As I awoke to the sound of a gentle knock at my door, I couldn't help marvel at how well I slept in spite of everything.

This body is weird. Not always bad but it's built different.

I placed Steve on the pillow, making a small nest for him from the sheets while putting on some clothes before opening the door.

Vana had a plate of food that she brought into my room without me saying anything. "Don't get used to this. It isn't for you but for my little trooper over there. But you can have some too I guess," she said with a small laugh.

I nodded gratefully taking some bread to dunk into the hearty stew. I pulled up the curtain, slightly stunned it was well past first light.

"I let you sleep in a bit. Gabor said you have a meeting with the Council but it's not until three bells past midday. Tiesa and Jasna are downstairs waiting for you. They are going to take you to a healer to check on the little one." With that, she gave me a wan smile and left.

As the three of us left the inn, I looked to the women who had been acting as my guards. "Thanks for setting up a meeting. This is the most important thing for me. But afterwards, I want to plan out our future steps and contingencies."

"Yup." Jasna gave a small nod, plucking Steve from my arms to give him pets and tickles. I could feel enjoyment but also a slight bit of fear as he couldn't see where her hands were coming from.

It broke my heart just that little bit more.

We reached the house of healing, which was confusingly in a wide, squat tree in the middle of one of the town's open green spaces. If I didn't know it was specifically in that park, I would have thought we were lost as there was no indication where it was or even that something other than the plants and play equipment existed.

We stepped in through an almost perfectly hidden door to a softly lit room covered in multiple fragrant plants and rather crude artwork of people smiling despite gruesome injuries.

I simultaneously hope the art is done by children and really hope it isn't. Then again, my artwork has always been terrible. My first-grade teacher thought something might be wrong with me because of how bad I was at coloring.

After my initial shock at entering a tree like a much larger Keebler elf, I examined the room. It reminded me of Elven healing house stereotypes with roots making up the floor, walls, and ceiling. I couldn't tell if it was carved out of the cavernous tree or if the tree had been grown around the space itself. It was all calming colors of green, brown, and dark purples.

A young-looking woman in a brown and green robe greeted us. "This must be Steve. Ruined eyes and used a potion but not fast enough to get fully healed? Yes, yes, I see. Maybe 'see' is not the best phrasing given his condition but he'll never know." She chuckled somewhat darkly and I didn't feel too positive about this place. "Let's see where we're at and what we can do."

She indicated a long table clearly meant for humans with a soft leather surface. I placed Steve on top on his back and he immediately flipped over and started kneading at the bed, making cooing noises. He licked it and took a moment to contemplate. I thought he meant to take a bite before I could prevent it, but instead, he started spitting.

"Ah yes, we do put down some antiseptic to prevent the spread of anything so that probably doesn't taste great. You will hopefully learn to sniff before you lick going forward little one," she said, laying a hand on Steve's head.

I looked to Tiesa and Jasna, clearly trying to show I wasn't too pleased. Jasna stared back blankly and Tiesa shrugged in a 'what can you do?' type of way.

A glowing green light emanated from the woman's hand. I hadn't asked but saw her nametag said Lenka. The healer's hand hovered for a long second over Steve's eyes.

"Usually, we charge a fee for even our cost estimates but you had a good enough referral that we waived it. That said, this isn't the worst damage I've seen but it is pretty extensive. Looks like the damage was inflicted with a skill which makes it harder to heal, nasty stuff. He has some other internal injuries that are going to be slow to heal but I'd not recommend focusing on those."

"What are our options, uh, Healer Lenka?" I guessed at her title.

"Without healing, I think his eyesight will return to moderately functional over the next decade maybe. The earlier you get him healed the better so the scar tissue is easier to combat. I think if we did a treatment once a week for the next three weeks, we could get him back to as good as – maybe even better than – new. Those are the two extremes, you can work out anything in between."

She put some data into a tablet and hemmed and hawed over it for a few minutes. "It's going to take A LOT of mana despite his size. His essence channels are quite strange, no wonder a bit of potion didn't heal him up. 150 gold for each of the first two treatments and then likely 75 to 100 for the final. If you wait, those numbers only go up." Before I could respond, she walked back to the door to greet another customer.

Holy shit. Stannis said he made about 40 gold a month. In total, it's going to take almost a year's income for a well-paid person to heal Steve.

