"Right, the next speaker is Mister Jaakoppi Johansson," said Nadia as she gave the stage to Jaakoppi.
"We have no further questions at this moment," Jaakoppi said with a sigh as he sat down again. His bloc wanted to make Europe less centralized and give more autonomy to the individual countries, as they believed the EU was not doing enough to protect the culture of each nation. However, when it came to actually disbanding the EU, they were not stupid enough to support such an idea, because things like a unified army and a central foreign policy made every individual country stronger.
That was also why Jaakoppi considered Kaiden a complete idiot. He could understand wanting more autonomy for individual countries, but throwing away the advantages that came from working together was another matter entirely. Unfortunately, Kaiden had made such a spectacle of himself that Jaakoppi thought it was better not to ask any more questions in front of the entire chamber. There was simply no atmosphere left for a serious discussion.
Besides, the most important questions had already been asked, and Jaakoppi had access to several additional sources of information. His bloc was represented on the committee responsible for technology, which meant they had legitimate oversight over Beau's department. That would allow them to question Beau in a closed meeting and potentially get far more information than they could in front of such a large audience. Unlike Kaiden, Jaakoppi had enough sense to understand that some matters simply could not be discussed publicly.
As for Beau, he was more than happy to let the matter pass. He knew Jaakoppi was perfectly capable of asking much more pointed questions than Kaiden had, and answering those questions in front of the cameras would have been considerably more difficult. Still, he respected Jaakoppi for understanding the difference between parliamentary oversight and demanding that every secret be revealed to the entire continent. For the moment, that was good enough for him.
Nadia went through the remaining list of speakers who had requested time to address the issue, but one after another, they declined to speak. After three hours, there was little point in continuing the emergency meeting, especially since everyone had already had more than enough time to make their positions clear. The politicians could return home satisfied that they had debated the matter seriously, while the media had received enough sensational material to keep their viewers occupied for days. As far as parliamentary meetings went, it had been a surprisingly successful disaster.
"That went better than expected," Beau said as he settled into his car.
Mette sat across from him with a notebook in hand, ready to record every instruction he gave her. "Now tell the research facility that I have secured their funding, and that I want a working prototype within three months. I also want a report within a week on how feasible it would be to teach people to read and work with runes." Beau paused for a moment, considering the implications of the discovery. "We may need to speak with the Minister of Education about eventually teaching every school-aged child at least the basics of rune literacy."
Mette wrote everything down without interrupting him. The possibility that runes could become an important part of European technology meant that this was no longer merely a research project. If the technology proved reliable, understanding runes could eventually become as important as mathematics or basic literacy. Beau did not want to commit the government to such an enormous educational program before knowing how difficult the system would be to learn, which was why he needed the researchers to give him an honest assessment first.
"Oh, before either of us forgets, get me the report from the intelligence agency," Beau added. "If they don't have one yet, pressure them harder and tell them I want it tomorrow, or I will personally complain to their director." He frowned as he looked out the window. "This concerns national security, and the longer they can monopolize the information, the more useful their position becomes."
"I will get right on it," Mette replied.
She immediately left to deal with the intelligence agency while Beau returned to his office, where another mountain of reports and problems was waiting for him. Europe had barely finished dealing with one crisis, and he already had several more waiting on his desk. Unfortunately, that had become normal since mana had arrived. He was beginning to suspect that retirement was no longer something he would ever experience.
While Europe was dealing with its political mess, the situation in the United States was developing in a completely different direction. American news agencies were in a frenzy over the pope's announcement and what it meant for the country. The revelation that God was real, combined with the promise that two hundred and fifty thousand soldiers would soon be sent into North America, had already created enough uncertainty to overwhelm most of the news cycle. Then the situation became even worse when artificial intelligence systems began comparing the American public cultivation technique with the breathing technique released by the Catholic Church.
The comparison was not going well for the United States.
Across the internet, AI systems were producing detailed comparisons between the two techniques, examining their efficiency, requirements, cultivation speed, and potential long-term benefits. The results were spreading faster than the American government could suppress or redirect them. Ordinary citizens were beginning to ask why the church's technique appeared to be superior when the government had spent so much time developing its own. Worse still, people were starting to wonder whether the church had simply been given something better by God.
Inside the White House, President Oliver Cole was having none of it.
"Why is public opinion so bad?" Oliver shouted as he paced around his office. "And who made our breathing technique? Why is it so bad? Who approved this?"
His aides remained silent, knowing better than to interrupt him while he was in that state. Oliver Cole was the sixty-fifth president of the United States, and almost his entire administration had been spent dealing with one crisis after another. He had been elected after mana arrived, expecting to bring stability to a country that had already been badly damaged. Instead, he had quickly discovered that his control over the government was nowhere near as absolute as he had expected.
That was hardly surprising considering what had happened before his presidency. After former President Trump had been responsible for a civil war, the powers of the American presidency had been heavily restricted. The result was a government where the president had to negotiate with Congress over almost everything of importance. It did not help that the politicians who had allowed the previous disaster to happen had largely escaped the consequences, leaving Oliver to deal with a system that was both heavily restricted and deeply corrupt.
"Sir, public opinion was initially being guided in the direction we wanted," said Summer Woods.
Oliver turned toward her.
"We were successfully pushing the narrative that the church had overstepped its authority by interfering in American affairs," Summer continued. "That message was working until the AI systems began comparing the two breathing techniques." She paused before adding, "Now the comparison itself has become the story."
Oliver's expression darkened. "Who is behind it?"
"We don't have a complete answer yet," Summer said. "However, a significant number of the AI systems appear to be originating from the EU, and they have been actively encouraging people to compare the techniques." She looked down at the report in her hands. "We have also received reports that the discussion has already spread into China."
Oliver's eyes widened slightly.
"They are now attempting to draw India into the same online debate," Summer continued. "If that happens, the discussion will become effectively impossible to contain. Those three populations alone represent an enormous portion of humanity, and once enough people start asking why one cultivation technique is superior to another, our government will have difficulty controlling the narrative."
Summer Woods was the director of the CIA, and unlike many of the other members of Oliver's cabinet, she had earned her position the hard way. She had fought her way through a brutal intelligence agency where incompetence was punished quickly and mistakes could have serious consequences. Many of the other cabinet members had been placed into their positions through connections to powerful conglomerate families and corporations. Summer, however, had built her career through experience, which was why Oliver listened to her more carefully than he did most of his cabinet.
"So what are you telling me?" Oliver asked, finally sitting down.
"I am telling you that we have a problem that cannot be solved simply by controlling the news," Summer replied. "People are not merely talking about the church anymore; they are comparing results, and that makes the discussion much harder to manipulate." She placed the report on his desk. "If their breathing technique really is superior, then we need to understand why before the public reaches that conclusion for us."
Oliver stared at the report in silence.
Outside the White House, millions of Americans were already asking exactly the same question.