Zero to Peak: Ascension Online

"Excellent. I always knew you possessed a sharp intellect," Silver said, still maintaining his disarmingly childish smile.

He casually paced to the left. "My son has returned from the arduous Long Journey. I trust you are familiar with the knowledge about it." He gazed intently at Brainboss_7, only to be met with an utterly impassive expression.

He continued, "To my profound delight, he returned as a special character. Regrettably, however, he lacks the refined finesse of a seasoned adventurer such as yourself. I know you would undoubtedly argue that you have endured countless perilous adventures that meticulously forged you into the formidable individual you currently are, but for now, let us bypass that discussion.

"I have now confiscated these valuable cards, thereby rendering any ongoing trade utterly null and void. This, by extension, implies that the card you previously acquired was, in fact, stolen property. The sole means to rectify this precarious situation is for you to accept my son as a personal ward under your direct supervision."

Silver tilted his head diagonally, his gaze expectant, awaiting a definitive reply.

"I am not a baby sitter," Brainboss stated fluidly and with chilling detachment. "I will do my best but if your son eventually dies under my watch, that is his fault not mine."

"I am genuinely surprised by your swift acceptance. I had anticipated a degree of spirited resistance," Silver remarked, before casually tossing the two class cards back to a bewildered Alcaraz.

Brainboss calmly headed for the imposing door. "You did state your aversion to germs," he mused aloud. "I have no desire to witness a germaphobe's reaction to soiling their hands."

Thankfully, he encountered no further resistance. He safely departed the grand living room and swiftly exited the mansion, utilising a teleportation artefact he carried.

Silver quietly gazed at Brainboss_7's retreating back as he exited the sprawling mansion. Then, his piercing gaze settled upon Alcaraz. Alcaraz shifted uneasily on the plush sofa, his eyes deliberately averting contact with his boss's intense stare.

"You are consistently proving yourself to be an increasingly indispensable asset," Silver declared, before calmly exiting the mansion through the ornate living room's door.

Alcaraz remained uncertain how to truly interpret his boss's enigmatic words about him. He felt a perplexing mix of profound fear and fleeting comfort, though the former sensation undeniably predominated.

At the revered Church of Serenity, Section 1, Pope Sarr Afram was presiding over a solemn mass. Draped in a flowing black cassock, with a dark, beaded rosary hanging conspicuously around his neck and a majestic papal tiara adorning his head, the venerable pope stood at the grand altar, leading the sacred ceremony. Accompanying him at the altar were the diligent altar servers, a modest mix of young adults—both male and female, though predominantly female—all draped in pristine white albs. These devout altar servers knelt reverently behind the Pope at the altar, their hands piously clasped together near their chests, their eyes serenely closed.

Over one thousand fervent supplicants had gathered in the enormous, intricately ornate cathedral to attend the sacred mass. Just like the dedicated altar servers, they remained on their knees, their hands piously clasped near their chests, positioned close to the polished wooden pews where they were seated.

Pope Afram declared in a captivating and profoundly inspiring voice, "The benevolent goddess is the very embodiment of pure love and boundless hope. Seek her divine blessings, and you shall assuredly receive. Seek her divine blessings, and your earthly problems shall be no more. Seek her divine blessings, and your profound happiness shall know no bounds. Praise be to Serenity!"

The assembled supplicants all responded with a resounding chorus of loud praise to the goddess.

The solemn mass continued for precisely thirty minutes before drawing to its conclusion. The multitude of supplicants and the diligent altar servers gently streamed out of the grand cathedral, yet the venerable Pope still stood at the altar, observing the departing faithful with a benevolent, expansive smile gracing his face.

A clergyman approached the Pope. "Your Holiness, light of Serenity," he intoned respectfully.

"May the goddess bless you," Pope Afram responded, placing his hands gently on the back of the bowing clergyman.

"I bear disturbing news, Your Holiness."

The Pope's brow furrowed slightly, yet his serene smile remained undisturbed.

