Chapter 63

Travis Tyrell, CEO of PetroLink Global, now a subsidiary of Unity Corp, paced around his spacious downtown office. He had just finished convincing the board of directors that yes, renouncing their independence to go under the control of a newly made, small, insignificant company with no assets owned by a nobody was in their best interest. And not just that, but also that they would have to figure out how to go about it and make it work, else they be booted out of the company altogether. To be fair, the benefits he offered them, with Michael’s approval of course, were nothing short of staggering. By now word had gotten out of what happened to people who went to Saint Hernest medical care facility, and telling someone that they had guaranteed spots there for themselves and their family was like promising them nigh-immortality from all but old age.

And Travis knew, old age wouldn’t be a problem for much longer if Dr Kavins report was to be believed.

Other coercive methods had also helped perhaps even more so than money and shares and the promise of good health. Where positive incentive failed, the opposite almost always succeeded to the point where a combination of the two was basically invincible. Being able to uncover secrets about people by snooping around their homes, now that Travis had learned to teleport without setting the nearby furniture on fire, was not something to be underestimated.

Hell, he had even tried to use said power to aid his investigations on that odious woman Carmela. It had backfired splendidly, the blurry man on him in a matter of moments, forcing him to expend an emergency charge to get out of dodge quickly. This at least confirmed his suspicions: the man worked for her.

I need to ask Michael for more coins, and I need to tell him it’s time we deal with the Carmela situation. I refuse to be defeated by that woman. We are a fucking megacorporation, for fucks sake.

He kept pacing around the large meeting table. His secretary, who could see him through the glass pane that separated her room from the meeting room, had joked that he was digging a moat with all his walking. These days, it seemed like walking around the table had become a staple of his time in his downtown office.

Ever since he met Michael his mundane problems had been replaced by much worse problems, it seemed. And yet, he couldn’t help but feel excitement coursing through his veins like the lightning of his magic card. The future might be dangerous and scary, but it sure as hell wasn’t going to be boring.

He looked at the stack of papers sitting on the glass table. It was a thick binder, with a huge stamp in angry, dangerous red that read: “REDACTED” at the top. Currently, only a few people could be allowed to read said documents, under threat of death or imprisonment. It was a short list consisting of himself, his secretary Linda, Old Dave and his secretary, Michael, Johanne, Trevor and Jennifer from the security division of Unity.

Who would enforce death or imprisonment? Himself, for now. But the security division of Unity was being formed and would take over as soon as possible.

The security division would also be the arm with which Unity would exert control over the world. Under the guise of nothing else but the charity division: Candle Light. Michael had been genius when he came up with the idea, the potential of such an arrangement limitless.

Candle Light would operate in the light, doing help and charity where it was needed. Of course, it would also be a smokescreen so that the security division could sweep in and actually get to work where it was needed, containing magical phenomena before they could spread to public awareness. In the changing world, secrecy was paramount. Securing the resources, using them for Unity’s benefit and containing the dangerous ones was the next logical step. Even should secrecy become impossible, they had to ensure Unity’s iron control over all matters magical as soon as possible. In such events, Candle Light was even more important. By making sure the public saw just how much effort Unity was expending through its Candle Light division to make sure they were safe, that all dangers were contained and that whatever knowledge they gained would be used for the betterment of mankind, Unity’s reputation would soar.

Travis’ attention returned to the dossier on his table. Michael had been wrong in his assumption about the mana leaking out of the dungeon, and Travis had only found out about it by accident. The affected area was not a circle around the dungeon but an ellipse, and its tail was about to reach a small town. This dossier would be, together with his spoken report, the proof of concept that the new division was the perfect cover for supernatural operations. He picked it up.

***

Candle Light: CL-001, “Area of Influence”

Magic Class: Copper.

Danger Rating: Iron.

Containment: Containment of CL-001 is currently unfeasible. Continuous monitoring protocols have been established, however they require technology or powered personnel we do not currently possess.

