Breakfast ended just as the first guests began to arrive.
The dining hall still carried the faint smell of coffee and toasted bread when Selene walked in through the main doors.
Her steps were light and familiar.
"Isaac!" she called, smiling before he could even turn around.
He barely had time to react before she wrapped her arms around him.
Her perfume was the same. Soft and sweet, something that reminded him of early spring.
He was about to hug her back when his eyes met another pair behind her.
Chairman Lucius stood at the doorway. His expression was stiff and his gaze locked directly on Isaac.
The warning in his eyes was obvious: don’t get too comfortable with my daughter.
Isaac smiled faintly, pretending not to notice.
He returned Selene’s hug anyway, perhaps even a bit tighter just to see how far the Chairman’s patience could stretch.
"I’m glad you’re here," Isaac said.
Selene pulled back with a smile. "Of course. You called for us so we had to come."
Selene and Isaac began to talk.
She told him about the third shop’s opening which she had been responsible for.
The opening should have been done a few days before, but it was delayed because Isaac had been busy with problems for the past few days.
Isaac raised an eyebrow. "Thanks for everything. But who told you to delay the opening?"
He wasn’t asking that to blame her, but instead he wanted to thank her.
The matter had completely slipped out his mind.
If Selene hadn’t made arrangements, it would’ve been awkward since he would be missing from the opening ceremony.
"Alice did," she said, folding her arms. "She was worried you’d forget to tell me, so she messaged me herself. Also, we haven’t been having our cooking classes lately, so I have decided to stay here tonight. We’ll hold them here this time."
"Sounds good," Isaac said with a nod. "I’ve been missing those lessons anyway."
From behind, Chairman Lucius cleared his throat loudly.
Selene rolled her eyes and turned to him, while Isaac hid a small smile and motioned for a them to follow him to the living room.
Not long after, two more guests arrived: the principal of Horizon Institute, Lucian, and his vice principal.
Isaac greeted them warmly, shaking hands before leading them toward the meeting area.
They spoke for a while.
Before they could continue, another familiar figure appeared: the principal of the Sanctum of Masters.
The old man walked in with a calm and solemn presence, staff in hand.
Isaac shook his hand firmly.
"Vice Principal Eleanor isn’t coming today?" Isaac asked after the greetings were done.
"She’s been buried under paperwork since morning. You’ll have to forgive her absence." The old man laughed, eyes full of wisdom.
Isaac nodded.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed the old man’s gaze flick briefly toward Leora, who stood quietly near the back.
The glance was brief, but Isaac caught it before the old man settled down with the others.
Then came Paul and Freya.
Both looked tired but satisfied, the kind of weariness that came from long days of progress.
They went straight to Isaac with their updates.
"We’re ready to move," Freya said. "Once you give the signal, the news about the governor’s corruption will go public."
Paul nodded beside her. "We’ve secured enough support. All the businesses that went bankrupt became of him are going to lend us their support."
Isaac leaned back in his chair, considering.
"Tomorrow," he said finally. "We’ll do it tomorrow morning."
Freya nodded. "Understood."
After that, the next arrivals were the headmaster of Aeternum University and Peter.
The headmaster carried his usual serious look, while Peter came in smiling from ear to ear until his eyes landed on Alice.
His laughter died immediately.
Without a word, he found a chair in the farthest corner possible and sat down stiffly.
Isaac glanced his way. "You’re awfully quiet all of a sudden."
Peter leaned in and whispered, "Hey, is it me, or does she look really pissed?"
"I’ll give you a warning. She is pissed. And if you get in her way, she might use you as a stress relief target. Stay close to me today, and you might live."
Peter raised a hand in mock salute. "Sir, yes, sir!"
Isaac barely held in a laugh as Alice gave Peter a cold stare from across the room.
When everyone was finally gathered, the meeting began.
It didn’t take long for Isaac to realize the three top universities had already been working together on plans for the Super Guild.
That surprised him.
He had only sent them a summary of the proposal last night, and yet they’d already organized preliminary drafts, logistical reports, and membership projections.
"I’m impressed," Isaac said as Lucian finished explaining a section of the plan. "You work faster than I expected."
Lucian smiled faintly. "We had a good reason to hurry. The city needs unity now more than ever."
The headmaster of Aeternum nodded in agreement. "With the power vacuum left by the governor, it’s better we move fast before anyone else tries to take advantage."
Isaac agreed.
The discussion moved smoothly from structure to strategy.
By the time they were halfway through, every major position had been decided.
"So," Isaac said, looking around the table, "now that we’ve agreed on the official positions, we need to talk about salaries and funding. How much money was in the governor’s vault?"
"Thirteen trillion Obel. And since you’re technically inheriting the governor’s position, all his accounts transfer to you," Lucian answered immediately.
Isaac tapped his fingers against the table. "That’s a lot, but not enough for long-term operations. The Super Guild will burn through funds fast."
The headmaster of Aeternum spoke up. "I agree. Given the scale of what we’re planning, we need a more sustainable income source."
He paused before adding, "I think we should start trading with other human cities."
Isaac tilted his head. "You mean the crops?"
"Yes," the old man said. "Fortified City 50 never had much to trade before. That’s true for most human settlements, actually.
"But with your crops and the new farmland you’ve developed, we finally have something valuable to exchange. It’ll fill the guild’s treasury faster than any tax system."
Isaac nodded slowly. "That’s a good idea. I was also thinking along the same lines."
The plan would not only strengthen the super guild but also help the outer districts, where shortages were common.
As discussions continued, Isaac turned the topic toward education.
"There’s one more thing," he said. "The current education system in the outer districts ignores too many truths.
"People aren’t taught about demihumans, other races, or even the wider world beyond the walls.
"That might have worked before, but ignorance isn’t safety, I believe. It’s weakness," Isaac said.
Lucian leaned forward slightly. "You’re suggesting a full policy change?"
"Yes," Isaac said firmly. "We’ll start integrating proper world history into the curriculum. We can’t afford another generation that fears what it doesn’t understand."
Several heads nodded in agreement.
The discussion continued.
It went from one topic to another.
Then Lucian asked, "What about the companies that supported the governor? Some of them were pretty deeply involved."
Isaac thought for a moment. "Don’t move against them yet. Let them keep working as usual. If any of them start causing problems..."