“They feel… wrong,” Emily said slowly. “It’s as though they don’t mean the things they’re saying. It’s hard to explain. Their words are nice, but inside… it feels cold.”
“Is that your intuition?” Alice asked.
Emily nodded. “Yes.”
Isaac spoke calmly. “Emily’s instincts are usually sharp. Especially about people.”
Alice didn’t reply immediately. She looked toward the crowd, where the same people who had greeted her were now chatting and laughing among themselves.
“…I thought something felt off,” she said quietly. “But I didn’t want to assume.”
“It’s good that you didn’t,” Isaac said. “But it’s also good that you’re aware now.”
Alice let out a quiet breath, something between a sigh and a scoff.
“So this is how it is,” she murmured. “Now that I’m useful again…”
Isaac didn’t comment. He simply stood beside her, offering silent support.
Emily stepped forward and gently took Alice’s hand.
“We’re still here,” she said. “You’re not alone.”
They stood like that for a short while, watching the crowd with guarded eyes. None of them spoke. But the silence between them said more than any conversation could.
Isaac hadn’t told them something.
The behavior of the guests felt off, even if they were buttering up Alice.
Alice’s awakening had been kept a secret. It wasn’t public knowledge.
Only a handful of high-ranking figures within the Sanctum of Masters and the Calloway Conglomerate were aware.
Yet almost everyone in the banquet was treating Alice with new respect.
They weren’t just polite. They were actively engaging her, complimenting her, and showing the kind of attitude reserved for someone with value.
Even more confusing was the lack of hostility.
The faction loyal to Selene, the ones who had once supported her over Alice, should’ve reacted.
At the very least, they should’ve been cold or indifferent toward Alice.
Rumors of conflict between Isaac and Selene had only just begun to fade. Those tensions should’ve surfaced in subtle ways.
But there was none of that.
Everyone was friendly. Too friendly.
Isaac had an explanation for everything. Maybe everyone was putting on the usual masks that came with business and politics.
But it was still strange.
All of them?
Not a single person slipped up? Not a hostile glance, a twitch, a comment out of place?
People weren’t machines. They were emotional, and flawed. Even trained professionals occasionally let something show.
But these guests? They behaved like a script had been handed out before the banquet, or as if someone or something was controlling them.
Isaac was deep in thought when a familiar presence approached from behind. He didn’t need to turn to know who it was.
Chairman Lucius.
“Good evening,” the older man said with a cheerful tone.
Isaac turned to face him. The chairman wore a charcoal gray suit with faint blue lining, sharp and formal without being flashy.
“You’re looking well, Alice,” Lucius said with genuine warmth. “And you too, Emily. I see the banquet has been treating you kindly.”
Emily smiled politely. “Thank you, uncle.”
Lucius smiled brightly when she called him uncle. While he had spent only a day at Isaac’s house, Emily had already won him over, and he thought of her like his daughter, especially knowing how much she had helped Alice.
He turned his attention to Isaac. “I am glad you made it here. I hope the trip here wasn’t difficult.”
“Not at all,” Isaac replied. “I’m also happy to be here. People here have been welcoming.”
For a brief second, Lucius’s smile flickered. His expression shifted almost imperceptibly. Then, just as quickly, the smile returned.
That flicker was enough.
Isaac caught it. Something was bothering the chairman too, even if he didn’t say it aloud.
But Lucius didn’t bring it up.
“We’ve got some time before the main announcements,” Lucius said, gesturing toward the ballroom. “Come with me. I’d like to introduce you to a few important figures.”
Isaac glanced back at Emily and Alice. Emily gave a small nod.
“Go ahead,” she said. “I want to look around a bit.”
Alice added, “I’ll be here. Just need a break from people for a while.”
Isaac nodded and followed Lucius.
The chairman moved through the hall with ease, exchanging greetings as they passed by small groups and clusters. Most people stepped aside when they saw him coming, giving subtle nods of respect.
“This kind of setting,” Lucius said without slowing, “is where most major decisions are made. Not in boardrooms. Not in official statements. Right here, during banquets like this.”
“I see,” Isaac said, walking beside him.
Lucius began introducing him to key individuals.
One was the governor of Fortified City 82, the second city under humanity’s control. He was a prestigious guest since humanity had only four Fortified Cities, and only four governors.
Another person they met was the head of a major resource guild in Sector 11. These people would delve deep into wilderness regularly.
There were leaders from the eastern defense networks, celebrity business figures who handled large-scale logistics, and several high-ranking Awakeners with influence across multiple sectors.
Some recognized Isaac right away.
“You’re the SSS-rank farmer, aren’t you?”
“I’ve heard stories about your crops. They sound impossible.”
“Do you really grow full harvests in days?”
Isaac answered with the same steady tone. “Yes, I’m the one managing those farms. The results are accurate.”
He didn’t overplay it. But he didn’t downplay himself either.
He spoke politely, without sounding arrogant.
No one brought up the SSS+ rank. That information was tightly held by the upper echelons of the Sanctum. The fact that no one mentioned it reassured him that confidentiality had been kept.
Still, it was strange to see so many influential people showing such immediate interest.
Lucius guided him smoothly between groups. The chairman would offer a short introduction, step back just enough to let Isaac speak, then steer the conversation when needed.
It was intentional on his part.
Isaac understood what was happening.
Lucius was building his public image, helping him network, getting him used to these kinds of interactions, not just as a guest, but as a figure who would soon meet these people regularly.
This kind of exposure would take months, or years, to arrange on his own.
“Thanks,” Isaac said quietly during a pause.
Lucius looked over with a small smile. “For what?”
“For doing this.”
Lucius raised an eyebrow, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
They returned to the main hall a short while later.
The atmosphere had settled, though the crowd had grown larger. More guests had arrived. The music softened into a quiet hum in the background.
Emily was near a window, pointing out something to a passing guest. Her excitement hadn’t dulled. Whatever she was saying made the old woman laugh, though it was clear she was more interested in the view outside than small talk.
Alice sat at a table not far from her with a half-empty glass in her hand. She wasn’t drinking much, just enough to not seem rude.
Her eyes followed Emily from time to time, watching over her like an older sister making sure everything stayed under control.
A short while later, Lucius spoke again.
“It’s time.”
Alice stood. She looked at Isaac. “I have to go. It’s about the decision I made with my uncle and Selene.”