Description: CL-001, designated "Area of Influence," is an anomalous region with an elliptical shape centered at coordinates ██.██████, -██.██████. The area is influenced by CL-000, an anomaly located at the southern focus of the ellipse. See file CL-000, “Entrance to Hell”, for more information. Due to this influence, the affected area exhibits continuous expansion.

Within the confines of CL-001, the ambient concentration of mana is significantly elevated, currently peaking at 12 Copper units per cubic meter in proximity to CL-000. The distribution and gradient of mana concentration across the area are detailed in Document CL-001.01. Current data is insufficient to create a model predicting the increase in mana levels.

Due to insufficient detection technology, existing measurements are considered inaccurate and outdated.

Pending Tasks:

* Comprehensive analysis of water, soil, and local wildlife within CL-001's boundaries.

* Ongoing efforts to acquire and implement advanced mana detection equipment.

Inhabitants of CL-001 include ethereal entities classified as CL-001-01. These entities exhibit free movement within the influenced area but are unable to traverse its boundaries or interact with physical matter. Continued surveillance and experimental trials are planned to further understand the nature and limitations of CL-001-01.

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ADDENDUM CL-001.01: it is estimated that [REDACTED] will come under the effect of CL-001 as soon as August 3rd 2023. Necessary action is being planned and will require involvement of Level-0-Operator “Owner” as well as Level-1-Operator “Fleeting Man” on standby.

***

Travis put the rest of the report down. Pages upon pages, written by him personally documenting his findings, his exploration of the affected area, and towards the end of the document, his theories and plans should things take an unexpected turn. There were plans should the area reach a population center, should the beings inside the mana cloud turn hostile, and more.

This was going to be the template with which the Candle Light division would operate, in tandem with the Security division, to ensure that Michael’s vision could be made into reality: to protect the people and use whatever they learned for the betterment of the human race.

No, Travis thought with a frown, for all sentient races. Michael had been clear on that point. Even though Travis had never personally encountered another sentient being yet, Michael had mentioned their existence on the second floor of the dungeon, which he still liked to call Hell for sentimental purposes, and his wording led Travis to believe that there might be a way for them to leave the dungeon altogether.

He sighed. This was going to make his work much harder. But, as the head of the Candle Light division, he would find a way to make it work. Hopefully Michael would not get strange ideas like take goblins out of the dungeon and let them settle somewhere on Earth and hope for the best. Not without a plan, and not before Travis had a chance to cement Candle Light as a benefactor in the eyes of the whole world.

There were other dossiers on the table as well. Michael had mentioned wanting charity projects, and that’s exactly what Travis was bending his considerable resources towards. However, they were not just random charity projects. No, all that Candle Light did had to be for the good of Unity, otherwise it would be a waste of money.

For now, he was starting small. Find promising young people who were in a bad point in life, for a reason or another, and give them a helping hand. Free of charge, free of legal strings. It was the emotional strings that mattered. There was a lead problem in the piping of that small rural town? No problem, let it be known that Candle Light is paying for the new pipes. What did they want in return? Nothing, but perhaps one day Unity might look into buying property around town, and perhaps said property might see a couple labs built underground that need staffing. Who knows?

Deforestation? Unity would buy the land and replant the trees. Why not invest in underground hydro and aeroponic farms while at it? Nobody would need to know about the labs three levels below the farms.

There was a dire need for water wells in a tiny village in Zambia. No problem, Candle Light had money to move heaven and earth. In return? Nothing, we love seeing the future potential of the village realized. In fact, why not give your village electricity, running water, a school and a connection to the internet? Thanks to Travis, Unity Corp had money to do that and more, and the future development of the land, by Unity, would return the investment a thousand-fold.

It would be unreasonable to think that spending money on random things like that made any sense for any company. But Candle Light was not a division of a normal company. There was no telling what Michael might need in the future as he brought magic out of the dungeon, and thus Travis made sure to grab a little bit of everything. Set plans in motion. The useful ones would be developed, the others? There was no true waste, for even the ‘useless’ investments were a good way to improve Unity’s brand image.

