Advanced studies campus, Adam's residence

It has been eight months since Adam's trip to the endless forest. He has been in "seclusion" ever since. Seclusion, in this case, means letting Zero handle his body refining while he took it easy, ensuring he didn't use his assistant too often, allowing it to focus on his body instead. Like this, he reached tier 5 just a few days ago. 

He's now dressed in a light grey suit waiting for David in his drawing-room. He received a message about two-three months ago from David telling him he'd found a viable candidate to nurture. Adam decided to take care of most social matters today. Other than meeting David, he was also planning on meeting Charlotte Stoller. The lady knight he met outside the forest during his last trip. 

He's also sent a message to Robert telling him he'd be willing to meet with his 'real' employer at his residence whenever they were free. He told Robert to inform his employer that it would be a casual meeting by the pool. He's hoping that by making it informal, he'd be able to glean some information from his guest. What kind of information? He doesn't know, which is the whole point.

A few minutes later, the door to the room opens. The maid led David along with the guest into the room. David and the guest stood at attention, waiting for Adam's permission to sit. Adam, in the meantime, was observing the person his attendant found him. He was neither pleased nor disappointed, having no expectations to begin with.

The girl David found was eye-catching, to say the least. She seemed to be in her late teens or early twenties, a good age to make an impression without seeming too manipulative. She was dark-skinned, even more than his cat maid. She was also bald, which was out-of-place for a girl her age. Her height was on the average side for Aurora, shorter than Adam himself. The more attention-grabbing feature of hers is her startling blue eyes. A vibrant and deep blue. Along with her dark skin, it gave off an unusual but attractive sight. To Adam's taste at least. 

Done with his observation, he waves at the couch facing him. "Please, have a seat."

They both sit down, waiting for further instructions. Adam on the other hand kept a subtle eye on the girl. Observing her mannerisms and reactions for their first meeting. It takes more than a single meeting to truly identify a person's true personality along with their accompanying quirks or habits. But a first meeting does give one a general image of what to expect.

Adam ignored them and waved his hands at the wolf maid standing behind him. "My case, please." The maid hands him his golden smoking case, from which Adam takes out a joint and proceeds to light up. Inhaling deeply, enjoying the buzz, he picks up the file he placed on the coffee table beforehand. The file was empty, what with Zero always ready to record anything, but it helped the image he was trying to show. Of someone looking to hire an employee, which was exactly what this situation was.

Adam hums to himself while smoking and flipping blank pages. The wolf maid in the back had to hold back a twitch from Adam's actions. He finally addresses the young lady. "So, Noemi Maka was it?" He questions. The girl nods curtly. "You may speak. I'm not hiring a mute." 

The girl responds. "Yes sir. That is my name." 

Adam nods, satisfied. "Hmm, interesting name. Not something I expected in Aurora. Maka means quiet in a language from my previous world, and Noemi translates to delight. Quiet delight, quite the delightful name, no pun intended." He chuckles slightly at his cheap joke. "Did your parents come up with the name?"

Noemi's blue eyes flashed with sadness for a split second. Something Adam did not miss. "Yes, sir. My mother chose it. I don't know where she came up with it."

Adam continues. "And your parents?" He of course knew that they were no longer living, but he wished to see her reaction to the subject. While he does not mind people mourning, living in the past is not something he wants from his subordinates. Of course, he won't be too demanding, given her young age.

Noem's fists clench slightly for a moment. She then answers Adam's question. "They passed away, sir. They were on a council mission when it happened. It happened a year ago. I was on a local mission at the time."

"Yes, I see. Do you believe their deaths to be suspicious? You should know that I would not hire someone with unknown baggage. If you tell me now; I might still employ you, regardless of the trouble. If I find out later, and it proves to be an inconvenience, I might just take care of you myself. I do not like trouble knocking on my door unexpectedly after all." He remarks with a light tone, despite his harsh words. 

He flicks his joint while waiting for the girl to compose herself. Adam, of course, had David do his research before bringing her and was aware of the 'problem' of his potential subordinates' past. It was nothing too dangerous, or rather, the perpetrator was someone of lower status than him, even if they were stronger as a magus. Adam had no qualms using his status to squash him if he finds himself satisfied with the young girl. 

