Sora took a seat away from the two groups sitting on either side of the table when Kisuke pointed out an empty spot.
Until now, he hadn't officially joined [ARAM]. He sat down and picked up the stack of documents in front of him. Noticing that everyone had taken their places, Kisuke was the first to speak.
"We've only just arrived, so there's no problem." Turning to the others, he added, "Thank you all for coming despite the tensions between your factions. We're gathered here today at Mr. Hashino's request. He wishes to meet with both guilds in conflict and help resolve your disputes."
Feeling Kisuke surround the whole room with his energy, he understood they were getting isolated from the exterior. However, uncertain of the limits of the latter's powers, he added his own layer of isolation around Kisuke's.
'Perfect. Now, communication with the exterior are closed off.'
Sora looked up from the papers he was skimming and raised his hand slightly, signaling he wanted to speak. After a nod from Kisuke, he addressed the members of the [GODS] guild. "Is everyone here? Where is Hannah Stone?"
Noticing the discomfort on McCall's face, Sora turned his gaze to his wife, who indicated she would answer.
"Hannah isn't available at the moment. She would've liked to be here, but, she also had something important coming up at the last minute," she said, taking the opportunity to throw a little jab about his lateness.
Sora remained impassive, keeping Hannah's absence in mind as he adjusted his strategy.
'What is that madwoman up to now?' he wondered, curious.
Kisuke spoke again. "This meeting is exceptional. Its purpose isn't to assign blame, but to assess whether some form of stability can still be restored."
He turned to Kim Dong. "Could you state your demands and expectations for these negotiations?"
Kim looked at his colleagues, then spoke. "We don't need much. Just Hannah's head."
Caitlyn Rock stiffened. "Hannah's head? You do realize she's the guild leader, right?"
Emily shook her head. "You know exactly what she's done. She enslaved thousands of players, killed an absurd number of them, and tried to assassinate both Alius and Hope here. And that was before the update! After the patch, she massacred part of her own guild, subjugated thousands of new players, and declared war on Alius and Hope. Are you seriously going to keep pretending she's clean?"
Edward McCall's expression didn't tighten like Caitlyn's. Instead, he offered a faint smile. "You're accusing Miss Stone of quite a lot, but half the evidence comes from her sworn enemy, Alius… What makes you so sure he didn't fabricate it all?"
Morgan was the next to speak, "Do you think everyone is like you damn politics?! You know Hannah massacred my faction and made the others submit!!"
Alius smiled and simply looked toward Kisuke.
The latter sighed and spoke again. "If you'd prefer, we can move to my [Chamber of Truths], and you'll have the certainty that everyone speaks honestly."
Edward looked displeased at the suggestion. "Let's not play those games then. Everyone here has things they'd rather keep to themselves. Let's settle this like civilized people."
After a long sigh, Caitlyn spoke up. "We're aware of the mistakes Hannah has made. She has her flaws, but deep down she's not a truly bad person. She shares our goal, and it's thanks to her that New York and Los Angeles managed to adapt last month. Like Alius and Sora Hashino here, she represents a real chance for humanity to make it through."
Emily stood up, smashed the table before she burst out laughing. "Deep down? Not a bad person? Are you out of your mind?!"
Kisuke shot her a dark look. "Let's not forget the basic rules of this meeting. If you're not willing to cooperate, I'm leaving."
Emily crossed her arms and looked away. "She's the one spouting nonsense. Everyone knows Hannah is a psychopath."
Sora repaired the table using the [Time] element, then used the silence and awe to step in. "What would you accept in exchange for honoring [ARAM]'s request?"
Caitlyn and Edward remained silent for a moment, exchanging a long glance. Sora quickly realized they were speaking telepathically.
Caitlyn was the first to respond. "North America rests on our shoulders. Hannah has a devoted following. Removing her would come with consequences for all Americans. It's our responsibility to ensure survival and stability for our people. Even if it means signing a pact with the devil."
