Being the new President of the Morning Sun Federation was equal parts exciting and horrifying for Ashton.
Granted, only a few people are aware of his promotion, but it still felt rather weird for him. Knowing that he is now responsible for so many lives was frightening if he were, to be honest, but at the same time, having the freedom to basically do anything he wants now also felt liberating.
So you see, he's stuck in such a weird position.
That being said, Ashton did his best to level his thoughts down. He might be the youngest president of the federation in history but he's not a kid. He could tell the weight of responsibility he took over himself.
Plus, this is just the first step of his overall plans, not just for himself but also for his race, so there's no need for him to think too much.
Additionally, Oracle Felicia would be there to act as his advisor, there's also Gaia as well. So technically, he's not alone in this.
Right now, Ashton was currently brainstorming about some reforms he could do to increase the work efficiency of the federation as a whole.
Currently, there's at least a total of 10,000 plus employees under him. These people work in different sectors that make the Federation whole.
He had spent the entirety of last night reading through the documentation of the Federation's last five years of work, and from what he could tell, there is much left to be desired in their current situation.
First and foremost, Fantasia is in a state of war preparation. It has been for almost an entire year now without any further announcements. That, in addition to the recent terrorist attacks, had taken a serious toll on the citizens' morale.
There were a lot of people who were preparing for the worse, and due to the curfews and lockdowns, the economic status of Fantasia was dropping at an alarming rate.
Obviously, this can't go on. Because from what he can tell, their supplies wouldn't last that long.
This meant that for his first move as the Federation's President, he had to address this emergency. He needed to pacify the crowd to restore order and move on with his plans.
Thankfully, he already made some pre-emptive arrangements.
As of this morning, Mary, Blake, and Alice reported back to work and had begun with the Skydemon Cult's complete extermination.
Ashton kindly pointed out where the hidden camps were, and right now, every single one is being raided by the team. And considering the recent power-ups they've gotten, getting rid of the cult completely shouldn't be a problem.
Cutting the roots of the Skydemon Cult is just the first step. Of course, unless he can return the confidence of citizens towards the Federation, then it's very likely that more people will adopt the cult's example and that's something that can't happen.
To this, Ashton had plans. But for now, he had to focus on improving the workforce.
Thankfully, with the several enhancements available to him, he could do just what he wants to do.
In truth, Ashton didn't need to put the workforce under the wringer and pressure them if they want to keep their position. Ashton is aware that there are certain things that are too delicate for him to handle right now.
He knows that there is a certain hierarchy being followed here and if people knew that he was the newly elected president, then it is very likely that it would provoke some intense reactions.
Chaos is the last thing he wanted in this place right now, so no thank you for that. That is why he specifically told Felicia to keep silent about this matter for now. Just as he said, these people don't need to see him in order to work for him.
A very good example of this is the enhancements he could purchase for the Federation.
Let's take the Bizarre Coffee Machine, for example:
[Bizarre Coffee Machine]
Type: Benefactor's Enhancement
Effect: Products bought from this machine improve the mood of the consumer and gives them more motivation to do good work.
Another one would be the Indoor Plants and Fauna, as well as the Intellectual's White Board...
[Indoor Plants and Fauna]
Type: Benefactor's Enhancement
Effect: All the surrounding plants and flowers (be it real or not), would be enchanted to drain stress from nearby employees by at least 50%.
[Intellectual's White Board]
Type: Benefactor's Enhancement
Effect: Gives all those who interact with it, a boost in their mental capabilities by 15%.
These are just small examples of what Ashton could do to improve the workforce under him, and all of this could be done without him needing to personally be there.
Nobody has to know that the Status Quo has changed. They may freely think that the current president was still the old one, but he doesn't mind. In fact, it's better that way since that gives him more freedom and privacy.
He can enhance the work efficiency of the Federation remotely while also paying close attention to how the citizens react to it. To him at least, this is the best move for now.
"...oh, welcome back you three. Are you done with your task?" He asked.
"Yeah, nobody escaped. The officials of the cult are all dead and those who resisted were dealt with extreme prejudice, those who surrendered we sent to the Grotto Heaven." Alice reported upon seeing Ashton.
"Very good." He nodded. "With this, I think the state of emergency can be lifted now."
"Would they do that?" Mary asked, sounding somewhat skeptical. "Don't get me wrong, I know that the cult has been dealt with but isn't it too fast to lift the lockdowns? Wouldn't that be dangerous?"
From the way she speaks, it is clear that she doesn't have any idea that Ashton is now the new President of the Morning Sun Federation. This isn't surprising, after all, Alice, and Blake doesn't have a clue either.
That's right, he hasn't told them yet. Ashton didn't really feel like doing so either. He thinks that it should be fine, there's nothing they could do with the information anyway.
"Well, we'll see what happens later or tomorrow I guess." Ashton shrugged, "For now, you guys are dismissed. Go home and rest, I have some task for you three tomorrow as well."
The three then bid him farewell and left his home. Once he was alone, he took out his smart watch and called the oracle.
"Good afternoon, Sir." Oracle Felicia greeted.
"Oh please, don't call me that." Ashton rolled his eyes when he heard the old woman's mischievous chuckle. "Alright, Alice and her team just returned from their mission. According to them, it's a success. Do you think we can lift the lockdowns now and remove some of the curfews?"
"I suggest we do it slowly but surely." She stated, "Like, for tomorrow we will shave an hour off of the Curfew then remove the lockdown on the Central. Then, a week later, we'll shave another hour or two from the curfew, so on...this way it's gradual and we have more room to maneuver."
"Great idea. Then please go ahead and do that. Do you need my signature to go on with that?"
"No. My authority should be enough for now. Once we completely remove all the lockdowns and the curfew, that's when we will need your signature." She replied.
"Alright, understood." He nodded, "Ah right, can you connect me to the CEO of Crossford Tech? I have an offer that might interest him."
"Oh, him." Felicia sounded sour when she said this.
"...is that no, or?"
"No, no. It's...fine, I guess." She sighed, "I can arrange a meeting for you. But be warned though, that stinky old man is a hateful gremlin. If you offered him something that interests him to a certain degree, he will try his best to practically steal that away from you."
"He's a shrewd businessman and a mad inventor at the same time. Don't expect him to be easy." She added.
"Sounds like you know each other a lot." Ashton said while taking a sip of coffee.
"Know each other?" Felicia snorted on the other line, "That guy is my ex-husband. Of course, we know each other."
...and there goes the coffee he just drank, spewing out of his mouth due to shock.
"...are you okay? What happened there?" She asked.
"Oh no, nothing much. I just spat some coffee. I uh..." Ashton trailed off, "I wasn't expecting that at all."
"Nobody does." She replied, "But oh well, such is life I suppose. Don't worry, I can still tolerate him to a certain degree. Just be careful when you talk to him, alright?"
"Noted."
Ashton ended the call after that.
Well, he truly wasn't expecting that at all. Who would've thought that the Oracle's ex-husband was a multi-millionaire and CEO of the largest technological empire to ever exist in Last Bastion?
For some reason, he's starting to think that this was a bad idea. However, he's running out of options too. He needed people to help him with certain projects for his future plans.
"Okay, let's hope this goes well then." He said while cleaning the mess he created.
