1 year passed by like a flash.
Ashton turned 20 and had been the Morning Sun Federation's President for an entire year now. He had gotten so used to being in the position that it felt natural for him already.
Under his leadership, Last Bastion experienced numerous changes. Each change stacked up and changed the entire metropolis from the bottom up.
Before, the security of Last Bastion as a whole was minuscule at best. That 'protective bubble' which is said to contain the will of fallen Heroes was proven unreliable time and time again, and nobody believed in it anymore.
Well, they're not wrong for thinking of it that way. It is indeed a false protection.
That being said, that no longer matters for Ashton produced something to replace it.
When he became the President of the Morning Sun Federation, it became registered as his beneficiary. Through this, he could make some enhancements to it and even upgrade it to the next level.
Well, the new protective measure that replaced the old one was a benefit the metropolis received after he upgraded the federation.
[Resplendent Dawn]
Hope never falls. Faith never wavers. Will never breaks.
+ 100% Work Efficiency and Workforce Satisfaction.
+ 100% Talent Attraction and Security.
Trend always remains positive.
Steadfast Domain - an all-protection dome that covers up the entire territory. Uses Hope and Faith of its citizens as fuel.
With this upgrade, the Steadfast Domain took full effect on the entire Metropolis. Actually, it has been tried and tested since fairly recently, a Golden Sandstorm occurred nearby, bringing out hordes of berserk Celestials in its wake.
But, instead of laying waste to humanity's home, the sandstorm and the Celestials failed to even make a dent on the domain's walls. In fact, Ashton didn't even bother getting rid of the sandstorm, so what if it's there? It can stay, it won't be doing shit anyway.
Plus, he has uses on these poor Celestials so they can stay.
Of course, the Golden Sandstorm didn't just bring Celestials to their gates, it also reduced the visibility of the area it covers.
Again this would've been a problem but with the changes around, it didn't even qualify as an inconvenience.
Why? It's because Fantasia turned into ARC Fantasia. Powered by two ARC Cores, a mere Golden Sandstorm isn't enough to even be considered as an ant in front of it.
ARC Fantasia could adapt and survive in any kind of hostile environment. Hell, it could even take advantage of foreign resources so long as it was properly analyzed.
This Golden Sandstorm was in fact, helping the metropolis top-up with some premium energy thanks to it being stationed so near.
All of this and more had been achieved under Ashton's lead. And seeing that the Federation was doing a phenomenal job at pushing back the invaders, the citizens' faith became even stronger.
Security brought peace of mind and prosperity. Now, to common people at least, peace was achieved. Since the big man in the office proved himself to be capable, then it's better to let him handle the problems instead, that's his job anyway.
And with the new and improved Fantasia, the quality of life was simply way above the previous one they have. Which in turn, makes them even happier.
The Federation's dedication to their job was awe-inspiring, this in turn caused an influx of employees joining their ranks.
Many talents joined, this in turn just boosted the Federation's efficiency madly and the cycle continues.
Gaia and Acacia had never felt so at ease in their entire lives until now. They thought to themselves that Ashton was indeed the gift that keeps on giving.
In just a short year, he completely changed how the entire territory functioned, creating a healthier and more efficient method that worked wonders.
The trend of Humanity's fate was going up, and their luck was accumulating fast. Yet somehow, even with all of this, they believed that Ashton was far from satisfied.
And indeed, it's exactly as they thought...
Don't get him wrong, the current progress was something he's proud of, but it's far from enough to contend with what the invaders have. But since time was on their side, he could go at his own pace.
But right now, he has something that could potentially spark a wildfire in terms of Humanity's future development.
And it all starts with a city-wide announcement...
During one idle afternoon, when many people were enjoying some time off work by chatting, eating, or taking a nap, an announcement occurred.
"Greetings Knights and Mages!"
Two women with fiendishly stunning looks appeared on the huge screens all across the metropolis, catching everybody's attention. These women are none other than Alice and Mary.
"On behalf of the Morning Sun Federation, we are excited to announce the establishment of the Mystic Guild," Mary said.
"What is this Mystic Guild you ask, well let us explain it to you." Alice stated as the background changed.
"The Mystic Guild is almost like an organization exclusive for Knights and Mages. Joining us would not only give you access to all sorts of rare and elusive resources needed to increase your strength, but you can also access knowledge and all sort of tools that will allow you to sharpen your skills."
"Let's face it, our world is very dangerous." Mary continued, "With the consistent attack of invaders, it's only natural that we would seek a way to secure our lives right? The Mystic Guild was created for this specific reason."
"Cultivation was a gift discovered by our predecessors, ever since then, it became an integral thing closely tied to our survival. We have gathered sufficient knowledge about cultivation and created several tools which will help reach your true potential."
"If you want to progress and achieve more than what you have now, then don't hesitate to sign-up! We have schedules for 8 am-8 pm starting November 24, a minimum of 16 years old could sign-up. The venue would be at the Federation HQ so you won't miss it!"
"And for transparency, we'd like to say you won't simply be given resources just because you attended and signed up. As the popular saying goes; 'With great power, comes great responsibilities.' Of course, we'd expect something out of you."
"Plus, most of the resources would be locked behind missions anyways. So long as you completed the mission, it's yours."
"Your growth will ultimately depend on your grit and determination. So if you want to become stronger for the sake of completing your personal goals, then feel free to join us."
"Again, Mystic Guild's recruitment will start on Nov.24 from 8 am-8 pm. We will only accept a total of 100 people initially so please be patient with us."
"That would be it for today, thanks for tuning in, and have a nice day ahead."
The announcement caused a sensation in the masses, many people started wondering if they should join while others are already raring to go.
Meanwhile, the girls who did the announcement looked visibly exhausted. Their shoulders slumped and they couldn't stand up properly.
Ashton was near them when this happened, so Alice asked: "was this really necessary?"
"Of course it is!" Ashton exclaimed. "You can't seriously think that we could just build out a sect and just expect people to come and magically become interested! We've got to start somewhere."
"...hate to be that guy but, he's right you know." Blake who was behind the camera stated.
"Well, why didn't the two of you do it instead?" Mary asked.
"Oh, don't ask questions you know the answers to." Ashton waved his hand dismissively.
"Right, he's using our sex appeal to fill out the number of people that'll sign-up," Alice replied.
"Why do you sound like I asked you to expose your naked body to the masses?" Ashton feigned a hurt expression. "Look, it's just one time. Just a primer, if you will. So long as we bring in results, you girls won't be needing to do that again."
"Plus, you received your talent fees, no?" Blake supported on the side. Which caused Ashton to give him a thumb's up.
The girls turned silent because they knew the boys were right.
It's not as bad as they're trying to make it sound. If anything, they're just complaining since they had to rehearse their lines a lot of times because they have no idea how to do this whole thing. And that's mainly their problem.
Plus, they indeed have a stronger pull on the masses compared to the boys, as much as they didn't want to admit it.
"Alright, whatever. Let's just hope that this works cause I'm never doing that again." Alice stated.
"Yes, I'm hoping for positive feedback as well." Ashton replied.
He's probably more nervous about this than taking up office as the new president. It's somehow understandable though since this was something he created on his own. His friends are only helping him a little bit.
Nevertheless, the announcement has been made. There's only a week before the registration occurs.
Ashton would become busy all over again but that's fine. If anything, he's very excited about what's to come next. The