I turned to Jasna and Tiesa gob smacked.

"Yeah, that's an absolute sodus-load of money. Though you might be able to afford the first treatment soon. I heard the reward from the delve yesterday was a skill." Tiesa gave me a look that was more calculating than I expected.

"I thought a Tier 1 skill was about 100 gold at the maximum. After the split and taxes, I won't be anywhere close," I said, slightly confused.

"Skills bought in a store gunk up essence channels. Rift-dropped skills don't have that drawback. You still need to put essence into it if you want to improve it but even that is usually more efficient. A crappy skill will go for cheap but something like [Fireball] will get you a pretty penny." Tiesa looked to Jasna who hadn't reacted much. "Thoughts Jazzy?"

"Yeah, I was thinking that if this were your kid on the table Tee-Tee, I'd pay for it. But I won't for Steve. Does that make me bad?" She looked more contemplative than anything else.

"Nope," I said before Tiesa could respond. "You've known me for a few days. It sounds like you owe your life to Tiesa and you are very close. I hope we can get there but we aren't yet."

Isekonsultant Tip to Thriving #18: While friends shouldn't count favors, you still need to understand what is reasonable to ask for and also to accept. While having things handed to you makes certain aspects of your life easier, it can make others far harder.

"Well, we did get 40 gold each to escort you including the sizeable bonus for you surviving an attack – very nice putting that clause in. I think we can probably donate a bit of that to the Steve's recovery fund. Well, at least my portion, I don't speak for Jazzy."

"You've been seen. Please either pay or leave." Lenka came and picked up Steve, who was still experimenting with the table, plopping him in my hands and putting a hand on my back, gently shoving me towards the door.

We found a bench outside and chatted. Both women agreed to donate 37.5 gold, meaning I was at halfway to the first treatment. My own coffers were at about 25 gold too but I decided I would earmark that for potions given if I had done that previously, Steve would be fine right now.

No use trying to rush and make as much money immediately, getting myself hurt to the point I need more money to heal. I've seen that cycle play out in too many forms and it never ends well.

I started looking up delve options through the Adventurers Guild and the smaller guilds and businesses local to Velez.

"Ooh, look at this one. It's pretty tough but the pay for the work is pretty good at seven gold." I forwarded it to the two women.

Tiesa winced but Jasna tilted her head. "Don't you need to work with your team on this? The one who betrayed you? You can't take a job without the team leader approving the job and I don't see that happening."

Oof.

We discussed other ideas and settled on talking to Katarina about options instead.

***

"Look, I'm sorry but we just can't afford to hire a second team to work with you. And renegotiating with Marko isn't going to work. It was hard enough getting him to fund the first and setting it all up so it looked like we were paying for it." Katarina indicated Maksim and herself. "And yes, we had to do that so it didn't look like you were extorting a Councilor, that wouldn't have gone over well…" She let out a small laugh.

"Also, trying to stipulate that a team needs to register with the Adventurers Guild would raise red flags anyway. It just can't be done." Katarina shrugged and looked to her husband for support.

Tiesa, Jasna, Steve, and I were once again in their well-appointed drawing room. Maksim was paying little attention to the meeting and was instead playing with Steve in the corner in between bouts of letting him try many different dishes. Through our bond, I felt general contentment and enjoyment but still frustration at his inability to see.

"How much does it cost to put me on a trustworthy team? I can pull my weight. My recordings will show that. I am not looking for someone to carry me."

"Aren't you though? Look what happened to Steve in your first delve together." Katarina's face was impassive but it still felt like she wanted to yell 'oh snap!' at me.

"You're really going to bring that up? It was your cage that—"

"It was a cage, not my cage, and it was a prototype that wasn't meant to be tested for anything other than for how it fit! Yes, I didn't think I had to spell everything out to Ms. Gogol here but truly, it was more than adequate for what it was commissioned to do. You are the one who took a Tier 1.0 creature days old into a rift that was full to bursting. Trying to push that on me won't work, not one bit!" She glared but immediately, her gaze softened.

"I am absolutely crushed – we both are – that this happened to Steve." She stared right at me. "But trying to shift blame onto me WILL. NOT. WORK. I won't have it." There was venom in the Councilor's voice that seemed to be asking me to challenge her statement.

"Why the jebbie were we picked? That's still what I don't get."

