Without any obstacles now preventing me from officially making the city mine, I moved on to the next topic on the agenda. The summoning site.

Leaving it here in Nova would have been an option, but I wasn't comfortable with that. Our base of operations wouldn't be here, and the bulk of our defenses would be right in the dungeon’s core.

If the city ever fell, we couldn't afford the summoning site falling into our enemy's hands. It had to be within our control, and we had to be able to quickly summon reinforcements if we ever had them.

I used the System to communicate with Yasmin—yet another use of it that I was glad existed. Undeniably, there was potential behind the invention if used correctly. Sadly, whoever had created it, though, had decided to abuse its features.

While Yasmin was coming, I decided to explore the Church. It had always felt devoid of life, minimalist to an extreme that made you feel sick. Now, however, it was close to creepy. A ghost town that had been abandoned by all its residents and workers. No one remained behind. Only the white walls loomed over the poor souls that walked alongside them.

I found the summoning site at the exact same place as the last time. Unguarded and with all the equipment waiting for me. And I understood why it was still there: the number of tubes, cables, machines, and control panels in there was crazy.

Only if you knew what you were doing would you be able to dismantle all of it without causing a catastrophe. Without spreading corruption and creating a dungeon, to be exact. If it weren’t because we needed to use it and because I could still not spread corruption reliably, I would have been tempted to intentionally sabotage it.

Yasmin was efficient at a level I didn’t think I could ever reach. When she arrived at the room, she did so accompanied by a few other people. Since she had already known what we would have to take, she came prepared with a crew to start moving.

Watching was all I could do. She started yelling orders left and right and getting everyone into action. A well-oiled machine orchestrated by an [Administator]. I was unsure of the System’s role in her work, but I supposed it somehow pointed her to the obvious gaps and how to utilize her resources to fill them.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

In a few hours, everything had been removed from the city and was on its way to our dungeon. Far more efficient and faster than I had ever expected.

Maybe I should have stayed in the city to address the millions of questions everyone had, but that would have to wait. One day of it was enough; I wasn’t about to repeat it again. I ran as fast as I could to catch up with Yasmin and join her on our way back.

“What are you going to do?” Yasmin asked after a long and awkward silence.

I knew what she meant. Her normal self—happy and full of energy—was nowhere to be seen. Since we had started walking back, she had been quiet, staring straight and occasionally stealing some peeks at me.

Claudia, what else if not that?

“Honestly, I don’t want to see her. I would prefer going back to the city and diving into the sea of questions. I’m still hurt that she lied, even if I understand why she did.”

I sighed. I knew what was going to happen.

“Is she as knowledgeable about corruption as it looks?”

She nodded.

“Will she have the answers I’m looking for?”

She nodded again.

“Do you put your life on the line for her?”

That was the crucial question. I was done with blindly trusting people and with being manipulated. This was not a question of faith; it was about accountability. I would summon her on the condition that she would be useful and not betray me.

But she nodded again without a single second of hesitation.

“I’ve never met anyone who knows more about corruption than her,” she said. “Even there in Velmar Six she was appointed the head of research. If anyone can help you, it’s her.”

We kept walking for a few more seconds until I stopped and looked at her directly in the eyes.

“I chose to trust you when you joined me in my quest for power. I’ll trust you again. Don’t fail me.”

It was not a light decision I was making. Every hair on my body was standing on its end. My mind was screaming at me not to do it again. Not to trust. But I ignored all of it.

For my plan to work, I needed Claudia and the secrets about corruption. I had to learn how to spread and manipulate corruption. By any means necessary. I would deal with the consequences afterward, no matter the outcome.

We were silent again, and we were all the way to the dungeon and even when setting up the site. She had been brave and charged forward, trusting Claudia with her life. But, right now, all this confidence seemed no more than bravado without substance.

“I’ll pay the cost,” Yasmin said. The equipment was ready, and we moved into position.

Let’s begin!