After a while, Noemi takes a deep breath and begins speaking. "I believe they were betrayed, sir. They had a treasure the killer was coveting. The treasure however was with me at the time. My parents wished for me to use the treasure in the future and had me keep it, aware that nobody would guess it was with me due to its value." She finished her story while looking Adam in the eyes, trying to spot any hint of greed.

Adam, on the other hand, was unaware of the existence of a supposed treasure. Of course, he did not care either. If it was something truly valuable, he did not need to steal it. With all the resources allocated to him, he could easily exchange for it. 

"You keep mentioning treasure. Are you afraid I would not hear you? I will indulge you then. What is this treasure you speak of?" He gestures at her.

Noemi's eyes widened slightly. The young girl did not expect this response. Or rather, she did not expect Adam to bring it up in such a manner. She was planning on dropping hints and hoping to spot any sign of greed. She wanted to use the treasure in exchange for revenge against her parent's murderer.

"Yes, sir. It is a tier 8 storm dragon heart. They were planning for me to use it and become a bloodline magus. But the council did not have tier 8 bloodline holders available. They had to make a custom order which would cost them more, so they took a high-risk mission. That was when they got betrayed." Her eyes spit metaphorical fire at the mention of the betrayal.

Adam was slightly surprised at the object in question. A tier 8 dragon heart of any kind was valuable, let alone a storm dragon. Storm dragons were some of the more destructive types of dragons. The only ones who could confidently eclipse them would be conceptual dragons. Conceptual dragons are usually full-fledged tier 9's. Or pseudo-tier 9's, depending on their age.

"Do you know how your parents got a hold of such a thing? It is quite the treasure. I don't mean to demean your parents, but I don't believe it is something they can obtain with their own power. You should have focused on that instead of seeking revenge. Maybe the origin of the heart might kill you before their murderer can." He says somewhat bluntly, trying to make the girl understand her current situation. 

He was not trying to hurt her feelings. But according to his background check, her parents were both tier 6 magi. While not weak, it is also not strong in the grand scheme of things. Many creatures and people in the cosmos could kill them if they were not careful. 

Noemi shook her head, not fazed by the disregard Adam showed in regards to her parents. "No sir. I tried to find out more, but I was only able to get this from their belongings." She takes out a black card with scarlet writing on it. It read 'The Company'. 

Adam takes the card from her with a serious expression on his face. He started thinking to himself. 'Could her parents be working with or for the company? While the Ascendants might not care. For the regular magus, it counts as a betrayal. Did they plan on leaving after, or were they maybe double agents working for the council? I might as well ask Principal Blue. It's better to be upfront rather than try to play a game I do not need to involve myself in. Aurora has everything I need. No need to rock the boat before I get strong enough.' 

He gestures at the wolf maid behind him. "Go get the raven." The maid leaves, and Adam shifts his gaze to the young girl before him. "You are lucky to have met someone of my position. This could have turned ugly for you. Forget the murderer, the council itself might have taken care of you." The girl's dark skin pales slightly at his statement. 

A few moments of silence later, the wolf maid returns with the raven perched on her shoulder, picking its feathers clean. Adam takes the raven from her and places it on the coffee table between him and his guest. David has been sipping on some tea in silence this whole time.

"Principal Blue. I would like to discuss a delicate matter with you." The raven kept quiet for a moment before it stilled for a second. It then started looking around slightly, looking at all the occupants in the room, before turning to Adam.

"Oh, young Adam. So nice to see you again so soon. Have you perhaps come to me with your next idea? I have picked a suitable elemental plane for you." The principal's aged voice left the raven's beak or body. Who knows.

Adam shakes his head. "I am sorry principal. I am still working on it. While I do have a project in mind, it will take some experimenting before anything fruitful comes out of it. I have contacted you this time in regards to this." He shows the raven the card. The raven seeing the card squawks indignantly. 

"This damnable company! Did that accursed devil contact you? That's impossible! You haven't left Aurora ever since you got here. Have they found us again? Damn it! We have to move away again!" Principal blue started furiously rambling.

