The next few days pass in a flash.
Auren spends his time talking with his friends and learning about their respective exploits. However, despite everyone's eagerness to spend some time with each other, everyone is already thinking about the upcoming expedition. The possibility of huge discoveries, along with the more than obvious danger, is strong enough to excite not only Leira but everyone else as well.
Meanwhile, Auren takes care of the strange egg in his possession, carrying it with him wherever he goes.
Neffi, who's made some real progress studying tailoring, quickly creates a bag for him, made with the highest-quality spider silk, which makes up the inlay of the bag, capable of protecting the egg from outside influences, as well as her company's nanofiber materials, which protect it from the outside.
"This is overkill," Auren reasons. "Don't you see the Aura surrounding the egg? If I'm right, it would be extremely difficult to even scratch the surface of the egg. Without Nen, it might even be impossible."
"You... are right," Neffi replies, looking down.
That was... not very smooth.
"I am sorry," Auren adds, stepping forward and petting her head. "I appreciate the sentiment, and you are right. There is no reason to be stingy. It always pays off to be extra careful. I'll accept it, and it will also help me carry it with me... it doesn't even hinder me and is barely visible."
Neffi's mood immediately brightens up as she blushes just a little. "It was... nothing."
Finally, three days after his arrival, Auren and the others gather inside the administrative building, not in Rakshala's office, but in a conference room.
To Auren's surprise, aside from Rakshala and a couple of her aides, Auren also recognizes Rosa and Mola among them.
While Mola smiles, looking amused, Rosa, with whom he had a little bit of conflict before his training, glares daggers at him.
"Grow up, will you?" Auren says, smiling at her pettiness, not offended at all.
This is a little fun. Anyone besides her treats me like a king.
Suddenly, a group of soldiers, wearing black armor, obviously created by Neffi's company, enters the room.
Auren immediately recognizes the man walking at the very front as Commander Kieran, whom he met a few years ago and collaborated with to take down the infected spiders near Landing Point A.
"Nice to see you again, Commander," Auren says, happy to see him.
With someone competent, this will be much easier. This way I can also focus on my own goals and don't have to babysit the soldiers.
"Likewise, Vice-Leader," Kieran replies.
He and five other soldiers sit down, all at least in their late twenties and obviously not only skilled Nen users, but also experienced and competent military leaders and soldiers.
"I believe we are all here," Rakshala states, starting the meeting.
"This mission will be conducted by a small force of just 500 people. Commander Kieran will be in charge of the military, which consists of 100 soldiers and the 50 scouts under him. Mola will take charge of the logistics and everyone else. Auren, you are in charge of both groups, at least for the time you are present and in a place to take charge," Rakshala announces.
"To speed things up, we'll be travelling via airship. Only if the island is deemed both safe for settling and, most importantly, valuable enough to warrant such a step, will we consider sending large ships with colonists. In any case, we'll permanently settle the smaller and supposedly safe island, the former prison colony. For that, we don't need too many resources, and our airships have enough cargo space for such a small project."
"Any questions before I start with the details?" Rakshala asks.
Auren shrugs, shaking his head, and the others also remain silent.
"Great, let me explain our overall strategy then," Rakshala states, her lips curling into the slightest smile.
Rakshala then goes over every conceivable topic, from logistics to combat strategies, exploration, mapping, communication, and even addressing possible resources. At last, she conveys some information about the expedition to the Dark Continent, specifically the one conducted by the Federation of Ochima. She addresses the swamps, the highly desired Nitro Rice, and the incredibly deadly Hellbell.
She ends the meeting by summarizing their plan of action.
"You can adjust the plan, Auren, but first I'd like you to slowly, but carefully, explore the island. Commander, we have quite a few scout-type Nen users; you're more familiar with them and their abilities. Leira, you are the most important member. The whole expedition, and even our decision whether to fully settle the island, depends on whether you can spot things of value. We're placing our trust in you. I'd also declare you as Scout Leader. While I want to put Commander Kieran in charge of the actual combat, it is your opinion and your direction that the commander needs to listen to."
"I'll do my best," Leira states. "I've already made preparations to permanently stay there. I am one hundred percent convinced this island can answer many of my questions and is a vital step towards my dream... to explore the Dark Continent. If we can't succeed here, despite the extreme amount of capable Nen users, Hollow Blade's resources, and all this preparation, then I might as well give up on my dream. I consider this a mere preparation mission, and I am willing to stake my entire life on it. Failure is not something I will ever accept."
"..." Auren, hearing her words, knows that she is serious. "I admire your determination, Leira, but sometimes we need to retreat. Some things can't be forced through, and we're not all at our peak yet. You are right, this is the perfect first step, but if I deem it too dangerous, I am not willing to sacrifice people out of stubbornness. I expect you to adhere to my orders."
"I understand," Leira replies, looking calm.
"Good..." Auren mutters.
Rakshala continues. "I expect this to be a relatively short mission. I don't want you to spend more than a couple of months there. We also can't afford for Commander Kieran and our most talented soldiers, scientists, and support staff to remain there for too long. If there are beasts, we'll be relying on bombing ships and artillery ships to just wipe them out. There is no need for primitive melee combat when we possess a small army with highly effective weaponry."