"Roger, the esteemed pillar of faith, has unfortunately become embroiled in a rather delicate scandal. He... he fornicated with someone's girlfriend," the clergyman paused, giving a second, cautious thought to the social status of the lady he was reporting. "The lady he became involved with had a misunderstanding with her boyfriend, which, regrettably, contributed to Roger's shortcoming."

The Pope maintained his unwavering smile. "Has this news disseminated widely?" he inquired calmly.

"It has not, Your Holiness. I learned of this unfortunate news because a devout believer had reported to our branch church at Section 2.5 that Roger was physically assaulted this morning. Roger was promptly contacted, and he subsequently came in and confessed his sin, thereby revealing the entire distressing story."

"No one is truly perfect," the Pope mused gently. "We can only strive for unwavering righteousness and the abundant blessings of Serenity. Ensure this sensitive news does not spread; it possesses the potential to profoundly shake the steadfast belief and minds of our devoted believers. Furthermore, ensure that Roger receives thorough and compassionate counselling. Then, make immediate arrangements for him to come over to this region; he will make a special, prominent appearance in the upcoming crusade next week."

The clergyman bowed deeply. "It shall be done, Your Holiness. For the eternal glory of the Goddess."

The Pope was once again left alone at the grand altar. A significant number of supplicants were yet to depart the vast building. His Holiness Afram stood perfectly still, his gaze serenely watching them gradually leave.

At the Authority Place, Section 1, the official residence and administrative hub of the elected governor, His Excellency Gregor Telles, Governor of Section 1, sat slumped in his opulent office. A weary, deeply troubled, and utterly crestfallen expression marred his features. Being the governor of this tumultuous Section 1 was, for him, an unceasing nightmare. He and his beleaguered government found themselves under the constant, insidious threat of being violently usurped by the formidable Tohzzembe Grand Mafia, the zealous Goddess of Serenity's Faction, and the enigmatic Unds, who, despite being a minority, exerted a peculiar influence within the region.

The Tohzzembe Grand Mafia, powerfully backed by a cabal of selfish, avaricious tycoons, vehemently desired the government to be usurped, aiming to usher in a chaotic state of widespread anarchism. In this lawless state, these ruthless tycoons would remain entirely unregulated, free to act precisely as they pleased without suffering any punitive consequences for their egregious breaches of the law. Furthermore, they could exploit this chaotic opportunity to exert absolute control over various lucrative regions within Section 1, thereby exponentially boosting their already immense profits.

On the other hand stood the Goddess of Serenity's Faction, intensely focused on unseating Governor Telles due to his deeply entrenched corrupt practices. The Governor had, four years prior, illicitly partnered with the powerful Tohzzembe Mafia to ensure his victory in the hotly contested gubernatorial election and his subsequent ascension to the governorship. Extensive, clandestine lobbying and ruthless elimination of rivals had been undertaken to achieve that goal, and the Goddess's vigilant faction was acutely aware of these dark machinations. They had attempted to impeach him on several occasions, but there was always a cunning legal loophole that consistently impeded the impeachment process.

Unfortunately for the beleaguered Governor Telles, the ruthless mafia never permitted him to govern the region in any semblance of peace. They consistently presented their audacious demands in the form of illicit favours, such as the Governor pardoning criminally indicted and justly punished mafia members, setting them entirely free, or brazenly bending existing laws to favour the mafia's rapacious tycoons, enabling them to accrue even greater profits while simultaneously harming regular, helpless citizens. These scandalous favours inevitably drew the intense scrutiny and mounting pressure of the Goddess's vigilant faction, who metaphorically 'lit a fire under the Governor's arse' with their relentless opposition.

Despite controlling an insignificant portion of Section 1, the Unds had stamped their status as a menace to the entire populace of Section 1. The Governor was having a tough time dealing with three formidable threats. Section 1's resources were barely sufficient to deal with the threat of the Unds, largely due to the compromises the Governor had made to favour the mafia.