"Thank you all. It will indeed help us massively, even if the amount of metal we get out of the mines will decrease," said Julia with a slightly bitter expression. While the changes favored her family overall, that did not mean there were no drawbacks. Modern mining techniques had been incredibly efficient before the System arrived. Now efficiency was being traded for durability and reliability, which was good for the long term but still frustrating for anyone who had spent decades optimizing production.
"Well, that is hardly surprising," said Orazio with a pleased expression. "But try to look at the bright side. It seems the System is planning to remove a large portion of the raw materials section from the personnel and faction shops in order to stimulate the economy." His statement immediately captured everyone's attention. Several heads lifted from their reports, and even those who had appeared distracted moments ago suddenly became interested.
"Oh? And what makes you say that?" asked Gustaw with an intrigued expression. "We have not heard anything about that from our own contacts." The others around the table looked similarly interested. Information regarding the System was still incredibly valuable, especially if it could influence investment decisions.
"Let us say it is mostly speculation," Orazio replied. "However, the System clearly wants humanity to flourish. Allowing every faction to endlessly purchase raw materials from a shop seems counterproductive to that goal." He leaned back in his chair while organizing his thoughts. "If resources are always available through the System, there is far less incentive to develop the newly expanded world."
Several people nodded.
The logic was difficult to argue against.
"Think about it," Orazio continued. "Humanity would still expand, but we would focus primarily on the safest opportunities first. We would gather data, calculate profits, and only afterward determine whether more dangerous ventures were worth the risk." He spread his hands slightly. "If the profits are insufficient, many organizations would simply avoid those projects entirely. Eventually, that would slow humanity's development."
Again, the room nodded in agreement.
Everyone present understood incentives.
Entire fortunes had been built upon understanding them.
"That all makes sense," Julia admitted, "but the System we have seen so far behaves more like a program following a set of rules." She tapped her fingers lightly against the table. "For it to actively consider humanity's long-term development seems somewhat unlikely." Several others murmured their agreement. It was difficult to imagine the System making judgment calls.
"Normally I would agree," Orazio said. "Which is why I would not normally speculate about the raw materials section disappearing." A small smile appeared on his face. "However, what if I told you I recently heard a rather interesting rumor from China?"
The room immediately quieted.
Orazio had everyone's attention now.
"The rumor claims that the Chinese met the ego of both the System and Earth itself."
Several eyebrows rose.
Now they were interested.
"All right," Julia said, helping move the story along. "What makes you believe that rumor is true?" She knew Orazio well enough to understand he would not bring something like this forward without at least some supporting evidence. The man enjoyed speculation, but he hated looking foolish.
"In the rumor," Orazio began, "the ego introduced itself as Gaia." He paused briefly. "Which immediately caught my attention." Looking around the room, he saw several people already understanding where he was going. "Gaia is a Greek name. More specifically, the name of a Greek goddess."
That caused a few thoughtful expressions to appear.
It was indeed an unusual detail.
"Think about it," Orazio continued. "The Chinese would never choose a name from another culture if they were inventing the story. At the same time, I find it unlikely that such a being would choose a culturally specific name for itself." He folded his hands together. "If Gaia is responsible for all of humanity, selecting a name from a single culture seems rather counterintuitive."
The room remained silent.
Everyone was following his reasoning.
"So someone else named her," Orazio concluded. "And for whatever reason, she accepted it."
The atmosphere immediately became more serious.
Unlike wild speculation, that conclusion actually had some logic behind it.
"If that is true," Julia said thoughtfully, "then the people who named her must be located somewhere in Europe." She glanced around the table. "Otherwise the entire situation becomes rather strange." Once again, several people nodded. The conclusion followed naturally from the premise.
"That was exactly my thought," Orazio said. "Which led me to another interesting observation." His smile widened slightly. "Something happened during the Trial that I found odd at the time but makes more sense now."
Several people leaned forward.
Stories involving trade families were usually entertaining.
"For most of the Trial, the only trade family consistently fighting on the front lines was the Sonneberg family," Orazio explained. "The reason was understandable. Their craft depended heavily on real forests, and the Trial environments constantly shifted." He tapped the table lightly. "The others largely focused on their professions instead."
That matched everyone's memories.
Nobody interrupted.
"Then one day they all met," Orazio continued. "After that meeting, every single trade family suddenly became far more active in combat operations." He raised an eyebrow. "Before that point, most of them seemed far more interested in experimenting with their professions and watching their progress through the System."
The room became thoughtful.
Several attendees remembered noticing the same thing.
Trade families were obsessed with their crafts.
They always had been.
The great houses around the table knew that better than anyone. Many of them had sponsored and protected those families for centuries. Without that support, quite a few would never have survived modernization. They also understood just how fanatical those craftsmen could be when pursuing their chosen disciplines.
Even now, the trade families were slowly distancing themselves again after regaining their usefulness. Nobody around the table found that surprising. They had never treated those families like servants or pets. Partly because the trade families possessed plenty of deterrence themselves, but also because their credibility mattered.
A trade family that abandoned its obligations would lose everything.
History was filled with examples.
"Therefore," Orazio said, "I began wondering whether the ego revealed itself to them during the Trial." His smile widened slightly. "That would certainly explain the sudden change in behavior." The room fell silent as everyone considered the possibility.
"So what did they say when you asked?" Gustaw asked immediately.
The curiosity in his voice was obvious.
"I spoke with the beast-taming family," Orazio replied. "Quite frankly, they still make me uncomfortable." He shook his head slightly. "Anyone who casually walks around with bears and tigers deserves a little caution."
Several people laughed quietly.
They could not disagree.
"He did not say anything of substance," Orazio continued. "Every time the subject approached something important, he found a way to avoid it." He stopped there intentionally. Pushing the point further would only weaken his argument.
Gustaw nodded slowly.
"That alone is enough."
Several people looked toward him.
"He was obviously forced into silence," Gustaw said. "If the ego truly exists and wanted something hidden, it could easily prevent information from spreading." The statement was so straightforward that nobody immediately challenged it.
"That raises another question," Gustaw continued. "Why force them to remain silent in the first place?"
"I would say that answer is rather simple," Julia replied. "Humanity is not ready." She leaned back in her chair. "Half the population would immediately begin begging for favors, while the other half would start demanding things."
A few people chuckled.
The assessment felt accurate.
"Worse," Julia continued, "some people would inevitably attempt to control it." Her expression darkened slightly. "There are always individuals who believe they can enslave anything powerful enough to reshape the world." Nobody around the table doubted that. History had provided plenty of examples.
"I find that notion utterly ridiculous," Orazio said with a sigh. "Attempting to dominate such a being would be hopeless." He shook his head in disbelief. "It is essentially a force of nature."
"Still," he admitted, "I agree that humanity would resist it." His expression became thoughtful. "The name Gaia alone would create endless political and ideological arguments." That observation earned several nods from around the table. Humans were remarkably talented at creating conflicts over labels.
"So my recommendation is simple," Orazio said. "Use this knowledge if you find it useful, but do not spread it unnecessarily." His gaze swept across the room. "I have already taken a risk by sharing it with all of you."
Nobody objected.
They understood the concern.
Looking around the room, Orazio saw remarkably little surprise. No panic. No fear. No dramatic reactions. The leaders gathered there had spent their entire lives dealing with powerful forces beyond their direct control. Compared to wars, economic collapses, and political upheavals, learning that the planet might possess an ego was merely another fact to consider.
In practical terms, there was nothing they could do about it.
Which meant it was not immediately important.
"Now then," Orazio said as he straightened in his chair, "onto the second topic of today's meeting."
And just like that, the conversation moved on.