I didn't think my deflection worked well at her small eyeroll but she answered anyway. "Money. As you already surmised. You absolutely shouldn't have been picked for that assignment but you were a good team that the Council trusts. Plus, we couldn't get another two competent Tier 1 teams together – they would have needed at least eight to spread out the null essence concentration – and the Council wasn't willing to waste the opportunity of a bursting rift's reward by sending anyone higher Tier."

At my look, she shrugged. "Yes, I do say waste. Sending Ms. Gogol and Ms. Zupan would have probably meant preventing the rift break. But first, only probably, and second, the rift would have probably dropped a few silver per run as they slowly whittled it down. Yes, crazy things can happen like your Ignition run and the qi stones but they are very rare. Instead, we are looking at a skill disc for [Poison Resistance] and our initial analysis points to it increasing null essence resistance and already being near peak of Tier 1."

Tiesa literally gasped.

Jasna's eyes narrowed. "So you're saying it was worth Steve's eyes and almost life?"

"I'm not saying that but the Council sure is," Katarina said flatly. "I tried to intervene but didn't see the message in time – only three yes votes were needed for an emergency contract. The Council, in general they see Terry as an asset now but really only that. Few actually care for his wellbeing beyond what he represents for the city and their pocketbooks. Steve, maybe three Councilors at most see our friend over there as anything more than a pet at best or toy at worst for a person that matters to our economic future but isn't that important."

"Have you told anyone about his Innate Capability? I realize now I should have forced you into a non-disclosure agreement but I wasn't really thinking." I was letting her push the conversation in a direction she wanted for the moment.

Isekonsultant Tip to Thriving #19: If someone is trying to divert you by divulging useful information, let them. You can always circle back around to your original topic but additional useful information is additional useful information. Information is power.

"I have discussed it yes, but with no one you need be concerned about," she replied.

"I am concerned about everyone. I want a list and an AAI-backed guarantee you won't tell anyone or allow them to tell anyone."

If he really is able to absorb this much essence, I am not sure what they'll do if they really don't see him as anything other than an object…

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

We negotiated for ten minutes but I stayed firm and didn't let her move on to anything further.

Katarina had told her household advisor to consider how his Cap might be used. The man gave an AAI-backed guarantee he hadn't told anyone else and wouldn't so we finally moved on to other points.

"I'm not done with what we were discussing but what's so special about this skill disc?" I asked.

"A skill shard is just a small piece of a disc. It can only be used once by a single person to learn a skill. A disc, if maintained well and regularly infused with essence, can be used almost infinitely." Tiesa was in her mom explanation mode again so I just listened. "You want to make sure to prevent degradation but they're incredible. Additionally, as I said earlier if you were paying attention, most man-made skills gunk up some of your essence channels. There are a few artisans that can craft skills to barely do much harm but they are incredibly expensive and are usually single-use as well."

"First off, I was paying attention. So nyah. And presumably the 'near peak Tier 1' bit means it doesn't need much essence to be effective?" I was pretty sure I knew the answer but wanted to check.

Tiesa nodded. "Correct. [Poison Resistance] is already a very useful and valuable skill but it's hard to justify leveling it up unless you regularly encounter poisons and venoms. The skill is usually cast to delay the worst impact of a toxin until someone can get to a healer or take an antidote. It's mildly effective if you cast it on others and a very effective self-cast. The big draw is there are a lot of very valuable and niche delves you could tackle with little issue using [Poison Resistance]. So it's worth a ton but you won't see much of that." She shook her head sadly.

"Why, because I only get a fifth of the value? That still sounds like a lot if the skill sells for 100 gold, a disc must be at least a few hundred."

"Alas, it was an optional assignment by the city. Which means the taxes placed on it are over 60%. I think they made it even higher given the current issues, right?" Jasna asked to Katarina.

"85% currently. I will put lowering that tax to 50% up for a vote today in our emergency session. Which is mostly to meet with you I might add. Your 'guards' here were utterly insistent." Her normal level of amusement was back in her voice but none of us felt like entertaining her.

"I want to go back to Steve's treatment and the Tier 1 team agreement," I said as a man entered the room and whispered in Katarina's ear.

"I apologize but the Council has much to discuss before we meet with you and I'll have to see you out. We can discuss tomorrow, I'll even put it in my planner. Lurka is waiting outside to remind you of Council protocol should you wish to use him." She stood up and signaled to Maksim who was carrying Steve and the two of them headed for the front door.

