The task that Nikolas was given honestly wasn't hard for him to accomplish, but it wasn't due to his strength.
It was because of his status.
As the Flashpoint Sword God, he'd been active in the Heavenly World for several millions of years. Not only did he have a reputation created through those eons of effort, but he also had several connections throughout the world.
This time, Damien sent him to use one of those connections to his benefit.
He was able to do so in just a few days, but it took three weeks for him to finish everything sheerly because of the distance he had to cross.
But, in the end, he'd done it.
Through a fellow swordsmaster he'd been acquainted with since his younger days, he got his hands on the meeting Damien had been seeking.
It was scheduled for the day after the current one, which seemed troubling since Damien was still 3 weeks away by the fastest terms that could only be enjoyed by Gods, but it wasn't a problem.
Damien tagged Nikolas before he left, so he was able to teleport directly to him through a system similar to his Warp ability.
Nevertheless, the instant he got the news, Damien arrived there.
The Southeastern Region, land of the Kyushu Federation.
Run by one leader and a council of 24 sub-leaders, the Kyushu Federation was an influence that ran completely on money.
They only acted for money, and they only acted because of money. If wealth wasn't involved in the conversation, they weren't having it.
But that same Kyushu Federation was quietly eating up the Southern Region's borders.
They weren't the same as the Straea Clan and the Divine Order though.
They had been eyeing the border for a very long time and had been trying to negotiate for the ability to share it.
This was because the eastern border of the Southern Region was a hotspot for a certain energy source called Peromithium. It was a material the Kyushu Federation was extremely greedy for, and since they'd already exhausted the veins on their side of the border, they wanted to use Void Palace's too.
Now, the palace had no need for the material. It was only useful in technological advancement in research that didn't align with the palace's path.
However, they couldn't just hand it over for free.
Since the palace wasn't really available for negotiation, and they were having trouble protecting their borders anyway, the Kyushu Federation decided to move their borders inward and devour the area where the Peromithium deposits were.
They never try anything special after that.
This was the reason Damien never considered the Kyushu Federation an enemy.
They did encroach on Void Palace territory, but their reasoning was clear and open, and they didn't push the line.
They were definitely forceful, and Damien definitely didn't appreciate their actions, but he could understand that they didn't possess any particular hostility against the palace.
They could still become allies.
As long as the money was right, that is.
But Damien was prepared for that.
Just like when he met the Sapientia Clan, he had the perfect product to interest the federation in a long-term cooperative agreement.
And today, he'd arrived in the Southeastern Region to discuss that proposal with their president.
It was the very meeting Nikolas left early to set up.
It came sooner than expected.
Damien was supposed to have a day in the Southeastern Region beforehand, but excluding the processes he needed to undergo before he could even reach that meeting, he really only had a few hours to rest and look around.
Damien was led through an office-like building and taken up an elevator over 1000 stories before he reached the penthouse where the president spent his days.
The elevator only took 10 seconds to reach the top and opened directly into the suite, making it obvious that this wasn't something just anyone could use.
As Damien stepped out of it, he was immediately met with the visage of that man.
Around 6 feet tall with broad shoulders and an appearance that looked more like a physical practitioner's than a businessman's was a man with eyes exactly like those of a snake and a face that practically screamed an obsession with wealth.
There was a strange juxtaposition in his features, but it worked well. It accurately displayed both his abilities as a president and a practitioner without him having to speak a single word or act a certain way.
He was called Matthias Quincy, and he was the man who currently led the Kyushu Federation and had been for the past 500,000 years or so.
When he heard that Void Palace's 2nd Sword had requested a direct audience for his acquaintance, Matthias immediately accepted.
He could sense the money.
From the moment someone like the 2nd Sword acted on behalf of another man, he sensed that this would be an interesting situation.
And it was more than just that.
"Pleasure to meet you. My name is Damien Void."
Damien introduced himself professionally and shook Matthias' hand.
Matthias reciprocated, and after a bit of small talk for them to get to know each other, they sat down at the table and faced each other for business.
"You must've been watching everything that's happened thus far…"
Damien began his pitch, prefacing the situation before reaching his main point.
Matthias listened intently, allowing Damien to tell him what he already knew.
Through discerning how much Damien could say, he could tell more about Damien's unsaid status in Void Palace.
Well, it was only partially unsaid.
He'd introduced himself properly, and he'd taken his disguise off. He was here bearing amethyst eyes and the last name Void, so it was obvious which family he came from.
But for him to command the 2nd Sword and negotiate with the president of the Kyushu Federation, he had to have much more authority than the other children of that same family.
There was really only one position he could hold, but it was almost hard to believe that someone had taken up that long vacant post.
Matthias had to wonder all about Damien, but Damien had no plans for letting him think too much.
He'd already reached his point.
"I'm here to make a deal with you, so I'll make my terms clear. I want long-term cooperation with the Kyushu Federation; real cooperation, not a facade for appearance's sake. As for the price…"
Damien's eyes hardened.
"...how does an entire cardinal region sound?"
Matthias could see the light in Damien's eyes.
He couldn't half-ass this at all. He truly had to judge whether or not he could make a deal of this level right here and now.
Even without hearing the details of what Damien wanted, Matthias was tempted to accept.
Damien's eyes were those of a madman.
And madmen were a gamble.
Either they'd fail at the beginning and disappear in the annals of time, or they would become the new leaders of the world.
If it was the former, Matthias wouldn't have thought anything of it.
But Damien was absolutely the latter.
He could feel it.
'The Kyushu Federation's future…'
Matthias smiled as if he was scared of his own imagination.
'Haha, I guess I have no choice but to hear him out.'
