—Lawrence Lim
"No." Aldric's voice echoed calmly as he looked at Lawrence , his eyes unchanging and unperturbed. His amber eyes looked at Lawrence without a change , his decision was set in stone
"Why?" That was the only question I could mutter , they were powerful , why won't they help humanity? I'm sure with their help we'd have a better chance against the Remnants.
"Sir Lawrence—Please enlighten us , why must we tell you the reason?" This time Alena's voice echoed , a little longer than one would like in the air. Her red eyes looked lifeless as if waiting for a reply.
"Two times. You kidnapped one of our children , then you threatened another of ours along with her friends. What gives you the right to tell us to fight?" Kim Siora's youthful voice could be heard yet the words that were told did not fit her looks at all.
"They have already repented and—"
"Did you know? When they kidnapped Kanade. Kiana and Klein were shaken to the point that they no longer looked like themselves , they could've destroyed everything , but in the end what did they choose? To take back what's theirs and leave everything alone"
"But—" Cael tried to intervene but was instantly stopped as one could see countless spider threads ready to slice his mouth , her 10 pupils were opened as she looked at him warning him.
" You then proceeded to capture , not only that you humiliated our daughters and son. " Aldric's voice echoed , one could feel the earth rumbling as his calm voice continued to speak.
[SURRENDER OR THEY GET IT] As a blue screen appeared showing that exact moment , with Gaby and Nicole humiliated , and Gavin looking like he had lost all hope.
"…" Bronya only looked at them without changing her expression or batting an eye as the blue screen disappeared into square particles.
"Right now Gaby and Nicole are adventuring. They're exploring the world , broadening their horizons , Firefly , Mahiru and Amane are enjoying their high school as they live normal lives."
[There are many powerful Remnants that can help you] Ddraig's voice echoed slowly reverberating in the entire room with the Gray Reaper nodding its head.
"Acheron Emanator of Nihility , Ray Grisha who holds the power of Imagination , Sung Jin Woo The Shadow Monarch , Anos Voldigoad , Ainz Ooal Gown , Rimuru Tempest , Madam Herta and countless others" Kiana murmured.
"Are they not enough? Aren't they powerful already? They have already expressed their willingness to help, am I wrong?" Klein continued Kiana's words
"Or are you trying to use us again?" This time Klein's voice grew louder than ever , as grey fog seemed to envelop the entire room.
—Cael Lucian
"Or are you trying to use us again?" Klein's words echoed as grey fog appeared out of nowhere enveloping the entire room , Shiro's red eyes and Aldric's amber eyes seemed even brighter.
[Warning! The Pillar of Conclusion & Deviation are wary , countless Cataclysm level Remnants are prepared , recommended action : LEAVE] The system's screen appeared in front of my eyes as the number went from [3] to [2]
Are the negotiations going to fail? I have no clue , yet Lawrence still seems so eager to continue on with these negotiations , damn it , even if we brought reinforcements they'd be obliterated instantly.
"You. Cael Lucian , what did you see" Bronya asked me as her silver eyes looked at me calmly. Shit , was it too obvious? No I didn't even move my eyes or anything how would she-?
They looked at me like I was a mere ant , that was the obvious truth if they wanted to they could just kill me and everyone in this room without batting an eye , the fact that they didn't means there's room for negotiations
"If I said that I have a system that gives me a form of google would you believe me?" I said , my body was tense , cold sweat was pouring behind my back as they all looked at me with an unchanging face.
"Name?" Kiana asked, her voice still unchanging , I couldn't even tell what she's thinking , however the fact that the system isn't saying anything yet means I'm still in the clear.
"The blessing of Wisdom" I calmly said , as I waited for a reaction , she stared at me for a bit before showing a smirk , a reaction that I'd never expect from somebody like her.
"Tell me , did your system tell you whether or not the negotiations with us would succeed?"
—!!! The fact that she asked that must mean she knows which fictional series it comes from , while it was a popular series , after it got DMCA'd not a lot of people know about it anymore…
[System?] I asked myself waiting for an answer but what I got was an answer that I'd not expect
[As Cohesion falls , Continuation shall be known , when Conclusion and Deviation joins , Recollection shall appear once more.] before turning to [1]
"It must've given you a cryptic answer didn't it?" Kiana said again , this girl… she definitely read Escape the Mystery Hotel back in the day…
"I'll answer this the same way the Pillar of Continuation would answer then , no matter what you say our decision remains final , however…" "Once , you won't know when , you won't know why , all you'll know is that it'll happen."
—Cael Lucian
"Was it a success?" Lawrence asked me as he waited for my answer
[Was it a success?] I asked my system as I waited for an answer , as usual the answer remained cryptic as ever [Only time will tell] before turning to [0] It's better to assume the worst.
"It's better to assume the worst" I replied in a sarcastic manner as I faced Lawrence , but as usual his tone and face remained the same , filled with positivity.
"Im sure they'll help us when needed!" He said with a big smile , it was truly a Lawrence thing to say.
—
"Tell me , did your system tell you whether or not the negotiations with us would succeed?" As I asked the man named Cael Lucian , I stopped time. Locally of course , there's no need to stop everything.
