Getting a Technology System in Modern Day

Once all the representatives had entered their offered goods for exchange into the hologram, the room fell silent once again. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation as everyone awaited Lanesra’s cue to proceed. At this moment, she effectively presided over the meeting, given that the Terran Empire was the sole supplier of mana stones and the central focus of the trade, placing her in an unchallenged leadership role.

"Now, let’s move to..." Lanesra began, only to be interrupted.

“Excuse me,” the Zelvora representative interjected abruptly, cutting her off just as she was transitioning to the next agenda item.

Lanesra turned her gaze toward the Zelvora representative, her eyebrow raised in a mixture of curiosity and mild irritation. She questioned whether his interruption was prompted by something genuinely important or simply an attempt to undermine her authority in the meeting. It was nearly impossible to determine his true intent, as the empire still lacked sufficient data to fully decipher the motivations behind each civilization’s actions. This knowledge gap often forced imperial officials—tasked with managing these alien interactions—to operate with limited foresight, piecing things together as they unfolded.

"What is it, Mr. Kalron?" she asked, her tone even but laced with a hint of curiosity.

"I propose we take a short break to complete the actual exchange of mana stones before reconvening to address the remaining items on today's agenda," Kalron, the Zelvora royal and representative, suggested. His expression betrayed his eagerness to finally lay eyes on the mana stones, their presence already was enough to subtly enhance the ambient mana making everyone feel as though they were enveloped in a soothing, invisible massage.

His suggestion for mana exchange looked to have clearly struck a chord with many in the room, as several representatives nodded in agreement, their own eagerness to obtain the mana stones mirroring his.

Lanesra observed the eager expressions of the representatives in the room and took a moment to collect herself before speaking. "It seems everyone is quite impatient to see the mana stones. Therefore, we will take a one-day pause in the meeting to allow the exchange to proceed and to ensure both sides can verify that the agreed amounts are transferred as stipulated."

Her tone remained neutral, but inwardly, she felt a sense of satisfaction. Their strategy was unfolding as planned. Securing the mana stone exchanges before discussing any potential quota increases would create pressure on those who had provided encrypted knowledge. This pause would give them more time to deliberate with their respective leadership, potentially forcing them to decide whether to release the decryption keys or risk losing the advantage as other civilizations moved ahead.

"Thank you," Kalron said, his expression brimming with apparent excitement. To anyone observing, it seemed as though his happiness stemmed from his eagerness to finally get his hands on the mana stones.

With that, the meeting room quickly emptied, the representatives departing as if they were schoolchildren rushing out at the sound of the final bell. One by one, they boarded their shuttles back to their respective motherships, intent on overseeing the mana stone exchange personally. After all, this exchange was the primary purpose of their journey, and ensuring that nothing went awry was of utmost importance to them all.

The moment the last representative's shuttle departed from the hangar of the ship that had served as the meeting location, Kalron acted swiftly. He initiated a mental network, pulling all the representatives of the Astral Conclave into a shared connection. His urgency was evident—he couldn’t afford even a brief delay that might allow someone to initiate further communication with the empire and potentially derail his plans.

For this occasion, Kalron set aside his usual sense of superiority, which would typically have seen him delegating such a task to one of his subordinates. Normally, he viewed the act of forming a mental network as beneath him, especially since it involved representatives from civilizations outside the Conclave's top ten—a group he considered far below his standing. However, the stakes were far too high for him to indulge his ego. Even the smallest, lowest-ranked civilization could shatter their advantage if they acted outside the coordinated effort. At this moment, practicality and urgency overrode his usual disdain, and he took direct control to ensure his intentions were executed without delay.

“This better have a good reason, or I won’t let it slide,” the Xor’Vak representative said, his voice carrying a calm but unmistakable edge of warning as he surveyed the round table within the mental network. The other representatives could feel the weight of his words—low and measured, but laced with the promise of consequences should the Zelvora's actions prove unnecessary.

Though he could have easily resisted the pull into the network or severed his connection altogether, the Xor’Vak had chosen to comply, curious about the reasoning behind Kalron’s actions. However, his compliance did not equate to tolerance. His demeanor made it clear that if this intrusion turned out to be frivolous or driven by petty motives, there would be repercussions. For now, his curiosity held his retaliation in check, but his patience was thin.

The other representatives who found themselves seated at the round table in the mental network reacted in a variety of ways. Those hailing from the top ten civilizations wasted no time expressing their thoughts aloud, their tones ranging from mild curiosity to open irritation. Each of them sought to understand why they had been summoned so abruptly, particularly during such a critical time.

Representatives from lower-ranked civilizations, however, adopted a more cautious approach. Some echoed the sentiments of their higher-ranked peers, while others kept their questions to themselves, wary of drawing unnecessary attention or seeming confrontational. They silently hoped the meeting would conclude quickly, eager to return to overseeing the coordination of the mana stones exchange, which was far more pressing to their interests.

Kalron, who had delayed his own entrance to ensure that no one was left out of the mental network, finally appeared in the roundtable meeting space. The room, which had been filled with whispered complaints and tension, immediately fell silent upon his arrival. His imposing presence, combined with the weight of the action he had just taken, demanded everyone’s attention.

“I want to start by apologizing for pulling you all into my mental network so abruptly,” he said, his tone serious. “It was necessary and urgent. I hope we can move quickly through the meeting and reach an agreement, as I did not want to raise any suspicion." He glanced around the room, his expression making it clear that he was not joking. The situation was critical enough that he was willing to take the risk of others retaliating if they did not deem the matter important enough to warrant such an action.

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