The supersonic aircraft soared over the ocean at an astonishing speed, and it's possible that it wasn't even at its fastest. The plane was operated by an advanced artificial intelligence system that automatically regulated most of its functions.

As the two passengers chatted, they seemed carefree and relaxed. "Mirai, are you sure it's okay for you to be drinking so much?"

Setting down his wine glass, Mirai responded, "Sure! I can easily metabolize the alcohol in my body. But I'm just a clone, the true Mirai is waiting for us at headquarters."

Adrian looked confused, "Wait, so you're not the real Mirai?"

"Technically, I'm a real body too," Mirai explained, "It's complicated to understand if you're not familiar with how my nine bodies work. We are connected in a hive mind, and one of the bodies possesses it. We can transfer possession to each other as we please. The one currently in possession of the hive mind is the one at headquarters, making him the true Mirai. If he wants to, he can dissolve the other clones and recreate us. That's why I never truly die in battle. We always have one clone go into hiding and transfer the hive mind in case all the other clones are destroyed. Does that make sense?"

"Y-yeah, I think I understand now," Adrian replied.

"Great!" Mirai smiled and raised his thumb. "By the way, Adrian, I couldn't help but notice your eye. You weren't born with it, were you?"

"Um, no, it's a power that I acquired," Adrian responded.

"Interesting. What does it do?"

"It enhances my vision and tracks movements," Adrian explained.

"That sounds oddly familiar," Mirai remarked.

"Is it?" Adrian questioned.

"Ah, we're approaching the Philippine border," Mirai noted.

Adrian gazed out the window, his lips curling up. "Wow, the view of the land at night is stunning. Even from up here, it's breathtaking."

"Agreed. I'm glad you like it," Mirai replied.

The aircraft accelerated another 30%, yet the passengers felt no sensation. Perhaps due to the marvelous engineering of this aircraft.

"Look over there, that's Manila," Mirai indicated, pointing to a colossal floating structure as the plane began to turn.

Adrian inquired solemnly, "Did you leave Japan for this?"

Mirai chuckled, "What are you talking about? I'm still a Japanese citizen. Is it wrong to work abroad?"

"Oh, sorry. I misspoke," Adrian apologized.

As they approached their destination, the two fell silent and gazed out the window, feeling somewhat awkward. Finally, the aircraft arrived at the massive floating structure.

"See, that only took a few minutes. Let's go," Mirai said, rising from his seat and opening the door. They stepped outside to be greeted by a robot dressed as a butler who knelt down.

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"Welcome, Master Mirai and Master Adrian," the robot greeted them, rising and stepping forward to collect Adrian's mask, which he calmly handed over.

"They already know me?"

"Of course, long before you became a member," Mirai replied.

"Why does that sound uncomfortable?"

He simply chuckled and answered, "You know what I mean."

As they approached the structure, Adrian was awestruck by the architectural marvel of the floating guild base. While The Archmage had a similar structure, it paled in comparison to the size of this one. Additionally, Norsa had constructed fifty-one bases, one for each state in America.

Rasen began communicating with his master internally, "This is my first time visiting one of the Phoenix Guild's bases, and I must say they are truly astonishing as described."

"I agree. This structure is truly impressive."

"Amazing may be an understatement, Master. But off-topic, wouldn't it be better to remove the mind suppression on those three?"

"Why bother? They are more useful without a will."

"I see your point, Master."

As the trio continued walking, Adrian carefully observed the surroundings. They encountered very few people, mostly players going about their business, such as applying to Phoenix Guild's subsidiaries. The staff consisted entirely of robots, serving as maintenance personnel, deployable combatants, and peacekeepers. To Adrian's knowledge, all these robots possessed a soul, making them alive, including the butler who greeted them and the ones that stopped the Gate in Singapore.

"They're all alive, right?" Adrian asked.

Mirai nodded. "Oh, the robots? Yes, they are alive."

Adrian curiously asked. "How did the Guildmaster put souls in them? It's not like he can just rip other people's souls and put them in robots."

Mirai chuckled. "Ahh… That's a complicated thing to answer. Just ask him later. But if I recall correctly, all the souls needed for these robots are from Alexander, the one you know as The Unkillable Demon King. I don't know how, though. Only two of them know the process."

Adrian was surprised. "Then, is he here, and the former guildmaster?"

"Sorry, but no. They're busybodies. Alexander's two children are here, though. If that'll make you feel better?"

Disappointed, his head dropped down a little. "I see. That's okay, I guess."

Mirai was quick to cheer him up. "Come on! We've gathered to greet our new member, and you'll be disappointed like that?"

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, sorry."

Soon, they arrived in front of the main door of a large, three-story building and went inside. They went up one more level using the lift and arrived in front of the only massive door in that whole level.

"All the other Masters and Misses are waiting inside," the butler said.

"Okay, open it," Mirai replied. "I'll be going then. See you again in a bit!" He waved slightly to Adrian before stepping back into the lift. As Mirai disappeared from view, the butler pushed open the heavy door slowly, adding to the grandeur of the entrance.

"Welcome to the Phoenix Guild," the butler announced.

Adrian was taken aback by the sight of the ten people waiting inside. Norsa was seated in the center behind a large round table and greeted him first. "Yo, Adrian. You're finally here. It's been a long day, hasn't it?"

"Indeed, Guildmaster, you are correct," Adrian replied with a poise that exuded an air of dignity. He slightly bowed to acknowledge the presence of the powerful figures surrounding him.

"Ah, of course, proper etiquette," the Guildmaster responded, motioning for Adrian to take a seat in the chair closest to him.

As Adrian settled into his seat, he couldn't help but feel the weight of the ten pairs of eyes trained on him from across the room, intensifying the pressure he already felt.

"Pedro, introduce us. Even if Adrian knows all us, it's still proper to do some introduction."

"As you wish, Master. From the highest status, in descending order:

Human, Allspark, The current Guildmaster of the Phoenix Guild, Norsa.

Mechanicus, Emissary of the Mechanicus, Rozajeld.

Transcendent, Master of the Tower of Miracle, Zain Crowfell.

Human, The Nurturer, Yuna Song.

Human, Pinnacle Blacksmith, Soei Fujiwara.

Celestial Incarnation, Heimdall, Mirai Fujiwara.

Human, Blast, Yang Lingxin.

Human, Monster God, Arjun Kumar.

Human, Indestructible Body, Ethan Clark.

Dragonoid, Demonic Dragon, Luke Reyes.

Human, The Prodigy, Alejandro Reyes.

That's all."

Norsa then exclaimed, "All right! With all of that out of the way, I now finally welcome you as a member of the Phoenix Guild!"