Tiesa, Jasna, and I all looked at each other. "Not much more we can do right now if she won't cooperate," I said with a sigh and we all exited together, collecting our enthused fluff ball on the way out.

***

We declined Lurka's invite to discuss Council protocol – I didn't much care about upsetting them this time as I held a number of the cards – and headed back to Tiesa and Gabor's place to strategize for the meeting.

[Reminder: You have a haircut appointment in half a bell.] My snort of laughter caught both women's attention as we were walking down the street. I quickly devolved into full-on cackling, even having to put a hand on Jasna for support.

The laughter was accompanied with tears that were half mirth and half sorrow.

I blinded Steve. I did this. My fault. Think of the life I could have if not for last night. My big concern for today was supposed to be my haircut.

Tiesa and Jasna escorted me to the Gogol house until we sat down as Tiesa made me a cup of tea. The hallucinations did help a bit with my mood.

"Want to talk about it?" Tiesa asked.

"Whether he wants to or not, he needs to. It's for his own good," Jasna said.

I shook my head. "Would that I could but I need to process. And this meeting with the Council is time-sensitive. I can keep it together until tonight."

Tiesa gave a small nod and I got a calendar invite via AAI to discuss it later. "Let's go over your priority list. First and foremost is getting them to pay for Steve, right? And if you can't get that, get economic concessions that make it possible soon. Second is a team to delve with as you aren't willing to work with The Order again. How important is Adventurers Guild membership there?"

"Yes to Steve. I have a few levers to pull including the affinity-changing flower that they don't know about. But I need to at least get the first healing treatment done soon. And I guess I should probably get my hand fixed," I said as I took a pinky out of storage only to put it back in my bag.

I considered for a second. "So, for the team, yes. I just can't work with them again. And if the Council wants me to delve, I'm not good enough for soloing anything too complicated yet. And I want to delve more, get better. I am going to push pretty heavily for strong economic share in the delves, whether they are through one of the cities, the Kingdom government, or through a guild."

"The entire team or just Vidas?" Jasna asked. At my raised eyebrow, she shrugged. "Only one of them betrayed you. The rest seem fine. If there was a replacement for the front line, would you agree to that?"

"Is that even a good idea? They've been training together for a long time. I feel like it would throw off the dynamics both in and out of battle," I said, then took a minute to contemplate it instead of just reacting.

I guess they are professionals. Maybe they won't have a problem with it. That said, I can't trust Vidas no matter what.

Jasna echoed my thoughts. "Maybe yes, maybe no. Not a bad thing to consider as a possible compromise."

"I also need a better potion supply. None of this would really be such an issue if they had gotten us the potions we needed."

"Fair, though that is going to be tough for them to guarantee. Anything else you want to bring up?" Tiesa asked, breaking out some cookies.

I crunched through one quickly and fed half of one to Steve while I considered. "I want Goran punished. He knew the situation and tried to hide behind the rules to not save Steve and then tried to have me fired upon. I know it's petty but still."

"I'd kill him today if it wouldn't mean my death tomorrow," Jasna said casually. I turned to stare. "What? He knew what he was doing. There was no need and it was pettiness, not duty. We don't need that kind of person around."

Back to reality: cutthroat world. Gotta watch my back.

We continued to strategize until it was half a bell before my meeting. We swung by Sofia's shop and picked up a few of the completed outfits and I chose one for the meeting that was more about showing off my physique than showing deference. I knew it was probably petty to not wear the officially sanctioned outfit from my previous summons but I wanted to meet them at least somewhat on my terms.

As I walked up to the Council building, Steve on my shoulder, flanked by Tiesa and Jasna, I felt ready.

I've got this.

***

I kind of had this.

Lurka looked appalled at my outfit but there wasn't time to harangue me or do anything much more than shake his head as he opened the doors and followed me inside. Tiesa and Jasna disappeared into a waiting room just as the doors to the ornate chambers closed.

Much like last time, the nine Councilors sat on lavish leather chairs that were almost thrones in a large semicircle on a raised plinth. Each seat of decadence was decorated with a different pattern of the same five colors: green, brown, red, blue, and yellow.

I listed them each off in my head. Katarina Illeva, Uros Barno, Nina Asani, Justas Nikolov, Teodor Bondar, Aleksandra Podlipa, Regina Vitola, Gordana Babic, and Marko Azarov.

