Chương 155: Chapter 154: Astra and the Protest Crowd

Eight in the morning. The plaza at the foot of Lotte World Tower was packed with several thousand people. University students, city residents, and former Hunters in plain clothes crowded up against the security barriers. Hundreds of cardboard signs rose into the morning light:'DEMAND TRANSPARENCY ON VANCE'S POWER SOURCE!'

'HUMANITY NEEDS AUTONOMY, NOT A GLASS CAGE!'

'GIVE THE RESEARCH INSTITUTES BACK THEIR PURPOSE!' At the very front of the crowd, Professor Kang Min-Jae sat in his old metal wheelchair, hands resting on his lap, eyes calm as he watched the tower's revolving door. Click. The automatic glass doors swung open. Lucian, in a crisp black vest, hands in his pockets, stepped out onto the marble steps at an easy pace. Behind him came Sylvia with an armful of files, Eleanor in an elegant office dress, and Astra in her pastel-pink puffer jacket. SPLAT!

A rotten egg sailed through the air and struck the stone column beside Lucian, spattering a streak of yolk onto the shoulder of his vest. SHRK! The Sun-Cleaving Dragon Blade at Astra's hip slid a third of the way out of its sheath. The marble floor beneath her feet gave a shallow crack. A thread of platinum holy sword-energy leaked from the blade, turning the air near Lucian into a pressure that made the nearest storefront signs shudder. Astra's ash-gray eyes went cold. She dropped into a low stance.

"Someone threw something at Lucian. Let me remove the threat." Grip. Lucian caught Astra's wrist and pressed the sheath closed with his other hand. The dangerous pressure vanished. Astra looked from his hand to the frightened crowd, blinking in confusion.

"Lucian?"

"Stop right there, you idiot! One swing of that thing and this turns into a disaster. They threw an egg at me — you want hundreds of people hurt over an egg?" Astra looked at the crowd of students flinching back from the shockwave, then down at the broken egg on the ground, and said, small-voiced: If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"So... even the one who threw it?" Lucian dabbed at the stain on his shoulder with a tissue.

"Especially not over an egg. They're people. Potential customers, yes — but people. You do not cut them down." Ting! The Unified System V2. 0 panel opened in front of him: [UNARMED CIVIL CONFLICT DETECTED] [SYSTEM-RECOMMENDED RESPONSE:] Maintain a protected access corridor. Record unlawful assaults. Do not escalate lawful civilian dissent. Offer water, food, and discount vouchers as a customer-service policy. (Host: APPROVED IMMEDIATELY.) [DE-ESCALATION NOTE:] ● Property damage: one broken egg.

● Voucher and refreshment cost: to be borne by Vance Earth Holdings customer relations. Lucian walked down the front steps without raising so much as a magical barrier. He bent down, picked up the broken eggshell off the pavement, and tossed it into the metal trash can at the corner of the plaza. Then he took the security guard's handheld megaphone and spoke in an even, unbothered tone.

"Your protest remains lawful. Vance security will not retaliate. Keep a clear corridor for employees and emergency access; anyone who wants water, food, or a voucher can scan the code on the lobby screen." The crowd answered with a confused mixture of laughter, anger, and silence. They watched the ten-year-old billionaire pick up an eggshell himself instead of calling riot police or drawing a weapon. Then the lobby screen lit up with a ridiculous voucher notice. Some people lowered their signs.

Others held them tighter, unsure whether he was mocking them or trying, in his own bizarre way, to keep the confrontation from turning violent. The protest did not disappear. A few people helped clear a path and picked up litter; others remained by the barriers, still demanding answers. Professor Kang waited at the front, watching Lucian with a thoughtful expression.

A few spies from the old major Guilds, mixed in at the edge of the street, clicked their tongues at the sight, quietly pocketed their magical recording devices, and slipped away. Astra stood on the marble steps, watching Lucian's small figure walk toward Professor Kang's wheelchair. She touched her fingers lightly to the hilt of the Holy Sword at her hip. For the first time in her life, Astra understood that protecting civilians sometimes meant controlling the power that could protect them.

Lucian stopped in front of Kang Min-Jae's wheelchair and gestured toward the tower.

"Please, Professor. Let's have tea in my office on the 120th floor." Kang Min-Jae looked up at the ten-year-old and smiled faintly.

"Thank you, Chairman Vance." Click. Ten minutes later. The ebony door of the VIP conference room on the 120th floor swung shut. Only Lucian, Professor Kang Min-Jae and Eleanor remained — the boy and the professor across a glass table with a clear view of the Seoul skyline, Eleanor at a small side desk with the minutes book open in front of her. Kang Min-Jae rolled his wheelchair forward slightly, looking straight into Lucian's dark, deep-set eyes, his voice level and steady.

"Mr. Vance... Now let's talk about the founder behind this world's maintenance network — Dr. Vance."