After handing the book to Nick, the Sun vanished again.
For the first time in his life, Nick had come into contact with the actual Sun, or more precisely, with some kind of alien using it.
It was clear that the Sun wasn't sentient. There was no doubt about it.
It was almost omnipresent, and it could look at anyone at any given time.
The fact that it didn't look at Nick until he came out of the Containment Unit was proof enough that it wasn't sentient.
Additionally, it had only started paying attention to them almost half an hour after they killed the Envious Researcher.
A sentient, omnipresent being would have just turned its head to look.
'I expected this would happen at some point,' Nick thought. 'I needed to become an agent of the Sun at some point. Specters are creations of the Sun, and there are bound to be restrictions on them.'
'Without its blessing, I wouldn't be able to advance at some point.'
'I have one more mask, but nothing really changed.'
'In fact, only positive things came of this.'
"We are working for the same being now," the Champion commented. "However, nothing much has changed. You are still part of Aegis."
Nick nodded. "The Sun is humanity's ally, and Aegis represents humanity. Between the two, there is not much difference in whom I work for. It all comes down to the same thing, humanity's rise."
The Champion nodded. "As I have stated in the past, the Sun is not humanity's enemy, but its ally. Our duty to the Sun is even more important than our duty to Aegis. Aegis represents only one era, while the Sun represents all of humanity's history."
"Agreed," Nick said. "As instructed, I will not share any of the information I have heard today. I will immediately get onto my new job. The Envious Researcher just died, and the Technician is probably preparing to research all kinds of things."
The Champion looked at Nick. "A word of caution. The Specters are still our enemies despite being the creations of the Sun."
"I understand," Nick answered. "They are a trial for humanity. The trial would be worthless if they didn't give their best to stop humanity."
"As long as you understand," the Champion said.
Nick performed a quick and polite bow. "I will return to my duties, Champion."
The Champion just nodded, and the isolation function of the office was deactivated.
Nick stepped out of the Champion's office and entered the Left Arm's office.
Naturally, the Left Arm had returned by now.
"Anything I need to know?" she asked.
"Nothing has changed," Nick said. "I just received a commendation and another couple of years of leave from my duties."
The Left Arm nodded. "Tell me when you are ready to return to work."
Nick just nodded before leaving.
The Left Arm was beyond intelligent, and she could hear Nick's secret message.
Nothing had changed.
When talking in secret, no unnecessary words were said.
Unnecessary words clouded the message.
The fact that Nick opened with that sentence meant only one thing.
His loyalties still lay with the Technician and the Left Arm.
Of course, it could also be that Nick's loyalties had shifted and that he knew what to say to placate the Left Arm's suspicions.
Both were possible.
But the Left Arm trusted Nick.
She knew where Nick came from.
She knew his origin and how much he desired to help humanity.
This was not just a random Specter.
This was Nick.
Additionally, the fact that Nick said that he received a commendation and a couple of years of free time was also an obvious lie.
The Champion never gave Nick any free time.
All of it was approved by the Left Arm.
And a commendation?
From the Champion?
He really didn't seem like a person who would give praise to a Specter.
Naturally, the Left Arm was right with her suspicion.
The Champion didn't give him any free time.
Nick just lied and said that he got a couple of years so that he could benefit more.
Obviously, Nick was supposed to come up with a cover story as to why he talked to the Champion in private, and he used this lie as his cover.
What was the Champion going to do? Tell the Left Arm that he didn't grant Nick any free time?
That would make things even more suspicious.
"I will use a good chunk of my free time to learn more about technology. It's a field I am still lacking in. Knowing more about how our weapons work will help me," Nick said. ŖἈΝɵ₿ĘȘ
The Left Arm didn't show any reactions.
"You are free to do so," she answered.
Naturally, this was another hidden message.
However, the thing that unveiled the secret message was not the content but the context coloring the content.
The Left Arm knew that the Champion was listening.
The fact that Nick just commented that he would be learning about technology while the Champion was listening told the Left Arm what she needed to know.
Nick rarely told the Left Arm what he was doing, and the fact that he did was a big clue.
The Left Arm believed that Nick was now also working for the Champion and that his duties were related to humanity's technological progress.
Since the Left Arm knew the truth about the Sun, she knew what this meant.
Nick got the Envious Researcher's job.
That was perfect!
Nick was the very being responsible for secretly advancing humanity's technology, while the Envious Researcher was the being responsible for suppressing technological advancement.
Now, Nick was both.
Nick was the detective responsible for solving a murder case while also being the murderer.
The understanding the two of them had was exemplary.
That was because the Left Arm was extremely experienced and very intelligent, while Nick was a master of deceit and subterfuge.
Both of them could share information with each other while the most powerful person in the world listened in.
The very foundation of this kind of communication was one thing.
Trust.
Both of them trusted that the other person was intelligent enough to decipher their hidden message.
And both of them were right.
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