"I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline," Aria answered.
Nick didn't seem surprised.
"Are you willing to share the reason?" Nick asked.
Aria frowned.
"You are going to make the most powerful people in the city your enemy, and since I have to work together with you, I will also become their enemy."
"I am not afraid of them, but if you die, I will be implicated. I can't protect you from such a constant threat," she explained.
Nick nodded. "That's about what I expected," he answered.
"What if we sign a contract that will free you from responsibility in the case of my death unless it is very apparent that you were the one that killed me?" Nick asked.
"Why?" Aria asked with furrowed brows.
"Why what?" Nick asked.
"Why would you offer me such a contract? With such a contract, it would be easy for me to secretly kill you and not be responsible."
When Aria said that, she glanced at Simon.
What she had said could constitute a threat to one of Aegis' people.
However, Simon didn't seem interested.
"I don't think you want to do that," Nick said. "Just the fact that you brought this possibility up tells me as much."
Aria frowned.
Nick talked like he knew what she was thinking, which was a bit presumptuous.
"A predator on the hunt doesn't warn their prey before they strike. Malice is silent," Nick answered.
"Of course, you could also just have overthought and expected that I would think that."
Nick smiled wryly.
"And if that is the case, my judgment of people would be wrong, and I deserve to meet my end at your hands," he added.
"You won't be responsible for my death," Nick reiterated. "If I die, it will prove that my philosophy failed and that the current way is the correct way."
"If I die, everything will return to how it used to be. You will be the sole ruler of Crimson City in Aegis' name, and you will have all the power."
"If I fail or succeed, it makes no difference to your life. You will be the Governor regardless."
Aria remained silent for a while.
Simon glanced at Nick before glancing at Aria.
He really wasn't interested in helping Nick.
However, while he thought that Nick was a monster, he couldn't deny some of the things he had said.
What if Nick succeeded?
Whether or not he was a monster didn't matter. He would have helped Aegis and humanity as a whole, regardless.
"Becoming the Governor is the best way to enter Aegis," Simon said. "If you prove yourself as a Governor, you are free to become an Agent after a couple of years and work with more powerful Specters. It is the only way to become a Protector."
"Living in a city only gets you so far."
Simon did not like Nick anymore, but for the good of mankind, he wanted to give this new policy a real shot.
Aria frowned and remained silent.
"I want that contract that you talked about," she said.
Nick nodded. "Of course."
"Additionally, I don't want you to lord over me and pull rank every time we come to a disagreement. I am the Governor, and this is my city. If this is going to happen, we have to work together as equals," she said.
"That's what I was planning on telling you as well," Nick said. "You are a Hero. I'm an Expert."
Aria didn't agree with that. "You have the higher position. Power is not important in this matter."
Nick shook his head. "Power is more important than rank. Even if I don't think you will, you can use your power in a subtle way to sway me. Fear is a powerful thing."
"It was not legal for me to infiltrate and destroy Anatomy, but I did it anyway, and I survived. There is surely a way for you to do something similar to me."
Aria didn't immediately answer.
In a way, she agreed, but she also disagreed.
Sure, there was a way, but that would be extremely dangerous.
She could do it, but she would be betting on her life.
"I've been a Chief Zephyx Extractor ever since I was 16, and I built Dark Dream from the ground up until it became what it is today," Nick said. "If I ignored every bit of criticism just because I have a higher position, Dark Dream would have long since collapsed."
"I have made many, many mistakes in my past, and I know that I will continue to make more. I need more experienced people and their insight to help me avoid making them. You have been a Chief Zephyx Extractor for much longer than me, and you know even more than me. Ignoring your words just because I technically outrank you would be idiotic."
"I require cooperation from you, and cooperation always goes both ways. I need to trust in you and your abilities to make this work. I can't run a city alone," Nick said.
Aria took a deep breath.
She really didn't have a good feeling about this.
Yes, Nick was powerful, but he was just in his early thirties.
