the current moment when the door opened and the duo returned. They took their seats and offered their condolences, but Maximilian stopped them. He wasn't in the mood to hear more about how sorry they were. He pushed his own feelings as deep inside himself as he could to deal with later. For now, he needed to learn. He settled down and gestured for the group to start up again.
"Right. The rest of the information we have for you is more formal. We have located several old world weapons depots and have found that certain weapons have disappeared." Sarah passed her tablet over as she continued. "We aren't sure if the Network has something against technology or if it is just weapons of mass destruction, but all of them seem to be missing. Nuclear weapons, jets, large ordinances, chemical and biological weapons. At first we believed it was weapons, but that isn't the case. Several libraries seem to be lacking all of the information related to the subject. Further, the removal was surgical. Science still exists, for example. Even more modern sciences. In addition, we've lost our medical research under the same parameters."
Maximilian nodded along, but his focus was on the screen. There was no classified information on here, but it wasn't hard to fill in the unsaid parts. He once again found himself in awe of the Network. It had removed humanity's greatest weapons. Weapons that might have made the difference in determining the new world order and fighting the beasts. He didn't share their assumption about the Network and tech. Instead, he believed it was more about the fight. The Network wanted them to fight. Wanted them to develop. If someone could just end the world because they found nukes first, it would be pointless. Of course, that didn't explain why they couldn't make new ones. He glanced at the pair, but either they hadn't noticed or they were ignoring his unasked question. He doubted all the scientists were dead, and he was pretty certain they could make a new one. Not a modern bomb, but the older ones should be possible. They would have to retrace the steps of our older scientists. Which meant either they had tried and failed or the knowledge was removed from their minds. He felt it was safe to assume the former more than the latter. He didn't want to face what it would mean if the Network could steal your memories or prevent you from making mental connections. He was pretty certain the government was being honest and didn't have nukes or any of those types of weapons. He doubted he could survive one, and just the threat would be enough to put them at the top of the food chain. He didn't even want to consider the war crime weapons.
"I appreciate the information, but you haven't told me what it is you want from me," Maximilian said as he handed the tablet back. He had benefited far more from the meeting than he thought, but it was time to get down to the big details.
With your extraordinary influence, we'd like to invite you to join our mission. The world is in disarray, and we're convinced you're aware of the perils that come with this instability. The time has come to establish a system of governance that fosters order and stability. We are on the cusp of crowning a recognized sovereign, a move that will pave the way for a more harmonious world. You may be unaware, but your position affords you the ability to forge official alliances with other rulers, creating a formidable network of support. Imagine a system where we share teleportation arrays and other vital resources for the greater good, creating a vassalage that benefits all parties. We hold a strong belief that this is the first crucial step toward vanquishing the chaos that plagues our world. Your prestige and influence are undeniable, and your endorsement would carry significant weight in our quest for a more stable future. Your support would be instrumental in achieving this goal, and we are confident that together, we can bring about a brighter tomorrow.
Maximilian leaned back in his chair and stared at the woman. He tried to look her in the eye, but she diverted her gaze. He wasn't sure if that meant she was hiding something or if it had something to do with his appearance. Either way, he didn't care. Their idea wasn't bad, though he had noticed that they had offered him the subordinate position. He imagined he would be invited into some important position, but even her use of "vassal" made it clear what they wanted. Even then, he wasn't against the idea. He didn't want Nubia to fall beneath the government, but it wasn't like anyone would abuse his city-state or anything. He could stop that from happening, and he could let them run things while he explored. Still, no matter how reasonable the offer seemed, something inside him disliked the idea. He wasn't sure if it was his vanity or something else, and he wasn't in the mood to question. "I will have to take some time to think about the offer. I also would like to see how things are run here. I won't connect my name and reputation with something before I understand that thing. I am sure you can understand that?" He offered them a pleasant smile as he gestured for his mother to join him. When neither of them moved to stop him from leaving, the pair left the room and then the building. It wasn't until they had walked two blocks away that he gestured for them to stop. He was pretty sure they were being watched, but this was probably the most privacy they were going to get. At least not without him ensuring it. "So what do you think?"