"Kiana-?" Alena's looked shocked as everything turned to a stand still except the members of "The Family"
"Hu Tao , Firefly , Mahiru , Amane and Kanade are asleep , they won't wake up until this negotiation's over." I said calmly as I looked at Klein to which he nodded meaning he had already done what was needed.
"I won't say much , I'll let you guys decide." I calmly said as I closed my eyes , Klein also nodded as both of us disappeared from their sights.
"HEY WHO STOPPED TIME , I WAS IN A MATCH" Gavin's angered voice could be heard but as he went out of his room and looked at us talking he instantly quieted down , it seems like Ddraig was telling him what was happening.
"I see… Honestly I don't really care , the past is the past , I'm going to stay neutral" Gavin answered in a relaxed manner as he went back to his room
[I shall follow my host's decision] Ddraig said before also disappearing.
Gray Reaper merely shrugged its shoulders , Shiro didn't say anything but it was obvious she was also neutral , on the other hand Grandma was quite against it.
"They hurt our family. I don't wanna help those bastards." she calmly said , only Aldric and Alena haven't chosen.
"I hate them , they've done unforgivable things , if we were just an ordinary family then we wouldn't be able to do anything but let them do their things." Alena said calmly , quite a contrast to how she usually is
"However , we can't just group them all into the same group , if we do that then many innocent lives would also be affected , we'd be no better than them." Aldric continued
"I say we help them but only when necessary , they need to reap what they sow." Aldric said calmly as he waited for a reply.
"I agree , however our highest priority shall remain the same , To protect our Family members , their safety must not be compromised" Alena continued
"Then the choice is clear," Klein calmly said as I nodded , *Snap Time resumed.
—
"Something wrong Gaby?" Nicole asked as she rubbed her sleepy eyes , it was now her turn for the nightshifts as they were currently guarding on shifts , Frieren , Si-Hyun and Aurelion were asleep.
"The other me stopped time for a bit" I said as if it was the most normal thing in the world
"I see." Nicole said before going back to sleep.
—Cael Lucian
"So? Who agreed? And before you ask "no we couldn't see the possibilities of the future" Herta and Dorothy asked me with curiosity , they answered my doubts before I even answered.
"Acheron has agreed , the same could be said with Ray Grisha , the members of Agnia has also agreed , the Coalition of Remnants have expressed their willingness as well"
"What of that so-called "Chosen one" and "The Family " ?" Dorothy continued Herta's question.
"Cipher said she'll do everything she can , The Family… well they said Once"
"I see , let's move on with the assumption that they won't help us until the very end" Herta calmly said as her hologram disappeared , Dorothy merely nodded before her hologram also dissipated.
"Hahhhhh…" I sighed as my face laid flat on my desk , there was still so much work to do , I swear—Why can't we have AI's and the such do all this , why are even still using traditional papers…
"Oh Cael? How did it go?" Reana's voice could be heard as she entered my room , as her very small height of 143cm , just like silverwolf from HSR , she asked me in her usual tone.
"Good enough…How are the others?" I said in an extremely tired tone, one filled with laziness , but a job doesn't care how you feel , you gotta do it even when you're dying.
WIIIIIING
"Task Force X is ready , the other departments are also on standby , everyone's waiting for your orders , Director~" She said before leaving my room through the door.
—
"Blerrgh…" I said as I could feel my stomach churning as anxiety takes over me.
"You good?" Mira said as she looked at me , her purple eyes glowed with a cybernetic feel
"I'm fine , just some social anxiety" I said as I shrugged her off , I was nervous , don't get me wrong I've done this a good amount of times but those were with people I was familiar with.
As I looked through the screen I could see countless humans and remnants a like , some promiment figures could also be seen from the Coalition of Remnants , The Sovereign Flame and countless more.
There were some I recognized , Ray Grisha known as one of the most powerful Remnants capable of envisioning anything he desires , Acheron the only known sane Vestige , one of the few only remnants who could hold Nihility without turning crazy.
I saw them , the countless characters I've used to read and watch , Eren Yeager , Goku , Cid Kagenou , Ainz Ooal Gown , Tiamat and countless others , and right now everyone has gathered here.
"Hello everyone I'm Rimuru Tempest , representative of the Coalition of Remnants"
"Yana , Representative of Agnia." "Lawrence Lim , Representative of The Sovereign Flame" "Herta. Herta's Society" Voices of countless important figures , and now it was my turn.
"Hello everyone. I am the representative of The Silentium , Cael Lucian , I am truly honored to be able to stand here with so many powerful remnants even when I'm merely an ordinary human."
Silence , as everyone had now stared at me , there were some scrutinizing me why would an ordinary human be chosen as a representative? Yet at the same time there were others who were curious.
"I won't say something glorious as I am no Hero , at the same time I won't undermine everyone's determination , we've had our differences that is a fact , now the words I'm about to say is merely my opinion."
"There is no right or wrong , some might say it was the threats Remnants bring that scared the humans , others might say Humans themselves were so scared that— yeah you get what I mean but that's not the point."
"Right now whether we like it or not we've got to set our differences , yes it's obvious and a question arises , who do we put our trust in to see this contract of ours?"
"Hey~" A voice could be heard , it was in a cheerful tone , yet the person behind that voice was not someone anybody could ever look down upon.
"3 Pillars should be enough right~?"