Nick finished the last years of his time off working with the Technician.
While he wasn't very interested in how the Technician's machines worked, he needed to act like he was doing the Envious Researcher's job.
After the last few years of his free time had passed, Nick retreated to an isolated location.
"Oh, Sun," Nick said, activating the recording function of the Sun. "This is Julian Winter, the replacement for the Envious Researcher."
"I have joined the Technician in his research for several years, and I am here to report on humanity's progress."
"Humanity has created a nuclear fusion reactor that creates a small star inside of it. The reactor is stable without any issues. During the creation of the star, the Technician managed to harvest a new kind of energy. The energy is toxic to humans and very unstable."
"Since it is made by a small star, I assume this is the Star Energy you were talking about. As part of my duties, I directed the research into the direction you wanted."
"I believe that an abundance of Star Energy would make humanity progress much faster in developing new technologies. The faster humanity progresses, the worse it is for them since it will destroy the balance between technology and personal power."
"I have redirected the focus of the research from producing more Star Energy to making use of Star Energy. I argued that the most powerful Specters have already dealt with Star Energy in the past, which means they can counter it."
"Humanity needs more personal power, and upgraded equipment will help in this regard."
"When humanity manages to create powerful personal weapons with Star Energy, I will redirect the research towards biological enhancement."
"You have said that humanity's talent in altering biology is not as good as its talent to turn cold steel into powerful weapons. I will redirect humanity towards creating an alternative of Zephyx Synchronizers."
"Star Energy can be used as a source of power, and having a source of power that inherently counters Specters will help during battles."
"However, humans are designed to work with Zephyx, not Star Energy. Attuning all of a human's body so that it works with Star Energy instead of Zephyx will take a considerable amount of time."
"I'll have to see where I should go after that, and I might need your guidance when it is time, but that will still be centuries from now."
"That is my report. If you wish for me to alter humanity's development further, please instruct me."
Nick took a deep breath and stopped talking.
His ability had not deactivated during his entire speech, which told him that nobody was looking at him.
This confirmed once again that the Sun was not sentient.
After giving his report, Nick entered Aegis' headquarters again and entered the Left Arm's office.
"I'm ready to get back to work," Nick said.
The Left Arm nodded. "You know what you have to do."
"Contribute," Nick said.
"I will leave the way in which you contribute up to you," the Left Arm said. "The Grand Continent is a valid target again. We implemented the changes that we discussed about five years ago, and Sloth is trying to find a way around them." ṙÁΝО₿Ɛs
"For now, Sloth has not shown any big movements, but allowing the trade of Specters has definitely been a devastating hit to it. As of this moment, Sloth is helping humanity instead of hurting it."
"This can't continue, and Sloth will find a way around our new policies."
"I will leave your manner of contributing up to you. You may try to go after Sloth or any of the other ones," the Left Arm explained.
"Thank you, Left Arm," Nick said before walking out of the office.
'I'm not sure if I should deal with Sloth,' Nick thought as he walked towards the exit of Aegis' headquarters. 'Sloth has essentially conquered the entire Grand Continent, but its impact is limited due to its modus operandi.'
'Making Sloth even stronger could be good or bad.'
Nick stopped walking.
"Champion, I have a question," he asked out loud in a random corridor.
Nick had never contacted the Champion like this, but due to his new job, he believed that he had the right.
"Ask," the Champion's voice spoke in Nick's mind.
"Are the Trio of Destruction on the same level?" he asked.
"No," the Champion answered. "War is the strongest. It is most likely a Late Adversary. Famine is a Mid Adversary, but it might advance to the level of Late Adversary soon. Pestilence is the weakest. It became an Early Adversary a couple of centuries ago."
Nick nodded. "I will work towards strengthening Pestilence. Since there is only a limited amount of resources, strengthening Pestilence means weakening the growth of the other two."
"I'm going to deal with Gluttony," Nick explained.
"You have proven effective and efficient," the Champion answered. "I will leave it up to you."
"Thank you, Champion," Nick said before walking out of Aegis' headquarters.
'Gluttony controls the western part of the Grand Continent, and it is constantly warring with Sloth and Wrath. From what I have seen, Wrath has gained quite a lot of ground, and its influence is starting to encroach on Gluttony's territory.'
'When Lust died, Wrath was the only competitor who had access to its territories. While Wrath advanced towards the east, Gluttony was kept isolated in the western part of the Grand Continent.'
'A battle of three or four fronts is unintuitively tame. No side wants to commit to a battle since the other two or three sides could combine forces and strike them.'
'A battle between two sides is the most intense.'
'Dealing with Gluttony makes the Grand Continent into a battleground between Sloth and Wrath.'
'In a way, the concepts of sloth and wrath are about as opposing as they get. An angry person is generally not silent and inactive. If they fight each other, the two kinds of cities will be almost the opposite of each other.'
'Additionally, Wrath thrives on conflict, and people strive for more power during periods of war. Meanwhile, Sloth's cities are willing to sell anything they don't need to survive.'
'In a battle between Wrath's and Sloth's influences, Wrath's cities will be strengthened by Sloth's cities.'
'This can make Sloth more desperate, and there's a chance it might become careless.'
'All the Corruptors' personalities represent their name, and Sloth is, by definition, not someone who works hard. The more we force Sloth to work, the more unstable it will become.'
'That's when we will strike.'
'It's time to deal with the Corruptors.'
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