"Understood," Auren replies.
"Great, then please prepare yourselves. Auren, you're flying in your own airship, correct?" Rakshala asks him.
"Yes," Auren replies instantly.
"Aside from yours, we'll be using three more of our modified military vessels," Rakshala clarifies. "We've obtained the plans from the Empire, and we're producing them ourselves now. They can be considered first-class airships, not much worse, even compared to the most expensive ships used by the V5. This is also thanks to your help, Ura and Auren. A friend this deeply entrenched in the Empire's military was a priceless contact indeed. In case of an emergency, everyone could squeeze onto just one of them. With three, we are minimizing our risks as much as possible, and escape should always be possible."
"Then... my children, I wish you all the best of luck. Your lives are the highest priority. Please be careful," Rakshala gently explains, standing up.
As the group leaves, Rakshala quietly whispers, "Auren... stay behind for a moment, please."
As the others leave the room, only Auren and Rakshala remain.
Standing in front of the mysterious leader, Auren, like always, feels an indescribable sense of confusion and mystery. By now, he's almost as tall as her, but he still feels like he's not seeing eye to eye with her at all.
Even after all this time... I don't think I can say I truly know her... in fact, I barely know her at all.
Not shrinking back in front of her, meeting her gaze head-on, Auren can't help but look more serious than the situation appears to warrant.
Smiling, not surprised or bothered by Auren's hardened expression, Rakshala begins to speak.
"I wanted to inform you about a few more topics," she announces. "Thanks to your cooperation, Prince Benjamin is providing steady support for us. The connection between him and us is handled by an intermediary team that was set up by Ura and, probably to a minuscule degree, by her brother, but has now been fully taken over by us."
She continues, sounding pleased. "We've created a steady channel that allows us to obtain almost any kind of resource directly from the Empire. We are not even paying a premium. The Prince... has more authority than I imagined."
"That's good," Auren replies. "I guess it was worth befriending him. He is also an honest and direct kind of guy. As I mentioned from the start... don't deceive him. You can leave out details, but I don't want this relationship to sour because of greed. I believe we'll need his influence in the future."
"I fully agree and understand," Rakshala says. "Despite our progress, some things are still hard to manufacture, and we need a couple more years to set up more factories. Dwarka, formerly known as Landing Point B, is fully operational as a port city, while Rosalia is growing at an incredible pace... the city now has almost a million people living there. Overall, we've surpassed three million citizens and are steadily gaining a new stream of people; our recruiters are working diligently and tirelessly to produce results. By now, people are also having children and starting families independently. Nothing is stopping our growth. Give it a few more months, and we should have four million members."
"This... I mean, recruiting tens of thousands might be doable. But if we recruit millions, won't the V5 notice... come to think of it... by now they must have noticed... right?" Auren asks directly.
"Of course, but what are they going to do?" Rakshala asks, chuckling. "It's unclaimed land, and we've struck a deal with the Kingdom of Nika, the northernmost one of the Balsa Islands. Officially, the country belongs to them. In reality... there isn't even a single citizen of Nika in our territory aside from a bunch of politicians and ambassadors, who in reality are already members of Hollow Blade. They've been spies for years now."
"We've also... negotiated privately with various politicians, so I don't foresee any problems until the next wave of election periods worldwide," Rakshala states, Auren able to guess what these negotiations entailed. "We can be quite... persuasive," Rakshala clarifies, still smiling.
Blackmail? Bribery? Probably both...
Still better than the alternative... which would be war.
"By now, thanks to our trade connections with smaller countries and the Empire, even without us working together with the V5, we're already profitable. The natural resources from our mines, sawmills, and fisheries, as well as our hardworking craftsmen, are generating a lot of income, as the rapidly growing Empire is in dire need of resources. We also have numerous profitable investments in V5 territory. Don't worry, Auren, we're progressing without breaking too many laws or causing a stir. With the support of the newly installed Vice President of the Hunter Association, things couldn't be easier."
"Vice President..." Auren mutters. "Pariston."
"Exactly," Rakshala says. "Despite his selfish and admittedly crazed intentions, we're profiting from his involvement. He's quite cautious, though; it appears we won't be able to... control him. A smart man, indeed. Still, we've taken precautions to avoid any kind of betrayal from his side. I talked to him just recently, and it appears he has also found more work for you... when you return from the expedition, you might want to hear out his proposal."
"I need money anyway, that's fine," Auren says, rubbing his head in annoyance.
"Also..." Rakshala says, stepping closer to Auren and gently placing her right hand on his left cheek. "Please remain vigilant... and stay safe."
"..."
Feeling a warm sensation in his body, not quite understanding it himself, Auren can't help but relax for just a second, remaining perfectly still.
However, he soon regains his clarity and moves. "Thank you... I'll be back soon. I've also committed to the next Hunter Exam, which will start in January."
I'm excited, but I want to wrap this up without any issues... until January, I have a lot of thinking to do.
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