Adam cut him off before he can continue on his crazy tirade. "Principal! It is none of the above." Catching the raven's attention, he continues. "It was found in the belongings of this girl's parents." He waves at Noemi, who shrank slightly upon having attention directed towards her. "Her parents are currently deceased. They had this along with a tier 8 dragon heart. I believed it was something you should be aware of."

The raven observed Noemi for a second. "What's your name, child?"

The girl stammered "Noemi Maka."

The raven stilled for a second, looking through mental records to find what it needed. "Hmmm, yes, I see. And you said this card was found with your parents?" The girl timidly nodded. "I see, I see. I'll take the card from you. You may keep the dragon heart along with their other belongings. If you find anything related to the card, bring it to Adam here. Understood?" The girl nodded once again. 

Principal Blue turned his raven head back to Adam. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention Adam. While we look for their agents, they also look for our magi. I will have to look into this a bit more and see if we can't use this situation to our advantage. While not the first time, we can still try. Who knows, we might be able to pull one on them." The raven let out snickering sounds, intimidating Noemi even more. Adam was unfazed and simply nodded. 

"No problem, Principal. I will keep you informed of anything else I find. And principal? Please. Do not involve me in any of the following actions you may take." Adam sincerely asked. The principal, who was about to return to his raven persona, almost had whiplash at the last statement. 

"Why not young Adam?! You could help us fight back. We would reward you greatly." He intoned slightly surprised with a small hint of embarrassment at being seen through.

Adam shook his head at the raven/old man. "You may believe so, but that is your opinion, the opinion of someone strong. I am weak. Or too weak to be stuck in between you and The company. Resources are useless if I'm dead or imprisoned. I am confident that there are better people you can use. I am also busy with my own projects. So please, do not think of me if you are planning a counter-attack."

The raven shook its head. "Sigh...Young Adam, you need more pep in your step. What kind of man are you?! You need to have ambition! Reach for the sky! The early bird gets the worm! The spoils of war go to the victor!" The principal kept going for a solid two minutes with his cheap fortune cookie philosophy, trying to futilely convince Adam. Seeing no change in his expression, the raven slumps its shoulders? Wings? It slumps slightly. 

"Fine, as you wish. Do keep me updated if you find anything else. I still have the elemental plane waiting for you. Your previous idea is showing promise. I'm looking forward to your next one. Goodbye for now." The raven nods its head, then stills slightly before resuming its avian persona.

Adam waves at his maid to open the window for the raven to fly out. He turns back to Noemi. "This was quite the unexpected turn of events. Wasn't it Noemi?" The girl nods, slightly wary after what just happened. "Well. I'm now interested in hiring you. While it may bring problems down the line, it could also bring in some potential opportunities."

The girl was slightly surprised, fully expecting to be shown out the door. A revenge story plus whatever it was that just happened did not exactly inspire confidence in her. She gathered herself quickly and stood up to give a slight bow. "Thank you, sir! I promise to work hard and not inconvenience you."

Adam nodded at her enthusiasm. "You do know what I want from you, right? I expect David to have informed you." He glances at his attendant, who gave him a slight nod. 

Noemi answers back. "Yes, sir! I will do my best!"

"Good. I will have you shadow someone to learn the ropes. I've been told that you're also going through body refinement. Were you planning to use the dragon heart without the bloodline holder? Or did you expect yourself to get it eventually?" He questions her.

The girl stammers slightly, unable to answer for a moment. Taking a breath, she responds. "I was planning to use the dragon heart in exchange for a lower grade bloodline and revenge for my parents." She gives Adam a hopeful glance. 

Adam waves at her. "No need. I'll take care of your problem. I don't want it to bother me later down the line. I shall also have you use the dragon heart for yourself. Making you stronger will only bring me benefits after all. I will need to have you sign a devil's contract though. I'm sure you understand." 

A devil's contract was something the council created after studying one from the company. Unlike the company's version which targeted the soul of the user, the council's version targeted only the Ego part of the soul, leaving the core untouched. This in return left the victim vegetative. The reason for this was that the council did not want to lose potential resources in the form of these vegetative bodies. They can be used for a myriad of things after all. The Council loved to recycle after all...

