Over the next two days, Captain Kid felt a headache befalling him from all sides, as the situation in the world of Terra Nova worsened even more.
With Bernabeu City falling completely under WhiteSaber control, the probability of the rebels gaining complete control over the Empire in the coming weeks rose to a whopping 92%, making their absolute victory a near certainty.
To make matters worse, the morale of the few remaining righteous faction loyalists seemed to plummet after facing successive defeats, making many jump ship to the rebel side.
This of-course was an outcome that the Unity Empire Government back on planet Terra Nova was not too thrilled about, as they increased their scrutiny of Captain Kid's handling of the situation, and demanded that drastic measures be taken to remedy the inevitable rebel win.
All in all, with Leo refusing to reduce his gaming time, Kid found himself in extremely hot waters with the Unity Government, who now deemed Kid to be 'incompetent' and wanted to place pressure on the universal government to change the Arc Ship's command structure, and replace Kid as captain.
"I don't see how any of this is my fault… if they wanted to make the Unity Empire invincible, they should have requested the world setting to be that way from the get-go…." Kid grumbled, as he did not appreciate the fact that he was being admonished despite not making any mistakes.
"Even if I finish this mission without being replaced as Captain, I'm sure my career is going to take a nosedive afterwards.
No new employer would want to hire me if they read the feedback that the unity government is threatening to give me at the end of this trip.
However, if I do end up helping them, I'll break the already fragile game balance and the universal government will fire me for excessive interference–" Kid said, scratching his near bald head, as he pulled a few strands out.
He knew he was walking on thin ice, but just couldn't figure out how to navigate this mess safely.
Then, unexpectedly he got interrupted when his private communication device buzzed with a new urgent message.
It was a message from Mu Fan, the designated point of contact for the Mu Clan in their pursuit to recruit Leo Skyshard.
It was a message that Kid had been expecting for days now, however, was disappointed not to have received sooner.
Now, as the notification blinked on his private communication device, a wave of relief washed over him, as the message seemed to be written in a happy note.
'At least someone is happy with my services…' Kid thought, as he read the letter with utmost sincerity.
The Unity Empire might have been sharpening their knives, ready to carve his career into irrelevance, but the Mu Clan—an influential and resourceful faction—still saw value in him, and was even promising him unimaginable rewards for his cooperation!
'Its a way out…. If I choose them, I can get out of this mess safely' Kid thought, as suddenly he saw a clear path out of the mess he currently found himself in.
"Interesting" Kid mused as he leaned back into his chair and stared at the Mu Clan's insignia displayed on his communicator.
The Unity Empire Government was already painting him as incompetent, and even if he bent over backward to fix the game balance, it was unlikely he'd be rewarded or even given credit.
The Universal Government was also watching him like hawks, and any further intervention in the game world could see him fired on the spot.
But the Mu Clan? They weren't bound by bureaucratic red tape. They operated in shadows and with results, not empty promises or scapegoating, and if he played his cards right, he might not only escape this mess unscathed but emerge wealthier and more secure than ever before.
'Who needs the Unity Empire's empty praise or flourishing mission report anyway?' Kid thought, as he decided to go for the side that was offering him more benefits rather than threats.
His lips curled into a sly grin as the plan began to take form in his mind. The Mu Clan was offering him a golden parachute—one tied directly to Leo Skyshard. If Leo became their prized asset, Kid could ride that wave all the way to comfort and safety.
And so, he made his decision.
"Screw the Unity Empire," he muttered under his breath. "From now on, my only priority is Leo Skyshard and the Mu Clan."
**********
(A few minutes later)
After letting the rush from making his mind cool down, Kid opened the letter from My Fan once again, carefully re-reading all her requests.
1. Lower the mana concentration in Leo Skyshard's quarters to halt his meditation progress.
2. Sabotage his meditation training subtly.
3. Delete all data suggesting Leo might awaken genetic abilities.
The first two points puzzled him. The Mu Clan had expressed such interest in Leo, yet here they were, asking him to prevent Leo's progress. Shouldn't they want him to grow stronger? Wouldn't that serve their interests better?
But then again, Mu Fan's wording had been clear—it was for his own good.
Perhaps there was a delicate timeline at play to awakening his genetic potential that he as an outsider wasn't privy to.
Genetic Awakening was a common process in the upperclassmen of the universe that belonged to a special bloodline with bloodline ability running dormant within them. However, for the majority of the universe, they were born without any inherent abilities and hence had no knowledge about the subject.
Kid as a Captain knew that Genetic Awakening was a process that did happen in society and that different factions achieved it differently, however, he was not sure about the Mu Clans awakening methods.
The Mu Clan was an organisation that operated mostly in shadows, and their reasoning often followed logic inaccessible to commoners like him.
Kid sighed and shook his head. "Not my job to understand. Just my job to execute."
With a few quick taps on his control panel, Kid began the data purge. Files containing genetic markers, meditation efficiency logs, and system-flagged anomalies related to Leo Skyshard were systematically wiped from the ship's internal database.
Poof. Gone.
Next came the trickier part: sabotaging Leo's meditation training.
The ship's environmental controls were advanced, but fine-tuning mana concentration in an individual's quarters without raising suspicion required precision. Kid's fingers hovered over the interface as he adjusted the settings, carefully lowering the ambient mana density in Leo's quarters to a level just above noticeable. It wouldn't stop Leo entirely, but it would slow his progress significantly.
Step one, complete.
Now came the planning phase. Kid knew that Leo was stubborn and relentless in his training. If subtle sabotage didn't deter him, he'd have to find another way to convince the boy to stop meditating altogether.
Perhaps a fabricated error log warning of 'unstable mana flux'? Or maybe… an emergency maintenance drill requiring Leo to leave his quarters for a few weeks time?
The more Kid thought about it, the clearer his path became. He'd play this carefully, inch by inch, step by step.
As he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples, he felt something he hadn't felt in weeks—control.
The Unity Empire might have written him off, but the Mu Clan had thrown him a lifeline, and he intended to hold on tight.
"Leo Skyshard," Kid muttered, staring at the monitor displaying the young player's quarters, "your fate is now tied to mine. Don't mess this up for both of us."
With that, Captain Kid began drafting his next moves, fully committing himself to the Mu Clan's agenda, and unknowingly setting into motion events that would ripple far beyond his control.
In particular, his decision to wipe Leo's genetic logs and warnings from the ship's data was sure to wreak unprecedented chaos on the universal stage when discovered, as anything related to the 'Timeless Assassin' was a topic that invited direct fury of the Gods.
As a low level citizen, one who did not even know about the legend of the Timeless Assassin, Captain Kid naturally had no idea about the chain of events he had just placed in motion, however, for good or for worse, his choice today had irreversibly changed the future of the universe.
**********
/// A/N - I published the book Terra Nova Online exactly on the 1st of January 2024 and it's the 31st now, meaning it's been 365 days already.
Despite doing only 1 chapter per day for the first 45 days of the book's release, we end the year with an impressive 759 chapters, averaging 2.1 chaps/ day average for the year, and less than 3 update days missed total.
It's been a terrific year overall, where Leo's been on a wild ride, and I just wanna thank you all for being a part of it.
Cheers!
Happy New Year!
And I hope you have an even better 2025 than you had 2024. ///