"This is all hypothetical, of course, but we'll explain why your request is simply unfeasible. If we agree to it, we'd be turning against Hannah and all her apostles. Her faction is so powerful and deeply rooted that the moment we betray her, every structure and dimension built to house Americans will be destroyed. They are the ones that built everything."
"Unthinkable sums of money will disappear. The guild vault is under her control, and we no longer have access to it. Stacks of treasures will be locked away, out of reach."
"The spies she's planted across every structure and military unit in the country will become our enemies and poison our institutions from within."
"During wartime, once these thirty days of war are over, we'll have no means of gaining experience. We'll once again be vulnerable to our enemies."
"For all these reasons, Hannah and her faction are now inseparable from our nation."
Sora stayed silent, surprised by her honesty. 'I've spent the past twenty-four hours investigating, and I never thought Caitlyn Rock was this reasonable. Hannah must've really pushed her to the edge for her to start venting like this.'
'And it seems like there's no contract binding them with Hannah, or they'd be unable to say all of this.' He thought.
He smiled at her and offered, "What if I solved those problems for you? Let Alius take care of Hannah and her people, and I'll make sure you have the tools to manage New York and Los Angeles. In the future, you won't need them or any foreign forces to build dimensions. You'll have a way to develop your forces even during wartime, and I'll prove to you that there are no more spies among your ranks. And as for the [GODS] vaults, what's in there that makes you hesitate so much?"
Edward didn't respond for a long time.
Sora sighed, and guessed, "All the [Arks] collected by [GODS]… and most of your own [Arks] as well, right?"
Edward and Caitlyn stiffened and looked each other in the eye. Sora understood they were once again communicating telepathically but didn't intervene.
'That's a piece of information very few people have access to… but I managed to catch someone high up in [GODS] this morning and got them to spill everything,' he thought.
He also knew no one would trace it back to him because he had erased every trace of his presence from the victim's memory.
Tired of waiting for the couple's reply, he said, "What if I told you that wouldn't be a problem either? That whether or not the [Arks] in Hannah's possession are recovered doesn't matter."
Noticing the surprise and doubt in their eyes, Sora pulled an item from his inventory.
[Haven of Peace] (Tier 1)
"Oh my God!" Caitlyn exclaimed.
Edward nodded and spoke after a few seconds. "How did you acquire this? Did you take it from an enemy?"
Remembering the tears in his parents' eyes when they saw him alive, Sora sighed. 'To think they were harassed after my death a month ago, with people taking turns to keep watch on them…'
Having learned how his parents had been treated during his absence, Sora did his best to stay calm. "It doesn't matter how I got it… I investigated everything that happened this past month, and you're not innocent either. Hannah may be an easy target to put the blame on, but you both know what you did. To the Swanson family, for example."
The couple flinched at the mention of the name "Swanson."
Feeling Sora's piercing gaze, Caitlyn defended herself. "We had no choice! There was a strong chance that couple held the key to saving millions. We just wanted answers. We didn't harm them!"
Sora gave a cold smile. "And that gave you the right to threaten them in their own house?"
Edward shook his head. "We had no intention of hurting them. We just wanted to know whether or not they had Ralph Eden's [Ark]… If you did your research, you know we left them alone not long after."
Sora remained expressionless, but his thoughts were elsewhere. 'Indeed… Other forces took over to make their life hell. I'll personally deal with every rat who went after them. That'll teach them not to mess with my family.'
Edward broke the silence that followed. "We were forced to trade our [Arks] one by one to establish shelters for our citizens and ensure the survival of as many people as possible. We've made great sacrifices for the greater good."
Sora smiled. "Such noble words… Shall I remind you of the terms of the 'Ark 2 agreement'?" He ignored their stunned expressions and continued. "In exchange for one [Ark], you asked for help leveling up… In exchange for another, you secured 15% of the guild's revenue from selling apartments and houses in New York City and Los Angeles. Should I go on and list how much wealth you've accumulated this past month—and what you've done with it—or would you rather I stop here?"