The girl paled for a moment, before resolutely nodding. "I understand sir. As long as you promise me revenge, I will work for you diligently." She was not planning on signing a slave contract, even for revenge, but she did not mind signing away a few concessions as long as it did not strip away her freedom.

Adam, understanding her concerns, addressed her. "No need to worry. The contract will be used to ensure you keep my secrets. It will also be used to guarantee your employment for a certain duration and prevent you from taking certain actions against me. After a certain amount of time, you may leave if you find anything better. It is also against council rules to enslave another Aurora citizen." 

Noemi nodded in slight relief. While she was aware of the rule, she knew she was powerless to any of Adam's demands. Even if Noemi could refuse, it did not mean she would be safe once she left. Adding Adam as a potential enemy on top of her target was not something she desired.

Of course, there were loopholes one could use to bypass this rule, but Adam had no plans to enslave her in the first place. He did not want slaves. Gaining the loyalty of a slave is a lot harder than gaining the loyalty of a free person. If someone tells you they're okay with being a slave, they're either a liar or mentally ill. Stockholm syndrome does not create good subordinates. It produces mentally-handicapped people with no potential for mental growth, and Adam despises stagnation in all its forms. 

Of course, he's not above brainwashing if it's effective. Unfortunately, he has not found an effective method. Or rather, he has not discovered an efficient and fast way that does not damage the target's psyche. If he does, he'll be sure to use it. He was planning to use a method of brainwashing or conditioning on the young girl after all, even if it was a more subtle and less violent version of it.

Leadership and brainwashing/conditioning go hand in hand after all. That is if you seek success. Genuinely good people don't fare well at the top unless they are metaphorically blind and have people below take care of the nasty work. Adam admires such people. He admires them the same way one would admire a rare creature. It is rare for someone to reach adulthood with such a mentality. They are either sheltered or delusional. 

Even popes and saints are human, with all the good and bad that come with it. You can only appreciate the good parts of men when there is the bad part for contrast. A pure person is more destructive than helpful. In his own opinion at least.

Finished with his mental soliloquy, he waves his attendant and new subordinate away. "David, take Noemi and find her a room in the mansion. Speak with the maids if you need anything."

David gets up and nods at Adam. "Yes, sir." He turns to Noemi. "Come with me. Sir Adam is busy." 

Noemi nods at David, then turns to Adam. "Thank you, sir. I will work hard!"

Adam turns to his maid. "Can you go get Lady Charlotte for me?" The maid nods and leaves the room.

He looks down at his extinguished joint. 'Sigh, Social meetings really do get tiring. Only one and I want to leave already. I still have the meeting with Roberts patron tomorrow. What was her name again? Magdalene or Magdalena? I'll have to check the information Robert sent me.' 

He lights his joint and releases smoke rings in the air while waiting for his next guest. Thinking of the company and their involvement with Noemi's parents. Adam thinks to himself. 'I hope there will be no surprises this time. I have enough with one Noemi, don't need more.'

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Author's note: Heya! It's been a few days. Short chapter but I was kind of wishy-washy on how I wanted this one to be. Had many directions to go for Adam's new lackey, and decided on this one. Still not sure if I'm satisfied. But having a future storm dragon-kin or wtv she will be called can be useful down the line. I might write the next two meetings in a single chapter depending on how it goes. While I try to plan for things, it never really works out as my mind churns out new ideas while I'm writing. The dragon heart thing? Did not plan for it, just came out as I was writing. 

I plan for Adam to prepare for his travel to the Generic cultivation world after his meetings, and a time-skip for a session of seclusion. I don't think he will go in gung-ho ready for a fight. It might be something more discreet. Then again, who can guarantee anything with the way I write? He might end up as some kind of tentacle monster two chapters later for all I know. Jokes aside, hopefully, things pick up later. Actually...I might include tentacles in his travel, just to spice things up (I'm writing this as I'm thinking it). Entropy is a thing after all (outer gods and the like)...Fingers crossed. Either way, hope y'all enjoyed the chapter. 

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Lazy, Out!