After a few seconds of thought, Alaric suddenly recalled something, muttering to himself, "Speaking of which, hasn't Medici already started the scam on the Loen royal family? If that goes smoothly and we secure a colonial island from them, it would be a perfect spot for the lab."
As everyone knew, Alaric was a bit of a slacker, fond of being a hands-off boss. After delegating the task of scamming the Loen royal family to Medici, he'd mostly forgotten about it, only occasionally checking on progress and otherwise leaving it alone.
So, it wasn't until he needed a location for the biological laboratory that Alaric remembered the Loen royal scam.
"Is there anything I can help with?" Frank, unaware that the lab was still just a concept, asked eagerly, brimming with enthusiasm.
"You could start by thinking about the experimental environment and equipment you'll need… Make a list for me." Alaric said, smiling at Frank. "If you know anyone you think would be suitable to join the lab, you can recommend them too. If no one comes to mind right now, just keep an eye out."
"Got it. I'll make the list soon." Frank nodded, then frowned in thought, looking troubled. "I don't think I know anyone particularly suited for the lab, but I'll keep an eye out for good candidates."
"No worries if you don't." Alaric said with a smile, then added, "By the way, Frank, would you mind showing us some of your past creations?"
Frank nodded eagerly. "Of course!"
…
There was no doubt that Frank was a highly imaginative and creative individual. His inventions were one quirkier than the next.
However, after the biological catastrophe on the Future, his remaining, non-mutated creations seemed almost normal by comparison.
Needless to say, this contrast brought a sigh of relief to many.
During the tour, Frank grew closer to Alaric and Klein, especially the latter, who, out of guilt for his earlier doubts, actively engaged Frank in conversation, receiving an enthusiastic response.
After the tour, Alaric and the others didn't linger. They left their contact details, said goodbye to Cattleya and Frank, and returned to Backlund.
"Yo, you're back? Where'd you all go? I woke up to an empty house and thought I'd become an empty-nest old Jack." Said "Jack Jones." lounging on the living room sofa with a sly grin, clearly fishing for information.
Klein glanced at Lucifer, and seeing no objection, sat on the sofa opposite Jack and began recounting their recent experiences.
Alaric, still in his Lucifer persona, turned to Bernadette. "Shall I take you back?"
"No need, Your Excellency Lucifer. I can manage." Bernadette shook her head. She bit her lip, hesitating for a moment before saying, "I've finished reading that book…"
For a Sequence 3 Clairvoyance, finishing On Capital in one night was trivial.
"Did you understand it?" Alaric asked, unsurprised, looking at her calmly.
"Honestly, no." Bernadette admitted, shaking her head. "I understood parts of it, but there's still a lot I don't grasp…" She looked at Alaric with a mix of hesitation and expectation.
Clearly, Bernadette hoped Alaric could clarify the parts she didn't understand.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not a qualified teacher... at least not for explaining that book." Alaric said, shaking his head. He could teach other things, but On Capital wasn't his forte.
Bernadette's face fell with disappointment.
"However…" Alaric continued, shifting tone, "I can take you to see what we're working on. That might help you understand the content better."
Bernadette paused, then realized what he meant and nodded hesitantly. "That would be appreciated, Your Excellency Lucifer."
Alaric smiled and said no more.
His reason for taking Bernadette to see their work was twofold: convenience, since he was already planning to check on Red's progress, and a desire to deepen her commitment to the cause of reform. Ideally, he'd turn her into a steadfast ally for the revolution.
Alaric didn't care much about a Sequence 3's power, but who wouldn't want an extra ally? Especially since Bernadette wasn't just herself... she carried influence. If she fully dedicated herself to the cause, even if Roselle later had doubts about the reform, he'd likely have to go along with it, given his doting nature.
Alaric didn't trust the morality of someone like Roselle. Sure, Roselle would work hard for him as an employee, but there was a difference between working for a boss and fulfilling a daughter's dreams. The former might involve slacking off, but the latter? With Roselle's obsession with his daughter, he'd give 200% effort.
This was called maximizing an employee's initiative!
As for whether Roselle would resent Alaric for this, Alaric didn't care... knowing Roselle's personality, he'd grumble at most but wouldn't do anything more.
With that, Alaric led Bernadette, following Medici's aura, to the Sanguines's stronghold in Backlund.
At a desk, Medici, visibly irritated while flipping through documents, suddenly tensed, sensing something. Recognizing Alaric's presence, he relaxed but didn't look up, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Well, who do we have here? Our benevolent boss. Finally remembered there's a poor Red here, slaving away to the point of collapse?"
Ahem… Alaric blinked, letting out a rare, guilty cough.
He knew he'd been piling a bit too much on Medici lately. Though most tasks were reform-related, the list was daunting: managing the reform base's development and ideological work, coordinating resource acquisition from Intis, planning against the Aurora Order, scamming the Loen royal family, handling Sanguines affairs…
Medici even managed household chores, acted as Lil' Amon's "mom." Studied occult knowledge with Will, and researched On Capital.
If Alaric hadn't delegated City of Silver's matters to Amon, those would likely have landed on Medici too.
***
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