Nick could only sigh.
And here he was, hoping that not everything was doom and gloom.
How mistaken he had been.
Surprisingly, Aria, Vernon, and Wyntor continued talking like the three people at the bottom of the table weren't there.
It was like they were just air.
But that wasn't even everything.
Two of the people took out some kind of square object with many small sheets of paper in it and started reading.
Nick had seen binders with sheets of paper in Wyntor's office, but these squares seemed to be a bit different.
The sheets of paper didn't seem removable, and they were all covered in writing.
Then, Nick remembered something that he had once heard.
Was this a book?
He had never seen a book!
Nick just looked with wonder at the book that one of them was reading, making the reader feel quite uncomfortable.
"It's a book," Wyntor said after noticing Nick's interest. "It has words in it."
"I know that," Nick shot back with a bit of annoyance.
On the other side of the room, Aria was chuckling, and Vernon was looking at Nick with interest.
Someone that didn't know what a book was…
This was so interesting and unique!
All three of the representatives took out some things to occupy themselves with.
It seemed like they didn't even pretend to pay attention or take this seriously.
Then, the door opened again, and two people walked in.
The two of them wore grey uniforms with the emblem of an expanding room on their chest.
Nick immediately recognized them by their color and the emblem.
The Spartans.
The Spartans were a new company of three Veterans who left their old Manufacturers to create a new one.
Nick had heard about them two years ago, and back then, they hadn't had a level three Specter yet.
He wondered if they had managed to capture one by now.
Both of the Spartans looked quite similar. They both seemed to be in their late 30s or early 40s, and they seemed quite serious.
One of them had grey hair, and the other had black hair.
In a way, they looked a bit like brothers.
The two of them looked at Vernon and Aria, giving a respectful greeting.
Aria and Vernon just gave two short nods without any smiles, and Aria wordlessly pointed at two chairs near the end of the table.
But compared to the last meeting, they were not directly beside the bottom of the table.
There were a couple of empty seats between them and the bottom.
Wyntor stood up with a polite smile, and when Nick saw that, he copied Wyntor's demeanor.
"Nice to meet you. We're Dark Dream, and we're taking the lowest spot of the meeting this time," Wyntor said with a smile.
The Spartan with the black hair raised an eyebrow.
Then, he extended his hand across the table for a handshake.
Wyntor had to lean quite a bit across the table, making his position awkward, while the Spartan kept a straight back.
This position was a bit humiliating for Wyntor.
Then, the other Spartan offered his hand to Nick in the same way.
Nick had already noticed what was going on, and he didn't like it one bit.
However, Nick had to be respectful and accept the hand.
But he also didn't want to bend over backward for them, almost literally.
So…
Nick sat on top of the table, scooted forward, and shook the hand while having a straight back.
Cough, cough, hugh, crk.
Vernon sounded like he had just inhaled a cup of coffee with his lungs, and Aria looked at Nick with surprise.
Wyntor saw what Nick was doing, and his face became a bit red.
But then, he covertly gritted his teeth.
And sat on the table the same way as Nick.
Now, all four of them could shake hands with straight backs.
The two Spartans looked at Wyntor and Nick with confused expressions.
They looked like they were deciding whether Wyntor's and Nick's actions were smart or insulting.
In the end, their serious expressions returned, and the handshake ended naturally.
On the other end of the table, Vernon scratched his face with his hand, covering most of it.
However, behind his hand was an amused smile.
Aria did her best to keep her laughter in check.
She found this quite hilarious.
"John Keyweather, CEO," the man with grey hair said.
'John?' Nick thought. 'Then, wasn't he John the John when he was a John?'
'Is that why he's so angry all the time?'
Sure enough, everyone had a history of past trauma.
"Kallum Sondur, Chief Zephyx Extractor," the one with black hair said.
"Wyntor Melfion, CEO."
"Nick… Nick, Chief Zephyx Extractor."
The two looked at Nick in surprise.
Nick Nick?
John Mayweather felt a slight feeling of companionship with Nick Nick, almost making him feel bad about asking Nick to assume such a humiliating position.
Meanwhile, Vernon moved closer to Aria and whispered in her ear. "This is going to be a fun one."
Aria nodded with a smile.
John and Kallum took their seats on the table, and then…
Silence.
Nobody was talking anymore.
Nick also noticed that Aria and Vernon seemed different from before.
They appeared much more serious and hard to talk to.
A minute later, the door opened again, and two people walked in.
It was a slightly older lady with grey hair and a younger woman with blonde hair.
The younger woman looked a bit similar to Aria, but there was a certain kind of purity missing.
The two of them were wearing yellow uniforms with the symbol of a candle.
They were obviously from Solace.
Solace had several Veterans and even an Expert, but they didn't own an Elder Specter yet, which made it difficult for them to continue growing.
The two from Solace shook hands with the two from the Spartans, and then, they focused on Nick and Wyntor.
The older woman smiled brightly as she bent over the desk to meet Wyntor in the middle.
"Nice to see you finally here, Wyntor!" she said.
Wyntor smiled as well and met her in the middle for a handshake. "Nice to be here, Ramona."
The Chief Zephyx Extractor offered Nick a handshake in the same position, meeting him in the middle.
Nick happily accepted.
"Hera Marion, Chief Zephyx Extractor, nice to meet you," she said with a slight smile.
"Nick Nick, Chief Zephyx Extractor, nice to meet you," Nick answered.
Wyntor wanted to look at Nick, but looking away now would be disrespectful.
'Is he actually intending to introduce himself like this? Why?' Wyntor thought.
Meanwhile, Nick just awkwardly smiled.
'It's weird when everyone has a first and last name. If I just say my first name, they might think I'm trying to close the distance, but I don't have a last name.'
'I gave myself Nick as my first name. Might as well give myself a last name as well.'
'The only thing I regret is that I didn't come up with a better one, but I already started with Nick Nick, and now I have to walk to the end with it.'
'From now on, I am Nick Nick, the Chief Zephyx Extractor of Dark Dream!'