Chapter 92: Negotiations (4)

Following their initial exchange, Louis and Ron continued discussing various matters for some time before Ron eventually departed with a promise to contact them again soon.

The curious members of the Wish Tower squad rushed towards Louis as soon as they saw Ron leave. Dexter spoke on behalf of everyone.

”…So what exactly did you talk about?”

“We made a deal—or rather, I initiated negotiations.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s nothing much. Just…”

Louis provided a brief explanation. The others’ eyes widened upon hearing his account.

Dexter stammered, “S-so…you’re saying you know how to fix the issues with the secondary support control spell formula?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“H-how is that possible?!”

“It seems pretty self-explanatory, no?”

Louis casually shrugged off their astonishment, sending chills down Dexter’s spine. Louis possessed an extraordinary talent beyond human limits. The more Dexter observed him, the more amazed he became.

Dexter sighed softly and continued. “So…what exactly do you plan to do with this ability? Be satisfied with just being listed as a co-developer. If you get too ambitious, you might end up losing even that.”

Dexter was genuinely concerned for Louis. For a child to be credited as a co-developer of groundbreaking research would be an incredible achievement. However, not everything in life unfolded so positively.

Some might assume Louis had secured his position as co-developer through backroom deals rather than merit, and it was impossible to predict what consequences that could have for him. Dexter fretted over this possibility.

Louis waved off his concerns. “Don’t worry about me. I can handle it.”

“I know how intelligent you are, but…”

Seeing Dexter’s continued unease, Louis sighed.

I wanted to tell you later, but…

Considering how anxious Dexter looked, he decided there was no time like the present. Under Dexter’s gaze, Louis calmly spoke up.

“You think all of this is just for my benefit, right?”

“…?”

“What I’m doing now is for the sake of the Wish Tower.”

”…What do you mean by that?”

“You asked me what my intentions were, correct?”

“…”

“My goal is to gain access to the telekinetic conversion material we saw yesterday.”

“So…you’re offering this solution in exchange for rights to use it?”

“Yes.”

“…And what would you use it for?”

“As I’ve said, it’s for the Wish Tower.”

Louis glanced around at Victor, Douglas, Erica, and Floria. These individuals had dedicated their lives to his dream. His gaze eventually returned to Dexter.

“As you’ve witnessed, the substance reacts to the user’s mental state.”

“That’s right.”

“What if we could create metal using this substance? Or even materials resembling nerves and muscles?”

“…?!” Dexter and his disciples’ eyes widened at Louis’s suggestion, which was nothing short of revolutionary to them.

“Oh!”

“My goodness!”

“Yes! Why didn’t I think of that before?!”

Everyone exclaimed their astonishment, including Dexter, who murmured almost painfully, “Could it be…?”

“If utilized correctly, telekinetic energy conversion material might allow us to craft intricate artifacts controlled by the user’s will.”

The four disciples from the Wish Tower were brimming with excitement.

Victor’s leg, Douglas’s arm, Erica’s wings, Floria’s eyes—despite years of research, technological limitations had prevented them from achieving the level of precision they desired for these prosthetics. However, as Louis suggested, utilizing telekinetic energy conversion material made their dreams seem within reach.

However, if Louis’s idea about using telekinetic energy was feasible, their dreams might become reality after all.

Louis continued his explanation. “Furthermore, if we utilize telekinetic energy with the Transcendence Engine…”

Dexter eagerly chimed in, “…we could create a machine that moves as fluidly and precisely as a real warrior, controlled solely by the user’s will without any need for manual input.”

The excitement in Dexter’s voice was palpable.

It finally dawned on everyone what Louis meant by contributing to the Wish Tower’s goal and the grand vision he had been painting. The group had completely sobered up.

With a serious expression, Dexter asked, “Is this solution…a certainty?”

In response, Louis simply smiled brightly, which reassured Dexter, causing his eyes to light up.

“What assistance do you require?”

Late that evening, Ron contacted them. Ready and waiting, Dexter and Louis headed to the designated location arranged by Ron.

Upon arrival at their destination, guided by a disciple from the Tower of Luminosity, they found nine individuals seated around a circular table.

Present were Ron and the vice tower master of the Tower of Luminosity; Logan, Aiden, and the respective peak lords and vice tower masters of Dawn and Dusk; and three mages who had developed the telekinetic energy conversion substance.

The others already present looked puzzled as Dexter and Louis entered unannounced. Ignoring the curious stares, the two took seats at the empty end of the table. The contrast between Louis’s white hair barely peeking above it and the tense atmosphere was striking.

As Dexter gazed down at Louis’s white hair, he recalled their earlier conversation:

“I won’t interfere with these negotiations.”

“Why not?”

“The outcome will significantly alter the balance of power on this continent. It would be more appropriate for you to lead the discussions rather than me, a mere child.”

“…But Master Ron knows that it was your idea to hold these talks, doesn’t he?”

“He is perceptive enough to understand and adjust accordingly.”