Travis imagined it. A new company, coming out of nowhere. They take over an oil megacorp and begin using their money for good. They do a lot of charity, change a lot of lives for the better. They even save the local businesses who were in a rough patch, offering to buy their debt without replacing anyone working there.

Then, one day, Unity announces this big new revolutionary product. Based on some sketchy tech that might or might not be magic. But Unity’s reputation is so good, they even turned an evil oil corporation into a benefactor! How could the population not be willing to at least give them a try? Depending on what Michael came up with, Travis would adjust course.

Good plans, and Travis was loving every second of it. No matter the little moat he was digging on the ground around the large glass table.

***

“Mr Naoshida, come on in!” said Travis, getting up from his Herman Miller chair at the head of the glass table. “Would you like a refreshment?”

“I’ll take some water, thank you,” the middle aged man said. He looked older than he was, with the way his greying hair contrasted with his bright blue business suit. Travis made a mental note about offering the man rejuvenation treatment at Saint Hernest. It did not add to lifespan, but it increased healthspan by a considerable margin, Old Dave being the living proof.

“Mister Chestermill vouched for you, Mister Tyrell, but I find myself wondering: what would make me so interesting to you that you would be willing to fly me here all the way from Japan?”

Travis’ smile was predatory. “You deal in military technology, Mr Naoshida, don’t you? We have a mutual acquaintance, I believe, other than David of course. Carmela Esposito? Was she not the one who put you in touch with the miracle doctor who had your daughter cured?”

The man’s eyes narrowed. “I have been instructed not to have dealings with that woman anymore, and to consider my debt repaid. I know who you work for, Mister Tyrell. The man at the head, what you called the miracle doctor. Do you perhaps mean to say that such debt is still there?”

“Of course not,” said Travis, “I wouldn’t dare. We at Unity believe in strong moral integrity above all. The CEO, you have met him, you know his type. You had our word, and thus your debt is paid. However,” he trailed off for a moment, “we are interested in your company.”

“Not even you have the kind of money required to buy me out of my own company, tycoon. Keep your oil money, I am not interested in dirty cash.”

“Well,” Travis did not let any expression appear on his face, “strong words coming from you. But I will pretend not to have heard, is just an unfortunate misunderstanding after all, Mr Naoshida. I will pretend not to have heard of your insult, and instead show you what I mean by our interest.”

He slid a stack of papers across the table, then pretended to be interested in the vista while the other man read through it.

“This,” Mr Naoshida began.

Travis unclasped his hands from his back as he turned away from the window but did not take his seat.

“This is unbelievable. Had I not witnessed it myself…”

“That is precisely why I had you fly all the way here from Japan.”

The man took a deep breath. “Mutual cooperation. Tell me if I understood it correctly, mister Tyrell. You wish for us to supply your many divisions with technology the world—you in particular—shouldn’t even know exists yet, and in exchange you are willing to offer us first pickings on any magical technology you come up with?”

“Second pickings,” Travis said, “Unity always comes first. And there are strings attached. I believe you should be made aware of it. Consider it a personal favor of mine.”

“Of course,” the man said without breaking composure, “I can read the fine print. Especially with how you somehow seem to know secrets I have not shared even with my closest collaborators. Very well, I shall think about it.”

“Be quick about it,” said Travis, “you might think the CEO is a naïve man for it, but he is very hands off with his company. He knows his limits, and thus lets others do the work for him. Neither I nor Mr Chestermill are of the patient sort, however, so consider the matter carefully.”

With that, Mr Naoshida was dismissed. The man left with naught a word, and Travis watched him enter his limo and be driven off to the airport, back to Japan.

He’s ours, he thought. He came here all the way from Japan. We might have paid for the trip, but he lost hundreds of thousands of dollars just from the waste of time alone. He will say yes.