The Councilors were dressed in robes that reminded me of the Magister of Scans. However, theirs were not headache-inducing though only slightly less ostentatious. Each wore a regal circlet of some silver-ish metal topped with five small gemstones of the Kingdom's colors.

If I wasn't so pissed off, I might have been intimidated. This was an official hearing it looked like instead of the more friendly meet-and-greet the first time.

A few of the Councilors seemed delighted to see me or at least see me dressed as I was. Katarina betrayed a small bit of shock at my entrance but quickly went back to a neutral face. Uros Barno seemed inordinately pleased, which made me rethink my decision.

Oh well, it's already made.

Nina Asani started the meeting. "Mr. Carver, Tier 1 Delver, I understand you called for a meeting. This is highly unusual. Why do you think to command this Council?"

Welp, looks like it's antagonistic meeting mode.

Consultant survival tip #132: When walking into a hostile room, look for ways to placate while keeping things on topic. Try to keep anything from antagonism and flatter those who are angry while steering them towards slightly better outcomes. You don't need to win the war today, just not lose it.

Fuck that.

Isekonsultant Tip to Thriving #20: When you hold the cards, leverage them. Don't be a jackass but negotiate from the place of power you sit. You can't dictate everything but that doesn't mean be a pushover.

"I was assigned to a delve that was beyond my team's capabilities due to economic reasons and then was unjustly denied healing to my companion. My teammate." Holding up Steve like he was a fragile creature, I tried to send a plea to look pitiful through our connection. The traitor instead decided to try flexing and chittering, then begging for food.

Attempting to regain my gravitas, I continued. "While I believe we can work together for the betterment of Velez and the Kingdom as a whole, right now I am being treated as a mere pawn. Something that is moved around and to be sacrificed with little regard for my well-being or desires. Frankly, as an object. And that will happen no more." I dramatically stomped my foot and my boots complied, emitting a loud ringing thud.

"And who are you, Mr. Carver, to make demands of us?" Marko Azarov asked, a glint in his eye.

Who is actually on my side here? I think Katarina and Teodor. Probably Aleksandra. Probably not Marko after the little bit of leverage we used with the Dahlia situation. Almost certainly not Uros. That leaves Nina Asani, Justas Nikolov, Regina Vitola, and Gordana Babic and Nina doesn't seem happy. Hmm, what do?

Deciding to lay out my value explicitly before we moved forward, I launched into a pompous, practiced speech. "I do not pretend to be some kind of savior by my own telling. That is a level of arrogance that is beyond me. But, based on the current situation, I may be just that. Not only am I personally capable of dealing with null essence, I have a way to grant that capability to others."

Getting into my groove, I went to clearly state the problem and why I was the solution.

Isekonsultant Tip to Thriving #21: When people are pushing back, hit them with the facts first and foremost. The facts should speak for themselves. You must also convince the gut and the heart but lay the groundwork first.

"This null essence problem doesn't seem to be going away. It's threatening the safety of the city and this area of the Kingdom as a whole. It's also significantly impacting the economic stability and prosperity of the region. And presumably all of you I might add. That's not something to overlook as uncouth as it might be to say it. Let me lay out what I see as the situation here, correct me if I'm wrong."

I held up my hand and raised a single finger. "First, you need to be able to send in at-Tier delvers to handle rifts in order to get reasonable rewards. Regular supply of those rift rewards is crucial to the economy of the region."

I ticked off a second finger. "Second, you also need to regularly delve rifts to prevent an essence build-up that results in a rift break. Rift breaks are dangerous, do significant damage, are pushing people to move to other regions, and are preventing merchants from coming to the region or traveling through."

I imagined the slides I would be using and realized they actually did help ground the conversation somewhat.

Oh no, am I going to be the monster that brings the slide deck to this world?

Focusing back on the Councilors, I continued. "Third, it is dangerous to put at-Tier delvers into rifts or dungeons that have a high concentration of null affinity essence because it can hurt their cultivation, scarring their essence channels."

Most of the Councilors were looking some combination of slightly sick and annoyed. "Fourth, there is something going on that caused a rift to go from relatively normal to almost breaking in a short period of time. Additionally, the null essence concentration increased well beyond expectations. That means you need people who can absorb null essence more than ever.