“Hmm…”

“Even if Master Ron acknowledges my role, there’s no guarantee other peak lords will recognize or respect me. In fact, revealing my involvement might make them feel slighted.”

You’re right… Understood.

Don’t worry too much. If anything goes wrong, I’ll step in.

Oh boy…

Who was the adult and who was the child here? Regardless, Dexter couldn’t help but feel reassured by Louis’s presence despite his young age. He chuckled inwardly at how much he relied on him before realizing where they were and facing forward again.

Once everyone had taken their seats, the peak lord of Dawn spoke up. “Since it appears all have arrived if these two are indeed the last to join us…please enlighten us. Why did you summon us here?”

This question wasn’t just on the mind of the peak lord of Dawn; everyone except Ron, Louis, and Dexter shared the same curiosity.

Ron had secretly summoned everyone for what he claimed was an important announcement, yet even he seemed unaware of the true purpose of this gathering. His gaze shifted toward the Tower of Wishes.

“That is something the Tower of Wishes will explain.”

The others’ expressions hardened slightly at his words.

“What’s going on here?”

“Are you saying it wasn’t you who called us?” Dawn and Dusk’s peak lords looked uneasy.

They had gathered without question upon Ron’s summons due to their shared concern about the secondary control spell. They had assumed that might be the topic of discussion, but reality proved quite different from their expectations.

Meanwhile, Ron silently stared at the direction of the Wish Tower as if letting Dexter explain on his behalf. Sensing this, Dexter stood up with utmost composure and respectfully bowed to everyone present.

“I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedules for me today. I urgently needed to discuss something important, so I borrowed Master Ron’s name to convene this meeting.” Dexter’s calm voice helped ease some tension among those gathered.

“What compelled you to call us here?”

“That is…” Before Dexter could respond, Ron interrupted him.

“The Wish Tower claims they have identified issues with the secondary control spell matrix.”

Ron’s sudden revelation stunned everyone.

The vice tower master, the brightest Fragment of Luminosity, seemed equally taken aback and stammered, “I-is there a problem with the research conducted by our peak lord?”

“Yes,” Ron confirmed swiftly.

The peak lords from Dawn and Dusk urgently asked:

“Is that true?”

“What issue is it?”

“Have any of you personally experienced anything unusual while using mana sticks imbued with this secondary control formula?”

“No, I haven’t noticed anything strange.”

“Same here.”

“But at the Tower of Wishes…” Ron paused briefly before turning to Louis. “They pinpointed the exact problem quite accurately and explained it in detail.”

“…” A brief silence ensued as everyone’s thoughts raced.

The representatives from Dawn and Dusk were puzzled by Ron’s remarks. Eventually, the peak lord of Dusk voiced his curiosity.

“But how does this relate to why you’ve gathered us here…?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Dexter interrupted him.

“We wish to negotiate.”

“Negotiate? What kind of negotiations?”

“Our Tower of Wishes seeks to establish agreements regarding the use and technology transfer of telekinetic energy conversion substances.”

“What on earth is this about…?” Dexter’s statement cast a heavy atmosphere over the room.

The researchers who had been summoned without explanation, including Watt, were bewildered by this turn of events.

Ron muttered under his breath with a sigh, “Ah… So that’s why they gathered everyone here.”

It finally dawned on him why Louis insisted on assembling these individuals. The mages studying telekinetic energy conversion hailed from the ranks of the brightest Fragment of Luminosity, Dusk, and Dawn. To negotiate usage rights and technology agreements for telekinetic energy conversion materials, the decision-makers from each tower needed to be present.

Dawn’s peak lord frowned at Dexter. “Let’s skip the preamble and get straight to the point. We weren’t called here to waste time.”

“Yes, I understand why you called us here, Peak Lord Ron and Tower of Wishes… But how does your proposed solution for Master Tower Ron relate to your desire for telekinetic conversion material?” asked Aiden, clearly frustrated by the lack of clarity.

Seeing their impatience, Dexter finally revealed his true purpose. “What our Wish Tower truly desires is exclusive rights to use the telekinetic conversion material.”

“What?! Are you serious?” Aiden exclaimed loudly at Dexter’s demand.

Raising a hand to stop Aiden, the peak lord of Dawn calmly responded, “If this isn’t some kind of joke or prank after summoning us here…”

“It’s not a joke,” insisted Dexter.

“Alright, assuming the Wish Tower truly desires this…what compensation do you offer for exclusive usage rights?”

“As you know, our Wish Tower is small and lacks both funds and manpower. We cannot afford to pay outright.”

”…And so?”

“We propose compensating with a solution to the secondary control enchantment array issue.”

“How does that concern us? Ultimately, it’s your Tower of Luminosity that would benefit, isn’t it?” Aiden retorted heatedly.

Dexter responded using the exact words Louis had prepared him beforehand: “Indeed, initially, it would seem so. However… what if we offered your tower a share of the profits from the secondary control enchantment array?”

”…?!”