'I'm going to have my work cut out for me,' Aria thought.
"Fine, I agree," she said.
"Thank you," Nick answered.
"I want that contract now," she demanded.
"You got a pen and paper?" Nick asked.
Aria handed him a pen and paper, and Nick quickly wrote down a contract.
He had written so many contracts in his life that it barely took him a minute to write the entire thing.
Then, he handed it to Aria, who read through it.
Naturally, Aria had seen more contracts in her life than Nick had seen paper, and she wouldn't miss any sort of suspicious wording.
However, the contract was fine.
It said exactly what they had agreed on.
Aria sighed and signed at the bottom.
Nick also signed and handed it to Simon.
Simon read through it before summoning a pen and some paper.
Then, he made several copies of the contract in just a couple of seconds, which everyone signed again.
Simon put the original contract into his Space Bag.
This contract would be handed over to Aegis for safekeeping, while Aria and Nick got to keep a copy each.
"Go to the Aegis stronghold here," Simon said as he told Aria a couple of directions, which led to about 2,000 kilometers to the west. "I will tell them about you, and they will deal with your initiation into Aegis. You should go sometime between tomorrow and next week. It will only take a couple of hours."
Aria remembered Simon's instructions and told him that she would be going there in three days.
Naturally, Aegis had many strongholds all over the world.
The initiation of a Governor didn't require them to go to Aegis' headquarters.
Any stronghold was fine.
Then, Simon looked at Nick. "I don't have all day. Let's go deal with the last part so I can leave," he said with cold neutrality.
"Of course," Nick said before standing up and turning to Aria one last time. "I will be Dark Dream's Chief Zephyx Extractor for two more months to deal with my succession. After that, I will assume the mantle of Liaison."
Aria nodded. "I will also need a couple of weeks, but it won't be a problem. Kugelblitz's ownership is no longer scattered since all the directors died, and ownership will soon return to Kugelblitz after buying the shares back from the scattered shareholders."
Nick also nodded.
The two of them said their goodbyes, and Simon and Nick left Kugelblitz.
The two of them went to the upper layer and met with the gate guardian.
Naturally, the two of them entered the upper layer without any sort of verification.
It was law to test everyone passing through, but Aegis stood above the law, and the gate guardian wouldn't try to enforce the city laws on a Protector from Aegis.
The two of them entered the big locker room, but they didn't change their clothing at all and just walked into the beautiful upper layer with their normal clothing.
Then, the two of them traveled to the middle of the upper layer, where they found a big castle made of stone.
This was the central administration of Crimson City.
This was where they kept the copies of all the important contracts, held prisoners, and where the Governor resided.
The two of them just walked through the entrance, none of the guards even daring to stop them.
Every powerful Extractor recognized Aegis' uniform.
The two of them went up a flight of stairs until they reached the highest floor.
The highest floor just had a short hallway, which led to a singular door.
Before they even reached the door, it opened, and the Governor walked out.
Markus Julius.
Markus bowed respectfully to Simon. "Esteemed Protector," he greeted.
Simon did not return the greeting and just continued walking, while Nick walked just behind him.
The Governor politely moved to the side, and the two of them walked past him into his office.
Although, office should be put between quotation marks.
The entire highest floor of the castle was just one huge room filled with art, furniture, a pool, expensive beverages, and other luxuries.
The only thing that told of its status as an office was the big and ostentatious wooden desk at the end of the room.
When Nick saw the room, he openly sneered in disgust.
A den of decadence and gluttony.
Even the Left Arm's office was barren.
While it wasn't necessary to live as spartan as the Left Arm, there was no reason to go so crazy with decoration and luxury as a servant of Aegis.
Markus entered the office after them and politely stood behind his desk. "How can I help you, Protector?" he asked.
Simon didn't say anything.
"Markus."
Markus looked with narrowed eyes at Nick, who had just spoken.
Nick fearlessly looked back.