"And finally, fifth, you all want to loan me out to delve the rifts close to other cities in the area as that will lead to a significant windfall for the city and likely all of you. It will mean you can charge them for the service of preventing breaks and also get a nice cut of the rewards from rifts they control. Does anyone dispute anything I just said?"

"Mr. Carver, you don't need to explain simple facts to us. We live them. Every day. You call us in here to lay out what we already know?" Nina Asani's face was starting to twist in anger. "We are doing what is necessary. And we have already invested heavily in you. Get to the damn point or get out," she finished icily coldly.

"As far as I'm aware, I'm the only option for at-Tier delving. Probably for really any Tier as I could also be the essence sponge in higher-Tier rifts and dungeons. Is that true or not?"

"We have survived prior to your arrival and will long after you are gone," Justas Nikolov said in a bored drawl. "Your escalating expenses are something we are getting tired of tolerating."

What expenses are going to the Council? My training with Risto? I worked hard to keep my confusion from showing.

"And we have a solution to the null problem anyway. You don't have the leverage you think you do," Marko Azarov said haughtily. "You really think you are the only person who can absorb significant amounts of null essence with no ill effects?"

"Yes," I said simply.

"Not for long," he said with a smile.

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Katarina cut in. "This is far more contentious than it needs to be! Focus on what we all want out of this. First is to prevent the breaks. They are utterly devastating to the economy but more to the people. We shouldn't have people die if we can easily prevent it. We aren't the barbaric Kingdoms across the sea. Second, Terry is crucial to us achieving our goals. While he somewhat overinflated a few of his points – and significantly overinflated his ego and importance – we should hear him out." She nodded to me while a number of the Councilors grumbled.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. It was slightly hard as Steve heard the raised voices and was sending alternating feelings of being afraid and wanting to punch things. "My asks are simple. One of the people you sent to guard the rift did not appropriate proper healing supplies as was the general agreement of all who take on a city-requested delve. My bond needs healing because of that. So the city will pay for his healing."

I let the point hang in the air for a few seconds. I didn't want to go into list mode. My first demand was important so letting them stew a bit was part of the plan.

"The second is that we lay out formal splits of rift and dungeon loot and any other related rewards for myself and anyone I enable to be able to absorb null essence. As I said, I have reason to believe I can grant this capability to others." This was met with more muttering and eyerolls.

That was supposed to be a big reveal… Do they have their own way to grant null essence affinity?

"Lastly, I will need a team to work with in rifts. The team I was working with, while graciously provided by Councilor Illeva, is just not viable. I do not trust them and cannot work with them. I also sincerely appreciate the guards she provided. But as I'm sure you know, said team betrayed me and I will need a new group to delve with. All three points are non-negotiables."

I decided to push harder than I had initially hoped and then negotiate said 'non-negotiables' into something that worked for me. I had left out some of the stuff around what I wanted for my business as that felt like a cash grab and I was thinking it would backfire.

That isn't too crazy of a set of asks, I think.

Katarina glared daggers at me and I was confused. Utter silence came from the dais; I was momentarily confused before I realized it was a silence enchantment. The Councilors were getting more and more animated but it was an eerie sight on my side to see someone stand up and point, clearly yelling, but hear nothing.

Suddenly, Lurka entered and ushered me out. "They will be having a quarter bell recess. Please follow me. Unfortunately, as you are still technically engaged in an active discussion, you cannot speak with your friends."

He took me into a small room with a single chair and no desk, shutting the door with a small slam and a huff.

Surprised there is even a light in here. Feels like a holding cell. What the hell set them off? I really don't think 'my team betrayed me, I need a new one' is that groundbreaking or surprising.

I sat and stewed while trying to come up with what I'd do when brought back in but without any real information, it was impossible other than high-level thoughts like 'reduce tension' or 'hold firm'. I didn't even have outside AAI access so I couldn't do something as mundane as listen to music.

I need to download things to my local storage rather than use streaming. I should have learned that from Earth…

After about 15 minutes, Lurka escorted me back in, the tall and frail man sporting a frown for the ages. The Councilors were looking at me far differently than before.

Welp, this is going to be fun.

"Mr. Carver, you have been operating under a series of misconceptions that we need to clear up. You might want to tell your friends to head out, this is going to be a long, long conversation." Nina Asani looked ready to kill.

Well, shit.

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